text,label
"It helped me place myself in the right direction as far as choosing a college. It's hard to choose colleges just by what you hear by older people but this book is extremely useful in information you need to know before  visitng a college. I would reccomand this book. The software was useful to  me, however if you know how to write a formal essay it's no big deal
",1
"If you love Ludlum's over-the-top novels (and I do), The Matarese Circle has to be up there with the best. Not all of Ludlum's books are a good match of plot and style -- the repeated ""Oh my God!"" declamations of one character after another can get silly when the goings-on aren't as riveting as they could be (the two Bourne sequels suffer from this problem, I think.) But Circle delivers on all fronts. Part One is a masterpiece all by itself -- the intricate cat-and-mouse game between Talienkov and Scofield plays out thrillingly. And these are two of Ludlum's most believably drawn characters; we feel empathy for both, and root for them to join forces from the get-go. Antonia Gravet, the inevitable gorgeous heroine/love interest who surfaces in Part Two, brings a well-crafted and believable backstory to the plot. One final bonus: some of Ludlum's zestiest minor characters appear in this book, adding to the fun in nearly every chapter.
",1
"This book contains the childhood memoirs of Peter Reich.  As the son of psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, Peter led a bizarre life.  He lived with his parents on the family estate of Orgonon in the backwoods of Maine.  Not only did his father develop a unique form of psychotherapy, but he also was a theorist who experimented with unknown forms of energy.  As Wilhelm's only child, Peter was one of the first recipients of Reich's therapy methods, which involved special forms of touch, energy channeling, ""softening the stomach"", and inducing vomiting (in Peter's account). Peter was also made lieutenant in his father's defensive squad that protected the earth from UFO attacks through the use of ""accumulator guns"".  The elder Reich eventually got in trouble with the FDA for manufacturing and promoting medical equipment without proper testing for safety and effectiveness.  The court case involving his work eventually landed him in jail through contempt of court.  Not long after being sent to prison, he passed away, apparently of heart failure.  Upon his father's death, Peter found himself at the tender age of 13 forced to confront his father's legacy of brilliance and madness.  Up until the time of his father's death, he had believed everything his father told him, not knowing enough of contemporary scientific theories to understand how different his father's version of reality was from most other people's, nor having established an identity of his own through which he could objectively choose between his father's explanations and standard scientific approaches.  In this book, Peter tries to sort out for himself what is real and what is not, what is his, and what is his father's.

The book reads like the proverbial onion-chapters move in a dreamlike fashion from one period of time to another.  Sometimes it's hard to tell if what Peter is describing actually took place, or whether it was all an imaginative game in his head.  By the end of the book, the reader will have some inkling of the confusion in Peter's mind, but, like Peter, may not be capable of saying what really happened.  In any case, this is very much a book about Peter Reich, and not Wilhelm Reich, although readers who want to learn more about Wilhelm Reich may find some clues to his ideas through the interpretation of his son, who experienced them first hand and without question
",1
"This book covers everything you'll need to know about making model scenery. That being said, the material presented may seem a little overwhelming and difficult to a novice, however, with some trial and error, you'll eventually get it righ
",1
"Leonaur Ltd. is publishing the definitive Edgar Rice Burroughs 21st century editions. These usually contain 2 books of the different ERB major series in order - thus far John Carter, Pellucidar, and Carson of Venus. In the future, possibly Tarzan!
These books are handsome and my rating is mainly based on this - the ERB fan knows best about the rest of it.
This first volume of Joh Carter of Mars contains 2/3 of the greatest science fiction/fantasy trilogy ever. What is nore remarkable is that these were published over 40 years before Tolkien's LOTR and over 50 before Tolkien became fashionable. ""A Princess of Mars"", ""The Gods of Mars"", and ""The Warlord of Mars"" are ERB's greatest work.
It is sad, in a way, that Tarzan obscures ERBs Mars novels for the general public. These books deserve to be beter known, and it is astonishing no movie or TV adaptation has ever been attempted (which might be a good thing, after all!). If only Steven Spielberg or Peter Jackson were interested!
Of course, genre and ERB aficionados have long know and cherised these great stories. I wonder how many others were first attracted to these by the magnificent Ballantine editions of the 1960s?
If you are a fan as am I, support Leonaur Ltd.'s efforts by buying these magnificent books.
",1
"This is a simple book to read through for younger children. Written by native Americans it is a ""thanksgiving"" book from their point of view, why native americans have always celebrated thanksgiving. It has no mention of pilgrams or not fully proven, overly romanticized stories as most thanksgivings are but simply a beautiful description of the season, the great harvest and respect for the world around them. A book of why the Native Americans Gave thanks during this beautiful season
",1
"I guess in this book you can see both the good qualities of Ayn Rand as well as some of her non-desirable traits.  Good gateway book before tackling on the big and long Atlas Shrugged
",1
"The plot is quite good. However, the style and the overall structure are somewhat weaker that in later Grisham's stories. Still well worth the time
",1
"The novels in this series are not the escapist fantasies that many associate with the Arthurian legends. They are, in fact, historical fiction at its best. Whyte has gone to great lengths to not only ensure historical accuracy, but to weave the stories into historic events. The first six novels in the series (that is all I have read, though it appears that there are two or three more) give a wonderfully plausible explaination for the genesis of the Arthurian legend. But the beauty of the books is in Whyte's prose. A Scottish poet, he uses the language beautifully and creates characters so vivid and multidimensional that we forget the 1600 between their time and ours.
These books will not insult your intelligence, and they prove that one does not need to suspend the laws of physics or distort the facts of history to find magic in the Arthurian legend.
",1
"This book is a must for anyone who works with older adults.  It is a photographic essay of some very special people....people who embrace the robustness of life, and who are disciplined to maintain their capabilities as long as possible.  Our world is steeped in ageism, that is, believing that older people are only capable of doing things that are ""appropriate"" for their age.  This book shatters those beliefs and provides living examples of people who continue doing what they love to do physically.  I wish that Etta Clark would revise this book with a new set of photos every year!  I have seen some of these photos over and over again in lectures that people give about aging.  It is a book to be owned, not borrowed
",1
"This book is one of the best on understanding dogs and also for training them. Our daughter Dr. Shannon Dominguez DCH who is head of the Maui Animal Therapy Program --- highly recommends this book. [...] She has trained therapy dogs in a short time using these methods.   We have adopted two little terriers from shelter and they are respondeing beautifully to the day by day suggestions on how to train young as well as old dogs and we would say these methods would work on children :- ) as well!!
",1
"I couldn't count how many copies of this book I have purchased.  The most recent was for my third grandchild due later this month. This book is the best there is for the very young child. For each of my own three children, it was a stand-out favorite that was read over and over until overuse required it be replaced. We certainly couldn't be without a copy! Since then, this book is always included whenever I give gifts to new parents. 
The book is the touchy-feely type so the child explores the soft fur of the bunny, Daddy's scratchy beard, etc.  The only times I hesitated buying it for a new baby was once when the mom was unwed and the father was not involved with her or the child (there is a page on Daddy's beard and one for mother's ring) and another time for a family of color since parents in the book are Caucasian. 
",1
"I am thilled to see this book being available in hardcover and paperback as well.  I read this book about ten years ago and I read it regularly every couple of years.  The story is very compelling and the scene of the protagonist walking home through a run-down community is a classic of American literature.  

What this book and O'Connor's other novel, The Last Hurrah, apart is the writing. In an era where writers seem to challenge one another to be more like Faukner and less comprehensible to the average man, O'Connor wrote very well and his language is beautiful.  From this fine prose arises really deep characters which are flawed and so easily identifiable to us all.
",1
"Dragons are certainly among the most quintessential elements of the fantasy genre and their likenesses comprise one of the cornerstones of the art associated with it. DragonArt: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures is both an enjoyable browse and a useful guide for anyone interested in creating their own dragons or other fantastic creatures with pencil and paper. 

DragonArt is divided into three major parts, Fantastic Dragons, Unique Details, and Other Fantasy Creatures, along with an introduction, a section on how to use the book, and a brief guide to fantastic creatures. 

Lessons in this book are progressive in nature, beginning with fundamentals and moving into increasingly advanced aspects of dragon design, all illustrated with step-by-step illustrations that are punctuated by helpful tips and tricks throughout. And author/artist Jessica ""NeonDragon"" Peffer has a clear, easy writing style that can be easily comprehended, absorbed, and acted upon, an example of which follows below. 

""Okay, so we're going to discuss the anatomy of a creature that exists nowhere but in our minds. Sounds kind of silly to say that something made from pure imagination does not look correct, but that will happen if your creature doesn't look believable. To help make your dragon as real as possible, base its structure on real creatures,"" she writes at one point (page 44). ""The ideal dragon is likely a mix of cat, bird, and reptile body types. The trick is choosing which parts to keep and which ones to throw out. You want it to feel like a single creature."" 

This advice, incidentally, is very reminiscent of that given by Leonardo Da Vinci in his notebooks for drawing creatures of this ilk, making Peffer well read or naturally very insightful, either of which speaks well for her. Under ""How You Should Make an Imaginary Animal Look Natural,"" the increasingly famous Renaissance man writes, ""You know that you cannot invent animals without limbs, each of which, in itself, must resemble those of some other animal. Hence if you wish to make an animal, imagined by you, appear natural -- let us say a Dragon, take for its head that of a mastiff or hound, with the eyes of a cat, the ears of a porcupine, the nose of a greyhound, the brow of a lion, the temples of an old cock, the neck of a water tortoise."" 

DragonArt also includes guidelines on drawing a number of other sorts of fantastic creatures, including basilisks, chimeras, gargoyles, and griffins. 

For those interested in applying the guidelines presented in this book, a companion DragonArt Kit: How to Draw & Paint Fantastic Creatures that includes a compressed version of the book and some art supplies will also be available soon. Author Peffer is also the creator of the popular fantasy art Website NeonDragonArt.com, which can give anyone potentially interested in this book the opportunity to get a sense of the kinds of creatures they can learn to create themselves.
",1
"I have been procrastinating in upgrading our website so I figured I'd read a few books... a great way to procrastinate some more.  Well Marcia writes in a step by step practical way, creating a marketing foundation first then getting to the beef.  I'm now educated and inspired, have a notebook full of notes and ideas that I'm actually implementing.  It's getting done.  I'm actually recommending this book to friends who are redoing their marketing message since the first two chapters do that so well... great book, not heavy, beefy info
",1
"I tell my life coaching clients that even one of these poems makes for an loving guide as to how to live your life.  Her poem, Mindful, eloquently points the way to a life of joy and fullness for anyone.  Yes
",1
"This book is lovely, the perfect ""medicine"" for our hectic lives in this constantly-changing world.  It has a lot of information packed in, yet is presented in a clear, straightforward manner.  As I read the book, many things about my life and the way I react to change fell into place for me, and this book gave me not only new insights about myself, but also practical, positive ideas for better ways I can deal with change in my own life
",1
"I work for a dept. with the state government and Grote's comprehensive performance management system was implemented several years ago. It works. Takes the indecision and inconsistency out of perform. mgt. This text is excellent. I found that it was easy to read and to apply. We also use Grote's Discipline Without Punishment (DWOP) system also. I recommend his book of the same title also. Excellent system.
",1
"sorry i just wrote this so that there would be 667 votes and not 666 im not very religous but i find that number to be very strange and disturbing. holla back im going to buy this boo
",1
"Stephen King has written another attention grabber.  I read, and listened, as I have both the paperback and the audio book.  I found this book great, as it follows both the imaginary and the real sides of life.  I found that as I read the book, I really would like to visit the library that is described in the book.  This book follows down a strange path, emerging in what could almost be explained as a real story of fact in the past.  I recommend this novel, and the audio book as the narrator does a great job, it will not dissapoint as ""everything's eventual"" did, in my opinion.  Good luck and good reading!  (Note:  The audio version of this book is narrated by FRANK MULLER.  Anyone who has listened to Stephen King Audio Books has sure to have been wowwed by Frank Muller.  In this audio book recording, Frank Muller's voice is almost unrecognizable and amazing as he plays this roll.  Frank Muller and audio books are truly like movies for your mind)
",1
"This is my Kindergarten son's favorite Junie B. book, although he loves them all. He laughs out loud at Junie B's antics and loves pointing out her grammar mistakes.  I love Junie B. books because it helps initiate  conversations with my son about his Kindergarten.  I'll ask questions like,  'Has anyone in your class ever done anything like that'.  This particular  book led to interesting discussions about how grown-ups make mistakes too  and whether someone goes to jail for a minor crime (that's all I will say  without giving it away).  Enjoy Junie B. - she's charming
",1
"Zadie Smith is one of the most powerful authors I have read in recent times. She is so subtle about the race factor that we don't get to find out the races of the protagonists till the first 50 pages or so. She has also captured the emotions of Kiki and Zora perfectly (why is it that women always stand out in emotional moments!) and the characters stay with you even after you put the book down.

If you enjoyed the movie ""Crash"", you will love this one
",1
"A Fresh Taste of Italy is a marvelous resource for	an array of recipes; terminology; history; and sources of ingredients. The author paints a glamourous picture of the great diversity that exists in Italian cuisine.  If you purchase only one Italian cookbook...this is the one to get
",1
"This town feels so typical at first -- the suburban couple, husband with misc. job and wife who's good at parties.  The gem in Cheever's writing is to render these people and their neighbors with the true unique humanity and quirks we all possess.  Sometimes Cheever's work can seem stereotypical, everyone drinking gin and having weird suicidal urges.  This book, though, is a masterful blend of truly normal people and the creepy backstory that lives next door
",1
"I think that the beginning of the book was the worst part. He started by telling us that he was leaving and wasn't going to tell anyone. He didn't even say goodbye to a lady friend. so he tells us that he's leaving and then he goes back into the past. Back when he was a little kid. He tells about different experiances. how he had to stay in bed for almoxt five years. he tells about all the troubles that his family went through. The end was the best part. i usually hate the endings but this one was good.
this bool is meant for older people who like English books. or is it Ireland. i think it was set in Irelan
",1
"If you want to read a book that's exciting, happy, and mind-blowing you should read Small Steps. From the author that brought you Holes, Louis Sachar, is at his best. This book is sort like a sequel to Holes. The main character, Armpit, is stuck in a situation which he can not handle. He is in the heat in Austin, Texas and I think it is making him do crazy illegal things. At first he did not know what he was doing was wrong, but now he just hopes he does not have to go back to jail. I think that this book is good for any reader 11 and above. Both boys and girls would enjoy this book. I think they should make a movie out of the book; it would get outstanding remarks. This is one out of few books that I could read over and over again.

",1
"On page 116, formula 6.1, the price formula for a bond is actually for a semiannual coupon bond, not as stated on the book, for annual coupon bond.
As a consequence, the dv01, duration and convexity formula it states are for semiannual coupon bonds as well. 
I think both Tuckman and Fabozzi's books have their own pros and cons. Tuckman's book touchs more on the trading, which is interesting. Although it could be less rigorous in terms of treating the formulas. I own both books.
",1
"This book has some of the most unique ideas for spending quality time with your mate. It has all the dates organized into categories based on how much time you have, how much money you want to spend, etc. Then at the end of each date there are questions and focus excerises to bridge a communication gap
",1
"From Lenny Sands' ""Hush-Hush"" dirt-digging memo:

""Bing Crosby's drying out at a Catholic Church retreat for alcoholic priests and nuns outside 29 Palms.  Cardinal Spellman visited him there.  They went on a bender and drove to L.A. blotto.  Spellman sideswiped a car filled with wetbacks and sent 3 of them to the hospital.  Bing bought them off with autographed pictures and a few hundred dollars.  Spellman flew back to New York with the DT's.  Bing stayed in L.A. long enough to beat up his wife and then went back to the dry-out farm.
",1
"Bridget Jones, modern day woman, brillant and doesn't know it, prone to accidents and mess ups but manages to come out of them.  

This is the book that started it all with the chick lit fever.  Bridget Jones is my hero! 
",1
"A well-researched look at aviation that reminded me of the novels of Nevil Shute.
My favorite chapter was Friday Norton QA 11:50am. A perfect description of the working methods of a certain veteran TV newsman who just retired at age 88.
Of course there are plot holes. The heroine a single mom researching the cause of an air incident is in jeopardy from union thugs and has initially has guards. But as the jeopardy increases, the guards aren't there. No followup mention. What happened to them?
Some vulgarity in language.
But all in all, a great fun read.
",1
"The first time I read this book, I was watching it all happen. i'ts like I was invisible. I admire Elizabeth for having the guts to do what she did. I would have fought back, but she did it the safe way, she didn't resist. Reading this book, you feel like you know the Smart family. I pray for all Missing Children everywhere. Elizabeth is the luckiest girl in the world! Mary Katharine was so cool and collected. she is amazing too. read this book
",1
"Great story!!  Excellent in fact.  My beef is with the narrator and editor:

As someone who grew up in the Baltimore area, I thoroughly enjoyed the local references.  However, it is frustrating to hear the narrator mispronounce Baltimore icons, like Boog's BBQ at Camden Yards.  For the record, it is NOT pronounced Bow-g!  It is Boo-g... Do better research!!
",1
"I purchased the book with the intention of teaching myself all the core material in it. The material offers readers a limited number of examples per chapter per section. While these examples may sometimes make you wish for added detail, ultimately there is enough explanation to pull the reader through. Be sure you understand the previous chapter before moving onto the next or you will most likely get lost. In the end I was very satisfied with my order. Listen to me...if your at least decent in math you'll do just fine following this Algebra 2 textbook
",1
"Following up on the success of The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, this is the second volume in the Hannah Swenson Murder Mysteries.  Here again, we find Hannah coping with the brutal Minnesota winter when the unthinkable happens.  Hannah finds a body!  The local high school coach and secret wife beater is found dead face down in Hannah's strawberry shortcake.  His wife certainly has a motive, but is she the real killer?  The police are inclined to think so, but Hannah certainly does not.  With the aide of her sister, Andrea, she sets out to find the real killer.  Many suspenseful twists and turns follow as Hannah and Andrea proceed on their relentless mission to free an innocent woman.  Will they succeed and find the real killer?  Only in the last few chapters will you find out the answer to this riddle.

Once again, author Joanne Fluke has surpassed herself with another excellent novel.  The cozy and inviting atmosphere found in the first novel continues here against the backdrop of the cruel Minnesota cold.  Many delicious recipes are included so you can share the experience right along with Hannah and her friends.  Her strained relationship with her mother continues as her friendship with Norman grows and her closeness to her sister Andrea deepens.  The novel keeps you in suspense right up until the very end providing an exhilarating mystery ride.  This is a novel not to be missed.  Very highly recommended.

Smash 
",1
"If you're looking for a good story with plenty of action and a great plot and you're not really concerned with the difference between so-so writing and good writing (this book is so-so), then this is an excellent book. I couldnt put it down. 

I gauge the rating of a book by one thing; Am I able to truely come into the story? I am able to do this if the writing and word usage is at or above a certain level. I was able to ""come into the story"" when I read this book and to me, that provides for a good read. Bad writing can prevent this experience but I didn't think this book was too badly written
",1
"This book provides a fine introduction to the myths of Northern Europe.  The book examines the few remnants we have in the forms of epic poems and prose, written by Christian writers after the fact - the Eddas, Beowulf, and the Viking sagas.  From these sources, especially the Edda, the author reconstructs the myths and stories relating to the Norse gods and their subsequent twilight in Ragnarok.  Then, the author seeks to answer various questions about this myth and determine whatever relation it may have had to the original religion of the Northern European peoples.  The figures of Odin, Thor, Loki, Balder, and the rest of the Norse gods play an important part in our European cultural heritage and it is nice to see them presented in an introduction as here.  Whatever underlying mental constructs are behind such accounts as that of Ragnarok (the Twilight of the Gods) they certainly appear to be universal to the human race, as revealed in all forms of apocalyptic literature.  Ultimately these beliefs died a rather easy death at the hands of the Christian worldview.  Whatever your personal opinion about the replacement of the pagan beliefs by Christianity and whether or not the pagan beliefs should be resurrected or remain buried, you will certainly profit from reading this book and it will help you to better understand Northern Europe in pre-Christian times.  Finally, it must be noted that in many ways, at least in my opinion, the society of the Vikings was superior to our own.  I admire the strong sense of individualism that the Vikings expressed and enjoy greatly reading about their heroic feats
",1
"This book does a fine job explaining the facts of Biblical archaeology. The latest discoveries are listed which makes it a solid addition to the book ""The Bible as History.&quot
",1
"The Man of Her Dreams The Woman of His! is a book that is critically necessary today in light of our divorce culture.  Sadly, it equally affects Christians the sames as non-Christians.  Joel pulls no punches in assigning the blame to men's arrogance and poor exploitive biblical exegesis.  The back and forth style communicates the same cooperation and give and take necessary for successful marriages.  This book is must read for the engaged, newlyweds, and those struggling to stay together.  All cliches aside, this is a must read.

Rodrick Burton
Author, The Moral State of Black America  
",1
"I'm not a huge fan of this genre of music, but as a very part-time musician, this book was recommended by a fellow friend and musician.  I liked this book alot and found it education and entertaining, even if the subject matter was not of immense interest.  This is definitely not the fault of the author, who did a fine job of making this subject engaging.  

Thus, I found the read illuminating to no small degree.  I learned alot about the roots of punk, how it spread and rose, and the end of it.  By correctly defining the terms of the book ""The Indie Years"", we only see what happens to the bands in their formative years.  Once they sign with a major label, their story is ended.  This was both a good idea and frustrating one, as we see the birth and growth of bands, but not what happens to them (in most cases) once they hit a major label.  Frequently, signing with a major label creates/expands both the zeniths and nadirs for a band and I would have liked to have known what happened from there.  

Regardless, this book is well-written and a great read for any person who likes the bands included in the book. 
",1
"Set in Venice at the end of World War II, Hemingway tells a romantic and touching story of the love affair between a gruff 50 year old American colonel and Renata, a young and very pretty Italian contessa.  Loss is a recurring theme--the death of many of the Colonel's subordinates in combat, the break-up of his earlier marriage to a career woman, and the severe injury to one of the Colonel's hands from which he suffers constant pain.  The Colonel may also be dying and his time left with his young lover may be very short.

What gives the novel so much poignancy and resonance is the great devotion Renata and the Colonel have for one another.  Renata seeks to comfort the Colonel and implores him to relate to her the worst of his combat experiences so that he may relieve some of his bitterness.  The Colonel lovingly calls Renata, ""daughter.""

Hemingway tells this tale in the deceptively simple, direct, and matter of fact style for which he is justly celebrated.  I could have done without the duck hunting sequences and some of the Colonel's more obvious macho behavior, but Hemingway, being Hemingway, understandably could not.

This is a lovely and sad story, filled with the yearnings of its two lead characters
",1
"Noah Webster's book is fascinating reading for today's students and teachers alike, as well as for the average citizen, as there is much to learn from it.  While it may be inappropriate to resurrect it as an  official school text, it certainly has a place in every school library.   One of the most notable features is the comprehensive phonetic system used,  with diacritical marks (accents) applied to all relevant vowels and  consonants; words are divided according to syllables and stress.  It also  spells the names of letters of the alphabet; something which tends to be  ignored in modern teaching.  The terminology of traditional grammar is  used, and there are copious word lists, with words grouped according to  common factors. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all  students of the English language for the above reasons and for many other  interesting aspects (now-archaisms:thy/thou...; foreign words and phrases;  abbreviations explained; punctuation; etc).  This book should remain a  spelling classic
",1
"first off, i want to say that i can not believe the audacity some people have in the censure and harsh remarks towards this brilliant young man! shame on you! the book its self is great, great use of language, story and wonderful imagination. To be so rediculous as to pull this young man up on grammatical structure and lexical syntax is rediculous! who cares! talk about looking for somthing to criticize, this young man brought his dream to life and became a best selling author and even the man behind a full feature major motion picture!!! gee wizz, most would have difficulty reading a novel and getting off their back side to hire a DVD let alone make the whole damn thing yourself happen! help or no help, he made it work, he is a vital part in the chain and all props to you my friend!!!
",1
"Although everything is shown in silhouette, there is plenty of color and action and my kids (boy and girl; now 3 and 5) have always like it.  There are herds of elephants, steaming machines, flowers, critters and more.  

As the first spotlight reviewer did a good job of summarizing the assortment of critters and things that one can find I won't say more.

But in regards to the use of silhouettes instead of pictures or detailed line drawings at least one reviewer has said that they didn't like them.   But I think they miss the point.  The book is about *shapes* and how much you *can* identify without the `advantage' of a detailed picture.  And looking at the silhouette and identifying the item/creature is part and parcel of the mental exercise, just like the rhythm and rhyme of the story.  If you used pictures you'd hardly learn anything about `shapes' would you.

No, the use of shadows is just right for exercising young minds.  For reaching for that Aristotelian abstract (LOL) of what is `skunk'.   And it is amazing how even the littlest of people can tell a skunk from a cat even with Seuss' odd artwork.

Five Stars.  19 pages of fun for boys and girls.  This sturdy boardbook is a good read-aloud that stretches the imagination
",1
"I first heard this story as a part of a sermon given to a congregation of mixed ages.  The children were enthralled with the illustrations (as were many adults) but the ""message"" was deeply felt by the ""older"" child in all of us there.  It is the message that no one really knows how much influence they have.  Mole was just doing something that really intrigued and interested him, and brought him pleasure.  He wished that he could influence others, but never knew what his music did for the world.  Maybe this is true for each of us as we pursue what we really have a passion for.  The message is true for children and adults alike. I will share this with my young 8 year old violinist friend, and from the pulpit. Thank you, David McPhail
",1
"I should first confess my bias--I have often been tickled and sometimes awed by Mortimer's way with English prose for 20 years.  So, in picking up this book I had the high expectations one might have before meeting an old friend or beloved teacher.  No disappointment.  Even if some of these essays are slightly less effervescent than others, all are at least wonderful, and several are both brilliant and touching.  

Mortimer has given us a collection of short essays, conversational and often wryly funny, which he intends as a kind of spiritual bequeathal to his family and other heirs.  The chapters range across a broad range of subjects, some perhaps outwardly frivolous, like the cooking of eggs.  But in the main, Mortimer touches on matters of great substance--the nature of beauty, how to be happy, surprising ways in which our world has managed to be unjust, places and times for sex, how to dine sociably, the love of children, faith and reason, the terrors of the writer facing blank paper, and many more. I found these essays to be wise and absolutely delicious. I suspect that readers who have enjoyed Rumpole, or Mortimer's other biographical essays like Summer of a Doormouse, or Clinging to the Wreckage, will be quite pleased with these sketches.

Mortimer may, sadly, be nearing the end of his life, but at present he seems to be on a literary tear.  I, for one, wish him many more prolific years
",1
"This is a wonderful book, aimed at helping the struggling new mom with the all-too-often misunderstood Post-Partum Depression symptoms.  While I am thrilled that such a renowned star is willing to share her story for the benefit of others, I urge Brooke Shields to re-consider a comment she made recently. She indicated that while she KNOWS now that Post-Partum Depression is real and requires treatment of both medicinal and therapy support,...she does NOT believe that ADHD exists nor that it requires the same level of support.  It is essential that such public figures realize that what they HAVE experienced is not the ONLY form of reality.  Thousands suffer with ADHD in ways that interfere with their livlihood, schooling, relationships and self-esteem issues.  Studies have shown this challenge to be as REAL and as DEBILITATING as Post Partum Depression.  So please,Brooke...don't deny the realities of OTHER maladies, simply because you haven't experienced them. You of all people should realize how frustrating it is to have your challenges blown off by others. Your ""voice"" is heard loudly.  Your message must be correct.  Thank you
",1
"I found this book very helpful in outlining the importance of research & of tracking earnings estimates. Mitch Zacks gives a good overview of what the key factors are in determining whether a stock will perform. The Zacks Rank was also interesting as it looks like it has performed very well over the past years...It seems as if the Zacks Rank really is accurate, and more imporartantly a successful investing method...This is the first book I have read that has actually helped  me make money, rather than just provide broad based market overviews one sometimes reads. Overall good book, I would definitely recommend it
",1
"As the name implies, this is about the elements of programming style. The examples are a bit dated (old languages, not C/C++/Java/the-next-great-language). But this isn't a *language* programming book, it is about how to write good programs in any language
",1
"i read this years after i'd read catcher in the rye and nine stories and it was cool to be reading salinger again but it wasn't as rewarding as the first two books were. maybe i let too much time pass and outgrew his style. i dunno. i felt as if i was reading a magazine story and not a book story. i still would read everything he wrote tho if he released all new stuff, j.d. salinger's the man
",1
"What a great account of the nations oldest law enforcement agency.  The book is full of information about the Marshals service, it's mission, and it's history.  You'll also get to know some interesting personalities in  the Marshals service along the way. I am a Deputy Sheriff myself, as well  as a history buff.  From that Perspective, I throughly enjoyed this book  and couldn't put it down.  Mr. Sabbag, thanks for a great look into the  world of the U.S. Marshals. And as for Deputy U.S. Marshal Victor Oboyski -  I'd be happy to ""do a door"" with you anytime
",1
"Terry's son, Nile, has honored his father (and done the rest of us a huge favor) by publishing this collection of the best of Terry's shorter works.

Terry concluded at one point that film had surpassed literature as the communication medium of choice, and devoted most of the rest of his life to that arena. His interview ""On Screenwriting"" describes both the benefits and the frustrations associated with that choice. His advice is just as relevant to the would-be screenwriter today as it was when he wrote it.

His ""Proposed Scene for Kubrick's Rhapsody,"" and ""Plums and Prunes,"" provide interesting examples of proposed movie scenes that will prove interesting to readers unfamiliar with that arcane art.

As other reviewers have noted, ""Grooving in Chi"" is an excellent description of the Chicago riots during the Democratic National Convention in 1968.

Finally, pieces like ""The Beautiful-Ugly Art of Lotte Lenya,"" ""When Film Gets Good,"" ""Rolling Over Our Nerve-Endings [William Burroughs],"" and ""Writers at Work [Henry Green]"" prove that he could write serious criticism.

Through it all flows that wonderful, irreverent, sense of humor.

Good stuff
",1
"Rites of Spring is an unparalleled work of cultural and historical synthesis, and easily the most interesting cultural history of 20th Century Europe available.     
",1
"This book provides fascinating details of what life was like for children in Colonial America: How they played, what their education was like, what they wore, etc. The information is drawn from such primary sources as letters, journals and school primers. There are a number of pictures as well. I recommend it
",1
"I just love this book. It's for anyone who practices no particular ""religion"". The prayers are simple, in every day language, easily understood like God is speaking right to me. I find it inspiring every day and look forward to reading one prayer per day. None are more than a few paragraphs and all speak straight to the heart
",1
"This pocket companion serves as a concise overview of the most important facts & concepts from the parent textbook (Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology).  However, it does not contain all the details or some clinical relevances, that's why you have to go back to the parent textbok for furthur info
",1
"I was very pleased with my order.  The book was in excellent condition and I received the book in a timely manner.  I would definately buy from this seller again
",1
"This very fascinating book is a story written in the form of numerous letters and personal diary entries made by the principle character of the book.  It chronicals the life of a young Scottish woman forced to live first in China then Japan.  Well written and historically accurate, it's obvious the author is intimately familiar with the the culture, customs, history and life style of Japan.  This makes the book that much more interesting and fascinating for those who enjoy realism and demand accuracy in a story.  For all who've ever lived in Japan, it's a believable tale that literally makes you feel you've stepped back in a time machine to witness the birth of modern Japan.  For those who haven't lived in Japan, believe that the author has done his homework and is not simply just creating a fictional setting in his mind.  Because of this, he's able to focus on his character versus scene/setting development and thus creates a living breathing person in your mind.  The timespan covers over 40 years as the story weaves through her trials and tribulations, and shows how her fortitude and strength serve her through tumultuous events in her life.  A gripping tale that draws on your emotions and has you constantly rooting for her.  When the last page is read it leaves you wishing the story would continue, but even good books must end.  Be prepared to sit a spell.  Once you start reading you'll find it hard to put down
",1
"I first encountered this gem of a book when I decided to home educate my children for a few years, and it came with my daughter's fourth grade Calvert School kit.  Yes, it is European ethnocentric and there are the references to god, but our family was and remains enlightened enough and able to explain *context* even to children.

Whether you are a bible thumper or dedicated atheist, or somewhere in between, don't discount this book just because of your beliefs! There is much that is amazing and simply golden in this book. As a historian, I cannot think of a better way to introduce Western Civilization to a child.  The storybook format is a real winner with kids, and if you're reading it to them aloud, as I did, well, play editor as you go along!  Or take the time to explain the context of the times in which it was written.

I will be ordering another copy of this book, as my original copy was stolen by some rather sneaky and acquisitive ex-inlaws (you know who you are!).

This book is a don't miss. And it is also excellent for adults who don't like history but recognize the need for such knowledge
",1
"I really enjoyed this book. I found it in a bookstore one day and read it for pleasure slowly. I am a theory student (now) so I wanted to see a lot more math, but aside from that shortcoming (which some might welcome) it was just a fantastic description of fluid motion and derivations of the governing equations on a simple level.
",1
"Having attended the fictitious ""Grove School"" Bingham describes in this book, I am confident in saying that it is all true.  We are all indeed messed up and destined for the Ivy League.  In any event, the fictitious ""Fairfield Academy"" does also exist.  I frequent the Grove House of Pizza and I highly recommend the chicken cutlet sub.  Bingham has written a fine text and I only wish he were alive to read these reviews now.  Hip hip hooray
",1
"Good basic book, bringing back points I had been taught, and a few new to me.  Price most reasonable. 
",1
"I picked up the first Volumne of these Graphic novel series a while ago and I've been trying to get the whole series ever since! The concept is new and interesrting and the art is always great.

