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Don't waste your money or time
Besides being a disgusting tale of a father raping his own daughter, the book is stupid and boring. Even free it is overpriced. | 0negative
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A Passionate and Lovely Story
This is one of her best, and all her books have been wonderful. The story has a contemporary theme which was refreshing (heroine in danger rescued by the hero themes were wearing thin). This is a story about a struggle between a man's ambition and his heart. Griff is a wonderful hero and Rosalind is a perfect mate to his ego and his passion. The secondary characters, Daniel and Helena, are also interesting and I wished their story had been given a little more attention. But the book is not flawed in that regard and as busy as I was this weekend, I finished the book in three nights. Now I'm tired, but it was worth it. | 1positive
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movie better
im a fan of dennis but i`d have to say that the movie -of the same name- with casey affleck and morgan freeman is in my opinion fascinating and better. although i didn`t enjoy the novel the movie is great. if you want to read one of dennis lehane`s good novels read mystic river. | 0negative
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First Clancy, Now Cussler
I NEVER thought Clive Cussler would have an awful book. But I doubt he wrote this one anyway. His art of switching scenes while keeping interest is not here. This is a hodgepodge of......something. Complicated story. Outright low morals (gee, professional hookers???) were a surprise. I'll pass on future co-authored books. | 0negative
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Absolutely Amazing!!
Simply a great product. I travel considerably and subscribe to the Atlanta paper, the Wall Street Journal and Investors Business Daily. I can keep in touch with all the news, local and national, and read the articles I want with a click of the button. The type is very easy on the eyes. I'm also reading a novel and find it so much easier to travel with the Kindle than several books and newspapers. At home I use it just as I do on the road and take it with me so when I have some down time, I have plenty of reading to keep me busy. Don't hesitate to get this product, you will be wel pleased. | 1positive
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Zero Stars!
Christopher Anderson writes an awful lot of books about very famous people in an unflattering light. I wonder what skeletons lurk inside the author's closet to have made him so mean-spirited, so lacking in conscious, and such a pathetic human being. Barbra will always be great and long remembered. But Christopher what's his name(?) not a chance! | 0negative
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kcr
I found this book to be poorly reasoned. While the author claims to have well supported conlcusions, the vast majority of her conclusions do NOT follow from the research she cites.In light of the events at VA Tech in the last week, I would note that there was one individual who fit the profile of her book, but the reaction of the vast majority of students, both at VA Tech, and around the world, indicated what a wonderful generation of thoughtful young people are coming into their place in the world. | 0negative
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Bad
This book reads as bad Mary-sue fan-fiction. I barely made it past the first chapter and by the third I had just put it away. I have no interest in ever picking up this book again, I do not even care to know what the ending was.It was as some people say "not my cup of tea".I was looking for a more realistic and in character sequel type of book. | 0negative
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Great info and an easy read!
This book was great! It has a lot of usual information about getting started in real estate and was very easy to read and understand. Most people assume that you have to have money to make money in real estate but Matt gives a lot of useful tips on starting with little money (as he did himself). | 1positive
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Thought Provoking Story
If you are big into Middle East troubles you will not be able to put this book down. Easy reading and keeps your attention very well. | 1positive
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Disappointing
I thought that this book is the most disappointing of Cook's collection. It was so bad I couldn't finish it. The plot basically has a couple of people get captured by people who live in the Earth. They have the choice to go back to above ground or stay there. The values of these people are so messed up I couldn't stand it. I promptly returned the book to the library after reading only about two hundred pages. Cook could have done better! | 0negative
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Glad it was free
This was terrible. I can do without the blood and gore that was required to fill pages. The book fell short on character development. I don't think I'll read another by this author. I love suspense, but this missed the target. Sure glad I didn't pay out hard cash for this one! | 0negative
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Perfect
Perfect transaction. nice and quick and book is in fantastic shape (better than hoped). Book arrived in very timely fashion. Thank you. | 1positive
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One rich man's tantrum
Pardon me. I saw the title of this book, and picked it up to take home thinking it was a book on leadership. This is a topic in which I am very interested. I was wrong. This is one rich man's diatribe against the Bush administration. The title is a complete misnomer for what is in the book. Save your tantrums for your party guests, Lee. Don't try to sell them to the public under misleading titles.I took it back. | 0negative
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Dreams from my father by Barack Obama
I gave this book to my mother as a gift. She said this was very informative and well written. One of the best books she has read recently. She would recommend this to anyone. | 1positive
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Say again?
Don't get me wrong, I love Amazon, but why am I paying 400 dollars for a proprietary DRMed device to read books with? Can I back up the books to my laptop or onto a CDR? Can I also read them on my laptop? What will happen to my books when the device dies? How can this possibly be better then an actual hard copy of the book? All these digital devices have a lifespan. Will Amazon make a commitment to support the device in the long term, even if it's a flop? Finally, why in the world am I paying for internet content that is available for free? I will be very surprised if this device is a long term success beyond the short term novelty phase. | 0negative
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Technology catches up with my imagination
This is fantastic. A portable library without a bookbag. And the discount pricing on the books has made the Kindle pay for itself already. I'm still amazed at holding a Kindle up next to a 'hard copy', and being able to see the type on the Kindle better. And the option to change font size is convenient. And my friends are jealous - Bonus! | 1positive
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A Spot of Tedium
This book, as far as I am concerned, gets by on the coattails of 'A Curious Incident...'. It's really quite a tedious read and it left me feeling rather annoyed with myself for giving it so much benefit of the doubt. My advice? Don't bother with A Spot of Bother. | 0negative
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Not very good
The Product Description above says that this was called "the world's #1 archaeology blog". If so, the others must be just awful, because this one is practically useless as a source of archaeology information. Half of the articles have little or nothing to do with archaeology. During the trial I received only one article mentioning a new discovery. I was hoping this would be a good way to keep up on what is happening in the field of archaeology, but it definitely is not. | 0negative
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disappointing, but entertaining
I admit, I used to think Nicholas Sparks was dull and unimaginative, and that ALL of his stories sounded the same but with different characters, but after reading almost all of his books, I have to admit that I like his simplicity, and he has slowly become a favorite of mine. I was excited to hear about "Dear John" coming out, since my husband is a Marine. The book was great at the beginning (aside from using the word 'portending' about a thousand times) up until Savannah sends him the fated "Dear John" letter. I understand, waiting a long time for a loved one while he is in the military and deployed is painstaking. But to break up with them for choosing to defend your country over being with a loved one? That's a little BS, if you ask me. Especially after John sells his father's collection for a lousy price and then gives it all away to help Savannah's husband. No one in their right mind would do that, but then again, this is Nicholas Sparks. | 0negative
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Buy another paper
I used to get the Post on paper and switched to Kindle for the last couple of years. The paper has gone downhill: the writing has suffered, analysis is almost gone, and the paper has become more and more biased. While the navigation is good, the Kindle version frequently has typos, and it will refer you to the website Post for many interesting articles which are clipped short. As I am a local, I expect the Post to also cover local news, but it is deficient in what it selects. There are some major issues going on, but they prefer to go back to some crime that is unsolved and happened years ago rather than dig into current issues--it's probably cheaper. The Post covers politics, but the reporting is typically he said, she said with little or no research or analysis, and the editorial and news selection slant is decidedly pro-illegal immigrant. I am not a conservative, but I would like more balanced reporting regardless of what the editorial board has to say. To be fair, the Post occasionally has a fact checker article that is useful. For the last several months, I've found myself skipping over the much of the paper. Many of the writers have an annoying habit of launching into an article, but failing to give you the key information until the last couple of paragraphs. I suppose that is to peak my interest or something, but it's like listening to Bolero. I am in the process of cancelling the subscription. By all means, try a free subscription though. I subscribed for years. Who knows, you might like it, especially if you are pro-illegal immigrant. | 0negative
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Errors,Over-sights, & Unbelievable characters...
