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Not for any branch other than Navy (if even that)
I bought this book thinking it would help when my husband left for boot camp for the Air Force, I was so wrong! Not only is this book more for Navy (should be called Married to the Navy) but it is also very outdated! There are so many things discussed that doesn't even occur in the military anymore (not even in the Navy). The term "Stepford Wives" comes to mind when you read this book. Also it goes into how Officer and Enlisted wives should have nothing to do with each other. I, myself, have found that to be an archaic rule and no one follows it anymore! From what I can tell the book is a way of promoting her website; a website that does nothing to help military wives. | 0negative
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Another Chomsky "masterpiece" that we could do without.
Noam Chomsky is one of the many Jewish members of the American academia that profoundly hates himself and the people he unwillingly belongs to. I would be tempted to say "it is a sad fact" but then so were the Kapo in Auschwitz and other such 'recreational camps' reserved mainly for the Jewish people by the Nazis and their confreres.Since anti-Semitism is not very much en vogue any longer except among Muslims (where it occupies a place of honor right next to "anti-Christianity"), a new concept had to be invented: thus was born "anti-Israelis" which the so-called civilized world finds more acceptable. This ideology of hate that has Chomsky has one of its many proponents, is trying hard to prove, but fails miserably, that the so-called "Palestinians" are victims and thus deserve not only the charity that the World dispenses with unbelievable largess but the sympathy of the literati that more often than not make a handsome living out of it.There is no word in any of these writings of the terrorism that dominates Hamas and Fatah, the lawless land that the "Palestinians" managed to transform Gaza and parts of the West bank. Nothing at all. Readers, if there are any, should not waste their time looking for a balanced view of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Chomsky has never been blessed with this quality. Just as he was not blessed with the love of his family that considers him a seriously disturbed person that must be tolerated until the day he finally expires. | 0negative
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gnr detractors shut up!
Anyone who is a REAL fan of the band will love this book. Anyone who believes Axl is doing the right thing right now will love this book. Anyone who doesn't understand english may have trouble. | 1positive
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My favorite Heyer
This is my favorite book by Georgette Heyer, and I have read it at least 3 times. Like all Heyer books, it is expertly written and masterfully evokes the Regency era. "These Old Shades" is darker than other books by Georgette Heyer, I usually prefer her comedic romps, like Cotillon (another favorite of mine). I believe Georgette Heyer's novels would make great film adaptations, like the Jane Austen films. Why has no one adapted these for the screen yet?! | 1positive
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A Successful Program: Phonics In Action!
I am a teacher who has read, and used extensively, Phonics In Action. It was used in our school with both senior and junior kindergarteners. I was fortunate enough to teach, last year, the very group of grade one children who were in my junior kindergarten program two years before. I was able to compare the phonetic awareness and general learning results of this group to one without the excellent phonemic awareness provided by the kindergarten Phonics In Action program. This book was the most useful professional reference book that I have ever purchased during my many years teaching kindergarten. The program used familiar activities, but changed the focus to letters and sounds. The children were immersed in the sound to be studied. This was "environmental engineering for language" to quote our school speech pathologist. All activities in the day led to heightened awareness for language. The children enjoyed the tasks and we were all (parents, principal, students)very excited about their enthusiasm and success. | 1positive
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Shameless attempt to Cash in
This is a brazen attempt to cash in on the misery of others. Helen Morrison is not much better than the internet ghouls that fawn over killers. Morrison offers a theory that murderers are born not made, but has no evidence to support her thesis. Most of the book recounts the events of various serial killers. How they killed, in graphic detail, how they were caught, where are they now. There is next to nothing new here. Read wikipedia about each killer and you get 90% of this book.Of course she interjects herself into each story with the following format:Description of where she was when she found out she could meet killer.What the killer looked like when she met himThe questions she asked `Why did you do it?"Huge unfounded theoretical leap to finish it offMorrison demonstrates the worst side of psychology, the idea that theoretical concepts like the Id, Superego, etc, are solid proven facts and can be used to explain the actions of madmen. She also shamelessly inserts lurid details for pure sensationalism. John Wayne Gacy's Mother revealed some strange, embarrassing parenting techniques. Even though "Dr". Morrison is sure the details had nothing to do with Gacy becoming a killer, and that Mrs. Gacy seemed mortified, and denied the statements later, she includes a detailed account in her book.It is impossible to respect this writer as a scientist. She claims to want to understand, to predict to save people, but those statements don't stand up to examination. In reality she has achieved her, far less noble, goal of becoming famous. | 0negative
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tedious
I tried, I really tried to read this boring, self- indulgent, deadly tedious book, but I just couldn't get past the 200th page (and that was pushing it). The only thing about the book that was on the positive side was it helped me fall directly to sleep. Plus what's the deal with his obvious strong dislike of women past 40? He's no prize himself. I think Mr. Wolfe should take a break from writing and maybe try another profession. Yuck. | 0negative
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A great and funny read, with characters to revisit!
On every page, I laughed or nodded wryly with recognition of people in my everyday life--only wittier and smarter than the ones I know! Jane Isenberg has created characters whose feelings, motivations and actions strike both a familiar chord and the funny bone. And she has placed them in a fast-paced, intelligent plot that combines individual ambitions and societal realities in a situation mirrored in today's headlines. The fact that her main character is a 50-something woman in the throes of menopausal symptoms is the icing on the cake--would that we all could put our hot flashes and memory lapses to such good use as Bel Barrett does. Set in a multicultural urban and academic milieu, "The M Word" also features savvy, intuitive Latina and African American women who are both real and realistic about the challenges they and their families face. I highly recommend "The M Word" to all mystery lovers, all academics (especially those in community colleges--you might learn something about your own administration politics!) and all mid-life women with a sense of humor about their situation. I hope Bel and comrades will be back soon and often in other cleverly involved plots that mix inescapable truths with ironic fun. | 1positive
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Don't Waste Your Time
This book was among several on the "Free-Help Yourself" table at the library. The blurbs on the back cover made it sound interesting and I wondered if it had been placed on the table by mistake. Au contraire. The writing was uneven and, in places ugly. It reads as if Ms. Strout had resurrected some old papers from a religious history course and tried to incorporate them into a story sequence while visiting a locker room. She seemed to be striving for "holy" with many references to Bonhoeffer and cheap vs. costly grace, but her plot was weak with threads that went nowhere and the result was more "holey" than holy. Characters were wooden, not fleshed out and inserted awkwardly. Search elsewhere for grace. | 0negative
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mean spirited & P. C.
This book was not my first read by Bill Bryson and I will move on to other authors after this read. As I was reading this book I wondered why I had read as much of this author as I have.Bryson tends to look down his nose at people and things that do not meet his obviously cultured standards. His anger whether displayed or passive aggressive has gotten old.An example of my disappointment in this book is the author's report of New York City. Bryson couldn't find anything interesting within the 5 boroughs of the city.His politically correct self contentment is no longer of interest to me. | 0negative
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It's the whole pie with jam in.
