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It is a book reader, not a computer
When reading reviews try to remember that the Kindle is a book-reader, not a phone, mp3 player, PDA, web-browsing device, and certainly not a computer.Some reviewers have stated that they don't like the Kindle because it doesn't do this or it doesn't do that. The odd thing is that the features they want have nothing to do with reading books, which is the Kindle's purpose.For example, one reviewer (on the first page of reviews) basically stated that the Kindle was useless because it doesn't work well with PDF files and he wanted to be able to use it to review work papers and things like that. He actually said he wanted something that could replace his laptop. The Kindle is not intended to replace a computer, it is designed for reading books. The extra features it has are just that, "extra features".In some reviews on various sites people have said that an e-book reader like the Kindle isn't necessary because you can just use your iPhone, Blackberry, etc..; however, they seem to forget or not understand the incredible difference between a phone or PDA screen and the Kindle's screen. The screen is larger and doesn't project light, which means you can read it in any light condition in which you can read a paper book and in addition your eyes won't get tired as quickly.Some have complained about the DRM (copy protection), which is understandable. With entertainment media such as movies, music, and tv I hate DRM with a passion; however, with books and magazines I don't care that much. Once I've read something I don't read it again so the fact that I can't copy it from one device to another doesn't matter. I don't need backups and if I have a Kindle then I have no reason to read on a different device. Also, I can't see any appeal to collecting e-books like you might with paper books.Pricing: The cost of the unit itself seems high and at first I thought the price of content was too high. After thinking about it for a second I decided that $10 for a book that is otherwise only available in hardback for $15 - $25 isn't so bad. The periodicals could be a tad cheaper though and paying for blogs just seems silly.Even with the pricing issues I think this is a breakthrough product, the 'free' always available connectivity and the computer-less-ness being major factors.Oh, and the fact that it is from Amazon means you probably won't have to worry about a lack of content unless the product bombs. | 1positive
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Life Changing
This book presents the Bible and the teachings of Jesus in a perspective that I have never considered before. After I read this book and then re-read the teachings of Jesus, I realize I was not fully understanding what He was saying. This book will change your life. | 1positive
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movie is better that the book - yeah I said it
I enjoy reading novels prior to watching the movie - kindof my little reward for finishing the book. I liked the book but felt that I really never got to know the charachters very well. There is not a lot of descriptive writing about the dad and boy. Most of the book revolved around eating and being cold. The movie however I felt I understood more about who the characters were and how they felt. If you like novels with conversation shy away for this one - 2-3 word questions and reponses. Overal "The Road" was worth reading to prep to see the movie but I do not think I would buy another McCarthy novel. | 0negative
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Identity struggle told eloquently
I read this book during the weekend my youngest sister got married. His search for his identity, while familiar to anyone who had gone through adolescence, resonated with me as a person whose own narrative is not the neat ethnic line, strong family ties type. He eloquently described his continuing struggle to prove himself black, while equivocating on his drive and acheivements. I felt like I got to know him in a way we rarely do a political candidate. Since it was written before he ever ran for public office, it is spin-free (unless you believe those that say he played up his drug use for "street cred").This is a story of someone who felt himself an outsider in a any group he "belonged" too. If you have any variation in your background, you will enjoy this book too. | 1positive
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boring and nonsense.
just a few words to describe this book: it is so obviously nonsense that I just read around 20 pages and put it in the garbage.thanks god at least it was not expensive. | 0negative
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Personality/possibility blend
Delighted to read this book, particularly the positive tone Mr. Lutin employs Additionally, my knowledge of charts compares with conclusions the author makes and broadens my thoughts of the individuals. | 1positive
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OUTSTANDING, THE BEST SERIES I HAD SEEN
GOT VERY LUCKLY WAS ABLE TO READ THE WHOLE SERIES IN ORDER FROM NAKED IN DEATH TO CONSPIRACY IN DEATH. CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. PLACED THE NEXT ON ORDER WITH AMAZON.COM. LOVE EVE DALLAS AND THE REST OF THE CAST . WISH J.D.ROBB WOULD TELL HER FANS MORE ABOUT EVE AS A CHILD .DO OTHER FAN WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EVE LIFE AS A CHILD ? | 1positive
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I lied
Yes, I lied about reading the book. I have not yet read it but would like to. I am only familiar with Mr. Moore's work because of the film, "Bowling For Columbine". The reason I wanted to lie about this is so that I could write an "unbiased" review of him and the responses I have read in general. To those that oppose his views, I say good for you. You have supposedly taken his views into consideration and formed your own opinion. For those that "support" his views...I say take another look. As a film maker...I respect his work based upon my limited exposure. He manages to take a pseudo-two sided "open minded" approach to making his point; all the while fronting his real views on the subject in a not-so subtle manner. By putting a little bit of information out that adheres to the opposite position...he manages to win over the hearts and minds of people that think the media, in which he seemingly opposes, is one sided. This is how he brings people to his side. If this doesn't make sense the way I have laid it out, try looking into all the issues he addresses and then realize the hypocrisy. By allowing a bit of information in against his point, it makes the viewer/listener/reader feel as though ALL points are being taken into consideration. In fact, he is only leading them to believe this to make HIS point. Please keep in mind that I believe that some of his points are valid...they just need confirmation. Which brings me to my ultimate point: With the issues he addresses, he cannot possibly claim to know all aspects; therefore cannot draw a conclusion on anything. The people which he attacks, be it the government or what have you, have so much more intelligence coming in from all sides which forces them to make the decisions they make. They do not take in consideration the "facts" that they hear on the news or radio to make their decisions. They do not rely on rumor to make them either. Instead, they rely on information provided by those that we do not know about: those that have the right to "privileged" information. This is where trust becomes an issue. "We" elect people into office that we believe will make sound choices off of information that we will never be privy to. And thus is my point. Don't claim to know or assume that there is a conspiracy going on just because you are left out of the loop of what is really going on. Leave it to the people that have dedicated their lives to achieving such a position; whatever that may involve. In closing, I would like to say again...I respect Mr. Moore's views and work. I just want the people of America to look beyond his points and realize that there is a world out there that they have no idea of. One that contains variables that no one can imagine. And yes, I am referring to the one in which we presently reside. Be careful before forming your own opinions or subscribing to someone elses. Realize that there are things involved that you will never know about. In essence, be happy with the fact that you live in an environment that allows you to express whatever opinions that you may form, no matter what information you base them on. | 0negative
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Why do I love these People
Wonderful real Stories , that sometimes help you to understand and appreciate your own life - especially if you've often felt you NEVER had a family at all.Do something for yourself and read it. | 1positive
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There are many, many better books out there
Hi all,I just returned this book after reading it through twice. This author's description of his rise to real estate wealth is shaky at best. The timeline, as written, does not work. I find the financials he describes highly questionable. Purchasing several appartment buildings using one secured line of credit off a condo? I don't think so.As mentioned in other reviews, this is not a credible system for puchasing investment/revenue real estate, but rather a story about an individual who either got very, very lucky (of which there are many in real estate) or is padding his jacket.There are many, many better books out there. This author is trying cash in with a catchy title and some cheerleading. Nothing of substance. See Keller's new book: same price, much better value. | 0negative
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deluding
Blink is the diet version of Gladwell's previous book: The Tipping Point. It is neither original nor thought provoking. The bottom line of the book is that we are influenced by our snap judgments in our everyday life. However, some persons are more capable than others in that craft. Yes, that's true. And Cialdini's book: "Influence. The Psychology of Persuasion" says the whys and the hows. | 0negative
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Ambivalent Advices for a Stupid, Meaningless Test.
Read: 6/12Rate: 2/56/12: Perfect 1600 Score: the 7 Secrets of Acing the SAT can be fascinating, repetitive, insightful, dull, useless, elitism, snobbish, useful, and pointless all rolled in one. To be honest with you, I've never taken the SAT in my life yet I hold three degrees. Why? Because the SAT means nothing. Do you want a simple royal road to success? Just go to a community college for two years, graduate with a degree, transfer to a 4 year university, and graduate with another degree in two years. Most will save tons of thousands of dollars by this way. For each degree I've earned, I graduated in the top 1%, overall and major. Taking the SAT has nothing to do with it. It's just a stupid test that is virtually meaningless. Moreover, you actually can transfer to any school in the country providing that you have successfully graduated from a community college with high enough GPA. Hmmm, after reading the book, I am actually interested in taking the SATs and see how I measure up. If I fail to get 1600 (or today, 2400 or whatever the perfect score is), what does that mean? Like I said, it's just a stupid test that is virtually meaningless. If one bombed the SAT absolutely and got one of the lowest scores possible yet he has earned millions of dollars in his lifetime afterwards, what does that mean? Like I said again, it's just a stupid test that is virtually meaningless. All in all, I wouldn't worry about the SATs if I were you, and no, your life isn't over if you bombed the SAT; the advices by the author of Perfect 1600 Score: the 7 Secrets of Acing the SAT are very ambivalent at best. | 0negative
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What would Jesus say?