The first thing that bothered me about this was the weak main character. She is in love with a man who emotionally & verbally abused her into therapy. As if that wasn't bad enough, he tried to rape her & is obsessed with his dead wife. Did I mention he'a also an alcoholic? Throughout the book she tries to say she hates him but then makes spineless declarations about how she would give him everything and expects nothing in return. It's really sobering, especially since the woman, Lindsay is a former police officer and current private investigator. She works for a very rich playboy of a man,Griff- who has no experience,but a lot of money to bribe cops & government officials into releasing information. He also charms women and uses his past college status as a football player His best friend is...yes, the drunken, obsessive, woman-abuser Judd.The one character it's not hard to like is psychic Dr.Meng, who should have her own book.The plot focuses around a game of killing former beauty pageant winners with a point system for hair-color. The underlying reasons for the killings is really a false way to create a signature. It reality it's a fun game. Even the victims are not consistant. Any woman who has ever won any type of beauty pageant, no matter how small, is a possible target. They are then killed by chopping off whatever appendages they used for their pageant talents. This is where errors come in. One of the woman killed is a former Miss Usa who participated in Miss Universe. Error #1 is that those pageants don't HAVE talent portions. (Miss America does, and tiny local pageants do) The publish date for this book is 2007, but it seems like it's dated back much further. Maybe to garner sympathy for the victims, there is no updated reality on pageants. All of the kills leave the police and FBI baffled as to who could have done it. In an age where it's common knowledge that the Miss Usa/Miss Universe organization girls have had their share of nudity scandals, drug problems, bad public behavior, inner sabotauge, and a plethora of plastic surgery, it is a little hard to believe. It stands to reason that a serial killer would be a little more specific about his targets and that they wouldn't range so much. A LITTLE research definitely would have made this a little more beliveable. Most of the women fall into the killer's trap because they are sweet and naive, none of them divas. No one even questions that it may be a woman out for revenge after being treated badly by pageant girls or being a former pageant girl herself. Of course, this isn't the case, and the killer is obviously a man.The second large error is a clue given away by the killer in a voice tape -he mentions to the victim that it's his "first beheading" and no one even blinks. I find it hard to believe that with the number of people and organizations working on the case, they could all be so stupid.Of course, there is a happy fairy-tale ending to all of this, that also opens the door for a sequel.I HAVE read previous books by this author that weren't this out there, error-riddled, and just agonizing to read.I don't recommend this to anyone, and the third problem is the unrealistic romance prevails angle with all of the thrown in book-porn. | 0negative
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realistic
I loved this book. However unlike others, this one keeps things somber. It is not some frilly romance novel but a little more realistic with many twists and turns. | 1positive
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The worst book ever!
I know this is a classic amd you are supposed to admire the great writimg skills of Charles Dickens but this book is tortureous. He uses unnecessary comparrisons and words that nobody understands. I understand Dickens is a great writer and it show. Everybody knows this story you do not need to torture yourself ny reading this though. It is boring and hard to understand . Just watch one of the movies. | 0negative
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A MAJOR Disappoinment
I could not believe that Patricia Cornwell could write a book this badly. A novice writer would not have a chance to have such a work published (and justifiably so). There was not one redeeming quality to this novel. Even Niles-the STAR, as far as I was concerned of Hornet's Nest-was relegated to a cartoon role. I am not sure if there could have been any more loose ends at the end. I hope that PC is not becoming bored with her work, or worse, taking her fans for granted. I'd rather she'd subscribe to the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" theory of pumping out books rather than "familiarity breeds contempt." I will be wary of her next non-Kay book; on the other hand, if there is one, it has got to be better than this one. | 0negative
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A review of the first 56 pages
That's because I only managed to slog my way through that many. Phooey on this book. Another author who is paid by the word, not the idea or story telling abilities. Way too many digressions (even the narrator admits to that), and the old manuscript in olde English was a trial as well.Life's too short to spend on books like this. | 0negative
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Price hike makes this not worth it.
I like the kindle edition of the NY Times, I really do. I get it whether I'm at home or on vacation, I don't have a lot of papers lying around the kitchen taking up space, and I can take it with me on mass transit without lugging something huge around. And I love reading this sort of medium-length content on my kindle screen.BUT...the price hike (from thirteen ninety-nine to nineteen ninety-nine) makes the price way too high, especially for something I can read on my iphone for free. It's not quite as nice an experience, but the difference isn't worth 19.99. I might subscribe to a cheaper local paper, though...sigh. I want to have the NY Times, but it's just not worth it. I have a feeling that the NY Times is just trying to kill off electronic editions, to preserve the paper edition. Good luck with that... | 0negative
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A Must Read for Teens
The Ups and Downs of Being RoundTaste My SoulOnce again Jacquelin Thomas has brought a very serious issue that teens are facing to the light...online safety. The characters are real. The situations are real, and the book is entertaining from cover to cover.Monica Marie JonesAuthor of "The Ups and Downs of Being Round" and "Taste My Soul" | 1positive
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A Big Disappointment!!!! Don't waste your $7 on this book!
