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Was reading this 24/7!
When I started reading Eragon It wasn't as good but once I read on I was totally pysched about it. I friend had gaven me a review of the book so I wan't to read "Eragon". My favorite part was at the end when there was the big battle in Tronjheim. My favorite Character was Brom because then Eragon would be a dull Dragon Rider. I would rate this book a 5 out of 5. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!! | 1positive
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Memnoch the Devil, a Vampire Chronicle?? HELL NO!!!!
Anne, you have proved to me that if you wait long enought, your heros will fail you. This bookhas nothing to do with the Vampire Chronicles.Who is Lestat and Armand in this book, certainly not the characters I know from the past books.And also what do I care about the charater Roger. He has nothing to do with the story?! The good part of this book is Memnoch's story about God and Heaven and Hell but if I would really tell you the truth, it was trite and boring and non-developed. Anne take more time on writing books PLEASE???!!!!!. And also the endng was just pain stupid. Armand doing that. Anne dont you read your old books to keep consistenscy????? PleasePeople ignore this book, move on!!!!!!! | 0negative
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The Worst Katie MacAlister Book EVER!
I have read almost every book that she's written - and I loved them all. The humor was witty, the romance charming and the writing flowed easily. This so-called book was nothing like anything she's written so far. To begin with, the writing is stilted, as if it took her years to write in bits and pieces and she couldn't remember where she was. The humor is, quite frankly, not funny.The male lead supposedly sweeps the female lead off of her feet instantly - and he manages to do this without a personality of any sort! MacAlister gives him nothing to say, and when he does speak it's a droll sort of nonsense.The female lead is completely and totally unbelievable. She is 37 and is still shy as a virgin on her wedding night when anyone even mentions kissing around her - yet she sleeps with a man on the first date and promptly expects him to marry her. Her desperate attempts at getting him to day I-Do had me throwing the book across the room in disgust!I had an easier time believing in Beloveds and Wyrvens than I did a mystery novelist and a sheep farmer! Bottom line - don't waste your money!! | 0negative
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Love Zadie, but she fell flat here
I so wanted to enjoy this book, but I just didn't. I first read Autograph Man and fell in love with Zadie Smith. I also enjoyed White Teeth and was really anticipating this book, but it's been weeks and I'm still trying to drag my way through it. I found the characters generally unlikable and I really, really want Zadie to ask an American to read her writing before she attempts any more American dialogue (or descriptions for that matter). Should Levi really say, 'So what am I meant to do?' or SHOULD he say, 'So, NOW what am I supposed to do?' We never say 'I have done.', we say 'I have.' I could go on and on. Basically, it's an 'American' book told in a British voice when each part should be told in the voice of its narrator. The constant shift between under-developed characters makes for a confusing and interrupted read. Something would finally start to happen with one character, when boom - now you're back with some character you haven't heard from in chapters who never really did anything anyway.I'm hoping that this one is a learning experience for Ms. Smith and I'm still awaiting her next novel. Based solely on her first two, I would read anything that she puts out there (no matter how long it may take). | 0negative
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Ridiculous, pathetic, and not even slightly exciting
The Anita Blake series was recommended to me, and I've been plowing through the increasingly awful books. Blue Moon was OK, the rest are repetitive and overdependent on descriptions of her guns, knives, eye color, hair length, and clothing. But this one is the limit, a wannabe porn joke. I keep trying to figure out WHAT the author was thinking. Did she think this would be funny, watching the character add more and more partners, in sillier and sillier sex scenes? It really is just pathetic; The Executioner, a slave to her powers and her libido, screwing anything and everyone that moves, in any way possible, because if she doesn't her minions will die. Oh puhleaze. Not funny, not sexy, not thrilling, not interesting, not worth checking out of the library, much less paying actual money for this book. Amazing that so much sex could be so very very boring. | 0negative
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Read it!
I must defend this delightful book. If you are a fan of Berg's clever writing style, you won't be disappointed. The story is light, quick and enjoyable. | 1positive
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Great photos, terrible text
This book is a great concept; unfortunately it was not executed well. The design is crowded and jumpy. The text desperately needs a copyeditor. DESPERATELY. The whole thing lacks professionalism. The author is a fan, yes, but he should've worked with someone on this who knows what they're doing. Lots of unnecessary repetition and unclarified information. And whatever happened to those puppets? He never tells. Very little text about how the specials were actually filmed in their "Animagic" technique. How were the puppets made? By whom? What size were they? How were they worked? Lots and lots of questions left in readers' minds. Poor job. But--we're stuck with it. The attempt is nice, but it needs lots of work. | 0negative
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Touching with Mild Violence
I have to say this. I am not into this kind of stories. It was a good story though. But I am more into the Go Ask Alice, Beauty Queen, Naked Lunch stories. About drug users who become addicted and cannot get their life in control. But this is a good story. If you are looking for violence, or even pornographic details, this is not the book for you. You have to like to read to truly enjoy this book. It is an ok book. But if you truly dont like to read, I recommend you check out the movie. It is basicaly the same but without the reading. All in all, I say this is a good book, not my kind of book, but a good book indeed. | 1positive
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Its all TRUE & its all LIES
Hilarious long novel. David Foster Wallace meets Philip K. Dick: Imagine a world where Illuminati and and Anti-illuminati forces contend for world domination and good looking chicks. There are many plotlines and lead characters, but the novel is legible and well-constructed. COINCIDANCE author and Playboy's 1960s era editor Robert Anton Wilson is a great writer and thinker, and Robert Shea is the co-author. Very raunchy sex scenes. Very 1974 American hipster humor. | 1positive
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Verleumdung!
I must compliment Ladywisdom on a certain flexibility of judgement seldom found amongst that species of pedant to which she most surely belongs. I would, after all, have expected the sort of lady who would condemn someone's intelligence and learning simply on account of a single flaw of spelling (as if people whose "genius" is far better attested than D.N. Freedman's have not often orthographized in the most unusually and colorful manner) to be most disagreeably affected by Kontakte's rather casual approach to German grammar. It surprises me all the more that someone who has already learned six languages would be so "marvelously" pleased with the training wheels that Terrell and Co. provides for its students. Or that someone who has studied biblical exegesis with a scholar of the ilk of D.N. Freedman (whose Bible Dictionary, Herr Adler --- a good friend of mine, I must add --- has always deeply admired, despite certain theological reservations), and must therefore be aware of a language and literature of deep-reaching otherness (I would say "radical alterity" --- but why expose myself to the charge of thesaurizing) would not find something amiss in a German book whose authors are so deprived of feeling for the language that they purport to teach that they could not even find a German word for the title. | 0negative
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unreadable with Typos
If I had known this copy was purposely left unedited and full of typos I would not have purchased. I struggled to overlook them but the book was unreadable. Unfortunately, by the time I gave up and sought a better copy, none were available and I missed my class. This should have been stressed upfront... in fact, why would anyone WANT an unreadable copy? | 0negative
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Very poignant and bittersweet reading!