Why not just read the Bible? There's stuff in there like 'as a man thinks, so is he'... 'you reap what you sow'... 'let the weak say 'I am strong''... 'faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen'... 'guard your heart with all due diligence'... 'if anything is good, noble, etc, think on these things'... i could go on for a while here.. but the Bible also says of Jesus 'without Me, you can do nothing'.. 'with praise and thanksgiving, let your requests be known to THE LORD'.. calling God 'the universe' as if the moon and stars will move on your behalf, is mumbo jumbo. I just bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the scriptures I have just quoted. But I just don't think a lot of this book is what God MEANT. Just a thought, I am still reading the book with a grain of salt, because it did start me thinking 'i feel good', and 'i'm healthy' etc.. and i DID begin to feel a whole lot better. But like I said, why not read the Bible? | 0negative
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One look . . . isn't enough
I went back to the first few chapters 8 or 9 times. Who Cora was really? Monte who? What was the name of the hit from the Jimmy X Band?Now here's the good news. It's vintage Coben, interesting, in some instances riveting, with excellent plot development, and par for the course, good dialogue. But in the words of Cram, 'I got two problems.'Grace goes to get her kids. Grace is a suburban Mom. OK, A little eccentric. Not a professional Mom. And she stops at the Fotomat. The Customer service Dude is one of those self important teenagers who treat you like an idiot that you know ought to be taken out in the alley and beaten, just because.Come on. You're lying if you don't know what I mean.Grace picks up the pics from the kid's apple orchard trip, and is stunned to find a picture of 5 kids from a college 10 - 15 years ago in the center of the pack. Well, if she is stunned, Jack, her husband, acts like he's seen a ghost. And then disappears. Grace, who truly loves Jack, is then left clueless. And the bodies start to pile up. OK. I digress. Here are the problems.Sooooooo many people. Martial arts psychos. Mobsters. Dumb policemen. Smart policemen. Bored housewives. Really, with Coben you're always going to get a lot of characters thrown at you. But here . . . let me tell you. One reviewer said she had to write down the characters. Word.Secondly. What doesn't compute for me (and Mr. Coben has done this before) is to get you to believe in the honesty, fidelity and love of a marriage, and then develop one or two INCREDIBLE SECRETS that you just think wouldn't exist if they really loved eachother. I mean if you have confidence in a character on the outside of the plot and he turns out to be, well, a nutcase, OK. But if the whole purpose of the story is that YOU CAN COUNT ON . . . and then you can't, well, you'll understand. Good stuff. You won't be disappointed. But "The Inocent" is, I believe, substantially better. 4 stars. Larry Scantlebury | 1positive
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problems with the Kindle
I recently purchased the Kindle (2nd generation). I loved the weight and feel of it. I also like the 3G coverage and it's ability to read text to you in enabled books (the diction is far from perfect, but still a VERY nice feature).However, I experienced two problems:1) Two of the three books I purchased included embedded tables in which the font was too small for me to read - even when I changed the overall font size. With one book, I was able to return it, in the other, I borrowed a hard copy of the book from a colleague(which kinda defeats the purpose).2) When I shut down the Kindle, I ended up with grey lines on the screen where text had been. I'd reboot the unit and they would go away, only to come back the very next time I used it.When I first called customer service about this, I was asked if I'd dropped the unit (I hadn't). I was also informed that the problem would probably get worse over time. So, Amazon sent a replacement Kindle -- and that replacement did the EXACT same thing.Amazon's customer support folks are amazing and they offered to send a 3rd Kindle, but I just don't see the point. Based upon the last two they sent, my best prediction is that the same thing will happen again - so I just reluctantly sent my Kindle back for a refund.I really hope Amazon has taken care of this problem in their latest version. If so, I would definely consider purchasing that next generation.As it is, I now have two Kindle books and two Audible audiobooks and I'm stuck with accessing them using my laptop -- again, completely defeating the purpose of why I purchased a Kindle.So, overall:Customer service - 5 StarsLightness and feel of the product - 5 StartsKindle Performance - 1 Star.Hope for the next generation version ??? | 0negative
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Lack of content
Just recieved a Kindle for a gift and subscribed to the kindle edition of the Post. Very disappointed with the lack of content, ie: pictures, comics, and puzzles. Enough to prompt a cancellation. | 0negative
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DONT READ THIS
I love the idea of the secret of the power of the mind but I dont think this book compliments it very well. It instead informercializes this idea of "wishful thinking." On the other hand, it did have some good thoughts but the approach they used to get the message across cheapend it. | 0negative
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Interrogation vs. Conversation
Buyers hate feeling manipulated and asking questions can feel like an interrogation painting the Buyer into a corner.Also, salespeople can get lost in a sea of questions and lose sight of the story they are trying to sell.Isn't it just easier to provide the Salesperson with the right message delivered through mini-stories to help the Buyer discover that the status quo is no longer acceptable. These stories work because they present a scenario that allows Buyers to develop awareness through their own sense of discovery. Buyers trust this discovery because they made it and they begin to trust the Story Seller for telling it. When the Buyer can picture the issuesin the real world scenario, it helps them see how the results may apply to them and they start to make sense- they gain insight. Stories transport the Buyer from the role of critic into the role of participant.In short, Stories allow the Buyer to take your offering for a virtual mental test drive: Could you ask for more?Our point of differentiation is that we feel that it's easier to help the Buyer decide to change through the use of use 5-20 mini-stories followed by a few basic qualification questions instead of 50-250 discovery questions.Indeed, stories are easier to remember, faster to execute and more natural to deliver. This is nothing new, just look at the Bible, it's all about stories. Stories are how we make sense of the world. We know how to tell stories; we just have to make sure we tell the right ones. at InsightDemand | 0negative
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Great concept but not so great physical design
I really love the ease of use and the light weight nature of this product but it is very difficult to hold. They didn't design anywhere for your fingers to go and I constantly find myself clicking the 'next page' bars when I don't want to... It is annoying and i'm sure the next version will address this issue. Too bad I didn't wait!!Aside from that issue (which is rather important), the device is great. The reverse out print takes a little getting used to on every occasion but after a few minutes, it is mostly forgotten.I LOVE how much easier it is to use while reading in bed, but again, this is when the problem with the awkwardness of fingers comes into play... | 0negative
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Great Kindle version, although without TOC
I don't know if I can really add anything to a review of the book that hasn't already been said. It was a long, epic story involving a "Novel Without a Hero." Although I'd really argue that Becky Sharp is the book's antihero, a woman of unlimited ambition who tries to climb her way up the ladder of society. The book is also over 800 pages, which makes it a long but eventually rewarding adventure.The Kindle version was fine, although it lacked a proper table of contents. I can't complain much about a free version of a book unless it was horrendously bad. | 1positive
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It's OK But Not Enough
I have admired Eartha Kitt for years and have always found her facinating when ever I've seen her performing or on a talk show.She is truly an amazing woman who has lived an extraordinary life and looks absolutely wonderful at her age. Her philosophical ramblings in this book merit consideration and we may learn from them. Still, the book is a rather meager serving and I wish that Ms. Kitt had included more practical advice and better photos. | 0negative
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humorous Regency romantic romp
In 1818 England Lady Juliet confronts Morgan Pryce, who "abducted" her two years ago. Juliet remembers his kisses, which have spoiled her for no other man seems to measure up to Morgan. However, the bounder insists he is Morgan's identical twin Sebastian Blakely. Apparently, the Bow St. report was incomplete and filled with misinformation.Though Sebastian is quite persuasive, Juliet refuses to believe that he is not Morgan because the sparks between them remain as strong as those between her and her abductor proving the kisses could not be from two different males. Juliet rejects the notion that she is so fickle that she has fallen in love with two men. Instead Juliet concludes Sebastian is hiding something from her and when she discovers the truth she will know why he deserted her two years ago when they eloped.AFTER THE ABDUCTION is a humorous Regency romantic romp that uses a partial The Comedy of Errors twins misidentification theme to quite amusing levels. The story line never takes itself very seriously though a taut subplot involving smuggling and Morgan feels more like tension relief interference from the comedic exchanges between the delightful couple. Sebastian is a wary responsible individual carrying the weight of two men on his shoulders. Juliet is the novel with her courage, persistence, and love. Wait till you see her using Holmes logic during a test at the end because that sums up one of the better female protagonists of the year. Sabrina Jeffries provides sub-genre readers with an entertaining novel that will bring her fan and critic accolades.Harriet Klausner | 1positive
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This review may contain more information than the book...