Animal Farm was especially good because of all the twists in the plot line. Nothing is as it seems to be! Take my word.
",1
"I found both volumes of Ms. Cook's books fascinating.   I could not wait to return to them.  I learned a lot about Eleanor and the time in which she lived.  I will buy copies of both for all my children and suggest that my grands read them as well. 
",1
"I bought this book in the 80's and it did wonders for me!  It helped me to get control of ""me"" again... and I went forward with my son from there
",1
"This dark tragi-comedy resonates with the dramatic potential of Hamlet, but and edge particular to Jacobean Drama. A play which is still relevant today (many students related it to ""The Godfather""), and brimming  with cinematic violence, lust, deception, vengence, and, with all this,  communicated through beautiful poetry
",1
"I recommend this book highly for anyone who is losing a close family member or friend to illness or who has lost someone and just are having a hard time coming to terms with why
",1
"The trilogy just stunned me and I worked at trying to understand its complexities. Then I read this book, and everything made sense. At first I declared that the trilogy was better than 'The Lord of the Rings' but could not explain why. This book nails it. It will be wonderful if you read the trilogy, read this book, and share everything with your children. Remember when 'expanding your consciousness' was all the rage? No? That's OK.  All these books do it with a basis in science. Buy the darn books. Buy them for your friends
",1
"I would recommend The Power of Simplicity to everyone.  This book goes far beyond a discussion of marketing strategy.  The idea of simplicity is relevent to all aspects of life.  This book is full of useful information and contraversial suggestions pertaining to marketing strategy.  Although the book is considered an educational read, I feel that it is extremily entertaining as well.  It's just an interesting book, it doesnt get much simpler than that
",1
"Tony Nourmand's ""Film posters of the 60's"" is a wonderful and  colorful coffee table style book that is a great treat to look through.  There are many of the classic film poster images of the French New wave,  the films of Stanley Kubrick and the classic 007 posters, just to name a  few. Film poster collecting is a great adventure and this book reflects  that enthusiasm. This book was lovingly organized with great detail. A  superb value! Looking forward to future editions
",1
"I have to say that this book is fantastic- step by step photographs for each garnish.  I just made a crab out of a cucumber in 5 minutes! 
",1
"Brooke Dojny's New England Cookbook: 350 Recipes from Town and Country, Land and Sea, Hearth and Home, is a stunning achievement, a magnum opus of a cookbook. Published by The Harvard Common Press, the book chronicles the cookery of New England from Maine to Connecticut, from the first Thanksgiving to the present. Dojny's approach to the region goes well beyond New England standbys like clam chowder (although she offers three tempting recipes)and spans practically all the food traditions of all the ethnic groups who ever called New England home. The eight baked bean recipes in the book include one for Cuban Black Beans and Yellow Rice and another for West Indian Peas 'n Rice. New England cookery has embraced food from all over the world -- besides Caribbean, you'll find culinary influences of Native American, English, Portuguese, Italian, Irish, German Scandinavian, Greek, French and Hungarian cooks  -- and all are represented in this book. Yet, for all its broadness of scope, this is a very personal book; Dojny's voice can be heard throughout, in the headnotes, sidebars and essays that describe the people and places associated with the recipes. The book is also a wealth of New England food history and lore, as well as tips on cooking techniques and ingredients. Bravo! (Excerpted from The Culinary Connection, the newsletter of the Connecticut Women's Culinary Alliance
",1
"You'll never read this in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, and NG is all the poorer for it.  P.J. O'Rourke is never politically-correct and he visits places on the planet from which most people would like to escape...the result is a spot on, razor sharp, keenly observed travelogue that is side-splittingly funny, in a tragic sort of way.  O'Rourke has a wonderful way of spotting irony, silliness, and official absurdity, and letting all of the air out of pompous, ill-conceived notions.  In short, he is the UN's worst nightmare.  For anyone who has travelled or ever interacted with any government agency anywhere--especially our own--this book is a must read
",1
"This is a great book for a piano student.  It allows them to enjoy true music while learning how to play fairly easy pieces.  These aren't little dittys made up to teach notes.  It is classical music.  Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster, Traumerei by Robert Schumann and The Happy Farmer by Robert Schumann are my favorite pieces.  They are a joy to learn and play!  This music makes you WANT to practice. 
I also recommend My First Book of Christmas Carols as well
",1
"The greatest paragraph in all of Singer is the one at the beginning of his story, Shosha, where he says he knew two dead languages, Hebrew and Aramaic, and was educated to read about the cultic requirements of a temple which had not existed for 1900 years; he knew Yiddish which he considered perhaps not a language at all, and that although his ancestors had lived in Poland for five or six hundred years he knew only a few words of Polish, although he lived in Poland for all of his youth until he came to America.

Nothing says more about the unhealthy state of the Jews than this.  Zionists should use this quote as the supreme justification for their idea that Jewish life in the Diaspora was very disfunctional and certainly unhealthy
",1
"While this book is not a comprehensive volume, it does cover the most common landscape plants in the Virginia landscape. There is a strong emphasis on older varieties of plants and those that are BEST suited to the climate conditions of Virginia.

For a new resident of Virginia who likes to do amatuer landscaping, this book is indispensible
",1
"This book has come in handy several times. It is especially useful for writing informed consents, and for creating many of the documents you don't realize you need until it is too late
",1
"Miles Vorkosigan's cunning plan is to court the widow Ekaterin.  Unfortunately the only way he knows how to take on projects is through military precision.  Miles is an idiot.

Mark Vorkosigan's cunning plan it to create a new enterprise using ""butter bugs"", a genetically engineered bug that produces an edible tofu like substance.  [Miles calls it ""Bug Vomit""]  Mark wants to help Kareen Kouldelka earn her way back to a Beta Colony school where he and she can continue exploring their relationship without cultural impediments.

Ivan Vorpatril's strait forward plan, [Ivan isn't known for 'cunning',] is to propose to the Lady Donna.  Lord Dono has something to say about that.

Lord Dono has a cunning plan.  But who the heck is Lord Dono??

Surround the whole story with the pending marriage of Emperor Gregor and the Lady Laisa, and the Vor are dropping like flies on bug butter.

This Vorkosigan adventure has no military campaigns, no threats of death, [well...not really.] It does have all of the intrigue and mess-pionage that you could expect with the over abundance of cunning plans.

You'll suffer for Miles, and then cheer at the inevitable outcome.  Ekaterin is no shrinking violet!  Don't mess with her!  A Civil Campaign is a terrific read!

[A previous reviewer commented on the cover's inaccuracy in depicting Mile's stature.  Actually I believe the couple on the cover are meant to be Emperor Gregor and the Lady Laisa.  It's their wedding after all.  If that's the case then the cover would be okay.]

Shards of Honor
Barrayar {Hugo Winner}
The Warriors Apprentice
The Vor Game {Hugo Winner}
Cetaganda
Brothers in Arms
Borders of Infinity
Mirror Dance {Hugo Winner}
Memory
Komarr
-A Civil Campaign- {this review}
Diplomatic Immunity
",1
"a very difficult topic to cover, but one which is broadly researched and well presented
",1
"Tom Friedman's writing style is easy to read and his overarching concepts-webs and walls; states v. markets v. individuals; and the comprehensive failure of the Arab street, leadership and Muslim clergy to combat the really tough and valid questions of the day-are extremely well thought-out. From reading this compilation of NYT columns, I understand where Friedman conceived many of his ideas for his current best-selling book, 'The World is Flat.' Although I sometimes disagree with his opinions, his ability to see the big picture is spot on
",1
"Based on the description, I expected this to be a DaVinci Code knock-off, but gave it a shot since I recieved a free copy.  Comparing Labyrinth to The Davinci Code do it injustice; this is definately not an imitator and is worth reading in it's own right.  I enjoyed the characters, plot, and switching between the past and present.  I'm not sure it has literary value (I wouldn't argue that The DaVinci Code does, either), but it's certainly complex enough to make you think about the plot and character relationships without being difficult to follow
",1
"These mysteries are COZY and INTERESTING and GOOD!!!  They are perfect!!!  I could not ask for a better mystery!!!  Not only is the setting and atmosphere cozy, but the clues, story line, and pacing are perfect!  This author definitely has talent!!!  The clues are perfectly and cleverly crafted and lead to the mystery solving.  And the characters - you feel like you know them!!!  I love this small town and all the characters.  Not just the main characters, but the other characters have purpose and meaning in this book.

Hannah opened up a cookie shop, with the encouragement of her sister, Andrea.

Hannah finds the milk truck delivery driver dead in his truck. She is determined to find out why he was murdered.

I also loved the cookies and coffee and cold weather!  And I enjoyed the sisters' relationship
",1
"Ellen Wright has done it again.  This time, with Meredith Brokaw.  And the two have combined to put together a wonderful array of recipes that are easy to follow and wonderful to serve to guests.  Often at my dinner parties I refer to Ellen Wright's previous books.  But now Big Sky opens a new door to cooking and presents inviting and simple recipes that will have your guests in awe of your skills.  Even for simple family meals, you will find yourself referring to Big Sky time and time again... I don't know what I did before Big Sky was published.  This is a five-star cookbook that everyone should have in their home.
",1
"With every Grisham book I read, I get more and more impressed with his ability to not only use the law to create suspense, but to insert other elements to make this human as well.

For once, we have a character that is not consumed by financial gain.  However, this person has been left most of an eleven billion dollar fortune.  However, she does not know this.  A lawyer is sent to find her, and in the process, undergoes a fundamental change of his own.

This story takes place in Washington, Maryland, West Virginia, and the rain forests along the Brazilian-Bolivian border.  In typical Grisham fashion, he inserts considerable detail in all of the venues of this book, enabling the reader to create a mental picture everywhere this story goes.  You can picture the six heirs that are clawing to get their share of the millions.  You can picture the judge itching to have a high profile fight.  You can envision the rainforest, and you can picture in your mind the massive changes occurring in the life of Nate O'Riley.

This is yet another Grisham work that will simply stick to your fingers like glue.  The pages literally turn themselves.  Do not start this novel before going to bed, or you may have a sleepless night simply for the fact you simply will not be able to put this one down.
",1
"Playstation and X-box have nothing over the toy of the future: a time-travel device which allows for visits to the past. There's only one problem with Theo's enjoyment of the latest model: it appears to be defective, and his interactions with peoples of the past increasingly holds dangers of changing the future. The debut titles in the newe ""Jump-Man Rule"" series by James Valentine, Don't Touch Anything provides quick action and unpredictable twists of plot, including romance, making it a most unusual, satisfying adventure story recommended for ages 8-12.
",1
"Angela Davis stands in my perspective as one of the most accomplished women of the postmodern era. This autobiography draws from her childhood to her young adulthood. Her account of prison life offers an unsentimental analysis of the sexual habits of women in prison. One factor that prevents me from giving this memoir a 5-star is her abandonment of her personal life as a woman. She focuses entirely on the black power movement. In closing, this memoir can offer women the strength to fight injustice but encouraging them to first empower themselves
",1
"First off, this book is very entertaining to read. Unlike many political books, it is never tedious or redundant. ""Thieves in High Places"" is an accurate portrayal of what is wrong with both parties in America. It is also informative and insightful on the roles of big Corporations in American politics and local economies. 

This book is a call to arms against large corporations that put locally owned businesses under, companies that use child labor overseas, and the entire Americal political system. This book empowers the common man in his fight for an egalitarian society, fair wages for all, and a real equal oppurtunity at an education. I loved this book, it was a pleasure to read, and confirmed everything that disuades me about America today. It is worth a read
",1
"The Sunday Philosophy Club, and the other 2 titles in this series by John McCall Smith, are everything the fans of Mme Ramotswe would hope they would be. Leaving Botswana was hard, but now we are in Edinborough Scotland, and Isabelle Dalhousie is as wise and vulnerable and real and wonderful as her African predecessor.  It is a miracle that a man can write his women characters so believably and so lovably. It is another miracle that anyone can write such absorbing, cozy, engrossing books. This is good literature and good fun. The Sunday Philosophy Club along with Friends, Lovers,Chocolate, and the more recent The Right Attitude Toward Rain, are too wonderful to miss. Welcome to Scotland
",1
"This was one of the first books that I picked up after my divorce 17 plus years ago. I knew that I was giving these men all my love, but even with all the love I was giving them they were treating me like I did not matter. Knowing there is a problem is the first step and what a huge step that is. After reading this book the light bulb went on with a bang and it has never gone off. I have struggled with relationhsip issues, but at least I know what is going on and with each relationship I got better and better until I got it right. I learned I had to read the signs that I chose to ignore for some many years. I have been in a healthy relationship now for 8 years with a man that shows me his love(along with telling me)and treats me the way I deserve.
",1
"Peck relates growing up in rural/small town Vermont with a best friend who gets him into lots of trouble. Humor and pranks abound in between lessons learned
",1
"A quality photography book that visually recounts pertinent steps in the history of noir photography and more specifically, the creation of the term noir as it pertains to film and photography in the 20th c. in New York  City.  A breath of realism, history and fact that beautifully illustrates a  fine curatorial example of the kinds of images published by the Daily News  that made this paper a forerunner in the telling of real stories suffered  and celebrated by real people.  William Hannigan is to be commended for his  fine selection of photographic and negative samples of a time not long past  and still very alive in the movies and crime documents that inspire and  fascinate us today.  A necessary addition to any photo library of value
",1
"Arrived on time and in terrific shape! Thanks
",1
"This is the first of a great series of books. Knights & squires, quests & fairies, action & discovery ---- old stories re-told in an easy-to-read style with a dose of dry humor. Geared towards older children (my daughter LOVES them all), they don't insult the intelligence of the reader (I enjoyed them more than much of the ""grown-up"" fiction I read). The series is best when you read them in order, as you meet the characters again in future books. The books were such a hit, I actully purchased them in hardback (gasp!) so that the rest of my kids can read & re-read them as they get older. We're eagerly waiting for the 7th book (and the 8th...) to come out in print!

John Morris (no relation to author
",1
"I discovered this in an airport bookshop and it is a great read on a flight. I takes some of the most insightful trend study and boils it down so that anybody can get their arms around why design is the most important factor in your business today. Yes any bussiness. This is my hyperbole Tom is much better at stating the case. But when a management guru like Tom puts out a visualy interesting as well as well thought out book like this it is time to take notice. Read and use or be left in the dust
",1
"this is a great book i love it and its very interesting! Great information and pricing 
",1
"To learn some Italian before visiting Italy, I tried multiple language-learning programs borrowed from my local library. Some were ridiculous, many required using a workbook.  Then I stumbled on the Pimsleur program, which is totally audio, allowing me to learn Italian while I drove to and from work. Due to the pedagogically- sound method Pimsleur developed for language learning, I actually did learn some basic Italian.  As a result I bought ""Conversational Italian."" Though I've never considered myself adept at language-learning, I actually felt confident in my ablility to learn Italian as a result of these CDs. I've raved about them to friends who have expressed interest in learning a language
",1
"This is a great book to have in your collection if you're a fan of blues music and history.  By far, it's not the ONLY book out there.  There are a  number of notable artists this book is missing.  Hopefully, future editions  of this book will begin to fill some of the gaps.  That being said, this is  a very good reference just the same
",1
"It is interesting to see how golems evolve from Pratchett's Discworld novel, ""Feet of Clay"" (1996), where they are speechless slaves of clay, to ""Going Postal"" (2004) where a well-educated but humorless golem serves as body guard and lecturer-in-morals to the new Post Master.  This is where it all begins...

Commander Sir Samuel Vimes, of Ankh-Morpork's Night Watch pays a visit to the Dragon King of Arms at the urging of his new wife, who thinks Sam needs his own coat-of-arms now that he's been knighted.  Unfortunately, one of Sam's ancestors was a regicide so his descendent is denied an armorial bearing by the College of Heralds.  He does learn that one of his watchmen is actually the Earl of Ankh:  the inimitable Corporal Nobbs, who is forced to carry around a piece of paper signed by Ankh-Morpork's Patrician certifying that he's really human.

Well, this is a bit of a come-down for Sir Sam, but he's got more important matters on his mind, including the murders of two harmless old men. One of them was beaten to death by a loaf of Dwarf bread.  His body was discovered by Captain Carrot and Corporal Angua, the only werewolf in the Night Watch, when they visited the Dwarf Bread Museum on their day off.

The only link between the two corpses is a trace of white clay at both murder scenes.

Subplots zigzag every which-way through ""Feet of Clay.""  Corporal 'Earl of Ankh' Nobbs is being courted by a group of well, nobs who haven't given up on the notion that Ankh-Morpork should be ruled by a king.  Captain Carrot, hereditary king of Ankh-Morpork who wisely refused the crown in ""Men at Arms,"" is busy tracking murderers and emancipating golems.  Sargeant Colon is about to retire if he lives through a trip through the sewers with Wee Mad Arthur.  Corporal Angua helps a new dwarf recruit come to terms with her yen to wear lipstick.

Death, who has at least a walk-on role in all the Discworld fantasies is still working on his sense of humor:  ""I AM DEATH, NOT TAXES.  I TURN UP ONLY ONCE.""

If this sounds confusing, it isn't.  It's brilliant.  All of the story lines tie together according to character.  I don't know how Pratchett digs through the sewers and stockyards of Ankh-Morpork, and rubs together a monarchist plot with a bit of animated clay to create such a gem.

I think he must use magic.
",1
"This is a highly informative and accurate book.  It presents the data in a clear and graphic form, with a minimum of statistical manipulation.  The studies cited by the previous reviewer, Lloyd Rowsey, are based on econometric modeling.  Since the one he mentions, two other econometric models of abortion and homicide have been published with opposite results.  One is by Ted Joyce, the other by John Lott and John Whitney.  Econometric modeling can prove anything.  If you want to understand crime in America in the 1990s, buy The Crime Drop
",1
"If your an endurance runner this is a great book for you.  It has given me a lot of ideas of different races to run and has been a great motivator for me
",1
"We are in the last part of the 19th Century in this novel, and the Wild West has breathed its last. The book is peopled with real legends (Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull) and fictional curiosities (Jim Ragg and Bartle Bone - two Mountain Men, and No Ears - an Indian with exceptional eyesight). McMurtry relates a sad, elegiac farewell to times past. The ever-interesting characters and their views of the world, which are wise and funny and fascinating, make the novel top-notch in the McMurtry canon
",1
"This book shows in detail how much of the media has gone out of its way to attack the President and how many facts have been distorted in the process.

It also provides a rare look at what the President really does with his time and how much effort he puts into his work.

If you are looking for a book that labels President Bush as a liar or a dummy, this is not the book for you.  But it is a superb look at the events of the last year and a half, including the election of 2004.

Don't be narrow-minded.  I highly recommend it
",1
"Tim Russert is a great journalist and this book is a great resource for ideas and suggestions on how to be a better dad.  In fact there is something in this book for everyone no matter what your relationship with your father is or was. The most precious things a father can provide are time, attention, and love.  This book makes the reader sit back and appreciate the little things only you and your dad know. Great work! Keep it up, Tim!  -- I also watch most of Tim's TV programs.
",1
"When I first discovered this book in a London bookshop, I decided at once that I needed to own it. It's large, it's bulky, but it's beautiful. It needs the large pages to illustrate the finest examples of Tom's works. As an artist myself, who learnt a lot from Tom's unique techniques, I appreciate what a fantastic collection of art, both colour and black and white, has been compiled into this collection. But it's not just pictures; there's an insight into the man himself, a delightful tribute to the Master of Homoerotic Art. This volume is a great tribute to Tom and a valuable tool for the new breed of erotic artists, like myself, waiting for recognition
",1
"I recently finished reading this book. This is really a great book and gave me some insight into my own behaviour. It would be fair to say that this book has great value to those who get through first 3 chapters and understand the theory behind rest of the book.

Some reviewers have written about the validity of the theory iteself. While I am not qualified to comment  on these reviews, one thing I can definitely conclude is that this book provides a solid base to those who are trying to understand their own behaviour and trying to achieve improvements in it. A theory, that too developed quarter century ago, can not be expected to stand 100% vindicated today. The more importent question is what use you are trying to put it to. So may be for a psyciatrist this is not a great book but for a layman like myself this book explains most of the things. After reading this book I could find out why I behave the way I behave mostof the times. To a certain extent I learnt to control my responses. Also I have a feeling that the claims made by Dr. Harris might be quite right in 1972 in light of the knowledge, then prevalent. 

Second objection seems to be dividing 5 or 6 billion population in 4 types of people. I think this conclusion is far from correct. Dr. Harris has repeated said that most of the people belong to ""I am not ok and you are ok"" category. Out of the remaining 3 cattttegories 2 are shared by people who have not had proper childhood and the fourth is achieved by enlightenment of an individual. The objective here is not to merely categorize, but to show that how most of us have the common position ""I am not ok and you are ok"". Now this should not be taken as a gross simplification of human nature, but as a fundamental problem in human psycology that prevents one from producing rational responses. 

Third critisism on this book stems from the fact Dr. Harris seems to quote philosophers with whom he does not agree 100%. It seems ludicrous to suggest that one must agree 100% with somebody else to merely quote a subsection which both of them agree upon. I don't think Dr. Harris wrote this book to declare to the world that he belongs to or believes in a certain academic thought 100%. The books surely derives from various thoughts put forward by various intellectuals (with whom he does not agree 100%) for the benefit of the reader. To call this approach pretentious is pretentious iteself.

I feel that reader should not by biased by comments made by reviewers. Read this book with an open mind. Read the chapeters on PAC and marriage, PAC and children, PAC and social implications, PAC and moral values. In this world that is becoming more and more crooked every other day, it tries to teach something good (and this good is not subjective or relative but absolute). Thanks
",1
"Excellent. As the title states the ""ultimate"". Should be the first book purchased, borrowed or stolen for the enthusiast
",1
"That about says it all. Bill Bryson is a hilarious writer. I like reading grammar books anyway, but I was always excited to read this book, as it's so entertaining.

Besides that, it can teach (or remind) you of a lot of good rules of writing.

The main problem is that several entries are unnecessary, and some necessary entries are left out.
",1
"As a student studying mathematics, I find it very useul! Packed with 3200 terms and 200 illustrations, It's a great quick reference guide. I found things in this guide that I couldn't find in any other book or guide. Another thing about this reference guide is the lack of poor illustrations and examples. Some things this guide helped me with is PARABOLAS, ELLIPSES, HYPERBOLAS, GAMMA FUNTION, ZETA FUNCTION, FEIGENBAUM NUMBER, THE GREEK ALPHABET, and much more. I thank David Nelson and Penguin Books for such excellent work
",1
"For anybody, who wish to learn about the Orthodox Church, and Christianity in general for that matter, this book is ""must-read"".
",1
"Overall, I think this is a very good book for someone who is trying to turn their health habits around, but is overwhelmed by all of the possibilities.  It also a good track to run on for someone who wants to implement important life changes in an easy step-wise fashion.  There is nothing fanatical about the recommendations and they can be easily implemented by almost anyone.

One of the things I most like about this book is the encouraging tone and the prioritization of various changes that are made little-by-little in eating habits, exercise, etc.  This book recommends walking as the main source of exercise and gives some great arguments for why this makes sense.  I think there are also some good and simple nutritional guidelines e.g. eliminated trans fatty acids, eating more fiber, using more olive oil, etc.

Mixed in with some well researched conclusions are Dr. Weil's opinions.  For example, he recommends a fairly simple supplementation regimen.  While it is true that not everything he says is necessarily supported by corresponding studies, it is also probably that some of it is on the mark, but the data is not all in or all of the variables are not possible to isolate.  At the least, I don't see where this level of supplementation would do harm to most people.

I also like that Dr. Weil takes a holistic approach to health.  He not only looks at and talks about the body.  He also addressed stress and relaxation, life attitudes and other ingredients of a healthy life that impact on health.  While he is very commercial, he is also a Harvard trained physician and I do think that he has some very good insights to share.

While in some ways I think this book can be better.  I would still recommend it to almost anyone, especially people who are intimidated by the idea of exercising and changing their life habits.  While not every suggestion might be on target, I am sure that if someone implemented ALL the suggestions over eight weeks, they would undergo a big positive change in the state of their health.  I have certainly found this to be true and I cheat on some of them   ;
",1
"Simply, clearly written, the book is a very practical guide for someone new to, but serious about, farming. Concise, yet still comprehensive and fun to read. Would have liked a section on draft animals, but Schwenke's disclaimer for not including it makes sense
",1
"A wonderful wonderful book.Although the book was written some 150 year ago, Mary Eliza Rogers takes you into the intimacies of daily life in Palestine in the 1850's as if it was occurring today. She writes from her  heart with honesty,integrity and a clear mind. And although written at a  time of Victorian prejudicies and colonialism she writes without bias or  judgement. From her beautiful and colourful descriptions one can envisage  the Holy Land as it was before undergoing the process of modernisation and  change. For anyone who has any attachment to this land it is a truly  wonderful and personal experience to read this book
",1
"This book is another excellant addition to the growing body of knowledge and accessible information on a health problem that plagues many Americans.  Adrenal fatigue and its consequences and causes should become one of the most crucial topics in health maintainance.  Another excellent book in this vein is Dr. J. Wilson's, Adrenal Fatigue, The 21st Century Stress Syndrome
",1
"This full complement of these classic right hand exercises is found in Scott Tennant's ""Pumping Nylon"", which also provides an appropriate context in which to use Giuliani's studies..
",1
"I decided to read this on a flight to Indiana from NY.  I managed to complete the book on the return.  It is a quick read, not a self help book, more about Merton and Nouwen finding their true self as well as the author's road to becoming a Jesuit.  I think we all want to find our true self, but not all can and some never attempt to.  Martin stresses the importance of finding our true self in order to achieve happiness that comes from within
",1
"I have been planting flowers from seed in my home for almost 5 years now.  Last year I had over 1400 seedlings on multi-level shelves under flourescent and natural light in my dining room. (Boy do I need a greenhouse!)  So this book was not a lot of new information to me.  A lot of what is listed can be found on the back of a seed packet, but it's not practical to sit on the floor of my favorite garden supply store and read every seed package for suggestions before I buy it.  (This is important, because I'm not interested in refrigerating my seeds 3 weeks before I plant them or doing other such preparations required for some seeds.) One major thing missing from this book was photography.  There were drawings, but I'm sorry to say that they were mostly a way of breaking up the monotony of the text rather than a reference tool.  On the good side, this book did an excellent job of providing the proper germination environment, and each plant had a quick reference in a shaded box that listed the type of plant (annual, perennial, etc), its hardiness zone, and its flowering season.  This allowed me to quickly eliminate the plants that were inappropriate for my zone.  The regular index wasn't very useful, but one wonderful addition was an index of the common & latin names.  I refer to this when looking at some of my books that include the full color photography I was missing.  (Almost makes up for it....almost!) Of course, there is the standard hardiness zone map, but they also added a map each for the probable first and last frost dates.  (Nice!)  Also included was a directory of seed companies and their addresses.  All in all, this book does a good job of covering the seed part, but a poor job of covering the bloom part
",1
"Inspirational, insightful, funny. Answers the age old question, ""But I'm just one person; can I really make a difference?"" 
",1
"This will be a present for my nephew George's 37th birthday. He loved
Curious George as a child, and still does. It's wonderful how someone
carries a love for a childhood toy, book, etc. throughout their life.
Such an individual eternally has a special spot in their heart
Kudos to Amazon for providing the book for $5.00 under market price.
",1
"I used this book as a student and still use it for teaching.  Pieces are nice and students are challenged to think musically.  It moves quicker than some other method books; it covers materials from elementary to early intermediate.  Upon completion of the first grade book students can play standard repertoire in the early intermediate level.  Students must have completed early elementary level before using this book because this book starts with playing two hands in C position.  Emphasize phrasing from the first piece.  Highly recommended
",1
"Eoghan Casey's text is immediately useful.  It's not theory, it's practical.  It's not biased to one operating system, but covers several technologies.  Finally, Eoghan and the book's contributors do not gloss over today's most offensive topics, they address them with vigor and solutions.

I would share one concern: the chapter-long product/vendor discussion.  Some reviewers label it marketing; other reviewers don't mention it at all.  I'll just forewarn you that you will learn much more about EnCase or NFR than about their competitors.

As a security consultant for Hewlett-Packard, it seems my bookshelf fills up entirely too easily, especially as of the last few years.  Therefore, I've gotten fairly selective with new book purchases (until I can get a new bookshelf).  However, Casey's text is DEFINITELY worth getting - worth knocking another book off to make room.  :)

I hope you enjoy this comprehensive text at least half as much as I do
",1
"I first purchased this book when I was a freshman in college seven years ago. It is without a doubt the best and easiest reference guide to writing I have ever read.  I love the plastic tabs that mark each section.  This guide is easy to read and follow it is organized in basic steps that are categorized accourding to section.  So for example if you need to find out how to cite a web page or a video tape, etc using the MLA style you just flip to the section called doucmentation clearly marked with a plastic tab.  I have since purchased an updated guide for myself and also bought one for my brother - a freshman in college.  I really wish I had this book when I was in high school.  I highly recommend this book to any high school, college, graduate student or writer.  I especially recomend this book for students with learning disabilities, I myself have ADD and before I got this guide I could not understand how to write a paper in the MLA style or in any style other than a book report.  I promise this is the easiest reference guide to writing ever published
",1
"This book has been golden for two of my undergrad communications classes and is turning out an invalvuable reference for my graduate level comm class, which the professor is teaching from a variety of books. It is very easy to understand and the best part is it covers all the rigorous math. It could be more rigorous with the math in some cases. Still it is such a broad and complete coverage of all important topics it will serve as your comm encyclopedia.
",1
"This was by far the best Genero/Kenzie novel of the series.  I loved this book.  Everything about it.  In this one, you really got to see the emotional side of Bubba.  Made him more likeable.
The storyline kept me riveted and not wanting to put the book down.  I was happy to see Angie and Patrick back together.  The ending was very good and left you thinking the character could possibly come back in a future book.
I'm scratching my head wondering why this was the last book of the series and why Lehane hasn't published another. It's been 5 years.  I will be watching for it
",1
"I believe that the purpose of this book is to break the bad habbits that every single christian had adoptded and the negative infuences we've been absorving.

I think that this book was made simple, so that it would be very easy to read, understand, use and remember the ""BE's"". 

It does not anti with anything, it's just conservative with what is believed to be true!

It's inspiring that would help anyone who reads to envision grabbing your dreams and on how lucky we are to be in this generation with full of opportunities. 

Every chapter gives wisdom WHY do we have to BE; Grateful, Smart, Involve, Clean, True, Positive, Humble, Still and Prayerful
",1
"Almost everyone you meet is having trouble with a relationship, this book by Charles Swindoll is a wonderful tool to assist people to build better relationships.From my own person experience I have come to conclude that the larger part of relationship problems are caused by lack of communacation.In this book Charles talks about how to be open in a relationship and the value of trust not only in a personal relationship but also in the Church. A wonderful must read
",1
"I read The Hundred Penny Box when I was in third grade 13 years ago.  Its messages of love and memory have stayed with me and will continue to do so forever.  I have created my own Hundred Penny Box and just made one for a friend's newborn son.  My grandfather was recently diagnosed with altzheimers, an illness I assume that great-great-Aunt Dew suffered from.  I took my ratty old copy of the book to his house over Easter.  We read it together and discussed his own memories over the years.  While his memory is fading, I felt it important to hear them myself, love them, and save them in my own memory as Michael did for Aunt Dew.  I would reccomend this book to any child who is losing a grandparent and anyone who needs a good, heartwarming story
",1
"This was a very revealing look into how steroids played a role in baseball player success starting in the 1980s. This was an influential book which began a congressional search into the use of Steroids in baseball.
",1
"Rawlings explores the lives and interations of the odd assortment of people living in Cross Creek, Florida in the early 1900s.  It is often assigned reading for teens, but I doubt that most of them can appreciate it.  Her accounts of neighbors feuding and subsistance living gives us many lessons in human behavior.
The lyrical descriptions of wildlife and the orange groves and wild landscape are very appealing.  Your mouth waters as you read her essays on downhome foods like hush puppies.  She turned those into a cookbook which I'll have to try out.
Modern readers squirm uncomfortably at her use of the N----- word and her characterization of blacks as irresponsible, drunken, immoral, etc.  It is probably a faithful representation of common thinking at the time it was written, so recognize it as a snapshot of the times.  Then move past that to luxuriate in the beautiful passages in the book.  (I deducted 1 star for this)
The reader becomes absorbed in Rawlings' love of the land and the creation of a home.  It gives much the same feelings as A Year in Provence or Under a Tuscan Sun
",1
"The journal format is a unique take on the genre and I especially like the detailed attention given to gear and survival.  The author obviously knows his stuff.  What's also impressive is that this novel is self published.  I'm surprised someone hasn't taken notice and offered J.L. Bourne a deal.  He's good
",1
"Practical, sage advice from Stanley. Not as good as his follow up, ""The Millionaire Mind"" this book is somewhat pedantic. It also suffers from the fact it's extremely dry. The author's writing is much more engaging in his followup, and that's a much faster read. 

 In addition to offering some practical tips ""The Millionaire Next Door"" also lends itself to parody in books like dave Barry's Money Secrets, a book called ""Maybe Life's Just Not that Into You"" and something from Andy Borowitz, the name of which escapes me. 

If you have to choose between ""The Millionaire Next Door"" and ""The Millionaire Mind"" go with the latter. 
",1
"I chanced upon this book quite by accident.I am a big fan of books which inspire.This may not be a book which is high on the literary quotient, the writing does get rambling and long winded quite a number of times.But whats truly awe inspiring is its straight up from the heart.Its quite amazing that someone can go through so many emotions in a lifetime and actually make peace with all thats happened in a lifetime.
This book will give you plenty to think about long after you are done with it
",1
"A lot of very useful info in a small book.  I'm less than half the way through and I've already learned enough to make it worth the investment to me.  The chapter on Using Tables was just what I needed. I would recommend this book to other beginners who are still trying to make sense of it all
",1
"Smoothies are a quick snack pick-me-up, or a simple breakfast idea. Do you crave a fruity, cool drink on a hot summer day? Want to add more fruit to your kid's diet? Smoothies just might be your answer! 

Contained in this cute, colorful book are 50 recipes and full color photos of most recipes. Also included at the end of the book is nutrient information with each recipe, and there is even a chapter on alcoholic smoothies. 

Some of my favorites include: ABC Smoothie (with apricot, coconut milk, & banana), Starburst, Cranzania, Polynesian Power Punch, Cookies & Cream, Raspberry Cappuccino, and Sunset Sipper. Enjoy! 
",1
"Neverwhere is one of Gaiman's best yet!  I highly recommend this novel
",1
"This is an emotionally charged, witty, and brilliantly told drama of four friends struggling to understand marriage, divorce, intamacy, and each other.  One of the best plays I've seen/read
",1
"College stoner cult following aside, Hunter S. Thompson's journalistic prowess was a vital national resource up until he left us last February.  Thompson was one of those brave few who dared to cut through popular media perceptions and glittery rhetoric and travel right to the ugly center of his subject material, counjouring hilarious allegories where the average journalist would already have soiled himself in disillusionment.  

On the Campaign Trail should be required reading for all those who hold a less skeptical view of American politics than say, the average WWE heavyweight title match, for a truly sane person should be no more shocked to hear of a politician lying or cheating to increase his presidential hopes than when The Undertaker strikes his opponent with a steel chair when the referee turns his back.  Hunter has long since traveled through this looking glass -- although he can at times be found expressing nostalagia for the wide-eyed optimism of the 60s -- but the result is not nearly as depressing as it is hilarious.  The image of Thompson infiltrating the Nixon Youth at the RNC and yelling obscenities and death threats at rival journalist John Chancellor's press box while surrounded by hundreds of kids chanting ""Four more years!"" was one of the funniest any book has offered me in a while.