Let's not mince words: Ulysses is one of the highest achievements of literary modernism. But it is also a book that must be read again and again (and again) if it is to be understood and enjoyed. Why buy a pulpy and cheaply made edition that falls to pieces on the second read? The Orchises edition, as a physical artefact, is not only aesthetically worthy of the text it presents (including the generous white space framing the text itself)--it also has the durability and weight you'd normally expect from a Bible.Other reviewers have detailed how this book is a faithful facsimile of the 1922 editions. The only other thing I would add is that this is the edition whose colour scheme Joyce himself oversaw: The white text and blue background of the cover symbolise the pentelic marble of Greece and the greenblue of the Mediterranean respectively (which are also the colours of the Greek flag).I thoroughly recommend this beautiful book for anyone who is serious about Ulysses. | 1positive
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Heretical "translation"
There are many things I could write why this is such a heretical book but the easiest thing to notice is that when you look at the author of the book it lists "Joseph Smith" which is exactly right. God is NOT the author of this book but Joseph Smith is. He made all these changes to the Bible with no training in Greek or Hebrew and without any of the manuscripts of the original writings. Just as Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and told them that they were making men "twice as much a son of hell as themselves" so Jesus would tell Joseph Smith the same thing. | 0negative
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Uncle Tom's Cabin
I purchased this book for my son. It was required reading for his 11th grade Honors English class. He needed this book ASAP because as usual, he waits until the very last minute to tell me he has something due at school. I went to Amazon.com and found this book. The price was well within what I wanted to pay for the book. The time between ordering and receiving the book was only a couple of days. I was very pleased with both the item purchased and the time it took to receive the item. The book was in great condition also. I would buy from this seller again and again. Thanks! Tina B. Memphis, TN | 1positive
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almost always on target
(...) I realise that they are produced for a mass audience but, especially in financial matters, Susan's thoughts tend to be spot on. With regards to the romantic side, however, I find her to be a little too optimistic... but that's just my opinion.She nailed a legacy from a female relative, she nailed my house purchase, she nailed the week in which to settle for a mortgage (I got a historically low rate, which lasted for exactly one week, and has never been seen again), she nailed a huge (HUGE) pay rise and she just nailed a payout from an insurance company.I can only assume that someone out there is getting all my "love luck".I like Susan's approach; it's accessible. She's not always right but, by God, she's rarely far from the mark. | 1positive
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The Outsiders
In my opinion the outsiders is a very good book. It is very descpitive and somthing is always happening that you would not expect. The main charecters in the book there are the greasers and the socs.Greaser are the poor kids that have to work for every thing and love to act bad and do bad things. The socs are the rich kids on the other side of town that have everything they want. There are always messing around with the dreaser and always starting fights. | 1positive
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Simplistic Dud
I do not doubt that the author can string together some sentences with the proficiency of an English teacher, but she is no storyteller. This is a sleeper and it is unbelievable to me that it has reached so high on the Amazon list. The story is a simplistic dud. Not much happens and that which does is as predictable as muggy weather in Silver Spring in the Summer. There is some character development and some interesting observations of a time past, but these are limited and are soon lost in the nothingness. | 0negative
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A Slow Train to China...
Would be more exciting than Deuterman's boringly technical story of a vengeful "bridge blower". Nelson De Mille should be pilloried for lending his name to a promo suggesting this drudge is vaguely reminiscent of Day of the Jackal. Start with a wooden hero with the political savvy of a guppy who has somehow arrived at a high post in a highly politicized FBI stumbling his way into a scapegoat role, a sexy FBI insider assigned to nail our hero goat who "gets religion" and helps Agent Don Quijote go off on a field crusade to trap a villain who is so likely that it would be an award-winning surprise ending if he weren't the villain, an "In The Heat of the Night" type state trooper chief who helps our hero and his lady independently capture the cad while fending off the combined power of an interdisciplinary task force including White House representatives, the Departments of Transportation and Justice, the CIA, FBI, EPA and nasty competitive train companies (how they avoided tossing in Nader's Raiders or Greenpeace is beyond me), a parallel plot featuring a U.S. Army train with an unstable nuclear waste cargo, and more detail on blowing a bridge than would be contained in the IRA Bridge Blowing Manual, and you have one of the sleepiest reads in history. To the reviewer whose one line description was "Yawn" I say, "severely understated". The only reason this potboiler gets a second star is a mildly arousing masturbatory sex scene on a chaise lounge that jarred me awake... | 0negative
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Teach Yourself? Not a Chance.
This appears to be an academic analysis of a language for the benefit of other academics, exhibiting both an academic's exhaustive knowledge of Sanskrit as well as his inability or reluctance to introduce a beginner to any understanding of the language at all. If mountains of English text comprised of sentences like the following:"Sanskrit grammarians discussed the cases of the noun in terms of the inflexional morphemes modifying the nominal stem."is your idea of an effective way to lead a beginner to a working knowledge of anything, than by all means spend your hard-earned money on this block of pulp. The rest of us notice immediately that there is absolutely no thought to effective lesson planning, no thought to presenting the material in digestible chunks for the self-learner. It is a gross misrepresentation to include this title under the Teach Yourself label. The Teach Yourself Hindi series was so good I assumed this would be too. Bad assumption. | 0negative
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Perfect for an Ageing Parent/New Grandparent
Purchased this for my Mom's 75th birhtday with a request for wisdom & insight from our family's matriarch. She was pleased to see questions geared towards happier moments in one's history with lots of questions regarding heritage/family tree/etc.Easy to follow, easy to complete, great idea for the new grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. Book appearance nice - not too overstated - questions easy & light - I would highly recommend this version. Shipped promptly and received without damage. | 1positive
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Cursory introduction spread over 1311 pages
Don't expect to have a deep understanding of c#/.net after reading this book. This book is contains tons of filler, useless tables, stupid humor, unwarranted opinion and source code. The book has useful information, but you will waste your valuable time sifting through the generic Wrox template to find it. Wrox must have a fill-in-the-blank program for writing these books. Save your money, there are many others to choose from. | 0negative
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Insanity Can be Genius
There is a true genius in the ability to absorb and appreciate hysterical insanity, while maintaining enough sanity to portray it in a memoir of experiences. Augusten separates himself from the "off" people in his life while maintaining a curiousity and an almost appreciation for the humor and entertainment they provide. Instead of juding, he joins in at a safe enough distance, resulting in a report of his life experiences through extremely funny and clever tellings. | 1positive
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Like teenagers using curse words because they can
I don't have much to say about this book. I threw it away after the 4th chapter when they described in detail how animals are slaughtered. Ya, that will make me loose weight, I'm going to be sick so there goes my breakfast. My main problem with this book is the stupid use of profanity. I feel like I was listening to teens trying to see how vulgar they could be. I knew there would be cursing due to the title but it just got silly after a while. At one point the author says "it's so good it will make your pubes fall out". What! stupid. I know this is not a wonderfully written review but just wanted to put my voice out there. | 0negative
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A view of the war from the eyes of soldiers
"Will They Ever Trust Us Again?" is a book that should be on required reading list for every high school student in America. This book is comprised of personal correspondence e-mailed to Michael Moore from soldiers stationed in Iraq and around the world, veterans, and family members of soldiers. Michael Moore opens our eyes once again to the reality of the Iraq war under the Bush administration, this time through the words of our soldiers and their families. Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" had the distinction of setting records in the box office by being the highest grossing documentary ever. His documentary received a passionate response from the world, inflaming some, and inspiring many others. What I love about Moore's talent at filmmaking is his ability to spark the interest of the average person in hard-hitting social issues. We may not always agree with his viewpoint, but we almost always become engaged in the topic. (...) His book, "Will They Ever Trust Us Again?", is the result of his talent at giving a voice to the unheard. He first gave a brave and public voice to our soldiers in his documentary. Many more soldiers and their families have since found a friend in Michael Moore which is evident in their touching letters. Through Michael Moore, they have found a way to make their own voices heard. Their letters speak of the hardships they endure on the warfront, the moral and ethical questions they find themselves pondering, their need for better equipment, their confusion and anger about the reasons for this particular war, their fear for their safety, and overwhelmingly their love for America, their patriotism, and their sense of duty and honor. | 1positive
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Concise, masterful; definitive Hemingway
The definitive text of "The Lost Generation," this novel makes it clear why Hemingway's writing style as utilized here has become the de rigueur manual for the descriptive, narrative, novelist. The exotic locale of Paris in the 20's is peopled by Hemingway with equally interesting characters, who are believable and three-dimensional in their neuroses and post-war entanglements. Lady Brett Ashley leaves all in her wake as she convinces the reader that she is the ultimate socialite, bored by society and its rewards. The frustrations of the narrator, Jake Barnes, is no less than the voice of an entire generation made impotent by the anxiety of the post-war debacle which was the expatriate scene in Paris, bent on losing touch with the realities of the age via alcohol and all-night parties. This book is as fresh now as ever, even when the dialogue shows its age, because all extraneous description was cut by Hemingway to make this a real gem. The contrast between Brett, Jake, and Robert Cohn, a cardboard cut-out of a man used to accent Jake's anguish, is a realistic time-capsule of a cafe society whose confusion spirals into dissipation and self-destruction. | 1positive
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Quite dillusional
Cannot believe he talks of Shawshank Redemption so poorly! Does not know a good heartfelt movie when he sees one. Possibly burnt out from seeing so many he has become quite dillusional. | 0negative
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Exquisite...
