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I guess we'll never know...
I was excited to read "The Fourth Queen" because I thought the premise was interesting. It started off really good, with Helen's caputre by pirates and her subsequent entrance into the harem. However, as the story went on, the narrative started to wane. I was slightly disappointed by the lack of character development in some of the characters (excepting Helen and Microphilus). I wanted to know more about these women and how they came to be there and what happened to them after they were no longer any use to the Emperor. Also, a major disappointment was the way the author ended the novel. Did she just get tired of writing and decide to end it? That's what it felt like. I'm all for letting the reader imagine what happened, as long as there is something to lead to a conclusion. This ending just felt unfinished, I guess. Having read "In the Company of the Courtesan" before this book, I felt like this one was inferior. I mean, come on - how many dwarf-loves-courtesan novels do we really need? | 23 stars
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Think you're tough?
The Spartans had two kings so that one could lead the army into battle, die with them if need be, and not leave Sparta ungoverned. King Leonidas himself, then in his *60's!,* expected his and exhorted his allies' troops to strike their tents and sleep outside unprotected, no matter the weather, so that they could use the tent material as bandages, this BEFORE the battle is even joined.That this book is based on fact sure changed the way I look at the world, at least as I relate to it. I find that little things bother me a lot less lately. I may be tough, but not that tough. | 45 stars
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THIS BOOK IS A KEEPER!
I LOVED this book! It was well-researched, well-written, DIFFERENT, and so moving that I actually cried in places. Kudos to Christina Dodd for giving herself a tough assignment (a medieval heroine with a disability) and turning it into a story of romance, passion and tenderness. I have read other books by Ms. Dodd and enjoyed them, but this is BY FAR the best of them all. THANK YOU! | 45 stars
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Not What I Expected
This is a terrible edition. Looks to have been copied from a free online version. Chapters are not clearly marked and just run together. Also, no pictures. We were very unhappy with this book. It looks like this is different version of what the other reviews are based on. Buyer beware! | 01 star
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Fascinating. Impressive. Amazing!
Ranges further and is more accessible than Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe." A must read for anyone who is interested in the _very big questions_. | 45 stars
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Nice present, bad buy
Too fancy design and void of real contents. It tries to convince you that the power to get what you want in life relies solely in seeing it with your mind. It doesn't mention real, hard work at all - what is even worse, it laughs at the idea of the slightest work done in the direction of your dreams. It uses Quantum Mechanics theory to support its arguments in an irresponsible custom, as it applies them totally out of context. "Proofs" of the power of the Secret (capital letter, sic) are just the mention of very dubious facts in the life of persons who have their web site on the internet.This book has at the same time a good speech about modeling one's mind for a better view of the world. The Secret's best asset is a poetical view of the world, but reveals no secret at all, other than a healthy state of mind.Good for people who won't ever do (less want) manual labour, or engage in long projects with a high dose of frustration, or bosses with a solid social network of contacts to assign the heavy tasks to them. A bad buy for more down-to-earth people who know that in the attaining of any goal *some* kind of work is involved. | 12 stars
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Ignore the negative reviews - deeply moving love story!!
Oh my anyone that does not see this book as a beautiful love story well I just do not understand them. Someone described this couple as miserable and depressing. Truly I just did not see them that way at all. From the very first moment that Jared met Ava there was something between them, even if it was just a chemistry. You could feel it. Of course they both had their hidden reasons for marrying. Poor Jared had been jerked around so much his entire life by his cold father the Duke he was just trying to marry someone that he might actually be able to tolerate, rather than the cold pathetic woman that the Duke had selected. And Ava was just trying to have some say so in her future before her horrible stepfather returned from France and then would accept the proposal of a man Ava could not tolerate. However, once these two married slowly things began to change. Ava fell in love. Jared, was actually a pretty good husband. Even though Ava did not realize it he had not further contact with his mistress and he intended to be faithful. He did not understand love, and felt that perhaps he was incapable of giving Ava the love she wanted. But as this couple learns to deal with each other they truly do come together and actually begin to have many more good days than bad. Of course Ava wants 100% of Jared's love and it seems for awhile that he just cannot deliver. It does take Jared awhile to come to his senses but the process for one so devoid of love most of his life would not be easy to recognize love when it finally touches him. Jared basically is a good and caring man. And I truly found this to be a very deep and moving love story. If this is the beginning of a trio of books I hope the other two are as good. This one is a complete keeper!! | 45 stars
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Another Larson Marvel
I had the great pleasure of meeting Erik Larson about a week before I started reading Thunderstruck, which made me appreciate this book even more.Like "Devil in the White City", this book combines history and intrigue. But where "Devil" seemed bogged down with details and a vast array of characters, this book was much less tedious. In "Devil," the magic was the White City and all that went into its creation. Thunderstruck's magic is in the invention of the wireless. It, too parallels the genius behind the creator, while also following the story of a diabolical killer.But enough comparisons. If you want a good book filled with history, science, and mystery, pick up Thunderstruck and enjoy the charm of Larson's writing. | 34 stars
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The Sad, Sad State of the Seattle TImes
Sadly, the Seattle Times has become a joke as a newspaper. Investigative reporting is comparatively rare, Articles are embaraassingly superficial, The only section that is adequated is sports, but that is not why I read a newspaper. I also subscribe to the LA Times, and the comparison is embarassing. I have been reading the Times for 50 years. I remember the glory days when they had competition.. | 01 star
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Manifest Your Destiny
This book was an excellent, helpful and thought provoking guide to not just males but also females. Each chapter provided insight into an individual's life; with guidance regarding how to address each situation.Kudos to the author: Hill Harper. | 45 stars
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Lee Child disappoints
The first Jack Reacher book I read "Worth Dying For" was interesting. Based on that experience I bought the Kindle edition of " Killing Floor". What a disappointment! The author's writing style consists of short sentences which are often redundant. He also takes an obscene amount of liberty with facts. Admittedly the book is fiction, but a total regard of facts is hard to ignore. I can sort of live with Jack Reacher being a one-man killing machine, incredibly prescient, irresistibly attractive to women and absolutely indestructible. What I object to is the author's tendency to play fast and loose with the workings of the military, treasury department, the FBI, the local fire and police departments. Not to mention incredible coincidences such as Jack Reacher's brother whom he has not seen in years turning up at the same weird little town in the middle of nowhere. The brother who is a treasury department hot shot goes missing while on a mission and the Feds couldn't care less. The local fire and police departments are left unattended at night although there is a prisoner in custody! Reacher drives an ancient gas guzzling Cadillac hundreds of miles without refilling the gas tank. On and on I could go. You get the point. I have read my last Lee Child novel. | 01 star
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Proceeds from a false premise
Mark Smith argues in his book that something is wrong with the judicial system because it's not more conservative, but like most conservatives, his arguments are easily rebutted by anyone with a fourth-grader's understanding of logic.The purpose of the judical branch is to decide and clarify the law, not to make policy. Judicial activism is wrong, period, although Smith sees nothing wrong with it as long as it reduces the rights of those he disagrees with, or advances conservative beliefs, whether or not they are constitutional.The reason conservatives lose the judiciary, and have now lost Congress, is the same reason they will lose the 2008 election: the majority of America is liberal, not conservative. Conservatives wish it weren't so, and love to complain about it. They even accuse liberals of not supporting the Constitution, which is in fact exactly what conservatives do time and again with the Patriot Act, warrantless NSA spying, and starting optional wars with manufactured intelligence to reward their corrupt campaign donors.What Smith should really do is to write a book on what traitors conservatives are, and how they should be ejected from this great liberal nation until they can learn that their rights end where the rest of ours begin.Don't waste your money on this trash, you can get the same drivel for free by listening to Druggie Limbaugh. | 01 star
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How Dark do you like your Humor?
If the answer is "pitch black" you may enjoy this little comedy. Otherwise, I'd suggest you pass. The plot is uneven and the characters are both desperately unhappy and un-likeable. However that's pretty much the appeal. The absurd situations and pathetic reactions of the characters produce the occasional guffaw and even a belly laugh or two. But the rest of the book is a depressing throw away. | 12 stars
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The Election Rocks
If you've ever wondered what really goes on in a political race, this novel will open your eyes in many ways. The Election reveals the devastating effects of the lust for power and just how far men will go to satisfy it.This book is part political suspense, legal thriller, and global conspiracy novel. The author introduces us to a vast array of characters and situations and though there are varied plots and locales, Teel skillfully holds it all together.With such a strong debut novel, the author shows much promise. I will look for his next novel. | 45 stars
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LOVE my kindle!