I was excited to read this book after the 4 1/2 stars it got. After about 100 pages or so, I could not go any futher. Frank's writing is absolutely absured! The story is about a heroine who is a small, petite, innocent librarian who crosses paths with a demon enforcer. The way they first meet is ridiculous, she accidently throws herself out of a window and he catches her. Then a little after, she kills a transformed demon, which is suppose to be "hard" for even demons to kill. She makes contradictions out of her characters and it is honestly very irritating!! When the heroine is told for the first time what and who this mysterious man is, the scene is suppose to be serious but the author throws in corny dialogue which is completely uncalled for! Frank has no sense of how to produce a good paranormal romance. Any author who uses "duh" in her dialogue where it is inappropriate should go back and really consider what the hell she was thinking. I cannot understand for the life of me how people gave this book 5 and 4 star ratings. I feel like I completely wasted 7 dollars on this book. I will never read anything from this author again.If you want to read some amazing paranormal romances, check out J.R. Ward'd the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Now there is an author who knows what she's doing!! If you read that series already, try Kresley Cole's the Immortals After Dark series or her Maccarrick brothers trilogy. They are awesome. Larissa Ione's demonica series is pretty good as well. Whatever you decide to read, don't let it be this! | 0negative
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My first but not my last Nora Roberts book.
I'd heard of Nora Roberts but had never read any of her books. This trilogy was given to me by someone at work. I've read the first two (Born in Fire and Born in Ice) and am greatly anticipating Born in Shame. Highly recommend!! | 1positive
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Gem of a book
This is a gem of a book. It has a well orchestrated storyline-- the author's writing flows smoothly - there wasn't a lot of flowery, descriptive narrative to drag the story down. I thought that the author brought the story together quite simply -- the characters were all likeable.There are four funny, eccentric elderly women that add hilarity and substance to the story. The hero is delish and the heroine is a strong, intelligent, kind character.This book was worthy of my time to read and was my first C. Maxwell book--I will read more of her books having read this one. | 1positive
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Proper Care and Feeding of Marrisge
I found quite a few hints and tips to use. Couldn't get my husband to even look at it tho. | 1positive
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Boring and dry.
I didn't care for this book at all. I've read a few other books about women in Afghanistan and they've been excellent but this one was dry. This book reminded me of a textbook because it was so dull. I would recommend going to RAWA's website if you want more information. | 0negative
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Exactly what I wanted
I had read and liked this book years ago. Wanted to share it with a friend, found it for a great price and got it for her. It is a good book. | 1positive
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Cork Boat
John Pollack's tight and engaging style makes Cork Boat an easy and pleasurable read. His ability to render vivid memories, and to make them accessible to his audience reflect the talent that gained him a job as a Presidential speechwriter. Equal parts real-life character development and international adventure story, Cork Boat is an inspiration! | 1positive
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What was I thinking?
If you like sappy rediculous romance novels - you may like this. I should have known better just by looking at the cover. I stopped reading it after the first chapter. My book club gave this book a good rating but they just want to sell more books. | 0negative
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Stolen Minutes
I purchased the Kindle so I could more easily "steal minutes" to read during my daughters, appts, lessons etc. I can also read while I'm in my classroom. My daughter quickly picked it up and downloaded all 4 Twilight books and "inhaled" them. I LOVE being able to enlarge the font, and I never lose my page either. I have used the dictionary often.My only complaint is that sometimes it is difficult to hold without "flipping" the page. I also wan to know how to put music on it. | 1positive
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Kindle only!?
WHAT!? Kindle only? That stinks. Judging from the other reviews its also missing content from the printed version. Come on Fortune! Give us a printed version we can read on any device. | 0negative
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Average... Too Predictable
THE GOOD:Dinah McCall has a gift for characterization and dialog. I could really empathize with them and had no trouble visualizing them as they struggled in the ups and downs of this predictable plot.THE BAD:GET OVER IT ALREADY! Raine and Joseph's tragic parting 12 years ago and the subsequent death of her unborn child was rather heavy handed and dragged as an underlying sub plot throughout the book was depressing and a real downer.Also, the heroine was far too self absorbed. Would have liked to see her more empathetic to others, such as Joseph's brother Benny. Her 'poor me' attitude made me wonder why Joe wanted her at all. I much prefer clever heroines who are sensitive to the world around them and the needs of others.Joe's difficulty in understanding or dealing with his wastrel brother Benny rang false for me. Joe appeared to me to be smarter than that. Joes avoidance in confronting Benny and Benny's refusal to grow up showed a lack of growth in either character which I found unsatisfying. Would have liked to see the brothers come to terms with each other.The overall worse part of this book, was the ending.... It was far too predictable, appeared rushed, and lacked the spark that the book initially promised.Overall, a predictable formulaic read with a couple good characters which don't live up to their full potential. | 0negative
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Kindle Wireless Reading Device
Love the Kindle. I fold back the kindle cover before beginning to read just as I would fold back the cover of a paperback book. The wireless feature is fantastic. In fact, I have a problem in wanting to read two or three books at the same time. It's great for me because my job includes traveling away from home for extended periods of time . The kindle memory can carry all of my books rather than my trying to fill a suitcase with paperbacks. Less suitcases means less money paid for checked luggage. Great savings for me there! And of course the great savings in the cost of kindle books. The average price is $9.99 or less. The initial price of the kindle was a bit steep, but I think it's worth it in the long run.I could say the only problem I have had is in the design of the page turn bars on either side of the kindle. I'm constantly accidentally hitting the bars which will turn the page forward or backwards. Another problem is that the kindle falls out of the casing constantly. I've solved this by pulling the right sided rubber band over and around the upper right hand corner of the kindle. Problem solved and now the kindle doesn't fall out of the case while I'm reading in bed.I have no problems reading from the kindle. I actually forget I'm reading from a wireless device when I really get into reading the stories. Hitting a button to turn the page is faster than having to turn a paperback page manually. | 1positive
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Best described as Silly
This book is nothing but a bundle of the writer's most outrageous "What ifs" with barely a sprinkling of a plot. We care nothing for the characters, and find ourselves wondering whatever happens to things the writer hints at at the start of the book, like a romance between Perry and Suzanne, or a deeper understanding of the worker-clones. Altogether bizarre and childish, with an extremely poor ending. Stick to the medical thrillers, Mr. Cook. | 0negative
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Hiassen wanna-be
The best I can say is that Cornwell gives a reasonable try to write in Hiassen's inimitable style. But a bizarre continuation of characters introduced in a totally different style in Hornet's Nest. While I laughed out-loud occasionally, it wasn't worth the time to read. Cornwell's much better at the Scarpetta-hard-bitten style. | 0negative
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Excellent read!