I love how my hairstylist has this book exchange going on at her salon ~~ otherwise, I'd never pick up some of these books simply because I have too many at home to read! I picked this one up in hopes it'd be a fun lighthearted read. And while it's not lighthearted ~~ it is definitely entertaining and enjoyable!Caddie Winger, 32 years old and never married, has been raised by her grandmother after her mother died. She has to send her grandmother to a boardinghouse for the elders after Frances broke her leg ~~ and that was just the beginning of an extraordinary summer that Caddie had ever experienced in her life. She falls in love with the guy she thought was of her dreams, made new friends and found her own self-worth and independence.It is a wonderful story of a young woman who finds herself assailed by life's crazy moments ~~ all the highs and downs of life ~~ and love ~~ and the friends she has made along the way. It explores the nuances of friendships, failed romances and how life sometimes throws a curve ball which ends up bringing a wonderful blessing and life's great sorrow.This is a wonderful book to read during these long winter nights ~~ and perfect for a beach read. I have read all of the others of Gaffney's books ~~ and this one is right there next to Saving Grace, which is my favorite of her books.11-21-05 | 1positive
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Terrible book
This textbook is written terribly. Each chapter seems to refer to multiple concepts, with little to no explanation of the concepts besides "We will cover that concept in X chapter". Chapter 1 refers to nearly every other chapter, Chapter 2 refers to nearly every other chapter, (Including Chapter 1??) Chapter 3 refers to every other chapter, (Including chapters 1 and 2) etc etc. Each chapter seems to read like the introductory chapter. The content organization of the book makes me think the authors decided how to break each "topic" down, then wrote that topic while referring to the (not yet written) other "topic" sections. The "topics" then were assigned chapters based on how they thought information flow should go. The problem is, there is NO buildup of knowledge as every chapter reads like it *should* be the last chapter in the book since it assumes you know all of the other concepts it refers to in every other chapter. (Which of course you do not)The book also, despite saying it will focus on only two companies in chapter 1, constantly jumps into different companies financial information. This seems to only confuse, not help understanding.As other reviewers stated, the book does very little explaining, and mostly stating. I found the review which mentioned watching an expert accountant fly through the work they do daily and expecting you to understand it right on. To say this book is hard to pay attention to, and hard to comprehend is a drastic understatement.This book is one of the most terrible MBA textbooks I've had. If it didn't cost so much (and therefor be worth more to sell back) I'd burn it too. | 0negative
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Dark
This book was well written and the characters fully developed, however, I found the story to be a bit over the top for my taste. I did not see one thing funny or sexy (as portrayed in some reviews) about incest, adultury, or murder.The story is dark and disturbing, without redemption. The character's extreme dysfunction was not quite believable (even in our present day society where this behavior seems to be rampant, their behavior was bizarre).Although incest, murder and adultury occur everyday, the sequence of events in this book impacted me as though I had witnessed a bad accident. The senseless wreck of lives has, unfortunately, lingered in my mind. | 0negative
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A 10th Anniversary Retrospective
If you have ever wondered how Gary Larson started coming up with ideas for "The Far Side," this book offers a retrospective back to Gary's childhood days. The book is divided into five portions. The first portion takes Gary's past from his first drawings to syndication of "The Far Side." Along the path was a pre-Far Side comic called "Nature's Way."In the second part of the book Gary offers his original sketches and captions in comparison to how the comics actually came out. In most cases the final version was better, but not always. At the end of this portion of the book is a short section titled "stories" that is what it says, comics with a lengthy caption that is at the very least a short story. In some cases the caption could be a novel, if you think about the concept very long, which I do not recommend. You might suffer further brain damage.The third part is really interesting. It shows how Gary or newspapers made mistakes. The mistakes were often subtle, sometimes blatant. Some of the more interesting mistakes happened when the caption of adjacent comic was switched with that of "The Far Side."The fourth portion of the book was humorous independent of the comics. Gary offers comments from various people offended by his art. Considering the art and the comments offered, I suggest that in many cases people saw something that was not there, which makes me wonder where THEIR mind was at. In other cases, people need to remember that Gary is offering a perspective on the world, in comparison to how people see things. It does not mean that Gary is interested in actually seeing the things in his comics happening; usually.The fifth and last portion of the book offers Gary's favorites. I concur that most of them brought a smile to my face, and in a few cases an out right laugh.Gary Larson succeeds in thinking outside the box, something that he does with great regularity. I suspect that he would be great at inventing. Of course, he is a self-described nerd, and I believe it. He also seems quite pleased that his comics find substantial popularity amongst scientists. Probably engineers too. If you think "The Far Side" is one of the greatest comics ever created, you will love this collection for its explanations. I recommend this collection highly for Far Side fans. | 1positive
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WHY MEN LOVE BITCHES!
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL BOOK! I just ordered it from Amazon after reading it in Barnes and Nobles for free. Its a must have for every woman's bookcase. It is hilarious but direct and informative at the same time. NO FLUFF HERE. It addresses concepts that all women should know - the bitch isnt mean - she just self protective and puts herself first, nagging doesnt help - no contact does - the man should not be number 1 in your life - you should find hobbies and love them- and being the "mother" vs being the lover. Its not just a book for the beginning stages it gives advice on what to do when you are being taken for granted mid way through. I am going through my own rough patch in a relationship where I started out the bitch and got every thing I wanted and then regressed to focusing on HIM. This book has knocked the sense back into me as will to you. And it will help you deal with men in a much more efficient way. Dont be the "nice girl" - its not a good thing! Good luck!!!! | 1positive
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Emphasis Art: A Qualitative Art Program for Elementary and Middle Schools (9th Edition)
This book has a lot of helpful tips for art educators and teachers of other subjects. I will definitely be using some of the strategies in my classroom! | 1positive
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Bridget Jones
I saw the movie before I read the book. I didn't care for the movie. But everybody always seems to think that the books are better than the movies. So I read the book and was disappointed. I thought it was very slow and repetitive. Some scenes were over the top, like Bridget's mother and Julio. I am going to read the sequel since I already have the book. But this isn't a book I would recommend. I didn't bring me any emotion...I didn't laugh, I didn't cry...I just got bored and wanted to finish it. | 0negative
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So, how about more video and less talking?
I was so excited to get this cd-rom thinking it would be packed with video. Nope! There is one little clip for each type of gait and a lot of big type faced words to fill in the space between video/pictures. The basic information is good but it is soooo basic and could be covered in a book on a couple of pages. I would have loved to see several good video clips of each gait. The search goes on. | 0negative
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ABSOLUTELY A LIFE-SAVER
I couldn't have asked for a better way to keep track of all this pregnancy stuff!! This is our first pregnancy and I have to say, I felt overwhelmed with stuff I was being told and read about. This organizer is the best thing!! Especially for first time parents. The only thing that I would have liked was a daily journal section to maybe document how I was feeling, what was taken care of, etc. BUT, that doesn't change my rating of this. I can get that journal elsewhere!!Enjoy your purchase!! | 1positive
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The Hobbit
The story is about a young hobbit called Bilbo Baggins on a mission with thirteen dwarves and Gandalf the wizard to try and defeat the dragon smaug and try to regain control of thier treasure filled home in the lonely mountains. Firstly, Bilbo comes across some forocous, meat eating trolls and finds a beautiful, blue sword, calved by the elves and deicides to call it sting. He gets lost and comes across stone giants, and a mine crawling with goblins and in the mines he bumps into a creature called Golum, and steals his ring, and the ring has the power of invisibility and he used the ring to escape. Then Bilbo finds Gandalf again and they find a forest but then Gandalf said he had to leave so Bilbo contiued through the forest with the dwarves, but the dwarves get stolen by some wood elves and Bilbo tries to rescue them and he succedes and everyone escapes to Lake town and from there he goes to the lonely mountains and manages to get the lonely mountain back, but the devastating Smaug escapes and burns Lake town, but Bard who lives in lake town kills Smaug with his black arrow.Later war with the dwarves come and they try to kill the men and elves, but Gandalf stops them and tells them the goblin army are about to attack. Bilbo finds a shape shifter disguised as a bear and gets him to kill the goblin king and he kills the goblin king and thats the end of the tale. I liked every bit once the action took place. I recomend this book to age ten to adult and i hope everyone likes this book and finds it exiting. From Jaha | 1positive
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Powerful Book, A must read - again...
1984 has some of the most powerful images of totalitarian authority and lasting depictions of a world devoid of moral structure -- of any work from the 20th century. Yet, the greatest contribution of Orwell to our present day is his critique of language and it's effects via his fiction.As O'Brian says to Winston "You're not very good at metaphysics." If you want to understand the philosophical ramifications of relativism this book is a great place to start or, if you read it in a literature class a while ago and currently have an interest in ethology, deontology, aretology, moral philosophy and ontology, a must read - again.Morality can only be viewed as a positive, yet even now our language has begun to be distorted by subjective interpretations of our words. Example: Do we have a positive moral structure or a negative moral structure? -- There is only one *moral* structure. This book lays out the frame work of a society engineered on the basis of definition control. Vocabulary is perverted to serve the machine.This is the world we can choose to create or destroy. | 1positive
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Don't bother
The book is organized fairly well. But it pretty much reads like a giant pessismistic horoscope. According to this book if you dream about Mars it means people in your life will make it not worth living, if you dream of painting a picture your lover will betray you or you will betray your lover. If you're searching for something practical and scientific, keep looking. | 0negative
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An Outstanding Book
I LOVED this book! At first it seemed a little young, but after a couple chapters, I couldn't put it down! Believe me, this is not just a book for kids. I loved it! It's filled with magic, wonder, and you sense a few romances blooming as well as looming doom. Can't wait till the next one comes. | 1positive
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I do not know the author, and it's still a great book
I just finished this book and have to say, yes, it is worth reading. It's often uncomfortably honest and describes moments we've probably all had, but have yet to see in print. I appreciated the vernacular throughout - which added to the realism. The memoir also speaks of an era where younger kids had better access to hard drugs - the 80s. I can't help think what Jan's experience would be like if she were a teenager today. Good luck to the author and her bright future. | 1positive
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Depressing, sorry protagonists, childish tale
This was my first Judith Ivory book, which I read based upon the rave reviews from other authors on the cover. Shame on them.Not only was the entire story childish, but it was ridiculously adolescent. I did not care for our gallant viscount having sex with the sheep farmer tied to a chair, nor blackmailing her. Disgusting. I hope I never have a daughter who reads this kind of trash.Both characters were written like 14 year olds, boorish, silly and unlikeable. A very sad flim-flam scam story gone bad. | 0negative
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Boring and Tedious
After plodding through 400 pages of this immense, plodding tomb, including the annoying and unentertaining footnotes, I am at the crossroads of deciding whether I should waste any more of my life by continuing onward to the end. I doubt that I will because this book is simply not any fun. Maybe its a British thing, but bad is bad, no matter what the topic. I just don't get the idea for the book. Even more, I don't understand what convinced some editor to ever publish it. Okay, I convinced myself, I'm putting it down, taking it to the used paperback store and trading it in. I don't give a hoot who the Raven King is. He's certainly not an American! | 0negative
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WOW!!!