I purchased my kindle a little over a month ago. So far I have finished 2 books. I love everything about the kindle. Before I purchased an ebook, I researched the sony version, the nook, and the kindle. I chose the kindle because I have used amazon quite a few times and love their service. Also the kindle had a much larger selection of free books. My husband has even read a book on it. It's a wonderful piece of technology! No more paperbacks laying around the house! | 45 stars
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Best e-book reader
I love the kindle it is by far the best e book reader for any price. I was concerned it would not be like reading a paper and ink book - that I would feel like I was staring at a computer. However, it's just like reading a "book". What I particularly like is the speed at which new purchases are downloaded and the number of books that can be stored. Also invaluable is the ease of reference to a dictionary. The Kindle is slim and light weight; I can hold it in either hand comfortably, also the pages turn quickly and easily. I have been reading much more since I got my Kindle. I have only 2 negatives: (1) the Kindle needs a user customizable folder system for organizing books. (2) The five way controller is too small but perhaps with time I will become accustomed to it.Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6" Display, Global Wireless, Latest Generation) | 45 stars
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(4.5)The brutality of Paradise Lost
With the passage of the Conscription Law in 1863, the citizens of Manhattan are outraged, since most of them will never have the $300 necessary to buy freedom from service in the Union Army. Mostly Irish immigrants, their daily lives are barely less brutal than the years of hardship suffered during the Potato Famine in the land of their birth. Over a few short but violent days, these men stage a riot that is the largest incident of civil disobedience in United States history, exploding into a marauding mob venting its rage and frustration. Many in their path are killed, the majority hapless blacks made all too visible by their skin color, strung up and gutted, male or female, necessary grist for the giant maw of prejudice.In an era dense with innovation and the complexities of human nature and ambition, these simple men are overwhelmed with the urgency to overcome their desperate circumstances. They yield to the swift justice of mob mentality. Yet their story is sprinkled throughout with the occasional brilliance of innocence in a hopeless world. Mired in the great conflict of mankind's struggle to survive in a fractured and unfair society, one riddled with injustice and depravity, these men daily watch the rich stride over the grasping hands of the destitute, deaf to their cries for help, oblivious to their need. This is a world where wealth and power drive the gears of poverty and the Yellow Brick Road is paved over with the dreams of immigrants and cast-offs.In these short days of incidental violence, the words of one survivor, a prostitute named Maddy, are indicative of the random forces at work: "Men were always disappointed with something. That was the first thing to know about them. They were rarely satisfied, and when they weren't, they liked to blame it on something else- a rich man or woman. God in His infinite mercy... in truth it was all the same, the thing that stopped them. Best not to be mistaken for it." In unsparing prose, Baker tackles all the details, from the devastating famine in Ireland to the senseless torture of innocent blacks by fellow citizens. He portrays three couples to follow through this turmoil, an Irish couple, a mixed race couple and an unmarried couple, each with their own issues. To their lives he adds an unspeakable villain, who has survived life from one inhumanity to the next. It is a scathing story of depravity, frequently painful with detail and memorable for its potent message. | 34 stars
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An Interesting and Easy Read
This book is an excellent read for any artist (literary, visual, peforming, or otherwise), particularly those who are just beginning as much of the material may seem less than revolutionary to the "educated" artist. Richards' language is generally clear, and careful reading elucidates even the most convoluted of his passages. Overall an interesting book aside from a few chapters Richards spends chasing his own tail in an attempt to reconcile morality with desire. | 34 stars
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Hysterical
Loved this! Completely crazy and totally possible at the same time. Mr. Buckley has a unique talent for making fascinating, relate-able characters and throwing in unexpected twists at the best possible time. A fun and worthwhile read! | 45 stars
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Dreadful graphics & punctuation
This newspaper is difficult to read simply because little or no care is taken with the layout and punctuation. Periods are frequently omitted. Sections and subsections of articles use the same typeface as the main text. Words are frequently joined together. Today's edition contains economic/financial articles in the sports'section. All this makes for difficult reading. The monthly subscription is very expensive for this sloppy piece of work, which would be so much more enjoyable if the minimum of care were taken in it's production.As of January 1. There has been a significant improvement in the graphics, which was coupled with a pointless change in the list of contents. It occurs to me that it is useful to read The Times on Kindle, because inevitably some journalist has decided to use an obscure word and the dictionary is needed to discover what it means.Can't they keep it simple? | 23 stars
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so very, very bad
Avoid this book at all costs. Nothing done in this book is in any way special or clever. A 16 year old slut figuring out that she can repair the underwear a random boy just ripped off her by tying a knot in them is NOT MacGyver!! I can't believe someone got a publishing house to print this drivel. | 01 star
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Kindle
I have read more books since Christmas than I have in 3 years since I purchased the Kindle for my husband. I'm really glad I bought this for him! I love the fact that I can read an excerpt from a book before I purchase it. I wish I had the money to purchase one for every member of my family. Everything is easy to change. I use one font and my husband prefers a smaller one. I just love this product and recommend it to all my friends and family.I am sad to now see that there is a Kindle 2 edition already. I wish they could have waited at least a year. | 45 stars
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Zen Philosophy Redefined For The Western Culture
I didn't read his most popular first book, The Power of Now, before I read this one. I really enjoyed his dissection of "The Ego," and its destructive nature to our happiness and our lives. Focusing on just being aware and in the present seems so simply yet in our over-stressed "tread-mill" lives, can be challenging. While standing in line at the Rite-Aid, I happened to pick up an Enquirer Magazine, to read that Jim Carey (the actor) was reading this book and viewing the DVD, The Secret, too. I like Tolle's concept of disposing of our ego and focusing on who we are in the present and being content with what is. Good reading. I've mailed a copy off to a close friend and shared it with several other associates. Worthwhile reading if you have an interest in spiritual growth and enlightenment, not to mention being happy with your life as it is now. | 34 stars
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Managers will enjoy it
The book will aid with the trend of creating a ideology to support the idea that individuals with little ability outside of 'management' (IQ or technical skills) should be leading. Conformity is being declared a new form of 'intelligence'. Maybe it is, depending on one's goals. Unfortunetly, for the rest of us who may simply want to have a job and be left alone, it will help to justify both personality testing and discrimination based on unpopularity. Corporate America has been going this way for decades and now is trying to throw the authority of social science behind it's goals... I'd recommend a re-reading of The Organization Man. | 23 stars
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Don't take her seriously, just enjoy the distraction
The book is fast and entertaining, if you do not wish for a very sophisticated and complicated read. Mrs. Gilbert is obviously a journalist and it seems that a lot of research was done to fill the book with some interesting background information.The author reminds me of certain friends that always seem to have some kind of unbearable trouble in their life, that never are able to let go and never ever seem to get a grip on reality. These friends are entertaining and lovable. It is like reading a diary of a real chatty and immature twenty-something, when you want to smile and say: Oh good gracious girl,...get over it. It is going to be OK. Life is good, in some years you will see!I am glad Mrs. Gilbert never has been through really rough times. That girl needs her life just as it is. She should thank God for this, he REALLY is fond of her little soul.There it is the proof: GOD exists and he is very, very kind to you Elizabeth. Now cheer up and wipe the tears away. Let's go for coffee and you can tell me everything about that David and the travel to Italy, India and Bali. Brighten my day, distract me. Make me smile and daydream about traveling.But please don't call me in the middle of the night dear,.... | 23 stars
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Very Disappointed
I loved the first three Rachael Morgan books. When I picked up this book I got out the first three plus and sat down to read them all in order.I started with Ivy's short story in Dates From Hell which was OK, then went to the first book which was good. The second book was better - you could see some character improvement. By the time I finished the third book I was really excited.One quarter of the way in I became very disappointed. I disliked the turn that Ivy's and Rachael's relationship took. I missed Kist and Trent etc.. The writing didn't seem as sparkly.I don't know if I'm going to buy another book in this series because I feel it may have jumped the shark. And that makes me sad because I truly cared about the characters. | 12 stars
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jrms
Excellent product, lacks definition on pictures, should have more graphics as well as photo on the magazines. | 34 stars
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Essential McCarthy
This is the novel Cormac McCarthy's been preparing us for for more than 40 years now. Though I certainly hope it's not his last novel, it's difficult to read "The Road" without thinking of it as a coda to his career."The Road" reads like vintage McCarthy--stark visions of human depravity, gnostic imagery, prose that sounds like it was torn from the pages of the Bible and delivered from on high. His portrait of a post-apocalyptic world--one where ash falls like a steady rain, cannibals prowl the countryside, and the scorched earth offers nothing in the way of comfort or hope to its remaining occupants--is unremittingly bleak; and yet the tender bond between the nameless father and son offers a glimmer of hope. (Indeed, it's ironic that a novel about the end of the world is one of McCarthy's tenderest.) The book can be read as a cautionary tale, an allegory, or a horror yarn. It's McCarthy's gift as a writer that the book can be enjoyed on any and all of these levels. It can also be enjoyed for the sheer power of its prose, which is some of his very best since "Blood Meridian" was published two decades ago."The Road" deserves (and will undoubtedly garner) a wide readership; hopefully, it will lead many to rediscover McCarthy's earlier work. This book is further evidence as to why he is America's greatest living writer. | 45 stars
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Wanted to return to Costco
