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A very good read
I gave this book four stars because it had a few typos and grammatical errors but otherwise the book would get five stars. It was truly a good book to read. The storyline had me hooked from the first page. I enjoyed reading about the ups and down of Kaia's life. | 1positive
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Not up to Coulter's standards
Having read many of Coulter's books, I would not recommend this one as a must read. The plot was actually pretty well devised. However, the dialogue was incredibly unrealistic and the characters were not at all well developed. The protagonists had no depth and that, in turn, had a negative effect on the plot. I expect more from Catherine Coulter. | 0negative
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Dr. Leftovers and the magic of fuzzy assumptions!
Dr. Angell should stay in medicine where she may know something. Her ignorance of business basics and fundamental accounting is scary. This book as so many specious arguments, based upon her obvious baises, it is hard to believe anyone accepts any of it.Saying that companies should ignore the stock market and the source of investors is naive beyond belief. Every page seems to ask the reader to accept her interpretations as fact without any challenge to its substance.She blames the colleges for taking money and yet gives them credit for all the research and publishing they do. Is it not possible that researchers and formulators in industry have a different reward system from the academic community. Has she not heard of publish or perish, the life blood of all the academic doctors? Saying that the real measure of innovation is the papers published ignores the differences in the two communities of professionals. She dismisses the payments to the colleges and researches as trivial without acknowledging that just maybe these funds support some of the innovation and creativity she loves.At page 74 you find her real problem with the drug companies comes from her dislike of her mother's leftovers, which is all she thinks the drug companies give us.It is hard to believe that this book's assumptions bear any weight with anyone who has ever seen a balance sheet. Does Dr? Angell have any idea what is covered in the line called marketing and administration? Does she really think it is only to sell drugs? She must believe that those labs and researchers that drug companies have come free from the NIH or some west coast think tank and there are no operating costs associated with running a business.Absent the drug companies who do have manufacturing and distribution organizations and lots of infrastructure we would still be waiting for many of these drugs to ever be available. Dismissing the risks by comparing it to going to Las vegas and winnng most of the time is like most of the basis for this book simplistic and lacking any real perspective. | 0negative
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A real snoozefest
This book is a cure for insomnia. If I ever have trouble falling to sleep, I'll just dig out my old "Flatland" book, and I'll probably be fast asleep a few minutes later! Listening to the A. Square character telling us about his flat, two dimensional world is not thought provoking, its just confusing! Trying to imagine life in two dimensions is truely mind numbing. I mean I understand what Flatland would be like, but only after I carefully think out what Mr. Square is saying. I spent more time trying to comprehend the two dimensional reality of Flatland than I do enjoying the story. Not very interesting at all, even two stars is being generous! | 0negative
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The New Moosewood Cookbook
For anyone that chooses to eat good wholesome foods this book will give/inspire many ideas. Besides being a collection of recipes it also provides incite into what some of the more obscure items called for are. Also telling how and where to purchase them, or what to substitute.You do not have to be a vegetarian to not always eat meat. | 1positive
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I wish it were 99 short stories.
If one would look up the definition of "page turner" in the dictionary they would not find J.D. Salinger's 9 short stories among those listed. However, if one looked up the definition of a true modern classic (yes, an oxymoron if ever there was one) Salinger's collection of short stories would be at the top of the list in bold.Salinger has an incredible ability to cut to the core essence of characters in a concise and clear manner and among the 9 stories are a vast collection of unique personalities, each suffering from his or her own flaws. The stories are far from fairy tales--often the endings are unpleasant and can be quite jarring at times.Overall, this is an absolute must read for anyone wishing to be aroused intellectually and emotionally and that can be read in short doses for those who don't have as much time for leisurely pursuits as they would like. A warning for those looking for a trashy novel should steer clear from this book. Enjoy! | 1positive
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ANother great self-help book
This book probably won't make you rich but it will open your mind to a higher way of positive thinking. Let's face it we are surrounded by negativity everywhere we turn. Media, office, school, home, friends and even family. This book will help you sort it out and separate it so it doesn't interfere with you creating your own life/destiny. Also bear in mind this was written a long time again. | 1positive
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No Holds Barred
Wow...this book gets on a roll from the first chapter and absolutely does not let up. It is a hilarious, scandelous romp through the Clinton years, from D.C. to Hollywood. If you have followed the turbulent career of Eszterhas the screenwriter and wondered what kind of a book he might conjure, this is it.I was as bored as everyone else during the Lewinski scandle, but if you thought there was nothing else to say about it, you must read this. Eszterhas breaths new life into a subject that before seemed as dead as Dillinger. In his own style, part narrative, part Hollywood tell all, part essay, he shows us a new side to this, one rarely seen under all the intense media glare that surrounded the time.If you want an entertaining read that is also an interesting look back, pick this up. You will not be disapointed. | 1positive
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the worst book of Johanna
The book is boring, without emotion. Really, it doesn't seem to have been written by Johanna Lyndsey. The book is not worth. | 0negative
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Don't overlook this compelling book!!