This book suffers from numerous problems. The first is that while it claims to be about "the power of thinking without thinking," this is only one of three ideas that are discussed. The failure to mention the other ideas in the title might have been acceptable if they were mentioned explicitly in the text, but it is unclear that Gladwell realizes the distinction. The second problem is that the book is made up of six distinct essays, and they have been sloppily edited to produce a book that is simultaneously disjoint and repetitive. Though perhaps the second problem is really just a symptom of the third problem, that Gladwell's style is painfully repetitive to begin with. Gladwell does not simply beat dead horses, he beats the dust into which he has reduced their carcasses. The fourth problem is that towards the end of the book Gladwell goes off on a tangent about "situational autism" that is both poorly motivated and very likely to offend the autistic community. And finally, rather than having an introduction and conclusion that tie the book together, these sections present whole new situations; the conclusion in particular seems largely unrelated to the rest of the book.The book has four points. First, is that the human mind has an impressive ability to process information at an unconscious level very quickly. For instance, by listening to a brief snippet of a doctor speaking, even if the recording is digitally altered so that all you can hear is the tone, you can very accurately determine whether the doctor has good bedside manner. Similarly, by watching a few seconds of a college professor's lecture, even with the sound turned off, you can make a remarkably accurate determination of whether the professor is a good lecturer.The second point is that this ability often leads us astray. Our unconscious can be shown to harbor prejudices against blacks, women, and others, and these prejudices are bad for both us and society. And on a less socially relevant note, people consistently prefer the taste of liquor that comes in fancy bottles. The book gives absolutely no advice about how to improve our unconscious's attitudes towards either minorities or conventional packaging of foodstuffs.Without explicitly mentioning it, the book points out the importance of making decisions based on relevant information, rather than large quantities of irrelevant data. The best example of this is given in the introduction. An apparently ancient Greek statue is analyzed with all sorts of fancy chemistry equipment, and the lab technicians come back and say that the marble is indeed from an ancient Greek quarry and that the surface of the marble has a chemical composition that is usually the result of centuries of weathering. On the other hand, any art historian worth his salt can tell you that the feet of the statue are carved in a style never seen in any other Greek statue. While the information from the chemists seems more concrete (their equipment costs more), the relevant fact here is the style of carving in the feet-the statue is a modern forgery.Finally, the book talks about ways to improve decision making under intense time pressure, for instance in a military engagement or police shootout. The conclusion, not surprisingly, is that practice making split-second decisions is important. Also, if you can slow down the pace of the engagement in order to allow yourself more time, you should do so, but if slowing down gives your opponents a greater advantage, you shouldn't.If you have made it through this review, there is certainly no need to read the book. Every idea Gladwell had has been summarized and clarified here. Which should really make you wonder how he stretched the book past 20 pages, let alone 200! | 0negative
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Very disapointed
I was very disappointed in this book. Being a new mother I thought I would be able to relate, enjoy and learn from Harriet Lerner, however all I learned is that I would be better off reading other books. This entire book is nothing but reference to other authors, Drs, psychologists and more. I got a strong sense that Ms Lerner does not have an original thought of her own. Some of the anecdotes she uses about her family are humorous and entertaining but reading this book was more like eavesdropping on the mothers table in my local Starbucks. ...returns based on whether you liked a book or not, this one would be going back. | 0negative
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lacking in simple abundance
Despite professing a desire to get away from stereotypes, the book reaffirmed the idea that men and women can't understand each other without the aid of trite touchy-feely books like this one. I felt that this book didn't cohesively address ANY of the issues of manhood. Some of the essays were genuinely touching, but most of the ones I really liked didn't illuminate manhood but personhood. Breathnach's introductions and comments were by far the worst parts. They framed the simple musings of the essays awkwardly, imposing structure and themes where they didn't belong. | 0negative
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Entertaining but the tone is a bit 'off'
I enjoyed reading and learning more about Walt Disney. Some other reviewers mention errors, but I'm afraid I don't know enough about the man to have recognized any myself. It was fun to learn more about Walt, his background, his struggles and achievements.One thing I didn't appreciate was the tone of the writer, often sounding a little condescending towards his subject. I don't expect the writer of a biography to be unduly deferential, or referential, towards the person they are writing about - I expect them to sound completely neutral - but the writer here often sounded as though he was looking at / describing Walt Disney from above. It's hard to put my finger on - it was just a little 'off'.There may be a better biography of Walt Disney out there - in any case, this one passed the time well and was entertaining. It's a heavy book and provides lots of hours reading - lots of bang for your buck... lots of book for your buck | 1positive
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A book that will waste your time
Jacquelyn Mitchard's book "Twelve Times Blessed" had to be by far one of the worst books I have ever read in my life. It had no real plot to it, it jumped around and talked about nothign but sex scenes, which if it doesn't interest you, dont read this book. I thought it was really weird how she slept with a guy she didn't even know, while her son was out in the car, it's kind of gross if you think about it. I did kind of like how i could relate to her and her roomate, as they were best friends. | 0negative
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Just okay
I have to say I was excited when I found this book in the library, Dr. Cook had fallen off my reading radar and this on-going series of medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton were my favorite of the author's works.Needless to say, I was disappointed in this novel. The plot was too predictable and the characters and villians one dimensional. | 0negative
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Could have been better
I am an avid Beverly Jenkins fan so when this book arrived on bookstores shelves, I rushed out and purchased it. Well, was I surprised when the story line, action nor sizzling hot romance lived up to her previous books. I found myself more concerned with the other characters (from her previous books) than with these characters. 2 THUMBS DOWN. | 0negative
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Is there an ENCORE after the "Tipping Point"? - The answer is BLINK - A FABULOUS Book!!!!
If you wanted to sum up Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink", I would tell you to see the very first "Star Wars" movie. Remember in 1977 when Luke Skywalker while piloting his fighter hears Obi-Wan Kenobi tell him to turn off his radar while attacking the evil star ship? Obi-Wan wants Luke to rely on the FORCE. In other words, give up his conscious thought patterns and go with your gut.This is what BLINK is all about. Our ability to instantly know what is real from what is fiction. What is good from what is bad? Gladwell is telling us to go with our right (creative) brain, and for the moment to shut down our left (logical, analytical) brain, and oh he is so right.In example after example, the author goes through diverse instances where people in just the time it takes to BLINK, can make FABULOUS decisions that turn out to be the right ones. Others using the power of their analytical minds can take days, weeks, and even months, and come to the wrong decision. There's something going on here, and Gladwell is onto it. Human beings have five million years of evolutionary history behind us, and consciousness for only the last 15,000 or 20,000 years.Somehow, we have TURNED OFF the power of our unconscious instinctual patterns, and overridden them with our super analytical ways of logic. The result is inferior decisions to what we had before we became conscious. Hey, when a lion was chasing down our ancestors for a meal, you didn't have much time to think.By the way, every page of this relatively short book is fascinating. You will literally not be able to put it down. Let's look at a few of the topics that Gladwell covers in depth and convincingly.A) The J. Paul Getty Museum & the Kouros StatueThe cash-flushed Getty Museum wanted to buy a 7-foot Greek statue for $10 million. With contract in hand they call in some of the greatest experts in the world who after running exhaustive scientific tests, agree that it's the real thing and you should jump to buy it. At the same time a handful of other experts just looking at the object instantly announce it's a fake, and you should walk away. Learn who was right and why. Hint: it took 2 seconds of looking to KNOW the answer.B) Who's a good Professor in less than 30 secondsRemember when we went to college we would attend a lecture or two to determine if we wanted to take the entire course with a certain professor. In BLINK you will see scientific studies that prove you can come to the same decision by watching a video of the professor for 30 seconds. Who's kidding whom?C) What if you could tell how long a potential marriage would last?This one is mind blowing. John Gottman of the University of Washington has shown in tests that he can do this with accuracy. Watching one hour of a couple talking, and Gottman can tell with 95% accuracy if 15 years later, they will still be married. Blink goes into it in detail. Too bad, I didn't learn about this study sooner.D) Why do some doctors get sued, and others not at all?You would think that the risk of being sued if you are a doctor is all about making mistakes, or improper medical care. BLINK shows that its really about words like "RUSHED, IGNORED, and TREATED POORLY."E) Can a President of the United States be elected on looks alone?Read BLINK and you will see how an entire nation got suckered into electing Warren Warding President just for that reason, unbelievable but true. Read how and why, and be mesmerized.F) Only 14.5% of men are six feet and over. Why are 58% of CEO's six feet, or taller?Pretty wild when you think about it, yet true. Could there be some kind of unwritten or unconscious criteria for being a Fortune 500 CEO that involves height? There aren't enough tall people to COMPLETELY staff any one company. Why is it that the tall ones seem to rise to the TOP?G) Blue Team versus Red TeamThis is my personal favorite. The American military runs war games all the time. The good guys who are us are always the BLUE Team. The enemy is always the RED team. In preparation for the first Iraq war in the early 1990's, the government ran the exercise, and put General Paul Van Riper in charge of the bad guys, the RED team.The bottom line is that the bad guys blew away the good guys, the Americans by using unconventional "BLINK" type thinking, while the BLUE Team relied on conventional, overwhelming force, and inside the Beltway type bureaucratic thinking. This illustrates why this book is so important. You will learn out of the box type thinking.You will also learn when to use it, and when to go with your logical left brain type thinking. By the way in the war exercise when the bad guys, the RED Team beat the good guys the BLUE Team with ease, what did the Pentagon do? They announced that the game would be done over again, and they outlawed the techniques that the bad guys the RED Team employed.The result, the good guys won. The problem is that nobody told the bad guys in Iraq during the second Iraq War that these techniques were outlawed, and thus our Generals as usual find themselves in some difficulty to say the least. Read BLINK, and find out how and why. This book is FASCINATING, and NOT TO BE PUT DOWN, ONCE YOU START READING IT.Richard Stoyeck | 1positive
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A Lack of Morality Does Not Equal Progressivity
Haldeman writes excellent science-fiction. In Camouflage he tells the stories of a couple aliens who poke around the earth for a few millenia and make disparate judgments of what it means to be human. The novel rides pretty far on the strength of its premise but eventually it becomes clear that this is essentially a short story centered on the alien who comes to appreciate humanity for what it is. Though a fine story, there was much more that could have been said about life itself. Maybe Mr. Haldeman is just leaving room for a sequel.Finally, the author's theme of an alien discovering what it means to be human was bound to focus upon sex at some point. But seriously folks, generations of talented authors and playwrights have managed some excellent explorations of sexuality without dwelling on the pornographic. The explicit scenes in this book were just embarrassing. And the author's portrayal of Samoan morality as quaint and outdated was unnecessary. | 1positive
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the dream of ada
the dreams of ada is a very good book and it is a true story from a small town just an hours drive from my home town. I have relatives living in ada and we all followed the story as it was happening. | 1positive
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The Book of Boredom and Dread
What a waste of money and time! I did finish the book but it was torturous. I dreaded reading it but made myself complete it. Never again will I do that! I found the characters to be unbelievable and irritating. This book put me to sleep many times. My advice to anyone thinking of buying this book is a resounding NO! If you still aren't quite sure, at least go the library, check it out and save your money! | 0negative
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Disappointing!