I review with EVERY poor review, so I won't rehash the details. Just wanted to add another *1* to the list. Waste of time, money, and brain cells. And such a shame that Oprah linked her name to it. I didn't always agree with Oprah, but this time I felt betrayed!! | 01 star
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The Secret
It was hard to follow. Not what I expected. I returned it. I don't have the patience to try and figure out how to read a book. I need a book that doesn't make me think so much. Haha | 01 star
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Amazing reading device
I live in the UAE (Dubai) and had to order using a workaround since Amazon do not yet have Dubai as a standard international shipping destination. With customs that I had to pay here, this was a bit more expensive than what I had budgeted for, but having got this, I do not, for a single moment, regret this purchase. I must have finished 3 books already and loving the experience. I can truly cross my heart and thank Amazon for getting me back to one of my passions - reading. This is so portable that I carry it around with me everywhere, in the train, waiting for someone, reading at lunch, etc etc. There are at least 2-3 other guys at work who bought this after experiencing this first hand. I have been running for the last 10 days with moderate usage, and there's still a quarter of a bar's juice left. From my experience, for people who're on the brink, my strong advice....close your eyes and go for this lovely product, and no, you dont feel like you're reading from an electronic device and feel exactly like you're looking at the page of a book. You can book mark multiple books at once. I strongly recommend ordering the leather case, as its very very handy and looks awesome. A quick heads up-although Amazon say this has native PDF support, uploading native PDFs directly hasnt been for me, the best experience. A workaround for this is to download the mobipocket creater, use it to convert PDFs to PRCs and then upload the PRCs.I hope you enjoy your purchase as much as I did. | 45 stars
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Credit Score
The book was organized and put forth the ideas and information I needed. I would rate this book higher if it was more specific and had more examples. The price was low and the information was good. However if someone is not that financially savvy they may need more information. | 34 stars
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Poor KINDLE edition
I'm writing in reference to the Kindle version of this book. Since I like the book itself, I gave 2 stars; however, this version was lacking in extras. I was seriously disappointed to find no footnotes, no introduction, no nothing. Just the book pure and simple. To top it off, there were many instances of multiple words jammedtogetherlikethis. I wish the 'sample' had been available when I ordered it from my Kindle. I certainly would have chosen another one of the available editions. | 12 stars
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Excellent
I ordered all the books at once and they came in in a very timely matter. Not to mention the books were in excellent shape as if I just picked them up from Books a Million down the street. | 45 stars
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Captivating, Spellbinding And Completely Romantic Tales By Four Outstanding Authors!
Look around, there may be a dragon amongst you. In the deepest recesses of the mind lurks the heart of magic, the desire of the DRAGON LOVERS has begun...Princess Rozlinda has been groomed for eight long years to be the sacrificial virgin for the coming of the dragon. After he comes, oh...joy, she no longer has to be a virgin. She can then experience the wonders of womanhood. Why do things never quite work out the way a young woman want them to? Dragon farts!THE DRAGON AND THE VIRGIN PRINCESS is by Jo Beverley. The tone of the wondrous historical/paranormal tale is light, humorous and completely enchanting. Ms. Beverley tickles this story with magic, dragons and the blunders of life.Individual rating: 4 heartsSir Kenrick of Rathbourne, a freelance knight, is looking for a place to winter with his faithful squire. When he learns of a Lord that is in need of a knight to slay a dragon, he will find out there is much more to his task than meets the eye.THE DRAGON AND THE DARK KNIGHT is by Mary Jo Putney. A sweet pen touched this tale of a knight and the dragons he encounters. This story is reminiscent of the books we read as a young adult--gentle and straightforward in premise. At times though, the urge to thumb ahead a few pages when the story slowed got to this reader, but she did not skip one word.Individual rating: 3 heartsAnna Vanderzee has recently lost her parents in a country where she is a foreigner. In her sadness, she accidentally slips and falls into a pool of water, the only problem is Anna cannot swim. She is rescued by a fabled dragon, but that is only were this story begins to unfold...ANNA AND THE KING OF DRAGONS is by Karen Harbaugh. Ms. Harbaugh penned a delightful tale flavored with the Orient. The cultural endeavors seasoned it with originality and unforgettable romance between two different yet completely connectable characters. Wonderful!Individual rating: 4 heartsPenny Freeman gets the chance of a lifetime studying under Senora Libelula, a famous weaver. Since the recent death of her husband, this offer is the perfect change she is looking for. Once there, floating into her life are gorgeous pink feathers. Now this story really gets good!DRAGON FEATHERS is by Barbara Samuel. This contemporary tale of a dragon was the standout story in this entire anthology. With the freshness of morning air, it captured this reader's heart from beginning to end. Ms. Samuel's writing is the cumulative of a genius with DRAGON FEATHERS!Individual rating: 5 heartsWhat a wonderfully written anthology that is a perfect fit for the general audience of readers of romance. If you love historical, paranormal, or romantic love stories, you will want to pick up a copy of DRAGON LOVERS by award-winning and highly acclaimed authoress', Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, Karen Harbaugh, and Barbara Samuel.Courtesy of Love Romances and MoreReviewed by Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2007 | 34 stars
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No Regrets
There isn't anything else I can say that others haven't already said. I have "No Regrets" for choosing to read another of Ann's books. She never disappoints me. | 45 stars
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Don't know what to make of this
From the title, one would think this a type of travel journal, a panorama of episodes along the way, a sequence of stations between the starting off point and the destination. Instead, the overall weight of the book is given to glaciers, their descriptions, their influence on the landscape, their geological record, the discovery of new glaciers, and other characteristics of these moving rivers of ice. While Muir offers descriptive powers unequaled among authors on nature, never repeating himself though constantly repeating his subject, the sheer repetition tends to bog the work down. Two whole pages might contribute to our view of a particular glacier, and suddenly Muir reports that he's finished a 200-mile leg of his journey on foot. He tells us when he's climbed a glacier, and along the way we've missed an entire week. Time and space almost have no medium in this publication, utterly lost when gazing upon a glacier. For nature lovers who will never go to Alaska, the descriptions in this book make the ranges and glaciers come alive in print, but as a dramatic journey, a travelogue, or a field manual for the Alaskan bush, this book forms only a vague shadow. | 23 stars
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neatnix
Exactly as described and more. so glad I did all the research because the Kindle is by far the most superior product in its class. Pricey, yet worth every penny. Lightweight and compact, stylish and very user friendly. Hats off to Jeff Bezos! | 45 stars
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Powerful Literary Realism
In the late 1850's, three wealthy Russians have supper at the home of one of the men. After the plates are cleared away and the middle-aged gentlemen are enjoying cigars, they trade stories of their first loves. Two of them tell stories that are completely lacking of passion and soul, revealing the shallowness of the men themselves. The third, Vladimir Petrovitch, has a story that is so out of the ordinary that he is reticent to tell it. His companions, desperately lacking any passion of their own, beseech him to tell them his tale. Reluctantly he agrees, but in order to do the story justice, he must first write it down, promising to read it to them at a future date.Thus begins Ivan Turgenev's 1860 novella, First Love. At age sixteen while living in the country, Vladimir meets twenty-one-year-old Zinaida Alexandrovna Zasyekina, the daughter of a titled but very poor family living on the adjoining property. Zinaida is a beautiful and spirited young women and Vladimir falls hopelessly in love with her. Zinaida toys with him mercilessly, enticing him with hints of a deep and romantic affection and, alternatively, pushing him away and treating him with condescending, sisterly affection. (Perhaps the 19th century equivalent of "Let's just be friends.") At one point, she even asks Vladimir to look after her twelve-year-old brother, emphasizing the their age difference and that Vladimir is still just a boy.Adding to Vladimir's frustration are the numerous suitors who come calling on Zinaida every evening. They are all older than Vladimir and superior to him in either wealth or social class. She plays them all off one another, but occasionally indicates that she favors Vladimir. On these occasions the young man's heart swells and there is no joy greater than the joy felt by a young man in love for the first time. There is also no sadness greater than the sadness brought on by unrequited love.Vladimir is a sensitive and observant young man and he is able to see through Zinaida's extreme coquettishness and notices a gradual change in her manner. Beneath her faade, he can see that she truly is in love, but not with him. Nor is it one of the other suitors, although at first he suspects it is one of them. The penultimate heartbreak for Vladimir is that Zinaida's secret love turns out to be Vladimir's own father. In the final chapters, this heartbreak story, as all good heartbreak, turns tragic.Turgenev is one of the early practitioners of literary realism. First Love is told in first person and adheres strictly to the limitations of omniscience that that point of view requires. Turgenev uses that to his advantage in several specific places, such as when Vladimir witnesses an altercation between his father and Zinaida. He is unable to hear what they are discussing, but his visual observation provides enough for for us to understand the depth nature of their relationship.The true artistry of this novella is revealed at the conclusion when the reader reconsiders the entire story once again, this time taking a far more sympathetic view of both Zinaida (and really, the first time through she's very hard to like) and Vladimir's father. What is finally revealed is that this story is not only a tale about a youthful unrequited love but also about Zinaida's place in society, society's expectations of all of us, and ultimately about the nature of love itself.Turgenev's influence is even more apparent in the development of psychological fiction. He has a gentle touch that captures complex and nuanced emotional states in his characters and can be seen as a precursor to Henry James and Joseph Conrad. This same approach to fiction can still be seen in such contemporary works as Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach.Turgenev lived during changing times in Europe. Later events would sweep away the aristocracy in his native Russia, but during his lifetime the social order, and the aristocracy that it supported, was already crumbling. The characters in First Love reflect this along with the very nature of the story that the older Vladimir tells to his shallow and passionless companions. | 45 stars
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Lots of very inside information !!!!!