This long awaited book was a big disappointment. This book goes to show writers that anyone can get a book published by paying a publishing house such as Authorhouse to print the book for you. Koch needed an editor bad. A reviewer of this book stated that Koch had spent time interviewing family members. Obviously he didn't read the many footnotes, which distracted from book, the author did not interview any family members. He used another researcher's interviews. This would have been a good book if the author had cut the book by about half and stuck to the actual events and crimes of the Kimes boys, which are fascinating and still deserve a book written about them since this one is almost unreadable. There was no sense in going on about Ray Terrell and members of the Barker Gang. The author admits he didn't think they were involved so why make them a large part of the book. In fact they were more part of the book than the Kimes brothers were. | 0negative
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How is the average review so high????
Based on the fact that the average review is 4.5 stars, I'm going to assume that most of the reviewers have been women. That said, I think I'll offer a different perspective than the rest of the reviewers. That perspective is that this book is one of the most boring, bland, lifetime-ish wastes of paper known to (wo)man. To give an example of what I mean, it takes 3 CHAPTERS to lead up to the failed wedding! The author goes into great detail describing every little minute insignificant meaningless thing that happens (such as a chapter for her to say she didn't want Rochester's gifts)-and it takes her 20 frickin pages to say that she's leaving a guy. Somehow, this got to be considered a literary classic about feminine empowerment. Just don't complain about guys liking stuff like Die Hard and football games and not being in touch with their feminine side after having to read [stuff] like this in English class. | 0negative
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Less is less
Reading Tea from an Empty Cup, you get the ominous feeling that Pat Cadigan is starting to really believe her own hype, or that she has spent too much time surrounded by academic sycophants telling her she's the embodiment of feminist cyber-cool.This is a shame, because while she has not yet written a really satisfying novel, and has never actually justified the status she has, she was at least full of ideas, and willing to play with them.Cadigan's Empty Cup is indeed full of nothing and not in the Zen way that she implies. It is a slim novel made up of cliche, racial sterotypes, and outdated previously fashionable cyberpunk tropes. Every character and and idea seems familiar from somewhere else. It has nothing new to say, not does it shed new light on old subjects.Particularly sad are the Japanese characters and themes - so we haven't got beyind the Japan of Zen, tatami and bunraku, have we? Just mentioning a few Japanese names and terms doesn't indicate understanding, and Cadigan's Japanese-ness seems to come from a tourist guide. Maybe that's the point, but I don't think so.Please Pat, start again, ignore the academics, and give us something more substantial. You only get two stars because at least you can write! | 0negative
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Book not in good condition
I was expecting the book to be in a better condition as it was stated to be. | 0negative
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THE MOST COMPLEX BOOK I'VE EVER READ!
This book has got to be one of Tom Clancy's best novels. There are so many factors of this story, you wonder how anybody could wrap up the story, and have it still make sense. It's not hard to see that he did some SERIOUS research for this story, yet he can still explain the military information meaningfully enough that almost anyone could understand it.The main plot is, of course, the defection of the Red October. Now, I don't want to give away any secrets about the ending of the story, so I'll just tell you what I can without giving away the surprise; The Red October is defecting to the United States in search for freedom. Captain Marko Ramius pulls a nuclear reactor scare, in hope of frightening the lieutenants and other lower rank Comrades off of the submarine. The captain said that he and some other officers would stay behind with the submarine, to set charges and explode it, so that the Americans "Will not get their dirty hands on it", while the other seamen were rescued by the Americans and taken back to Russia. If it worked out perfectly, and nobody found out, the younger Comrades would go back to Russia and say, "Yes, Marko Ramius, being the courageous man he is, stayed after with the submarine, and detonated charges, whereupon it exploded. Well, Comrade Political Officer, you don't need to worry about the Americans getting their hands on it." But of course Marko Ramius did not actually stay after on the submarine, and infact the Red October never even exploded. How can this be?, you may ask. Well, I guess you'll just have to read the book and find out... | 1positive
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The Best Book I've Ever Read
In the book Fahrenheit 451 author Ray Bradbury shows his wisdom and our faults through a character called Guy Montag. The story takes place in the near future and shows a world where history is an unknown blur and books are a contraband that must be burned. The people in charge of burning these so-called "contraband items" are non other than the worlds firefighters. And of course, one of those brave book burners is Guy Montag.Guy has lived his entire life without questioning it, but all of that changes when Guy meets Clarisse McClean. Clarisse is pretty, young, and very curious. Guy has never met such a girl before. A girl that focuses on love, friendship, and the contents of books, the same books that Guy burns. Guy tries to ignore her but cannot, and when Clarisse dies in an automobile accident, he is left on his own, with his wife and his colleagues being very close-minded.One day on the job Guy is called in to an old grandma's house where she has been keeping books, illegally. Guy tries to convince the lady to get out of the house, before she burns down with it, but she refuses. Before Guy burns down the house he steals a book. Guy is aware that it is illegal but he cannot resist. Guy is determined to read that book. So, he tracks down his old English professor, Faber, who agrees to teach Guy how to read. What will happen to guy? Will he get arrested for holding contraband? Will he get burned? Will he die? Read the book to find out.This book is probably one of the best books I have ever read. It got me questioning my own life. And I started thinking; maybe this really could be the future. The phrase "curiosity killed the cat" takes on a whole new meaning in this book. It's great for people of all ages and any gender. | 1positive
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The Hobo Philosopher
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)AutobiographyBy Richard E. NobleI was watching "Book Notes" and this famous author was talking about the fact that as a youth he was forced, as were all grade-schoolers of his day, to read the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. He hated it, the book being so "dull, pompous and laden with platitudes," he said.I've just finished reading the Autobiography of Ben Franklin, and I have gotten a belly laugh out of just about every chapter. The man is hilarious. I really haven't decided whether the whole book is an outright tongue-in-cheek put-on, or that old Ben is just such a practical, unemotional fellow, that his guidelines for living a virtuous life sound like a biology professor trying to explain to a slow student how to rationally distinguish his left hand from his right.The story of his courtship with "Miss Read," his eventual wife, I'm sure, is not something that "Miss Read" cut out of her husband's book and hid away in a trunk of loving memorabilia in an upstairs attic, along with her first love poem and a piece of her wedding cake. She was "deserving ... pitiable and a good and faithful helpmate," says Ben. And, believe it or not, she nearly lost Ben's attentions by her inability to get her parents to cough up one hundred pounds as her dowry. In fact, she did loose Ben for a good period during the negotiations, and in the interim Ben being left hot to trot explains that; "In the meantime, that hard to be governed passion of youth had harried me frequently into intrigues with low women that fell in my way." He goes on to explain his thankfulness at not catching "distemper" or something worse.His battle with being a perfect, virtuous individual he compares with a man attempting to buy a shinny ax. After a few hours and some time at the hard work of turning the wheel for the blacksmith who is trying to get the man's desired ax to shine, the customer decides that a speckled ax will do just fine. This becomes even funnier when you remember that Ben is talking about his own moral character here. So when put next to the hard work of becoming moral and virtuous, Ben's decision is that he would just as soon have a speckled soul to carry to his Maker. Oh, my goodness!And this has got to be the best one of all. Ben is going into his shop on Craven Street one morning where upon he finds a "poor ... very pale and feeble" sickly woman, sweeping the walk in front of his door. He asks her who hired her to sweep his walk and she replies; "Nobody; but I am poor and in distress, and I sweeps before gentle folks' doors and hopes they will give me something."Oh, my, doesn't that nearly break your heart? So what does old compassionate Ben do? Why he offers the feeble, poor, pale, very sickly woman a shilling to sweep the whole darn street. When she comes for her shilling he presumes that a woman in her obviously poor condition couldn't have done a very good job, so he sends his servant, out to check her work. Jeeves reports that the poor, dying, old lady has really done an excellent job - so what does Ben conclude? - that she deserves, possibly, a permanent, full-time job back at the Franklin plantation or something of the like? Not quite: "I then judged that if that feeble woman could sweep such a street in three hours, a strong, active man might have done it in half the time."Ben Franklin, the grandfather of compassionate conservatism - and possibly several illegitimate children - so, what's new.Richard Edward Noble - The Hobo Philosopher - Author of:"Noble Notes on Famous Folks" | 1positive
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Loses track of the shark for too long
After reading Peter Benchley's novel, Jaws, I can safely say that Spielberg has a better knack for storytelling. That's not to say Benchley's novel is without its entertainment; it's just that his cynicism shifts the story in a bad direction.The novel is actually pretty good for the first half of it. Benchley writes with a lot of humor, similar to Stephen King, although some of his humor relies too much on bodily functions. I grew to like the police chief, Brody, and even Harry Meadows, as well as another policeman, Hendricks. However, Benchley's mistake is to forget about the shark plot about halfway through the novel in order to develop a romantic subplot between Ellen and Matt. This subplot takes up a significant portion of the novel and only serves to undermine it. Those who don't like graphic sexual language might want to skip this section of the novel. While the scene produces a lot of tension, it also changes the tone of the novel for the worst, making the rest of the novel difficult to enjoy.The novel does have some interesting points to make. Matt Hooper says some fascinating things about sharks. Everyone wants an explanation as to why the shark is hanging around, and Matt makes it clear that sometimes there are simply unexplainable anomalies in nature. The shark's presence is a threat to the town's economy, and because the shark lives in the ocean, it is difficult to find and kill. Thus we find how humans are sometimes powerless to fight off mother nature, no matter how big their boat is. | 0negative
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Cynical, cheesy potboiler stuff
The Godfather was a great movie. The first sequel is the second greatest American movie after Citizen Kane. But the novel is [bad]. The sex and violence are the point, whereas in the films family and honor and corruption were just a few of the points. The novel is written amateurishly and comes off as just sleazy. I was curious after having seen the films so many times without reading the book, and I couldn't believe that such good adaptations could come from such junk! | 0negative
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Not at all impressed
I cannot recommend this product and here's why:1. It is advertised as leatherbound, but I think it's covered in some sort of treated paper made to feel (kind of) like leather. If someone can demonstrate that it is leather, I will be happy to edit this review.2. My copy had the cover artwork way off center.3. The pages began curling almost immediately.I returned it with no problem whatsoever, and my money was refunded promptly so 5 stars to Amazon for that. | 0negative
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I'm sorry was there a point to this?