This book (and series) is hands down my favorite. I am guiding my girlfriend through her first time right now (I myself have probably read it 6 times) and she's just started Children of Dune. The only thing I can really add to what's been said, is, do NOT give up reading Dune Messiah. Children of Dune picks up almost as good as Dune, and they get even better. Dune Messiah feels like a prologue to CoD, and if you don't read it, everything after will be even more confusing. Although, I don't really like Paul anymore.. his son is SO much better. Paul ran from his destiny, but Leto II embraced it.. I honestly cried at the end of God Emperor.. | 1positive
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Not worth the wait or the time
It's not that Donna Tartt can't write; it's that she can't STOP writing. What the editors did, I cannot guess -- there are no typos but this book would benefit by some paring down. The story of a downward spiraling family, it offers no resolution, just a long, long read but not a satisfying one. While I admired and enjoyed reading her debut novel, this one disappoints. Three-quarters of the way through this sad story, I realized I didn't like any of the characters nor did I care very much about them. Ms. Tartt's writing is curt -- and full of asides, like so -- and I felt as though I were reading a first draft that, yes, was 10 years in the making. | 0negative
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Still Resonates
Island is an excellent novel that, even after 50 years, remains relevant because the story line resonates in terms of how we humans consistently, perhaps not consciously, but most assuredly, and maybe even inevitably, undermine the foundations of utopia through our daily actions, decisions and attitudes. | 1positive
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BLAH
HAHAHAHAHAHAH IT WAS HORRIBLY BAD, I WISH I NEVER READ IT, THE WRITING WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOO BAD. Though the pictures were great. | 0negative
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Simple Words For Profound Thoughts
Rachel Pollack takes the complex subject of Tarot and renders it intelligible. As a novice reader on the topic, I was hesitant about buying this book for fear of not understanding, but as soon as I'd read the Preface, I felt reassured. It was like being welcomed into a unfamiliar house and then finding warmth and acceptance.The key to the book's success is found in Rachel Pollack's ability to communicate, as the Preface demonstrates: 'I wrote 'Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom' for three reasons. The first was to elucidate, in an abstruse colloquiality, the inherent dynamism of mystical exposition in a post-anti-intellectual epoch while simultaneously pre-empting myriad polarities arising from the tentativation of unscholarly ignorance predicated upon, yet not essentially inimical to, the clarity of confluence.'The second reason for publishing was to extract from the inexplicable a discourse on deliniation between fact as fiction and fiction as didacticism, albeit well-intended, and to then distil that discourse till potency of purpose became integral to procedural rectitude without the attendant self-proclamation of justified revelation.'The third reason was to communicate clearly and effectively.'Such was the effect of this book that I no longer feel I need to read any others on the subject of Tarot. | 1positive
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The best book I'll ever read!
This book is a wonderful story. It is a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down. Charlotte Bronte does awesome discriptions. I recomend this book to everyone who likes most classics. I wish people still wrote books this good. I guess you could call this book a trying-to-find-your-place-in-the-world story. Jane is totally amazing! Even if I am only 11, I can understand what Ms. Bronte is talking about. | 1positive
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Stanley was sad 'cause he was sent to Camp Green Lake.
Holes is a very very nice book. When we had an advertisemaent in our school, I advertised Holes and 13 out of 23 in our class voted it for a 10 starred book. It is so much fun reading it. This is for all ages. Get it now! | 1positive
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Experiences with Princeton Review
I have bought this book based upon the reviews above, but the content and example questions that I got were much easier than those of my textbook questions from SCHOOL!! For those who only need to review basic formula's/concepts this book is good enough for you, but for those who are seriously in trouble for specific questions, beware!I have already bought Princeton Review books for SAT I Mathmatics and Verbal, but both those only describe concepts and not specific methods to tackle problems. I lost all hope in princeton review. | 0negative
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A must-buy for every parent.
This book is a neccessity for every parent and child. It is very educational according to many schools, but for a child it is the most entertaining book I have ever read. Full of the dry humour Gerald Durrell is famous for, in the tradition of its parent book, " My family and other animals", it has the power to keep readers enthralled for hours. Be prepared to laugh when you read this book, it is one of those classics which have been made into countless plays in countries worldwide, without boring a single person | 1positive
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a story to believe
This book is a little unbelieve 'cause i had heard some stories about crossing the board but never one like this one. This book can give an opinion to believe or not on it. Read it, it may give you a different prespective of this story like the one you passed (if you crossed the great river).edgar23 | 0negative
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Holy Bible on Kindle!
The BIBLE is always a great read! I will be doing a study using my kindle Bible! Thank You for having it on the kindle! | 1positive
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Not as good as the movie
Yes, this is one of the rare cases where the movie based on the book is better than the book itself. I felt that in an effort to make the characters more 'appliance-like' the author totally eschewed any characterization. The characters are rather flat and boring, with almost no individual personalities. They do not even have names, rather going by 'the toaster' 'the lamp' 'the blanket' ect. While most of the plot points are the same, the ending is vastly different than the movie's, and almost an anticlimax. The fact that you can buy the movie at almost any video store and the book is out of print IMHO speaks volumes. I gave the movie 4 stars. The book barely makes two. | 0negative
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Not A Memorable Book
It may have Arthur C. Clarke's name on the cover, but the actual content written by Clarke is minimal. Go marketing! Barely anything about the book stuck after reading it, and normally when I read a Clarke novel I retain vivid descriptions of character and dilemmas. Not much science fiction (very unlike Clarke, which I why I think he 'wrote' it 'name only' by providing the only first chapter and maybe a few paragraphs later), and most of the novel is a tedious bollywood trainwreck.I can't say enough stuck with me to even 'hate' the novel, as that would be a strong inspired emotion. Strong inspired emotions are not present in this mediocre book, which read like a hollywood script rejected a few hundred times for being too cliche. Aliens steal gold, outwit military forces, gratuitous sex scene, humans meander, more gratuitous sex scenes, trainwreck of plots, the end (lacks resolution).Save yourself the trouble and find a better use for your reading time. | 0negative
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Hard to like, easy to put down.
While I understood all the issues in this book, the guilt shame ect.. I really didn't enjoy it at all, The characters were not developed enough, Michael was weak, even pathetic and Hanna was not a likeable person. I would have liked it if I could get into the characters more, it was hard to enjoy when I had such feelings of indifference towards them. | 0negative
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Good? You have got to be kidding me, right?
Well, I hate to go against the flow of all the glowing reviews about Mr. Cuppy's book, but you have go to be kidding me! I love history. I love sarcasm if it's done in moderation (and not proffered in the mindless "Friends" sitcom-like way). I love parody. I love learning about the human side of life. But this thing, this beast, this pretension of a book? What drugs are you on? I'm giving this book two stars because Mr. Cuppy manages to use English language and grammar in a reasonably literate fashion. But, please, talk about thuddingly ham fisted. If you like the fey humor the New Yorker dishes up on a bad day; if you like inscrutable comic rhythms such as the old NBC Dave Letterman show had with Brother Theodore (come to think of it, the new CBS Dave Letterman still has inscrutable comic rhythms) this might be for you but to me Mr. Cuppy's droll little footnotes and attempts at tongue in cheek humor are just insufferable. E.g., "I heard different." "It goes to show you never know." "Pronounced Chumley."??? Oh, dammit, I'm ROFLMAO! Not! Imagine a Yalie, Princeton or Harvard man droning on about something of infinite gest (well, of infinite gest only to them) in that "piping" tone of voice and (shudder). Well you get the point. Awful. | 0negative
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If you like emotionally stunted characters...