I loved "Through a Glass Darkly," and hoped this would be equally good. Instead it is boring, boring and boring. I did get to page 150 hoping it would get better, but---no luck. | 0negative
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A Must Gift for any Reader
I got this as a present for my wife who loves to read. It actually saved me from building another book shelf. The Kindle is awesome. | 1positive
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Science Fiction for the Hopelessly Mediocre
Master of the bland SciFi, Mr. McDevitt writes a novel representing a juxtaposition to his futuristic without being futuristic Murder She Wrote embarassement called "Infinity Beach". Riddled with exotica called Canadians and Germans the best part in Chindi is when the major character, Star Trek wannabe, "Hutch" sits down and has a "Blue Giraffe and a Melted Cheese" for breakfast. Cheesy indeed. | 0negative
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Nice but beware of Screen Problems
The screen went out after reading just 1 book on the Kindle. Amazon kindly replaced it with no hassle, although everything I did on it was lost forever like the blocking off important information. The new one arrived, but it was not programmed for me so it has yet to be used almost a month later. Had I known I would lose all my important information due to faulty screens, I wouldn't have purchased it in the first place. It is nice but beware of screen problems. | 0negative
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Sad International Licensing Issues Make for Poor User Experience
I love my reading e-books on e-paper. I hate Amazon. If you are a Canadian, and one who wishes to buy books legally, Amazon is your only choice, but it is also a poor choice. Why? Amazon brings the Kindle to Canadians years after it's released in the US, and months after it's released in other countries, including Albania, and fails to provide the same user experience as Americans get. Not even close. Forget about the experimental web browser - that's a complete joke, and I frankly don't care. What do I care about? Selection. Many of the books I want to purchase are not available in the Canadian store. For example, none of Jon Krakauer's books, available at the time of this post, though they are available in the US store. I realize that's only one big name, but there are many more as well. My attempt to purchase books based on the US list came up with about a 50/50 chance it was available here. I could live with this if Amazon made some sort of attempt to care about their Canadian customers, which they could do by, for example, making some of the Giller Prize Short List (Canadian literary prize) books available. Nope, none of the 5 short listed books available, as of this writing. And there are some books missing even from the US store that are a huge mystery. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, or anything by Michael Chabon? Nope.So, in the three years since the original Kindle launch, and knowing an international launch was imminent, Amazon has done little to prepare. Instead, they want to sell a watered down US experience to all readers. The hardware is fine. The licensing issues are horrendous. Work it out already; I want to spend money at your store. As it stands, my Kindle2 - which, as a device, is wonderful - may be gone soon. | 0negative
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Contrived And Artifical
Mr. Gladwell's ideas are really not all that original: many are based on old sociology academic work. He makes arguments without providing ample evidence to back them up(it seems they are really designed for sound bites) and the book has an artifical flavour. | 0negative
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They walked, and they walked, and they walked
They were cold, they were freezing, they walked the road in the rain, they walked the road in the snow, they walked the road in the slush, they walked the road, they walked the road. Does this sound tedious? So was the book. I guess I am one if the illiterate who don't appreciate what an incredible book this is. It is incredible alright, incredibly bad! They walk, they camp. Repeatedly on the verge of starvation they find enough food and supplies to continue to walk. I could go on and on as this short book also goes on and on and on. Others have already discussed the lack of coherent sentences, punctuation, senseless words, and the trite ending.I am annoyed with myself that I wasted $8 on this book. I have read several MCarthy's books, the last being "Blood Meridian" where they were cold, wet, freezing while they rode in the rain, they rode in the snow, they rode in the slush, they rode, they rode........Only 300+ pages of senseless violence to brake up the tedium while they rode. This is the last book of his I will bother reading. | 0negative
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vanity fair.
really didn't get into it at all. really tried, but just got to 30% read, and quit. have so many other books to read and didn't want to waste any more time on this one. | 0negative
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A Waste of Time
A disappointing and generally naive book by a former President eager to be back in the limelight. It offers no fresh insights or revelations to make it of interest to serious students of the Middle East, and it is too encumbered with factual errors to make it useful to the general reader seeking a better understanding of that part of the world. | 0negative
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Quest for the classics
Not being a particular fan of some of the current trends in fiction, I've decided to read through the classics this summer. If I had bothered to read what this book was about, I probably wouldn't have started with this one. It was wonderfully written, compelling story telling. It was also incredibly sad. I spent the whole time rooting for the heroine and, if you've read the book, you know exactly how that turned out. Now to find a classic novel without a depressing ending. | 1positive
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Reading with Tequila
With a little medical mystery, a little computer espionage and a lot of cybersex and murder, Mortal Fear is the ultimate thriller. A serial killer infiltrates Eros. Known by many usernames, he toys with women while trying to achieve a higher purpose. The main character, Harper, is a hero, a villain and a victim, being placed into every possible category during this constant race against time trying to save victim after victim. Harper's personal life, his job and his dalliances on Eros (the sex site he worked for) all come into play during the investigation.This book is very long, but surprisingly faced paced. I was completely sucked in. The computer aspect of the book is interesting. Although clearly advanced for the time period, I felt a spark of nostalgia reading about how computers and the internet operated over a decade ago.This is real crazy, mind-blowing stuff. There were lots of disturbing parts, mostly more psychological than gory, although gore certainly had its place too. Mortal Fear is definitely not for those squeamish about sexual crimes and taboos. Sex and high tech are melded to create an exhilarating and terrifying thriller. | 1positive
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Cheessssssssy!
I know romance novels are quite cheesy by definition but OMG! This books was beyond bad in that sense. I bought it to ease my BDB-withdrawal but the Nightwalkers series was just ridiculous and yes, cheesy. The story in itself was not bad and had some potential but the writing really wasn't anything a teenager couldn't have done. If you are considering this book, don't! Start with Dark Lover by JR Ward instead and then you'll have like 8 wonderful BDB novels to go. | 0negative
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Boring
Got this book for a gift. It was apparently pretty boring and weird and not like the author's other books. | 0negative
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Thought provoking, Challenging, Insightful
Back when I was in college, one of my professors recommended this book to me. Ten years later, after skimming portions of it through several times, I read it through and discovered how important of a work it is. I would highly recommend it to anyone studying primary oral cultures and traditions.Walter Ong approaches one of the central topics for developing a wholistic understanding of older mythic traditions-- the linguistic, semiotic, and cognative differences which separate oral and literate traditions.The book begins by discussing the works dedicated to determining the origins of Homer's epics in the 20th century and the discovery of the extent to which the constraints of orally-transmitted knowledge structured the epics. Ong then summarizes additional research done in linguistic and anthropology fields relating to oral traditions in modern Europe, Africa, and elsewhere.Ong succeeds in creating an accessible outline of the major transitions in human thought from orality to chirography (manuscripts), from chirography to typography (with the widespread use of the printing press), and the resurgence of some aspects of orality in modern electronic communication (both personal and mass-market).This book is important for a number of reasons. First, it can help us to step back and be more conscious of how communications media are affecting how we communicate and, more importantly, how we think. Secondly it provides a framework for a better understanding of the older traditions in our past. Such understanding can provide a framework for better assimilating aspects of past approaches and thought processes into the present world.Although published first in 1982, the work has been reprinted numerous times and is still in print. It is a classic in its field and I would highly recommend it. | 1positive
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Pass on this one!
Really bad! I usually need to finish any book I start. Literally couldn't with this one. I put it down after 150 pages because there was absolutley no plot development and characters were static! I can't believe the overall rating was 4.5 stars! WHY?? | 0negative
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Thanks for the heads up! I just saved time and $.