This book was definitely a page-turner!It's full of suspense and anyone who is into that will definitely love this book. | 1positive
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Book 2
Candace Steele still works undercover in the Las Vegas casino-hotel Scheherazade "Sher". She still senses and kills upper crust vampires. But she is still severely attracted to the vampire Ash Donahue as well. Despite her cravings, Candace remains determined to keep her distance and never surrender to her darker side.There are rumors of a New Year's Eve vampire assault on the casino and only Candace can stop it. To do so, however, she must turn to Ash and even step directly into the center of his deadly domain. If Ash agrees to help her, Candace knows the price he will demand may be her very soul.**** Author Cameron Dean focuses more on the plot than the attraction between Candace and Ash this time around. However, a lovely little twist is thrown in for extra drama. I, as the reader, learned a lot more about the society within the vampire domain too. I can see events slowly coming together between the couple. The author manages to keep me guessing as to whom shall win though. I can hardly wait for the third book, "Eternal Hunger", due for release in January 2007. This is one dark and seductive trilogy! ****Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews. | 1positive
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Are the Cliff's Notes available?
Who edits these books? Arrggh! There is plenty of good information here, but who has the time to extract the useful stuff? Maybe I'll look into the audio version. | 0negative
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Far-fetched, not enough details, and too many stereotypes
I wish I had read the reviews before picking up this novel. It started off a bit strange. I found it hard to imagine the activity going on. In the end it relied too much on stereotypes, did not develop the characters or story enough, and was an overall disappointment. | 0negative
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Saving Graces
This book provided insight into Mrs. Edwards loss of her son and provided me with inspiration to truly take advantage of my own daughter's teenage years and to never take life for granted-not a single day! I loved this book because it was real life grief and how she overcame it one day at a time, however, also showed how a person never really gets over the loss of a loved one. | 1positive
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Finally!
All I can say is, I've been waiting for Lucius White's story for a long time and Ms. Holly did not disappoint me. The third intallment of Ms. Holly's paranormal eromatica tells the tale of the oldest upyr, Lucius, as well as the history of the upyr. And we get an update on our old friends - Gillian and Aimery! That's the only teaser I'm giving folks, you'll have to read the book to find out what happens... | 1positive
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Loved the Movie but not the book
I like to read books that I can actually understand. I can not understand the language in this book..I guess I'm just calling myself ignorant, but thats the truth. I loved the PBS movie, its a great story but the book just isn't for me. | 0negative
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Disappointed after Deep End of the Ocean
I bought this book because I loved The Deep End of the Ocean, but I have to say I wish I hadn't. It was REALLY hard to get into. I did not like the Annie chapters at all. I found myself skimming these chapters. About half way through the book I finally got into it, and I liked the ending. However, I hope they don't make a motion picture out of this one. | 0negative
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one of best by Nora Roberts
Dora Conroy's actor father rents the apartment in her building to Jed Skimmerhorn, a burned out cop. Jed is struggling to decide his future. Dora's passion is antiques and after a buying trip she is targeted by a thief/murderer.I love Dora's and Jed's families; they add much to the story. | 1positive
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Drags on and on
I have read a few of Jackson's books prior to this and I must say I am not a big fan. There always seem to be a character in there that sleeps with either 2 sisters or 2 brothers or what not- atleast the ones I have read. What's up with that? (That's the impression I have. Pardon me if I am mistaken though). Anyway, "Shiver" wasn't all that creepy,more like a "Yawn" and I read this book over 3 days while I read most books in much less time than that. There wasn't a whole lot of dialogue and I felt that this book could be made into a silent movie- what little dialogue there is shown in quotes in between. Usually in a suspense novel, the villain turns out to be someone you have atleast come across a few times. Not so here, so don't waste your time trying to figure it out. As for the romance, it was quite underdeveloped and you don't feel the chemistry much. I got tired of it all and just wanted the book to end. As another reviewer mentioned, if you want BOTH suspense and romance that you can't put down,read Karen Rose. The ones I have read never felt like a thesis. | 0negative
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Screen died 2 months after warranty expired, otherwise revolutionary
It was great while it lasted. If you can afford to replace it every 12-18 months, it is a great gadget. Although if you have a tablet that runs e-book reader applications, you may be able to prevent lock-in to Amazon by using that instead of a Kindle. | 0negative
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What an amazing story!
Richard Picciotto's story touched me to the very core. I wish I could rate this book higher than a 5! He painted a very clear picture of what he and the other firefighters went through and endured. To me, these men (and women) of 9/11 are heroes! I know they have said they were only doing their jobs, but because of them, hundreds of more lives were saved. I was an EMT at the time and was working for a private medical transport company. And on 9/13, I was one of the few who had the honor of going into the city to help. It is an experience I will never ever forget. God Bless all the firefighters, EMS personnel, and police officers who risk their lives every day. | 1positive
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Where is the rest of the story ? There is no ending.
Did Terry Brooks die before finishing the book and they went on and published it anyway ? There are four distinct stories going on, all interesting, but mostly unrelated. As the book goes on the relationships between them begin to become apparent. Then all four are just left hanging and you hear "Thank you for listening ... " and it's over. Did they make a mistake and leave out half of the book or what ? Infuriating ! | 0negative
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what's all the fuss about?
when my friend read all of jane austen a few years ago and just couldn't stop raving, i thought it was time to give the old girl a test ride around the block and see what all the fuss was about. on first try i fell right off. it was like reading a foreign language. my mind wouldn't stand still long enough to learn it. now, though, with the continued push to read jane austen ever before me (the new book, "the jane austen book club" peeked my interest), i thought i'd strap on my helmut and give her one more try. a few years of meditation under my belt would surely slow me down and give me more of a chance to "get it", i thought.she's still out of reach. i was initially teased, even laughed once or twice as i started "sense and sensibility" but then....it's just soooo boring. austen's portrayal of elinor and marianne and the crew are about as shallow as it gets. there is no depth here in these characters. my mother even joined me in this reading endeavor. we started a book club of two, just to accomplish this task... strength in numbers and all that. but, alas, we were both so " monstrous" bored. it was a "sedulous" task at best. we have now named our book club the "anything BUT jane austen book club".the reasons for the boredom:1)i'm just not entranced by long, long, long sentences. proust gave it a go and did a much better job.2)i'm also put off by the confusing use and over use of pronouns..who really is "he" and "she" and "they"...i think if i'd have submitted this work in college, it would have come back with many margin notes on grammar, syntax and style.3)i think i got the idea of the social structure and nuances(where there any?) in the first 50 pages.. the rest was just" monstrous insipid ".4)and for the storyline.. when austen lovers run out of austen material do they go on to harlequin romances? seems it would be a logical move.no more austen for this old girl. life's just too short and there are too many really good books out there. | 0negative
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Solid writing
For substance "The Crusader" falls within the work of David Brinkley, Robert Caro and David McCullough. History which is fun to read but isn't fluff.Not the very light writing of a Sean Hannity, Al Franken, Michael Savage or Bill O'Reilly. Nor an Ann Coulter foot-noted polemic intended to amuse or infuriate.On the other hand, "The Crusader" is not as detailed as Yale university's Annals of Communism series (Think Sean McMeekin, Donald Rayfield and William J. Chase--wonderful history but not books one picks up and reads straight through).Of the 432 pages in "The Crusader" 79 are footnotes. 12 pages mention Ted Kennedy. 4 pages out of those 12 pages are in the appendix--the KGB letter. Kengor received the Chebrikov document via Marko Suprun, Walter Zaryckyi and Herb Romerstein (author of the Venona papers). A brief excerpt from the letter was first published in the London Sunday Times (February 2, 1992 "Teddy, the KGB and the Top Secret File"). | 1positive
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Kindle: Amazon's reading device
Kindle is the best thing to come along since sliced bread!! I have read more and faster since purchasing my Kindle. It's such a pleasure, easy to handle and operate. Never loosing my place is wonderful. Being able to store the books I will re-read is a plus. | 1positive
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Outstanding Book!