Mike Mullane tells what it was like to fly T-38's with John Young (good ) and to work for him (horrible). (not bad, HORRIBLE !!!! the same with working for George Abbey, horrible ). There are many great and positive stories also.... such as 'the greatest joke ever pulled in space !!! (unbelievably funny).He tells who is fun to have a few beers with, what the night before launch is like (very little sleep), and the pre-launch breakfast (nothing is eaten). I couldnt put the book down. | 45 stars
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Truly invaluable
I know how reviews found here can put you off buying what on closer inspection turns out to be a real gem. (and vice versa). This book's simple cut-to-the-chase bilingual approach is too rare in english/american language teaching handbooks these days. The book is chock-full of immediately applicable content, which is also very refreshing compared to what in 90% of cases on the market seems like spoon-feeding of knowledge. For those who work in an office with 'hispanoablantes' or must deal with them on the phone or in person in business environment, this book is priceless. The price is steep (is that without the audio?) but try to leaf through it in a bookstore and you'll see I'm right. As to beginners still in need of remedial grammar classes - just stay away from it, but not too long as undoubtedly it may speed up you business spanish skills in record time. | 45 stars
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Feminism and Space
This is a great resource for those individuals researching feminism and arcitecture!!!! It touches on a wide range of important contributors in the area of theory and human geography as it relates to space. It is set up like an encyclopedia compiling major contributors, and giving brief discriptions of their work. | 34 stars
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Don't normally write reviews but--
I don't normally write reviews but felt compelled to in this case due to the many negative reviews. I LOVE MY KINDLE. I have had it since March. I have downloaded many books and read 16 in that time. It goes everywhere I go. I have recommended the Kindle to friends and they too are happy with their purchase.1. I don't miss not having a backlight. I normally don't read in the dark anyway. I would buy a booklight if the need arose.2. I am careful with my Kindle because I have read that it is easy to damage. I would not expect Amazon to pay for my carelessness any more than I would expect HP to send me a new laptop if I dropped that.3. I am in a good Whispernet area. My books download in about 30 seconds.4. I do understand why Animal Farm and 1984 were removed from Kindle. I also understand that this is a hard debated issue with very strong feelings. Amazon has apoligized for this, refunded money and said it would not happen again.5. I do miss being able to share a good book. I would like to be able to somehow share my Kindle books without loaning my Kindle. I can't see myself doing that.6. Yes the Kindle is expensive. But yes, I would but it again. I love to read. I love being able to take all the reading material I will need for an extended time in one small compact package.7. When and if I leave the USA, I know that Whispernet service will not be available. That is made very clear if you bother to read about the Kindle before you buy it.Many of the negative Kindle reviews are made by people who obviously don't own a Kindle. These should not even be allowed. Many negative reviews are from people who are abviously angry that Amazon won't send a free replacement for a product they themselves damaged.I am very happy with my Kindle. It is probably my favorite toy. I will continue to shout its praises to anyone who asks. | 45 stars
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Life altering
The price was rediculously unbeatable. If followed, as directed, this book on CD will change your life. The 'Power of Positive Thinking' is one aspect of a successful life. This book on CD takes 'The Secret' to a whole new level - it is actually where Rhonda Byrne got a lot of her info - except she summarized a lot of it. This book on CD must be treated as a 'correspondance course' and one can only listen to a chapter per week. There is homework to do between chapters to fully integrate the new behaviors. But as a professional, I can attest that it DOES work. If followed and practiced, it leaves 'The Secret' in the dust. | 45 stars
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Great for reviewing basic mathematics!
I'm using this small, pocket-sized book by Gelfand to review essential graphing conceptsand have one thing to say- Outstanding. Where books like this were when I was learning maths as a youngone is beyond comprehension. Looking back on my math education now, I can honestly say I was deprived. Poor,poor, me........Enjoy. | 45 stars
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A Magical Story
I loved every page of this book! It drew me in and I felt what all of the characters felt. The story of Rox and Luke and their childhood love is wonderful. I only wish that I could become a part of something so magical and exciting! | 45 stars
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Full speed out the starting gate!
J.R. Ward is an excellent writer, so I wonder where she's been until now! Has she been writing under other names? She gives us an action-packed alternative world, filled with warrior vampires, soulless humans, and lovers who bond for all eternity. Wow! Her secondary characters are fully rounded, and I couldn't wait to read their stories. Her mythology and the world she has created are both compelling. I only give it 4 stars, though, because her choice of names annoys me (Rhage, Tohrment, Vishous)...and she leans a bit too heavily on hip-hop culture. Since vampires live a VERY long time, I would think they'd have better taste in music! On the other hand, she is a very careful writer, and her editing is smooth and professional. This was a pleasure to read, and I highly recommend it. | 34 stars
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Amazon Kindle: Best reading device on the market
To date, this is the best reading device on the market. Ease-of-use, functionality, readability and cost-effectiveness make this a real success in a realm of marginally-at-best efficient e-media reading tools.The only change might be the placement of page forward and page backward, easily pressed inadvertantly at times while reading. However, I have found that after a few hours of use, you figure out a reasonable hand placement to compensate for this.Font size and readability are the best, adaptable for all types of reading fatigue and position. Download is super quick and it appears they continue to add titles by the day.Great job on a great product.- Curt | 34 stars
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Sexy, Hot Read
READY is the first book in an Mercenary trilogy penned by Lucy. It is a terrific read.Lise Barton, a writer who believes in giving women power, moves away from her family to protect them from a stalker. Joshua (Wolf) Watt, a former army ranger and mercenary stops on his way to the Thanksgiving weekend with his sister and Lise's brother, to bring Lise home for the holiday. He is convinced that he is the reason she won't go, because of the intense feelings she brings out in him. What he finds when he arrives at her apartment unannounced is a terrified, stressed-out, near hysterical woman. He soon discovers that she is being terrified and stalked by a fanatic. All his protective instincts are brought to the surface, and he appoints himself as her bodyguard. With the help of his trusted friends and fellow mercenaries, Nitro and Hotwire, they begin to track the stalker. Lise is strong, independent and very determined not to be over powered or lost in the shadow of Joshua who is such an intense person, especially when it comes to Lise. They are combustible from the beginning with such intense, sexual feelings, the reader needs ice to cool themselves down, the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat as the stalker who feels that he has been betrayed by Lise turns up his own heat. Lucy has penned a strong, emotional, suspense story, and has also made the reader anxious to keep turning pages right to solve the problem of the stalker, but also to see if Joshua is READY to admit that Lise, who sees Joshua more clearly than anyone has, is the woman for him! | 45 stars
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Action Adventure
This is a pretty good action adventure which I picked up mostly because the inside flap compares it to Steven Erikson. It's nothing like Steven Erikson, the world building doesn't compare to Erikson's depth. The world building is mostly secondary to dark atmosphere. This book is a wee bit slow getting started but when it does, it succeed pretty well. The charactors, as noted by other reviews, are very thin; and a couple of plot points had me scratching my head. For example, one charactor gives up a life time of belief and faith, pretty much cuz his boss tells him to. Doesn't really make sense for that charactor, but if you let go and enjoy the action, it's pretty fun - not unlike a video game. Clearly the work of a new writer, but with some imagination, and decent action. | 23 stars
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When Thackeray Writes There Is No Hero, He Means It