I just returned from Nepal and was aware that Wild Fire would be released while I was away. I can't say that I'm surprised that most knowledgeable DeMille fans feel let down. A year ago, on his website, DeMille comments that Wild Fire (at the time unnamed) will be the last book in his contract and that if he ever writes another, it will be on his timetable and not his publishers.Give us an honest effort and we'll excuse a book that doesn't meet expectations, but take advantage, and ..... lets just say they're a lot of choices out there. | 0negative
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^v^
It is an amusing series of articles that range from descriptions of (famous) mathematicians and their human side, to (profitable) excursions in philosophy. Specifically, phenomenology.He has rather interesting things to say about the prejudices of mathematicians and of mathematics itself. One thing is clear, that is that this book is a book for mathematicians and those who wish to be mathematicians, with an abstract slant. One can see that in chapters, he engages in "specialised gossip". I personally, do not have the background to gossip (and bitch) about the same subject matter (at least a lot of it).Of interest to myself, personally, are his comments on the primacy of the axiomatic method in mathematics. One can see that he believes more in a "pre-axiomatic grasp" of mathematics than in the formal presentation of its subject matter. It is rather visible that he disdains the disdain for examples in mathematics. On the side of philosophy, he writes on "The Pernicious Influence of Mathematics Upon Philosophy", where he decries the mathematization of philosophy.I personally like this book. It is a good read, and a must read if one is, or is planning to become, a mathematician (in the more abstract, less applied sense).[The contents of this book have offended quite a number of people, incidentally. Perhaps this makes it all the more an interesting read?] | 1positive
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product design
Kindle is a wonderful product but when it is on its like a ticking bomb which will go off unless handled with extreme care.I don't know why it has 2 very long bars to move a page.1 or 2 buttons would acclomplish the same result and allow a user to pick it up without the fear of advancing 1 or more pages.I also don't understand why you can't shut it off entirely to better save battery power. | 1positive
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Poor execution, disastrous characterizations
The best I can say of this book is that I finished it. I wouldn't call it genre-bending. I'd call it basic and poorly executed farce. Good farce requires characters that bumble thru life because they're quintessential bumblers. Or they're accomplished people to whom accidents happen (think Richard Lester's Three Musketeers). In this novel, we're expected to believe that the characters are both accomplished AND bumblers. And it just doesn't work. The heroine of the main story is 20 years old, well-versed in classical languages, able to converse intelligently about ancient cultures with an expert antiquarian, and brought up in a social class and era with strict behavioral conventions, yet she behaves like a late 20th-century American 14-year old with no inhibitions and, disastrously to the quality of the novel, no common sense. The hero is worse. This 30-year-old scholar/swashbuckler and experienced rakehell behaves like a 16-year-old adolescent with galloping hormones and no discretion. The characters aren't even two-dimensional, let alone three. The author has clearly read everything from Baroness Orczy to Georgette Heyer to Elizabeth Peters and has learned nothing from any of them about making absurdity plausible. | 0negative
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Ambiguous Morality Kills it's Aspirations
Having at one time worked for a very wealthy family, I understand the dynamics that can exist within this enviornment. However, the main character is so vague within his sense of self to render the tale ambiguous and unsatisfying. Repeatedly, we're asked to make very fine moral judgements that do not jibe with either the characters or the tone. This could have been a much more interesting book. | 0negative
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I thought I was the only one who hated it!
The Maze, one of my favorite books in recent years, turned me on to Catherine Coulter--I anxiously awaited this new novel to discover the recent activities of Sherlock and Savich--too bad I had to read the rest of the book to find out. It was painful and incredibly disappointing--I'm praying her next novel is much, much better and that she takes her readers into consideration--the male point of view just doesn't cut it in first person for a romance novel--The Target worked with a male protagonist, but this one lost me by page 3. Please, oh, please Ms. Coulter, come back to us--where did you go? | 0negative
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Sorry Aaron Hamburger, you are no Christopher Isherwood
The characters lack depth. Should have had less stories and focused on developing characters more (like Berlin Stories). | 0negative
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Second book is second rate
If the proceeds from this book were going to a cancer research foundation, then I'd say buy this book. Absent that enticement, there's really no reason to pick up volume two the Lance Armstrong story unless the money is just burning a hole in your pocket.For one thing, there is absolutely nothing new in here. Everything covered in this book has been beaten to death in the press, and if you haven't seen, heard, or read it yet, a quick Google through the various professional cycling news sources (CyclingNews, Velonews, etc) will fill in the blanks.Additionally, Sally Jenkins' writing misses the mark with this second effort. Her scattered, frenetic, formless style was appropriate for the first piece, completely capturing Armstrong's feelings and moods as he fought cancer. In this follow-up effort, this lack of organization merely leaves the reader with the impression that the entire book is merely random daily journals as told to a reporter, devoid of any insight or deeper meaning.Finally, Armstrong has made it perfectly clear that he didn't sign up for this whole role model thing, and he begrudgingly has been going through the motions for some unknown and unexplained reason. He inadvisably includes two snippets from the '03 Tour de France, two incidents that show that he is incapable of seeing the world from anyone else's vantage point. He essentially blames his dehydration in the first long time trial as the result of riding with a malfunctioning and rubbing brake the entire day before -- even though this mechanical problem was more likely causes by a small crash with one of his teammates approximately 80% into that day's stage. Then, he continues to disrespect his rival Jan Ulrich for failing to wait for him after his entanglement with a spectator on the final road stage, when the replays clearly show that Ulrich allowed the entire lead pack to catch up to him while Armstrong recovers. If tackled by a more thorough journalist, these incidents could have been fleshed out to help explain just what makes an elite athlete tick. Instead, they are merely a part of the hit-and-miss package of random musings, leaving the reader wondering why any particular page wasn't left on the editing room floor.In a nutshell, there just isn't any compelling reason to buy this book. If you haven't read It's Not About the Bike, then go there instead. And if you have read it, this second offering is superfluous. | 0negative
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Take Your Time
Take your time reading this book. Do the excercises suggested. You might need to take a year with one of the meditations generously offered by His Holiness. And watch your life change and your love expand. Amazing. True. On the mark. | 1positive
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help
this was help for my little girl she is 45 now wish she would read it again and againthanks | 1positive
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The Real Star Is The Heights
Those who read WUTHERING HEIGHTS only because their 10th grade English teacher mandated it, often return to Emily Bronte's classic years later for a return visit to the howling moor without quite knowing why. There is a sense of place to the novel that resists ready explanation, and it is perhaps that lingering memory of the triangle that connects Heathcliff, Catherine, and the moor that demands a closer examination with a more mature perspective.Heathcliff and Catherine have a stormy love affair, but the book is not simply a reworking of the romantic potboilers so current then. Nor is it just a cataloguing of nature, though nature is present even from the opening pages. What elevates WUTHERING HEIGHTS to a level not reached before and only a very few times since is Bronte's unique ability to take a nature that is merely descriptive in the hands of a lesser and infuse its wildness and unbridled power into a man who is the walking symbol of that power.Bronte divides nature in the macrocosmic sense--birds, trees, wind, rocks--into two distinct elements. There is the low key, quiet, and peaceful image of nature so beloved by Wordsworth and locates it in the peaceful Thrushcross Grange. It is here where the cultured Linton family live. Every image that Bronte uses is pacific in scope. One wonders whether the Lintons even hear the same whoosh of wind that resounds in Heathcliff's ears. Less obvious to the careless reader is the enervating subtext that infuses the Grange. Bronte drops several hints that the Grange, for all its peaceful charm, has a charm that is incapable of propagating itself in the emerging harshness of the deterministic ruthless way of life that just then was gathering steam. Catherine is a woman with one foot in that world of culture, manners, and -lingering slow death. Even after she leaves Heathcliff for Edgar Linton, Catherine tells Nelly that she is quite aware of the differences between the worlds of the Grange and of Wuthering Heights: "My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it...My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath." Here, Bronte takes the homely images of nature and personalizes them as the metaphorical difference between that which Catherine merely finds pleasant (The Grange) and that which she finds necessary (Wuthering Heights). Then there is the twisted, stormy, and unpredictable nature of Wuthering Heights, where Heathcliff grew and it is there that he suffered untold horrors that taught him that for him to survive, he had to be as violent as the winds which surrounded him.It is less certain whether Bronte wishes the reader to excuse Heathcliff's unspeakable cruelty once he reverses economic position with the effete Edgar Linton. But perhaps it is less to the point to seek to place blame for Heathcliff's revenge than to acknowledge that it is definitely useless to blame a bolt of lighting for striking its unwary victim. Heathcliff, as the walking symbol of Wuthering Heights, is that bolt which strikes out in a manner not unlike the way that he himself had been struck many times as a boy. Once Heathcliff has his revenge in the humbling of the Lintons, a revenge which costs him his beloved Catherine, it remains for the next generation--the young Cathy and Hareton--to remind Heathcliff that revenge must not be permitted to outlive its proper time, and for the new residents of both Grange and the Heights, that time has long passed. What emerges, then, from a second reading of WUTHERING HEIGHTS is Bronte's firm commitment to recreate a clash of conflicting and very nearly mutually exclusive emotions--revenge and forgiveness--that cause each new generation to learn to temper the former with the latter and thus retain their basic humanity. | 1positive
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A Classic Tragedy