This was a book that was hard to put down. In 1939 a group ofpowerful men are determined to keep America out of a war withHitler and Germany.This group enlists the services of a professional killer to assassinate the King and Queen of Englandwhile they are on a tour of America. This would forvever poisonrelations between America and England.Thomas Barry,a ScotlandYard detective and Jane Todd a photographer are aware of thisconspiracy and are trying to stop it by catching the assassin. The assassin,John Bone is very good at what he does.You have somehistorically significant people come up in this story.Allen Dulles,Joseph Kennedy,Lyndon Johnson,and Frank Sinatra are mentioned in this story. This is a good book that you will enjoy. Buy it and read it. | 1positive
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Product not Available
I've had a Kindle on order for more than a week with no information other than I would be notified when the product has shipped. I'm beginning to wonder if Amazon is waiting to get enough orders before they start producing the product. My recommendation is not to order a Kindle until they have an inventory in Stock. The Sony Reader is readily available as an alternate choice. I will give Amazon one more week to before I cancel my order.So far - not very happy. | 0negative
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Obama magic
"Dreams from my Father : a story of race and inheritance" was a beautiful book. I am a white 70+ year old retired librarian and I enjoyed every word. If this man didn't already have a job he could have easily been a writer. His descriptions of his varied life were wonderful! And the characters, especially "Toot" were touching. From a life that could have been a dysfunctional disaster (no Father in residence, Mother only around sporadically, and hopping from school to school) he managed to extract the best of all of these and come out a fantastic person, a successful family man, a caring positive individual who has attained the ultimate prize. In spite of all the criticism and spite aimed at him you know after reading this book that he will endure. | 1positive
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles
I found the book to be a little wordy, with Thomas Hardy's elaborate descriptions, but the story was a page turner from beginning to end. | 1positive
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Great Book&very detailed
this Book is long overdue. talk about a Person who truly changed the game? Walt Disney is a American Institution all unto himself. He overcame so much to leave a lasting mark. this Book explores so many subjects&puts to rest things that were never fully known on the Man. His Work ethic was about a Man who was driven&wanting to be the Best. this Book covers the Man far better than any other book has on him up until this point. Neal Gabler uncovers the whole being of Walt Disney. the Man had many sides to him&despite the Animation&many characters that were created in a Fun Happy Go Lucky vibe the Man was anything like that. but this Book is on point&Speaks well about a Man who overcame alot of obstacles. | 1positive
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Awesome Idea, but I can't pay $400 for it.
I've got to be honest. I want one. Badly! But I cannot justify $400.Sorry. | 1positive
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Why it all went wrong
This book explains how it all went wrong in Iraq and why it went wrong. Prior to the invasion (liberation) Iraq's economy was teetering. Broadly a large number of people were employed in unproductive state enterprises. Food was given out to all families, there was free health care and large numbers of commodities were subsidised. This naturally led to massive state expenditure and the revenue generated by oil was not enough to cover the costs so that Saddam had let things like power production and infrastructure fall into decay to balance the books.The US occupied Iraq for a bit over a year before handing over the government to the Iraqis. The government of occupation was led by Paul Bremner a former diplomat with a right wing ideology. His staff was appointed according to the book on political grounds. Selection interviews had questions on who the interviewee voted for and what was his attitude to abortion. The Bremner government thus consisted of people who were appointed not for reasons of competence but for docility.In reading the book one realises why democracy as a system works better than autocracy. If Iraqis had been running the government of occupation they would have handled it differently as they could see the consequences of the decisions they had to make and they would have realised how it could go wrong. Bremner made decisions based on an ideological template which were simply disastrous.A number of his mistakes have been listed in other books such as Fiasco but this book lists them again and explains the background to why they were made. The Americans lives in a walled compound in Bagdad and for the most part had no contact with the country and such and made decisions in a vacuum.Most writers now agree that the insurgency was created by the firing of all Baathist employees and the failure to call the army back to barracks. The firing of the Baathists meant that a huge number of the brightest people in the country who were used to power and prestige were suddenly on the scrap heap. A natural cadre for revolt. The failure to call the army back to barracks meant that there were weapons everywhere.However the errors kept on coming. Rather than trying to prop up the state industry it was decided that it could shrink. The process of shrinkage was aided when a decision was made to confiscate bank balances of profitable firms to prop up the banks.The path ahead as seen by the Americans was to privatise industry, to remove tarrif barriers and to reduce income tax to a flat rate of 15%. The hope was that capital would flow into the country to restart the economy. Of course to have capital flow in you need to keep law and order in check. However this collapsed. The failure to do anything significant about power generation and the increase in unemployment simply made the insurgency grow as the American rule seemed to be worse than that of Saddam.It has been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Reading this book one is aware hears stories of many of the Americans involved in the process as being sincerely motivated. However none of them had the skills to work in the real world. One person in charge of health care spent a huge amount of time in trying to prune a list of available drugs rather than dealing with the actual shortages. Another failed to set up a national stock exchange because he spent to much time planning the perfect stock exchange.The book is an indictment as it shows how a country that had some stability was simply destroyed by amateurs who tried to impose a simple ideology on a far more complex reality. | 1positive
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Great product
This is great. Is small but plenty big enough to read and lite. Better to hold and read than a regular book. Also keep your books forever on drives so saves space. Omly thing if you live in the country find your books and when you go to town down load them. | 1positive
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A great inside look at today's derby.