There was no intrigue, no conflict, no attention to detail. It started off slow and ended way to rapidly. It was so not in the time period. No guy would be like that, especially a railroad engineer. My boyfriend works for the railroad and he is not that considerate and I guarantee you that he would not know that cramping led to a miscarriage. It was so not realistic and so unbelievably not believable. I found myself angry at this book's ending. What was the point of the story? This was the dumbest book I've read. And okay if my brother died (no matter how much of a snooty brat he was)I wouldn't just stop thinking about it and forget to mention it in my thought process. Oh and writing a story about the railroads? That storyline came out of no where and the Phil dude was a non-character that didn't deserve to be in the book for such a short time and he left almost as soon as he came. Especially when getting her writing published wasn't even a big deal anymore. I'm sorry was this a filler book to make a deadline??!?! I question whether I should read anymore of her books. This one was sooo hard to read. I usually finish books in two to three days. This took me a week. I couldn't read more than like ten pages at a time. It didn't hook me at all and I didn't feel an attachment I do to their lovestory. Basically because there was NO lovestory to be told. It was more like a lukewarm friendship that involved sex. Don't waste your money. Seriously. Don't waste the time. Unless you want to believe non-realistic, mediocre writing with NO ROMANCE at all, go right ahead. Ugh. This book was soo frustrating. | 0negative
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Confused about the book!!!
I'm so confused right now about this book...!When I first read this book, I thought it was wonderful! As soon as the movie came out, I went to watch it, and I also really enjoyed the movie. It was a real tear-jerker.However, parts of the plot from "P.S. I Love You" were similar to a Thai movie I watched last night, titled "The Letter." In this Thai movie, a woman from Chiang Mai falls in love with a man from Bangkok. The two fall in love and get married. However, their happiness is cut short when the husband suddenly dies of a brain tumor. Before the wife decides to move back to Chiang Mai, she receives a letter from her dead husband. As it turns out, her husband had written a series of letters to her before he died and arranged to have them sent to her after his death. The letters help her move on and she moves back to Chiang Mai and gives birth to their son.Weird, huh? "The Letter" was released in June 2004, and it's a remake of a Korean film which was released in 1997. Could it be coincidence that the plots of "P.S. I Love You" and "The Letter" are so similar?? | 0negative
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Psuedoscience
Von Daniken's theory about ancient astronauts visiting earth is nothing more than psuedoscience. As with many psuedosciences, his ideas sound somewhat convincing, especially to someone without a scientific background. But the "evidence" does not hold up until critical inquiry. | 0negative
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Could not relate to characters; author of dubious character.
I read half of Middlemarch and found it hard going. All of the characters are flawed (as in real life) which would have been OK if there were any who were sympathetic. But after reading 331 of 771 pages in my edition, I came across the following passage (Chap. 40): "Mr. Farebrother left the house soon after, and seeing Mary in the orchard with Letty, went to say good-bye to her. They made a pretty picture in the western light which brought out the brightness of the apples on the old scant-leaved boughs -- Mary in her lavender gingham and black ribbons holding a basket, while Letty in her well-worn nankin picked up the fallen apples. If you want to know more particularly how Mary looked, ten to one you will see a face like hers in the crowded street to-morrow, if you are there on the watch: she will not be among those daughters of Zion who are haughty, and walk with stretched-out necks and wanton eyes, mincing as they go: let all those pass, and fix your eyes on some small plump brownish person of firm but quiet carriage,...." These words of Eliot's (not of a character) are vile. Who would want to read a book with hateful racial slanders like this, written from the point of view of an author a part of whose moral nature is racial animosity? Any author whose moral frame of reference is so small-minded could not write a book of any real artistic value, all the professors of literature and their hollow praises notwithstanding. Character development and other technical accomplishments do not a work of art make. | 0negative
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Annoying Waste of Effort!
I feel extreme angst that Mr. Harris would waste this much of my time anticipating that this farce would become redeemable at story's end. What surprises me even more that readers seem to be polarized in their opinions of this book. Must be like buttermilk - you either love it or hate it!! | 0negative
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I feel sorry for you illiterate students.
I have something to say to all of you junior high school students out there who think this book is bad because the sentences are to complex or the paragraphs are to long, etc. etc. THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN FOR YOUNG ADULTS. If you are having a hard time understanding this book, the reason is not that it is poorly written. The reason you are having a hard time understanding it is that you haven't been hitting the books hard enough at school. I first read this book in the 5th grade. I completed reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy by the beginning of the 7th grade. I had no problem at all understanding them. When I didn't know a word, I looked it up in my dictionary. If you are having a hard time now, I feel sorry for you. Do you realize how difficult it will be to get a college education if you are years behind in your reading ability? Oh well, the world needs people to flip hamburgers, wash cars, tend gas stations and stock the shelves at the super market. Don't look now, but I think you might be one of them. | 1positive
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Working Alone: Tips and Techniques for Solo Building
If you have never done any type of construction, buy this book. Even if you have only visited a construction site once in your life this book is below your expectations. The majority of the book is showing that taking two pieces of wood nailed at 90 degrees with a triangle placed perpendicular to the joint in different jobs. I thought I would learn something new but I was wrong. I would have returned it but it would cost just as much to ship it back as it cost in the first place. | 0negative
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100 years of Life Magazine
This is a walk down memory lane. A perfect gift!!!I have read through it several times. I am planningto give a copy to my 95-year-old mother-in-law for herbirthday. | 1positive
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Sexy, Enjoyable Read
A fast-paced, well written story. The hero and heroine are ,as usual, beautiful and passionate and the love scenes burn.A good book to spend the day. | 1positive
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the longest day in human terms
A tender and ultimately heart-breaking monument to a town that gave its best to free Europe from tyranny. No war books feature wives an faincees as prominently as the men in battle - but this books shows a town at war and not just anonymous grunts. Tender, tragic, enormously dramatic, this books is destined to be a classic - the book and drama that The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan could have been had the human cost of D-Day been properly recognized. Brilliant, lyrical, brutal and romantic. | 1positive
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Best of 2005
This is the best book I've read this year!! It is a serious and beautiful look into the minds of teenagers. Currans characters breathe with energy and life. Once I started it was impossible to put down and even harder to forget. | 1positive
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Apology
This book is a waste of the readers time and money. Christensen travels to the Costa Rican rain forest with his family to settle the "frontier". He never gives an explinatoin as to why he decided to travel to the "frontier", only excuses and apologies to his many, many mistakes. Darryl Cole-Christensen hates the rainforest, he hated it from the day he arrived and he hates it to this day. His only interest in the rainforest is monetary, money drives this man and this book. I had to buy and read this book for my college course, you have a choice. | 0negative
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just way too long
I think this may be my last attempt at Mr Hamilton's books (being the third, Fallen Dragon, and then this series). Like the other books, I just find them way too long. This book weighted in at just over 1200 pages, and I think at a minimum should have lost at least 400 pages.The story itself is not bad, but it is just buried too deep in drug-out descriptions and non-essential story lines that by the time I final finished, I was more relieved than impressed. Finishing the book felt like getting to the weekend after a week of work at a job you almost like....the work being = the book.I also grew tire of the author's jr high-ish glee in sex scenes. Many or most of the main characters (10-20) are all sleeping with each other or have at some point in the past. If I want to buy erotica, then I can choose to buy it, but I thought I was buying some SF | 0negative
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Disappointing and shallow
My first Amy Tan book and probably my last. Joy Luck Club is mostly fluff. This book offers little to the reader.Writing style is not particularly good.No interesting insights into Chinese Americans.Nothing educational about China, the old country.Not particaularly well researched.There are lots of better books to read if you are interested in any of the above areas. Ha Jin, a Chinese American is an outstanding writer. You will learn a lot about China and be entertained. "Wild Swans" is an very educational non-fiction that reads like fiction. I recommend skipping this one and going for the better quality books. | 0negative
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One of a kind!