VANITY FAIR is a sprawling epic novel that tells of the struggle of nearly everyone in it either to gain money or to bemoan the not having of it. This relentless groping toward money is not a trait normally associated with heroism, yet the subtitle suggests Thackeray's connection between the two: A Novel Without a Hero. This does not imply that the novel ambles along interminably with the central figure or figures merely deficient in the manly arts of dash and verve. Rather, for the protagonist to be heroic, such a person must exhibit the willingness to be so. In VANITY FAIR, Thackeray maintains a circumspect distance between character and reader by imposing an obstacle, namely himself, as that obstacle.Thackeray sets up the reader to view his creations as un-heroic in two ways. First, he paints them as essentially flat. Amelia, in her passive attitude toward life is the polar opposite of Becky Sharp, who is bursting with energy and passion. Together, they alternate respectively from purposeful villainy to willing victim, from street smarts to pathetic naivety, and from patent guile to equally patent guilelessness. As one acts on her respective traits, she rises in the world in a financial sense while as the other acts on her traits, she falls. Later, they alternate roles, and the novel turns into a push-pull context with their changes in position occurring solely as a function of their acting on those impulses. In Amelia's case, these impulses are passive-aggressive. In Becky's, they are purely aggressive. But in neither case, is either heroic.Thackeray regularly intrudes in the narrative so that he directs the responses and attitudes of the readers. The more he plays the omniscient narrator, the less convincing is the fleshing out of any character. It then becomes quite difficult for the reader to look past the puppeteer's strings to see that character in any terms except the flatness that Thackeray wishes. The best that one can say about Amelia is that she creates dramatic conditions that call for the real dramatic center: Becky Sharp. This is not to say that Becky is the hero in the morally positive sense. But she is the focal point of bursting enthusiasm. As she throws a dictionary out the window in a fit of petulant rage, Becky impacts on the reader in a way that no one else can. Becky spends the rest of the novel throwing metaphorical books out countless windows as she schemes, flirts, and uses men shamelessly, all the while escaping criticism from a morally neutral author. One does not admire Amelia for her passivity nor Becky for her aggressiveness. One tends to ignore the former and notice the latter. Long before the reader comes to the morally ambiguous ending when Thackeray bemoans: "Ah! Vanitas Vanitatum! Which of us is happy in this world?" the reader has learned that the totality of VANITY FAIR's strong points--and there are many--do not compensate for the moral vacuum that the author leaves at the center where there ought to be someone or something more interesting | 23 stars
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Not what I expected.
Not what I was expecting. For some reason I thought Heathcliff was going to be a typical romantic construct who had some dramatic character arc. I'm a little misanthropist myself so you would think I would like this novel, relishing along with my kindred spirit, but I was never quite captivated. | 23 stars
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An excellent must read book by Catherine Coulter!!!
I thought this book was wonderfully written and was extremely exciting. The characters, Jesse and James, were magnificent. | 45 stars
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Great Pirate Prince
Gaelen Foley, She is such a great story teller. This book just makes you wish you were there and that you are the lady in question as all her books do. | 45 stars
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Space Opera Lives
I really enjoyed this book, and the fact that it had some decent character development. If you are a fan of David Weber or Edmund Hamilton, this book will probably be enjoyable. What I didn't like, and what rated it only 4 stars was the obvious cliffhanger ending. The book, while complete is obviously part of a series. I don't mind that, in and of itself. I love series, and I'm not sorry I bought the book. I do however like each book in a series to have a complete story in and of itself. That's the one area I found this book lacking. | 34 stars
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Slow read, but worth the effort
I generally read fairly quickly, but wasn't able to do so with this book. Until I forced myself to slow down I kept losing the thread and having to go back. As a result, I could only make it through around 10 pages a day. Once you make the adjustment, however, it is a very rewarding reading experience. Having read many of James's earlier, more accessible works, I could't at first understand the point behind the convoluted style. It seemed as if everthing was not only exceedingly slow but also very hazy, in sharp contrast to the vividness of The Portrait of A Lady. There is however, a method to James's madness. Instead of showing us a scene through an omniscient author's eyes, he is trying to render his characters' experiences of reality. For example, instead of a carefully painted portait of a English dinner party, we are shown how a young American woman would process it in her mind. The winding, comma-clotted sentences don't draw us a picture, but instead attempt to mirror the character's stream of consciousness. The result is fascinating, but also exhausting. It's worth the effort, but it's a good thing that most other great novels, including James's earlier ones, don't require this much work. | 45 stars
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Not that great.
It drifted. And the author spent a lot more time having the main character wallow in self-agonization. Plus, I felt the ending screamed, "Cliffhanger! Wait for the next book to wrap this story up!"I'm probably going to buy the next book, but it's one of those, "If I have the money, but I'm not going to short myself - maybe I can wait a few months" type of buying decision moments. | 23 stars
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blood and thunder
Hampton Sides' Blood and Thunder is simply the most exiting and honest portrait of Kit Carson and his time I`ve ever read. You fly through the pages and will not be disturbed while reading. You get all the sides of Carsons personality and the sad story of the autumn of the navahoes and other indians. Too read history like this beats reading the most fantastic fiction.Mik | 45 stars
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previous review totally missed out on the plot
Ms. Klausner, you goofed on this one...Lara's stepmother did not sell her. Yes it was her stepmother's idea, but her father agreed - it Hetarian society women are treated as possessions, and no woman could sell her husband's daughter. Clearly you skimmed this book, though I agree with parts of your review.Lara was sold to a broker (by her father), who in turn sold her to the Forest Lords. I didn't catch the S&M; - there was rape, and multiple partners, but S&M;, not there.If you can't suspend your disbelief while reading this book, don't bother picking it up...it's more fantasy than romance, and many readers will have a hard time with the harsh view of women in the land of Hetar. The heroine also is too perfect - too brave, too smart, too beautiful, too everything. She is conveniently guided by fairies who know her destiny, so she also doesn't make a wrong decision.Did I mention this is fantasy? | 23 stars
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Love's Destruction
This story was a bit hard to follow. It skips around a bit and if not followed closely, can become confusing. Wuthering Heights is set in the late 1700's to early 1800's. It is centered around two people madly in love. Catherine puts her love for Heathcliff aside to marry the wealthy Edgar Linton. Heathcliff cannot deal with this rejection and runs away. A few years pass and he returns. Upon his return their lives are turned upside down because of their unyielding love. Heathcliff brings revenge upon anyone that had wronged him prior to his leaving. This story shows the destruction that can come from uncontrollable love. Revenge, jealousy, and death are all results of a love that was never given the chance to fully grow.There are some similarities between the author's life and the story as well. One that is immediately recognizable is that the female characters all die after giving birth, as Bronte's mother did. Another similarity is the drug addictions. Bronte's brother was addicted to opium and had a drinking problem. Hindley, Catherine's brother, takes to drinking after his wife dies. | 23 stars
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ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
Hey did you know Lara has a destiny? If you don't then you haven't read the first or second book in this series....BECAUSE IT IS MENTIONED ON EVERY OTHER PAGE! WE GET IT ALREADY!I truly do like Mrs. Small's books...but they have been getting more and more stupid as time goes by.Pretty much she kills her brother and sister in-law for killing her husband then leaves her children to.....you guessed it FOLLOW HER DESTINY. She then finds another land and (shocker) another man who is enraptured by her looks and gets married to him. She talks him into moving her Outlands to Terah. Once she does he asks her for children, which she dosen't want to because.....DESTINY. Catching a common theme here.Forgo the book...wait until she starts writing Historical Novels again then read those. It seems as though those are pretty much the only thing she good at writing. | 01 star
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"Education is like water"
An amazing lady who served for many years as a missionary in Pakistan suggested that I read Three Cups of Tea. And how glad I am that she did! It reminds me that hatred and fear, which all humans have to face in one form or another every day, are not inevitable features of our existence but are the results of ignorance. I have thought for a while that most of our problems would vanish if people would only see that they need to love and care for each other. Reading this book has made me realize that an essential part of getting people to love and care for each other is to educate them. Jahan, one of the first girls to graduate from Greg Mortenson's first school, says,"before I met you, Dr. Greg, I had no idea what education was. But now I think it is like water. It is important for everything in life." Reading Three Cups of Tea has made it clear to me that education really is like water. It has encouraged me to devote the rest of my life to helping other people become educated. | 45 stars
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Favorite new toy!