then you'll like this book. I just wanted them to grow up (warning - most don't and you have to wait till last couple of pages (or minutes) until two of them do. This one doesn't have any of the wit or charm that the "Simply" series holds. The love scenes made me wince and every one described how the female lead "tingled" somewhere. I'm really regretting the $30 + dollars spent on the audio version. | 0negative
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The Light of Day - Possibly Best Novel by Eric Ambler
The Light of Day is an exceptionally good story that involves a rather unusual protagonist for a suspenseful thriller, a petty crook named Arthur Abdel Simpson. The setting is Athens and Instanbul in 1962. The book was a best seller, and it was adapted into a successful movie, a lighthearted caper titled Topkapi (1964). Peter Ustinov received an academy award for his portrayal of Arthur Simpson.Arthur, as the protagonist in The Light of Day, is disagreeable, dishonest, and disreputable. He blames others for his failings, he cheats his clients, and he has served a short sentence for distributing pornographic material. Arthur is caught stealing and is blackmailed into driving a car from Athens to Istanbul. The bumbling Arthur is arrested for smuggling at the Turkish border and now finds himself working unwillingly for the Turkish secret police. Neither Arthur nor the reader quite understands the situation. Is he mixed up with a political plot, arms smuggling, drug trafficking, or something else? Despite my misgivings, I found myself becoming sympathetic to Arthur. Had he conned me too?I highly recommend this suspenseful novel by Eric Ambler. I enjoyed (and reviewed) both Ambler's A Coffin for Dimitrios and Journey into Fear, but The Light of Day is even better. This book would be a good starting point for anyone new to Eric Ambler. | 1positive
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Crichton's worst book
Michael Chrighton doesn't believe that the continuous dumping of hundreds of millions of tons of carbon, a heat retainer, into the atmosphere can have any effect, good or bad, on the planet. In case you don't get the message, his characters repeat it over and over and over and over and over - after seeing it for about the 400th time I finally got the real message - this book stinks. All the environmentalists depicted in the book are bad - they snivel, cringe and raise their shrill voices whenever they speak. The character who are global warming skeptics are all good - they reason and reply calmly. And if you're still not sure who's right, the other characters will always rejoin with "I never thought of that" or "Why don't the newspapers publish that information?" It has what is supposed to be a happy ending, with the environmentalist whacko getting beaten, cut up and eaten alive by cannibals in case anyone was taking his irrational dialogue seriously (the cannibals otherwise have no relevance to the story, but I guess they show what happens when people live in societies that don't burn fossil fuels). Crichton fans probably won't believe how bad this book really is until they read it for themselves - too bad. | 0negative
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On my top 10 list!
I was hesitant to read The Red Tent at first- I wasn't looking for a heavy, religous book. I decided to read it because my mom kept telling me how much I'd love it. It turned out to be one of the BEST books I've ever read. It is a very colorful story set in an exotic time and place about as far from my life as you can get! It is a book that I feel all women should read- and read together if they can! Diamant does a wonderful job of exploring the many complex and important relationships women share with each other throughout their lives. It is a beautiful story- I promise you will not be disappointed! | 1positive
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Nothing we haven't heard before
I've read a bunch of different books on the subject and didn't find this one to impart anymore wisdom. Its for the parent who answers to their child and not to themselves. Its written in a very stodgy, unhumanistic way that pretty much says, "please your kids before evr pleasing yourself". From the advice given, I am wondering if either author even has any teenager children of their own. I would suspect not! | 0negative
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conservative ideology
Himmelfarb is a conservative ideologue who is extremely unsympathetic to Mill's liberalism, which she seems to view as the root of all cultural evil in modern America. Her thesis that there are "two Mills" (one a classical liberal, the other -- inconsistent with the first -- a radical feminist/socialist controlled by his wife) has been thoroughly discredited in the academic literature. It is simply a product of Himmelfarb's own confusions. The book is so misleading as to be worthless. | 0negative
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Fun, Fun, Fun with lots of great characters.
This was a good book. At first I thought it was like a bunch of small stories about two newbie stick-up men. How they went about thinking on how to stick-up grocery stores, bars, etc... and then actually pulling them off. But then, as the book went on, every thing started to get really well tied together in this great plot. This is one of my favourite Elmore Leonard books. The characters were great as what the plot. This is also the introduction to the Stick character who after you read this book, you wanted more of. (He then later followed it up with the book...Stick) SWAG is classic Leonard at its best.I've read about 20 of his books and this is within the top 5. | 1positive
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Needs no introduction
An English classic which needs no introduction or explanation! Lovely to have it on Kindle to reread anytime, anyplace, anywhere! | 1positive
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Insomnia is the proper title for this book
This is the first Stephen King novel that I have read. If his other works are as bad as this one. Then Insomnia will be my last Stephen King novel. | 0negative
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I love classics. I'll never read Henry James again.
It's his style I can't get my arms around...conceptually interesting, but his writing here flows like a gutter clogged with leaves, only occasionally achieving the fluidity I look for in fine writing. I chose it because it was shorter than some of the more famous ones. Life is too short. I'll sell it back. | 0negative
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Buzz Kill
Taking under consideration all of the 5 Star Reviews, I was disappointed. It started off really good but the author seemed to belabor the same point over and over and over... It was like a movie that starts off really good and never reaches a climax. I would go to a book store and read the first chapter to get the whole gist. | 0negative
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crazy lady...not my favorite book
I read Crazy Lady.It was horible. It was the most stupid book I read this year. I do not like serious books. I'm on the funny side. The book was about a drunk lady & her son that had mental problems. Their names were Maxine & Ronald. Maxine & Ronald got on my nerves because they got into so much trouble. There was a boy named Vernon. His mom died and he had issues in school. He was the main character in the book. | 0negative
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Perfect overview book for medicine students
This book is strongly recommended in the education for medical students in the University of Lund. That's why I read it. It's perfect as a startup book for your pre-clin medical studies. It's not deep enough in the physiology part (although anatomy and especially histology is very good) but the integrated approach is really terrific and it makes you understand in a whole new way. If you want to become a good doctor, you should absolutely buy this book, or borrow it a least in your library. The first integrated anatomy & physiology book I've read that's deep enough for medical students. Good work Seeley. | 1positive
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Outstanding
Within the one thousand and twenty-four pages of this book, a reader is allowed to experience hardships, heartbreaks, shocking revalations, and most of all, an overwhelming emotionally-charged, intense book. This is one great book! Characters come alive, colors form before the eye of your imagination, shapes and sounds seem to ring in your ears, and undeniable passion sets fire to your heart. If you haven't read this experience of a lifetime, you are missing out on one of America's most treasured, true, and honest classics. (Those nights you will spend reading late into the hour and the tiredness of the next day are definatly worth it:) | 1positive
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DISAPPOINTING
A potboiler. What can I say?The author, a Harvard alum, and federal prosecutor, creates a complex crime story which stretches credibiltiy far beyond limits. She tries to put many story lines into play; most of which are absurd. Her writing skills ( in terms of dialogue, human thoughts and emotions ) are minimal. How she got this published is a mystery. Out of 10 I am generously giving it a 4. | 0negative
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THE RULES are FOR FOOLS!
Leave your brain and common sense behind! The RULES has to be the stupiest plan for finding marriage (forget about love--that hardly enters the picture--just getting a ring at any cost from anything that will have you!) EVER created. I cringed when I read it. It's all predicated on being a "fake" and acting like a "bimbo". Yecch! These two authors are probably laughing all the way to the bank--but I regret I wasted my money on their really purile and ridiculous "plan." There are BETTER books out there...much better. Save your money! | 0negative
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A heavy, ponderous work
This story was ponderous and tedious. A complicated story line, which caused difficulty in understanding what was going on. If you don't already have a strong historical knowledge for this time period and place, you may have difficulty understanding the names, events, places, etc. I gave up on it after only going about 1/3 through it. Just not worth the effort. | 0negative
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Product Review
Again... Tori Amos is the worst person on this entire family. I bought this as a gift for a friend. He liked it, but Tori Amos sucks!!! | 0negative
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A very good book which will shift your thinking.
This book can show you how to keep your mental balance in today's world. Its technique of imparting material is concise yet insightful. It also is presented in such a way that the principles are easy to remember. A very good self-help book which almost is on a level with Maxwell Maltz. | 1positive
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Well written, but utterly ridiculous!