How does the cliche go -- ""The more things change, the more they stay the same""?  After the thorough spanking of George McGovern at the hands of Richard Nixon, HST credits the most staggering blow to McGovern's presidential hopes to a media crisis involving his vice-presidential nominee, Thomas Eagleton.  Just days after Eagleton was named as McGovern's running mate, two Democratic campaign managers received phone calls revealing that Eagleton had gone through intensive psychiatric treatment on three separate occasions.  As the story spread like wildfire throughout the press, McGovern's presidential hopes were dealt a blow from which they would never recover.  Since then, we've seen Willie Horton and the Swift Boat Veterans come out to haunt their respective candidates, and one is inclined to wonder who the Democratic ""mascot"" will be for the 2008 race.  Perhaps a mentally disabled child whose tricycle was crushed by the car of Hillary Clinton?  A Dominican prostitute who gave Joe Biden the clap?

But I digress.  I give On the Campaign Trail 4 out of 5 stars because the book, like presidential campaigns themselves, can at times seem uneventful.  Thompson addresses this from time to time, wondering aloud what it was that made him want to cover politics in the first place before remembering that the rush one feels from being a part of a winning political team is nearly identical to that of a junkie getting that long-needed fix.  Other parts of the book will only make sense to the more hardcore followers of politics.  For instance, HST's extensive interview with campaign manager Rick Stearns, where Stearns explains the intricacies of acquiring state delegates, reads like hieroglyphics to me.
",1
"Private eye Philip Marlowe is asked for help to get to Mexico by Terry Lennox. Marlowe likes Lennox and agrees to help him, but later Lennox commits suicide in the small Mexican town of Otatoclan. But why was Lennox driven to such extremes?

Later on, Marlowe is asked for his assistance in keeping the alcoholic writer Roger Wade on the staight-and-narrow. This is not really Marlowe's line of work, but he becomes entangled in the case especially as connections with Lennox begin slowly to emerge.

This is a longer, more ambitious novel by Chandler albeit displaying the same cynical, tough edge as the other Marlowe novels I've read. The greater length allows Chandler more space for character development and reflection. The danger of this is that the novel could have felt over-extended, but for me it didn't. The ending did not come as a total surprise, but as with every other Chandler novel I've read, enjoyment of the journey rather than satisfaction at the quality of the destination is the important thing.

G Rodger
",1
"I love this book! It is a terrific blend of hand-holding and concrete advice for writers. Each chapter takes the writer/reader through the tough questions we face when we sit down to write: How do we begin? Where do ideas come from? Is there a ritual we can create that will help us begin? I like the fact that I could use this book as a resource. In other words, I did not have to read it cover to cover. Rather, it truly serves as a guide, a mentor's guide, that can serve me as I continue to write. I really liked the movie section,  where Cathleen Rountree uses movies to make points about the writing process.  I found those sections inspirational and useful. If you want to be a writer or if you are already writing, I urge you to Buy this book
",1
"I also used this book in my graduate program.  This book provides an excellent overview student development theory.  It is an excellent introductory text.  I had the added benefit of using this text in a course taught by one of the authors
",1
"
I was a little wary about the title but this was not at all about weight gain and/or loss; weight was incidental. In this fiercely intelligent novel, Dorothy and Justine are both desperately lonely women, both victims of abuse, and yet are different in other ways. Their parents often failed them, their childhood was often full of shame and self-sabotage, but Gaitskill writes this with complexity, always aware that a victim can also be a victimizer. Gaitskill is never sentimental. Underneath her narrative, underneath the pain and the sex scenes (which are never fully loving) and the disappointments and loneliness, is a raging anger at the inability of human beings to connect - on race, on class, but mostly on gender. I sensed that Anna Granite, the intellectual whose shadow dominates this narrative, and who is the reason Dorothy and Justine first meet, is Gaitskill's platform for displaying her keen intellect; and sometimes there is a hint of didactism. But this is a minor quibble. The last section moved me very much and proved that although Gaitskill abhors sentimentality, she can certainly do sentiment well. `Humanity' is a word often found in this book. Our sexuality is connected to our humanity. Our ability to treat other human beings like human beings is what makes us human. In the end, Gaitskill's brilliant, wonderfully feminist novel was, for me, about how easily we strip each other of our humanity.
",1
"House Poor identifies the key issues consumers need to know to survive the current volatile housing market.  The style is brisk and understandable, and the information is focused and useful.  Unlike books that try to entice readers with promises of getting rich quick by investing in real estate, House Poor gives suggestions about how to invest prudently and warns readers about the dangers of becoming overextended.  When activity in many housing markets begins to decline from its current unsustainable level, many people will wish they had read the advice in Fletcher's book. 
",1
"This book has opened up a whole new world for me, my husband, and my son.  What a great idea to link reading and play!  Each night we choose a book to read and an activity to go along with it.  I highly recommed Read It! Play It! with Babies and Toddlers to anyone who has a child
",1
"Gunstories by Beth Atkin is a book that should be mandatory reading for ALL students and discussed with parents, teachers, and friends. Young people discuss guns in a positive light and a negative light. As with any subject, it is only with EDUCATION and knowledge that a change can be made. I definitely recommend this book and hope that it can be a fixture in ALL elementary, middle, and high schools. (P.s. If you are a school librarian, ORDER a copy!!)
- Shelley (Henderson, NV)


A fascinating look at a difficult topic! Many viewpoints are presented, the book is fair and balanced. But the stories of gun violence just naturally have more impact than those of kids who enjoy range shooting. The dichotomy between rural and urban viewpoints is striking. The wonderful photography really adds to the text. Recommended.
- Diane (Cedar Rapids, IA)


Despite the fact that I'm not really in support of guns, it is nice to read a book on such a controversial topic that does not carry a political agenda. It's not your typical Pro/Con book either. It gives actual perspectives from real life people...teen people who just want to tell it like it is.
- Amy (Fort Worth, TX
",1
"What a wonderful book. It's too bad so many readers today know only Tom Wolfe, not Thomas Wolfe. Even though it has been at least 10 years since reading Look Homewood Angel, I knew almost immediately when I came to the new sections. They add a depth to the novel, bringing in the whole town and relatives, rather being only about Eugene Gant. My favorite Wolfe readings involve trains; the experience about time stopping for a moment when you look into the eyes of someone looking directly at you into the train, is exactly as I remember my earlier train rides.What are they doing now, that the train has passed? Other 800 page books might be dull, but not this one.  Having been given it as a present recently, I am very surprised and disappointed that it is already 'out of print."" More people should know about O Lost
",1
"Yay--this book was fun and extremely informative.  At first, the idea of coloring at my age was a bit funny (to keep it humorous for me, I conjured up in my mind a tall, overgrown middle-aged male graduate student squeezed in a chair, hunched back looking over a desk and coloring with his set of 64 crayons).  Anyway, I digress.  As a doctoral graduate student taking a Neuroscience course--this book really helped me nail down structures of *way* too many things.  But ultimately, it helped me make the grade.  If you get the book, make sure to color in it--it really does help (not to mention a great way to relieve some stress from the day).  Otherwise, what's the use of buying a book like this--it becomes an ordinary textbook if you don't color in it.
",1
"Used this book all of the time in my German classes!  Wish I had had this sooner, would have made everything a lot simpler.  Its easy to use, easy to understand, and great when you need to find something quick.  This should be a book every college student, studying German, should be required to have
",1
"I give this book a 4 star rating, not because I believe in ""The Necronomicon"", but because this particular book has given some very interesting background and historical information on the occult scene in the 1970s. The Simon Necronomicon itself is an interesting tome (though I doubt it's ""authenticity"" per se). It is at least as valid a grimoire as any other, and more valid than some. ""Dead Names"" has provided a great deal of information on certain people whose backgrounds are generally not known as well as the unique ""wandering bishop"" phenomena and the so-called Slavonic Orthodox Church. Overall, both an informative and entertaining volume, whether you ""believe"" or not
",1
"I served in the army myself and although i haven't expirienced war myself i expirienced a lot during my service in the IDF.
This book takes you inside the heads and lives of the grunts who went through the hell of vietnam. The figures changes during the story and you learn more and more of them, feeling like you are walking in the jungles by them.
Someone told me this was a ""hard book to read"" and i didn't know what he'd meant until i finished it. this is one of my favorite books and almost the only one i've read more than once.
a must for anyone interested in the vietnam war
",1
"Some long ago inventer discovered that if you place carefully shapped rocks just so they will remain in place as an arch, dramatically reducing the amount of stone you need to hold up a bridge, an aquaduct, or the entrance to a castle. It probably wasn't too much later that someone recogniced that a bunch of arches next to each other would yield an arched ceiling to a room. My guess is that it then took a very long time for someone to recognize that if you made a series of arches in a circle you could make a domed room. But as soon as one was built, I suspect that a priest of some kind looked up and immediately saw that a minature version of the sky had been created, and that an artist could transform this sky into a 'Vision of Heaven.' 

This book shows what decoration has been applied to the insides of domed buildings from about the second century to the twentieth. It is an absolutely spectacular set of photographs of how artists have brought the heavens down to earth.
",1
"I had ordered this for Hanukkah 2006, but luckily I took a sneak peak first. My daughter, aged 4, would find this far too scary. Despite its inappropriateness for the younger, more sensitive reader, it is excellently written and very well illustrated. I have not returned it, but it'll be a while before it comes down from my shelf
",1
"I was assigned this book for a college course and was greatly surprised at its quality.  Blamires had C.S. Lewis as a tutor, and I've read some of Lewis's writings and have found them to be above average but not particularly special (many people do find his works special of course).  Blamires, on the other hand, I find to be very unique - his book is top quality and very helpful.  I'm surprised this isn't a very popular book, as it ought to be.

I have only two complaints, both of which are purely stylistic.  First, the edition I have looks like it's a copy of an earlier edition, which makes the text hard to read (I got used to it after a while though).  Some publisher should take it upon themself to retype this book and republish it.  My second criticism is something that can't be avoided - the book was originally written in the early sixties, so a lot of the examples are dated (i.e. references to WWII, which was still in memory, also out-of-date terms like ""jive"", etc.).  However, just a few of the examples are affected by this.  The book as a whole could be reasonably passed off today as a recent work, since so much Blamires's criticism of the Christian mind (or lack thereof) still (sadly) applies.

However, the Christian mind today is being rediscovered, and the march of atheism is on the decline, with the march of religion in general on the rise.  Even though things are looking up, Christians should keep Blamires's book in mind - not to get too comfortable with this (secular) world, for our real home is beyond bodily death.  That we ought to have a supernatural orientation is basically the theme and summary of this book.

Superb book, and I really recommend this to anyone.  This is definitely recommended for Christians, and also for any non-Christian who are curious and want to take a look at some of the problems Christians have today
",1
"This commentary has many tremendous insights into the book of Romans.  Romans is one of the richest resources of truth within the Bible and John Stoot does a good job of unpacking it.  The book is written from a framework of the reader having a strong prior understanding of the Scriptures.  It is probably not considered a highly scholarly work, but it is not for the average reader to pick up for light reading either
",1
"This book ranks along side Will Durant's ""Story of Philosophy"" as the best book on Western Philosophy. The key difference is that whereas Durant deals only with some selected individuals, Russell gives a comprehensive history. Topics that get the short shrift in most histories (Pre-Socratics, Medieval Philosophy, etc) are given the full treatment here.

'HoWP' has an authority that few can match. Russell was a great philosopher himself - no history of Western Philosophy is complete without a chapter on him!

The book is strewn with gems of wisdom:
1. ""The union of idealism and love of power has led men astray throughout history, and continues to do so even today."" (On Sparta)
2. ""Religions that condemn the pleasures of the senses drive men towards the pleasures of power. Throughout history, power has been the vice of the ascetic."" (On the clergy in the Middle Ages)
3. ""Contempt for happiness is usually contempt for other people's happiness, and is an elegant disguise for hatred of the human race."" (On Continental Idealists)

At times the book does get a little dense. There is only so far Russell is willing to go to make the subject accessible to the lay reader.

I would especially recommend this book for history buffs. Russell dovetails the development of Western Philosophy beautifully with European history. There is no better way to develop interest in a subject than to read a book that connects it with a subject you are already passionate about
",1
"This is Ann Waldron's best McLeod Dulaney mystery yet. The characters are so lively and well-drawn they literally walk right off the page (and, in some cases, right into your heart). The setting--the Princeton Theological Seminary--is perfect (a perfect place for a murder, that is), and the plot is downright diabolical. Are you in the mood for some humorous, mysterious and sinfully well-written fun? Then do yourself a favor and read this delightful book
",1
"This story is true to life living in South West and West Phila.
It brought back many memories and changing the names did not bother me.  I really enjoyed reading about life the way it was back in the 55 to 70 era.  Yes this was life in Phila row home.


",1
"After reading Tuesday's with Morrie, I was curious to see how different Morrie in His Own Words was from Mitch Albums Tuesday's.  After reading both, I preferred the lessons straight from the horses mouth. Morrie'
",1
"This classic chronicle of Presidential campaigns, from the get-go to contemporary times, has the unusual virtue of being useful either as a collection of short readable chapters - each just the right size for a daily bus or train ride - or as a reference source. Reading this in the wake of Monicagate and the Florida Recount, it's instructive to read the history of Grover Cleveland, who seems to have features of BOTH past Democratic candidates. Like Clinton, he had his scandals - fathering an illegitimate child. Like Gore, his career was rudely interrupted by an election which he won on popular votes but lost, in a hotly contested, knife-edge electoral college tally
",1
"Fantastic pop up book!  Easy to keep the Preschool children's attention when telling this story
",1
"A very intense book on print making. A must have book for serious artists, who want to expand in their field. Lots and lots of contacts in back of book maiking it easy to find anyone you need for print making! A
",1
"I have always been a fan of the STAR WARS saga but never really read any of the Novels. This was my first SW Novel. I must say i want to be a SITH. I just finished this novel last night and honestly want a 2nd coming. If u read the epilogue of this book u will grind your teeth! the storyline at first felt familiar but then radically changed but had the SW ripple effects. I however got more excited because i played KOTOR/EP3 The game/KOTOR 2 and Jedi Academy so allot of the visuals and things in the book were already visualized for me in those games.  I loved the entire transformation and how gradually even the sith were headed like the Jedi in EP3.  It an amazing story and can't wait to a sequel if any. 
",1
"I think the most striking part of this book is that you feel comforted by the fact that the problems you're facing in your own relationships are commonplace. They're not dysfunctional. Every family has its share of issues and you don't need to feel overly guilty for yours. The book's underlying theme is that families that honesty, consideration, character, belief and perhaps above everything else - resilience, can get you through the worst debacles and that at the end of the day it's probably (though not always) worth the effort.

Stories include:
Resentment about controlling parents who appear to display conditional loving and also about appreciating how much of their lives parents sacrifice to bring the kids up; the search for redemption after abandoning a kid or cheating on a wife, the courage required to break relationships that are dead and the perseverance required to bring one back from the dead (and the effect on kids), dealing with the families of your in-laws and family objection to marriage, how to deal with kids who are falling into bad habits when you feel powerless to influence their decisions because they no longer respect you or listen to you, dealing with the death of a child, how we feel obligated to spend time with our families rather than actually wanting to spend time with them and what we are losing, etc.

Although it may seem that most people cannot relate to these situations... actually I felt an amazing amount of empathy for the families and came away with a renewed conviction that I can get the perfect family life (with all it's frustrations and headaches) and balance it with everything.

If you have any relationship, friendship that you have a certain amount of frustration, resignation about then I strongly recommend this book. It is one of those books that if it hits you at the right time - it could change your relationships and your life
",1
"Perhaps it has a lot to do with the book being written in English (or at least it appears to have been, there is no translator listed), but this is by far the most lucid thing I've read by Latour. In a way it's a radical break, he finally embraces his troubled intellectual child Actor Network Theory, stops expecting its meaning to magically emerge from the context and sets forth exploring what it actually is and how it can work.
",1
"I would recommend this book to anyone studying ""Romeo and Juliet.""  I would have never made it through English class without this book
",1
"
This book consists of 29 stand-alone essays, beautifully written and previously published in the ""New England Journal of Medicine"" during the early seventies.

From the first chapter:  ""The viruses, instead of being single-minded agents of disease and death, now begin to look more like mobile genes...We live in a dancing matrix of viruses; they dart, rather like bees, from organism to organism, from plant to insect to mammal to me and back again, and into the sea, tugging along pieces of this genome, strings of genes from that, transplanting grafts of DNA, passing around heredity as though at a great party.""

Although there is no continuity from chapter to chapter, there are consistent threads of thought as the author free associates:

1.There is a joyful attitude about science and discovery and abundant tidbits about the goings on of living things.

2.There is constant reference to the interaction, symbiosis, and co-operative living arrangements amongst the different species.

3.There are numerous references to the mindless activities of ants, bees, and termites, whose activities create sophisticated, developed projects without any evidence of central control.  These examples are repeatedly compared to humans and their social activities, with the human emphasis being on language.

4.The cell is the unit of life, complete with all its intricate inner workings.   The cell membrane (cell wall in plants) is the protective layer that makes this unit of life possible.

In the first chapter and frequently throughout, the author wants to think of the earth as a kind of organism, but he can't make it work - too big, too complex, too many working parts without visible connections.  Then in the last chapter, a better analogy emerges.  The earth is like a huge cell and the protective atmosphere that shields us from meteors and cosmic rays is our cell membrane.

This fine book is a precursor to books from the likes of Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, and Stephen Jay Gould.  Reading the chapters randomly is not a bad idea - each one is only four to six pages long and each gives the reader plenty to think about.  Amazingly, after 30 years, there is a little - but not much - in this book that is out of date.  If you are a little rusty on biology, have your ""Oxford Dictionary of Science"" handy.  First Class. 

",1
"This is the best invertebrate zoology textbook on the market, perhaps the best ever written. The authors are not content to merely present in fine detail the classification, anatomy, physiology, behavior, and ecology of invertebrates, they present alternative interpretations and controversial opinions where these topics are concerned. In that way, invertebrate zoology comes alive as an active, important, and relevant field of study for understanding the ecology and evolutionary relationships of these organisms in a global setting. I highly recommend this book for a course of study or as a reference for Earth Science instructors who wish to solidify and deepend their knowledge and understanding of invertebrates
",1
"This was a very informative read.  I have gotten so many great ideas and will be using many of them in my own coastal garden.  This is much more than a typical gardening how-to book.  There is so much wisdom here and also some interesting facts.  Organic gardening is my first love and I was pleased to see Ms. Hadley insist on it in her own garden.  A Garden by the Sea reads like a story as well as a great resource for gardening information.  I agree with the other reviews here, it is like talking with a friend.  This book has become a treasured addition to my library
",1
"Thank you for sharing Laci and your story with me.  This book is superbly written and shares with the reader a Mother's love for her daughter and angst over her murder.  How tragic to lose Laci.  How disgusting & heartwrenching what you had to  endure since Laci went ""missing"".  

I highly recommend this book to all.  Beautifully written by a loving a mother
",1
"I bought this book for my 8 and 10 year old to learn more about American History while we live abroad in Europe.  I was more than pleased when I began reading the stories and found that they love the book!  From the Lewis & Clark expedition to Pac Man, the stories are interesting and succinct enough to hold my kids' interest. 
",1
"Like most of the reviewers, i went into this book expecting the humor and absurdity of the website. And it's all there, in it's ridiculous glory. However, this book is almost like two books in one. Upon reading the footnotes a much deeper tale begins to unfold.
  Beyond the nonsensical ramblings of Robert, the book tells a tale of a lonely kid using ninjas as an escape from his sad life. His parents hate him, he has no friends, and nobody else listens to him, except his babysitter and faithful dog. 
  The further you read, the more you begin to see the deeper story unfold. However, even while the story gets darker, the humor remains, creating an experience that is both hilarious and touching.
   Check this book out
",1
"I'm amazed that people didn't like this book more... I am also a Land Arch student who had it as an assigned book that was rarely actually assigned.  I was thumbing through it in hopes of generating ideas for another class and was amazed at the amount of usable information it contained.  Perhaps it is better digested in chunks instead of the whole.  I found it great as a reference book
",1
"A very good, very quick military history overview - hits all the main points without belaboring any, gives the reader a good list of authors to look at after finishing Howard
",1
"The late Carl Sagan was one of the most popular, influential, and successful interpreters of astronomy to the American public. In 1973 he published ""The Cosmic Connection"". He offered a daring view of the universe and his seminal work became a classic of popular science, inspiring a generation of scientists and non-specialist general readers with an enthusiasm for all aspects of science in general, and astronomy in particular. Now Cambridge University Press has reissued a new edition of Sagan's influential book, enhanced with Freeman Dyson's commentary on Sagan's vision and on the importance of ""The Cosmic Connection""; Ann Dryan's assessment of Sagan's cultural significance as a champion of science; and David Morrison's discussion of the advances made over the past 30 years and what became of Sagan's predictions. Carl Sagan's Cosmic Connection is ""must"" reading for all Sagan fans and anyone interested in how his views and predictions have held up over the past three decades of rapid advances in the science of astronomy and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence
",1
"This fantastic re-imagining of the Avengers is best consumed in this form. Yes there are too many pop culture references, yes the hulk is a little goofy and the Ultimate Nick Fury has virtually nothing in common with his regular universe counterpart but I think once your done with this gigantic, thirteen issue epic powerhouse you wont have much left to complain about. This story arc takes the Alternate Universe Avengers from their creation to their first major victory, ill let someone else spoil it for you but its good. The second volume is juuuust about complete as of november 2006 and is pretty amazing as well. This is the best that the Ultimate universe has to offer, is one of the few titles exploring fairly original ideas and has not been reworked specifically to appeal to teenagers, no inline skates, teen angst, or first love in this one. 

Millar and Hitch are a great creative team but their ability to make deadlines is positively absurd. These thirteen issues took the better part of three years to be released and I read every one of those issues as it was released on the news stand. My wife got her MSW in the time it took the skrull war to unfold, it sucked and the new series isnt much better. Thankfully it has only one issue to go, hopefully well get it before theres a new president in the whitehouse. Removed from the delays the series is a pretty impressive achievement, the art is top notch and the story is positively crackin! Yes it's ""just"" a super hero comic but its one of the best, so if you like the medium and are lucky enough not to have read it yet do yourself a favor and check it out, and keep an eye out for the second series hardcover
",1
"I will start this review by noting two things. I greatly appreciated Nussbaum's 'Upheavals of Thought', and I am uncomfortable with the way sex sits in the society I live in. (But, then, I recognise things in myself that - for good or bad - change my perspective from that of the society I am embedded in.) But Wedekind's play 'Springtime Awakening' should raise alarm bells for most of us. 

We are sexual beings (most of us anyway) and we have to deal with that - learn to accept it within ourselves, learn to share it with others (it is, of course, the quintessential sharing experience), learn to grow with it, learn to let it go .... The easy path to take is to grasp a social 'norm' and follow it regardless of the morality of that path. Societies do present many 'norms' to a young person developing sexual awareness but not all of these are equally desirable. If Nussbaum's book does nothing else but diminish the acceptability of some of the undesirable 'norms', and enhance the more socially responsible ones it will have achieved a great service. 

There are curious things in this book for me. Nussbaum refers to many sources but many of them are male - Aristotle, Seneca, JS Mill, DH Lawrence .... To be fair, the last chapter is about 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf, and other writers such as Andrea Dworkin are prominent. However I was surprised that some powerful women writers are totally ignored - where is Mary Wolstonecraft, where is Emma Goldman, where is Mary Shelley? Why is 'Maurice' (Forster) referred to but not 'The Well of Loneliness' (Hall)? 

The chapter on female genital mutilation (FGM) is an appalling indictment on the behaviour of some societies. Nussbaum has a glancing reference to circumcision; not surpringly it is glancing for someone who was converted (so I read) to Judaism. While I would never compare what happens to baby boys with what happens to young women in severity or risk, nevertheless I think the motivations for both practices come from the same source. If, for cultural (religious) reasons it is appropriate for Jewish boys to be circumcised, I think it is a very dangerous position to take to expect other societies to abandon the practices they see as legitimate, if not mandatory. 

The chapter on Equity and Mercy impressed me immensely - it is so balanced I expect many feminists will hate it. But for me, her rare use of a Christian quote ('Forgive them, for they know not what they do.') was a revelation. Never before had I seen how compromised that plea is. (Compare with Tolstoy: 'It is a wonderful thing to be loved because of oneself, but it is a far more wonderful thing to be loved in spite of oneself.') 

The fact that often I have other feelings than Nussbaum expresses does not concern me, because she often has perspectives that broaden or hone my own thoughts. In the chapter on prostitution and its illegality I had to agree with most of what she writes simply from a libertarian point of view rather than one of morality. The morality issues are complex - perhaps irresolvably complex. Just as there are men with 'dangerous' sexuality, so there are women. Perhaps it's only an issue for men because they demand or expect control. For me, all of Nussbaum's discussions seem to centre on the effects on women that prostitution entails - this is not inappopriate even though it may not be balanced. The problem I see with prostitution is that it panders to the man's 'need' to have sex. They can get it on demand. This reduces their sensitivities to the needs of the women in their lives, including the need (wise or not) for a woman to have a faithful partner. In Australia we had an advisor on women's affairs to the Federal Government write a piece in a newspaper where she expressed the view - based on her own practice - that a woman should always make sure her husband knew where the red light district was in a city they were visiting, so he could satisfy his 'need' when she herself felt incapable. For me this is an appalling suggestion - as if men cannot have self-control and should not be expected to. But, for all of that, like Nussbaum I would not see prostitution as worthy of being made illegal.

For me this was a thought-provoking read. It had some incredibly ugly things to describe, to consider. But it helped me to structure my thoughts in this difficult area - perhaps it will help me guide my boys as they reach maturity. 

Other recommendations: 
'Springtime Awakening' - Wedekind 
'The Well of Loneliness' - Radclyffe Hall (I hated the outcome of this) 
'Matilda' - Mary Shelley (her biographical details are worth exploring too) 
'Godwin on Wollstonecraft' - William Godwin (Mary Shelley's father; Mary Wollstonecraft was her mother) 
'Upheavals to Thought' - Nussbaum 
'Living my Life' - Emma Goldman 
'Let Me Alone' - Anna Kavan 
'Conditions of Love' - John Armstrong
",1
"As a long time admirer of art and a first time beginner of actually tapping my artistic well, this text is like having a private mentor guiding you through specific progressive exercises.  It's language is quaint and cozy to modern ears, having first been written in 1856.  But it is practical, clear and encouraging.  It dispells the idea that only certain people can draw.  And by focussing on drawing with pencil, it provides the foundation for using any other media.  A wonderful find
",1
" I requested this book for my college music class. I saw many offers from b&n and other book stores and I found amazon having the best price and received the book on time. the book was in great condition and my fellow students were surprised when they heard the price and the shipping response. i totally recommend this site and book for school. The book was comprehensible and well illustrated.
",1
"Americans who can't name five poets will name Allen Ginsberg.  In this case, that is good since he was one of America's Greatest Poets.  This book attest to this.
  I write this review to show disappointment in the publisher who continues to publish the collected works on the cheapest paper next to newsprint.  
  For the next edition, I would like to see, at least in limited edition, a volume printed on quality paper which could last more than a few years before turning yellow.
  Ginsbergs deserves better treatment
",1
"I enjoyed this book having read other non-fiction frontier books. However, I must say that the degree to which the author delves into how to make certain tools/objects, etc., I could have done without. I would skip through parts like those describing how to build a bean cooker, because such descriptions were so detailed.  If you're a technical/hands-on person, then you probably would like knowing how items/tools were built from raw materials in the frontier. But for me, I was more interested in the story, than the instructionals.
",1
"I love these type of memoirs. A person who is not boasting about their skill or having an attitude. Simply shares the love of his work and love of his county. All of James Herriot's books are wonderfull. I was introduced to the children's books a few years ago and just recently started reading his memoirs. Love it, some parts were a bit dry but the books still flowed well and drew you back. Love the depth of scenery and anicdotes about the area. Recommend any book of his
",1
"Once again Larry McMurtry delivers the goods in this tale of The Old West . We are introduced to Calamity Jane who spends a lot of time writing letters to her daughter by the light of a campfire. Calamity Jane joins a Western Touring Company and the sea voyage to America is particularly memorable. There is also another character worth mentioning, namely a Native American called No Ears who views the world in terms of deep philosophical thought. Towards the end of the book we see Calamity Jane lamenting her lost youth and sadly reflects on the Glory Days of the Old West that she was once a part of. Larry McMurtry has writen a fine novel with a real, believable female character which is something most writers in this genre are unable to accomplish.Another wondrous tale from a Master Of His Craft
",1
"It's a beu
",1
"Atwoods collection of shot anecdotes ,prose, and takeoffs of traditional narratives creates a delicious layered candy cake, yummy from start to finnish. A light, quick read intended to be thought provoking in either its  mildest form or more serious, Good Bones creates a batter of cookie dough  complementing her unique sense of style and outlook on our society
",1
"This is an enlightening, meticulous story of William ""Boss"" Tweed and, as past of the context, his three key cronies in the ring: Peter Sweeny, Richard Connolly and Oakley Hall. It is a story about how the New York Times elevated itself by getting the goods on corruption and bravely exposing it on the front page. Oh how the mighty have fallen!

The time of power (terror?) for Tweed's edition of Tammany Hall was relatively short, but Tammany Hall power lingered well after Tweed's demise, another eithy-five years. The critical moment to the story is when Tweed engineers the proverbial license to steal by devising a new charter for New York City, putting the power in the hands of his incredibly greedy ring of thieves. The four took this opportunity to carve out a fortune for themselves, primarily by paying millions of dollars for a courthouse that should have cost a few hundred thousand to build. A disgruntled 'whistleblower' (the term had no meaning back then) copied over the records in enough detail to demonstrate the bold theft and fraud. There are several versions of how the blockbuster story of the padded expenses and outright theft came into the Times' hands, but the remarkable part of the story is just how brazen the ""Ring"" could be, how convinced they were of their own invincibility or ability to bribe, cheat and steal their way out of any legal investigation or hearings. People who today believe we live in an era of unbridled corporate greed and ethical lapses need to read this book to better understand how much the supposed watchdog and people's friend -- the government -- can be part of the problem and a barrier to the solution.

The cast of characters, sinners, (few) saints, and masses of immigrants makes following the flow of the book sometimes a challenging task. Thomas Nast, a pivotal character if not the hero of the book, provides some vivid, visual signposts. Nast not only draws a compelling picture for often illiterate 'readers', he was one of the first to put a face on public figures who heretofore had not been subjected to portraits or paparazzi as are today's politicians. Nast's giving Tweed a face may have been one of the breakthrough aspects of this story. It certainly helped catch Tweed when he jumped bail. A few maps, perhaps some old drawings, and even a list of key characters could have perhaps clarified some of the story or reduced my thumbing back to previous pages or checking the index for the entry and bio of important members of the cast. There are some historic New York Times front page stories that help create atmosphere and context.

Any reasonably educated American should have learned at least the sketchy details of Tweed's nefarious deeds and Nast's colorful cartoons. Ackerman does an excellent job of documenting and detailing, filling in the gaps, and bringing now faded, black-and-white characters back to life
",1
"A few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Pam Munoz Ryan at a Summer Arts Children's Storytelling Forum held at California State University - Fresno.  She read the book to parents, teachers, and students who attended the conference.  I was amazed on the writing, culture, and illustrations that she used for this book.  The novel serves as a tale of her childhood spending time with her family at her grandmother's house.  Overall, the story teaches children the value of traditions, family, and heritage.  In short, ""Mice and Beans"" is a good book to read
",1
"Shadowbred by Paul Kemp is simply an excellent book.  The story is incredibly engrossing, the atmosphere set for each scene is really top-notch, and the journey Paul takes his character's through is really incredible.

We see personal demons and struggles of the heroes.  Struggles with faith, the journey of an anti-hero to a hero and whether he can really make this journey.  The villains are equally deep and interesting and frankly human.

If you are a fan of fantasy literature, definitely pick this one up - you won't regret it.  

As a side note, you might want to pick up the previous books by Paul featuring Erevis Cale as well
",1
"I really had no faith before this book.  Not really sure what I should of beleived.  But this book def changed my point of view and it is shocking! Eveything just seemed ot come together and to me it just makes complete sense and I feel that this book is entirely true.   It would be great to see the world come together in world peace if they only knew the truth.  I knew the government covered stuff up but I had no idea to the extent they would goto to keep their undreground society such a secret and ruthless and would stop at nothing.  He doesn't say it straight out but the way it is described protrays this secret rogue group to be the illumnati with unlimited funding to carry out their evil intentions.  Greatest book I ever rea
",1
"As a social work psychotherapist, I recommend this book highly and with great confidence. I have a number of people I see individually or via phone consultation and have recommended they purchase this book as adjunct to the work we do together. Peter understands and explains well the relationship between our emotional attachments and the ""thhings"" we collect. Great insight and recommended
",1
"One reviewer claims that this is marred by some of Eliot's unfurtunate preducices. But how come you don't say something like that about O' Henry. We can't just stop reading authers because you we don't like their views. Someone calls hemingway looking forward? If that's looking forward I'de rather look backward. Hemingway has no concept of lyricism what so ever. Most of the people that reviewer named justly loved Eliot. Eliot is not looking nesscarily towards the past, but towards what we have made out of the present. In name of progress, we have destroyed nature and good part of our souls. To call Eliot Conservative at the time he wrote the poem would be redicoulous, the first draft according to one of Eliot's biographers, was absolutly a expression of Relavtism. One critic accused him being a Nihilist. 

   On the Poem itself Eliot is truly a master at evocating mode and tone, not to mention his brilliant use of Imperfect rymthe. So it doesn't have the crepty sentimentalism and redicoulous forays of expression of eariler and later poets. So he looks at his poetry with a sense of hard classicism, we could use more of that. Yet what he doesn't right he evoces through mode and tone, giving us truly one of the best poems of this, or any other century.
",1
"I believe this will be very helpful for Christian People to understand who God is through the life
",1
"This truly excellent collection of Singer's stories (all originally composed in the Yiddish language) are as colorful as the people about whom the stories were written. Here are tales of weddings, of jokesters, of happy occasions of all variety, of feuding farmwives, and of unrepentant fools. After reading through a handful of Singer's works, a person gets the feeling of how it must have been to live as a Jew in eastern Europe a hundred years ago. This was a culture rich in its traditions and lore, a people who loved life and kept their identity through good times and bad. Singer, himself born and raised in the region so many of his short stories describe, was one of very few authors I would unhesitantly dub ""a human treasure""
",1
"As a frequent reader of home design books and magazines, the title and the beautiful cover of this book immediately appealed to me.  A quick review of the table of contents revealed that I had to have this book.  Pelosi begins with the basics, moves into specifics, and then focuses on those special challenges we all face when trying to make our homes beautiful and appealing without spending a fortune. The pictures are gorgeous and inspiring and the author has an ability to write clearly and concisely with a great sense of humor. Whether you are looking for a single design solution or, like me, enjoy reading about interior design, this is the book for you...and it makes a great gift for your friends and family and colleagues and anyone who lives in a home.  ""Interior Divine"" made my holiday shopping easier this year!
",1
". . .maybe believe your suspenders, I'm not sure which.