I'll admit it, I've always liked books by ex-policemen about life in the cop shop and beyond. Joseph Wambaugh's Lines and Shadows is still one of my favorites. The Soldiers of Summer, however elevates the genre several steps beyond ordinary fiction and into the realm of literature. Joseph Phillips, who patroled the streets of New York in the 1970s and 1980s, in the pre-Guiliano wild days, paints a portrait of policing that is at once compassionate and compelling, with riveting characters who will remain in your head long after you put this book down. His prose style is short, sweet and to the point, enough so that Hemingway would be proud! Even if you're not an avid fan of cop books, this one's worth a read. Give it a try--you won't be sorry. | 1positive
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I'd give it less if I could
Just goes to prove that Tim Allen truly joins the ranks of the scummiest men alive. Totally insulting to women on every level, I suggest you spend your time either with your family, or doing something productive. This book is nothing but a sad, unfortunate waste of time, catering to the lowest level of humor. Women: don't read this book if you want to feel progress is being made equality-wise. Men: Please DO NOT follow Tim Allen's example - act like gentlemen, or at least human. | 0negative
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very pleased
When I was a child our church use this Broadman Hymnal. It is good to have a copy. It is in excellent condition and the service was very fast. | 1positive
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Be careful when buying this book
This was the wrong edition for the class my son to use. It looked like it had been photocopied with most of the pages being very faded looking. | 0negative
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Still the perfect parody of New York City.
Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" was first published in 1987, but 16 years later it is still the best parody of the political and social scene in New York City. Combining his everyday, "fly-over country"-style conservatism with his keen wit, Wolfe lays out a story that sends characters crashing into one another from all socioeconomic levels across the Big Apple.Sherman McCoy, a stereotypical, ego-maniacal bond-trader, is Wolfe's typical protagonist. The main plot starts when McCoy and his mistress, Maria Ruskin, take a wrong turn returning from Kennedy airport one night, leaving them lost in a bad neighborhood in the Bronx. This is where they cross paths with Henry Lamb, a seemingly innocent kid stuck in a sad world, and Roland Auburn, a neighbor of Lamb's and local drug-dealing hoodlum. In their haste to escape from a neigborhood within their city but light years from anything they recognize, Sherman and Maria strike Lamb with their car, critically injuring him. Once a struggling NYC journalist learns of the story, it becomes a perfect case for the politicians, media, and attorneys to latch on to for their own selfish gain. From there the Lamb case blows up into an ordeal beyond anyone's control, but one that could only descend into such madness in New York.Wolfe's writing is funny, entertaining, and searing. Through his fictional characters, he presents the perfect condemnation of the ridiculous excesses found in some NYC political and social circles, with specific real-life examples coming naturally to any reader's mind. | 1positive
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Not the version of this book these reviews praise
Sadly, this is not the version of A Christmas Carol that these reviews praise. There are no illustrations, no note of unabridgement. However, the text is printed on good quality paper. I've often counted on reviews to help make a purchace decision, but this time I was mislead and disappointed. The story of course is a 5 star classic, and this version a fine read. It's just not the version the reviews indicate. | 0negative
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New Home Buyer
I agree, as its title suggest - a list of things you will need to know/ask before buying a house. However, it is still useful for those who have never bought a house before and do not want to be caught in a bad situation. | 1positive
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not for BLS
This guide might be alright for a Paramedic or maybe and EMT-I, but is completely unsuited for EMT-Bs. Of this 90 page booklet, only two pages are devoted to trauma: all you get here are pupil sizes and Glasgow/trauma scales. There is no Basic Cardiac Life support, the rest of the manual is ECG, ACLS, Drugs,IVs and some medical/drug abbreviations. This is an ALS manual, basically useless to the BLS provider. | 0negative
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WOW
I'm not sure if I can say anything about this book that has not already been said. But it is just a monumental, classic work. You feel like you know Truman personally while reading it. It is unbelievably attentive to detail. This is a consummate biography by a consummate author. | 1positive
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I went there: this is the way it is.