Alright how to review a book that uses know intelligence at all. Hmmm... well it seems as though the public believes anything they are told. Even if the "facts" told to them are from a fictional "expert." This is the sad state of the world today. The book opens with the death of the curator of the Lourve, The Da Vinci Code is a mystery story and is reframing the way people think about Christianity, the church, and Jesus himself. First off the premise of this book really isn't original. It was done before in the 1970s, but recieved little to no support. Anyway the novel finds Harvard "symbologist" Robert Langdon thrown together with a french cryptologist and the daughter of the slain man, Sophie, as they try to unravel a series of clues hidden in the works of da vinci and they attempt to deny the diety of Christ. Using many made up facts and imaginable 80 gospels which have been disproven as propaganda devised by the atheist, alot of the actual historical facts are inaccurate such as the exact date of the discovery of the dead sea scrolls. The book says they were discovered in the 1950s, which is untrue, they were actually discovered in 1947. It is one thing to offer a novel that posits all sorts of conspiracies and theories that intrigue the imagination and provide fodder for coffee-break discussion, but it is entirely different when a writer puts things into the mouths of his fictional characters and present it as true, proven facts when they hae obviously been disproven. Face it people, everyone that has tried to disprove the diety of Jesus Christ has failed miserably. Christ is the Son of God, okay so get over it. No amount of theories or false religions (i.e. atheism, muslim, agnostic) will change that. Besides the Bible already predicted these things, so we are never surprised with things like this. I'm shocked that many of you people buy into this. I mean art critics have examined da vinci's drawing of the "Last Supper" and every sunday school student knows good and well that their were 12 disciples, and that has been proven, and considering that this was the last supper all the disciples would be their. Because John doesn't have a beard, this guy gets it in his head that this must be Jesus's wife? WHAT RUBISH! Every historical document, ancient diary, and even all art critics say that the figure in the painting is of a young man without a beard. You see that pretty much takes the wind out of this persons argument. Brown's expert is wrong on even simple, basic facts. As I mentioned before, The Dead Sea Scrolls were not discovered in the 1950s but in 1947. They were documents from a Jewish community that thrived during the time just prior to Jesus' life. They not only do not contain any "gospels" of any kind, but make no reference to Jesus at all. There are a few "gospels" among the Nag Hammadi documents, but based on the dating of the documents themselves, the allusions to the Canonical Gospels found in them, and the references found in the Early Church Fathers to the teaching that permeates the Nag Hammadi material, it is reasonable to conclude that these so-called gospels all are much later creations than the Canonical Gospels. The discriptions of Jesus is inconsistence not only with the Gospels, but what is known about Jesus from sources outside of the New Testament. It is true that Jesus is the most inspirational leader the world has ever seen, but He did not personally topple kings. Ultimately, His followers did influence millions for Him, but His personal ministry touched far fewer. Although He is the Messiah and as such the rightful heir to David's throne, His life was not recorded by thousands of His followers. Not only is there no reliable historical evidence of such wide spread recording, but seeing as He lived in a time when writing materials and ability were scarce, it is unreasonable to make such an assertion. Also this moron, Brown, has his "expert" quoting from the Gospel of Philip. There are some Aramaic/Syrian nuances in the work, but it doesn't exist in Aramaic. Apparently Brown intends for us to accept the idea that the original Armaic word that was translated into Greek and then into Coptic always means "spouse." But neither the word in Aramaic, or Greek, or Coptic for "companion" has as its only meaning "spouse." Face it, Jesus wasn't married, and He is the Son of God. So honestly as I have just exposed the stupidity of this lame-brained author, I hope you'll be smart and not support false teachings, and definately do not, under any circumstances, support this wad of junk. PLEASE, next time you try to deny the diety of Christ, at least get the facts strait Brown. | 0negative
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STUPIDEST BOOK IN THE WORLD
one day while sitting in my class at school, we watched a movie. instead i chose to read The Hobbit. it should have been good right? after all...it is so famous. i soon learned i was wrong. what a horrible book. do not read it. forget about all the other reviews. they just think bilbo the bimbo is hot. (however they could think that...) STUPID BOOK! id rather be forced to read the story of how grass was given the name grass. | 0negative
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Rereading a Classic
This was required reading in my 9th grade class many, many years ago, and recently when I was looking out at Treasure Island in San Francisco, I recalled the book and decided to send for a copy. It is every bit as good a tale on rereading as it was at first. It has a glossy hard cover, good print and appears to be, perhaps, one from a series of "classics" for young readers. If you like stories of pirates of old and buried treasure, you will enjoy this at any age. However!A caveat for youger readers. Victorian prose usually has a lengthy development and is often excessively wordy for modern readers. If you're looking for "fast", you won't find it here, but it is still a good tale and has, I believe, been made into a movie a couple of times, so if you're not into leisurely reading, go for the movie. Amazon probably has it, Amazon has everything! | 1positive
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Buying an Ad, not a Book!
I was shocked at how much of the book served as an advertisement for the author's products.I regualarly see more information on free websites than I found in this book for which I paid a lot more than it was worth.I LOVE books and buy them with high expectations. I was sorely disappointed. | 0negative
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More descriptive than Clan of the Cave Bear...
especially the first half of the book, where perhaps too much emphasis is in immersing the reader in the setting, at the expense of plot. The first half of the book took me 6 days to read, which whilst not boring it was easy to put the book down. The second half of the book I read in one sitting as the plot & pacing of the book became Auel's primary focus. The first book was excellent & this is nearly as good & should definitely be read if you enjoyed the first. Ayla is a wonderful character & Jondalar isn't far behind. | 1positive
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Entertaining book with memorable characters!
The second book of the Timura Tales is a wonderfull and entertaining read. There are a few twists that are surprising given one has read the first book, and assuming that you don't read the back cover which may reveal one crucial twist. I can't wait for the next installment of this series. Mr. Cole has weaved a memorable book which leaves you waiting anxiously for the conclusion, although you may find yourself asking for more! | 1positive
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Start by asking the questions
Why are we educating our children?Do we love them enough to have them question the "respectable values" of our present day society or do we want them to be "good citizens" (hence good soldiers) and imitative human beings?If we loved our children we would teach them to question and not simply try to fill them with knowledge.Krishnamurti challenges us in a way that no one else has. I have read every book of his I could find as well aswatched videos of his talks. He talked all over the world for 60 years and his talks are just as relevant today.Why haven't politics, organized religion or war solved our problems?Don't expect answers but be prepared for the beginnings of understanding the problems. | 1positive
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Rocky does it again!
I developed a number of apps. utilizing Rocky's architecture for VB6, so, when I was learning VB.NET and noticed Rocky had a book out on his CSLA architecture in .NET, I knew I had to buy it. As is the case with all of Rocky's books, they are the best value out there. He explains the stuff extremely well, (yes, I have to read a few of the chapters a couple of times, but, this is some difficult stuff) and follows up his explanations with solid, correctly executing code. I learn best by examples, and loading his projects and stepping through them provide me with an invaluable learning experience. I cannot wait for his C# book on CSLA. I have already been on his website and downloaded the beta code in C# and started working on some C# projects so when his book comes out, I will have already tackled the material. | 1positive
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The Language Is Offensive
A couple of acquaintances recommended Stephanie Plum and Evanovich to me for humourous reading. It was a waste for me. They are many "fun" books out there with decent language to take up my spare time. | 0negative
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A thoughtful book with stories that will touch you!