It seems to me that to enjoy this book,
you have to suspend your suspicion of 
bombast and improbability. You also have
to give up any qualms you might have
about a protagonist who's pretty much 
a pedophile and whose connection to planet
earth seems pretty improbable.

What you get in return are some amazing
language, some great observations and 
a character whose zenny zest is intense
but not cartoonish. Much too cerebral to
ever be made into a movie by any director
alive now, this is a book to be enjoyed
as a pure artifact of whacked-out, but
craftsman-like writing
",1
"Peter Balakian's book, ""Black Dog of Fate,"" tries to be too many things
and sadly fails at many of them. In essence, it is an attempt to tell a 
sort of Armenian-American story which I find not overly interesting or
 compelling. I wish the author had done a bit more in-depth work to learn 
about his people and their rich heritage before embarking to represent it
or explain it or share it with non-Armenians, for he has much more to absorb
and understand himself first. I find the Armenianness in this book to be 
tentative, unengaged and unconvincing. Pity, since the author seems to 
have a lot of passion in his pursuit of other aspects of his life such as 
football, the Yankees, modern poetry, and exposing Turkish attempts to
buy (among others) Princeton professors to act as mouthpieces giving
legitimacy to their vile historical revisionism, practiced by the 
""modern"" Turkish state and its organs.

It seems to be all the rage these days to elevate personal histories and 
family testimonials into the realm of fiction and novels. The ""I"" and ""we"" 
and ""us"" occupy center stage and the reader is invited to enjoy the 
intimacy that must surely be in place via this artifice. But is it realy?
Since in order to make this legitimate, the writer must distance himself,
at least initially, from all this old world exotica, and like the reader,
question their validity or relevance in present day North American 
society. What are all these old world, old fashioned ghosts and traditions?, 
is the first cry of writer and reader alike, only, ofcourse, to be followed 
by a sharp bank turn where the writer steers the satisfied and in-place
reader towards the opposite viewpoint wherein *this* culture and *this*
lifestyle become suspect in light of some tentative spotting of cultural 
wealth that has been traded in or abandoned in order to swim swiftly towards 
materialistic, memory-free, self-redefining, ""comfort"" seeking and buying 
mores.

In the Balakian tale, one encounters suburbia instead of substance, 
worldly goods acquisition instead of deep roots that steady the soul, 
immediate family and relatives running away from their true identities either
towards surrealism, the abstract and unemotional, or else towards medicine,
respectability and detachment. Young Balakian observes but never
understands ""the grandmother"" for she is shielded culturally from being
able to reach him by her very offsprings who can not and will not instill
the Armenian identity he will eventually seek but never quite find. Their
crime is self-denial and a march to the tune of America's mixmaster
piper. ""Be unlike your past and your future will be brighter,"" seems to be 
what America promises, at the very least. The intermediate generation listens
and adopts this credo and Peter is left to find out but never quite
understand just what cost his ancestors have paid to remain Armenian and
to preserve our culture before the final denials on New Jersey pateos while
enjoying, as if to serve sweet irony, full course Armenian meals and the
mixing aromas of delicacies from the old country every Sunday.

Peter is lost alright, but as the book sadly shows, he remains lost.
Paraphrasing or quoting Ambassador Morgenthau does not an Armenian genocide
expert make. Personal family testimonials of the Turkish atrocities does
not a genocide history make (For that, read Vahakn Dadrian's ""The History 
of the Armenian Genocide""  Berghahn Books, 1995). Episodic accounts can be 
dismissed by the Turks as hear-say and as mere isolated incidents, leading 
to more harm than good (for if better evidence existed, the arguement 
goes, why would anyone resort to such flimsy fare?). For the story to have
worked, for the story to have *really* worked, as I would have liked it to,
Balakian's life and lifestyle would have had to have changed
significantly and his child rearing practices would have had to reflect 
it, and his relationship with his wife who, like him, is not leading a strongly
Armenian existence, would have had to have changed, solidifying his roots,
celebrating his new found identity, and nurturing the metamorphosis by
sustained community involvment and grass roots movement participation
which, alas, never appear on the pages of this book. How else to explain
the lack of a turning around of the tide of assimilation to which Balakian
is a grand personal witness, except that the transition has not occured?
The ship of Armenianness sails by Balakian. He is finally aware enough to
be able to identify the ship and wave it goodbye and write about it, but
not resolved enough to climb aboard. That is how the book fails and that is
how his story fails. This is a story of assimilation and loss with a bit of
mid stream self awareness thrown in. For a real story of an Armenian
finding his roots and letting them take root in his own life and future,
read Mark Arax's book, ""In my Father's Name (Simon & Schuster, 1996),""
where the transition is real and the early youth of disaffection is
replaced by a profound adoption of our essence revealed in exquisite
frankness and power by Mark Arax. One can only hope that Balakian's
partial reorientation towards our culture and traditions and essence will 
somehow continue and that some day he will wish to live with a more meaningful
attachment to our cause and needs than merely as an able observer (not
withstanding his laudible actions as an April 24th -- Armenian genocide
commemoration speaker and an exposer of Turkish infiltration in the US
academic arena by buying spokesmen turned professors who mascarade as
unbiased researchers). This criticism I direct to the predecessor of this
genre of American Armenian writing first and to Balakian second. I speak
here of ""passage to Ararat"" by Michael Arlen (Hungry Mind republication,
1996) where a disinterested soit-disant Armenian goes to Armenia in the
70's and by the end of the short trip is somewhat more closely touched by
this strange people's woes and dreams. Too little, too late, and always
detached, is all I can say to these meagre displays of ethnic or cultural
reorientation. Much more needs to be absorbed before the essence is
transmitted to future generations to take and behold.

However, I remain hopeful that future transformatory stories and ethnic
identity survival stories *will be* written which will show that the tide
of assimilation and cultural abandonment are not the only outcome of this
experiment of transplanting peoples and cultures to this continent we
proudly call our home
",1
"Making ancient history entertaining?  For children?!?  You bet....  Enhance your history studies by reading books that are written specifically to a child.  Great book complete with historical accuracy & lively illustrations.  Approximately 3rd grade reading level, interesting to even older elementary students.  Don't rely on it for a primary source, but include it in a study of Greece.  Nice book
",1
"First off, I loved the book cover- spine and all-- one of my all time favorites. It's what first attracted me to this book amongst the other forward-facing covers on the store's front table. Then the title, I loved that just as much. Both share the characteristics of being straightforward, to the point, and revealing. Both are perfectly simple. I read most the essays and came to think that a. this guy really does his homework and b. he has a vocabulary more voluminous than the decimal numbers of pi. I constantly begged for my dictionary. It's probably what gets him the press I knew before I picked this up: an intellectual snob. I guess he got that from the Oprah incident. But I also guess that there's lots of worse name calling that can happen to anyone in their career. What's up with this culture that it's so unacceptably horrible to be labeled an intellectual snob and so enviously warming to be called a pop culture icon? The attraction to Franzen's work is that he investigates and reveals- in a binary way: He's researching facts, he's listening to feelings; he's processing both to give an opinion. The best example of this is My Father's Brain in which he relates the Alzheimer induced decomposing of his father's brain. There is lots about the history and science of memory in this essay; as much as there is about how a family discovers and lives with its loss. Reading it you sympathize, you empathize and you learn. Equally as insightful are :
Lost in the Mail- a look into possible reasons behind Chicago's underperforming mail system
The Reader in Exile- a great reflection on the intellectual and emotional fruits of reading
First City- a historical and pensive piece about what pulls us towards cities
Meet Me in St. Louis- a piece that shares the two-sided feelings in a trio of situations (including the Oprah incident).
",1
"This book is a celebration of color and the watercolor medium.  Turning  the pages is like watching a fabulous fireworks display.  Each page reveals  another explosion of beautiful color painting.  Like fireworks, some  paintings go off with a huge bang, and others are more muted; but each  painting has something to say -- there are no ""duds.""  Helpful  comments by the artists give insight as to how and why each painting was  done.  If you're an artist looking for inspiration, this book can really  give you a whack in the side of the head that will send you running to your  paints.  Even if you're not an artist, you'll enjoy the gorgeous colors and  wide, wild variety of subjects and techniques.  An astonishing book and  well worth the price
",1
"Ted Kheel has written a masterful, poignant and important book. In an increasingly litigious and contentious world, his is a voice of reason, compassion and true vision. As Karl Llewellyn observed, ""Technique  without compassion is a menace, and compassion without technique is a  mess."" Mr. Kheel gives us both, in a manner that is brilliantly  accessible, thought-provoking and inspiring
",1
"Whenever my eczema flared up, my friends would tell me I'm too stressed out.  I didn't feel that way, not much more stressed out than usual, so the timing of the flare ups and the stress level at that time was sometimes confusing. 
After reading this book, however, I recognized it's much more than just the simple stress - more deeply rooted issues I've apparently held for a long time.  I had vaguely suspected this may be the case, but didn't know how/where to start.  This book gave me the guidance to do that on my own.

I agree with 3 other reviewers completely. I no longer feel helpless and scared when I can feel my skin starting to flare up. I am not yet free from eczema, but knowing what may be the underlying cause of it, and how to calm it down, I have much stronger sense of being in control of my skin, body and my life
",1
"The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek dictionaries are done very well, compared to the old Strong's Concordance I have
",1
"This book provides some brief but good background to set the context then proceeds to succinctly communicate those aspects of UML one really needs to know
",1
"I visit England frequently.  I have an earlier edition of this book which I find to be very useful, even now.  The new version leaves out a lot of the good places that were in the old book and it lacks credibility.  I have a hard time taking any of it seriously when it tells me that an English pint is 16 ounces.  Anyone who is serious about English beer knows that an English pint is 20 ounces
",0
"Patronizing, dreadful, insincere, badly written book. I cut my losses after about four chapters of this fool's memoir. I don't recommend it
",0
"When yours truly was eleven and in Reading class, ""Incident"" was required reading.  This had to be the most ridiculous book that I ever had the displeasure of reading. I mean, the boy is cared for by a badger!  Badgers are mean and ornery critters that don't much like people or even their own kind.  I did not believe it at eleven, nor do I now.
Also, Eckert certainly didn't need to include some of those descriptions.  Was it really necessary to describe a mother badger eating her offspring's excrement?  What eleven-year-old wants to read about that?
So, for kids who like to read long descriptive passages about things they really didn't want to know about in the first place: this book's for you
",0
"This book is an excellent reference book for the serious ghost hunter / paranormal investigator. Provides good case histories as well as ""ghost stories"" that can be used as examples on investigations
",0
"Heinlein loads this book up with hooks in the early pages to catch your attention.  Unfortunately, these hooks turn out to be superfluous and lead nowhere.  This shoddy technique is found in all four of Hienlein's final books.  We are also treated to some of Heinlein's stock characters, dirty old men, horny female computers, naked adolescent girls, and dominant beauties who would be right at home in leather and whips.  Without these archetype characters most Heinlein novels written after 1970 would have a sparse population indeed.  As if this isn't enough, Heinlein drags in his usual cast of characters from his other novels as he is so prone to doing.  In spite of all their cameo appearances, this group remains dull and one dimensional throughout.  Heinlein's earlier novels written prior to 1960 are still fine fare for young people, especially boys.  This novel, as well as most of Heinlein's later work will be enjoyed primarily by a group of die hard fans and is definitely not for general consumption
",0
"This book is a standard one for graduate-level algebra courses.  I practically wore mine out over a year-long course, and came to know it intimately.  Dummit and Foote is a book that teaches via wordy explanations and lots of examples.  Of course, examples are very important.  However, the explanations are often muddled and not clear (e.g. see tensor products).  They frequently relegate important theorems or definitions to the exercises, and the organization is poor.  Consequently, it can be very hard to find things later when you might need them.  Also, the bindings on this book frequently fail.  My book fell apart very quickly, and I know other students who had the same problem.  I recommend Rotman's Advanced Modern Algebra instead of Dummit and Foote.
",0
"This is the sort of book for paranoid people addicted to conspiracy theories. They would rather believe a fanciful lie than the mundane truth.

Though I don't agree with most of what's written in this book, I don't regret buying it. It teaches me how to con ignorant people with high tech jargon and conspiracy theories. If people BELIEVE that amalgams or metal restorations are the cause of their headaches, fatigue or whatever symptoms, then removing them will definitely cure them. That's how faith healing works.

The only reason why I don't use amalgam in my practice is because I do cosmetic dentistry. If the patient does not mind the colour, amalgam is definitely a superior direct filling material for Class 2 and subgingival preps. I have absolutely no qualms about having that done for myself.

Toxicity? Sure, some people are affected by amalgams and anything can be toxic to somebody, but let's not forget that these cases are extremely rare (perhaps less than 10 on this planet and most of them would be Chinese). There are literally thousands of tests and studies establishing amalgams as safe filling materials over the last 100 years. There are numerous studies that show how safe amalgams are. If Dr Breiner has been to Asia where we have much healthier diets and lifestyles, he may notice that we also have many healthy 70 to 90-year-old Asian men and women who have gold and amalgam-filled teeth in their mouths.

Are composites totally safe? The incidence of allergic reactions to composites (very low) is higher than that of amalgam toxicity. This is something the author failed to inform us. All his anecdotal evidence are almost laughable as they are not supported by independent studies and sceptical parties. Not one case he mentioned can be conclusively attributed to amalgam. Mercury can be very toxic, but after tituration and amalgamation, the metal remains in the solid state and is not absorbed by the body. It's different from inhaling mercury vapour daily, injecting or ingesting mercury or mercuric compounds.

At the end of the day, propagating such beliefs will only spark panic, paranoia and various psychosomatic ""illnesses"". Following Breiner's protocols for ""detox"", patients will only be paying a fortune for otherwise very simple dental work. Gosh, with so many gullible patients in America, I should probably move my practice to America and start doing amalgam detox instead of honing my skills for cutting crowns, bridges and sinking implants
",0
"This is an overwritten and overhyped piece of fiction that will never pass for great literature. It is timely but it is not timeless.  

Not one character comes alive even though they all talk endlessly. Not one scene is memorable. The true nature of the book -- soap opera-- is cloaked under its many pages.   Messud is a good writer who in this instance could not tell a good story, and she seems to have believed her publicity machine.  I can't believe that her husband, who a great literary critic, would not talk her out of publishing this.  Oh.  I forgot.  Money and fame trumps quality every time.
",0
"Native Tongue 
by Carl Hiaasen 

This book is fast paced, has a lot of energy, and a zany weirdness.  No doubt, it is a page-turner.  And it is better than the other book of Hiaasen's I have read, Double Whammy.  But all that does not a good read make...

A strength of Hiaasen's books are his characters, well defined and numerous.  Most are straightforward stereotypes, from the out-of-luck journalist-turned-publicist, the vapid sex-phone girlfriend, a steroid-doped strongman, the crude-and-sleazy millionaire bad-guy, a muscular-but-clear-minded black good-guy cop, to the dumb-but-intrinsically good-guy burglars, and loads of redneck Florida ""crackers"".  Hiaasen makes this cast interesting by having them jump through zany hoops, and by casting two characters that are quite original, an environmentally-militant 70+ aged woman, and an environmentally-crazed former-governor-gone-wildman.  And we meet psychotic whales and sex-starved dolphins.  Etc. etc.

So what's wrong.  Mainly, it's that the book stays at a level of TV-sitcom-gone-book.  It achieves zero depth in dealing with any subject.  One might think that the exception is the environment, but the story is so inane that it cannot achieve traction even here.  So perhaps Native Tongue is just pure entertainment?  If you like brainless action, gratuitous violence, gross humor, and zany ""fun"", Native Tongue might satisfy.  

I have one additional problem with Hiassen, and it's similar to the problem I so often have with Michael Crichton.  These books stink of hypocrisy.  Crichton makes a (seriously good) living off nifty science ideas while constantly bashing that same science.  Hiassen's heroes work hard to rise out of the trash heap of modern society, but Hiaasen's writing routinely wallows in that same trash heap for supposed laughs and zaniness. 

While I enjoyed a few sections of Native Tongue, I had no doubts at the end that I had wasted many hours that should have been better spent
",0
"No longer intended to be a comprehensive reference, the Guinness Book is now a sort of compilation of interesting superlatives with oversized pictures and many features that aren't even actual records (""Most Overrated Celebrity"").  If you're going to do this, why not offer one edition that plays it by the book?

So dies a noble institution
",0
"The book I am going to talk about is the book Arms and the Man By Bernard Shaw. I really did not like this book because it was hard for me to understand.  The reason I didn't like it was because it was challenging for me. The English was hard to understand. I liked how the writer wrote the book and I would probably look for another one of his books. This book was more like an opera with out music. If I could have and known to I probably would not have this enthusiastic about the book. One reason I picked the book was because it was dealing with war and I thought it would have been cool to read about war, but when I got more in to the book it was really not about war it was more about a love at war. If you're an older audience it would be a good book, or if you're looking for a good love-war story.
",0
"The only reason Susan McCrook wouldn't talk was she was afraid she'd end up taking an ADN (Arkansas dirt nap). Case closed
",0
"despite early promise, marked by intriguing personal observations and evident self-reflection, this effort fails to deliver on the author's experience and acumen.  the book is a disparate set of chapters and lacks a unitary thread, apart from a bitter leavening of asides on the shortcomings of United States rhetoric and policies on Africa.  i had hoped for more, given the fine record in newsprint of this well-traveled journalist.

",0
"A singularly dull book, the characterizations seemed flat and the peg on which the novel is hung, a South victorious with modern weapons, seemed too trivial.  The author has to make something compelling in that conceit or for the reader the book will mean nothing.  Unfortunately there seems little real purpose to the idea unless one finds the characterizations of historical figures believable and they are not.  The character of Robert E. Lee in the book is just too, too good to be sympathetic or even credible and the stock characters that pop up to lend support seem like cardboard cutouts.  I finally felt that the book was going in such an obvious direction that I put it down halfway through.  I am not sure if it turns out the way I think but frankly there was nothing in the first half of the book to make me care one way or the other
",0
"The author is a sociologist and tells of testing the opinions of two groups as to OJ's guilt. [There was no test as to the extent of their actual knowledge!] You won't learn anything new from this book. It has a long list of books on the subject, but the author gave no ratings or summaries on them. Were they all equal in quality?
 
The OJ case received more publicity than the Oklahoma City bombing or the Clinton impeachment. The National Association of Editors and Publishers has never told of the reasons for its play in the news. Could it have been intended as a distraction from other news? In May 1994 the newspapers carried stories on how North Korea was ready to attack and start a war; this was repeated weekly. In 1999 I read that President Carter had been sent on a diplomatic mission to North Korea (must have been a success, since the propaganda stopped).
 
Could the double murders in Brentwood have been well-publicized as a distraction? Isn't two murders a day the usual LA statistics? How many other waiters (just from Mezzaluna) were murdered each year? Are murders by organized crime often solved?

The book ""Killing Time"" noted that restaurants and health clubs (in LA and elsewhere) were often used a fronts for drug dealing and prostitution. If this explains the murders, you won't find much in this book. [My experience is that most white Americans made up their minds in June 1994 and never let the new facts interfere with their prejudgment.]
",0
"Every once in a while I like to pick up a book that is outside the realm of usual reading, and look for a surprise, or spark to keep the fires of imagination from dying out - it is with this mindset I picked up ""Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now.""  And what did I find as a result of my maverick literary exploration?  Ehh...

Ms. Angelou may not take anything for her journey, but based on the cover price she will take $17.00 to tell you a bit about it, and even this may not even seem like that bad a deal were it not for the fact that either her journey was bland, her insights wanting or her conclusions misguided - whatever the cause, this book is dreadful.  If you are looking for the usual meaningless new age spiritual gobble-gook; i.e., about boundaries, respect, finding ones direction, learning what it means to be a women, etc. then this journey is for you - but if you see this nonsense as the nonsense it is, you will be best served my buckling up your shoes and journeying elsewhere
",0
"This book is awful.  I have read the entire thing, and it says nothing that is useful.  I have been in public accounting for 10 years, and i am now ready to start my own firm.  I wasted my money on buying this book.  I know it is tempting to buy, since the title is exactly what i was looking for, but trust me, choose another book.  The accounting Guild website that the author constantly refers to is no longer in existence
",0
"Although I have only read a few specific subjects in this book, I am only giving it 1 start because the information in the section on hyperemesis is extremely inaccurate and perpetuates outdated myths about this very serious and life-threatening disease. For anyone who has had hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), reading that a spa day would be beneficial, is not only absurd, but also insulting. Many women with HG cannot get to another room of the house without help, much less drive a car to a spa! HG is a disease and not a psychological condition. Women cannot stop the disease at will. This myth has resulted in a century of poor and sometimes abusive treatment of these afflicted women, causing excessive and unnecessary stress and misery, not to mention preventable complications during pregnancy and in their resulting children. Some women have life-long effects. (...
",0
"Why is it ever time you want something bad enough it usually turns out bad? After the wonderful Quinn trilogy fans (including me) begged and begged for Nora Roberts to write Seth's story. After all we journeyed with Seth through we wanted to see him fall in love. Nora Roberts repeatedly said she would not write one. But us fans kept on begging for it and were excited when she finally gave in and wrote it. And we got Chesapeake Blue. Reading it you know you should be grateful because you wanted Seth's story but....this wasn't what I (and my fellow NR fans friends) wanted. First of all I wanted the heroine to be Aubrey. After their beautiful friendship in the Quinn trilogy I expected her to be Seth's love interest. But I tried to keep an open mind after all I loved Anna, Grace, and Sybill, but Dru Whitcomb Banks was a completely let down. All she did was whine and complain about her life which were minor compared to what Cam, Ethan, Philip, and Seth experienced as children. Seth becoming an artist was a surprise too I expected him to join the family business and design boats. The Gloria blackmailing him was a very thin and bad plotline. There's no reason Gloria would want to contact him considering all the warrents for her and that Seth wouldn't tell his family considering the Quinn Brothers (and wives)worked their so hard to keep him away from her. I closed this book vowing never to request, beg or petition an author to write a book when they say they don't want to. Because this is what you get
",0
"Although a majority of readers obviously loves this book, I have to say that it really seemed like a waste of money to me. Our only daughter left for college this year, but fortunately I have trained her in time to be independent. If your kid doesn't have a clue how to live in the real world and if if you're still willing to do everything for them and not have them take responsibilities for their own lives, this book is right for you. Not in my dreams would I have made lists for her what to take because she can well do this herself! I do miss her and she misses us but that does not mean clinging dependency! I expected different things from this book, on a deeper psychological level
",0
"I was also disappointed with Evanovich's latest book.  If I read this book not knowing who the author was, I would have guessed it was written by her; it's amazing how many of the character's actions and spoken words are strikingly similar to the Plum series.  Agree that the Pugg character is really annoying!!  I am a huge Evanovich fan and have read most of her non-Plum books, but would have to say this is my least favorite.  Looking forward to the 13th Plum in June. 
",0
"A friend bought this book for my birthday - thank god I didn't pay for it.  I'm sure she meant well, as did many other friends who gave me a few guides for Las Vegas as I visited there for a holiday last month.  All I can say is that out of all the travel books I had with me, this one was by far the most useless.  Outdated listings (by a few years I would discover when I asked a few locals) shallow writing and really off suggestions from this writer made this book a real stinker
",0
"It was just that dry and boring I never really connected with any of the characters, I  gave up reading about 3/4ths of the way through
",0
"This book was recommended by someone a lot more financially successful than I am.  But while I was reading, I kept asking myself, ""When's he going to get to the point?""  The first part of the book is all about why it's good to be rich--something I thought was unnecessary.  The bulk of the book is filled with anecdotes that try to illustrate the different mindset of rich people as compared to middle-class and poor.  Finally, in the last part of the book, he gives some practical examples of what he considers to be good investment strategy.   This was the only part of the book I was interested in.  To me, it was like his publicist told him that no one is going to buy a 30-page book on investing and so Kiyosaki wrote what he knew about making money and filled the rest with ""fluff"".  However, even his advice is considered questionable by many experts.  I would say that the main idea I got from this book was to try to look at investing from different angles and not to just follow the crowd.  I just wish I hadn't invested so much time in a book that could have been a lot more concise
",0
"The title of this book should be ""Photoshop Finishing Borders"" Dave devotes too much time and effort giving tips on framing and giving borders to your images. There are a few other tips I was happy to see, however I have to give this one a definite thumbs down. I still love you Dave. (I want my money back!
",0
"
	I grew up reading Harold Evan's Sunday Times - in the late 1970s it provided a window on the world that few other papers could. I particularly remember comprehensive coverage of Egyptian President Sadats historic visit to Jerusalem; ongoing coverage of Soviet dissidents and a very welcome (I'm Irish) editorial urging Britain to consider withdrawal from Northern Ireland.  However, from today's perspective, the paper's foreign coverage seemed to be written from a point of view which could be summarised as `what would the world do without Henry Kissinger?' [Indeed this has always seemed to be Mr. Kissinger's view also]; and that Soviet unreasonableness was a product of American hawkish unreasonableness and that balance, compromise and reasonableness were achievable with enough negotiation.  My memory is of positive disdain for the emerging tax revolt in California and absolute dread at the more confrontational foreign policy approach being urged by followers of Governor Reagan.  A major positive for me was the explanatory diagrams and the furtively taken photographs of Soviet missiles (SS-20s?) being deployed in Russian forests.  I was reminded of these diagrams in 2002/3 when the modern Sunday Times gave excellent descriptions - supported by diagrams - of Saddam's mobile chemical/biological weapons labs - which turned out not to exist.   
	In saying all the above, I mean both to pay tribute to Harold Evans and to put in context the criticisms I have of this book - which contains descriptions of his triumphs as Sunday Times editor and his difficulties as Times Editor under Rupert Murdoch.  The book has three sections - the first describes some of the episodes which made Evan's Sunday Times great - the investigative reports from the Insight team and others, of malicious cover-ups of poor quality in the pharmaceutical industry (Thalidomide) and the aircraft industry (McDonnell Douglas); the publication of the Crossman Diaries - laying bare the rivalries and mutual disdain of the members of the British Labour Cabinet.  Having established his credentials  as a `vertical' journalist - Evan's term, which he describes as `seeking to get to the bottom of things' - and lauding his proprietors, the Thomson's, for allowing him to do so, the second part of the book deals with the advent of Mr. Murdoch as owner.  The machinations of Murdoch to gain control are fascinating, the Thomson's were drained both financially and personally by the losses induced by union activity, and they secretly dealt with Murdoch while other offers were being pursued by the editors.  Murdoch eventually won ownership of both the Times and Sunday Times, having given guarantees of editorial freedom to a board of `national directors', guarantees, which if breached, were theoretically amenable to criminal legal sanction.  As part of the change of ownership Evans was offered the editorship of the Times - one of the free worlds most revered titles.   In his description of the paper, Evans reveals an almost po-faced reverence for the place of the Times as part of the British Establishment - he sees it as the paper of record, upholding fair, non-partisan and accurate journalism which British society has come to expect. One feature of this is his constant enumeration of people's educational background, almost every colleague is named and then his/her school and university are listed - for example Joe Smith, Winchester, Oxford, to establish both social class and academic (perhaps intellectual) credentials.  He documents the `four pillars' of the Times as its reporting of Parliament, its legal coverage, its obituaries and its leader columns.  Oh dear! Stolid stuff, from the fearless, vertical, investigative editor. Nonetheless this section contains fascinating accounts of Evan's new broom editorship coming to terms with the rather lazy attitude to scoops and freshness of news which, by implication, criticise his predecessor as editor (William Rees Mogg); and show that change was indeed necessary at the institution.  Looming behind this story is Murdoch's general management style - haphazard interventions, secretive finances and lack of budgeting and planning.  From the text it seems to me that Murdoch was overstretched with transatlantic acquisitions, rather than covertly scheming to undermine Evans. 
	The third section of the book reads a bit like Macbeth - Murdoch plots to renege on his guarantees and to impose his will on the editors. The text here is well paced and descriptive - the tension plays havoc with everyone, save perhaps Murdoch, Evan's second-in-command betrays him, various functionaries within the paper either resign or become lackeys, the `national directors' turn out to be paper tigers (this is too good a pun to delete), the Thatcher government sides with Murdoch and fails to taken any action as the guarantees are broken, piecemeal.  The thrust of this section reveals Evans as tragic hero, valiantly striving to uphold freedom of speech against the devious, double-dealing Murdoch, whose lackeys live in fear of his disapproval.   However, by the time I got to this section I had, sadly, lost a lot of respect for Evan's impartiality, his defence of press freedom seemed to me to cloak an innate inability to face change in the form of new commercial and political realities.  This was reaffirmed in my mind when, on the day that Evan's agreed to reign, who should phone to commiserate but Henry Kissinger! 
	In the end I think the book is important in that it is illustrates that one important feature of change and leadership is that they are neither comfortable nor, initially at least, popular.   Evans, though personally engaging - and I'm sure mercurial and demanding - came to represent a set of fading political beliefs. The change occurring at the times these events described were taking place saw the emergence of economic individualism unleashed by lowering taxation rates; the antipathy to organised labour and active military competition with the Soviet Union.   The fading, indeed failing, Social Democratic consensus was overthrown by a more individualistic and competitive set of beliefs and the process was quite ugly, given the sincerely held beliefs on both sides.  I believe Evans and Murdoch were representative shadows of this change.  The rest of the story - Evans attractive forthrightness, Murdoch's furtive acquisitiveness - while the human interest focus of the story, are ultimately a side show.
	This book is well told, highly dramatic and engaging, however seen at a remove of twenty five years it is a lament from someone who worked hard to become part of an establishment whose day was done.
",0
"The literature of September 11 is never attacked.  When a book speaks of September 11 (or of terrorism in general), it is more or less guaranteed immunity from criticism; it will almost inescapably be greeted with sympathy.  Jonathan Safran Foer's EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE banks on such sympathy, on such reverence.  The narrative, which concerns a nine-year-old boy named Oskar Schell in search of a key that would unlock / unshell the enigma of his dead father (a narrative stolen, in its basic outline, from Guenther Grass's DIE BLECHTROMMEL), could have been written entirely without its scattered references to the terrorist interventions.  Nor is this trauma the only one presented in the novel: the others include Hiroshima / Nagasaki, the Staten Island Ferry crash, and the Dresden bombings.  Each disaster is generalized to the point at which what is addressed is not a traumatizing event in its specificity, but historical ""trauma"" itself and the overcoming of trauma through bereavement-inspired creation.  Oskar, the insufferable brat, attempts to complete the work of mourning for his father, Thomas Schell, Jr., a victim of September 11, by compiling an almanac of self-inflicted wounds, the collage of images and letters which is the book we are ""reading""---an almanac which, most likely, is written sometime in the indefinite future (Thomas Shell, Sr.'s manuscript of 4/12/78 is heavily edited (pp. 208-216).  Who has done the editing?  Almost certainly an older version of his grandson Oskar).  If the term, ""reading"" even applies.  Whenever a ""pregnant"" image is described, Foer literally re-presents it in the form of a pictorial image.  When a flock of birds rises into the sky, it is not enough that we read of these birds---we must see them as well.  Words may not be left in their invisibility; we are presented with supplementary photographs, illustrations, since mere verbality is not enough.  (Indeed, the entire novel oozes with misologos --- the mistrust or hatred of language --- in terms of both its content and its form.)  Photographs, yes, and also a superabundance of blank pages and nearly blank pages.  Space is not used in the manner it is in the works of Edmond Jabes, for instance.  Typography does not substitute for a well-wrought sentence.  Foer abrogates himself of all responsibilities --- most specifically, the responsibility to write well.  Why bother when the pyrotechnics of typography are at his disposal?  As far as the writing is concerned, it is composed of nothing other than mind-numbingly, soul-deadeningly repetitive phrases (""heavy boots,"" ""raison d'etre,"" etc.) and Sunday school platitudes: ""Sometimes one simply wants to disappear"" (184); ""There's nothing wrong with not understanding yourself"" (184); ""Everything that's born has to die, which means our lives are like skyscrapers"" (245); ""How can you say I love you to someone you love?...  It's always necessary"" (314).  Whenever the author writes something that he finds ""beautiful"" and ""true"" (165), he congratulates himself on his brilliance and tells us that that thing is ""beautiful"" and ""true.""  The entire book reeks of such unearned profundity.  We also learn that most dust is made up of human detritus---a very deep truth indeed, one that Foer also communicates in his essay, ""Emptiness"" (originally published in PLAYBOY) with all of the sanctimoniousness and self-righteousness of the faux naif who serves as the center of the novel, a Sunday school lecture in which we learn that famous musicians (Ringo Star) and scientists (Stephen Hawking) are unthreateningly approachable: everything is familiarized.  Perhaps it is wrong to criticize Foer for including so many blank pages in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE, since the entire book is a vacuum: null space into which readers may project their own meanings.

Joseph Suglia, Ph.D., the author of WATCH OUT
",0
"This book was required reading for a class on children's literature.  So, naturally, I was expecting the very best samplings of what was out there.  The beginning was quite exceptional.  I even invited my husband to read it with me since we share good finds to read together in the evening.  We were about 75% of the way through before its magic halted and it turned to various detailed descriptions of the main character's female body parts.  Due to this we feel it falls short as an example of wholesome children's literature.  We set the book down and did not finish it.  If you are looking for good children's literature that COMPLETELY steers clear of naked images instead of turning to them to keep the pace of the book going, then this book will be a let down.  Sad, because up until that point, the writing was quite good.

",0
"What happened to this book?  It is a disgrace to the star wars universe.  It's practically a Star Wars dictionary, that's all.  In spite of the good pictures, this book was very disappointing!!!
",0
"This bok was very boring i found it hard to stay awa
",0
"The content is excellent.  The digital format is largely useless.

I bought the digital 5th edition to supplement my paper 4th edition.  But, the digital rights management restrictions mean that I can't print selected pages to stick in a folder, read on the train, or scribble notes on.  I can't even cut and paste particularly relevant bits into an electronic 'notes' file.  

The onerous digital restrictions are not suitable for an academic book like this one
",0
"No one alive today cares that NY had fires in 1741 (UNLIKE THE CHICAGO fIRE OF 1871). Why did author Lepore choose to bring up this terrible racial incident. Is she trying to create trouble? Be a traitor to her own race? Book is well researched I guess
but the racial subject matter stinks and was unnecessary to bring up! Totally unnecessary!
",0
"The instruction manual in EQ2 is quite addiquate regardless of class. Things you are not sure of are learned as you go or you can post on numerous forums for answers.