I just got my Kindle and LOVE, LOVE,LOVE it. Was going to get the NOOK but did not want to wait til January and thought if I didn't like the Kindle I would return it and get the NOOK after Xmas. No way!! I love this new toy. I love the fact that I can order a sample of a book, get it keep it until I decide if I want to purchase it or not. The sample is long, not just a tiny piece of the book and you can make sound decisions without being rushed. I used to see a book on a talk show, or read about a new book in a magazine and think, well when I get to a bookstore I will look for it. Now I don't have to do that anymore. Plus by the time I got to a bookstore I forgot about a particular book that I was interested in. It is easy to manage with the instructions given, it is pre registered to you if you bought it for yourself. It took about 5 minutes for me to navigate around the Kindle and learn it. If the book has photos inside you will get the photos on the Kindle, which nobody ever told me. It has 14 hours of reading time with 1 battery charge, the cord comes with it. If you leave it unattended, after a few minutes it shuts off automatically. The pictures of the books you shop for are not in color as they are in the NOOK, but who cares? I would not trade this for anything! I like the fact that I have 14 hours till I have to worry about charging my Kindle till I can read again. Super easy to buy a book as well. Best gift to me EVER!!! | 45 stars
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A Good Initial Start
This is the first in a series featuring Tess Monaghan from Baltimore. I enjoyed the story line, however, became bored @ times with too many characters. The plot seemed disjointed at times. However, I will read additional books by Ms. Lippman! | 23 stars
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engaging and intriguing read
Shooting the Sun follows a group in 1840 as they head out on the Santa Fe trail to try and photograph for the first time (actually a more advanced form of daguerreotype) a solar eclipse so as to prove the effectiveness of Charles Babbage's prototype "difference engine", an early "computer" used to predict the timing and place of the eclipse. The proof will then allow Babbage to garner more funds to continue to develop his early calculator. The group is made up of Selena Cott, the young female astronomer/photographer who must overcome the obvious hurdle of her gender; William Pryce, Babbage's financial adviser and a man who has his own reasons for coming along; the expert explorer who sees no place for a woman in the wild; the young artist who scoffs at photography's ability to do any more than capture the sterile surface; the expert astronomer who is threatened both by technology and feminism; and the gruff wagon leader who tries to get them to Santa Fe alive past rough frontier folk, prairie fires, hostile natives, equipment prone to breakdown, their own infighting, and the sheer lost loneliness of the west. Added to the mix in shifts of perspective and geography are Babbage himself as he wends his way through London society and finance and his uncle Richard, who is thought to be dead (though not officially meaning Babbage can't claim his estate) but is actually alive and living with the natives out west.The characters are strongly portrayed in sharp human detail and grow with the book and their experiences, rather than remaining static creations. Relationships form and erode, trust is offered and broken, strengths and weaknesses are transformed. The journey itself is meticulously detailed and conveys both the sheer wonder and sheer terror of such a journey at the time. One understands clearly both the travails and the reward.There is a rich mixture of personal conflict over culture, gender, generation, philosophy, sexuality, professionalism, and art. This, combined with the early hints that not everything is as it seems and that some of the characters are carrying secrets creates a wonderful tension throughout the entire work.The book succeeds in many ways, as history, as travelogue, as character exploration, even as a mystery/suspense novel (though to a lesser extent). By the end, you're sorry to have the journey come to a close. A strong recommendation. | 34 stars
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Selling False Hope.....
As a desperate father of two who has recently been layed-off during this burgeoning recession, I wanted to believe anything that gave me hope. My girlfriend suggested The secret. I sat in the bookstore and spent a couple hours reading it. I'm still wondering what the big SECRET is, as if I had missed something crucial. I wonder like many desperate readers, "am I too thick-headed to buy into this "law of attraction" as a cure-all device for the needy?" Am I too pessimestic that I cannot fully quench the message to make success my reality?I was quite unsatisfied and confused after reading the Secret. Positive thinking should be a state of mind that bolsters our confidence in times of doubt and crisis, not a scheme to arbitrarily take and expect the riches that are not due. This book is hokum and doesn't articulate it's message but rather reiterates it in various phrases. I am dissappointed to say it is a book promoting false hope. | 01 star
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love, love, love, ........ this book.
Personally, at this point in my life I could totally identify with the author. To me it was a delightful fantasy for those of us who may not be running off to other countries to go eat pizza made in Naples,or to meditate at an ashram in India, but maybe would like to someday. I found it lovely and inspiring. Thank you Liz Gilbert, I look forward to your next book. | 45 stars
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This book is definately one thing : Not a secret
The whole information in the book is no more than the definition of 'The law of attraction' (which u can find easily by spending 2 minutes on the net), repeated over and over...and over again. | 01 star
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Biography of Australopithecines
I found this to be a really good book that gives a thorough introduction into the field of paleoanthropology and the search for our earliest ancestors. Ann Gibbons especially uses a vivid language, like when she described that in the Miocene, Earth was really the Planet of the Apes, with forests ranging from Africa to Asia, populated with numerous different ape species. At this moment, I had the picture right in my head. One reviewer found it a shame that she wrote more about researchers finding fossils and less about the different Australopithecus species and how they lived, but this was also to be expected; very little fossils are found, very often just teeth, rarely some parts or the whole of a skull, and maybe, but just maybe, also once or twice further bones, such as a thighbone, from which researchers can try to deduce whether a species walked upright on two legs. But even then, it is still far from certain how they have walked exactly on two legs, or even how much time they really spend walking, and how much they still just swung from tree to tree and only walked once they had to cross a clearing. Thus to try to describe how a certain Australopithecus species lived would indeed have involved a lot of speculation. The later chapters where she described how the different research teams would increasingly start to work against each other, not only criticizing the other team or trying to get its research permit revoked, but also actively moving in to explore the same site, sometimes bordering on sabotage, made the book more depressing to read. Nevertheless, as I used to work in research as well, more in the lab than in the field, I could imagine also these things happening. Here Ann Gibbons made a fine job as well, always stating both sides of the disputes and never getting a biased view. And as she has already cited herself in the book, the best way of understanding a scientific problem is to understand its history, where this book nicely helps. Therefore I can only truly recommend this book to all that are interested in learning how the different Australopithecus and Ardipithecus fossils were discovered, analyzed and put into context. | 45 stars
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Leaves much to be desired
While I adore all things Poirot, this particular publication leaves much to be desired...mostly the essential images. Literally, images of clues (scribbles on paper, bits of burned documents, maps of the house) that should appear in the reading are absent. Some do not affect the storyline but others make it impossible to follow the conclusions of the characters because the reader is missing vital information. Aside from that, the pages look like simple bare internet printouts. If one cares little for aesthetics in his/her reading experience, this should not pose a problem. For others (myself included) it is a deterent to a truly enjoyable read. I suggest anyone seeking an inexpensive version of this book to choose the Barnes and Noble publication. Also inexpensive, but featuring all the bells and whistles of which Hercule Poirot himself would approve. | 12 stars
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Great Find!!!!!