Minnesota's St. Olaf College professor of philosophy, Charles Taliaferro, has written 43 essays that he divided into three groups:1. Divine Love in Ordinary Times--a theme of friendship and compassion from personal events2. Divine Love in Politics and Culture--about today's events3. Divine Love--personal but not unique or isolated, such as illness and death of a parentTaliaferro's favorite essayist is G. K. Chesteron, who noticed and wrote about the commonplace--and that these things could be the start of a meditation on a deeper meaning. Often the author uses his philosophy background to tie today's world to the renowned philosophers.The author explains that he has written the essay "in situ," meaning they are occasioned by a specific event that is odd or embarrassing. Sounds like everyone's life, doesn't it? But he wrote them down.Taliaferro finds humor and poignancy in every-day happenings--like when he developed a very serious infection from a splinter and the care that hand (which took on a life of its own) had. He writes about all the people who held that hand, even when it looked gross. That simple act of holding his hand he relates to the Garden of Eden, and that Adam and Eve distanced themselves, however after the "Fall," they find hope for healing only after they again hold hands.He tells many stories, one about getting a dog he dotes on (don't we all?) Or, about losing a dear friend and mentor who taught and supported him. He reminds us of the need to "remember the joy" and find the appropriate humor of things since the September 11th's tragedy.On the Divine Love in Politics and Culture section, he writes that ethics means our own moral reflection begins when we weigh reasons for and against our own position. He believes that politeness is needed in politics and certain talk shows--because politeness reflects a deep understanding of the value and dignity of each person.You may even find your own "in situ" within his writings.Armchair Interviews says: Whether on this side or the other (heaven), it's important to say the world LOVE a lot. So here goes ...Love, Love, Love--is a thoughtful book with stories that will touch you. | 1positive
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Pleasure in Learning
Karwoski, Gail Langer. Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean. Illustrated by Connie McLennan. Mt. Pleasant, SC. Sylvan Dell Publishing. Hardback. 32 pages. $15.95. ISBN 0-9764943-1-0Little Person sleeps in his warm, dry bed while dreaming about how marine mammals manage to get some rest in the depths of the ocean. Dolphins take turns on guard duty; manatees rise to the surface like bubbles, then sink again; Northern fur seals sleep on the shore, piled on top of each other like puppies.We as humans spend about a third of our lives sleeping. Scientists think our brains will not work without sleep. What if we could "sleep" with one side of our brain and stay awake on the other side like whales and dolphins? Think how much work we could accomplish.The elephant seal can sleep in the depths and suspend breathing for as long as two hours. Thick blubber under their skin keeps walruses warm in the icy sea.Gail Langer Karwoski spent six years gathering material for this book. Typical of a Sylvan Dell picture book, parents and teachers can use this beautifully illustrated story for pleasure or learning. Most of their stories are fictional, but deal with non-fictional themes of science. At the end of each book is a section called For Creative Minds. Up-to-date scientific research gives fun facts about mammals. Students are given patterns and invited to create their own marine mammal.Connie McLennan is an award-winning freelance artist. Her rich oil paintings are stunning. She positions "Little Person" swimming and sleeping along side the creatures in their deep water habitats. She uses the vivid colors of the best and sweetest dreams.Hopefully Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean, which won the Mom's Choice Most Outstanding Children's Book Author 2005, will ease the child to sleep on "gentle waves of imagination. | 1positive
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Of Mice and Men
This book takes place in Soledad,CA. It taking about two migrant workers Lennie and George. George is "small and quick and dark of face". "Lennie, a huge man has the mind of a young child". George like a father that taking care his trouble son Lennie. Lennie is a trouble maker, he made a lot of trouble. Finally George can't help Lennie and he use a gun point on the back of lennie's head.Read on to find out what happened next.I give this book 5 stars, beacuse I like John Steinbeck's books. | 1positive
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getting worse
Thes books are getting worse and worse. The story in Winter's Heart just wandered around without getting anywhere. Even worse Jordan opened up new subplots without resolving any of the old ones! | 0negative
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Review From One Book At A Time
I hate giving classics bad reviews. This book was not for me. Nothing captured my attention and I found that I had to force myself to read it. If it had been any longer I would have stopped. It did catch my interest a little in the end, but not enough to redeem the book in any way. | 0negative
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Existential Angst
Rice's first novel is also her best. She'll write one better, someday, when she finally nails her vampires' coffin lids shut and moves on.Gentleman plantation owner Louis wants something more out of life - like, for it to go on longer than it does. He suffers from terrible ennui, and an even greater desire to never die, even though life's pleasures aren't all that satisfying. Enter Lestat, an elusive vampire who offers Louis what he can't resist: eternal life. Too bad it wasn't really all it was cracked-up to be.This is an incredible book. That it is a horror story is merely incidental. What this novel is really about is man's search for meaning, and his desire to uncover his own origins.At her best, Rice explores the question of immortality, and all it implies. Her vampires are perfect spokespeople for the theme: being immortal, they no longer have any need to procreate, and become stagnant, decadent and mad. The more philosophical among them, like Louis, seek greater meaning - but none is to be found. The vampire's greatest curse is boredom. Some cure it through suicide; others, like Lestat, through the perversity of evil diversions.Perhaps the greatest character creation Rice ever achieved, and one of the more interesting ones in all of literature, is Claudia, Lestat's crowning masterpiece of twisted ingenuity: a pre-pubescent vampire, who psychologically matures even as her body is frozen perpetually in youth, and who becomes the most evil of creatures, in frustrated desire, as a result.This book should be a text for modern philosophy classes. It's really brilliant, in every way. As a story, it reads incredibly well, but the whole is so much more than a mere story.Don't miss this one. | 1positive
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Too Dark a Dawn for Me
She is sixteen and alone in a wilderness she can't survive. Her parents are dead, cut down right in front of her. It's 1810, and Emily Ambrose is terrified, grief-stricken, and broken. And then she is found by a young Indian, one who guides her, protects her, provides for her, makes love to her. But never speaks to her. Until he too, leaves her.Emily doesn't know why. Or what she did that made him leave. She knows she loves him and is devastated by his loss, even if she never knew his name. She knows her hope and confidence, and any meager joy she had found since watching her parents slaughtered, is gone. Not even the gentle kindness of the trapper John Cartier, the man who finds her after even her Indian left her, is enough to convince Emily she has any worth at all, or any hope for a future too bleak to survive.From the moment John stumbles upon Emily in the woods, she's like sunshine to him, a bright source of warmth and joy. He can tell she's deeply wounded, emotionally drained. Fortunately, John's a patient and caring man, and he sees Emily as just another wild, traumatized soul who needs help similar to that he's always given the creatures of the forest. He yearns for her, but he knows, beyond doubt, that unless she's given space, time, and gentle handling, the bright light that shines in her will go dark forever. And that's just not acceptable to John.He wants a chance at a future with Emily. She is forever to him. He just needs to convince her.~*~Originally published in 2002,White Dawnhas been re-released along with the other eleven books in Edwards' popular White series. Western Romance novels aren't my favorite type of historical, but I was curious about this one and wanted to see where the series began. I wish I'd liked it more.My issues had nothing to do with how the book was written. It's certainly authentic for the time and the story is told with solid technical skill. There were some minor issues with a bit of repetition in some of the plot points, but that complaint was minor. The characters were nicely fleshed out, Emily's backstory intensely sympathetic, and John's past well-defined.Unfortunately, I thought the first quarter of the book too harsh and depressing to be entertaining and I got very frustrated with Emily's character when she was mired in her depression. It was realistic, I suppose, and even understandable. There is such a thing as too realistic for me, though, and this is a good example of it.Plus, I couldn't help but be a little squigged out by her relationships with both her Indian (because of the result) and John, who at ten years her senior seemed to have achieved an aura of adulthood that Emily had not. It wasn't the age difference - that' wasn't my problem. I just never felt Emily was all that grown up at any point. And that bothered me. I know that a sixteen-year-old was considered an adult back then. I do. But there wasn't enough maturity in Emily's character for me to forget or forgive the instinctive ick-factor of a young girl in her position.I really liked John. Truly. He was a gentle giant and I loved how he related to the animals and to Emily. He was my favorite character in the book, hands down. His friends and his grandfather also made great secondary characters. I even liked Emily later in the book, when she'd warmed up to John and stopped being so depressed. There just wasn't enough of that for me to really appreciate her character in total.The storyline was a little weird for me too. I know it's the first book in a well-developed series, but reading just this book on its own caused some problems for me. Swift Foot's backstory and his influence in Emily's life was not only depressing, his storyline cut off with no resolution and a sort of emotional downer. Maybe he's featured in other books, maybe he and his tribe play a part in later books, but it leaves a hole in this one. So did John's cousin. Not a good guy, obviously, but his storyline just sort of cut off suddenly with no resolution.There were aspects of the book that I did enjoy. Plot points and characters that I found entertaining. Too few of them, though, for me to truly embrace the read or give me any interest in continuing the series to see if any of those threads that were left dangling get woven into subsequent books. This one's not for me.Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Carina Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.~*~*~*~Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another. | 0negative
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Diversion Tactics From a Reptilian Brain
Why can't Goldberg and his kind do a self-examination and end this ridiculous game they're playing blaming others for their problems?I just wonder why Goldberg felt the content of this book was at all constructive and necessary? How could Goldberg possibly find any solution to this topic that would be the purpose of any good book? Does he think the solution is, perhaps, to get rid of these so called disruptive Americans? First you point them out in a book, and then you just hope they "disappear" or something?We're so obviously living in a deteriorating culture when men like Goldberg write books such as this to entertain the GOP political base. I know it's not easy to follow the simple rule, if you can't say anything good about someone, don't say anything at all, but to write a book attacking good, decent people like this? Why not write something about recent serial killers or molesting priests instead if you have to write something bad about someone? A great singer? Michael Jackson? Kennedy? C'mon, who does Goldberg think he's kidding? What a joke this book is!Goldberg is so lacking of any sound reasoning for this book to exist at all and is clearly inspired by something that exists within the lower portion of his reptilian brain. | 0negative
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Really entertaining!