Since there are stats on top of stats and such vast areas with tons and tons of resources and itesm to be had, this book helps you get an idea of the ""where"" and ""what"". As in where you may find X or what Y actually does and realated stats. Its a reference guide. But as this game is so dynamic, this book has a limited lifspan and as you develop in the world you will find it to be ""old news"" rather quickly
",0
"I must say I was dissapointed with those 2 stories. First story is so far from reality (I know, I know, sometimes we want to get away-but not That Far!!!) I couldn't read even half of the 2nd story...It was written very poorly. Sometimes I felt like something just wasn't enough, at times opposite - like it was way too much! Anyway, I wouldn't recomend bying this book..
",0
"The book contained more profanity than I expected to read in a book by Rita Rudner.  I had expected more humor from a comedienne.  Too bad, because I really like her humor
",0
"Grudem seems to have a very distorted and confused vision of Christ.  We can only hope that Evangelical become more like Christ.  Jesus was the first real liberal and the most radical of liberals.  
 
If Jesus of Nazareth was anything, he was an extraordinary friend of the down- trodden, definitely a Liberal, whose advocacy on their behalf so infuriated the ultra-Conservative religious and political leaders of his day that they had him killed to prevent the public from hearing the very liberal teaching that you will see quoted abundantly in Jesus' own words on this web site ! 
        Those who actually know what the Bible says about the life and teaching of Jesus recognize that far from being like Jesus of Nazareth, today's ""Religious Right"" are much more like the kind of clerics who battled this revolutionary prophet from the day he opened his mouth until the day they had him nailed to a cross.  Although these people claim to represent Jesus Christ, they rarely quote his teaching or follow his example.  What they do instead is use his name (""in vain"")  to promote their ideas, ideas which Jesus himself did not teach, and might well have opposed.
",0
"I have read all of Sandra Brown books.
I was disappointed in this one. I have
almost all of her books in my bookcase,
but when I finished this one I gave it
away. 
",0
"This book is a place to start at best.  The main part of Middle Eastern cook that I find enjoyable is the use of fresh produce and spices. This book calls for dried spices at times.  The dishes don't produce the food that I remember eating growing up with my family. The book is not a total loss, however.  The spinach pies are acceptable.  There are many other books out there that I would recommend first
",0
"If you want to write a great script, never ever ONCE think of it as anything other than telling a solid story.  This  book advances the theory that writing for animation is different than writing.  It isn't. 
",0
"Oh my, all the terrible reviews for this book are true!!  Ms. Steel is excessively repetitive....I mean EXCESSIVE.  Ms. Steel goes into too much background on the characters way too early in the book...and she continues to repeat this information over and over and over and over...you get the picture.  I too found myself saying, ""Okay, we get it already...""  I also agree with one of the reviewers who mentioned the bonding experience the men had.  I don't know the men Ms. Steel knows and hangs out with, but she had these me talking about their feelings with each other, as well as how their dysfunctional pasts had affected them.  Oh please, no man on earth talks that way.  Especially to other men.  This book is completely aweful.  The plot is so slow and does not grab the readers attention.  I have read many of Ms. Steel's books and I believe this one is her worst.  I have now started reading Sandra Brown and she is sooo much better.  I recommend ""The Alibi.""  So far that has been my favorite by her.  She has mystery, suspense, romance...  Her words are so much more descriptive and interesting than Ms. Steels.  To sum it up, I was completely disappointed with the book ""Toxic Bachelors.""  I highly recommend Sandra Brown, she is a much better author
",0
"It's always easy to criticize somebody's personal choises when it comes to the movies and the stars, but this book is dedicated to the most unforgettable ACTRESSES and not STARS of the studio era. So it comes pretty natural to ask : Is Esther Williams such an unforgettable actress that the author had to overlook Margaret Sullavan? Was Grace Kelly's talent so overwhelming to forget that Miriam Hopkins had such an individuality in the acting process that she kept on working with such directors as Lubitsch, Wyler, Mamoulian, Hawks and Vidor to stunning results? What was wrong with Mary Astor's acting  and what is right with Kim Novak's ?  
Actress to me means Patricia Neal or Shelley Winters - Norma Shearer or Natalie Wood were stars....think about it
",0
"If you liked Whyte's previous sophomoric efforts, you'll love this.  In addition to being the same dumb, hackneyed story lines and stock characters we are used to from the previous books, this one has the additional feeling of being pure filler:  in no real way does the story get advanced.  Arthur begins as a baby, and ends as a small boy.  There are adventures, but nothing important happens.  As usual, in Whyte's books, the bad guys are left alive so they can sneak up and do new evil, and as usual the bad guys are pure plot devices and in no way characters.  With all the (totally ahistorical) democratic rhetoric, Merlin's brother shows up out of nowhere and they immediately hand him half the power in Camelot.  Anyone who would read this, I guess, has already read the previous lame offerings in this series and doesn't object to laughably boring plots which rely heavily on coincidence, caricatures who never grow or change, and historical detail that sounds like it comes from a museum brochure rather than any real scholarship.  So go for it.  But please, if you want something exciting that will also make you think, look at the really good Arthurian efforts out there--Gillian Brandshaw, A.A. Attanasio, or Barbara Taylor Bradford to name just a very few..
",0
"This simply isn't history.  In real life, people do things for reasons.  Historians explain what happened and (to some extent) why.  That is how they are able to infer as yet unknown details and even predict future attitudes and acts.  Pappe gets plenty of facts wrong, but his biggest failing is to ascribe incorrect or even impossible motives to many of the people of the region.

This book is propaganda masquerading as history. 
",0
"From a sociological perspective, Hustlers, Beats , and others serves what it set out to do, explore the sociological aspects of billiards in America and the culture that has accompained it through time. However with the  recent boom of billiards into mainstram american society, many of his  observations and conclusions are dated if  not false. Te book just goes to  many places, crime, pornography, etc. and fails what it set out to  originally acomplish. Furthermore, I find it quite unusal that the author  chooses to contend a great deal of current ideologies toward billiards . Is  this not a sociological perspective, or an historical editorial.As a  college student, and a sociology major, the author fails to win my support  from his argument. All in all, quite disapointing as I found it at my local  bookstore and the cover looked interesting. I was left with a feeling of  disappointment when I finished this book, as it completely crushed many of  the idealization and ideologies and norms that are associated to theculture  of billiards. Stick with the sociology, cut the editoria
",0
"Whether you're planning to read through Crowley's Book of Thoth for the first time, or if you think you know every little thing Crowley was getting at with it, this book is going to be equally useless to you. Several of Crowley's diagrams from the Book of Thoth are reprinted in this book much more clearly, but sadly that's the only good thing about this book. 

The book is filled with a lot of fluff. Duquette tells many useless anecdotes of Crowley's and Harris' lives, and constantly excuses and defends Crowley's character against those who would consider him a devil worshiper. Duquette explains in the book that he initially thought that when he first found Crowley's works, so perhaps its some sort of atonement. But the argument really has no place in a book like this where the reader has already come to terms with Crowley's character.

Through out the Book of Thoth Crowley constantly alludes to and makes references to other works and various myths and systems. Having a reference book that explained all of these things would be an invaluable aid. Unfortunately Duquette doesn't do this. His background information is base and scarce. He does spend some time explaining about Thelema and Kabbalah, but as one would expect from a chapter long explanation of subjects like this, Duquette doesn't give nearly enough information to understand Crowley's works, and what he does give is easy enough to find elsewhere.

As for offering anything knew or shedding some understanding on Crowley's work, Duquette outright fails. At times it seems as if Duquette doesn't even understand Crowley or the Book of Thoth and the associated tarot deck. I don't think the man even understands tarot in general (and Duquette's own tarot deck is evidence of this too). At his best, Duquette only manages to rephrase what Crowley had to say in the book of Thoth. Typically though a lot of what Crowley was getting at is complete lost in Duquette's work, a lot of it no doubt because Duquette never really understood Crowley at anything but a very base level.

Reading through the Book of Thoth, there are a few ways in which Duquette could have made his book better. Crowley's phonetic translation of the I Ching doesn't follow the current standard, and sometimes the differences are confusing, especially if the reader is not already familiar with the I Ching. A key showing Crowley's translation and the standard translation would've been helpful. Likewise Crowley rarely wrote on astrology, despite astrology being alluded to many times through the Book of Thoth, and what he did write is hard to find. A chapter explaining Crowley's views on astrology would've been great. If that wasn't possible, then a list of books on astrology that were similar to what Crowley was working with would have been helpful. However Duquette's solution is to just tell the reader to go find some books on astrology to read.

Duquette's book isn't useful as a reference to Crowley's work. Duquette doesn't seem to understand Crowley most of the time, and fails to adequatley explain Crowley's ideas. Besides some new-agey nonsense, like assigning celebrities to the court cards based on their birthdays, Duquette doesn't offer any new ideas or insights into Crowley's work. Except for a few nice diagrams (which are common enough and easy to find), there isn't anything worthwhile contained in this book. At least not anything you won't get out of reading Crowley's Book of Thoth
",0
"This book was as much the author's opinion and imagination as anything else. He makes claims that are not substiantiated by facts, biblical or otherwise. I will not purchase further books by this author
",0
"I had to read this book as part of a Masters-Level class on organizational management. I would offer it up for sale, but I intend to burn it when class is over.  Unless you want to read a book written by people who are SO MUCH BETTER THAN YOU ARE (he said with an extra helping of sarcasm), do yourself a favor and skip this book.  It a bunch of religous, self-righteous, fairy tale dogma.  Horrible, horrible book.  Will look nice when it's burnt to a crisp, however
",0
"I looked through this book at a craft store the other day, and as a person who loves the ocean and seashells, I found maybe one project in here that I would consider making.  Just about every project uses a ridiculous amount of shells so imagine the cost would be prohibitive and for this reason projects look overly ornate.  Unless that is the look you are seeking to accomplish, I wouldn't recommend this book.  Try to find ""Decorating with Seashells"" by Anita Louise Cran
",0
"I am a woman and was extremely offended at the portrayel of Black men in this book and in the movie.  The work offers NO BALANCE whatsoever which feels like a slap in the face.  One Black male in this book could have been something other than weak or cruel.  It is no wonder Spielberg was eager to take on the project and white people are going to the theater in droves.  The castration of the Black male has always been their main attraction, apparently Oprah's as well
",0
"The setting of this book is beautiful, exotic, and interesting. The author, unfortunately, does nothing to take advantage of this. I am shocked that this book could possibly have won a National Book Award. It must mean that either the award itself is meaningless, or that there were some truly dreadful books out that year -- which I doubt. The topic of this book could have been more ably handled by just about anyone else, as far as I am concerned. I can't imagine it being done worse! Tuck's writing style -- short vignettes or episodes, one after another -- is terribly ineffective and disjointed. I felt completely detached from all of the characters. I didn't feel like I gained any understanding of who they were, and was unmoved when they died or otherwise encountered tragedies. Another thing that completely irritated me were Tuck's sexual references. Throughout the novel, Tuck would end her lame vignettes with one or two sentences mentioning some crass sexual encounter (a finger inserted in an unmentionable place or a character participating in a masturbating contest, for example). These sentences seem to be thrown in just to shock or perhaps to intrigue the reader; all they did was gross me out. They were written in such a way that they seemed to have been written by a teenage boy, not an adult woman trying to tell a compelling story. I don't know what Tuck was trying to do in this novel. I think she has failed to write anything that succeeds on any level: It is not entertaining. It is not profound. It is not educational. It is not beautiful. At only 248 pages, I can't say it was even a quick read. Utterly forgettable, once you get past the irritation of having wasted your time reading it.
",0
"The author had a great idea, but he cherry-picked the available info about Superman and the writers to get the book to make sense. For example, Superman was originally written as a metaphor for Jews during WW2. Two Jewish guys, right at the end of WW2, write a story of a man that has to leave his homeworld b/c it's destroyed... etc, etc.

I'm not critiscizing this book b/c it has a religious message. I'm critiscizing it b/c the author clearly left out clear facts that work against his arguement. Otherwise, I disagree with anybody that says it is ""just a comic."" Superman has often reflected the current values and attitudes of a large swath of America
",0
"No doubt about it.  This book covers the history of the Border Patrol.  However, it falls far short of what it ostensibly bills itself and ends up more as a ""fluff piece"" than anything else.

As someone who has not only served as a Senior Border Patrol Agent (13 years) but also a Border Patrol union president and outspoken critic of the agency, I have studied this agency inside and out without the affects of tunnel vision that typically accompany the job (many say a necessity).  Pacheco, as an active agent (when he wrote the book at least), appears headed in the right direction with the book and then suddenly veers off target.  His somewhat ambiguous message that border security is a difficult task is obviously an attempt to straddle the line (I apologize for the pun) so as not to appear too contentious or controversial.  Did he need to seek agency approval for publication since he was actively employed?  If so, then the credibility issue leaps out and the book is worth the historical content alone if nothing else.  If he did not need agency approval and was truly writing without restraint, then he failed to accurately convey the real state of the Border Patrol and border security.  

Simply put, the Border Patrol, as with most of the Homeland Security subcomponents is disintegrating.  Remember the incompetence of FEMA (a Homeland Security subcomponent)?  Well, multiply that incompetence times ten.  Heard about the poor morale of FEMA employees?  Multiply that problem by one-hundred and you have an accurate picture of the Border Patrol.  A Border Patrol in which the vast majority of otherwise employable agents spend ninety-percent of their time trying to get out.  Those that choose to stay in do so only because of the comparatively worse off agencies in DHS.  The bottom line is that as a former agent, I lose sleep at night knowing what I know.   

Pacheco did cover the rigorous training regimen accurately even if it bordered on propaganda.  That alone may attract candidates to the difficult and completely unrewarding position of U.S. Border Patrol Agent.  The field stories are completely unappealing to anyone who served more than a week in a law enforcement position unless they are reading about their own exploits.  

Read the book for enjoyment and homage.  Just don't expect critical analysis.  In fact, this book would be an enjoyable read at Stewarts Bridge (for you IB agents in San Diego).
",0
"There's no need to be wordy.

1. Biochemistry is a natural science
2. Natural science is defined as the ""the rational study of the universe via rules or laws of natural order""
3. Intelligent design implies
A) Extraterrestrial design-- unlikely, although possible
B) Some nonphysical entity
4. If B, we are no longer in the realm of science

Even if Behe or proponent of ID feel Darwinian evolution to be inadequate, for an alternative proposal to be called scientific, it must be ""based on observable, empirical, measurable evidence, and subject to laws of reasoning"". 

This is basic scientic method. I learned it in middle school. Behe perhaps needs to be retaught.

Source: wikipedia

[...
",0
"I've heard this book on tape, which, poor writing aside, is more horrifying to actually hear O'Reilly read in his own voice. The gratuitous sex (which can only be appreciated if you also enjoy harrassing others with phone sex and falafels) is enough to turn anyone off, but THAT VOICE narrating the suggestive scenes is waaaay too much to endure. A sad, sad example of narcissism at it's very worst
",0
"The topic of this book is very interesting: espionage in the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, ""Washington's Spies"" goes into so much nit-picking detail that, as the cliche goes, you can't see the forest for the trees. To really get anything out of this book, you'd have to be a *very* dedicated Revolutionary War buff. It didn't have much appeal at all to me as a general reader.

",0
"Very poor book, realy a waste of time. The review below said it all
",0
"Ernest Hemingway dies on page 161 of this 300-page book and so does author Valerie Hemingway's story. For that reason this book merits only two stars. Early in her story of meeting Hemingway in Spain in 1959 at age 19, Valerie is aware of the author's magnetic and dominant personality, ""Around him everything came to life....There was an urgency and vitality that...did not ebb.""

When she stays focused on the story of Ernest Hemingway, this is an endearing look at the older, struggling Hemingway finding temporary renewal in the freshness of an innocent Irish girl who entered his life during the final drafts of ""A Moveable Feast.""

But the youthful time spent with the famous writer works against this memoir since she was clearly neither as dedicated a correspondent or note taker as her subject. As a result, her recollections are thin and easily available in other sources such as A. E. Hotchner's ""Papa Hemingway."" The two years she spent living and traveling with Hemingway through Spain, Paris, Key West, Cuba, and America, share as much space as her weird marriage with Hemingway's strange son, Gregory (apparently the other ""bull"" referred to in the title). 

It shows the continuing vitality of Ernest Hemingway - even in death and over 40 years later - that a Valerie Hemingway can find a book deal for her meager remembrances of such a great man
",0
"The problem with this book is that it does not explain the mathematics well.  The author connects the unsolvable equation with group theory but does not provide any way for the reader to understand exactly what it is that is wrong with the equation.  Why could the equation not be solved?  There is a reason for this fact, and the mathematical theory explains it well--but not this book.  Perhaps a mathematician will write a book explaining why the 5th degree equation cannot be solved in general.  The reason is the subject of Galois theory taught in high-level mathematics courses but explainable in a popular book; but apparently not in this one
",0
"Rosalind Krauss' theories have some merits, and if you are looking at a book that will drive you up the wall the entire time shouting at it-- read this. I would never allow my grad students to read this dribble
",0
"I remember hearing about this book by the great patriot Sean Hannity sometime in 2001, then it was a mere idea. From that time on, until August 20th 2002, I waited for what I thought would be the greatest book of all time. I remember seeing the cover art and hearing about the title: ""Let Freedom Ring"" with not just a picture of Sean Hannity on the cover, patriot that he is, but also a flag. I loved it, couldn't be more happy.

Well, the day of the book's release, I took a day off work (i've never missed a day of work before in my life), and rushed to get this book. It looked better than I ever imagined.

With the flag on the cover and the title of ""Let Freedom Ring,"" I thought, finally, technology has caught up to our patriotism. I expected a book filled with flags, flags with sound effects. Maybe some firework sound effects. 

Boy was I wrong. I opened the book only to the colors black and white. No red. No blue. No stars and stripes. I quickly turned the pages, looking, searching for flags. I found none, no sound effects either, no fireworks. 

At that point, I went into a 4 year long depression. I nearly committed suicide at several points. It's only now that I can bring myself to review this man's book, patriot that he is. 

I say this so you know what you're getting yourself into. There are no flags, no stars and stripes, no fireworks, no sound effects. 

I have since recovered, but only because of old stars and stripes. I went back to teaching last year, not fully recovered, and my colleagues, knowing how much I love America and the STARS AND STRIPES, suggested I have my class do a research project: find the most patriotic book ever made. 

The methodoloy was simple: A book made out of flags with flag pictures would score high, a book that was not made out of a flag or flags and had no pictures of flags would score the lowest. 

We found some very good books and they did cheer me up. The one that was the most patriotic by far was a book called ""President Jesus: How Jesus Wrote the Constitution, Freed the Slaves, and Won World War II."" Its published by a small church in Texas. I was very proud of my students for finding it. It has brought countless joy to my life. Along with the book, made entirely out of a flag, with flag pictures, and written in blue and red ink, you get a giant flag. I'm not sure of the dimensions, but they had to haul it to my house in a moving truck. I've draped it over my house and it covers it completely. People even have to crawl under the flag to enter the house. 

Now I often go outside and just gaze at old stars and stripes for hours at a time, smiling.
",0
"Even if somehow Bin Laden did pick up this book and for some reason decide to read it he would not stick with it to learn the lesson that his victims are real average struggling people.  The fictional letter/diary to Bin Laden from the mother of a fictional attack victim from an Arsenal-Chelsea soccer game which eleven suicide bombers interrupted is so boring Bin Laden would give it away before learning what the author wants him to.  The mother just waffles on and on and on and on and on taking forever to get to the point of what she wants to say in any paragraph.  If Bin Laden is ever captured maybe force him to read this as torture or something.  

Also why does Chris Cleve chose to glorify Bin Ladden by crediting him with a new attack when lets face it he hasn't achieved much since September 11 2001 other than be the world hide and seek champion cowering in a cave somewhere.  

This book would have been more realistic and made more sense as a letter to the IRA, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad or one of the current more frequently operating groups. Alternatively base it on a fictional mother of a fictional character on one of the planes or in the World trade Centre.  A good concept for a book but poorly written and to be quite frank, extremely boring!       
",0
"I was doing the new change series and felt something wasn't right.Found out on the internet it's a cult all the way.This book is the mildest of all her teachings.Let me tell you if you don't do it her way you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.It's all so subtle when you sit there week after week and watch the dvd's it's all about her and her son and so subtle Remnant Fellowship the only called out ones.You'd better get in the arch or you are not the true followers of the Lord.Well Gwen we are saved by Grace through faith,it's a gift from God,not of works so no one can boast! That's all she does is boast how sinless or tries to be sinless she is and her perfect Remnant.I have been talking to several people that she has judge and judged hard and it makes me sick! Just look up on the internet type in Gwen Shamblin and you will judge for yourself what this Weighdown teaching is all about.Judge not least you be judge and why do you look at the speak in your brothers eye when all the time you have a log in your own eye?I never heard anything about God's Grace it's all twisted scripture.There's fruit all right in these peoples lives well other cults have fruit too! And the really overweight people if they are totally honest with you they starved themselves to get the rest of their weight off.JUST BEWARE!!
",0
"This would have to be the worst book I have ever read.Wow Will is running from dead people. Some one is trying to kill him so cool.How much more boring can you get.I would not recommend this book to a cave man or any thing for that mater. So what I'm saying is it stinks
",0
"This ""book"" is probably the worst written I've ever encountered. It was so flawed as to be considered literature. Alice Walker tries to ""One-up"" Harriet Beecher Stowe, in writing about brutality. Titles like these are weapons used in the Anti-Black Male agenda this society has long perpetuated. All the men depicted in this book are one-dimensional characters with absolutely no redeeming qualities worth noting. The women are portrayed as martyred, forlorn, pseudo-saints who have been set upon by beasts from hell. 

The only persons capable of any sort of humanity are exclusively women. I've learned long ago, when absolutes such as these are presented, a greater agenda is at work. There are no ""real"" men in this book! Only distorted caricatures of Black masculinity. I only found value in this book as a comprehensive example of sexist misandry at its worst. I find this title as dangerous as Hitler's ""Mien Kampf"", in it's portrayal of Black men as evil and morally destitute. 

Presenting such depictions is both dangerous and irresponsible. True, there are criminally abusive men in every culture. But there are also forthright, upstanding  men as well. To present a depiction of such vehement imbalance and disparity, only serves to distort the readers view of the people being written about. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe's fictional ""Uncle Tom's Cabin"", sparked national outrage and eventually a bloody civil war. This title does no less in further distorting the readers perceptions of Black Men. 

This book is fiction. However,it is not presented as such. I'm sure the abusive incidents depicted in this book have been based upon actual incidents. I have no qualm about outrage at such abominations. However, I do have a problem when there are absolutely no upstanding male figures who intervene in such aberrations. That is what I find so unbelievable and offensive about this book. 

In my opinion, this novel does nothing to laud the strength of women so much as it demeans and distorts the readers/viewers of the people within it. I don't find it a testament to the strength of Black Women at all. I interpret this book as feminist misandry with two purposes...the further distortion of African-American culture and the deliberate depiction and denigration of the Black Male as being hopelessly inhuman.

I'm sure Alice walker made a lot of money with this book. Feminist, racist extremism seems to have found a niche in literature. I wonder if this novel would have had the same accolades, were it a fictional depiction of White American Men brutalizing White Women. Most definitely not!!! I doubt it would have even found a publisher. America is comfortable reinforcing negative depictions of Black Men and African-American culture.

My life as a Black man is difficult enough living as a testament and example against this sort of racial distortion. Whatever Ms. Walker's motivations were in writing this novel, I'm sure mercenary incentives were not discounted. 

This is racist, misandrist propaganda masquerading as literature!







",0
"The prologue of this book lead me to believe this was going to be a very touching love story of a woman losing the love of her life and finding love again.  I was disappointed, soon after, when it turned into a gardening manual and a tale about ghosts, with a sort of haphazard romance thrown in the middle-and then even that was disappointing.  I mean Graceland for a first date?  I noticed a lot of similarities between Roz and the mayor in Northern Lights, and Logan and Nate from that same book.  None of them can talk in complete sentences.  And Stella, who comes across as this loving mother, who puts her kids before anything else, works from sun up to sun down and is so smug that she thinks the whole business is going to come crashing down around everybody if she isn't there to oversee everything, even though the place has been successful for years.  There is no addressing the issue of moving on with her life after the death of her husband, she just does it. Unless, of course, it was in the last 50 pages which I didn't bother to read because I just couldn't torture myself any longer.  And I'm a big fan of Roberts.  I love her Quinn brothers books and a lot of her other work.  But this just stunk because I could really care less who the ghost is going to turn out to be.  I'm certainly not going to suffer through the last two books to find out.
",0
"I quote from GLIMPSES OF THE DEVIL, p. 215: ""...after spending a half hour with that book, GODS' MAN. I called [a nun, six years my senior, who has been my spiritual director for more than twenty-five years] sobbing with a complex of emotions, including hatred for the author, disgust at the book, rage at its destructiveness, sorrow for all the other young boys and girls who had been the book's victims, and a feeling of deep contamination that I had received just from looking at it. After we spoke, I sent her my newly purchased copy and she called me back to agree that it was the single most destructive thing she had ever seen in her fifty-plus years."" Undoubtedly, Dr. Peck's strong emotional reaction was due to the destruction the book wrought in the life of one of Peck's patients. But now you are forewarned
",0
"As a fan of Gitlin, I was hoping that he'd give me the bottom line - his bottom line - on the air we breathe today, the same way that brave souls such as Lasch, Marcuse, and Bell have done.  But Gitlin isn't brave.  He admits, honestly, up front, that he will reach few conclusions, and merely wants to lay out what we face each day on the streets, on TV, and on the net.  What follows is a stream-of-consciousness depiction of life today.  I want more than that from Gitlin.  I want his conclusions, not some lame statement that he hasn't reached any yet.  He's not getting any younger.  Lots of other fabulous thinkers have failed at this stage of their lives.  It's time for his masterpiece - the next book, perhaps
",0
"I clearly do not share the enthusiasm of some of the reviewers here, who will all have to forgive me for thinking that Susan Cooper's ""The Dark Is Rising"" is plain awful. This book was recommended to Harry Potter fans who have run out of HP books to read. I must say it was a waste of my time to read ""Dark.""

Never have I read a book in which no physical description is given for the hero. In this case, we are told that on his 11th birthday, an English boy named Will Stanton discovers he is the last of ""The Old Ones."" Unlike JK Rowling who, in the first pages of Harry Potter & the Philosopher's (or Sorcerer's) Stone, provides the reader with a vivid description of Harry as skinny, with an unruly mop of black hair, startlingly green eyes, and, of course, a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, Cooper does not describe Will Stanton at all. The result is that the reader, after having read 244 pages, still cannot visualize what Will looks like!!

I also find quite annoying Cooper's approach to this good vs. evil tale. She is vague and abstract till the end as to who exactly are The Old Ones, and who or what exactly is The Dark. As for The Dark being evil, all the reader succeeds in gleaning is that The Dark means cold, snow, and--of course--darkness. Excuse me: but is this the best Cooper can do? 
Is this what this book is about?--the Druid pagan worldview of light vs. dark, summer vs. winter, warmth vs. cold? What happened to the conception of evil as MORAL evil?
",0
"I got the impression that Rankin wrote this book in a short period of time without the assistance of a proofreader or editor. It was superficial, with such helpful hints as ""People come in all sizes and shapes,"" and ""People with a warm smile are perceived as being more friendly."" I didn't need to read her book to figure those out. Her logic is also flawed. She states that, ""Doctors touch patients, not vice versa because doctors are more privileged and powerful than patients."" Did she consider that doctors need to touch their patients in order to examine them - not because of any power status? Using the book to promote her feminist beliefs, numerous typographical errors, and trite comments also distracted from what little substance the book had to offer
",0
"I must agree with some other reviewers of this book, and say that it is a very dry list of factual data, interspersed with Bill Wyman's moans and boasts. His gripe with Allan Klein about money seems to be quite valid, but he mentions it about a thousand times. Mick and Keith get quite a pasting- again it seems quite valid, but do we need to hear it so many times?    Bill opines that Keith Richard's voice is weak and that his own songs were ignored by the band. Listen to his only self-penned Stones track of the 60s, on ""Satanic Majesties"", and you will conclude that this is quite a self delusion- his voice is far weaker, and his songwriting at that time was also inferior.     The book seems to be more authoritative on dates, but we can only take Bill's accuracy on faith. My knowledge of the Stones is not enormous, but even I can see some big factual errors. For example he tells us that neither Taj Mahal nor Marianne Faithfull recorded songs for the ""Rock n Roll Circus"". A recent re-issue has proved him completely wrong.      As another reviewer rightly said, Marianne Faithfull's autobiog is a much better read
",0
"This book is unfortunately not up to par for Kay Hooper.  Her normal suspense is missing and you would have to be psychic to know who the murderer is (there isn't a single clue at any point in time).  The heroine keeps loosing her memory, so you don't even have the usual good characterizations of hero & heroine (since she can't even remember much about herself, much less him).  If you like Kay go ahead and read it, but I hope the next one is back up to her usual high standard
",0
"I know a lot of people liked this book, but I felt like it put too much pressure on me to pack on the pounds.  I didn't realise so much of the book was focused on diet.  It says you should plan on gaining a pound a week, and the more you gain the healthier your babies will be.  Well the first 13 weeks I managed to gain NOTHING, and I felt horrible about it, but food made me so sick the last thing I could do was eat MORE food to try to gain weight.  The book said that according to my starting weight I should try to gain 50 - 60 pounds during my pregnancy!  I decided to stop reading the book, and so far, just going by what my gut says about what to eat and when, I've managed to put on 20 pounds.  My twins are measuring perfectly and are very healthy.

This book isn't horrible, but I would check it out of a library or borrow it or buy it used, don't spend the $ on a new one... and be prepared to put it down if it doesn't sound right to you
",0
"Robert Allen's previous book, Multiple Streams of Income, is EXCELLENT and I can't say enough good things about it.  This one was a MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT in comparison.  He talks about the same rehashed Internet marketing strategies that everyone else does.  Creating email lists, newsletters, blah, blah, blah...

The most disappointing thing about Robert Allen -- and I lost so much respect for him over this -- is that he demonstrates how to get a bunch of people to order his product within minutes of putting out an email blast.  What's stupid about the whole thing, and demonstrates that he's a snakeoil salesman scam artist, is that what he's selling by email is a course on how to make money on the Internet...so how do you make money on the Internet?  According to Robert Allen, by selling courses showing people how to make money on the Internet is the only way to make money on the Internet.  That's a scam!  How does he sleep at night?

Don't buy this book.  It's a waste of money
",0
"Have to agree with earlier post, book looks nice and clear but numerous errors make actually using (vs. just browsing) the material very difficult.  7th edition ADI section has numerous mislabed equations, incorrect data values, unfortunate.  Suggest look elsewhere for a numerical analysis book
",0
"I have read almost all of the works in the Past Masters series. This is by far the worse. I do not ordinarily write about books I do not like. But this work truly deserves a bad word. It is not about Shakespeare , but rather about Germaine Greer. She simply did not do the assignment that she was given
",0
"I see where this would be appealing to sum. I just never ""got it"".  Oh well.
",0
"Hugh Farnham is a blue-collar survivalist who likes to play Bridge.  His college-age daughter Karen, her friend Barbara, his lawyer son Duke, his alcoholic wife Grace, and house servant Joe are playing cards at his house the night the bombs hit.  Everyone scrambles to safety inside Hugh's modern bomb shelter.

As the bombs fall and his wife is passed out, Hugh starts up an affair with his daughter's friend Barbara, right in the shelter.  As if Hugh's shallowness and arrogance wasn't enough to turn you against the protagonist, this nauseating little scene will.

When the shakes and quakes finally end, the family pours from the shelter to find themselves in an impossible, pristine, clean world.  At first glance, it looks like utopia, but then as they settle into a rustic lifestyle they are suddenly set upon by an advanced race, imprisoned, and brought into a vastly different culture as slaves.  Somehow, Hugh needs to find a way to break free of the civilization they are trapped in, so that he can be free with Barbara.

Of all the Apocalypse Fiction, this book is the worst.  The protagonist is so lowbrow, so arrogant, so unlikable, so self-centered, so shallow, so immoral that he simply cannot capture any interest.  He's not even a ""love to hate"" person.

The dialogue is flatly emotionless and yet irritatingly flippant, and Barbara and Hugh's constant prattlings of ""Darling, Dear, and Beloved"" do not fit the characters.  Neither does Hugh's occasional spouting of words like ""shall"" and ""shan't"" along with racial diatribes that include heavy use of the ""N"" word.

There is little emotion from these one-dimensional characters even though they face the death of Hugh's daughter and Barbara's friend Karen, cannibalism, castration (Hugh cared more about his ""boys"" than he did his real children), pedophilia, racism, and $exual slavery, they show no more feeling than they would biting into a doughnut.

The entire plot-over-plot had a contrived and vapid feeling to it, as if the author himself didn't quite believe his story.  And if he doesn't believe, how can he expect the reader to?

Overall, there is no depth or flavor in this story at all, other than the ugly aftertaste of a musty trailer park visit in the dusty twilight, as old men drink cheap stinking whiskey and the wind blows over the city dump next door.  I recommend avoiding this book.
",0
"This book has its good points. If anything, it helps you put into words what you want  from a supervisor, but it is not very accurate. The online test does not account for a difference between when 2 of their options are both exactly like you, or if they don't describe you at all. This messes up the results, and it did not describe me very well. I am not just in denial. I have taken a lot of personality type tests, like the Keirsey Temperment sorter and have a pretty good idea of my strengths. So, although this book is pretty good in making you understand the importance of incouraging your strengths, it still leaves you wondering about how you fit in to their terminology.

As for using this book as a manager to better serve your employees, I'v seen it done and it does not necessarily work because the strengths spit out for people were not wholly accurate. The company I work for has done this, and most of the people who were shifted around to better serve their strengths (according to this book) are very unhappy in their new positions.