This book was just what I needed. I just started as freshmeat with the Philly Roller Girls and read this book before I went to tryouts. It gave me an inside look at what I might expect in the derby world. Reading about Melissa's experience coming into her league and starting from scratch was really inspiring. She explains what it takes to be a derby girl, what to expect, how tough it all really is, and how rewarding it and the derby community can be. I definitely recommend this book if you're at all interested in the most recent derby revolution. It's taking over and it's awesome! | 1positive
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One of the best books i've read
I loved this book right from the beginning. I could barely put it down to eat and work! It was interesting yet informative. I am not in any way a master when it comes to anything about serial killers... but if you're one of those people that is just interested and looking for something to read on the matter.....READ THIS ONE! :) | 1positive
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Eeeuuwww!
Now there's a stomach-wrenching experience for you -- Susan Estrich trying to look like Ann Coulter. Actually it doesn't even look like Susan Estrich, since her humungous mouth is closed which is never the case when Ms. Estrich is seen on TV. Clever try, Susan, but it's unlikely it will put your book anywhere near Ann's in sales figures. | 0negative
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Finally a Kindler
I have been wanting a Kindle for over six months, but hesitated purchasing one because of the price. On 10/24/08 I got an unexpected pay raise and the same day Oprah offered a special discount on her show. Well, that was all I needed to take the plunge. I ordered the Kindle on Sunday, 10/25/08 and received an estimated delivery date between 11/7-11/14. I received my Kindle on Friday, 10/31/08!!! That was a great surprise. I am enjoying this gadget even more than I thought. I really like being able to highlight passages and add notes. I don't miss the paper books at all. This product s great. | 1positive
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A pleasurable read
This book is extremely easy and interesting to read. I wouldn't consider it a serious scientific endeavor in how the mind works, but for a general overview and introduction to decision making, it's fascinating.Gladwell spends the first part of the book crediting the amazing power of the brain to "thin slice," or make seemingly instantaneous subconscious decisions. Midway through I was ready to always trust my first instincts and gut decisions. However, the latter part of the book explores how our brains gets "thin slicing" wrong.The book is thought provoking in that it allows the reader a glimpse into faulty assumptions and biases that strongly influence thoughts and decisions. Particularly of interest is the discussion on marketing and the IAT (Implicit Association Test)research done by Harvard.Blink is a fun read, but I'm glad that I borrowed it from the library and didn't buy it. | 1positive
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A Total Clap
Unreal, flat characters in a class D Holywood movie situation. Sunday school writing. One star is because there's no zero. It's hard to believe she's allowed to publish so many books. | 0negative
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Who are you kidding
Buy this book at your peril. The author of this book has, it would appear, done alot of research and he wants you to know it. The book is difficult and language laborious. This might be an ok read for advanced sociologist but for your average computing proffessional or student of computing its a waste of time. | 0negative
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Bad for Business
Usborne says the whole heavy graphics thing is bad for business. Has he seen a movie lately? Star Wars had more graphics than an B-2 Bomber! Special effects are everything. There's this guy, Michael Levine, who argues that you gotta connect with the customer in Guerilla PR: Wired. And I agree!Okay, Usborne, yeah, the customer's eyes might roll up when he sees my latest web designs, but you know what? They'll remember what site! That means they'll remember the product! | 0negative
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Good SF/mystery story
Private investigator Jack Stein has set up shop in the town of Yorkstone. It's a town on the move, literally (it really is a moving town), and it's a programmable town. For instance, one change the furniture in a room just by telling your computer. Jack's appointment book is empty, until Bridget Farrell walks into Jack's office. She is a very beautiful woman who knows how to use her beauty. She asks Jack's help in finding a metallic tablet inscribed with ornate symbols.Farrell had a colleague/competitor in the field of obtaining rare objects, a man named Talbot. Unfortunately, he got too close to the business end of an energy weapon, and is now very dead. The Yorkstone police are now very interested. A rich industrialist named Landeman is also interested in the tablet.Jack is a psychic investigator; he works from hunches or "feelings" gained from objects, other people or dreams. He meets Talbot in his dreams and is told to go to a planet called Mandala. A major archaeological dig is underway, uncovering what was a major city. In his dreams, Jack sees the city as it was a millennia ago. But he is no closer to discovering the answers to his growing list of questions.Back in Yorkstone, Billie, Jack's teenage "ward" and an expert information finder, learns that the object is made of a metal unknown to science, and probably came from Mandala. It could be an object of great power, or the key to some advanced civilization. Jack begins to piece it all together; a potentially "huge" object like this would be worth a lot of money to some people.This works really well as a mystery story and a science fiction story. It's just weird enough, and it also has echoes of famous tales like The Maltese Falcon. Either way, it's worth reading. | 1positive
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I wish I hadn't read it
This book has made me reflect on many aspects of my parenting.Unfortunately, it did so by making me feel guilty and berated. When I feel guilty and insecure, I become a worse parent - I fixate on my actions rather than on watching and responding lovingly to my child.While reading this book I felt as though I was being manipulated by the highly rhetorical style. Although it is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum to books likeOn Becoming Baby Wise: The Classic Sleep Reference Guide Used by Over 1,000,000 Parents Worldwide, at the end, i felt with both books as though unworkable advice was being shoved down my throat.I honestly wish I hadn't read it, because I can get the same parenting tips and information from other sources without the emotional baggage. TryNurtureShock: New Thinking About Childrenfor the same information about praise, for example. | 0negative
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Not a pleasant read
I kind of got the existential point the author was making here about how all our lives are redundant, inauthentic cycles of meaningless events, blah blah blah. I guess in the end I fall into the category of readers who likes a cohesive plot. Just because you are trying to be existential does not mean you can just string a bunch of events together without any thought to the book as a whole. You don't have to answer every mystery for me, but the book started out with such an interesting premise and so many promising mysteries to be solved that I was disappointed when none -- not one -- was revealed. I enjoyed the beginning third or so of the book, but once the narrator started re-enacting a series of meaningless (or were they? I guess we'll NEVER KNOW) events, it became so tedious a read I began to feel that I, like the narrator, was going insane. Possibly that was the author's point. Well done if so, but it didn't make for a very enjoyable read. | 0negative
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Not Transformative
I read this book and listened to the CD's on the advice of Oprah. If you have ever had any sort of deep personal growth experience, a spiritual awakening or experience in a twelve-step program, I don't think this book will help you add anything to your life. I felt Tolle missed the mark in many areas and had a haughty, condescending attitude. In my thinking and feeling, most people who have had a true evolutionary experience are humble and open minded. I agree that we overly identify with form, but so many others have said it better. If you are a true novice in self-examination, it may have a few points that will help you. | 0negative
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Best product!!!
I have had my Kindle for a couple weeks now and I love it!!! It is very user friendly. It literally took seconds for my book to download. It is great because you dont have to leave your house to purchase your next book and have it in seconds. If you need a larger text, it is simple to change. I purchased a cover skin and a light that attaches which are awesome! I would say the only negative is sometimes the turn page keys can be a tad sensitive, but you can easily hit back page to return to where you were. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is an avid reader or anyone is is tired of holding bulky books!! | 1positive
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Couldn't be happier!!