All I could say when I finished the book was, WOW. The rigid 1800s society and the wickedness of Alec were what really killed Tess by increments, but through it all she was a noblewoman in the truest sense. Thomas Hardy creates a strong female character that is sure to continue to stand the test of time with flying colors. | 1positive
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Best thing to happen to reading since the printing press
I have deliberated about an electronic reader since the palm pilot came into existence. I have looked at all of them: the Kindle is the best. It is super easy to get started easy to read, easy to download books EASY. I take one book on a trip, to work for lunch time reading, everywhere. The only time I had to call customer service, was easy. I had a small glitch in downloading purchased and the rep had me back on track in minutes. The one thing I would like to see change is the page turning. It is too easy to turn pages and sometimes I carelessly lean and have flipped three or four pages without being aware. Buy this reader. You will not regret it. | 1positive
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Lance Armstrong children's book
This is a children's book written by Lance Armstrong's first wife. I did not know this when I bought it for my adult son. My fault--I should have done more research! | 0negative
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Bloodthirsty Mills & Boons
I thought I had read all Bernard Cornwell's prolific output, so was pleasantly surprised to find this in a newsagent in a remote mining town at a time I had forgot to put in my usual Amazon order. What a strange, (but not unpleasant) concoction! Cornwell gives full and explicit vent to his distaste for religious loonies- one can almost hear the cackle of the author as his hero drives a dagger through the mouth of the hippocritic Puritan Preacher's mouth and pins his head to a table, to die slowly and horribly. I doubt such scenes are de rigeur for the normal reader of Mills & Boons, but there is a bit of bodice ripping- in fact, the beautiful, orphaned, destitute (but secretly filthy rich) heroine gets her bodice ripped at least twice, that I can remember. Unfortunately for the readership, it ain't ripped by the usual dashing, handsome, square-jawed, sneering but decent Lord and Master.As a send up of Histerical Romance, this isn't at all bad. I would have liked a bit (a lot) more sex, but then, I am a man. The rest of the formula is sent up outrageously- the plot telegraphs it's punches from a hundred pages back- anyone who could not figure that the clown with the idiot name was Campion's long lost, but secretly loving and dutiful father, within a page of him appearing needs a walking stick; the good stuff all happens under azure English summer skies, the bad stuff when it's pissing with miserable rain.The late, great, George McDonald Fraser made almost as much money from funny movie scripts as he did from the unsurpassable Flashman series, yet only saw one of his novels turned into an OK, but not great, film. Cornwell has seen his best books transformed into a brilliant TV series, but in this book gives more than a hint of a dark comedic genius. This is Monty Python territory. Imagine this novel as the script for 'Royal Flash', with the same actors and director. | 1positive
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Garbage
Clearly this paper has stopped doing investigative reporting and are getting their stories right from Obama and Pelosi. What a shame. | 0negative
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Great Book Over Most People's Heads
After reading a bunch of these reviews, I've come to the conclusion that this book should not be pushed on high school students or younger. It's almost sad to read a review from someone who just read the cliff notes. Come on now, do we really need to hear from you? This is my favorite Dickens novel so far, and though I haven't read them all, I loved everything about it. Though the ending is happy, it is by no means a Hollywood ending. Would recommend to any SERIOUS reader that wants to read authentic period prose and a great story. | 1positive
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Won't replace the book, but would buy it again!
I've owned and used the Kindle since the first batch.In short, I'd buy it all over again, but I don't think it will ever replace the book!The Kindle does serve a purpose for me as a reader, but not the same reasons a book does. There is nothing like the feeling that you posses a work or the feelings of being possessed by the work that a book offers. No matter how hard I wish, the Kindle just doesn't do this for me. I'm not sure why, but seeing and feeling the book as a complete object in my hands is more desirable than having an all-in-one mobile library. These are not mutually exclusive, but as a Kindle user I am finding that if I have the choice between the physical book or the electronic version I am buying the physical book for the reasons aforementioned.My ultimate wish is that Amazon would move to a model where you get a Kindle version of any physical book you buy. I'd even be willing to pay a small additional fee for this feature. | 1positive
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A full scope of history.
I'm a fan of James Reston, so I may come off as biased, but I thought this book was brilliant. This is a broad treatment of many key events which changed the face of the world as we know it. All of this done by the sheer willpower of two people: King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. Through marriage and inheritance, they forged a mighty kingdom from rebellious lands with little or no central authority. The conquest of Granada forcefully removed all political presence of Islam from the west (for hundreds of years to come) and the voyage of Columbus revealed an entire hemisphere unknown to Europe. Even their worst crimes, one being the expulsion of the Jews, led to Jewish populations being spread over Europe, affecting the course of world events to come. Reston's broad treatment of all these events is the only manner in which this story can be adequately told in order to explain to the reader the importance and position each of their actions take in history. Through enormous research and impeccable journalism, Reston dredges up the source of these events, the goals of two of the most powerful people of their times. One could easily look at the minutia, and there are many books that do so, but what the author successfully does here is paint the entire historic importance of what the royal couple attempted to do: forge a realm of heaven here on earth; one perfect kingdom to serve as a beacon for all others. As Reston aptly shows, their attempts instead created a form of hell; the brutality of the Inquisition, years of devastating warfare, separation and expulsion of a section of the national population. The author writes with the urgency of reporter but the sense of story akin to a novelist.This book is a page-turner from start to finish. If more history were written with the same mindfulness, more people would have a better understanding of how the past shapes the modern world. | 1positive
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An Inspiring Book on True Leadership
This book was a great read. It is an inspring book on leadership while telling the story of one of the most legendary college football coaches of all time. Aside from being a great and accomplishing coach, we also read about the passion and effort Joe Paterno put into making Penn State one of the most respectable college institutions in the country. It is through his tireless devotion that Penn State has one of the best football programs in the country while maintaining one of the highest graduation rates as well.I highly enjoyed reading the historical flashbacks in Paternos career. It gave me a glimpse of who he was and how ambitious of a leader he was. It showed how he cared for his students/players and how he cared for the institution in which he represented. This drove him to become the selfless legend that he is today. What was a little less enjoyable were the chapters on the week to week football games of the season being discussed. I found myself skimming quickly through those chapters. In addition, I was a bit disappointed that the season chosen was the 2004 season which resulted in a losing season. A sequel should have been written the next year as history shows that the Lions bounced back and had a great season.Overall, this was a great book as it teaches us a great deal of leadership qualities. In a commercial age where many leaders are driven by money and ego, it is nice for a change to read about a humble leader who cared only about winning and achieving success on a year to year basis with the same team/school for over four decades.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in being inspired and motivated. | 1positive
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Owner for 6+ months - and finally reviewing ...
In short - I LOVE IT!!! I got it as a gift for Father's Day and it has turned into the best present I've ever received. I'm an avid reader and had been following e-readers for several years but never took the plunge. I was a "gotta touch the pages" kind of a guy. However, the Kindle changed all that. All the features (that are described in detail in other reviews and the product description page) really combine to make using the Kindle a superior reading experience to paper. In particular, I really like the following:+ e-ink/screeen - the text looks phenomenal. Very easy on the eyes.+ LOTS of books in one place - no longer have to take up backpack/luggage space for lots of books on trips+ TRY A SAMPLE feature... What a great way to try new authors/books!There's usually several chapters that you can try for free for a book -easily enough for you to get a feel for if you'll like it.+ Quick downloads - Really cool to be sitting on the balcony overlookingthe beach and deciding you'd like to try new book and be reading it <1 minute later!+ Great battery life - I generally keep the wireless feature turned off(only turn it on to "shop") and my Kindle easily makes it a week (LOTS(of readding) w/o a re-charge.Is the Kindle perfect? No, there are a couple of things that would improve it, such as:- REALLY needs to support folders so you can organize your books. Onceyou get more than a screen's worth of books, it would be really nice tohave add'l ways of categorizing/filing them- More easily accessible wireless on/off switch- Smaller page-turn buttons - this is tough one. When reading I love thepage turn button size. However, pretty much have to lock the screenbefore handling otherwise - almost impossible to pick up w/o changingpages.Finally, one tip that made the cover that comes w/ the Kindle much more usable... Put a small strip of velcro on the back of your Kindle and the cover. It makes the Kindle MUCH more secure in the cover. | 1positive
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy - NY Best Seller - NOT!
The Road (Movie Tie-in Edition 2009) (Vintage International)What can I say other than BORING and PREDICTABLE. If one of the uppity up reviewers calls this "artistic" the out to go back to undergraduate school and take a 100 level literature course. The book is a waste of paper....and I mean that literally! There are sections of the book with small amounts of writing. I can't fathom how some of these writers get on the NY best sellers list with this kind of writing....let alone have a movie made!Some quick views specifically...What causes the down fall of mankind in the book...give specifics. Headed south...what is there still a club med standing? If things are so blundered how in the world do these two humans keep coming across such large untouched stockpiles of food.....no don't say the boy is the "CHOSEN ONE"Bottom line---usually a book is better than a movie. Well this book is abysmal! so the movie has to be better which is an extreme contradiction.One good thing came out of the book "The Road". I was able to light a fire with the pages! | 0negative
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Does not display all books.