A beautifully written, often poignant description of life at "the 'Tute." Hapgood is very effective at creating the atmosphere of life at MIT: it is, above all, intense. But it is also quirky, has people who are very bright doing things that are sometimes incomprehensible, and who are headstrong. Fortunately, he explains why this must be so, and he does it well.Parts are comical, parts bring a lump to my throat every time I read them. All of it's good. A friend said that he thought it a bit "gushy" about the place, but I, of course, disagree.A particularly good example:"Engineers in those days [fairly long ago] moved almost always through atmospheres of doubt and controversy. And it did not help very much that the thing that was said to be impossible while they were building was taken, when they had finished, to be a wonder. It is not surprising, therefore, that, having to trust their own private calculations of natural forces amid the incalculable noise of the crowd, they developed in time into independent, austere, and utterly self-confident men."He continues:"In their letters, anecdotes, and memoirs, there is not much humor, less wit, and very little hail-fellow-well-met. What does come through is respect for certain oft-mentioned abstract virtues...honesty, accuracy, fidelity. One of the type had carved on his tombstone only the word "Veritas," and truth in structure is what they all learned to live by. Here and there in their memoirs the members of the elite revealed the name of the power that allowed them to empty themselves into the moment, to pick out the flow of changes that counted, to read the meaning of a shift in temperature or intuit a pool of stress building in a shaft or rope; the power that set them apart and touched their small number with success. They called it a sense for 'the fitness of things.' "And finally:"A sense for the fitness of things was a gift, like any other extraordinary sense. It could not be taught; the old engineers were quite explicit on this point. Those who had it were engineers in their soul, even if they chose to throw away their legacy by going into law, whereas 30 years in the profession could not make those lacking the gift into engineers."The author, Fred Hapgood quotes much of the above from Elting Morison, a historian of engineering, but a lot is his alone. The stuff is uncommonly beautifully written; I'd love to have been able to say any of the above. But more to the point, if you change the word "engineer" to "surgeon," the meaning is still preserved. The book is great.I can't believe it's out of print. | 1positive
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Disappointingly Defies Logic
This is a Romance Novel with a thin backdrop of a very diluted 15th century England where Edward the IV is king.Anne, a young peasant girl, comes to London where she is able to...leap tall buildings in a single bound...not exactly but pretty close.Anne is amazingly skilled with herbs and is able to apply her skills where no one else can. She assists in the healing of her employer and then goes on to offer her aid to the queen.There are so many logic defying turns in this story that by the end I really couldn't wait for it to be done. It was as if the entire story was contrived for the sole purpose of bringing us to the conclusion of this book.There was a lot of sex, I don't mind sex in my fiction as long as it's believable and tastefully done. But this sex wasn't believable for these characters. I don't fault the writer for including the rape scene and the abuse at the hands of the masochistic pervert. I thought that part of the story actually gave the book some drama and tension but it was resolved very quickly and somewhat simply and then that story line was finished.The relationships between the characters do not ring true, the events that unfold do not ring true. The characters reactions to events are contrived. Deborah who has known Anne's heritage all along suddenly wants to bow to her now that her parentage has been revealed to the reader? It doesn't make any sense. And the woman who was present for Anne's birth forgot about her? Again I didn't find it believable and there's more I didn't find believable but I can say exactly what without revealing too much of what happens. There is a mystical theme that felt forced and underdeveloped, it just wasn't well done.The characters are flat and suffer from 'flip-flop' where they contemplate a situation, make a decision to do one thing and then actually do the complete opposite which usually involves sex. I never felt that Anne did anything because she actually wanted to, it felt like she did it because Posie Graeme-Evans made her do it.The story itself falls flat from beginning to end. There are just too many things that don't make any sense. I will say that some of the details were done well, the lice and the smells and sounds of London.If you don't mind logic and common sense lacking in the books you read you might just like this story. If you really just like a lot of sex in your fiction pick this one up.If you are a critical reader I would suggest you keep looking for your next favorite book, you might want to try Sharon Kay Penman's 'Sunne In Splendour' which is so well done. | 0negative