I've had my Kindle for several days now and I don't go anywhere without it! Great for catching up on reading at work, or at home on the couch. Don't let the negative, haven't-seen-one-but-I-know-it-stinks reviews get you down. Every day I've found something new that makes me say wow.For instance, the search feature. I added several free books from Wowio, Baen, and Project Gutenberg, and the Kindle set right to work indexing them in the background while I was reading. After an hour or so, all of the free books were indexed and searchable just like anything you buy off of Amazon. Downloading books from Amazon is a snap, blogs and newspapers are brilliantly organized, and the screen itself is amazing to behold.For those problems mentioned elsewhere, several of them are not as horrible as one might be lead to believe. I've found the cover fits wonderfully well if you take the time to properly seat the Kindle, and a small piece of paper folded over and slid beneath the plastic tab holds the device much more snugly and securely in place. You'll quickly find a comfortable way to hold it and pick it up without turning pages. I've handled, picked up, and put away the Kindle several times over the last few days without once accidentally turning the page.As for pdf support, I've found that several pdf files mailed through Amazon's FREE email conversion converted and displayed just fine on the Kindle. Picture heavy pdf files may not convert as well; I have not tried one. Text-heavy pdf files look great!All in all, having done my research before my purchase, the Kindle is everything I expected it to be and more. I'm quite happy with my purchase, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who might be interested in it. If you like to read, the Kindle is for you! | 1positive
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Ugly with potential
Why is this book so ugly. I especially don't like the keyboards sticking out. I think I have been spoilt with iphone and the likes.I prefer sony's ebook design to Kindle, but kindle's library more. But, please do justice to everybody and pay some designer to play around with Kindle. I am sure Amazon.com can afford it. | 0negative
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Amazing book but terrible edition
Amazon sells the public domain Nabu Press edition as though it is the entire work. It s not. The expensive Nabu Press edition is merely a scan of the third volume of this work. Get the NY Review edition. | 0negative
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A vicious cycle...
The ONLY good thing about it was that there were no annoying letters by other "VCA Heriones" to try to get you to buy "their" book. If someone like, say, Willow, were to write the girls saying, "I think we are truly sisters of the heart. It takes my breath away! Please read my books!" I would scream! Rip my hair out! Burn the books! As it is, I am very annoyed and refuse to read another VC ghostwriter book again. What "startling surprise" did we get here? What "new characters"? Every VC ghostwriter character is EXACTLY the same with different looks, though I find similarities from all the grls all the time The difference here is these girls whine as they're doing drugs and running away! 0 stars for me! | 0negative
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Deception about Kindle 2 cover.
We got a Kindle about a year ago and love it. When the ad for the Kindle 2 came out we jumped to buy it. Were we surprised that there was no cover with it. The thin Kindle 2 needs a cover both for general reading comfort and for travel. Now I have my Kindle and have to fork out $30.00 plus postage. I feel ripped off!Be up front in the ads that the cover isn't included and that it is strongly recommended getting one. At least that way one could make the decision to get the cover at the same time as the Kindle purchase and save the postage, or just plain decide not to buy the Kindle at all, since in reality it costs $30 more than the advertised price. | 0negative
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Awesome!!
I own every one of the JD Robb books. A librarian recommended them to me several years ago, knowing that anything Nora Roberts writes is right up my alley. I love the way they build on each other and can't imagine anyone not thoroughly enjoying all of them. | 1positive
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A Place of Darkness
While reading A Place of Darkness, I was overwhelmed and bored simultaneously. I felt that it was the author's meticulous attention to detail that was so overwhelming and boring. The imagery of the Egypt, the building of Hatshepsut's temple, and their lifestyle strongly overshadowed the story of the book, making the emphasis more on their surroundings than the plot itself, which was subpar.I truly believe that Lauren Haney wonderfully depicted the ancient Egypt period and made you feel like you were a part of the building of Hatshepsut's temple. On the other hand, she left me wanting so much more out of a main character and story line and less of their backdrop.When reading a mystery, I want to be surprised. In A Place of Darkness, the plot was what everyone expects: Lieutenant Bak survives to continue on with the series of mysteries. I did not finish the book due to boredom. Yet, I know that the malign spirit that Bak was after was indeed a man. No question there, it was just a matter of whom. I didn't find Lieutenant Bak engaging. In fact, I found him to be very flat. I wanted excitement, emotion. Instead I got a level-headed, calm, and meticulous officer.As mentioned before, I did not finish this book. I completed about 50% of it and still had to drag myself to pick it up and go on. I went online to compare my feelings with the book to others who read and finished the book. I appear to be outnumbered. Most readers really enjoyed the book and have plans to continue reading the Lieutenant Bak series. My opinion may be a little biased due to the fact that I enjoy and rarely branch away from literary classics. Lieutenant Bak comes nowhere near to any classic story in writing or plot. When comparing him to the great Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lieutenant Bak doesn't stand a chance. Perhaps my expectations were high when reading this book, but I have read amazing literary classics that set the standard for authors everywhere and A Place of Darkness does not make the grade.I would not recommend this book to a friend. | 0negative
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Huge disappointment
I wouldnt recommend a kindle to anybody. I purchased a 3g kindle for my step daughter in Tennesee for christmas and trying to send her books is ridiculous. It charged me $3.30 and almost 24 hours later they all still havent even made it to the kindle. I paid extra for "free" 3g because she has no internet or wifi where she lives yet it still charges me to send documents. I tried to send via email but that dont work, you can only send to the @kindle address. It would just be a nuisance and not a problem if she had internet access, I could send to email then she could transfer from computer to kindle.I also found out Amazon can and does delete books that you rightfully bought from them when they decide you have had it long enough.My cell phone is more useful than this kindle, at least it can save email attachments and I dont get charged every time i get an attachment.DO YOUR RESEARCH BRFORE BUYING. THERE ARE A LOT OF DEVICES LIKE THIS AND IM SURE THERE ARE BETTER OPTIONS. | 0negative
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Awesome Kindle2
This is the best thing since sliced bread. I use to average 3 books per week, I still do at a fraction of the cost and I don't have all those piles of books laying around collecting dust. I could not give them away fast enough. Plus, an added bonus, all those trees I'm saving! This Kindle2 rates in the top 5 purchases of my life. I LOVE it and cannot speak highly enough about it. I would recommend it to anyone who reads alot. The only thing I would add to it if I could is a back light. Other than that it is PERFECT. Thank-You so much, Linda Hardy | 1positive
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fabulous purchase
I bought myself the Kindle for Christmas. It is everything I hoped for and more. I was looking for something that would be good for the gym. I go everyday and love to read on the elliptical to pass the time. A regular book was do-able but a nuisance. I love the Kindle. It works just as described and I use it everyday. Thank you so much . Jednaples | 1positive
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Boring
Rhage is such a sexy character to read about but Mary is so boring I can't bring myself to finish the book. I personally don't want to read about a boring unattractive female who's dying of cancer. Vampire romance or trashy novels are supposed to be about sex appeal and imagination lol a fantasy. I don't want to be depressed and bored while reading this kind of book. I want to read about a more exciting attractive female so I can live vicariously through them while reading the book and imagine I'm that hot gorgeous female. I had cancer been there done that. If I'm going to indulge in a trashy novel I sure don't want to think about cancer. Rhages character deserved way better than a boring plain Jane. | 0negative
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Great book..very informative....well put together......