I'm surprised this book is so polarizing, because, on the balance, it's really quite an enjoyable story, with laugh-out-loud scenes often enough to keep your reading. Yes, some plot points are larger than life, but it's that kind of story--an exaggeration of the genre, much like the Hollywood of the setting is larger and louder than life in every way. I raced through it, and enjoyed it the whole way, even when things got outlandish. | 1positive
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Jane Eyre
This summer, as I was searching for a free-choice book to read, I stumbled upon Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I chose this book because I was curious to see if it was anything like Wuthering Heights (a book I rather enjoyed) writen by the other Bronte sister.Jane Eyre is a conflicted love story. It follows the life of, surprisingly, a woman named Jane. She lives a harsh childhood, first in the hands of an unloving aunt and her abusive son and then later in the confines of the deteriorating Lowood school. She resides at the school for 8 years and realizes that she wants to experience more of the world outside of the Lowood school. Jane then works as a nanny at a place called Thornfield where she falls in love with her master, Mr. Rochester.This love story is complicated and conflicted in that the love between Mr. Rochester and Jane is forbidden on more than one level.Jane Eyre was much more than I had expected. Although I enjoyed Wuthering Heights, I found Jane Eyre to be much more engaging. At many times, while reading this novel, I found myself completely frustrated yet intrigued and eager to continue at the same time. Bronte evokes such emotion in this novel, from the harsh realities of Jane's childhood to the whirlwind romance between her and her master. I found Mr. Rochester's courtship of Jane to be the most entertaining. I found Jane's confusion and reluctance to be frustrating, yet thought-provoking. And I found the separation of the two to be vexing and upsetting. Ironically, I found the ending to be strange, yet fitting in a story of constant ups and downs. It was an overall great read! | 1positive
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A Must Read for All Americans
Wow! This book is powerful, and Ayn Rand is not at all afraid to let us know what is wrong with America, and what would be better if capitalism were truly laissez-faire in America, rather than our giving it over to a mixed economy.The early articles are especially enlightening about the situation in the United States and how it evolved. She goes back to discussing the creation of the Federal Reserve and what was detrimental about it. She discusses the gold standard, and she takes on Franklin Roosevelt and how the Great Depression and his policies led us to becoming a mixed economy.The book also takes a lot of time pointing out why capitalism is superior to communism. While we now live after the Cold War--Rand lived during it and was herself a fugitive from the Soviet Union--the points about communism are still highly relevant, not just because communist countries remain but because communism has seeped into American culture in the form of collectivist thinking--the idea that the individual matters less than what is for the greater good. Ayn Rand gives many examples of this, such as taxpayers without children having to fund public education, and the United States providing assistance to other countries--Vietnam in her day--I'm sure she would be opposed to Iraq in ours. She suggests that our trying to raise up those other countries will only pull us down, and she blasts the idea that we must be charitable and look out for our brothers in other lands.More than any other writer of the twentieth century, Rand was not afraid to speak her mind. She takes on one of Pope Paul VI's encyclicals, she speaks out against the philosophy of Existentialism, and she explains how our culture's unwillingness to stand up for the American ideal and to have a clear philosophy about life has led to the confusion of the younger generations.Everyone will not agree with Ayn Rand on every point, but no one will go away from this book without being more knowledgable and a better thinker. Again! Why are her philosophies not given equal place in fields of study? Why are philosophy classes always ready to talk about Kant, Sartre and existentialism and not objectivism? If we ignore her voice of reason, we will be headed for a welfare, collectivist society ourselves--as she points out, we're already half-way there. Read this book!- Tyler R. Tichelaar, author of Iron Pioneers and The Queen City, available on Amazon | 1positive
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A Classic
The Scarlet Letter has endured for over a hundred years and will continue to do so, because it tells a powerful story well. Though many may find Nathaniel Hawthorne's writing boring or too descriptive, I think that every sentance serves to bring the book to life even more. The story itself too is fascinating, especially since the characters of Hester and Dimmesdale are not clearly good or bad. They've sinned, but they are still good people, or are they? Is Chillingworth really truly evil or are his motives justified? And then there's Pearl, the strange little girl who posesses unusual thoughts and character traits while still being the scarlet letter come to life. Altogether the book is a great study of shame and guilt for any age that is mature enough to appreciate it. | 1positive
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Good for someone who didn't really write it
All she really did was allo other people to write it and slapped her name on it. Its something you can find in any wedding book, its only popular because her name is on it. You honestly think she had the time to write a book? | 0negative
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Warm, witty, and wise
Second book in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.Newly engaged Precious Ramotswe continues to solve local mysteries as she negotiates her relationship with master mechanic Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni. Watching them decide where to live, the matter of the engagement ring, and the surprise arrival of two foster children is gently humorous and true to life.Absolutely wonderful. I especially recommend the audio version. | 1positive
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I thought that this was the best book I have ever read
The Hobbit is the best novel I have ever had the privilage of reading. I read a lot. I guess you could call it a hobby. Therefor, I am well versed in literature, and The Hobbit is in a class of it's own. I could reread it again and again and it will always fascinate me. The story of Bilbo and his Dwarven companions will forever have it's own place in my heart and the hearts of grown-ups and children alike. If you never read this book I truly believe that your life will never be complete. Mine wouldn't be. | 1positive
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What really matters....being true to yourself.
A wonderfully written book about what goes on inside your head, whether your aware of it or not, as you relate to your chosen work. It makes you examine the details of your relationship with what you do for a living and just how happy and content you really are with it. Being true to yourself and making a living using your God-given talents is a scary thing for most people. We come into the world and become conditioned by doubts and fears and sometimes we live our whole lives reacting falsely because of them. Interspersed with poetic references, this book is a great soul-search read. I enjoyed it very much. | 1positive
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None
what!!!!!!¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ the title said free audiobook so why does this cost 2.99 it just does not make sense please help me understand this | 0negative
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Imagination, Imagination, Imagination!!!
Have you seen the movie, but not read any of Tolkien's books? If you didn't really understand what was going on, or are wondering why its such a big deal, then do read this book."The Hobbit" will get your imagination going on all cylinders - so to say. There is so much going on. Lets start with the adventures - a new one unfolds literally every few pages. Have patience and get through the first few pages, especially if you've read any or all of the Harry Potter books. Tolkien's epic is dramatically different from Potter's magic.Then, there's the hero and other characters - each one as exciting, interesting and lifelike as the others. You'll have so much fun just trying to mentally sketch out their personalities.Finally "middle earth" - the environment in which the story is set, cannot get any more interesting and exciting, although it is bleak at times. But, remember its all in the imagination. Every reader will probably imagine the story in a different light. That's the best part - the book's an experience and no two experiences are the same. The movie - now that's a completely different matter... | 1positive
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awful!