This book is labeled as journalism / nonfiction. I am not sure that I believe it is fully either, but it is none the less a very interesting read.Fear and Loathing claims to be a "savage journey to the heart of the American Dream" but I find it hard to believe it was all that honest of a search if one set out to pursue it as Mr. Thompson and his attorney claim they were. There is more drug use and hallucinations in this text, then I hope, most are used to. However, that is an integral part of the book, and works for what seems to be Thompson's ultimate goal.Although I don't approve of the lifestyle of its two main characters, they are in fact disgusting people, they are still intriguing, and I found the text to be an easy and enjoyable read. The last 100 pages are far superior to the first 100, as it is in the later half of the book that Mr. Thompson seems to be getting to his point.The "American Dream" really lives in the hearts and minds of those who pursue it, and thus if the heart and mind pursuing it are not all that together, then the dream seems to be lost. This book is peopled with such characters. Most are fearful of the world that surrounds them, and most also loathe themselves and the world around them. The book is an interesting exploration of our self destructive tendencies, and how we are the biggest inhibitors of our own happiness. Thompson laments the lost spirit of the 60s in this text, all the while truthfully acknowledging the only people to blame for that are the very people who preached and practiced it.Thompson has a very unique writing style. The man had talent and deserves to be praised for it. His sense of irony and wit are immensely enjoyable, and the prose fits the story and the personality of the text's main characters. These outrageous characters and circumstances come across as totally believable, and that perhaps is Thompson's greatest achievement with this book. | 1positive
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I can not believe this guy.
What do you christians like to do? Diss other peoples religions that you know nothing about? The Wiccan religion has nothing to do with Demonism. The religion it self revolves around nature, and we dont try to destroy it. I dont believe this. I didnt mind Christians until i saw this, this totally changes my views. A little message to Christians and Rick, the next time you plan on dissing MY religion you may wanna f'n do some god damn research before doing something like writing a book or an article whatever. | 0negative
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A meticulous investigation on the The Nazarene Carpentar.
While a little outdated now, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah remains as both an excellent and massive reference work to the historical setting to the time of Jesus of Nazareth. Written some 70 years prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Alfred Edersheim's great work still offers highly valuable-and detailed-information on the Gospel and related events. One of the more striking features of this book is the appendix section which gives a list of 400+ Old Testament passages which were tagged by the ancient rabbis as messianically applied. An absolute must for any who wish to study the Jewish expectations of the coming of Messiah surrounding the days when the Carpentar from Nazareth walked the Earth. Place Edersheim's great work in your library, and you will find yourself going back to it time and time again. | 1positive
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great PERSONAL story
You people are all missing the point: Jennings is writing about HIS OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE - none of you were there next to him, therefore, he knows better, doesn't he?From my days in the army I can quote the saying that the soldier without a daily work is a criminal. Training and maddening menial tasks are required so that the individual gets screwed up mentally beyond the point of no return so that he is almost looking to be unleashed and go to war. Additionally, I know that ANYTHING can happen in the army, and the author is just telling what happened to him. Although a failure, he admits it, but hey, it's always easy to blame others and yak about loyalty to the core or your unit, camaraderie and stuff from your armchair - go do it yourself, tough guy, see how you like it! Few words about desertion: a lot of you admit that you've got to be a little crazy to join, so what's wrong with being a little sane and withdraw? This is your life anyway, right: it is always an individual's decision; if it's clear that the army life is not for you - why suffer 5 full years? Do you people stay loyal to your boss at a job you hate? He was not a solder's material, he was not aware what he had signed up himself for initially, so, instead of getting 5 full years of drinking, beating and degradation he deserted - who are you to judge him?There's a fine line between staying loyal to your unit, friends and commitment, if it's just a tough going that makes you a better individual and a tougher soldier, but there is a huge difference when you're not getting anywhere and just wasting your life.And just to reply to some posts I've seen here, like, why not write about the Cameron Battle and glorify it, or, why the ffl does not educate the recruits? Please, people, get real - he did not fight the Cameron battle, why would he want to write about it??? He hasn't seen any glory to begin with! You want glory? - get yourself a copy of Top Gun.Also if one looks at the success rate of the French army it's easy to understand why FFL does not need well-mannered and well educated intellectuals. Although I do believe there are some in FFL - I also believe they have chosen to blend with the system. | 1positive
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Extremely boring, don't bother
I was really looking forward to reading this book. However, I feel it was just a description of college life at Princeton--over and over. There was no suspense, not likeable characters, and was EXTREMELY boring and hard to hold one's interest. They had a good subject to make a fantastic book and they did very little with it. It was a disappointment for me. After reading all of Cussler's, Brown's, Preston's, and Rollin's books, these authors will never be anything like them. They know how to tell a story. | 0negative
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The best introductory rug book I've seen
I like rug books -- my wife and I went to a rug showand came home with almost $600 (!!) worth -- in fact, I sprained myback getting them out to the car. This book was, without question,the best deal of the bunch -- you might be surprised how small astack $600 worth of books can be (OK, one of them was $250, our"big" Xmas gift to each other, & the most expensive book we'veever bought.)You'll recognize this book in the store by the wonderful coverphoto of two cheerful Turkoman girls knotting a carpet. This isone of the strengths of the book -- lots of photos of rug weavers atwork, and how they live, both modern and historic. The secondstrength -- lots and lots of gorgeous color photos of rugs! They'renot quite as good as the $250 book, but pretty darned close. Third,Mr Thompson writes in a clear, wry, direct fashion that's a joy toread -- a refreshing contrast to the garbled, turgid and/or purpleprose you may have seen in other rug/art books. Here's a samplefrom the appendix on buying advice, "Closing-down Sales":"This new method of selling carpets... is based on the very simpleprinciple that avarice, cupidity and greed are unfailing sources ofpositive motivations in human beings..."If you have any interest in Oriental rugs, you *need* this book. Ifyou don't think you're interested, do yourself a favor & check itout from the library. Would that more art books were like this....Review copyright 1998 by Peter D. TillmanPete Tillman, a long-time textile collector, once wrote (and sold!) ascience-fiction story based on Oriental rugs.Note: this is a repost of the review just below -- I've lost the account nameI had then, and so can't revise or delete it. Sigh | 1positive
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The worst book i have ever read in my Life
This is quite simply the worst story i have ever read in my life.It was depressing, LONG, and meandered its way aimlessly till the end. Whats worse, the book could have ended half way and still had the same impact. The character still meets the same fate, everyone would have felt the same way, and the reader would have been spared several chapters of agonizing reading had she made a different choice after confessing her secret to Angel.If you like reading a depressing story where it seems like the author is taking sadistic joy in tormenting the protagonist, this is the story for you. For everyone else, stay far far away. | 0negative
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Disappointment
I picked up this book because the cover promised an author worthy of the Bram Stoker award. I finished it wondering what happened to that author. Although shelved with the adult fiction, this book had a vocabulary and reading style perfect for the juvenile shelves. In fact, with the number of times the author kept repeating himself, the reader wonders if he had an ADD juvenile reader in mind.Beyond that, the book is extremely predictable and the foreshadowing is bluntly obvious. There was nothing especially spooky or horrific in it, and what little might have been there, was so foreshadowed by the author that nothing came as a surprise.If this author was ever worthy of any literary award, it was not for this book. Don't waste your time. | 0negative
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n
Excellent service. Well packaged and on time. Can not beat the service I have gotten from this last book order. | 1positive
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Why, not only how
This book made me understand C++. After first trying with the "C++ Primer", where most examples just show how it is not, here I got how it is and why it is the way it is. But it has to be said, that the book goes from C to C++. So if one starts with C++ afresh, it needs some patience. | 1positive
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Save your time and money
A man in full ... of himself. Wolfe has a way with descriptions but that, in and of itself, does not make a 742 page book. Stop after about the first 600 pages and you'll feel better - the ending is too asinine to in any way be related to reality. I'm angry about the time wasted in finishing it. | 0negative
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Good book bad edition
After reading this book, I complained to Amazon about numerous typos in the Kindle edition. They have agreed to pull the book and offer an improved edition. | 0negative
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French That You Remember
By the end of this 8 CD course, you will recall phrase and sentence building tools that will provide a basis for getting by, as well as the confidence to progress to more intermediate and advanced skills.Michel Thomas has definitely hit upon a clever technique for making language learning accessible, memorable and less painful.The CDs help a novice or rusty speaker lay solid foundation for speaking straightaway to the level of confident beginner, as well as preparing for higher level facility in the language.You must follow the tips suggested for using the material, especially: play them when you're very relaxed; stop and start just as you prefer; and most of all - pause the CD and try to say every phrase he has asked his students to attempt. Your brain will hurt if you're a beginner - but you'll progress rapidly.As for the two students you learn with in real time: the guy on the CDs is fairly sharp and you feel he could be a strong French speaker in time. The woman is a disaster - as dumb as a doorknob that was dropped on its head as a child. Her meaningless participation impairs the course.Repeat the whole course or individual CDs to consolidate the skills you picked up on the first run through.DO NOT buy the 2 CD Introductory `Speak French' Short Course. Such courses are so superficial they are nothing to do with language learning. Buy this 8 CD one (the first 2 CDs of which are the Intro. Short course anyway).It is then worth moving onto the next two in the series, where Michel Thomas builds on what he has covered with you before:French Language/Vocabulary Builder by Michel Thomas (2 CD)Advanced French by Michel Thomas (a 5 hour course) | 1positive
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Incredibly Overrated
I will never understand Ernest Hemingway's appeal. His labored attempts at understating everything, his affected grittiness, his belief in himself as adventurer and someone who truly experiences life all make me want to throw up. This book is the perfect example of how terrible he is. I'll give you some examples from within the book so you can think about it a little more.Number one is Brett. The "heroine" of the book, she is a heartless 34-year old nymphomaniac who is self-absorbed and callous, not to mention elitist and stupid. The "hero" of the book, manly man Jake, "loves" her. What a great love story. Jake is too "injured" to make love to her, so she sleeps with a number of other people during the book. Number two is Cohn. This character, created out of the author's anti-semitic imagination, is a simpering bookish fool who, the narrator lets us know, is too cowardly to enjoy things like bullfights. Only a manly man would enjoy the spectacle of a matador being gored by a tortured animal, of course.Cohn is apparently equally contemptable because he wants to hang out with gentiles (How DARE he?!), but Jake is magnanimous enough to let him. Brett is magnanimous enough to sleep with him, but looks down on him for being a Jew. (Lovely people, aren't they?). Hemingway wants us to revile Cohn because he took the affair with Brett too seriously and actually got jealous when she slept with someone else. We're supposed to laugh at Cohn's emotionality and inability to be a wasp.I can't tell you how pointless this book is. What's the moral? Is there one? I don't think there is. If a book isn't engrossing, or exciting, or beautifully written (therefore art for art's sake) it has to have a message. This book fails on all counts. | 0negative
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You'll pack your bags and head to Pamplona...