Simple and yet amazing system for a healthy lifestyle. Anyone can do this and feel the results right away. I am very pleased with this book. | 45 stars
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Life Changing Wisdom
The Psychology of Mind/Health Realization concept used in this book is incredibly helpful. I've heard many say it's modeled after Buddhism, but I'd have to disagree just a bit. The Bible also clearly tells us that our thoughts control our actions and feelings. This book uses wisdom without sounding "preachy" or "new agey" so it's a great tool for all the analyzers in your life, no matter what spiritual path they are on. These concepts have literally saved my life, and any book by Richard Carlson is definitely worth the time and money spent. | 45 stars
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Better Then I Expected
I was pleasntly suprised but this lastest book from Laurell K. Hamilton. After the disjointed mess that was Narcissus in Chains, Caress of Twilight is a happy turn.Meredith NicEssus, Princess of Flesh, heir to the UnSeelie throne is in L.A. with her hisem of luscious sidhe males. Hollywoods Golden Goddess, The Lord of Light and Illusion and even Besaba, Bride of Peace (Meredith's mother) bring more of the Seelie Court into the world that Hamilton has created.There is a mystery which while being subjugated by the court intrique still remains coherent. Again though we see the weak endings that one should expect from Ms. Hamilton. Everything is tied up rather too neat in the end, but if you are a fan of hers you realize that all her endings are rushed, pat and often weak.All in all this is a good book. The characters grow and remain engaging, the world of the Sidhe grows and becomes more detailed and the sex while not as in your face as in Kiss of Shadows or Narcisus in Chains furthers the plot or at the very least makes sense in the situation. | 34 stars
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Long awaited book that looks beyond method
This book takes a critical look at the way that we have related to method in social science. It develops a number of implications for viewing reality as process rather than product. The insights and the implications offered by John Law are profound, and deserve to be read carefully by scholars and students alike. The text is provocative in its implications yet modest in its propositions. It takes the reader to the heart of dilemmas posed by method in contemporary social science research. | 45 stars
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Good insight
This book is for those who work with bullies in the workplace. Although I didn't find all my answers here, I did find peace knowing I am not alone and that people deal with bullies in different ways. This book sounds arrogant by the title, but it does get you to pick it up and read. It is a practical and honest advice book and I recommend it to those who wish they could rid the workplace of bullies. Too bad bullies don't always know they are bullies and won't see themselves in this book. | 34 stars
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A tasty read
This book made me late for everything...I couldn't put it down to attend to my regular life! The author is a deft storyteller with a rich emotional clarity: She absolutely pinpoints every nuance of feeling in scene after scene. Plus she's extremely funny. Her lead character, Lily, is strong and smart (and clueless), and for some reason I love how she describes herself at one point: "slightly off-kilter, motor running full blast, but basically okay." I had a lot of fun with this book; I'd go anywhere the author takes me. | 45 stars
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The Art of Story-telling lives on in this book
These were many of my favorite stories as a child (and I'm medicare-ready now). Kiplings explanations of how things came to be are so much more imaginative and fun than the picture books of today. We have simplified reading to the point where it isn't really that much fun any more. As a teacher, I see so many aliterate young people: those who can read, but choose not to. Kipling is a great place to start reading for fun and information, even if the information is eventually discovered to be total and even ridiculous fiction. These stories stay in a child's memory. | 45 stars
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12 months + to read
Phew, I finally finished it,last night at 12 midnight 2 October 2005.I was determined to finish it - for it to be over. No book defeats me forever.I was secretly wishing for it to evolve - to really become something worthy of my time.I started reading it in July 2004 and eventually became too embarrassed to take it to my monthly hairdressing appointments where I would get "still reading that book -huh?" I must qualify by mentioning that I normally have more than one book on the go at any given time.Did the author really write all of this or did some assistant take over or alien hijack it? It just got worse and worse.Huge potental and a great topic but it turned into a day time dreary (Days of our L... is more belivable.There was no positive character development for anyone! They were all so ephemeral and fake. The kids hospital room could not have fitted all the toys and gifts in it. No one wants to see a kid doing all that and being so spoilt- come on! It was all so made up and contrived.I was taught in my writting classes that the reader should not be able to see the line between reality and fantasy; that is where one begins and the other ends. Sorry to be so harsh but I feel ripped off. I have not grown as a reader during this reading chore,just probably learned how not to write and to remember to really examine character placement and development.Dear Authors, if you are writting just to pop out another book- Please don't. And edit please- this book was over by at least 100 - 150 pages!!A book should take as long as it takes- not just a deadline to fill. Near enough is no where near the mark.Sorry lovely, but that's the first and last book of yours that I intend to read. | 12 stars
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Watching the Mature Master at Work
Alice Munro is the finest writer of fiction today. That she works almost entirely in the short story form (and sets stories almost always in small town Canada)is much remarked upon by the heavyweight (male) novelists who write bigger, butcher books but genuflect before her, awestruck by the huge, quiet journeys her stories cover in the space of so few pages, so few words. She sometimes travel across decades in a single, sweeping, epic sentence, and she does so without breaking a sweat.To say that The View from Castle Rock shows an artist "at the height of her powers" is, I suppose, as euphemistic as saying that this is a woman "of a certain age." OK, then. Alice Munro is both: She's getting older and getting greater. Her art and life now have the scope of maturity, and that maturity is the real "view" of the title.In this collection she teases the borders between memoir and story, and she explores how the voices of family and heritage and autobiography grow up to become the narrative voices of fictions.It's absolutely wonderful to watch the master at work.I have only one quibble with the book: Its utterly unnecessary introduction in which Munro explains the form of the collection (this batch is based on family history, this batch I just made up, but none of it happened exactly like this, etc).Come on, Alice. You the Man. You don't need to explain. Leave that stuff to the pygmies and the kids. | 45 stars
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Mr. Darcy is a weird guy.
i thought it was a wonderful and Romantic book. i like that Elizabeth is so headstrong and knows how to express her feelings toward mr. darcy. It shows him that she is no prize. She is a humben as well as him I will denfely will read it again. But I will read the longer fervesion this time seen I like it so will I thought that the pictures were great in my book. Jane austen is a great writer. | 45 stars
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Great Birthday Present
Kindle: Amazon's 6" Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)I have wanted one since I first saw them. My mom got me one for my birthday and you know what? I LOVE IT!!!!!I read reviews and all, but you have to try one.The only bad thing is it isnt backlit. I got the light for it, but it would be better backlit!!! | 45 stars
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Lotus Guide review
The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the WorldBy Lynne McTaggartLynne McTaggart's first book, The Field: The Quest for the Secret Force of the Universe, documented discoveries in science that link us to a quantum field of energy, which ultimately becomes our manifested reality. Now through her new book she is providing the opportunity for people worldwide to take part in the Intention Experiment. She provides much-needed validation for the possibility of creating a new world through our thoughts. This is a great book that you can actually get involved with in a global way. See [...] Rahasya Poe, Lotus Guide, [...] | 34 stars
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Rave Reviews
The Kindle is the best new thing to come out in decades! I take it everywhere. It's lightweight, I can get any reading material I could want in seconds and I am never bored when I have to "hurry up and wait."I also enjoy the convenience of being able to search for something like a map or whatever I need on Google (under "experimental!")Fantastic and well worth the money. I spent a fortune on books before and have WAY too many in my house. This eleminates all of that. I also enjoy the Dublin Newspaper that I can't get anywhere else.Would recommend to anyone and have! | 45 stars
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Silly first person
This book came recommended highly. I liked the overall plot and premise, but the narrator was an annoying character and the first person style silly. | 01 star
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An "Ah-Ha moment waiting to happen
The only thing bad I can say is that this book will be lost on most folks who read it. I enjoyed the insight of very successful traders, and was amazed at how differently they approached the markets than I did! I learned a lot, and I refer back to it often. | 45 stars
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Loved it!
I loved this book! I always thought it would be boring, but I found myself laughing out loud, crying, smiling...I couldn't put it down. It was so witty and sweet. It has become my favorite book and I will read it again and again. | 45 stars
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Great Reading
Love how it's written. A little hard to understand some of the words, but I just keep reading and figure it out. Mind blowing to read of life as a warrior in those times, but what it took then is the same as what it takes now I guess. Amazing. I'll be reading this book more than once. | 45 stars
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Meet Merrick Grayslake: Man of Mystery
Rochelle Alers brings us the latest in her Hideaway Saga, STRANGER IN MY ARMS. This is the story of Alexandra Cole and Merrick Grayslake who were introduced as a couple and exchanged vows in RENEGADE, her brother, Gabriel Cole's book.I wanted to know all about Merrick when he first caught my attention when introduced to him in NO COMPROMISE, Michael Kirkland's book. To clarify, Michael is Alexandra's cousin.Confusing? I'm sorry if you are. But true HIDEAWAY fans understand completely! LOLAnyway, when I read RENEGADE and found out that these two had not only "hooked up", fell in love and were engaged but had a baby on the way, I almost lost it! I said to myself, "Hey! How did this happen? I was robbed!" But never one to disappoint her fans, Rochelle Alers delivered on Merrick and Alex and wrote one of the best love stories ever written.We are reintroduced to Merrick Grayslake, a loner for the most part who, due to his clandestine lifestyle in the CIA and being shuffled from foster home to foster home, is very nonchalant, antisocial and reserved. Thrown into the mix is Alexandra Cole, a fast-talking, free-spirited woman with an outgoing, bubbly personality. Cross the two and you have the true meaning of the term "opposites attract". Alex and Merrick's love story was one of growth from friendship to that of love. I found the courtship and romance honest and refreshing. The reader actually sees the romance and feelings develop between them to the point where they make you misty-eyed with their declarations of love for one another.Rochelle Alers does a magnificent job of writing stories that cross over from book to book. Her ability to create scenes that overlap depending on the main characters perspective is pure genius. I loved watching the scene from Merrick's bachelor party again as seen through Merrick's eyes as much as I did through Gabriel's in REGNEGADE! Her writing style is superb!All in all, this book will not disappoint. I loved the surprise ending! I won't give it away but I'll just say that true HIDEAWAY fans will love it! I recommend this book whole-heartedly to anyone who loves a good old-fashioned, romance story and watching a relationship blossom from friendship to love.P.S: Ms. Alers, I hate to look the proverbial "gift horse" in the mouth but what does a girl have to do to see Diego Samuel in book 13? LOL | 45 stars
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Only Jane Austen could do something like this
Boy meets girl, they hate each other at first sight, then fall in love. Only Jane Austen could take such a cliche and turn it in a beautiful story, romantic but not corny, witty, and evocative. Okay, the dialogue is somewhat difficult to follow, especially for those of us whose first language is not English (the first time I tried to read this book I just couldn't get past the first couple of pages), but once you get used to it, you instantly fall in love with the story and the writer. I have read most of Jane Austen's books, but this one remains my favorite. | 45 stars
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Unintentionally funny
I finished reading this book about a week ago. The book started out okay, but the further I got into the story the more unreal it became. I was not convinced that John "Loverboy" Williams was as talented as the book let on. The book had a lot of potential, but the song lyrics and music beats ruined the book by making it more of a comedy than a serious work of fiction. The "telling" of the story rather than the use of description made the story totally ineffective. The ending, rather than leaving me in tears, left me laughing for the past week. I do not believe that was the intention. | 12 stars
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Drake Sisters
Great story line with the Drake Sisters. I have read all four, and can't wait for the other 3 to come out.I have read the Ghostwalker series, and they are just as good if not betterI started the Dark series and I am sure I will read each one.Great author.... | 45 stars
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tedious
I tried reading it and couldnt get through it. Then i listened to it as a book on tape. Couldnt wait for it to end, and I love Poe | 12 stars
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Before Photoshop...