I highly recommend this fine book. The author's roots can be traced back to Camp Willoway. I can still remember his early films that he showed to us campers. One that still sticks out in my mind is where you see a guy who is being followed/stalked and he is desperately trying to get away. From who you ask ?.....the camera....it was quite clever. Though the author was not my counselor, he was a kind, thoughtful , creative guy whose films left an impression that still remains. Best of luck! | 1positive
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Latins lessons learned
When I decided that learning Latin would further my career, Essential Latin was the book I chose. Although it starts off with the hard stuff (grammar, cases etc.), it gave an excellent view of latin, and also insights into the history of ancient Rome. Filled with comical cartoons and ancient quotes to translate, this is the essential book to learn latin from. There is an Audio cassette available throught the publishers. | 1positive
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Another wonderful romance/mystery from Nora Roberts!
Again, Nora Roberts has done it--written a story that makes me read the whole thing in one night. This is another present day/past history tale centered around Manet Hall. Declan & Lena are the main charactors but there is also a very good supporting cast which make the book so delightful to read. The Hall is haunted, we know why from the beginning, but to end the spell you must read and find out along the way how things will be put right. Can't wait for the next one and this one is definitely a hard bound book keeper. | 1positive
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So Helpful and Provocative!
I've read a ton of books about psychology and the inner life. The vast majority are so simplistic as to be mind-numbing. Hollis is, I think, the best psychologist writing today, and this latest (I recommned ALL of his previous books) is an empassioned guide towards getting real with yourself. The best "self-help" book I have ever read. I think it should be required reading for everyone when they turn 40.Rock on, James! | 1positive
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Awesome
This is the best gift I have ever recieved. I have book shelves in every room and corner of our house..but no need anymore ! Out with the clutter ! I can actually buy a smaller house now ..lol. We travel and sail a lot. My Kindle has already been used in Canada, Mexico and the USA. It will come all over the world with me. I love it ! I recommend it to all who read. | 1positive
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Suspenseful & Exciting
In this 8th book in the In Death series J.D. Robb doesn't disappoint her fans! I fell right into this book as it takes place only a few weeks after the previous book. & It keeps me involved in the story line. I recommend you to give this series a try. | 1positive
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Barack Obama for President
If the election would be held today, Barack Obama would beat George Bush hands down.Unfort., this country must wait for this great person named Barack Obama to move up.This is a most inspiring story about a great man. | 1positive
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Another grand effort by a leading, perhaps the leading, historian of early Christianity
I am not a Christian, but I am interested in the history of Christianity. Rodney Stark, I've concluded, is probably the leading historian of Christianity and, best of all, he doesn't defend, proselytize. mythologize - he simply describes the history. And, surprisingly, according to Stark, the history of Christianity is a more positive force than many historians want to give it credit for.Stark takes many contemporary historians, like the late Arthur Schlesinger, for their devotion to personal ideologies than to fact. As an example, Stark thoroughly dissects Schlesinger's misunderstanding of Andrew Jackson's popularity in a Pulitzer Prize winning book.With that quality in mind, Stark debunks many popular, but apparently false, myths about early Christianity. Factoids: many Roman emperors appointed many pagans to political office during the ascendancy of Christianity in Rome, contrary to the myth that Christians forced paganism out of existence.The book is rich in historical detail, some of it drawn from surprising sources: the inscriptions on ancient tombstones. The basic theme is that Christianity became an urban religion that ultimately conquered the failing Roman Empire. Another surprise: the larger cities developed Christian populations sooner then smaller cities.Overall, for any student of history, Stark provides a valuable contribution. There is no overtly religious content in the book, so people with an aversion or animus to religion can read it comfortably.Jerry | 1positive
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Kim
In _Kim_, Rudyard Kipling follows two seekers as they travel about Colonial India.Kim is an orphan, an unusually clever and observant adolescent boy who is well acquainted with street life and dubious business in Northwest India. By virtue of his parentage, however - his father was a British soldier - he has one foot in another world as well. Throughout the book, Kim seeks his identity - will he live the simpler, unencumbered life that he loves, or will he join the world of the Sahibs, the men who rule India? .At the opening of the book, Kim shows kindness to an elderly Tibetan lama and, in the lama's eyes, anyway, becomes his disciple. Kim accompanies the lama on a quest to find a mythical river where the lama believes they will find enlightenment. Eventually, the lama pays for Kim's education; while he is at school, the British groom Kim to become a spy. Throughout the rest of the book Kim travels with the lama, performing his work inconspicuously so as not to disillusion the old and rather oblivious lama. Along the way they encounter all that is good and bad in India. The lama wants to escape the Wheel of Life; Kim notices that "by the roadside trundled the very Wheel itself, eating, drinking, trading, marrying, and quarrelling - all warmly alive."The book examines the relative merits of action and inaction; of the worldliness and other-worldliness. "What profit to kill men?" asks the lama. "Very little - as I know;" says an old soldier, "but if evil men were not now and then slain it would not be a good world for weaponless dreamers." Later, the lama tells Kim that "To abstain from action is well - except to acquire merit." "At the Gates of Learning we were taught that to abstain from action was unbefitting a Sahib. And I am a Sahib," Kim says, revealing his choice of identity.This is a beautifully written book and a wonderful depiction of life in Colonial India. The Penguin edition has attractive cover art and an excellent introduction and very useful endnotes by Edward W. Said. | 1positive
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zzzzzzzz
This is defintly not my idea of a page-turning book and I hope it isn't your either. My 9th grade teacher had our class read this over the summer. If you're assigned to this book, please!! Oh please try and get out of the assignment. This book is no fun and my best suggestion is to skip the 1 1/2 chapter and you should be better off. All it really talks about is the heath and that is n't really important. Good luck to you all and may god be with you. | 0negative
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