This book never fails to inspire me about the wonders of the expatriate lifestyle.The way Hemingway details the pandemonium of the Fiesta de San Fermin makes me wish every day was July 7.One of the best! | 1positive
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Philosophy if you do not think
My title says it all. This book may be the most simplistic take on humanity ever written and thus does appeal to the masses as "philosophy". Utter garbage, but it is the tome that many doomsday right wingers are quoting so it is worth reading to understand their paranoia.Do everyone a favor, go read Adam Smith if you really want an education on capitalism. Mr. Smith would probably laugh at Rand's foolish take on his ideas. | 0negative
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Not Bad, But Not Necessary
As someone "interested" in identifying good candidates, I have the following two recommendations for anyone interested in West Point:1) Get your information about the process of getting intoWest Point directly from Admissions -- FREE!2) Get your information about the true significance of WHYthe exceptional choose West Point by reading thebook, "West Point", by Norman Thomas Remick.As someone long involved, that's my best advice to anyone who wants to take a look at a West Point education. | 0negative
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Towards a better shopping experience
The author had written this book based on his many findings on buyers' behaviour inside different stores (quite detailed research studies done), and I'm glad he had always substantiated his sayings with one or few case studies, though sometimes leaving them open-ended. Nevertheless, the examples raised up make the whole reading interesting, and provoke my chain of thoughts.As a retailer, it sometimes easy to overlook certain factors, especially when a store is designed in favour towards the owner, instead of the shoppers. For example, it makes sense to give more space to display merchandise (more range, more stock, thus more sales) and less for cashier counters. However, if there're too few cashier points or that they're too cram, that may still be a turn off to customers, who might experience difficulties in searching where to pay and frustrations in long queues.No doubt the author gave many useful pointers on various aspects to remind oneself on ... things like signages, shelves display, and so on, I would think my best gain from reading this book is the way I now look at things. I learn to be more observant towards how customers react in the store where I work, and continuously try to pinpoint areas which require rectifications in its environment to better suit customers, hence creating an enjoyable shopping experience. | 1positive
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Someone who has come a long way in Toledo,Ohio
The name of the book says a lot. This was well written and had many interesting points.I would tell everyone that is thinking about or who has had the weight loss opperation to read this book.There are many tips to help you when you are at a plato to help get the ball rolling again. | 1positive
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Favorite book!
I'm 17 years old but i looooove this book. It isn't just a childrens' story, and I highly reccomend it to anyone who wants a fun quick read. :) | 1positive
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A review of 'The Golden Antilles' by Timothy Severin
A quite interesting and certainly very informative book. This book mainly deals with various and mostly unrelated events in the Caribbean during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.While some of the stories in this book are quite colourful and full of dashing, adventurous and romantic tales of the buccaneers and pirates of that time I suspect, after having read this book, that the author relied to much on a book called 'The History of the Bucaniers' by Alexander Oliver Oexmelin which is well known for being of dubious quality when it comes to plain historical fact. In this way I feel the author himself has been taken in by the romanticism of the great tales of the carribean during its buccaneering heyday and thus lost his objectivity. This is however, only a minor flaw in what is otherwise a great book.Overall I give it 8/10, losing out only because of the previously mentioned lack of objectivty and the omitance of a great deal of other events of that time.I got this book from the library and I am unable to find it through retail so if you find it please contact me.Mark Andrews(mra@mistral.co.uk) | 1positive
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Who says an egg can't find love?
This is not a Thursday Next book. That's why there are only four stars instead of five. It benefits from the same wild imagination, though, and that's why I was tempted to go for all five stars.Who else but Jasper Fforde would imagine Humpty Dumpty, the egg wearing the cummerbund ("or is it a necktie?") as the ultimate ladies' man?Who else would plant a clue in the deceased egg's home, and make it a single hair... but one that is 23 feet long.If you have ever suspected that nursery rhymes are just a teeny bit violent, and wondered about the back-stories of those strange characters, then maybe you, too, will enjoy getting lost in a good nursery rhyme/crime.As a Thursday Next fan, it took me a couple of chapters to warm up to Humpty-Over-Easy, but the bursts of wild laughter induced by the egg's (and others) over-the-wall antics more than repay the initial patience.Celine Nisaragi | 1positive
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Like father, like son, Cathoris pursues his beloved Thuvia
It took the first three volumes of his Martian series for Edgar Rice Burroughs to get his hero John Carter, former cavalier of Virginia, and Dejah Thoris, princess of Helium to the point where they could live happily ever after. Satisfied with the combination of romance and pulp adventure, this fourth Martian novel turns to the next generation of Barsoomians. Cathoris, son of the Warlord of Mars and his beloved princess, is one of two princes and a Jeddak who are seeking the hand of the Thuvia of Ptarth. When she is kidnapped by the sinister Prince Astok of Dusar, the entire planet is about to be thrown into a bloody war and Cathoris has to follow in his father's footstep and deal with savage beasts and phantom armies as he rescues Thuvia and saves Barsoom from a costly war. Of course, by the time he catches up with his beloved, Cathoris finds the situation is slightly more complicated than he thought, mainly because ERB never provides a smooth ending for his couples."Thuvia, Maid of Mars" was originally serialized in "All-Story Weekly" in April 1916, which explains the novel's subtext about world war, since one was going on in Europe at that point in time. The original title was "Cathoris," but apparently when it was published as a novel in 1920 somebody wised up and changed it. Thuvia is not as great a name as Deja Thoris, but it is not bad. In many ways this is like the previous novel, "The Warlord of Mars," where the hero chases his beloved across the landscape of Barsoom and has to deal with green men and white apes. Fortunately, unlike ERB's Tarzan series, "Thuvia, Maid of Mars" is really the only time that repeats himself like this in the Martian series, which stands out as his best as he proves in the next and most inventive volume in the series, "Chessmen of Mars." | 1positive
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Konner the almighty
This book was a pain to read. His pompus attitude and self-serving nature made me cringe time and time again. I really don't mind people who are a bit arrogant but the picture he painted for himself was over the edge. Dr. Konner seems to think that he had much more things to worry about than the average med student and that, in his vast knowledge of the world and how it worked he was at a distinct insightful advantage compared to everyone else. He also made nearly everyone in the medical field out to be evil, careless and cruel humans who thought only in scientific realms but never about patients' family or social status. I believe his view is quite dramatized and exaggerated. Maybe it was part of a marketing plan. Drama is more interesting than plain facts. National Enquirer is a hot selling paper. Yes, there are many health care workers who are numb to their patients concerns but not such an overwhelming majority, as how he portrays it. If you like scratching your nails on chalkboards, give this a read. | 0negative
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Pure American hokum
Though I've read many bad books, none can compare with this trite, contrived piece of work. Every line, every word, is deliberate and pretentious--Steinbeck is pounding it into our collective consciences at every step that this is a great work of art. People have called this book propaganda, but that doesn't even begin to cover it. Nowhere else will you find such schmaltzy dialogue, or such a laborious, falsely deep message. But I recommend everyone read this book, just to get a taste of what absolute tripe millions of people are capable of swallowing. | 0negative
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Excellent introduction and resource
This book introduces us to all aspects of dog agility training and competing and reminds us that the whole purpose is to have fun with our dogs!The book takes us through care and feeding of our canine companions, how to assess whether our dogs would be well suited for agility (reminding us to love them nonetheless if they're not), how we must begin with basic obedience, how to train on each obstacle, how to put it all together, how to get help, how to make our own obstacles, what the rules of the various associations are, and much, much more. It's all illustrated with very apt full-color photos that are actually helpful in showing what the author is describing. And of course, lots and lots of resources are listed, from books and contact lists to websites.At times the text seemed to be repetitive, but not so much that I'd dock it a star. I read this from the library, but if our athletic and energetic puppy turns out to like agility training, I might just have to break down and buy it! | 1positive
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Amazing book!