Your money can be spent better elsewhere. I say its only worth about $10
",0
"I ordered this for a friend, thinking it was the same Bruce Fisher book I bought when I divorced.  It is ONLY the workbook and really needs a workshop (or maybe just a book) to go with it.  It was a total waste of money and not what I expected when I ordered.  Make sure you are ordering the book, not the workbook, when you order
",0
"""Salvador"" completely discredits Joan Didion and all of her books. The two weeks she is believed to have ""lived"" in El Salvador was actually a mere four hours. Any truths in this book, and there are but a handful, have been obtained by outside sources, not by her own ""research."" I lived in El Salvador when she came in to gather info for her story. It is an outrage that she so flippantly used the sufferings of the Salvadorans to effect personal gain. If you want to read fiction, go ahead. She's a good storyteller. As a service to yourself, however, keep in mind that the author has almost zero first hand knowledge of what she writes. The only reason I have the book at all is that my father gave it to me. What a shame that he wasted his money on this piece of trash
",0
"There were too many characters, disjointed plot threads, not much of a plot in the first place, and not much coverage of the overall march itself.  It focused on many obscure and unimportant characters who weren't that compelling
",0
"If you are interested in a very traditional approach from a professional photographer, this book will provide lots of information.  It also provides valuable tips about controlling the dog.  But  for my taste, I found the photographic results to be uninspiring - too much posing, too much portraiture lighting, not enough of just plain capturing that  wonderful dog as it is
",0
"I really wanted to like this book and the beginning started out great.  A shocking murder is committed in the town of Newpointe, then another.  Meanwhile, fireman Mark Branning has moved out and is separated from his wife Allie.  There is a serial killer targeting the wives of firemen and Allie and Mark must fight through their struggles for the sake of their marriage.  I wanted to like this book because it is a Christian novel with a good purpose.  Ninety percent of the books I've read have been secular but I'm starting to read more Christian novels.  But to me, this book fails for three reasons:  the marriage conflict between Mark and Allie isn't believable, the serial killer plot collapses under its own weight, and the spiritual message is confusing and disappointing.		

Mark and Allie's marriage is suffering because she thinks he had an affair and he hasn't convinced her otherwise.  Seeing your husband hugging another woman is not proof of adultery, but it is grounds for suspicion.  Yet, Allie assumes Mark is cheating on her because she witnessed him hugging another woman.  It seems to me the truth would be discovered in the resulting fight.  Instead, Mark and Allie separate and Allie sees no hope for her marriage because of that hug and what she assumes was an affair.		

Blackstock does a poor job of framing the conflict between Mark and Allie.  Throughout the book, references are made to Allie believing Mark had an affair with Issie.  Allie refers to Mark's act as ""adultery"" and recalls him ""lying"" his way out of it after Allie caught him hugging Issie.  Their marriage is struggling, but Blackstock should have given more reasons why Allie assumed adultery other than a hug because throughout the book, Mark says he didn't have an affair and Allie chalks it up to one of his lies.

Later in the novel, Blackstock gives more reason for their conflict but by then its too late.

The serial killer story is poorly done, and it also seems everybody knows everybody in this book.  When they book a suspect at the end, it seems ridiculous.  The police work feels like it was written by an amateur.  One line in the novel, ""As much as the evidence pointed to XXX, Stan didn't want to believe it.""  In my opinion, the evidence didn't point to that person and Stan, the detective, seems foolish for believing it.  There isn't any rhythm or flow to the police work or the serial killer in the story.  There is no sense of setting in the book.  There are too many characters that no each other yet little context in how they know each other.

Finally, this book talks about God and prayer and being ""saved"" throughout the book, and that's great.  With a serial killer on the loose, a lot of bad things are happening and the characters react to this in a bad way.  

At one point, a conversation goes like this:  ""How can the murder be part of God's plan?""  ""Maybe it isn't""  ""That would mean God isn't in control.""  ""He is in control, but he allows some things to happen.""

Then at another point, Mark says to Allie, ""I'm going to be fine, it's time to trust the Lord.  He's taken care of us so far.""

Then Allie says:  ""But I don't know what his plan is.  I don't know how he wants this to end.  I don't know what he wants to teach us.""

At other points in the book, characters say that God has a plan and maybe the serial killer is part of God's plan and that through God's plan, all things can be used for good.  This line of logic is infuriating.  Bad things happen to everyone, including God's people.  God doesn't ""allow"" a serial killer to shoot and burn your wife.  That's a horrible message to send to a non-Christian who may have lost someone in a car wreck.  Telling them it was part of God's plan is the quickest way to turn someone from God.

God is obviously there for people when something bad happens to help them through it and to find the good in it and God can even keep bad things from happening to Christians.  But like above, where Allie was afraid because she thought God might have chosen to have her killed to teach a lesson, God doesn't willfully kill people.  It comes down to the simple fact that all people, including serial killers and Christians, have choices to make and have free will.

I'm surprised I wrote so much on an 8 year old book but I wanted it to be a good book. 
",0
"I'm really disappointed in this book, because the author seems to imply that you can have ANYTHING you want, but that is just not the case.  It's a deceptive title.  

I can honestly say that this book is worthless and is not going to help you; you're better off practising Feng Shui and hanging little crystals in your house than reading this book (and I'm not knocking Feng Shui, I practise it myself).  People like the author of this book just want to make a quick buck at your expense.  In the end, you'll just feel worse off, looking for the ""next big thing"" to promise you some more snake oil.

Another fact I'd like to point out is that this author sells this book in CD format for around $60.00 (I got a flyer in the mail).  If he is truly living life according to his principles why would he even charge for these so-called ""secrets,"" doesn't that go against his own moral values?  One of the gimmicks of the CDs is that you can learn the secret sound of ""creation,"" as if chanting ""Ahhhh"" is going to make everything alright.  Thanks to Dyer and others like him, I am completely against any sort of ""positive thinking"" Guru.  They are only after YOUR money (while you keep wishing you had more).

*Btw, you might be interested to know that after reading this book, you're only going to find out that the BIG CATCH is that Manifesting Your Destiny, according to the author, ONLY applies to spiritual matters.  Huh?  Yes.  The entire book promises you can have anything you want, but it has absolutely nothing to do with material prosperity.  The author also wants you to know that if your desire is not in accordance with ""God's"" plan, you don't have a chance either.  Thought I'd mention that before you read this book and end up feeling cheated!

",0
"``People  say again and again that philosophy  doesn't really progress, that we  arestill occupied  with the same philosophical problems as were  theGreeks.But  the people who say this don't understand why ishas to be  so. It is becauseour language has remained the same and  keeps seducing us  into asking the same questions.  As longas there continues to be a verb  'to be' that  looks as if it functions in the same way as 'to eat' and  'to  drink', as long as we stillhavethe adjectives  'identical', 'true',  'false', 'possible',as  long as we continueto talk of a river of time, of  an expanseof  space, etc., etc., people will keepstumbling over the  samepuzzling  difficulties and find themselves staring atsomethingwhich  no explanation seems capable of clearing up.And what'smore,this  satisfies  a longing for the transcendent, because, insofar  as peoplethinkthey can  see `the limits of human  understanding', theybelieve of course thatthey  can see  beyond these.`` 

''Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of ourintelligence by means of language``

``Ambition is the death of  thought'''

These three quotes are from Ludwig Wittgenstein who redefined philosophysome70 years ago (but most people have yet to find this out).Dennett, though he has  been a philosopher for some40 years, is one them. It is also curious that both he and his prime antagonist, John Searle, studied under famous Wittgensteinians (Searle with John Austin, Dennett with Gilbert Ryle) but Searle got the point and Dennett did not. Dennett is a hard determinist(though he trys to sneak  reality in the back door), and perhaps this is due to Ryle, whose famous book 'The Concept of Mind'(1949) continues to be reprinted.  That book did a great job of exorcising the ghost but it left the machine.  Dennett enjoys  making  the mistakes Wittgenstein, Ryle(andmany others since) have exposed in detail. 

Byaccident,just before this book, I had  read ''The Minds I'', which Dennett coauthored withDouglas Hofstadter in 1981. They made some bad  mistakes(see my review), and saddest of all, they reprinted  twofamous articles that pointed the wayout of the mess---Nagel's `What is  like to be a bat?` and an early version of John  Searle's Chinese Room argument explaining why computers  don't think.

 Nagel pointed out that we do noteven know how to recognize whata concept of a bat's mind would be  like.  Searle similarly explained how we lack a way to conceptualize  thinking  and how itdiffersfrom what a computer does(eg,it can translate Chinese  without understanding it). Likewise, we lack a clear test for recognizing  what countsas good  vs bad--or just intelligible-- for many philosophical and scientific concepts. Our  use of the words consciousness, choice, freedom, intention,  particle, thinking, determines, wave,cause, happened,  event(and so on endlessly) are  rarely a source of confusion  but as soon as we leave normal life and enter philosophy(and anydiscussion detached from the environment  in  which language evolved) chaos reigns. Wittgenstein  was the first to understand why and to point out how to avoid  this. Unfortunately, he died inhis prime, his works are composed almost entirely of a series of examples of  how the mind(language)  worksand he never wroteany popular books,  so  understanding of his work is restricted to a very few. 

Searle  is one of the world's leadingphilosophers and has written  manyextremely clear  and highly regarded articles and books,some of which have pointed out the  glaring defects in Dennett'swork.His review ``Consciousness Explained  Away'' of Dennetts 1991 book`'Consciousness Explained'' and his book''The Mystery of Consciousness'' are very well  known,and show, in a way that isamazingly clear for philosophical writing,why neither Dennett(nor any of the  hundreds of philosophersandscientists who have written on this topic)havecome closetoexplaining the hard problem--ie, how do you conceptualizeconsciousness.Many suspect we will never be able to conceptualizeany of the reallyimportant things, but it isclear that we are  nowhere near it now. Dennett has mostly  ignored his critics but has favored  Searle with vituperative personal attacks.Searle has been accused by Dennett and others of  being out to destroy cognitive psychology which is quite funny as modern philosophy is(mostly) a branch of cognitive psychology and Searle has made it very clear for 30 years that WE are a good example of a biological machine that is conscious, thinks, etc,.  He just points out that we don't have any idea how this happens.   Searle characterizes as ''intellectualpathology'',the views ofDennett andall those who denythe existence of thevery phenomena they setout to explain. Dennett repeats his  mistakes here andleaves his reply to his critics to the penultimate page of  the book, where we are told that they areall mistaken and it is a waste of spaceto show how! Unsurprisingly, there isnot one reference toWittgenstein or Searle in theentire book.There arehowever, many references to other old schoolphilosophers who are as confusedas he is. 

Like most people, it does not cross his mindthatthe very inference engineshe thinks with are forcinghim to cometo  certainconclusions and that these will oftenbe quite  unconnectedwith or wrong about the way things are in the  world. They are a jumble of evolutionary curiositieswhich do various tasks in organizing behavior that were useful for survivalhundreds of thousands of years ago.Wittgenstein was a pioneerin doingthought experiments in cognitive psychologyand beganto elucidate the nature of these engines and the subtletiesof language in the 30's, and thus he made the sorts of commentsthat this review begins with. 
Dennett says(p98)that  his view is compatibilism, ie, that  free will(whichI hopewe can equate with choice) is compatible with  determinism(ie, that''there is at any instant exactly one physically  possible  future''--p25). He wants to show that determinism is not the same as inevitablity. However, the whole book is smoke  and mirrors by means of  which choice, in the sense we normally  understand it, disappears and we are  left with ``choice``,  which is something we cannot choose. Naturally, this  echoes  the fate of consiousness in his earlier book ``Consciousness  Explained``. 

It is remarkable that, at a time when we are  just beginning to  reach the point where we might be able to understand the basics of how a  single neuron works(or how an  atom works for that matter), that anyone should  think they can  make the leap to understanding the whole brain and to explain  its most complex phenomena. Please recall the last sentence of Wittgenstein  from the opening quote: ''And what'smore,this satisfies a longing for thetranscendent, because, insofar aspeoplethinkthey can see `the limits of  human understanding',theybelieve of course thatthey can see beyond  these.`` The  relation between language, thought and reality is  extraordinarily complex and everyone gets lost. If one is very, very  careful,some understanding is possible, but Dennett throws caution to  the  winds and we are dragged into the quicksand. 

There are  at least 3 different  topics here(evolution of our brain, choice  and morality) and Dennett tries  vainly to weld them together into  a coherent account of how freedom evolves  from the deterministic  crashing of atoms. There is, however, no compelling  reason to  accept that bouncing atoms (or his favorite example, the game  of  life running on a computer) are isomorphic with reality.  He knows that  quantum indeterminacy(or the uncertainty principle)  is a major obstacle to  determinism however defined(and has  been taken by many as an escape to  freedom) but dismisses  it due to the fact that such events are too rare to  bother  with. By extension, its unlikely that any such  event will happen now or even in our  whole lifetime in our  brain, so we appear to be stuck with a determined  brain(whatever  that may be). However, the universe is a big place and its been  around a long time(perhaps forever) and if even one such quantum  effect occurs  it would seem to throw the whole universe into  an indeterminate state. The  notion ''there is at any  instant exactly one physically possible future''  cannot be true  if at any instant a quantum indeterminacy can occur--in this  case  there would seem to be infinitely many possible futures. This  recalls  one of the escapes from the contradictions of physics--each  instant our  universe is branching into infinitely many universes. 

He correctly rejects the idea that quantum indeterminacy gives us the answer to how we can have choice.  This obvious idea has been suggested by many but the problem is that nobody has any idea how to specify an exact sequence of steps which starts with the equations of physics and ends up with the phenomena of consciousness(or any other emergent phenomenon).  If so, they will definitely win at least one Nobel Prize, for not only will they have explained consciousness, they will have explained the universal phenomenon of emergence(how higher order properties emerge from lower ones). So, they would have to solve the 'easy' problem(to determine the exact state of the brain corresponding to some mental state and preferably specify the exact position of all the atoms in the brain over time-ignoring uncertainty) and the 'hard' one(what exactly correlates with or produces consciousness or choice etc?). And while they are at it how about also doing the  impossible--an exact and full solution to the quantum field equations for a brain.  It is very well known that these equations are uncomputable, even for one atom or a vacuum, as it would require an infinite amount of computer time.  But infinite will do for one atom so maybe a brain will take no longer. 

He starts off on the  first page appealing to the laws of  physics for protection against fantastic  notions such as immaterial souls, but physics is made of notions just as  fantastic(uncertainty,  entanglement, wave/particle duality, Schrodinger's  dead/alivecat etc) and as Feynmann said many times ``Nobody understandsphysics!'' Many think nobody ever will. 

On pg  2 he says  our values have little to do with the goals of our cells and  on pg 2  to3 that our personality differences are due to how  our ''robotic teams are  put togther, over a lifetime of  growth and experience.`` This is a bald  dismissal of human  nature, of the abundant evidence that our differences are  to  a large extent programmed into our genes and fixed in early  childhood, and  is typical of his constant confused wandering  back and forth between  determinism and environmentalism.

On page  9 he notes that free will is a problem and our  attitudes to  it make a difference, but for whom? Nobody but philosophers. We make choices. What's the problem?  One has to step  outside life to experience a problem and then  everything becomes a problem.  What are consciousness, pain,  yellow, intention, matter, quarks, gravity  etc.? I doubt that  anyone has ever experienced a fundamental change in their  interactions  with people or their decision making processes due to their  thinking about choice. This shows that there is something  strange about such questions. Wittgenstein would probably say that the language games are  different. There are games  for language connected with the cognitive  templates for decisions  or seeing colors etc, and thinking philosophically is operating them in decoupled mode. Decoupled modes permit  thinking about the past, planning for the future, guessing  the mental states  of others, etc, but if one takes the results  in the wrong way and starts to  think `'John will try to steal  my wallet'', rather than just imagining that  John might  do it, confusion enters and those who cannot turn off the decoupled  mode or distinguish it from coupled mode,  enter the realm of pathology. Some aspects of schizophrenia and other mental illness might be  seen this way--they lose control of which mode they are in, eg, notbeing able to see the  difference between the motives people  have and the motives they might have. 

One can then see  much of the philosophizing people do as operating in  these  decoupled modes but failing to be able to keep in front of them  the  differences from the normal mode. Normal mode--eg, what  is that lion doing--  was undoubtedly the first one evolved  and decoupled modes--what did that lion  do last time or what  does he intend to do next--evolved later. This was  probably  never a problem for animals--any animal that spent too much  time  worrying about what might happen would not be very successful  contributing to  the gene pool. It is interesting to speculate that only when humans developed  culture and began degeneratinggenetically, could large numbers of people  survive with genes that  led them to spend alot of time in decoupled modes.  Hence, we  have philosophy and this book, which is mostly about running the  decision templates in decoupled mode where there are no real  consequencesexcept earning royalties for putting the results  in a book for other people to  use to run their engines in decoupled mode.' Let us alter Wittgenstein's quote to read:  ''As longas there continues to be a verb 'to decide'  that looks as if it functions in the same way as 'to  eat' and 'to  drink',as long as we continueto talk of  freedom of action, of saying I  wish I had done otherwise,  etc., etc., people will keepstumbling over the  samepuzzling  difficulties andfind themselves staring atsomethingwhich  no  explanation seems capable of clearing up.''

As withmost philosophy books, nearly every page, often every paragraph,  changes from one type of language  game to another without  noticing that now one would have to be joking or  dreaming  or acting in a play or reciting a story , etc, and not actually  intending anything nor describing an actual situation in the  world. On page  10 he says we count on free will for the  whole way of thinking about our lives,  like we count on food  and water, but who ever, outside philosophy, standing in  front  of lunch counter full of food, ever thinks how fine it is that  they  have free will so they can pick coke instead of mineral  water? Even if I  want to be a serious compatibilist and  try thinking this in decoupled mode, I  have to exit and  enter nondecoupled mode to make the actual choice. Only then  can I go back to decoupled mode to wonder what might have  happened if I had  not had the ability to make a real choice.  Wittgenstein noted how pretend  games are parasitic on real ones(this is not a trivial observation!).  The ability to engage in very complex  decoupled scenarios  is already evident in 4 year old children. So I would say  that normally, nobody counts on having choice, but rather we just choose. 


On the same page he shows again that he does not grasp cognitive  basics.  He says we learn to conduct our lives in the conceptual  atmosphere of choice,  and that `'It appears to be a stable  and ahistorical construct, as eternal  and unchanging as arithmetic,  but it is not.'' And on page 13--''It is an  evolved creation  of human activity and beliefs''. The whole thrust of  cognitive  psychology is that we do NOT learn the basics of planning, deciding,  promising, resenting, etc, but that these are built-in functions  of the  inference engines that work automatically and unconsciously  and start running  in very early childhood. There is no evidence  that they change as we grow,  or are in any way subject to  our beliefs,only  that they mature just as our body does. 

On pg 14 he suggests  its probable that our having free will depends on our believing  we have  it!  Do we believe we see an apple, feel a pain, are  happy? The language  game of belief is very different from  that of knowing. We can believe we have  a dollar in our  pocket but if we take it out and look at it we can't  meaningfully  then say that we still believe it(except as a joke etc.). The  inference engine can run in decoupled(belief) mode so we can  imagine havingchoices or making them, but in life we just make them and it is only in very  odd situations we can say  that we believe we made a choice. But Dennett is  saying thisis the universal case. If making a choice had any dependence on belief than so would everything everything else--consciousness,  seeing,  thinking,etc. If we take this seriously(and he says 'the serious problems of  free will' ) then we are getting  into trouble and if we actually try to apply  it to life, then madness is minutes away. 
. 
On page 65 et seq., he  discusses causation, intention and the `informal predicates'  that we use to  describe atoms etc, but cognitive resarch has  shown that we describe all  objects with a limited number of  ontological categories which we analyse with  our intuitive physics  modules and that when agents (ie animals or people or  things  like them--ie, ghosts or gods) are involved we use our  concepts (engines)  for agency, intuitive psychology, social minds, etc to  decide  how to behave. There is almost certainly no causation module  but  rather it will involve all of these and other inference  engines, depending on  the precise situation. Discussing  possibility and necessity is much  easier if  one talks in terms of the output of our modules for intuitive  physics,  agency, ontological categories etc. Of course there is no mention  here of Wittgenstein's many incisive comments on causation,  intention,  deciding, nor of Searle's now classic works  on Intention and Social Reality. 

He spends much time on  Ainslie's book 'Breakdown of Will', in which is  discussed  the hyperbolic discounting faculties (ie, inference engines) by which  we evaluate probable outcomes.
Hemakes much of the excellent work of Robert Frank on altruism, emotion and economics, but the book he cites was 15 years old when this book was published. It was Bingham's idea, amplified by Frank and by Boyd and Richardson (1992) that  cooperation  was greatly stimulated by the evolution of means for punishing cheaters. He suggests these as examples of Darwinian approaches  that areobligatory and promising. Indeed they are, and  in fact they are standard  parts of economic, evolutionary  and cognitive theory, but unfortunately, he  makes little reference  to the other work in these fields. All that work tends to show that people do not choose but their brains choose for them. He does not establish any convincing connection between this work and the general problem of choice. 

Onpg 216 he says that making oneself so  that one could not have  done otherwise is a key innovation in  the evolutionary ascent to free will,  and that we can only  be free if we learn how to render ourselves insensitive  to  opportunities. But where this ability resides is not revealed  for  several chapters! Dennett has a penchant for hiding  his ideas in a massive  amount of rather irrelevant text.  Again, he gets things backwards, as there is  a vast body of  very good evidence from biology and psychology that we are get  the feelings that we should behave in some way from our inference engines and  these are not provided by some part of our conscious  self, but by the automatic and unconscious operation of the  engines. As he notes, hundreds of experiments  with the Prisoner's Dilemma  and related protocols have shown how easy it is to  manipulate  people's choices and that their calculations are not conscious  and  deliberate at all. When the situation is manipulated to  make them conscious,they are much slower and  less reliable. So, there has been  constant pressure of natural  selection to make the engines fast and automatic  and inacessible  to deliberate thought.

Dennett says `we make ourselves'  so  that we could not do otherwise and that this is the basis  of morality and  choice. The evidence would seem to be exactly  the opposite. Our inference engines give  us basic moral intuitions and  we generally act in accord with the results.  If we or others  do not we feel guilt, outrage, resentment etc, then cheater genes will invade the population and this is one of the main theories as to how a good part of morality evolved.Our genes make us so we can't(mostly) do otherwise, not our will or whatever Dennett thinks can do it.   We can often choose to do otherwise but our own  intuitions and the knowledge of social disapproval  usually serve to limit our choices. These intuitions evolved  in small groups between 50,000 and some  millions of years ago. In the modern world the intuitions are often not to  our  advantage and the social controls weak. This is a prime reasonfor the chaos in the world.

On pg  225 he finally sneaks in a definition of free will  as ''a complicated snarl of mechanistic causes that look likedecision making(from certain angles)''. He claims that thisplays all the valuable  roles of free will but lacks some  (unspecified) properties possessed by  traditional free will.  The smoke is thick but I  am pretty  sure one of those unspecified properties is what we understand aschoice. He insists(top pg 226) that his naturalistic  account of decision  making leaves plenty of room for moral  responsibility, but making ourselves so  we couldn't do otherwise  does not seem to describe the way we actually  function, nor  does it seem to leave any room for morality, as that would seem  to consist precisely in being able to do otherwise. 

He  does not propose  any test for deciding if a choice is voluntary  or forced and I doubt he could  do so. Normally if someone  asks us to move our hand, we know what counts as  having a  choice, but, typical of philosophers, I expect that regardless  of  whether it moves or not he will count both as evidence for his position. 

At this point he also starts his discussion of Libet's well known work on conscious attention which is the only part of the book that I felt was worth my time. 

On page 253 et seq., he sneaks in his definition of conscious will--the  ''brains user illusion  of itself''' which has as one of its main roles  providing  ''me with the means of interfacing with myself at other times``.  And ``Illusory or not, conscious will is the persons guide  to his or her own  moral responsibility for action.`` He says  the trick we need is to see that  ``I`' control what is happening  inside the ''simplification barrier''...  ''where decision  making happens''. ``Mental events'' become conscious by  ''entering  into memory''. ''The process of self description... is  what we  are''. The crucial thing is that choice is possible  because the self is  distributed over space(the brain) and time(memories).  He realizes this is  going to leave many incredulous(everyone who can follow this and really understands!). ''I know that many  people find it hard to graspthis idea or take it seriously. It seems to them  to be a trickwith mirrors, some kind of verbal slight of hand that whisksconsciousness, and the real Self , out of the picture just when it was about to  be introduced.'' Many will say he took the words out of their mouth, but I would  say it's incoherent and  thateverythingwe know about consciousness and the whole  universe(making the obvious extensions of such claims)  was gone long beforewegot this far. 


On pg 259 he says that culture has made us rational animals!  This is a stunning denial of human nature(ie, genetics and evolution) coming from the person who wrote 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea''!  Presumably he is talking about his idea that it is memories spread over space(the brain and other people) and time that give us choices and morals and consciousness(line 6 from bottom).  He says consciousness is a user-interface but it is never made clear who or where the user is and how it interfaces with the brain(you will have to suffer through 'Consciousness Explained to find that there is no answer there either).  Though he makes many references to evolutionary and cognitive psychology, he seldom uses any of the terminology that has been current for decades(social mind, intuitive psychology, coalitional intuitions etc) and clearly is not familiar with most of the concepts. If he means that we got the fine details of morality from culture, thats ok, but this is the icing on the cake and the cake was baked by the genes.  

We are also told here that R&D(by which he means evolution here, but other things elsewhere) has given us the self  and that language creates new kind of consciousness and morality.  I am sure that he will get little agreement on this.  It seems quite clear that consciousness and the basics of morality evolved in primates(and earlier) long before spoken language(though it is a very deep topic as to how language evolved from extant capacities in the brain).  He continues ``morality memes arose by accident some tens of thousands of years ago`` which would be OK if he meant the icing on the cake but he clearly means the cake!  And then he says the point of morality is not the survival of our genes, which is an amazing (and totally incorrect)thing to say, even if he was only referring to memes.  
On pg 260 he claims  that  because we do not comprehend our ''bland dispositions  to cooperate'', they  mean nothing to us, but it is the operation  of our templates that is  everything to us. There is ample  evidence that if one of them is damaged a  person cannot function  properly as a social being(eg, autism).  I would say it is the operation of the templates for intuitive psychology etc which lead Dennett to the counterintuitive views that we do not have consciousness and choice in the way we think.  

He also says here that it was one of the major  evolutionary transitions when we were able to change our views and reflect on reasons for them. This again reflects his lack of understanding of evolutionary psychology.  I know of no evidence that the basic moral intuitions, like all the templates, are accessible to consciousness.  We may decide our cheating was justifiable, or forgive someone else's cheating, but we still know it was cheating(ie, we cannot change the engine). I suspect my ancestors a million years ago had the same feelings in the same situation but what has happened is that there are lots of other things that may be taken as relevant and that sometimes these will lead me to act contrary to my feelings.  Another issue is that as culture developed, one had to make many important or 'moral type` decisions for which the engines were not evolved to give a clear answer.  

On pg 267 he says that we now replace our `free floating rationales'(probably corresponding to what cognitive psychologists call our templates or inference engines) with reflection and mutual persuasion. And on pg 286 he says that it is a child's upbringing --demanding and giving reasons-- that affects moral reasoning. Again, he just has no grasp of what has happened in the last 30 years of research--the templates do not change with reflection or upbringing. We are then told again that consciousness makes moral issues available over time to the self, which takes responsibility.  It is not any more coherent or credible with repetition.  

On pg 289 he has a chapter summary which repeats the mistaken notions that it is culture that makes it possible to reflect and that choice depends on education(memory) and sharing.  It's clear that it is not culture but the inherited cognitive structures that make it possible to reflect and to choose and that culture determines the acceptable actions and their rewards or punishments. On pg 303 he discusses the classic philosophical barrier between 'ought'and 'is' , unaware that our templates solved that problem long ago--ie, they tell us how to feel about situations regarding other people.  He also seems to be unaware that there are hundreds of cultural universals implanted in our genes(eg see 'The Blank Slate'). 

He often starts into what looks like its going to be a good discussion of some issue in evolutionary psychology, but invariably wanders off into philosophical arcana and winds up with more confusion.  This happens on pg 261 where he states that concepts like 'praiseworthy' were shaped over millennia by culture, while most would say the basis for such concepts is in the genes and each culture only detetermines the details of acceptable reactions to the intuitions its members get from their innate mechanisms.   On pg 262 he tries to explain how an ESS(Evolutionarily Stable Strategy) can produce morality. His idea here is that genetic `R&D` produces dim understandings of morals and then culture(memetics) produces variations and clarifications.  I would say that we all know, and much research has made clear, that we commonly get very clear results from our inference engines and only dimly understand in special cases.  Culture merely decides what we can do about our feelings.  

The last part of the book is mostly  concerned  with moral culpability. He refers to the legal classic by Hart  and  Honore, which I started reading 30 years ago since it's  authors were deeply influenced by Wittgenstein.  Dennett tells us that we have  control over our own morality and  that thinking about morality will improve us.  But, there seems  no justification whatever for this view in this book. There is nothing at  all  here to help anyone escape from the dictates of the monkey mind. It is a defensible point of view that those who manage this do so by traveling a spiritual path that  has no connection with philosophy- and there is not a hint of  spirituality in this entire book--another telling point considering that many mystics have fascinating things to say about the functioning of the mind. I find  more wisdom about how  to be free and moral in any of Osho's 200 books than anywhere in philosophy. One rarely finds spiritually and morally  advanced people teaching at universities. There is no sign here, nor in  anything he has done, that Dennett is morally superior. After 40 years of thinking about morality he launches personal attacks on his critics or arrogantly dismisses them.  It seems clear that, like all of us, he is trapped in the limits of his inference engines. 

So, how much opportunity is there to  improve our morality? It seems  clear(eg, see Pinker's `The Blank Slate`) that  most of our behaviour  is genetic and the rest due to unknown factors in our  environment, in spite of the vigorous efforts of parents and religions and political parties. On  average, maybe 5% of the variation in moral behavior(variations are the only thing we can  study) is due to our own efforts. The moral choices that matter  most today are  those affecting the fate of the world. But our moral templates were not evolved to deal with overpopulation and the greenhouse effect. 

How remarkable it would be if just one of the hundreds of millions of educated people in the world managed to figure out what consiousness or choice or any mental phenomenon really is.  And if one did, we would expect them to be a scientist at the cutting edge of research using some exotic fMRI  equipment and the latest parallel processing neural networked fuzzy logic computer etc.  But a philosopher or physicist just sitting there thinking, coming up with the solution to the greatest puzzle there is!  And then writing a whole book about it without checking with the sceptics first.  To return to the quote at the beginning--'Ambition is the death of thought'.  Indeed--though clearly Wittgenstein was thinking of interesting thoughts
",0
"I have read a bunch of poker books and play regularly.  There are a lot of good books out there, Dan Harrington's the very best, but this isnt one of them.  Too much ego here and not enough helpful information
",0
"This book is a cure for insomnia.  If I ever have trouble falling to sleep, I'll just dig out my old ""Flatland"" book, and I'll probably be fast asleep a few minutes later!  Listening to the A. Square character telling us about his flat, two dimensional world is not thought provoking, its just confusing!  Trying to imagine life in two dimensions is truely mind numbing.  I mean I understand what Flatland would be like, but only after I carefully think out what Mr. Square is saying.  I spent more time trying to comprehend the two dimensional reality of Flatland than I do enjoying the story.  Not very interesting at all, even two stars is being generous
",0
"When I found out Francis Collins has written a book about his faith, I ordered it the same day.  After all, we seemed to be following the same path.  I earned a PhD in Molecular Biology in 1981 and had several `firsts' in the area of gene cloning.  Then I found Christ as a 40-year-old.  My transition was from a semi-serious Jew to a Materialist to a serious Christian.  Hearing about Dr. Collins' spiritual walk had me intrigued.

His book should be entitled ""a Politician Presents Evidence for Belief"".  It is a completely uncritical view of the last twenty years of biological research.  The Human Genome Project is elevated to status of ""bridge to a momentous new era"".  Hogwash.  Hype is the term I would use.  The Dept. of Energy was duped into footing the bill because the National Institutes of Health saw it as a waste of resources.  The author couldn't make a better case for the payoff than to show humans have more `junk DNA' than previously thought.

Dr. Collins then explained Darwinian gradualism as if it were dogma.  This oversimplification is typical of those who never studied Biology except at a Medical School.  This is not entirely his fault, however, since many scientific journals will not publish research where evolution isn't perfectly gradual and perfectly random.  Their motivation should be perfectly obvious, but it's not even on Dr. Collins' radar.  He also uses Mendel's peas as a pivotal point in our understanding of genetics, assuming the reader would be ignorant that Mendel's data was `dry-labbed'.

Usually an author who writes on this subject is strong in either Biology or Theology.  Dr. Collins relies on two sources for his treatise on Theology: St. Augustine and  C.S. Lewis.  I happen to agree with him that the Creation Story and the books of Job and Song of Solomon have a ""lyrical and allegorical flavor"".  I would include the Book of Jonah in that category as well.  However, there is an entire literature on the subject that is completely overlooked.

The only time Dr. Collins makes a strong case for anything, it is to refute Edward O Wilson, Richard Dawkins, and their minions.  Even then, he uses a quote from the late Stephen Jay Gould for his most scathing criticism.  Francis Collins is the consummate politician--he takes a stand without offending anyone.  

Dr. Collins knows that Jesus was not a politician, and He did not worry about offending the intellectual elites of his time. Take this quote from Mat 23:14 ""Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.""  Dr. Collins' book claims to be a middle ground for theists and scientists.  In my opinion it is a  piece of fluff and a narcissistic retelling of the Human Genome Project myth.
",0
"I tried as hard as I could but just could not get into this book.  Not quite as bad as her book, ""Impossible,"" but close.  Danielle Steel is getting so repetitive in her writing.  Basically, this book repeated over and over how much Quinn liked sailing and how he neglected his wife throughout the years and that he didn't realize how much she meant to him until she was dying/dead.  Drivel.  She could have elaborated on what was supposedly the storm of the century but ended it quickly or expanded on the characters themselves, but no.  A waste of time.  Very hard to get through as there really is nothing there to get into at all.  Disappointing, to say the least. 
",0
"This book was so different from the usual NR story.  The burn scenes were too graphic and the rape scene was too graphic.  If you want romance, skip this.  It also seemed to take forever to get the book set up
",0
"It all depends on who you are if you will like this book.  Republicans will like it but Democrats or people with brains won't.
",0
"Well you know the rest. Aside from her brash repetative demeanor her cooking has a lot to be desired. These meals CANNOT be done in 30 minutes, unless that is if you want everything half cooked. The book makes false promises and does not deliver. There are also NO PICTURES and NO INDEX and the recipes are very confusing..most of them deriving from an original Master recipe and then just changing one or two things. If you want good food and a good cook book don't buy into the hype and don't buy this book.
",0
"I have been a huge fan of Michael Crichton for about 25 years.  However, this book is misleading and dangerous.  Almost every respectable scientist in the world now agrees that global warming is real and that we are greatly accelerating this problem (except some scientists affiliated with the petroleum and automobile industries).  

Writing a book that disputes global warming would be like writing a book that disputes the holocaust - Mr. Crichton could just as easily have written a book about how the holocaust did not really happen, and provide plenty of ""references"" to support this premise.  Tragically, in the long term, global warming could be far more destructive than even the holocaust.  