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More like "To the Outhouse"
Too much thought processing for my liking. "Mrs. Ramsey thought..." or "...he thought..." gibberish makes my head spin. Somewhere in this book, there is buried a story. It just takes too long to find it and once you do, it wasn't really worth the effort. | 0negative
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Broken Table of Contents
The Table of Contents is severely broken. It actually links out of the book and to the Project Gutenberg website. How awesome is that? | 0negative
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food for thought
"It is now quite lawful for a Catholic woman to avoid pregnancy by a resort to mathematics, though she is still forbidden to resort to physics and chemistry."Mencken, H. L. (1880 - 1956), Notebooks, "Minority Report". | 0negative
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Too Political, Too Religious
This book is 50% about motherhood, and Down makes some fine points about the hectic nature of modern family life and the need to maintain family unity and a sense of humor to deal with it. Her anecdotes are often amusing, although her style is a little disorganized for my taste.The other 50%, however, is about politics (of the conservative variety) and religion (of the ardent variety). Down seems to believe in the smallest government possible (she expresses dissatisfaction with the concept of government aid for sufferers of natural disasters, she believes that having mothers in the workplace is taking a step towards Communism, and she thinks that the feminist movement "ran its course" (72)). Her religion is also extreme: "... someone does not want us to have an enthusiastic day, and that someone would be Satan... We must acknowledge that here is an enemy and recognize him for who he is. He desires to destroy the family" (47-48).I'm not saying Down's book is awful. But I am saying it is as much about conservative, accusatory political venting and inflexible religious views as it is about motherhood (a reality at which the description here and on the book's jacket does not hint). I wish I had known this before I bought it, at least so I could have been mentally prepared.Oh, and on perhaps more petty note -- Her grammar is awful. | 0negative
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BASED UPON WHITAKER HOUSE'S STELLAR REPUTATION
This book gets a five-star without me reading it. I have never ordered any book that was published by Whitaker that was not informative and edifying. The company's Mission Statement says it all: "To advance God's Kingdom by providing biblically based products that proclaim the power of the gospel and minister to the spiritual needs of people around the world." | 1positive
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Stonking read, as with all Hardy
Being forced to read him in high school, I hated Hardy then. Now I've grown up a bit I recognize the superb perception he had. This one is no exception. | 1positive
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The dirty secrets we keep
This has to be 1 of the most amazing books i've ever read in my life! I will put this book on my top 3 all-time! I don't want to give away anything, I want the reader to be as blown away as I was after reading about the ball that was dropped by a corrupt police dept, the media's neglect of botched autopsies, mishandling of evidence, ignoring of very credible witnesses(some who may have been involved in the actual murders of some of the children), The political sweeping-under-the-rug of this case, But the most explosive revelation is the lifestyle's of some of these young brother's and sisters! This book can and will break your heart. | 1positive
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Very Pleased with my purchase
I have been looking for this book to replace mine that I loaned and never got back! Was very pleased with the condition of the book and the arrival was shorter than stated! | 1positive
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Text book European colonization
The book is hearld by many people as being a great work ,and it is in it's own right. I read this book and it has many qualities that european males find model behavior. The book is a great model for such people as King Leopold to just murder and kill over Five million Congolese with no remorse. The ideal thinking since these people throw spears.live in mud huts and have never achieved the things we have they don't deserve to breathe and walk the earth. The people have no emotions or state of awareness. The Europeans didn't realize that these people in the furture might have something to offer. This book in my opinion is a disguise for profaganda colonization and a justification. The very inaccurate thing in this book is the description of cannibalism which has never been proven other than overzealous missionary accounts to exist in Zaire. The book reminds of every thing the Europeans value,and that is murder,destruction,and dominance over other people. The real twist to this story is that the Belgium KIng Leopold was the real savage. He had African skulls laying around his castle as if it was a real big trophy and had regular incidents or murder fests where he would go into villages and kill helpless Bantus. The europeans have never cared about African people or their side of their story,they just put out novels and disguise them as classics to brainwash the general public. I recommend if you read this book,to take the time and read King Leopold's Ghost. You wil disocver the truth behind this novel and it's motive. | 0negative