It's a great, great book! don't hesitate to buy it for kids who are just beginning to read!! | 1positive
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This is THE book you will ever need
Awesome coverage of all the areas from the basics, to employment and insurance issues, to latest research to many other things.I bought 2 other books along with this. But after reaing this one, I returned the other two books and it made them redundant.If you need to buy just one book (even if you have the money to buy 10 books on MS), this is the ONLY book you will ever need. | 1positive
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Not credible
The story is simply unbelieveable, especially the end, as many readers have pointed out. Actually it could easily have been a bit MORE gruesome - why did Hannibal kill the fellow after eating half his brains? Why not just put his skull-top back on and turn him loose (still scrape the plates back into it if he wanted to get his jollies that way)? And there is NOT a large gypsy population in Australia. Clarice is unattractive from beginning to end. Mason Verger is impossible to visualise.I am grateful to the reader from Oxford of 13 August for putting me onto "Telepath's Dance" in "The Man-Kzin Wars." As he says, a much better "Beauty and the Beast" story. | 0negative
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Gemstones and Folklores
Ametrine is believed to provide protectio from WHAT???? its a question my child has for school and we have NO idea what it might be.. can you please tell me what it is. | 1positive
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Classic
Downloaded to get me caught up on the classics. Always good to read Jane Austen. Timeless read that all should do. | 1positive
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Thirty years later, it's still the bible
This is my second copy of Joy of Cooking. I had the 70's printing, but it must've gotten lost during a move. I thought I was buying the 80's printing when I recently ordered it from Amazon, but I got another 70's one. But that's fine; It's still the bible. My mother swore by the 1952 Betty Crocker Cookbook, I cook according to Irma Rombauer. | 1positive
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A big let down
What Looks Like Crazy has a lot of potential to be a must read but Cleage skipped all over the issues instead of bringing forth the deep concept of living with HIV, loving with HIV, drugs and other urban dilemmas, she just touched the surface and just abandoned the issues. This book was written on a juvenile basis and it just ended. I was highly disappointed. I pushed myself to finish this book and was glad when I finally did. | 0negative
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Absolutely ridiculous.
Ever since the 1975 publication of the blockbuster novel Jaws, and the hugely successful movie directed by Steven Spielberg, authors have tried to improve on Peter Benchley's formula for success. If a 25-foot shark could generate all that money, think of what a 100-footer could do. Or a 200-footer!There is no shark that is 100 feet long, but it so happens that the star of Jaws, the great white shark (scientific name: Carcharodon carcharias), has a relative -- or rather, had a relative -- that may have reached a length of 50 feet. This is the creature known as Carcharodon megalodon, megalodon means "giant tooth." The largest known teeth of the white shark are about 2 inches in height, but fossil teeth of C. megalodon have been found that measure 6 inches long. All the C. megalodon teeth ever found have been fossils; dark gray, brown, or black, and they are made of stone, not dentine. The fact that no fresh C. megalodon teeth have ever been found strongly suggests that this giant relative of the white shark is extinct. Of course, there is no way of conclusively proving that this monster does not exist, and this is the stuff that giant shark novels are made of.In 1983, Robin Brown wrote a novel he called "Megalodon," which was about a 200-foot long ancestor of the great white shark that was blind, covered with a coat of crustaceans, and living at great depths. In 1987, George Edward Noe self-published a little number he called "Carcharodon," in which the giant shark has been imprisoned for a couple of million years in an iceberg that thaws, and all hell breaks loose because the shark is really hungry. It goes on a rampage like its predecessors in Brown's book, and before we are finished, we have the marine biologist hero renting a Norwegian whaling ship and shooting the shark with a grenade harpoon. This year's "Extinct" by Charles Wilson with a jacket advertisement that ominously warns, "Coming to NBC-TV," is set on the Gulf coast of Mississippi. Even though Wilson gives us a whole new setting, we still have the same old stuff about a gigantic shark rising from the depths with its gaping maw -- these guys love to write "gaping maw" -- to pluck unwary children and fishermen from the water.Surely the worst of all the titles is "Meg" -- it sounds more like a nanny than a man eating shark -- published by Doubleday with all the fanfare of another "Jaws" or "Jurassic Park." Indeed, the advance reading copy that I have in front of me is emblazoned with every sort of encomium and sales pitch, such as the following: "If Peter Benchley, Michael Crichton, and Clive Cussler were to combine their talents to create the ultimate summer read, MEG would be the result -- an electrifying page turner that will keep more people out of the water than "Jaws."Don't they wish. Not only is it not the slightest bit terrifying, it is unintentionally, hilariously funny, largely because almost every page contains a genuine howler. Whenever the author discusses biology, paleontology, oceanography, or any other recognized scientific subject, he gets it wrong. It is obvious that Alten equipped himself with a book about sharks, a study of submersibles, some weirdly off-base material about whales, and everything that Peter Benchley, Michael Crichton, and Clive Cussler ever wrote, and then mixed them together to produce an almost totally incoherent story, in which the human characters make no sense, the sharks and whales behave like unknown animals from the planet Zarkon, and the technology sounds like a cross between Rube Goldberg and Buck Rogers.I am not talking only about arcane scientific constructs that only an ichthyologist would notice; I am talking about sentences like this: "his foot knocked over the empty coffee pot, staining the beige carpet brown." Or: "The Megalodon could detect the faint electrical field of its prey's beating heart or moving muscles hundreds of miles away." On page 109 they approach the carcass of a "dead humpback whale." Two pages later it has become a "dead Orca."One of the more imaginative inventions in the C. megalodon canon is Alten's explanation for why the giant sharks have remained unnoticed for so long. It seems that they live in the very deepest part of the ocean, the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which has somehow become a hydrothermal vent area, bubbling with superheated water. "The water temperature above the warm layer," he writes, "is near freezing. The Meg could never survive the transition through the cold in order to surface." Whoa! What happened to physics as we know it? Only in Alten's topsy-turvy world can there be a situation where warmer water remains below colder water. There is no way Alten could have written this nonsense unless he had convinced himself that it wouldn't matter if he played fast and loose with reality. "Listen man," you can hear the author say, "this is fiction -- I get to make stuff up."Like this phantasmagorical description of the monster shark: "... it's totally white, actually luminescent. This is a common genetic adaptation to its environment where no light exists."As a helicopter hovers above this luminescent monster, "The Megalodon launched straight out of the sea like an intercontinental ballistic missile, flying at the hovering helicopter faster than [the pilot] could increase his altitude... Only the seat belt kept his body from falling into the night where the garage-sized head closed quickly, its fangs five feet away."In another encounter, the shark approaches a submarine that, "at 3,000 tons easily outweighed her. But the Meg could swim and change course faster than her adversary; moreover, no adult Megalodon would allow a challenge to its rule to go unanswered. Approaching from above, the female accelerated at the sub's hull like a berserk, sixty-foot locomotive. BOOM!!"As might be expected, the shark is dispatched by an intrepid marine biologist, but nothing in this ridiculous book compares with Alten's unbelievable conclusion. The hero, named Jonas Taylor (Jonas -- I ask you!) is in his one-man submersible when, like the biblical Jonah, he gets swallowed by the shark. He climbs out of the submarine, reaches into his backpack where he always carries a fossil C. megalodon tooth, and he carves up the shark up and kills it from the inside. Then he climbs back into the submarine (which he re-locates by shining his flashlight around in the belly of the shark) and ejects himself from the shark's mouth. As Dave Barry says, I'm not making this up.Under ordinary circumstances, a book as terrible as this would hardly be noticed, or at least, it would be recognized for what it is: a stepping-stone to a Hollywood extravaganza with expensive special effects, throbbing music, and plenty of blood. But "Meg" is being hyped so hysterically that it doesn't matter if it makes any sense or even if it's readable. It's enough that it's about a giant shark that glows in the dark, launches itself like an ICBM, and eats 14 whales at a time.When Doubleday published Jaws in 1975, they paid Peter Benchley an advance in the mid-four figures. Now the same publisher has joined the ranks of those who can twist their own definition of literature (there must be another name for this stuff) to justify paying a million dollars for this outrageously awful book, crammed with egregious errors of fact, and stuffed to the gills with writing so awful that it would insult the intelligence of a sea cucumber.And the most embarrassing thing about all of this is that they -- and the author -- are proud of what they have done. On the flap of the copy I have, somebody wrote, "Steve Alten's story is an inspiring tale of perseverance against the odds, and the power of a good yarn. In a single month, he went from being an unemployed father of three with $48 in the bank to a multi-millionaire author and screen writer." Doubleday was obviously looking for another Jaws to make it rich. For publishing this rubbish, it ought to be ashamed of itself. I am more than a little embarrassed to see than in his author's note, Alten acknowledges me and John McCosker for our book "Great White Shark" as "an excellent source of information on both Megalodons and great whites." If "Meg" is what we spawned, then we ought to be ashamed of ourselves too. | 0negative
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Bleh.