Wanted to buy this Kindle to read Michael Lewis' new book yet it is not available so I give this device 1 star! | 0negative
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screen went bad
I bought 3 kindles for gifts at Christmas. All the recipient LOVE them. My husbands screen went bad after less than a month. first a little spot on the upper corner then the whole right side and it is unusable. the others are still working great. I will contact Amazon and if the problem is fixed, i will write another review about their policies. Thanks | 0negative
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get it from the library
A friend recommended this book to me. I looked forward to reading it but it took me WEEKS to read this book. And I MADE myself finish it. When a writer engages me I can read quickly. I wasn't crazy about her style or narrative. She seemed a bit self aborbed and superficial. Yes, I get that its her own observations and experiences but most of the time, I felt like 'get over yourself already'. People deal with broken hearts every day and don't have this much drama. Its as much the time that heals as anything that you 'do'. It was a pass to me - I wouldn't recommend it. | 0negative
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Kindle Reader
My husband is a voracious reader! Our daughters and I gave him the "Kindle" for Father's Day. He thinks this is the best gift ever. He takes it everywhere with him. We recently took a vacation trip to Mexico and all he had to take for entertainment was his "Kindle". It downloads books in seconds, is easy to handle and to read. It created quite a stir from other guests reading out by the pool. Thank you for this wonderful invention for avid readers! | 1positive
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Getting On My Nerves in Book 5
Gosh, I don't even know where to start. I loved the first book in this series and recommended it to my friends. The second book was funny, but the idea lost its originality (obviously sequels usually stink). The third and fourth book started going downhill from story line to character (lack) development and the constant cussing and immature behavior of the "Queen".Now this 5th book seriously TANKS. I have no idea why Davidson insists on making the lead character whiney, annoying, unreasonable, selfish, rude, disrespectful and haughty. It is just horrid and more frightening than the thought of vampires living among us. The relationships aren't quite developed and there are a lot of characters that are still stuck in limbo with nothing new to revive them since their introduction in the first or second book.I also dislike the way the lead character (Elizabeth/Betsy/Queen) treats everyone around her. She is ruthlessly selfish and has an "I don't care" attitude throughout the books. No one really stands up to her and she continues to blindly stumble through situations without EVER learning her lesson. I know Davidson is trying to make "Elizabeth/Betsy" be a fun loving character, but she misses the point of compassion and politeness.I am also really sick of all the cussing and rude remarks and the constant use of "uncool" words like: "pal", "oh boy", and "cutie". What? I thought she was supposed to be a cool 30 something vampire not some house mom from Fresno. Either way, the dialogue is hard to work through and Betsy seems to think the weight of the world is on her selfish shoulders and gives the reader dose after miserable dose of negative dialogue. She never gives her friends and lover a benefit of a doubt and then ends up in stupid situations that really aren't THAT entertaining - even though they're meant to be.Sadly, this is the last book I'm waisting time on. I cannot torture myself any longer. I want to be a fan, but I just can't wrap around a negative, cussing, sassy brat character. Just can't do it. | 0negative
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Dissapointed
I found this book is to over analytical of the simple word "no"....the author tries to prove it's importance, however he does it in a dry, wordy, and uninteresting manner. I wish there were more examples in it, to save time from reading the whole thing. The basics point is a "good" no is actually:yesnoyes...now you know the no secret (haha), so save yourself some money and say NO to this book! | 0negative
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Vast Right-Handed Conspiracy
I love the Kindle in nearly all respects. I just wish it were either available in a left-handed version -- or had a second "select" button. It is great that there are page-turning buttons on both sides of the Kindle, but the essential button for selecting items or moving through lists is squarely located only on the right side.But overall, it is great. I now read hardly anything else anymore (books, newspapers, blogs) except on the Kindle. | 1positive
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And to think two days ago I wanted one of these badly...No more.
Because Amazon scandalously *removed content* from users Kindles the other day I went from "dying to get one" to "not in a million years" in no time at all. Sorry Amazon, your pinky swear to never do it again isn't going to cut it with this no longer potential buyer. Your terms of service gave people "permanent" possession of the files they buy *before* you took the Orwell books away (and I hear Ayn Rand among others recently as well). I think that was supposed to be a promise too, but you didn't honor that promise and you did dishonor to your self and your reputation. I'll stay away, thanks. | 0negative
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Love my Kindle!! Love the bookmarks and footnotes features.
I just got my Kindle and I love it. Great features to use: I keep Kindle in its cover, as suggested, but also place the black elastic strap over its right-hand edge to keep it securely in place. The elastic band covers part of the Next Page bar, so it also helps me in not pressing that bar accidently. I bookmark the beginning of each chapter, and that way I can "flip" through all the chapters quickly. I downloaded the Pelican version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (I like Pelican's footnotes) and saw that each line had it's footnote, which was easy to access using the Footnote feature. So I'm a happy camper.Now Amazon - please get Scholastic and Jo to put Harry Potter in Kindle Books ASAP!!!! | 1positive
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Awful, truly awful
I suggested this book for my book club based on the strength ofthe reviews on Amazon.com. You can just imagine my embarrassment whenevery single one of us hated it. Who is Ms. Frankel related to in the publishing world? ...I can't believe how truly appalling this book was. In fairness, it would probably be a good read for someone in high school, but it is not being marketed as such. The plot line was ridiculous... We are now in the year 2000 and I find it hard to believe that women are to be classed as either smart or pretty. I did not detect any traces of humor in the book that would show that the author was poking fun at the notion of smart vs. pretty. The characters did not undergo any development by story's end. And, of course there's the rich knight in shining armor at the end, just in time to save the day. I can not find one thing about this book to recommend it. | 0negative
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understanding WWII
Just as he and his dad did with the Civil War, Jeff Shaara makes the reality of WWII come alive. The reader meets the great leaders and generals in a different, personal way. What I like best is that Shaara picks a real soldier from the ranks and weaves his story in with that of the big guns. This story is a readable, engrossing adventure, even though the reader knows the outcome. If we truly don't want to relive war, we must understand war. This book helps. | 1positive
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You have to love this thing!
I don't normally leave reviews, but after having the Kindle for a while and using it daily, I have to say that I am really happy that I got it. At first I thought the price was a bit high (ok, I still think the price is a bit high) but after using the computer, a pocket pc and a pda to read books on I have to say this is way better than any of them.You forget that it's electronic. I actually reached up to turn the page like it was a page in a regular book instead of an electronic one.I think there is some room for improvement on the cover. I'm planning to stick a little piece of velcro on the kindle and the cover to keep it from sliding out of the cover which is the only real complaint I have about it.I love that you can sample books and do trial subscriptions before you commit to them. I wasn't sure if I would like reading a newspaper on the kindle, but it's not bad because you have such a large "view".I'm enjoying this purchase and if you've been looking for an e-book reader, this really is the way to go. | 1positive
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A Book Lovers Dream Come True
Honestly i'm one of those people who reads 4 or 5 books a week. It used to be that i was always at the book store and my house was over flowing with books, with piles of them everywhere. Now, with this device, i'm able to actually get books as i need them, and not have piles of books everywhere. I love the design, it is so easy and simple to use, and the feature to change the text sizes is great for those days where my eyes are tired after a long day at work. The battery life is amazing too, it is shorter of course if you leave the wireless connected, but otherwise it lasts for days. Truely a great buy if you are constantly on the go, or someone who reads a lot. | 1positive
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Love love love love love it!
I know some say it's hard to read and understand which could be true. But after you get used to the way they speak the book is INCREDIBLE! My absolute most favorite book ever! I love this book! Such a sad but beautiful and touching story. | 1positive
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A beautifully written novel of love and tragedy
I loved this book.. It's beautifully written and well composed. A novel of passion, deceit, and forgiveness.. An undying love that affected many in the book. A wonderful novel that I recommend all to read.. Katharine 14 | 1positive
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Page Turner
Whitney,Charisse and Taylor the three girlfriends that all had ups and downs. I was pulling for Whitney to pull out of the state of sadness and turn it into happiness. Charisse was just plain crazy waiting to snap. You love to hate her all through the book. But that was from the raising of her mother. Taylor was the princess of the girlfriends and thought she had the man of her dreams which turned out to be OPP. I started to read this book and couldn't put it down. I recommend everyone to go out and get this book.Everyone check out my book also that is titled-I CAN HAVE ME CAKE AND EAT IT TOO. | 1positive
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unhappy subscriber
After 30+ years of The Chronicle I find myself out of the delivery zone and tried the Kindle version. I find the Chronicle on Kindle has too many errors and is way short of useful info. Articles do not match the headlines, paragrapghs are repeated--sometimes whole articles are repeated under different headers, incorrect hyphenation, isolated characters and inappropriate symbles all make it difficult to read. It gives the horoscopes and lottery results but not the sports scores or the Dow Jones averages. Then of course--no comics! Such a great idea but it comes up short! | 0negative
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Wish I had waited on the library copy
I suppose I'm not the most intellectual but am an avid reader and enjoy a variety of fiction and non-fiction. For the life of me I can't understand the rave reviews this book has received. I found it slow (plodding would be too kind), and absolutely lacking in depth. The numerous tedious episodes where the main character lets his mind wander, probing his spiritual self, what it all means deal, were particularly annoying. I wasn't expecting nor requiring a shoot em up, skim lightly over the top of the dark subject matter kind of story, but the point is I didn't find that it had ANY story. I was left shaking my head and wondering "is this it???". Completely unsatisfying for me at least. | 0negative
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Fallibly Human...