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Boring
I cannot understand why Stephen Crane wrote the Red Badge of Courage. The main character, Henry Fleming, was not effectively described. I could not see him in my mind's eye. Also, I could not see other characters such as Tall Soldier or Wilson. The plot was basically the same as another Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils. The battles were poorly described. The author wrote as though he was not sure what would happen next making the story choppy. This novel was confusing. In summary I think this novel was poorly written although many consider it a classic. | 0negative
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should be changed from history to fiction
this is not to degerade the men who followed moore they fought well not knowing he didnt know infantry or air assualt tatics the book is filled with inconsistancies he only had 16 choppers to get his battalion to x-ray 80 men 5 per chopper but could carry more as fuel tanks empted crandals tanks were full fm-57-35 page 7 paragraph 14 refuling a. the aviation unit commander is responsible for, planning aircraft refueling facilities and location of refueling points in coordiantion with the airmobile force commander b.the refueling facilities should be located in the loading area or in a ready area adjacent to the loading area this permites the aircraft to maintian the highest possible lift capability normally aircraft carry a minimum amount of fuel in addition to the reserve so that they can carry maximum payloads.so instead of 5 men the chopper could have carried 10 putting 144 men on lz.moore said his men were thirsty fm 57-35 page 12 paragraph 24 supply 6 miscellaneous. a. probable water supply points are predesingnated moore said it wasent crandals job to carry out the wounded fm 7-20 page 271 paragraph 313 returning aircraftmay be used for the evacuation of casualities there are more but you would need a copyright to list all of them galloway only took pictures of the command post and the dead and wounded peter arnett came in the last day of the battle and took pictures of the last counter attack and his pictures grace the front cover jack p smith I had allready threw away all of my equipement including my rifle I then lay down on my back took out my first aid pack opened and waited to be wounded under ucmj article 99 smith could executed if you need more information e mail m | 0negative
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Misogynistic, misanthropic, macho and monotonous
Henry is in love with words, his own words. Like a squinty eyed gunslinger who is impressive until you realize that he's an just an extra in a Clint Eastwood movie with a gun full of blanks, Miller is full of his own bluster and bravado that after a short while seems little more than a pose. Tropic of Cancer is a tedious exercise in misanthropy in which women are all c**ts and a mans' worth is judged by the size of his johnson and his bank account, ie how much the main character can sponge. The novel is a fictionalized autobiography about an American expat writer living in Paris. It's rambling, occasionally brilliant, swaggering, mysogonistic, anti semitic and ultimately dull, dull, dull. Not much happens. The novel is more concerned with character observation and commentary on humanity, female genitalia and the bohemian expat lifestyle which on the face of it, might sound interesting. But the main character is a loveless (except for himself), misanthropic, self absorbed sexist jerk who about whom I couldn't give a damn. He's a typical modernist anti-hero who flaunts social convensions and norms and "suffers" for his art. Of course he hangs out with a bohemian crowd, screws a lot of prostitutes all the while making fun of the "friends" from whom he mooches meals, and his wife who sends him money from America. The great number of incredibly unerotic (unappealing and mechanical) sex scenes just made me numb. Miller makes sex into something that's more like trophy hunting than anything actually enjoyable. Perhaps at the time this dissipated lifestyle may have been the heighth of hip, now it seems a pathetic and irresponsible macho pose. Ultimately the main character is a slumming parasite, an annoying dillitente: his lifestyle is almost pointless. The prose is sometimes brilliant, but Tropic of Cancer is the type of book that is more fun to talk about than actually read, the kind of book that would increase your coolness factor with certain literary types. That Norman Mailer gives this book ridiculously high praise should give you an idea of the tired macho posturings to be found therein. It gets old quick. | 0negative
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The Best Book in the history of personal accounts !