Unless you love Dickens and 19th century writings, stay far far away. Personally I prefer Much Ado About Nothing over this. | 0negative
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A fascinating and inspiring read!
This is a story of a life that impacted the world. Through poverty Nathaniel Bowditch was unable to go to Harvard and had to grind through a nine-year apprenticeship but throughout that time he kept up his study of mathematics. Because of his mastery of mathematics he was able to navigate without reliance on sun or stars making the seas a safer place for all the sailors in the world through the publication of "The American Practical Navigator". This story of a little known giant of history is full of interest at many levels. Boys and Girls from ten years upwards would find a this a fascinating and inspiring read. | 1positive
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A hateful experience, 0 stars if that was allowed.
After reading over one hundred fifty pages, all I could believe was the story set during WWII, but I wasn't sure. The location was England, but I wasn't sure. I finally threw it against a wall in disgust. I've been told the nominating committee (made up mostly of book reviewers) nominated this for the Pulitzer Prize as best fiction. The awards committee (mostly book editors) rejected it as an unreadable piece of crap. I agree with the editors. | 0negative
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If you liked this book, read. . .
If you like Lewis's theological thrillers, you will like those by his friend Charles Williams. Try All Hallows' Eve, Descent Into Hell, The Place of the Lion, and Many Dimensions. | 1positive
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Muslims' Butts Kicked
The Christian knights whipped the Muslims' butts in four Crusades. Liked it, skimmed whole book in 2 sittings. | 0negative
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Wonderfully touching
This love story definitely brought me to tears. After spending 1 1/2 years of reading self help, new age books, this was a nice diversion. You couldn't help but love Noah. He was strong, soft, and everything in between. His devotion and love for his wife was beautiful. The tragedy in their life was incomprehensible. This book was well written. I enjoyed reading it. | 1positive
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PC's personal life overshadows & intrudes into a good plot.
I've been an avid fan of Patricia Cornwell for many years and especially enjoyed the Scarpetta series. However, this last book, Point of Origin, left me feeling betrayed and disappointed. PC let her personal [life] bitterness, anger and disappointment of the FBI community insinuate itself into the plot of POO to the point that the novel became more of an FBI bashing event than anything else. Hence, the dangling ending to an otherwise good read. (I'm not defending the FBI) Her underlying anger towards them foreshadows the death of the FBI in future novels and the birth of DEA in them, which is okay with me. We need some new "blood" in the series. Also, in my humble opinion, PC needs to drop Lucy from the Scarpetta series (perhaps create a new series featuring only Lucy). To much time and energy was spent on defending Lucy's alternative lifestyle. There is no need to keep giving us Lucy's "bio" in every new book - your current fans already know it! . If new readers don't know about Lucy, this would be an incentive for them to go back and read your previous books. I felt like the whole book presented PC's defense of her last unpleasantness with the FBI, as if she had to defend herself to her fans. I am a fan no matter what and I believe the rest of her fans feel the same way. Take a sabatical PC and come back to us with the kind of writing you are capable of - and have shown us in the past. I'm waiting for your next book and hope the original Patricia Cornwell of past novels is back. | 0negative
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Excelente
Desde que leí este libro soy fiel seguidora de Marianne Williamson una de las mas maravillosas mujeres de nuestra era sus libros son muy comprensibles | 1positive
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REALLY enjoyed this book on tape
We ordered this to make a 10hour roadtrip a little more tolerable. My wife and I both enjoyed it alot, even though we bought it for our 8yr old son. The narrator does an AMAZING job of inventing voices for all the characters, many voices (mostly Gollum) became noticeable from the Peter Jackson films (which were filmed much later).The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Special Extended Edition)Made me itchy for the Hobbit movie coming out in 2012. | 1positive
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Good Information
This book is a good beginner course in CPT. It's refreshing to buy a workbook and actually have the answers in the back for you. I have used it often, and it was a good refresher course for me. | 1positive
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The Case of Nancy Drew: An Adult Reader's Thoughts on BUNGALOW MYSTERY
Originally written by Mildred Wirt Benson from outlines by Edward Stratemeyer, the Nancy Drew series was first published in 1930s. THE BUNGALOW MYSTERY was the third book in the series, and it and those that followed presented its heroine as a rich, headstrong, and distinctly reckless teenager who sometimes carried a pistol and who wasn't above breaking the law when it suited her purposes.As the series progressed and other writers began to generate Nancy Drew novels, the character changed and Nancy was "toned down;" instead of flatly rich, she became reasonably affluent; recklessness was replaced by commonsense caution; and while she might be willing to bend the law a bit she would never knowingly break it. In the 1950s and 1960s the earlier novels were re-written to reflect this change in character.THE BUNGALOW MYSTERY opens with Nancy and friend Helen aboard a small boat--which begins to sink in a sudden storm. Helen is hurt, and although Nancy is a strong swimmer they are soon in danger of their lives. Fortunately, they are rescued by Laura, a recently orphaned teenager who is in the area to meet her new guardians. Nancy soon becomes suspicious of Laura's guardians and determines to investigate the matter; at the same time her father, attorney Carson Drew, is investigating the theift of bonds from a local bank. As is the way of Nancy Drew stories, these two plots soon link, and Nancy finds herself facing a ruthless gang of kidnappers and con artists.The book is very much of its era: you will not find any cell phones, computers, or similar modern gadgets between its covers. Nancy herself is the "perfect good girl" according to the standards of the day: she tends toward skirts and jackets, wears gloves for social occasion, and is never too busy to whip up a quick luncheon (chicken salad always seems to be a favorite) for family or friends. And she is always prepared, even to the extent of having an overnight bag in the trunk of her car complete with two changes of clothing and a swim suit, just in case!The Nancy Drew books are not great literature by any stretch of the imagination--they are too distinctly formula for that--but they are competently written, literate, and never talk down to their target audience. They are also good "comfort reading" for grown-ups who recall their childhood reading fondly.GFT, Amazon Reviewer | 1positive
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A Voice of Relevance & Reason Well-Seasoned with Wit
Written with the advantage of firsthand experience; spiced with candor and creative thought; a blessing for those weary of the usual trite and untrue, and quite ready for a full frontal view of a complex matter. | 1positive
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A status-quo history
I was disappointed greatly with the contents of the book. Hoskin and Gingerich peddle the old Eurocentric view of astronomy. Short shrift is given to the views of scholars such as R.R. Newton and Dennis Rawlins. The presentation of material is very shallow, and the tangled web behind the advances of Kepler and others is not presented. It is like whitewash. | 0negative
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Glad I got it for free
I'm a big conspiracy buff, but Mr. Perkins utterly failed to convince my skeptical side. He makes a lot of legitimate points about the Military-Industrial Complex and the behavior of huge American corporations and government insiders and so on, but all his personal tales are too vague to be credible. Also, his history lessons are a bit slanted, to put it mildly. We all need to be suspicious of a book that claims a gullible sap like "Smiling Jimmy" Carter was actually an equal of the Founding Fathers. What the hell???!!! I'm not kidding - Mr. Perkins really does make that exact comparison. He sounds more like a typical limousine liberal than a real economist. A real economist once made this statement: "Making loans to Third World countries is like lending money to your children. Either way, you'll never see it again." This of course doesn't fit into Mr. Perkins' account of the overwhelming success of his putative tactics. And the term "Economic Hit Men" sounds way too silly - like something pampered Yuppies would dream up in an off-campus bar. Like I said, his individual story is extremely light on facts and figures. Nothing that he says happened can be proved or disproved and when he actually does include some rare figures, his calculations are bizarrely impractical. Eugene Reardon's review already demonstrated how crazy his purported Indonesian load forecasts were, so there's no need to get into that again. All his writing sounds like someone with an English degree, not a business degree, and most definitely NOT an economics degree. His endless dithering and liberal hand-wringing and moralizing keep increasing throughout the book and only get more annoying as he goes on (and on and on and on...). A good leftist screed, but it needs to be taken with a healthy dose of caution. | 0negative
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the next wave
i'm not an energy junkie, but i LOVED this book!!! the author takes on a very important subject--the juice on which our society runs and the future of our planet, and creates a terrific and absorbing book. he takes a broad perspective, looking at energy in terms of markets and the environment and technology, and this is the only book that i know of that looks at all three. i liked the relish that he has he seems to enjoy poking holes in conventional wisdom coming from all parties, whether its old energy oil industry dinosaurs or environmentalist-sky-is-falling pessimists. i also liked the previews of what's coming down the pipe. like his columns in the Economist, he's sure to piss a lot of people off, but his arguments seem, to this general reader, to be well grounded. its a fun read, as he's a good writer, and i particularly enjoyed the fun stuff about the futuristic hydrogen economy. very highly recommended. | 1positive
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