There is very little to be said in favour of this novel: it is a rehash job with a bad plot added to it, it is badly written, it lacks research (and provides lots of false information) and contains no characterization. Why on earth was this a bestseller? And why are all the main characters so useless at getting the clues?Anyone can point out the factual errors, but which young French Parisian woman would ever utter the following: "You're kidding, right? We're going to visit a knight?"What a waste of money! I can only hope it kept a few ignorant Americans amused on their cruises - or that it encourages them to visit the Temple Church (based on the Church of the Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which I suppose is pagan inspired, too ...), etc., etc. | 0negative
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I am Happy With This One
By Far One of The Most Brilliant Storylines Created Lately. Electrifying Characters and Plots. It was Certainly Pleasing to Read Such a Well Thought Out and Cleverly Put Together Action / Adventure / Suspense / Thriller. | 1positive
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Typical Oprah 'Success'
Interesting story but who in the world edited this? The average sentence had 5 words in it and the prose, if that's what you could call this atrocity to the literary world, was suited to a third grade level. The author would also refer to events that hadn't happened in the story yet - apparently assuming that you were already familiar with her tale.This book was painful to read. How do you suggest a book for discussion that has no literary genre, no vocabulary, no plot, etc.? It's easy to understand now why it was the first time I was able to walk into the library and pick a hot 'best seller' right off the shelf. | 0negative
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Waste of Money & Time
This book is appropriate for those in the lumber industry, forestry managers or students at OSU in forestry/botony majors. It is a waste of time and money for those with a casual interest in trees or shrubs of Oregon. Instead, utilized Pojar & Mackinnon's "Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast", published by Lone Pine. In regard to Manual of Oregon Trees ... the verbage is stilted & jargon laced, illustrations are few and non-informative. The book was/is a required text for course work at OSU. | 0negative
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Cautionary tale of nuclear meltdown apprehension
I have seen the movie based on this book On the Beach starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Tony Perkins, and the movie was quite faithful to this book, though the book of course had more story to it, and was a very entertaining read. Though a sad story of how a last unaffected city is dealing with the fears of approaching nuclear meltdown, this book is very true to life in how people might react to this situation, the anxieties, and the helplessness of realizing there is nothing to be done to stop the approaching genocide. This book should be required reading in all schools around the world, so young readers can face the realities of living in the atomic age, and try to acquire more fans of nuclear disarmament. | 1positive
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So bad it's actually worth reading!
Of course, if you are not familiar with Phantom of the Opera (the musical), you shouldn't go anywhere near this book, because it won't make any sense whatsoever.If you are a Phantom fan, however, this is what I have to say:First of all, the only redeeming quality of this novel is that it isn't a novel! The introduction reveals beyond the shadow of a doubt that this is, in fact, a synopsis of what could have become a sequel to ALW's musical. This is also evident throughout the book, which is conveniently divided into scenes. At some points you can guess exactly what kind of musical number would have accompanied that particular scene (e.g. Darius' dream would be a spectacular scene, Pierre's Latin lesson would be the teacher's first song: a tune about Ireland!, Erik would have a hit solo when he finds out he has a son - that chapter even ends with a rhyme which may well be taken from that song, the party after the première would provide the opportunity for a large chorus and so on). With sufficiently good music, costumes, sets and cast it might have become a decent musical. It wouldn't have had much of a plot but many stage musicals don't. Nevertheless, I am thankful that the idea of a Phantom sequel didn't go any further since it would have ruined the original musical, which is complete in itself and has an effective "open ending". Besides, a sequel where Erik ends up winning would have made a mockery of the original tragic message of the story.As for The Phantom of Manhattan, the story is uninteresting (bad guy chases innocent child and look, here's Christine and the Phantom and Raoul and Meg and Madame Giry again, o joy!) and the characters two-dimensional. It reads as a play and consequently we never know what anybody is thinking. This wouldn't have been such a flaw if their actions and words had shown it, but that characterization is sketchy at best. The background story is altered at will to suit Forsyth's intentions. This is not unusual in a piece of fan fiction, but quite frankly it's upsetting when the writer tries to justify his choices by saying that the author of the original novel was "wrong"! I realize that he's saying this for the sake of continuity, to eliminate the inconsistencies, but just saying that "this novel is based on the musical version of POTO, not Leroux's novel" would be a much more honest approach, as well as a more sympathetic one. As it is, one gets an impression of incredible arrogance which is impossible to shake off during the rest of the book. As if this wasn't enough, Forsyth says some unnecessary and downright mean things about Leroux's writing. I am not opposed to literary criticism, but the foreword of a pastiche is not the proper place for it. Besides, most of Forsyth's opinions seem more like childish nitpicking than anything else ("The weight of the chandelier was SEVEN tons, ha!" is not what I'd call an astute remark).In short, the writer is no novelist (and, apparently, neither is ALW who helped Forsyth come up with the plot), this book is no novel (it's a commercial ad for a musical that, mercifully, never saw the light of day), there is no plot but that is no reason not to read Phantom of Manhattan for a few laughs and to boost your self-confidence by saying to yourself "I could do better than that!" (and you'd be right, you probably could!). But whatever you do, borrow, don't buy! | 0negative
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Interesting
It took me a while to get into the book. While reading the first few chapters I wanted to put it down because she sounded so redundant and irritating. However, I kept reading since I did paid for it, and the remaining chapters did have very helpful pointers about life in general,love,work and self image. There are pics of her and russell and their girls in the book which are an added bonus. | 1positive
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Outrageous price for a book that should be free
I bought this book not realising it was a Project Gutenburg free book. Dont waste your money? And seriously, $20+ for an ebook is outrageous anyway! But like an idiot I didnt do my research. Dont make the same mistake I did! | 0negative
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Exactly What I Was Looking For!!!
I can't say enough how thorough Ms. Warner-Hunter's books are - they are step-by-step, material suggested, inspirational, and illustrated (photographic)! As an artist, this book was helpful in clarifying issues I had with materials: and, as a teacher, I believe even a middle or high schooler could follow this manual. Lark books are fabulous and this one of the best! | 1positive
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a page turner with only a few problems
On the whole an intriguing tale that offers a surprising amount of insight into some underdeveloped characters & situations (Leia, Threepio, the Force from the perspective of others). However, Han Solo's actions are both out of character and unexplained, and some plot points go to waste (finding the lost jedi academy ship without actually taking us inside was a flat out tease). Worth the read, adds much to the Star Wars Universe. | 1positive
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Very bad
I did not care for this book. It contained more speculation than fact, and it contained many discrepencies. There are better books written about the Tate-LaBianca murders. The only good thing that I can say is that it has some good pictures, but thanks to the internet, these can be found anywhere. | 0negative
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Best book on raising emotionally healthy boys
I was nervous about having a boy, having been raised in an all female family, but knowing a lot about boys from the boyfriend-girlfriend point of view. How could I raise my son so that he would grow up in touch with his own feelings but unafraid to be a man? This book offers a clear and convincing argument for change, and a pretty straightforward solution to the problem. | 1positive
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Color Atlas..."with student survey set" is misleading
Color Atlas of Rocks and Minerals in Thin Section with Student Survey SetMaybe it is just me, but when I think of "student survey set" in conjunction with a small paperback priced at over $70.00, I am expecting to get a few thin sections that I can view under a polarizing light microscope...What I really received with the book was a marketing survey - something you would have to pay me to fill out - not something that I would ever pay money to receive... grrr.As far as the text, I like it, but will likely return the one I ordered "with the student survey set", and find a less expensive used version. Like another reviewer said - it is just the basics. I did like that the author refers the reader to other pages in his text, if there is a chance that the reader is not familiar with a term used. For example, "...Becke Line (see page 20)".This atlas does not have as many different samples represented (about 30) compared to around 100 for the Atlas of rock-forming minerals in thin section by W.S. Makenzie & C. Guilford, but the color in the images is more brillant, and I wanted a reference that I could compare a "rock" thin section image to a "mineral" thin section... I'm not sure there is much of a difference since minerals are always in rocks anyway, but comparing an Olivine-rich Basalt from Greenland in the Guilford version to just plain Olivine in the Adams version (both samples are from Greenland), the images are different. That is what I was hoping to accomplish by purchasing both books - a chance to see how one mineral's appearance can vary.The W.S. MacKenzie & Guilford atlas is even more expensive, but at least it does not try to pass itself off as coming with a "student survey set".I think the best idea is to look for both of these books used, or go with the Philpott book that another reviewer mentions. | 0negative
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Lots of fun
Great book. Very easy to read and informative. Besides, it's fun to try to solve the puzzles when you're not in an interview situation! | 1positive
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