This is a collection of six essays on the nature and practitioners of photography which were written by Susan Sontag in the early `70's. Sontag herself could be wildly polarizing; the responses to this book, grouped in the 5-star and 1-star range reflect that. At the risk of appearing Clintonesque, I will "triangulate."The bad is really bad. Sontag can do a wild rant with the best of them, straying far from any underlying logic. "Like guns and cars, cameras are fantasy-machines whose use is addictive." "...like a man's fantasy of having a gun, knife or tool between his legs. Still, there is something predatory in the act of taking a picture. To photograph people is to violate them..."(!) "Just as the camera is a sublimation of the gun, to photograph someone is a sublimated murder- a soft murder, appropriate to a sad, frightened time." What!! Why on earth don't the 5-star reviewers call her hand on this s...? Why is it that the vast majority of people WANT to have their photograph taken? A death wish?Like another reviewer, I wonder if she has ever taken a picture. Certainly no more than a "snapshot" that she routinely denounces "tourists" and other "low-brows" of taking. Consider the following: "Nothing could be more unlike the self-sacrificial travail of an artist like Proust than the effortlessness of picture-taking, which must be the sole activity resulting in accredited works of art in which a single movement, a touch of the finger, produces a complete work...One can't imagine the Overture toRemembrance of Things Past: Volume I - Swann's Way & Within a Budding Grove (Vintage)ending with the narrator coming across a snapshot of the parish church at Combray and the savoring of that visual crumb, instead of the taste of the humble madeleine dipped in tea, making an entire part of his past spring into view." The "s-word" starts with "m" in French. Yes, tastes and smells can evoke memories, but photographs may be the most powerful in terms of stimulating some long-dormant neurons. Does any photographer compose? Reject? Repeat? Even spend hours developing their work? (at least in the pre-digital age when she wrote this). She mentions Edward Steichen's photography exhibit,The Family of Man The Greatest Photographic Exhibition of All Timebut does not discuss the last photograph, the one taken by perhaps the best photographer of the 20th Century, W. Eugene Smith. He had been badly wounded as a photographer in the Second World War, and struggled to compose the "perfect picture" for his post convalescent career. It is the memorable one of two small children, walking up, out of the woods, into the sunlight. Just a snapshot? Sontag moves from her brief discussion of the optimism of The Family of Man to the `70's icon, the disturbing Diane Arbus, and spends much more time on her bleak vision, and her ultimate suicide.No question, Sontag has a brilliant intellect, and her erudition is impressive, ranging over the fields of art and literature. She even devotes almost a page to one of my favorite, and more obscure photography books, Bob Adelman's 1960's portrait of Wilcox County, Alabama, entitledDown home, Camden, Alabama (A Prairie House book). Even though somewhat positive, she still insists that it "descends" from Walter EvansLet Us Now Praise Famous Men (Penguin Modern Classics), and that the accompanying prose of James Agee is "sometimes overwritten." An elitist Manhattan outlook to the core.I started this review with the concept that I should "triangulate" the extreme reviews, which should mean that this is a 3-star. Yet in writing it I've realized that someone of Sontag's intelligence should have UNDERSTOOD her subject far better before denouncing it and its practitioners. Thus, the triangle collapses to only a short line with a star at each end: 2-stars. | 12 stars
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BS
I would prefer to read something written by a philosopher who cannot write than by a writer who cannot think. | 12 stars
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Love and Honor - Appropriate Title for an Outstanding Novel
I highly recommend this bookI really looked forward to getting my copy of this book. I enjoy an author who believes in heroes and heroines. The story is enjoyable and conveys the sense of history and beliefs are country was founded on. The protagonist, Kieran is the kind of man of honor and integrity all men hope to be. The pitfalls, temptations, and struggles he goes through to accomplish his mission are outstanding. His belief in freedom overcomes tyranny and intrigue. His ideals help him to overcome adversity and achieve love and honor.The plot is thick with action, romance, and conspiracies. The description of Catherine the Greats' Russia, during the late 1700's, is breathtaking and well researched. I felt as if I was in a horse drawn sleigh in the dead of winter around St Petersburg. The fight with wolves, Cossacks, and enemies of American independence are excellent. One of my favorite scenes is with the bagpipes - I will not give away any detail. I like how a man can achieve love and still keep his honor even when there is great opportunity to take short cuts to achieve his goals. I like how women can keep their dignity even when confronted with prejudice and hardship. This is an outstanding book about love and honor and the beginning attitude of our nation. | 45 stars
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fabulous
This is a wonderful book with a great story that is beautifully told. Flemming's use of language is delicious and his descriptions are highly evocative. It also contains one of the raciest sex scenes I have ever read. I loved it! | 45 stars
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Blink
I was intrigued by the message. While I don't necessary agree with everything the author states or his generalities, I felt the book was stimulating and created a good opportunity to reassess thought processes. Shipped timely and was in good condition. | 34 stars
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Great purchase
I have to say that I'm really enjoying my new Kindle 2nd generation. I like the feature of being able to increase or decrease the size of the font and that the book I'm reading picks up right where I left off so there's no fumbling around since I have a bad habit of losing my bookmarks all the time. It just has so many great features it's hard to list them all here.The best part of it is that I can carry all my favorite books around with me in my purse because it's just the right size...not too big and not too small. There are tons of accessories for it too so there's something for everyone out there. I also have downloaded numerous PDF's and now I can read a lot of the free material that I find on the internet without having to sit at my computer too do it. Best of all it's not backlit so it's easy on the eyes. It's a very inexpensive way to read for sure.I also purchased a clip on light to use in dimly lit areas. It works great too. I can read just about anywhere now.I'm just go glad that I made this purchase ! | 45 stars
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Does Not Disappoint!
Ms. Novik is on a roll! She's so thoroughly engaged me, I now can hardly wait to get my hands on the fourth book in the series, because Black Powder War just introduced new characters (human and dragon!) that are only going to make this whole thing just another level more wonderful. All the dragon characters are so totally realized and individual they are in many ways what I look forward to reading more about in each book. The introduction of Arkady the feral dragon, and his motley crew is just about the best spicing to this already rich stew that she could have come up with, and I can only hope there is a large place for them all in the plot of the fourth book. And of course,I can't wait to see how Iskierka lights things up, as she plainly made obvious she is only to anxious to do, already! All in all, this is great fantasy, fully formed and wholly wonderous. | 45 stars
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I would give it 6 stars if I could!
This is an incredibly helpful tool. I've done many presentations in my day, but when I used this book to prepare for our annual sales meeting my presentation skills (and ratings) went through the roof.There are many examples in the book (although too many focused on IPOs) and more helpful than the examples are the actionable tips like using the "WIIFY."I have subsequently used the book to help many of my co-workers improve their skills. This is a must-have, even for the most seasoned presenters. | 45 stars
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