I hope that someday Mr. Crichton recognizes that, in addition to his enormous talent for entertaining, he has enormous influence on people's thoughts and actions through his books.  There is a quote: ""With great power comes great responsibility.""  But in this case it would seem: ""With great power comes great profit at the expense of the planet.
",0
"This book bears litthe relevance to the 'original' fourth edition book of the same name. There is no coordination with the text. Most of the concepts are explained in terms of economics not computer science, I have to wonder if the whole idea is a gross mistake or a scam. I feel cheated
",0
"Crudely written. A negative hero deserves better and Wharton has written some fine books. Sadly, not this one.
",0
"I wanted to like this book, but I had to give up in the end. If the overall vignette concept is attractive enough, the execution of detail isn't -- Kosinski can't write. He tries and eventually fails to convey what he deems important, whereas the reader is always expected to discover ""depth"" in simplicity. Nothing to be recommended for
",0
"I was a philosophy major in college and I hated this book.  But then again, the whole NAMBLA fic genre really doesn't do it for me.  I'm sure some literary aesthetes are going to pick this review apart, good for them.  I'm incredibly well-read and thought this one was just a tepid bore.  Save your time, read some Dostoevsky, some Dickens, some Milton, (...)
",0
"I'm perhaps the only Steinbeck lover not to have yet read ""Grapes of Wrath"" or ""East of Eden.""  Instead I have focused on ""Of Mice and Men"" and his lesser known works, such as ""To a God Unknown"" and, my personal favorite, ""Pastures of Heaven.""  I've been enamored with his ability to vividly craft characters in particular.

When I began reading ""In Dubious Battle,"" it appeared the most engaging of all Steinbeck's work.  Telling the story of American Communist party workers Jim and Mac, it begins with the story of hardscrabble Jim initiating himself into Mac's radical cell.  There is a great (and misleading) sense of intrigue - Mac and Jim travel by boxcar, work secretly through letters, go from secret contact to contact and finally arrive among disgruntled orchard workers.  Early on, the pace is fast, exciting, and engaging.

Suddenly, Steinbeck simply fails to deliver, leaving the reader wondering when he's going to pick up the pace again.  After Jim and Mac slowly initiate a worker's strike, I expected the sense of excitement to continue.  It simply never does.

Summary of ""In Dubious Battle"" - Workers get mad.  Workers get tired.  Workers get mad.  Workers get tired.  Workers get mad.  Workers get tired.

The rest of the book mostly concerns Jim and Mac talking - and talking - and talking - and talking.  And while their philosophical chats are mildly interesting at first, they simply repeat themselves for the rest of the book.  Most of the action takes place in the dark or far away from the narration, and most of the story simply concerns the strikers bickering over petty nonsense...

...and eating.  Steinbeck must have been peckish while writing this story, because at least a good 25% of the story concerns finding, eating, and (worst of all) TALKING about food.  There is plenty of action that Steinbeck could have shown during the story, but for some reason he prefers to focus on Jim and Mac endlessly walking from tent to tent in their encampment, discussing whatever comes to mind.

Steinbeck's sense of intrigue and social injustice is worth reading the first few chapters.  But I advise any reader of ""In Dubious Battle"" to take this course - after the strike is initiated, simply set the book down.  You won't miss anything.  Nothing of great import happens, and only a very few memorable characters ever surface, and they are lost among the sea of forgettable faces.

I suppose now I'll give ""Grapes of Wrath"" a go.  Perhaps if it isn't one of his ""greats,"" it isn't worth reading
",0
"This book is a sure snooze-fest. Luckily for me I did not have to read the entire book for my undergrad art history photo class. We read selected chapters of the book.
They writing was horrible. Many parts were unclear. I had to reread what I read over and over. I can't stand this style of writing. Barthes attempts to come off as interesting and intelligent. Instead, he comes off as boring and pretentious.
Skip this book... try something else
",0
"I'm about halfway thru this and trying to decide whether or not to sell it to a used bookstore without finishing.  I kept thinking, maybe it's me, maybe there's something wrong with my attention span that I lose interest in these stories half way thru.  They all seem too long, unfocussed. What they really feel like is novels that have been brutally hacked down to the maximum allowable length for short stories.  The quality puzzles me because I'm almost always happily surprised by the quality and variety of short sf I read in the zines.  I haven't followed this anthology over the years, but this particular edition, imho, shows bad selection and worse editing
",0
"I purchased this commentary for an in-depth study that I was doing on Wednesday evenings.  I carefully checked a bunch of commentaries on Amazon, hoping to find the one that would help me with insights that I could share in the study.

Unfortunately, this volume hasn't lived up to my hopes.  I didn't need something that would offer the obvious points (I can do that myself).  I was hoping for something that would offer insights into some of the more difficult and confusing passages, including thoughts on how those passages apply to our lives today.  I've been disappointed.  I am now well into the study and rarely even check the book anymore as I'm gathering information.

I was between this one and the Carson commentary.  Obviously, I think I made the wrong decision.  (Not that there's anything theologically wrong in the text - it's just not what I was hoping for.
",0
"I was very disapointed in the book.Basicly the writer took bits and pieces from books written by others,twisted their words and put his own spin on it.It repeats itself over and over being so repetative I had to put it down.There are good books out there written by people who were there.I suggest you take a look at those.I read many good one's but this book wasnt in that catagory
",0
"This book serves the purpose of listing all available moves for the preset roster and shows all available storylines in the game.  That's about it.  No instruction on Create a Wrestler, or for that matter, create anything.  In fact, the previous two items I listed (moves and storylines) are pretty much the only content in this book.  I don't know; maybe I'm spoiled by Prima and the good job they do writing for PC games.  They just could have included a LOT more content, that's all.  You could have found any old FAQ in 30 seconds of search-engine poking
",0
"I wanted to like this book...  I enjoyed the first two in the series.  But this one left me a bit dry...  Babylon Rising: The Europa Conspiracy by Tim Lahaye and Bob Phillips.

This continues the story of Michael Murphy, a college professor teaching biblical archaeology.  He is now heading off to Iraq to follow a tip on the location of ""The Handwriting on the Wall"" from the days of Daniel.  He's falling in love with a colleague who is in the same area, and he fears for her safety as things start to get dicey in his life.  Talon and the mysterious Seven are trying to eliminate him, and there are a few attempts on his life.  Mixed into this story is a terrorist attack on New York designed to throw America into an economic and national panic, as well as to prompt the UN to move their headquarters to the ancient city of Babylon.  Murphy, for someone who's pretty much a small fish in the large ocean, finds himself in the middle of all this...

As I said, I really wanted to like this book.  The Murphy character is likeable, and I enjoyed the action.  But the plotline was spotty and over the top.  Murphy was using martial arts to take out everyone who attacked him (highly unlikely).  Everything the terrorists tried to do was thwarted just in the nick of time (over the top).  The story attempted to be both a Christian End Times novel and a terrorist suspense novel, and they didn't do either one especially well.  Murphy's growing infatuation with Isis was rather repetitive with the ""she's so beautiful"" and ""could she be interested in me"" interludes.  And finally, none of the plotlines wrapped up.  You got to the end and thought ""so?""  Fine if you're ready to read the next installment, but not good if you started here or you have to wait some months for the next one...

Part of me wants to be nice, give the book the benefit of the doubt, and rate it a ""3"".  But the authors are better than this, and I've come to expect more from someone who's been doing this for a long time...  If you're committed to the series, you'll want/have/need to read it, but just don't come in with your expectations very high..
",0
"American Pastoral was repetitious to the Nth degree. I read the Human Stain a few years ago, and it was good.  But, in Pastoral, the reader is put through a zillion permutations of possible dialogs between the Swede and a psychoanalyst, and between his daughter Merry and a psychoanalyst, but absent the psychoanalyst: Roth is our psychoanalyst. What he misses, however, is that we simply have to realize that interpersonal dynamics are sometimes beyond our control. The Swede never failed as a father; rather, he failed because he couldn't let go of his sense of responsibility for her
",0
"Another parasite feeding off the leavings of much more substantial species.  Or perhaps a more apt ocean-related metaphor would be comparing Malkin's ""work"" to that of the brainless bivalves that cluster around sewer outflows, or the mindless jellyfish who flow with the ocean currents.  But like the ocean, neo-cons' writings should be taken with more than a grain of salt.

By the way, the reviewer below who wants someone named McCracken reported to Amazon.  I'm sure you can take it.  Instead, why don't you campaign for a zero-star feature for reviews.  Or perhaps a fact-checking service for publishers of political vitriol like this work of fiction.  I sure hope no public money has been spent on stuff like this
",0
"The author keeps referring to the LDS church as a cult. By definition a cult is: A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
In Christ's day many would have considered his movement (Christianity) a cult by definition and now it's the largest religious form of worship in the world. So let Mormons do their thing. There's upwards of 12,000,000 of them now so I guess they're not a cult anymore
",0
"I thought this was the MOST boring book I've ever read! I hated it and about 1/3 of the way through I quit reading it
",0
"Ms Howard is usually a dependable author but she really let her readers down with this one.  It's OK to expect a reader to suspend disbelief every now & again but one would have to have a frontal lobotomy to buy what she is selling in this one.  So disappointing, especially after her wonderful & hilarious ""To Die For.""  The trees (for paper) that gave up their lives for this book die for nothing this time.  
",0
"Two of us read this book and we were both disappointed.  Characters are depressing and annoying.  The storyline is predictable.  We both loved John's two last books but fiction is not his forte.  I would not recommend this book to anyone
",0
"I have to admit the title and discription of this book was very alluring but it was merely a mask. I have had the book for two months and just cannot seem to get though it. Although the first few pages were very catching with the author immediately opening with a murder scene that is discribed with enormous detail; it just doesn't click for me. I f ind it very hard to read more than a paragraph at a time and the story seems to jump around everywhere causing confusion of both characters and storyline. Surely if you can get through the first few chapters it may become interesting but I just cannot do it my self
",0
"In the chapter about South Asia, the authors have written quite a lot about the ""Kashmir problem"" but not once have they mentioned the ethnic cleasing of 350,000 Kashmiri Hindus that took place in 1990. I just cannot believe that they don't know about this
",0
"This is not a good study guide for an employment law class.  Too basic and general.  This may be good for a business owner wanting basic info about hiring/firing etc, but they would definitely still need to seek the advice of an attorney
",0
"I bought this for a quick trip based on the good reviews and the fact that the new Fodor's isn't out yet. This has a lot of beautiful pictures and good background explanations, but isn't great if you actually want to see much beyond holy sites and ruins. the maps are not comprehensive enough (the one for modern jerusalem  didn't cover a third of the city, and the one for tel aviv was tiny), and there is not enough practical information about food, hotels, and getting from place to place. I was disappointed.
",0
"I found stale recounting of very well-known facts about 20th century technologies and their economics, with no insights.  Since it covers the gamut from plastics to jet engines to microprocessors, and it's only 200  pages in a fairly large typeface, I wasn't expecting historical depth.  But  I was expecting at least one fresh idea.  I bought it on the strength of a  much earlier book by Nathan Rosenberg (about technology in the economy of  the 19th century).  I was disappointed.  I get the feeling the book is  intended as a brief survey for people who just came down in the last shower  -- college freshmen born in the 1980s.  I'll bet they find it kinda stodgy
",0
"This story is very dark, full of menace and dark thoughts. Not great for kids. OK for adults if that's what you like. A hard story, not much gentleness in it except for a couple of moments
",0
"Gary Zukav states in his introduction ""I had never studied physics. In fact I didn't like science and I had no mathematical aptitude.

On Opra (TV) he admitted that he does not have a TV which may explain his lack of contemporary physics let alone any depth.

I noticed that some reviewers refer to the ""New Physics"" is that like ""New Age"" or voodoo physics? 

90% of the matter must be missing from this book. Or else how can he take physics out of context and make such fantastic leaps to religions parallels that he knows little of. He even twists the religion around to serve some unknown purpose. 

Many people say they did not understand physics until this book; Surprises, you still do not. You now know what Zukav wished physics was. Take anti-mater for instants that does not mean the opposite of mater. And the relationship between particles has no correlation with the relationship of dogs and cats.

At least get it straight before mixing it up. Try reading some of these:
""The Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski"". The book available everywhere the DVD's available from the UK.

""The Upanishads"" by Eknath Easwaran (Editor), Michael N. Nagler (Photographer)

Or just about any mainstream material on physics and religion.

Then if you still want to mix worlds into one read someone saner:
""The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism"" by Fritjof Capra.

Also on the fringe but not as radical as Zukav is a series called ""What the Bleep."" (both in books and on video)
",0
"ive read many endtimes outlines. tcp isnt any good. go to fortbethel.com under books for much better guides. tcp put me to sleep
",0
"Do not buy this book.  This author belives that he can cure Dyslexia with his mind's eye.  You can not cure dyslexia you just have to learn a different way from the norm with the right tools such as an Orton-Gillingham based program.  I bought this book by mistake not looking carefully at the author.     
",0
"More Than Human is one of those books that has garnered high praise from the science fiction community because of its strong prose and original ideas.

The writing is often compared to that of Faulkner but I wouldn't make that connection having read a few of Faulkner's works.  Sturgeon uses many of Faulkner's narrative trademarks (i.e. streaming conscious, first person perspective of low IQ individuals, disorienting changes in first person narrative) but I didn't feel the net effect really compared to say something like As I Lay Dying.

I love science fiction books and the readers in general love the genre which is why they want it to be taken seriously.  This results in undue adulation and comparisons to mainstream books.  More Than Human is slow, dated and not what I would describe as genre transcending nor would I recommend it to others.  So the idea might of been original in the 50's but topics like telekenesis, ESP, computer-brain babies, and self produced morality and ethos have all been tackled more successfully in other science fiction classics before (Asimov) and since.  This book rarely set off that wow! button in my head or kept me turning pages.  This book simply did not have enough meat in it to make it anything more than mediocre at best.

In 1953 there were 5 Hugo Award nominees for best science fiction book (Determined in a retro hugo award ballot in 2004)  The Retro Hugo awards are fascinating because the voting (in this example) takes place 50 years later so the impact of the book on society can't really be ignored.  Besides More Than Human, the far superior The Caves Of Steel, Childhood's End, and Farenheit 451 were among the other entries in a banner year for classic sci-fi.  Needless to say, More Than Human did not win (Farenheit 451 did and rightfully so)

Bottom Line:  I wanted to like this book and it doesn't surprise me that others give it such high praise.  These are probably people that don't read other genres enjoy congratulatory wankfests
",0
"I have loved many of Jodi Picoult's other books, but this one seemed too far-fetched. I did not feel the evil depicted in the comic book drawings was necesary to the storyline and in-fact detracted from it.  Many of my friends who are Jodi fans were also disappointed in this newest release
",0
"Our hero,amoral in his love life, refusing to kick his unfaithful ex-wife to the curb, and making mystery solving boring, why continue? Parker can write like no one else, but his recent plots suggest the well may be dry
",0
"I admittedly have not completed the full book, as it is thick.  However I do find that the narrative focuses on the reactive rather than the proactive tools needed for DFSS.  For example almost all the examples given in section 2 talk about an existing system or process and there doesn't seem to be any design examples and how the stats are used to solve the design problems.  I therefore think the book is more about Six Sigma than DFSS.

Barry
",0
"In the commencement Mr. Utterson and his cousin Mr. Richard Enfield were walking throughout London. The men go by a mysterious cellar door, and then Mr. Enfield talked about a story that ensue here previously. Also later in the book Utterson work to help Dr. Jekyll from being brung into the ghastly tribulations of Mr. Hydes. One year later, Edward Hyde viciously murders Sir Danvers Carew by thrashing him to death with a cane. 
I did not like this book because it was a high level booklover so I could not concentrate. I'd propose this book for high scholar for that reason, and if you're a person who reads allot. The genre was good because it was sci-fi and it seems sci-fi is a little more addicting. The author is a pretty well known writer his name is Robert Louis Stevenson.
",0
"I try to read items that I would not necessarily agree with. However, this piece of doggerel is nothing but exagerrations, misquotes, and spin. She uses tacky research to make points that don't exist, then brushes off any critique as ""liberal bias"". If you are a conservative, please read something that will allow us to discuss matters. Coulters' book should be titled ""Slander: Liberal Lies I Made Up.
",0
"With someone like this teaching you a failing grade is the likely outcome.  Why Dunn feels it neccessary to quote from one of Shakespeare's most ridiculus plays and behave as if he is possessed is beyond me.  It's not funny or necessary and the problem is that the book is full of it - literally.
If you are looking to learn the solid fundementals of chemistry you should pass this one by and go with something like Wiley's, Chemistry - Concepts and Problems in which you begin learning immediately in a simple, straightforward manner.
For anyone to suggest that a book like this should be part of any school's curriculum is just absurd
",0
"I am an avid fan of true crime books and this is by FAR the most one-sided book I've ever read.  It wasn't about the crimes, it was about this author's personal feelings and dislike of Aileen Wuornos.  He has a real problem with women, lesbians in particular.  He made Ms. Wuornos out to be someone she wasn't.  She had a hard life, yes and chose to committ crimes, but that wasn't what this book was about.  Again, it wasn't worth the $.  I actually threw my copy of this away
",0
"This book started well, but fell flat in the middle. What little conflict there was in the beginning was resolved halfway through. Even the shooting incident couldn't manage to hold my interest because it was resolved so quickly.

Well, I didn't bother to finish it--I have limited time for reading, and I don't like to waste it.

",0
"I picked up this volume because its title suggested that it would encourage hands-on science activities     that are essential to good teaching and effective learning. Unfortunately, I discovered on reading it that     the author combines a deep antagonism for the scientific ""establishment"" with credulity for numerous     fringe ideas. The first experiment that he suggests tests the hypothesis that your pet uses psychic powers     to tell when you'll be home for dinner! Sheldrake frequently presents anecdotes as ""evidence"". The ""do     it yourself"" promise of the title is broken for the reader who doesn't intend to begin raising homing     pidgeons or doesn't happen to work in a laboratory capable of measuring the physical constants (such     as the speed of light) to nine significant figures. Far too few cautions about the pitfalls of psychic     research are given (in chapters about the feeling of being stared at, or ""feeling"" the touch of a severed     limb). Despite the nearly fatal flaws of the book, I liked a part of its message, that important science     can still be done by amateurs. That's about the only aspect of this book that is commendable
",0
"If we are to draw equivalent lessons from both the Prague Spring and street protests in the U.S., as Kurlansky attempts in this book, the connection should depend on more than that they simply occured in the same year.  The reader is owed specifics, yet is rewarded with little more than vague platitudes.  Prague was a protest against a government which not only lacked representation and dissent, but prohibited it.  Chicago et al were protests against decisions made by a representative government, however flawed, resulting from open debate.  A bigger difference could hardly be imagined.  But Kurlansky does see striking differences, albeit only in the post-1968 world.  The Soviet bloc began it's decent to oblivion, while the capitalist West avoided the same.  His disappointment in the latter is not hard to glean, though what manner of ""revolution"" he envisions is never rendered to specifics, likely for good reason.  But who needs details when false equivalencies and empty platitudes will do
",0
"I found the book had some ideas that helped, but it was unrealistic in many ways.  I am spiritual, but I didn't appreciate the religious opinion it gave
",0
"The plot is good but there are about 200 pages too many.  Why a full chapter to tell us what the protagonists are thinking about the attach case, when we already know it was not in the car and we could tell them where it is? We know where the precious document is : another useless quest. People are murdered by the half dozen, the characters are outrageous, most of the time improbable, and I felt the semi-erotic swimming episode totally stupid, not to mention the girl apologizing constantly about it.
I have read much better books than that. Sorry..
",0
"The author tries to bring both the biography of Walsingham and a discussion of the birth of espionage together in the same book and succeeds at neither. It is a fine read if you would like a general overview of the time,  but, after reading the title and reviews, I was hoping for a detailed biography of Walsingham  or much detail on how he created the group of people who became his information gatherers.  Instead, it is a general overview of Walsingham's life with references to the work that he did. There are some interesting facts that the author brings forward that the reader might not find elsewhere , but the majority of the reading is rehashed from biographies of Elizabeth I. If you want details and a better understanding of Walsingham the man, and his life work and actions, you will need to look elsewhere
",0
"Reading through John Irving's ""The Cider House Rules,"" I found myself continuing to read mostly out of a desire to have the book over and done with and only partly out of a sense of curiosity. In obtaining a bachelor's degree in English, I had to read a lot of books. Among them were many books that I did not like, but never before had I read a book that was so completely devoid of subtlety. 

Every single scene in the book feels as though it was specifically designed and manufactured by the author to move the plot along. People become pregnant, have abortions, and die with such terrible regularity that you can foresee it dozens of pages before it happens. This goes way beyond mere foreshadowing. The book doesn't flow naturally, you can virtually see the author hiding in the shadows, playing the puppet master. There are just so many coincidences, so many old friends just happening to run into eachother, so many people becoming pregnant just at the exact time to make the story progress perfectly, all of the characters vaguely, distantly connected to eachother. I don't want to spoil the plot, but suffice it to say that the plotline involving the Eames (rhymes with screams) family is just too much coincidence to bear. It's as though the author is God, and the characters completely lack free will.

And then there's the ""protagonist,"" Homer Wells. I put protagonist in quotations because despite being the center of the story, Homer Wells barely does anything in the story. He barely even speaks during the story. He is virtually a non-character, devoid of personality or will, around whom the other characters and events of the book revolve. The scenes that do not involve Homer Wells at all, and they make up the majority of the book, are without fail the most interesting scenes. I think that the real protagonist of the book is Dr. Larch, but even Melony seems more real than Homer does. 

The story is very long and rambling. Subplots are begun and then abandoned and only mentioned in passing much later on. Minor characters keep popping into the story, then disappearing, only to pop back into the story exactly when they're needed. Conflicts are either quickly and conveniently resolved or simply ignored and forgotten (like the situation with Debra Pettigrew). 

After such a rambling, at times rather boring plot, the ending feels rather rushed. It is as though the author realized that he suddenly had to resolve everything, tie up every loose end, in the last 25 pages (and tying up loose ends, in this case, means a lot of people conveniently dying). To spoil the plot just a little, Homer Wells, who has throughout the book been opposed to abortion because he feels that a fetus has a soul, suddenly and inexplicably and completely reverses on this opinion. I personally am pro-choice as well, but I found that Homer's sudden reversal was completely contrary to his character and caused the ending of the book to collapse into a bunch of nonsensical happily-ever-afters
",0
"The chocolate war

The chocolate war was one of the best books I have ever read...NOT! The chocolate war portrayed a very inappropriate scene. The boy jerry was supposed to sell chocolates but refused, but the book sidetracks and talks about naughty things and also swears a lot. I would not recommend this book because it seemed inappropriate. I don't think that this book should be available to children at a middle school level. This story might be better if the bad words and other bad things war taken out. I think that the story line seems great when jerry denies selling the chocolates because of Archie. Archie is a suspicious character that knows every one. I wish this book was more school appropriate, but it isn't and was a horrid book. Therefore, this book would be great if the author published a book with the Sam story but more school appropriate situations and words
",0
"Poorly written and not edited. It will confuse you more that help you
",0
"I wasn't pleased with this book. I've read all of Ms. Warren's E-Books and I have to say they have a lot more fire. She lost a lot in this book.  Somewhere around the middle of the book, I started thinking ""Did I actually buy a book this bad."" 
Because I enjoyed her e books so much I didn't stop to think before purchasing it. I was so happy to have her book, I immediately called a friend who also drove to the book store to purchase the book.  Boy, Did I get it from her the next day. 
Because we don't believe in throwing money away, We're still stuggling to finish the book. Hopefully, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
",0
"I certainly agree that Portis is a talented writer, but I just didn't find him all that funny.  Perhaps I'm missing something, but I thought that the characters were strange enough, not amusing, just strange.  I was frustrated by the characters and the world that they inhabited.  I forced myself to finish the book and I was rewarded by the one funny line in the whole book, which comes at the very end of the novel
",0
"John Updike's literary criticism is perceptive and sparely written - every one of his non-fiction collections is worth reading.  But his novels have, from the very first, been precious, over-written and stifling in their desperate need for approbation.  When he writes fiction, he's like a dog doing tricks for reward.

And certainly, the rewards have come.  But for readers outside the US at least, it's all a little mystifying.  John Cheever was a far better writer, yet his work seems somehow to be regarded by Americans as the lesser canon.  Time will correct this mistake, no doubt, but in the meantime Updike pours out ever more cloying and over-heated work like this.

If I still have your attention, let me recommend the 'Collected Stories' of John Cheever.  Updike could only dream of writing prose like that. 
",0
"What to say about Belarus? Well, we spent the day the White Russkis commemmorate the end of WWII there, so I've seen it in all of its ""grandeur"". Not much to recommend it, go and see Belarus if you missed out on the post WWII East European dictatorships, because Belarus is the last of its kind. A genuine personality cult around the president runs politics, and you can get a feel for what it was like in 1970's E. Europe. Guess what- you will not like it. Take some pics of Minsk & move on to Moscow. And if you can find a decent hotel in Minsk, you've done better than my wife and I did. 
",0
"I liked this book for its analysis of political phenomena. However, I found it weak on issues facing companies today in China or that the new business economy has created:  There was little or no discussion of the institutional problems facing China in its transition.  The journalistic background of the author also peeked through and some sections were too breathless for me.  I disagree with the simplistic conclusion (among others) that water and pollution are the two major problems facing companies operating in China
",0
"If you have had any exposure to good literature, you will find this novel nearly insufferable. The symbolism is cliche, narrative style predictable and unoriginal, and the book as a whole is this woman's self-indulgent notion that the story of her family makes a good read. If she had any creative ability, she could use her family history as a starting point, but she does very little to distinguish her writing as exciting and fresh. Dull, dry, predicatable, callow, and unfortuantly a requirement from a lit professor who has insulted my eight semesters as an English student
",0
"very disappointing, as well as boring!!
generalities, of little help.
have seen simple, cheap books with better ideas and tips.
the writer might be a grandmaster , but this will not help other
creatures.
""forget"" about this book
",0
"Sometimes a reader knows more about a narrow subject than the author. When the author is in error about that subject, the reader may question the accuracy of the descriptions in the rest of the book. Such is the case here.

I've written 123 books; several on parachutes and skydiving. I am a pilot, skydiver and parachute rigger; I know the sport and the industry. 

The author wrote:

""We use flat chutes as parasails."" 
What is ""flat""? Square? Rectangular? Ram-air?
A ""parasail"" is a kite and is usually under tow behind a boat. This sentence does not make any sense.

""Four miles up, he pulled"". That would be 21,120 feet. 
The use of oxygen is not mentioned.

""Ferocious, out of control spiral. One of the cells collapsed."" 
The collapse of a single cell will not cause a fast turn and the cell is easily re-inflated.

""Corkscrewing caused the other cells to collapse."" 
Not likely.

""Guide lines""
An uncommon reference. They are referred to as control lines or toggles. 

He jettisoned the main canopy at 15,000 feet. He freefell ten seconds and opened his reserve at 12,700 feet. The rest of the team on this HAHO jump would still be at 18,000 feet. 
""Five minutes later."" He would be at about 8,000 feet.
""He estimated he had about 15 minutes of glide remaining.""
More like eight minutes.

 ""He was so relaxed, he was startled to hear canopies fluttering all around him and the sound of men splashing down just under him.""
How did they all beat him to the landing area? They were 5,000 feet above him. 

Fiction writers have a responsibility to make their descriptions accurate.
When a reader finds obvious discrepancies in one area, it makes him or her wonder if the rest of the book is accurate.

And, the writing is not creative.



Dan Poynter
The Parachute Manual & The Skydiver's Handbook. 
DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com. 
",0
"This book refers to philosophical basis of Buddhist practices as well as technical clasification of the states to be reached into meditative absortion. It is not a manual nor a guide. No Meditation techniques nor yoga excersises can be found on the book. the style is simbolic and poetical. it is an interesting book but the name does not reflect the content. It will be interesting for people more inclined to scholarly work
",0
"18 Jun 2005

As the book progressed, it got more and more egoistic, to the point where it becomes a turn-off towards the end of the book. I am surprised that there was so little mentioned of Hakeem. Shaq's attitude seems to be that since he can score, he does not respect centers who can't score. Whereas he respect Bill Russell. But he does give Kobe his fair share of spotlight. The other book I read was an unabashed hype of Shaq, so this is a big improvement.
",0
"I wouold only skim this book if you want a general idea about business marketing, but do not expect in depth detail about how to truly market your business
",0
"Murky: 

In his book, 1984, Orwell described a contrived language he called ""newspeak"", designed to render politically incorrect ideas inexpressible. But before Orwell there were Russell and Whitehead, who contrived a symbolic logic that distorts ideas they deemed philosophically incorrect by combining logical quantification with expression of existence. As Whitehead wrote in his ""Foreword"" to Quine's Ph.D. dissertation titled A System of Logic: logic shapes metaphysical thought. 

Thus in his ""On Universals"" Quine argued that in the Russellian logic realism must be expressed by quantifying over predicates so they reference universals as ""entities"". And he co-authored with Goodman ""Steps toward a Constructive Nominalism"", a nominalist manifesto, in which all philosophers are classified as either nominalists or ""platonists"" depending on whether or not predicates are quantified so they reference entities. I believe that anyone who says that universals are ""referenced"" or who uses the phrase ""abstract entities"" fully deserves to be labeled a Platonist. 

But Loux uses the rhetoric from the Russellian nominalist newspeak. In the ""search inside this book"" screens at this Amazon web site the reader will find him reporting (p. 20) that realists say universals are shared ""entities"" and are ""referents"" of predicates. 

I ask Loux: What happened to signification? The symbolic logician Alonzo Church recognized sense (i.e. signification) as well as denotation (i.e. reference) in the functional (i.e. predicate) calculus. I ask Loux: What happened to supposition, which distinguishes reference from signification? In his book titled Meaning and Necessity Rudolf Carnap explicitly affirms that intensions (i.e. significations) may be said to be objective without invoking any hypostatization (i.e. reference), and are indifferent to either concrete or abstract objects. I ask Loux: Since the demise of logical positivism does the Russellian predicate calculus have any applications in philosophy or anywhere else? Is Loux trying to appear contemporary with the Russellian rhetoric? I see murky writing. 

Muddled: 

Loux is sympathetic to Aristotle and unsympathetic to Quine, the pragmatic realist, who rejects first philosophies with their prejudicial ontological criteria for scientific criticism, and who affirms ontological relativity in which ontological commitment is subordinated to empirical testing. 

Ontological relativity started as an analogy: Quine relativized ontology as Einstein relativized time. Einstein posited relativistic time as real time instead of Newton's absolute time, and he rejected Lorentz's making relativistic time apparent time. Likewise Heisenberg invoked this Einstein precedent for his own realistic Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory's positing of duality and indeterminacy. Today physicists describe reality in terms of superposition, nonlocality and Calabi-Yau spaces in eleven dimensions. Quine generalized beyond physics to our global web of beliefs. 

Realism is a natural, primordial, irrepressible prejudice motivated by disappointments in our beliefs including falsifications of our scientific theories. On the other hand ontology is anything but natural or primordial. It is an elaborately complex linguistic artifact that evolves and that has a cultural history. It is reality as cognitively captured by the artifactual semantics of language expressing our accepted general beliefs including our tested and currently nonfalsified scientific theories. 

But in Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic and in this book Loux rejects ontological relativity, and he calls philosophies using ontological relativity ""anti-Realism"". In fact ontological relativity and relativized semantics do not oppose realism, but rather they enable it in this age of scientific change. I do not find this book contemporary. Loux's ""Realism - anti-Realism"" locution is a false dichotomy. I see muddled thinking. 

Marginalized: 

While a student I found Notre Dame's philosophy faculty unsympathetic to contemporary pragmatism and its scientific realism. When I left their graduate school of philosophy I took with me the opinion that their academic culture is a marginalized backwater preferring to protect the past rather than forge the future with new thinking. I see in this book a textbook in Notre Dame metaphysics for Notre Dame philosophy students. 

Readers who are cognizant of the influence of modern science on philosophy - notably how quantum theory occasioned the emergence and ascendancy of contemporary pragmatism - are likely to be more critical of this book than other reviewers at this Amazon site. 

Thomas J. Hicke
",0
"This is J.A. Jance at her worst and the readers simpering narrations doesn't help
",0
"Unfortunately, for all the name brand that this book conveys, I think the cover seems to be the most intriguing part.  There are much better ways for book peddling and the fact that a firm such as McKinsey allowed their name on the title of a book for the sake of a few sales, boggles this readers mind.  The subject matter seems to be along the lines of the bull session with all bull and no session.  No actual quantitative analysis is used throughout the book, and if anything more than an encyclopedic definition is learned from this book, I would be astounded.  Save some money and go search online for some basic books on beginning valuation.  By the way, those giving 5 stars either can't read English very well or are shills for McKinsey
",0
"Having recently graduated with a BA in English, I am forever doomed to read such so-called ""truth texts"" with what could only be called an eye for detail; does the author site her sources?  Credentials?  Any sort of solid evidence as to why I, as her reader, should believe a word of what she says?
The answer is, simply, no.
Ms. Cumbey quotes other texts by other zealotous fundamentalists, to be sure.  However, the credentials of these people remain a mystery.  Anyone can write a book, and anyone with enough money can get it published.  Had I the funds, I could write a ""revealing, riveting best seller"" on the nature of human genomes and cloning and my opinions of the matter; throw in a few quotes by people who may or may not sound like they know what they're talking about, and there you go.  The point is, my knowledge of such topics is sorely limited, as is Ms. Cumbey's research.  Yet somehow a book that would never earn a passing grade in a collegiate literature course for lack of research and depth of understanding is littering our shelves.  Well, I'm baffled
",0
"This is a good book, but most are under the impression that Einstein actually CREATED the content of the book.

Einstein actually compiled the physics theories of the latest German and Italian physicists and wrote it as his entire theory.

For instance, e=mc^2 was not created by Einstein, as so many people people. An Italian physicist came up with it. If you don't believe me check any encyclopedia.

Einstein suceeded in taking everyone's work and compiling it. This was helpful to the world of physics.

Unfortunately, this stuff is outdated, and Autodynamics has disproven many things that Einstein says in this book. When it came out it was already outdated. This was published in the 60s. Autodynamics disproved what is in this book in the 40s (45 I believe). If this was published in the 20s or even the 30s, it would have been a good book
",0
"""The number"" poses an interesting question but provides no helpful answers. A four percent draw on invested assets is as much an old wives' tale as a piece of scientific wisdom, even if it is a number. Eisenberg's number is the inverse of that draw down, or twenty-five times.... well, there's the rub, twenty-five times what? income? expenses? income less savings? projected discretionary spending? Post-mortgage payoff and college tuition expenses? The proverbial bottom line is clouded by conversations with an eclectic collection of consultants, experts, philosophers, and casual acquaintances. Eisenberg, a former Esquire editor and short-timer with Lands End, ruminates about a simple question: How much money do you need to feel secure? The problem is that security comes in multiple forms: happiness, comfort, excess consumption, ego. And the accuracy and stability of those measures and outcomes is compounded by key assumptions about how long you will live and how healthy those years will be. Constructing a one-year budget is hard enough. Constructing a thirty-year budget is nearly impossible.