I knew I was going to be in for quite a ride before I even picked up a copy of Cydney's Rax's second book. What I wasn't prepare for was how angry I became with the three lead characters -- Anya, the wife, Neil, the husband and Dani, the girlfriend. I imagined myself hundreds of times just putting my fingers around of all their necks and squeezing until they came to their senses or stopped breathing. Why? Because despite the foolish mistakes and choices they made, Ms. Rax created her characters in such a way, that they not only came off as very real, but reminded me just how fallible we are human beings. Just how flawed we can be, and how, after making a decision, it's so easy to backslide again and again.I was eager to see how this tale would end, and the ending came that not only made me smile, but re-affirmed some things I have learned about life. There is always a purpose for what we go through and though, at times, we can not see the why, there is always a reason - quite often a good one.If you want to dig into a novel that will have you feeling a story deep inside your bones, well this is the book for you. A good author will make you feel and respond to the characters, as well as leave you with some gem of wisdom you can take with you. Ms. Rax had done that superbly... | 1positive
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Will the real Ms Hamilton please stand up...
Anyone who has read the Anita Blake series will recognize the title as a phrase used often in LKH books, at least the early ones. I certainly hope she sees this review, and takes it to heart.I've been a fan of the series since I first found it about a year and a half ago. I own all of the books, and have read them numerous times. My wife has as well. I disagree with many of the reviews that say that the trouble started with Narcissus, because that book really hooked me to the series. Being part of the DS lifestyle, it was a surprise to find it embedded in the series that I was starting to really like. So, the sex alone isn't the problem for me. The problem I have is that the plot inches along at a snails pace, and I found myself skipping over the sex scenes trying to find more story. The same thing happened in the last Merry story.Ms Hamilton, please keep (some of) the great sex scenes, but your books can be so much more than that! My wife commented that the scenes from Danse were some of the hottest that she had ever read, but that she felt that the book suffered due to the sheer number of them. There was no room left for story line. When I got to the last sex scene, I started to wonder where the rest of the book was. There were so many things to finish, so many plot elements to wrap up, and not enough pages left to do it justice. But as in Micah, Anita seems content to give you a synopsis of what happened as the last chapter.Is she being pressured by deadlines, max # of pages or what? I love sex, but thats only one of the reasons I read this series. Whatever it is, its killing this series, as well as the Merry series. | 0negative
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Enjoyed the first part
I enjoyed the first part about her young life in Maine and her struggles to achieve despite such long odds. However, I did not enjoy the latter part of the book where she seems to be tooting her own horn about all the celebrities she knows. That seemed to be the consensus of my book club in Maine as well. | 0negative
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Trend Following: How Great Traders Make Millions in Up or Down Markets, New Expanded Edition, (Paperback)
Disappointing. Long on theory and very short on practical advice. Not of much use to an individual investor. I would not recommend this book to someone looking for a "how to" book. | 0negative
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What happened????
JAK was never the most complex author around. We know this. But her latest book has me worrying about the deterioration of her talent... or what the publishers consider fit to put into hardcover.Was this a book written for adults? JAK's sentence structure, while never complex, borders on simplistic in this book. With lines like "Daria looked very happy" and "he could feel the positive energy of happiness in the air" I was beginning to wonder if she'd decided to write a novel for twelve year olds and then threw in a few less-than-spicy sex scenes to please the romance fans. She's also developed this annoying habit of bringing the reader up to date on things that happened only a few pages ago, filling in the gaps of her characters thought patters as if a rational adult couldn't think the situation through.The plot is boring, with too many strains to follow and not enough emotion to make me care whether Zoe and Ethan stay together - in fact, the only hint of excitement in the story was the bit concerning Arcadia's supposedly dead husband, and that was over so quickly you had to wonder why she put it in at all. This novel didn't seem to have a point, save that the preceding book was rather good, and she felt it needed a sequel. But this isn't a sequel. It's an afterward, at best.Add one star, I guess, if you can get this from the library and not shell out the money for a hard cover. I feel like I've been burned and certainly won't be paying for any of JAK's future efforts. | 0negative
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Dreams From My Father
I have not finished reading the book, but I am very happy with what I have read so far. It gives some real personal input into his life and that is refreshing.It is very well written. | 1positive
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brilliant
One of the best books I've read in a long time. Very well-written, intelligent yet easy to follow. This is meaty stuff for the soul. I read it twice, and expect to keep going back. Will be acquiring more of Hollis's work for sure! Quite impressed. | 1positive
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Don't Buy Kindle!!!
I received this for Christmas and was so excited. I just loved it when I first got it and told everyone how wonderful it was and was really nice to have all my book club books on there and didn't have to carry all those books. Within 3 weeks the screen went crazy and just died on me. I called and they sent me one the very next day and I returned that one and reloaded everything and was happy again only to have it break a week later and not able to transfer books from my account. I had a lot of trouble talking them into returning my mother's money in full because I was not going to go through this and they only wanted to give 80% back and then had to really talk to get the books back that I purchased for Kindle and no longer had access to. I would just say buyer beware on this and wait a few years for them to get all these kinks out. If you have too long and something goes wrong you could be out of luck with any return or refund. The concept is awesome, but just too many kinks right now!!!! Very disappointed | 0negative
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tripe for the soul
The Last American Man was a great book but this was a weak attempt loaded with rationalizations. Disappointed that she didn't draw a lot of hoots and hollers from Italian men, she goes on to explain that it isn't because she's not as attractive at 35 as she was at 23. No, it's that Italian men don't yell at the babes anymore. Oh and she meant to gain weight in Italy. blah | 0negative
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Nice try
The author tried to pack too many themes, issues, chraterizations and a whole bunch of other stuff into a thin story about people it was difficult to care about. There were some moments of excellent writing but there were many more moments where the going was tough. | 0negative
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Happiness is...
Sun Shines: The Astrology of Being HappyBy Michael Lutin2007 NY: Simon & Schuster, A Fireside Book480 pagesIn this book, Michael Lutin poses the question: What is happiness?In answering, helooks at the Sun signs of the zodiac. He focuses on the power of the Sun, the star that is the center of our planetary system. He looks at where true happiness lies for a person born under each Sun sign, what throws him/her off, and what gets him/her back on track. While initially appearing like a number of other books on astrology, with a cookbook format through the zodiac, its deeper focus promises more: to bring each reader to a greater ability to fulfill destiny, thus to be happy at last.There are some basic assumptions in this theory, specifically that the most of us are not happy, not living our destiny, not living to our fullest potential. If you know Michael Lutin's work at all, you know he is completely irreverent, challenging all basic assumptions from a depth that gets at the soul. He even promises that when you're done with his book, you'll be freer than when you began. But fear not! He includes instructions on how to read the book. After describing details on your Sun sign, he directs you to another section, one of 12 subdivisions of that Sun sign. He explains that this subdivision is based on where the South Node is located in the solar chart, during the year of birth. Here, he provides key words that describe two areas of concern that can become basic obsessions.Obsessions suggest a darker side, a deeper level of operating. They are related to the Lunar Node axis, where the paths of both the Sun and Moon's intersect. Lutin describes coping strategies for the obsessive desires that tend to serve as undoing. If lasting happiness is the ability to make the most of gifts, reduce negative traits, and increase positive ones, the Sun, as the heart and soul of everything, serves to center the psyche. As such, it is the container for the energy stimulated by the interrelationship with the Moon. The two become a dancing pair. At the deeper level, the Sun radiates the nodal authenticity, creating inner peace.Lutin guides the reader to face the self honestly, then he offers a way to deepen understanding and find "true north". He structures this section according to what gives great pleasure; what one might tell oneself; where one goes south; what major relationship struggle needs resolution, as well as other struggles that need attention, and he offers a possible past life scenario. He suggests ways to find true north and how to restore power. He offers some suggested paths to healing, as well as a final word of sage advice.Through his humor, Lutin reassures us that we're all struggling as humans together, but clearly, the process Lutin suggests is one of personal growth. It requires a letting go, a detachment, and movement towards things, relationships, ideas, and beliefs that bring lasting satisfaction. This is the work of astrology, applied positively. | 1positive
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We love Terry Pratchett
We want Terry Pratchett to write the next book in this series right away. We can't wait for more stories about the crazy blue "fairies" and all the witches. Ach, Crivens!! Its so 'ard ta wait. Just write a new book right nooo. | 1positive
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