Eisenberg doesn't help his case by the offbeat and idiosyncratic examples and profiles he chooses. Doctors, divorcees, `downshifters', and very little real data shed little light on the real issues. Maybe I knew too much going in. Maybe I expected too much from a few positive references from other sources. In the middle I was confused. By the end I was simply disappointed. And I have my own number, and it changes every day
",0
"I am an avid reader and could not make it through this book. His other books were so good. I could not have predicted what a disapointment this book would turn out to be. In applying some of the recommended techniques, my 11 year old daughter, Emily, thought I lost my mind. Thank goodness things are back to normal. We are both much healthier having now dispensed with the advice
",0
"Mr. Dennett's book demonstrates the ignorance, irrationality, and dishonesty  of humanists. Discussing the meaning of word materialsim, Professor Dennett says:

""In its scientific or philosophical sense, it refers to a theory that aspires to explain all the phenomena without recourse to anything immaterial--like a Cartesian soul, or ""ectoplasm""--or God. The standard negation of materialistic in the scientific sense is dualistic, which maintains that there are two entirely different kinds of substance, matter and ...whatever minds are supposedly made of."" (p. 302)

Philosophers stopped believing in dualism a thousand years ago with the development of metaphysics. A modern view is that man is an indefinability that becomes conscious of its own existence. 

The philosophy that God does not exist is not materialism, it is naturalism. Materialism is the view that all that exists is matter. Materialists frequently say that free will is an illusion and that the experience of the existence of oneself is some kind of epiphenomena. (In a quote below, you will see that Dennett puts free will in a list of things people belief in.)

It is not clear from the book whether Dennett is a materialist, but he is certainly a naturalist. Concerning the proof of God's existence, he trots out David Hume's ""Who made God?"" which is based on a misunderstanding of the principle of causality. I refer the reader to my personal website for my version of the proof.

Let's look at two quotes, the first is at the end of the chapter ""Belief in Belief"" and the other at the beginning of the chapter ""Morality and Religion"": 

""That is, isn't it true that, whether or not God exists, religious belief is at least as important as the belief in democracy, in the rule of law, in free will? The very widespread (but far from universal) opinion is that religion is the bulwark of morality and meaning."" (p. 245)

"" Without the divine carrot and stick, goes this reasoning, people would loll about aimlessly or indulge their basest desires, beak their promises, cheat on their spouses, neglect their duties, and so on.  There are two well-known problems with this reasoning: (1) it doesn't seem to be true, which is good news, since (2) is is such a demeaning view of human nature."" (p. 279)

In the first chapter, he mentions ""bulwark of morality"" and ""meaning."" But in the second chapter, he leaves out ""meaning.""  If our purpose in life is not to get to heaven, what is our purpose is life? 

Whether religion supports morality can be determined by observing whether there is a correlation of moral conduct with religious belief. Mr. Dennett makes such a correlation to the detriment of religion by citing the high divorce rate of fundamentalist Christians.

There are worse things than divorcing your spouse. Disingenuousness can be worse and can take the form of leaving unsaid what should have been said. Mr. Dennett should have explained why he did not discuss the idea that religion gives meaning to life.

The only miracle mentioned in Mr. Dennett's book is the Shroud of Turin, which has on it a mysterious image of a crucified man.  Since no one claims to know how the image got there, it can be called a miracle. However, Mr. Dennett does not tell us anything about it. The reader is left to find out about the famous relic by looking it up on the internet.
",0
"If you have this book, keep using it for the review only, but not for the tests. I suggest, use 15 Tests of Meylani for the practice
",0
"This is basically a commercial pitch for Dr. Murad's spas and products. Unless you are planning on buying his regime, he gives very, very scant information about how you could accomplish the program using other, less expensive products. 
Don't expect an easy how-to giving you day by day advice of supplements and skin care. It's not here. I decided to buy this based on other's good reviews. Now I'm thinking that they were written by employees. I was very disappointed
",0
"A great resource for first time and experienced importers who do not fully understand their responsibilites as an importer. 
",0
"This is another wierd book by Shirley MacLaine: it is neither interesting nor a helpful guide book for pilgrims. The book is just a long rambling new age rant, published because the auther is ""Shirley MacLaine"".  Too bad really. Don't waste your money on this one.
",0
"Unlike most of the other reviewers here, neither I nor my nine-year-old enjoyed this book. The premise is good, but the family-values morality is heavy-handed and the writing limps along
",0
"If you like this book you will probably like ""Bless the Child"" by Cathy Cash Spellman.  They are very similar.  This book can be summed up in one word, simple: simple-minded, simple characters, simple plot (applied loosely), and simple premise.  What a contrived piece of garbage!

I can't describe everything wrong with this book because there's not enough time.  If it's meant to be a mystery it sucks because you figure out who did it about halfway through.  If it's meant to empower women it sucks because the women are either victims, in denial, weak, worried about what everyone thinks, or oblivious.  If it's meant to promote animal adoptions it sucks because the author's plea for that is irritating.  That's how bad this book is! It can make an animal lover say that its plea for more animal adoptions was annoying.

This author has no style.  The book reads like an episode of inside edition.  There is no immersion into the story.  The total lack of character development leaves you with no compassion for them.  As a reader I felt completely outside the story; an uncaring observer of a poorly described scenario.  The attempts to tug at my heartstrings were laughable.  I've been more moved by the appearance of colorful weeds on my lawn.  The only reason I read the whole thing was that my neighbor recommended it and loaned it to me.  Do not waste your time.  

I must say though that this novel was inspirational.  If this crap can make the best seller list, it gives me hope that my original fiction might get published
",0
"I couldn't read the whole thing in order to know for sure. It was dry. I didn't get the imagery - I know it's supposed to be a classic, and I really wanted to read the book, I did - but it was long and boring and I just don't get why it's so ""classicly popular"". Sorry, but it's how I feel. Now, that being said, I read a condensed version of it, and I discovered the story was a little bit interesting - but that's as far as I can go, even with the condensed version - it was only ""a little bit"" interesting
",0
"Surely there's more to chinese youth culture than descriptions of affairs with tall western men. Being a fan of Pearl Buck's books on China, I was looking for more contemporary accounts of chinese culture. But this book was so dissapointing.A ""goodlooking"" shangaiese woman gives vacuous details of her affair with a tall german man. While her doped impotent chinese boyfriend simple wastes away (why was he even in the story?)

The writing is totaly lacking in any kind of talent. ""I was willing to assume her glow was due to her romance than her shiseido face cream ..."". Need I say more?

If you want to read an account of a totally self absorbed woman infatuted with caucasian men, indulging in meaningless affairs, which probably boosts her self esteem, read this. But there's nothing worthy about China or chinese culture in this.

",0
"This book is out of rint for one reason, it is terrible.  I am no lover of big companies but the author is so biased in this book it is hard to believe anything she says.  She blames P&G for the destruction of the  environment, mistreating employees, the role of women in society and  racism.  P&G has done many things wrong, most big companies have, but  it is not the cause of the fall of Western society
",0
"There are plenty of math manipulatives besides a brand-name chocolate for children to use to have fun solving math problems.  How about carrot or celery sticks that they can dip in nutritious yougurt? M & Ms have their own math book too.  Why hook children on this commercialism when there are so many healthy alternatives
",0
"Sorry. I hate to pile on, but I must agree with Lit Teacher on this one. The thinking was sloppy and contradictory, and the writing was wooden, stiff, irritating. I bought it a few months back and hid it in a drawer until I could get around to it. I pulled it out today with a smile and high hopes.  

Boy was I disappointed. I thought maybe I was having a bad day. Maybe my concentration was off. So I pulled out Truman Capote. Smooth as silk. So it wasn't my fault. It was Ron's. I finally decided to scan the book, and that revealed there was really nothing new here, nothing interesting. 

I wish I had not wasted the money. I must be more careful. But, as for this book, there is nothing I need to refer to later, so I'm putting it in the trash. It is Saturday evening. They will come on Monday to take it and the other garbage away. 

Roger
",0
"After reading the book I had no real clue how to build a boat which was why I bought the book in the first place. I think it would make sense to maby not call a book complete hand book of wooden boats when it is not  complete. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK
",0
"Phil Jackson groupie and sometime ESPN.com writer Charley Rosen turns in a fun, but sometimes off-putting fictionalized account of minor league basketball life.  He develops the characters well and puts forth a decent plot.  However, Rosen's personal oddities drag the book down.  Rosen is absolutely obsessed with bodily functions and he repeatedly goes into way too much detail about farting, urination, defacation, etc.  At times, the book reads like an immature third grader's delight.  My roommates and I all read it and the general consensus was that the book was enjoyable, but Charley Rosen is a really weird guy
",0
"I purchased this book as a read aloud for my two oldest children.  I liked the story but the chapters were way too long.  My children kept asking, ""how many more pages?""
",0
"This book was very helpul in learning about how to handle my dog
",0
"I was not impressed with this book.  It's worth reading only because there are so few Ruby on Rails books.  There is too much basic Ruby and not enough Rails in this book.  I much prefered the Agile Web Dev with Rails
",0
"I thought the title was interesting so I bought this book.  Wow, what a disappointment.  This is sappy and poorly written.  How does Mitch Albom keep  getting on the best sellers list
",0
"I picked up this book expecting a fresh approach and analysis of Dr. King apart from the obligatory images we're force-fed each new year.  Instead, I was disappointed to find that Eric Dyson made heavy use of speculation with the intent to scandalize more than to inform and enlighten.  One such example includes Dyson conveying the idea that Dr. King may have engaged in orgies with many different women along with his right-hand man Ralph Abernathy.  He then goes on to infer that there was talk of King and Abernathy engaging in sexual acts with each other!  The author had no commentary to either support or dispel this ""theory"" making Dyson's retelling of the alleged incident totally irresponsible and even libelous.  He just dropped the information, true or untrue, in the readers lap to do with as the reader pleased.  To that end, it is my opinion that Dyson's intent in writing this book was in no way honorable or truth-seeking, rather it was a means to convey his baseless ideas to anyone who would listen.  I'm reminded of something my grandmother and mother would always say to me, ""an empty wagon makes the loudest noise."" Eric Dyson makes a lot of noise in this book but totally lacks substance.  This was an expensive tabloid
",0
"I have yet to read a true Grisham thriller, but I plan to in the near future.  Having said that, I have no idea how this compares, but I didn't really care for it.  It's cute and has a sort of slapstick humor that I couldn't get into.  I felt like I was reading a teen or children's book, and I don't like feeling so patronized when I read unless I knowingly pick up a picture book ready for the simplicity of a good message--even then, I don't usually feel patronized or ""written down to"".  It's simple writing and a simple plot.  It's lighthearted and thus a light read.  I imagine many people would enjoy it; I just couldn't get into it.  :o
",0
"i have read 208 pages and i am bored with this book. i don't think i can finish it
",0
"You get a view into 60's white america. The only people of color in this book are a policeman, and a caricature. I don't have a problem with other Seuss books where they are set in fantasy land and the whole world is make believe. This is set in everyday life, and I think its best left on the bookshelf, it has nothing to offer my child who has and who lives in a world where folks have brown eyes and black hair, not to mention various shades of skin colour. The rhyming is also not entertaining enough to enjoy and makeup for this one-dimensional ""white"" depiction of the world
",0
"This book started off very good, but as I read on the reading became ardious.  I found it hard work to finish this book.  I don't know why I had such a hard time enjoying the book while all the other reviewser thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, but I would read another shark book, such as Shark Trouble or Close to Shore rather than waste my time on this book
",0
"Written in cartoon format, I thought this book would be a lighter approach to a straight, dry, biography of scientists.  However, it is written more like a series of political cartoons than cartoons for kids.  The cartoons are barely understandable if the biography of the scientist is not already known, so using it as an initial reading is impossible.  Further, some content is offensive.  On the second page of cartoons, a scientist is walking along a bridge, thinking, when someone mistakenly believes he is getting ready to jump, saying, ""No woman is worth committing suicide over.""  The pictures show a scantily-clad woman (with bare bottom in one frame) that he is now picturing in his mind.  Irrelevant and inappropriate!  Plus, I didn't have to go far to find swear words in the captions.  Yikes!  My kids will never see this book!  It is not even appropriate for high-school age kids.  (In fact, it isn't even funny to adults!
",0
"I purchased this book at Walmart, which rarely carries books regarding Shambala or any other Eastern ideology. It was cheap and on the clearance rack. I should have know better.

When I realized this was part three in a series I decided to read the first two books, The Celestine Prophecy and The Tenth Insight in order to be able to better appreciate the third one. After borrowing and reading the first two, I realized what a sham this series truly is. 

First, I realize they are supposed to be fictional. However, when a work of fiction attempts to use historical background for its premise, the author should first do his homework and make sure the historical facts are completely accurate. 

Additionally, when usurping a mythical name such as Shambala, one should know what the actual mythology entails, instead of making up one's own notion of what is involed.  Shambala is NOT the same as Shangri-la. Shangri-la was a fictional community in a book written in early 20th century Western culture. Shambala is an ancient Eastern mythical kingdom that is in no way similar to the fictional place in Redfield's imagination.

Also, beware of writers who combine religions and mythologies. As Joseph Campbell said many times in his lectures and books, they all contain the truth as seen by different cultures, but they must never be mixed together. It just doesn't work
",0
"When I realized early on the time I would waste on this assemblage of leftover quips packaged around a absurd concept, I resolved that I would alert other readers. 

Generally I enjoy this author's works and anticipated this latest tome. I was surprised and dissappointed to find a lengthy novel which did nothing to disguise it's clues or probable developments. Everything was telegraphed and nothing was original. The conclusion was so lame that I was shocked that there was no effort to build suspense or intrigue.

My advice is to skip this one and wait for the reviews on his next
",0
"I'll be blunt.  I didn't care for this book.  I bought it thinking it would delve into the subject of the Gnostic Sophia.  Instead the author goes this way and that and hardly even mentions Her.  I really think the title was misleading.  As a sidenote, Lucifer is given a bad rap in this book and many concede that Lucifer plays an important part in later understandings of Gnosis
",0
"This is a great book for someone who is getting a new cat or has a cat but doesn't understand him/her.  
I was expecting some new information about a ""secret language"".  There was no mention of the latest research in feline behavior and the author describes training a cat like training a dog; so what's the ""secret""?
I agreed with almost everything in the book except the comment about cat owners who leave on a trip.  The author says that cats do not get lonely.  Well, that's wrong.  He also says that a cat will go to the home where the best food is served.  How does one explain cats who live with homeless street people?  
The title was deceiving
",0
"To cover all the problems with continuity, logic, theology, geography and plain common sense in _Left Behind_ would take a whole book.  One hardly knows where to start.

Perhaps it is too early to assess the damage that will be done to Christian religion by this trashy novel.  As such, it isn't even a decent trashy novel; instead of steamy sex scenes, we get sanctimonious sermonizing.  Worse than that, what the authors have done is to turn the powerful imagery of the Bible into a cheap comic book, ignoring its spiritual messages in favor of promoting a self-centered preoccupation with getting a ticket to heaven before it's too late.

The comic book aspect can not be overemphasized.  Even if you suspend disbelief enough to accept the rapture scenario (an idea with virtually no scriptural support), little in the characters' actions, thought processes or dialog rings true.  One gets the impression that the book was hastily thrown together by a junior high school student.  God ends up looking like the ultimate villain, demanding that you hurry up and get yourself and your friends on his side Or Else.

Whatever happened to the inspiring Christian writers of yesteryear?  Who is the present-day equivalent of C. S. Lewis, or Catherine Marshall, and why aren't they getting more attention?  These were writers who actually made you THINK.  LaHaye and Jenkins seem to believe that thinking is the last thing God wants us to be doing; they hardly miss a chance to put down anyone with any hint of intelligence or independent thought.  They show no interest in answering the sort of hard questions that surviving non-believers in such a world might ask.  One wonders if they have ever met a non-believer at all, or witnessed the aftermath of a disaster for that matter.

These days, it seems as if all the media attention is on the likes of Ann Coulter or Pat Robertson, whose mission seems to be to turn Christianity into a twisted, bigoted caricature of what it once was.  Perhaps all the great religious thinkers really have been raptured.  If _Left Behind_ is an example of the sort of writing that we can expect from Christian writers, then it is the church itself that is in danger of being left behind
",0
"Here's a real-review:

*The first 100 pages are about how her mother made her get a nose job that when wrong.
*The second 100 pages are about the Frankenstein movie.
*The last 90 pages are about every movie-star that's ever gotten cosmetic surgery.

And the whole thing is stitched together with an English teacher's weekend theory on how a mix of ""Simulations and Simulacra"" + ""The Ego and the Id"" explain why people get cosmetic surgery.  If you're someone who orders books online based on catchy titles, then do yourself a favor and skip this one.  How can a book on cosmetic surgery not even talk about the golden ratio?
",0
"This book is yet another attempt at degrading the white race.  There is nothing wrong with being white, just like there is nothing wrong with being black.  If you want to hear someones idea on whats wrong with being white instead of looking at the facts then you should read this book
",0
"If Excelsior College didn't require this for the CPNE, I would take it and throw it off the highest bridge I could find.  Horribly confusing, doesn't make sense, and I cannot fathom how this would help your clinical practice.  The only redeeming feature is that Excelsior does not let you write in this, so I will have a brand new copy of this for sale to some poor nursing student.  I don't mean to sound harsh, but this book isn't easy to use, it is confusing, and contradicts itself
",0
"I like Evanovich novels for a light read and a few laughs, and usually her hero and heroine are downright combustible - the Stephanie Plum and Joe Morelli relationship, sustained through 12 books so far, being a case in point. But Full Scoop was actually a trial to get through. I could hear another voice in there which was distracting and interrupted Evanovich's comedic rhythm. The whole tone of the writing was down about five notches from what I have come to expect from Evanovich. The silly villains were either being too goofy or too violent, leaving us wondering were we supposed to be amused or frightened? The least forgivable of the sins committed in Full Scoop was the fact that there was absolutely no chemistry between Maggie and Zack. None at all. So it's hard to label the book: a sort of but not really romance, an almost but not much of a woman-in-danger.... maybe a new genre altogether - the slapstick thriller
",0
"When I first picked up Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, I was excited to have the chance to read something that so many people seemed to enjoy.  And, truthfully, it's not a horrible book.  It is entertaining, the style works, etc.  On that note, if you're looking for a fun read and don't plan on thinking about it too much, then by all means, get it.  My problem with the book is that it doesn't deserve all the acclaim it's getting-- if you want something that breaks boundaries or adds a new voice to the current socio-political situation of America, this is not your book.

Probably one of the major problems with the collection is that it's heralded as a riveting commentary on the plight of the African American female. Packer has very little new to say, and most of the underlying themes of the stories have not only been said previously by Alice Walker and other writers, but have also have been said better by those authors.  Drinking Coffee Elsewhere is no more than a watered down version of You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down, a book that, while having its own problems, would probably be a better use of your time and money if you're really interested in the social commentary in the text.

Even from the literary standpoint, it's not terribly outstanding.  The characters are stereotypes; the plots are predictable.  The adult female protagonists are all essentially the same person-- an intelligent outsider who struggles with race, religion, and fitting in-- and are generally pretty ornery about it as they do so.  The other protagonists are the same, just not so irritable.  Similar to this lack of variation in her characters, Packer varies little in her narrative style.  Yes, the language is pretty at times, but there is no experimentation with language or structure; all of the writing is in a highly generic voice.  Finally, the stories themselves contain scenes that aren't necessary and that detract from the actual narrative.

In short, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere proves that what it takes to sell a lot of books isn't actual talent, but how much your publisher backs you.  Packer had the good fortune to have famous mentors and to be the product of some highly acclaimed writing programs, which resulted in her being picked up by a big name publisher who could pay to get her name out
",0
"Look, the fact is feminism is about CHOICE no more, no less. I have the highest respect for stay at home moms--it is the hardest darn job on Earth. But this woman is WAY off base to say that feminism sold us a lie. Feminism GAVE us a choice. It told us we did not HAVE to pretend to believe we were June Cleaver if that was not what was in our hearts and souls. 

Personally, I could not have children and ONLY feminists have not made me feel like an alien species. I work with troubled teens, my skills do not go to waste, I spoil my nieces and nephews--I am fulfilled and happy. My sister is a stay at home mom with three beautiful boys, she is fulfilled and happy,FEMINISM gave us those choices, ladies. 

We were not ""sold"" ANYTHING, we were given much by the women who burned their bras before us. IF you feel belittled by staying home with your children and doing the world's most important job, I think that is YOUR issue and not NOW's. Stop blaming feminism for YOUR insecurities, if you are feminist--stop blaming your mother for your insecurities--you have choices BECAUSE of FEMINISM not despite it!
",0
"I truly wanted to like this book.  After years of avoidance I had just finished Moby Dick and found it not only more readable than I'd feared but downright enjoyable.  In addition I'd heard nothing but good things about this novel whose premise certainly intrigued me, and like its predecessor it has one of the truly great opening lines in literature:  ""Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last.""  Alas, it was all down hill from there; overall this is one of the worst books I've ever forced myself to finish.

This came as quite a surprise because the author is no untalented hack.  Author of two other published novels and a short story collection, director of a university level creative writing program, long-term teacher of writing, and holder of a Ph.D. in same, all to considerable critical acclaim, she should be correcting and grading (failing) garbage like this not producing it.  So what went wrong?  How did this novel end up so awful?  The answer is brick by brick and piece by piece.  There is no one great thing wrong with it but rather a lot of little things.

LENGTH: If ""brevity is the soul of wit"", this novel's witlessness is easily explained.  At 666 pages (interesting number that) this novel is about three times as long as it should have been.  It would seem that, to some extent like Melville before her, Naslund confused Length with Importance, but Melville was a lot more skilled at padding than she is.  IMHO this desire to fill too many pages made many of the other problems worse by allowing Naslund both to go into unnecessary detail about things no one else cares about and to repeat herself to the point of self-parody.  Somewhere under the barnacle encrustations may be the finely lined hull of a short novel, but this was a manuscript desperately in need of editing... with a meat axe or a chainsaw.

THE NAME DROPPING: One of the pleasures of any historical novel is the encounters between fictional characters and historical figures, but if badly handled these encounters can un-suspend disbelief and downright offend.  They are badly handled here.  An almost uneducated hick from the backwoods of Kentucky encounters by chance a significant number of the thoughtful elites of mid-nineteenth century New England and those she doesn't utterly charm with her brilliance and erudition she gets the better of as in her unintentionally hilarious encounter with Naslund's peculiar imagining of Nathaniel Hawthorne.  One or two of these, developed at greater length could have added to the verisimilitude.  As it is, it is a Zelig or a Forrest Gump without the humor (or the self-awareness).

THE POLITICS: Even the most conservative readers would probably find the popular views of a majority of mid-nineteenth century New Englanders a bit disconcerting if espoused straight in a modern novel, so a certain amount of modernizing would be appropriate just to reduce the cringing.  However, Naslund takes this to the opposite extreme by having Una espouse the Politically Correct view on every single controversy of the day (and some that only exist in our significantly sillier day) from slavery to whaling, from feminism to free love, from homosexuality to sensitivity towards the differently abled, all without consequence or even criticism.  This latter is the most offputting because to have actually championed such views back then would have taken considerable courage whatever one thinks of the ideas themselves.  Una espouses them with all the negative consequences that Naslund receives for espousing them today, which is to say: none.

THE ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIGOTRY: There is nothing so very wrong with characters in a mid-nineteenth century novel exhibiting agnosticism or atheism as both views were gaining more and more credence at the time, but it is downright silly to suggest that such views would have been widely accepted.  It is even sillier to portray Christianity as something confined exclusively to the foolish, the bigoted, the future apostate, or the mentally ill.  It tells us more about the author than anything else that Una is openminded towards every religious and quasi-religious idea of the time EXCEPT Christianity.

THE FARFETCHED SCENARIOS: I sensed the novel was in trouble during the opening scene in which Una loses both her mother and her baby but manages to withstand this blow by making friends with a runaway slave with whom she has a quasi-lesbian encounter....  After this the novel goes into flashback and becomes unrealistic.  After her crazy Christian father threatens to kill her (a sentiment the reader will come to know and understand), Una is raised in a lighthouse by her ludicrously liberal-minded aunt and uncle, encounters two young men who both fall in love with her, disguises herself as a cabin boy and sails on the same whaler with them, successfully avoids detection, is sunk by a whale, survives by committing cannibalism, marries the surviving young man after he goes insane, and is abandoned by him after he goes to live with the Indians, leaving her free to ""marry"" Captain Ahab (Una never really ""marries"" anybody but of course nobody ever criticizes).  Things don't get more realistic in the second half, which includes Una's clever and successful investment in the crazy newfangled idea of obtaining oil from the ground instead of from a whale.  Riiiight.

THE MARY SUE: However, the absolute worst thing about this novel is the fact that it is a ""Mary Sue"" that peculiarity of fan fiction in which a laughably idealized and practically perfect in every way alter ego of the author fulfills some basic psychological need while inducing a combination of anger and nausea in the reader.  A more realistic main character might have saved it.  Una never learns anything from her life's too-many-to-be-believed experiences because she already knows everything.  She doesn't change because she is already perfect.  She doesn't have to deal with the criticism of others because she doesn't receive any, and she doesn't have to beg the forgiveness of those she has wronged because they forgive her so easily and besides, Una had her reasons (and they were very good ones you can be sure).

The only thing I can figure is that her publisher approved this book on concept alone WITHOUT anyone ever reading it.  I feel like I've just waded through the inept scribbling of a delusional teenage girl who insists on rereading Moby Dick in her bedroom... with the door locked.
",0
"I have yet to read this book, however, so far the ***** average rating is quite suspicious...  Each one of the three *****-reviewers, does not have a single other review in their profile.  I am at the stage where I am trying to learn as much as possible about spreads' trading, so I would greatly appreciate if someone who actually has real-life experience trading futures spreads and who has also read this book, to do everyone of the rest of us a favor, and post an honest review - please, we need a counterbalance to the nonsense posted by those who are most likely associated w/ the author or his publisher..
",0
"I found this book to be very disappointing. Ms Conant and her heroine were both suffering from memory loss with this book. Not up to her usual standard
",0
"I was very excited when I got my copy of this book. I am a big fan of medical thrillers. I started with Robin Cook and Michael Palmer and from then on I was hooked. Unfortunately for me, I selected the wrong book. It was very slow and he didn't pick up the pace until I was about 60 pages from the end. Then all hell broke loose. I have a feeling that Josh got a little help from people telling him to ""spice it up"". All in all, I was disappointed and still don't know what PERV means. Hope he does better on his second. I will give it a try but only the first 50 pages. If he hasn't hooked me by then, I'll give up
",0
"After reading the trilogy, I was left wondering what the hell happened? I have just read all 3 of the His Dark Materials trilogy and what was a strong start in book 1 and 2 is utterly demolished in this clunker.
   Pullman allowed his eagerness to bash religion to completely destroy an engaging story - one of the most creative stories I've come across in 20 years of reading fantasy. There isn't even a remote chance of a sequel to fix up this mess. If you look up `anticlimax' in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of this book. From first page to last, time is wasted on boring characters, while all the good ones are either killed off, or just MIA for the entire book. Spoilers ahead.
  What about Lyra and her parents? Somehow, she never knows what happened to them and after all she has been through is supposed to be content with going back to school like a good little girl? She never even confronts them to try and understand their motivations. And Will just goes back with Mary Malone to her apartment so they can figure out how to avoid the cops. Over a cup of tea, naturally. And that's it for him.
In addition to all that, this book doesn't even seem to be connected to the first two. None of the characters resonate they way they used to and instead of being good friends, Will and Lyra fall in love and have sex at the tender age of 11 or 12 . . .  all in the last 30 pages. What happened to the story, for cripes sake?!  And what happened to the `temptation'? Was choosing not to stay with Will her way of not succumbing to it? The whole premise is just so lame to start out with. As an earlier reviewer pointed out all the windows that were opened for centuries didn't endanger the universe, why not leave one open for 60 or 70 years to give Lyra and Will a chance to know each other. The flimsy reasoning behind this is just as contrived as their sudden and immediate love for one another. Supposedly, they had more than gonads going for them, they survived death together!
  Pullman didn't feel like thinking it through, he just wanted a gut wrenching ending. In addition to that, he wanted to mock the reader by taunting us with the `reality' of knowing that nothing they did in the trilogy has any hope or meaning. All of Will and Lyra's efforts are futile, kind of like - guess what? religion for the rest of us morons. 

After having the reader go through endless pages on the mulefa-elephant aliens or whatever, ultimately the characters the reader wants to know about disappear with barely a whimper. Iorek Byrnison, Lee Scoresby - instead we get page after page about Mary Malone the Disaffected former Nun. Pullman all but pants in his eagerness to give the finger to anyone of us who believes in Him or anything for that matter!
  This is NOT children's literature, it's a hate ridden manifesto that is more suitable for adults who at least have some way of maintaining some sort of perspective throughout this sloppy mess. It's totally dishonest to sell this as a children's book, or even as a competent work of fiction. All of the painstaking work of the first two books is undone with this one.
 
We never get closure on Lyra's parents.
We never really understand what Dust is and where it comes from.
We never see Will reunited with his mother.
We get a lame battle where `god' dies and no one even knows why or how.
Lyra and Will fall in love, but have to `sacrifice' it so that all the windows to other worlds can be shut forever, with only flimsy reasoning behind it.
The mulefa and Mary Malone's work together amounts to nothing, everyone just goes home. Presumably, Will goes home, although we never see it. All that yearning after his mother and so forth . . .nothing.
The major enemies are killed off too easily - and what about Armageddon? What happened to the Fortress and all the rebel angels and . . .you get the idea. It all just sort of disovles.
Mary forgot to be the Serpent, or else I missed that in one of the countless pages on the mulefa.

Another reader pointed out:
"" Phillip Pullman could have written a masterpiece with this series. Instead, the story falls flat under the weight of the author's own agendas and mockeries. What a waste of time. I can't believe this book actually won awards. It stopped being thought-provoking and started being inane and silly.""

 It would have been better if Lyra had just awakened one morning and it was all a dream. Instead, relearning how to read the alethiometer will somehow enable her to build the Kingdom of Heaven in the course of her lifetime. Absurd.
This was one of the most disappointing and infuriating reads of my life.
",0
"It took two people to write this book? I was pleased to see a chick lit book for the 40-something reader but this book really was a waste of my time. You can see the ending a mile away, for one, but that didn't really bother me. It was the writing. The main character suffers from a syndrome that's unfortunately common to chick-lit heroines, which is to speak in an overly quippy, aren't-I-clever with my snappy dialog way. Nearly every one of her sentences included a quip/joke (or a quippy thought in her head as she spoke). Real people just don't talk that way, and it makes it impossible to relate to or care about her. By the way, my copy had the first chapter of these authors' next book attached at the end, and they've basically created the same two main characters: the quippy single mom and her ridiculously glamorous best friend. I won't bother with it
",0
"bestseller
-Stupid plot
-horrible plot
-dumb characters

I have one conculsion Matthew reilly was trying to buy up all the copies of this book to save himself from embrassmen
",0
"I will not try to say that I asserted the painstaking, analytic effort that some would argue is necessary for an appreciation of Heidegger. More than that, I have no interest in doing so. It is largely agreed by the majority of his readers that this book deals with the question of being (existence), and my reading didn't lead me to any other conclusions. So as I said I have no interest in reading this a second time, further, deeper, or slower.

Being and Time is chock full of invented terminology, to the extent that Michael Inwood was able to profit from his publication of A Heidegger Dictionary. Whatever you might think the word ""world"" means, for instance, is not what Heidegger means, and he will explain that to you throughout the duration of an agonizing 40 pages or so. This is the case with his entire vocabulary. If there was any need for all of the inventions and distinctions made by Heidegger, I would not bring this up as a crticism.

Beyond the unventilated, severely sober, and utterly uninspiring character of Being in Time, I also call attention to the futility of it's project. If Heidegger was right about the historical neglect toward the question of being, perhaps more than 2000 years of historical peoples have been aware of something that eluded him: that there is no question of being. 

Why is ""the question of being"" so problematic? Because it is unanswerable, maybe. Or if it is answerable, we're not in any position to answer it. ""Being"" implies some kind of unvarying stability that just doesn't make sense. And if you posit an idea that is so concrete, so constant, you can't just bend it to make it fit reality. You've already betrayed your questioning. Truth, including the truth of being, is a local phenomenon. Truth is not always and forever true - it's true when it's true. But Heidegger wanted an everlasting truth, a dogmatic anthropology.

Worse than the general uselessness of his project, and the toxic dregs left in his wake, Heidegger is guilty of not even presenting his ideas in an intersting or thought-provoking way
",0
"I've been following the Alex Cross series from its beginning, and after reading Cat & Mouse, I'm wondering if Patterson has taken these characters as far as they can go... Given the fact that there are 7 or 8 more Cross books written subsequently to this one, I can only hope that the series gets better.

My complains are similar to those of other reviewers:

1. I'm getting sick of the perfection of Alex Cross.  The man's a saintly father, saintly grandson, saintly lover, saintly charity worker, and saintly detective.  These traits hooked the reader and made Cross an intriguing character, but he's fast becoming too one-dimensional.

2. The Cross/Sampson relationship.  As if we weren't sick enough of this already.  Every few chapters, we're reminded of the man-crush Cross and Sampson have on each other.  Sampson is so perfect in Cross's eyes that it becomes tiresome to hear about it every time Sampson enters a scene.

3. The Cross/Christine Johnson relationship moves WAY too fast.  One moment Christine is still mourning the loss of her husband (who was viciously murdered 6 months prior in Jack & Jill) and freaks out over an innocent dinner date, and the next she and Cross are madly in love.  No development whatsoever, no line from Point A to Point B.

4. I'm not sure Patterson could have written the dialogue between Cross and his children any more unrealistically.  Aren't these 7- and 9-year-old children?  He has more intelligent conversations with his kids than he does with Sampson or Kyle Craig.

5. The entire novel is a series of pseudo-climaxes which are ultimately resolved by plot twists that seemingly arrive from left field.  The Soneji resolution was anti-climactic at best, and the Mr. Smith conclusion was unfulfilling
",0
"This book doesn't make any sense. It is so, so, so b-o-r-i-n-g. The book is not well written, and the sentences are way too short. I woudn't recommand this book to anyone
",0
"Maybe it was me, but I kept wanting this book to work and it just never grabbed me and I had to put it down.  It was almost aggravating
",0