Into thin air is the most comprehensive, intresting and fascinating book i have ever read. I am currently in high school, and I found myself reading it through every class ! | 1positive
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When All You Do is Soup--It Better Be Goood! This is!
Can a restaurant survive with just great soups! Sure, and so can it's cookbook. This is outstanding selection of interesting ingredients, techniques and creativity, all around that cuisine we call "soup."What is especially useful about this cookbook's structure is the page heading describing not only the main ingredient, i.e. veggie, beef, etc., but also its fat rating, and dairy free, etc. warning, as well as "spicy" warnings. Many times there is also listed "Variations" recommendations, which gets one thinking about possible modifications and/or new recipe creations of one's own.This is fun soup cooking and great eating! Try the likes of some of my favorites: "Winter Borscht With Beef Short Ribs"; "Cauliflower Vichyssoise"; "Valencian-Style Paella" (with saffron and lobster and shrimp and baby artichokes); "Yucatan Chicken-Lime" (my absolute favorite which I also spice up with some broken tortilla chips which one can buy flavored these days); and Pot Pie Soups, chicken, lobster,mushroom.The book is also fun due to great and comical B&W photos and excellent additions such as Periodic Table of Soups and Soup Personals, e.g. "Successful, long-stemmed Wild Mushroom seeks family of Barley, 2-3, 1 cm, for Eastern European soup romance and possibly more. I am athletic, a fungus, love logs, and hate tight spaces."There is also great sections on ingredients, techniques, and sparse Source listing.A true Soup Lovers treasure! | 1positive
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A Classic in Cranford
Inspired to grab a copy of the book after seeing the PBS series, I am very pleased with this version of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. With several options to choose from, I am very happy with the aesthetics of this book. In particular I truly enjoy the "tea cup" cover and the simplistic and easy to read layout of the interior. And it's always good to have a nice book to look at on the shelf when you're done with reading it.After being impressed with this book I also checked out the other books tagged with cricket house and their other offerings are as equally impressive.This version of Cranford is definitely worth it's price. | 1positive
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An Interesting Read from a Highly Prolific Writer
Big bad wolves have a long literary history. James Patterson's newest Alex Cross novel has a human wolf that is more cunning, dangerous and lethal than any of his namesakes. "An improbable murder story told about the Wolf ... had made its way into police lore and then spread quickly from Washington to New York to London and to Moscow." While no one knew if the tale was true, "it was consistent with other outrageous incidents in the Russian gangster's life." He was linked to one particularly gruesome murder that took place after he visited an Italian don in "the high-security supermax prison in Florence, Colorado. The next morning Augusto Palumbo was found dead in his cell. Nearly every bone in his body had been broken ... a method used in the Moscow underworld ... known as zamochit ...[that] signified complete and total dominance of the attacker. The Wolf was boldly stating that he was now the godfather."He rises on the horizon about the same time Detective Cross has turned in his Washington, D.C. shield, to enroll in the New Agent Training program "at the FBI Academy in Quantico. Sometimes called 'Club Fed' ... [it] was turning out to be a challenging, arduous, and tense program ... [that he] liked." At forty-two, Cross was the oldest trainee. The new director, Ron Burns, who was thought to be a rebel by the old guard, was willing to bend a few rules because he wanted Alex on his watch; thus, he made an offer Cross couldn't resist.His first assignment is to solve the mystery behind the disappearances of white, blonde, attractive upper-middle class women. They had begun to disappear in alarming numbers, never to be seen or heard from again. The women have vanished with no clues left behind and no witnesses to their abductions. The first bit of information presented to Cross is in a seminar focused on psychopaths. "Even though [he] was familiar with some of the material [learned when he earned his Ph.D. in psychology, he] found himself jotting down [many] of the forty 'characteristics' of psychopathic personality and behavior." As one of the leading investigators assigned to the case, he felt an adrenalin rush as heady as any he has experienced as a detective.But things are not as smooth as Alex had hoped. His immediate superior is resentful and angry about Cross's reputation and status above the other rookies. And on the home front, Christine, his former lover and mother of his son, decides to reappear. She had abandoned them all a year before, so Alex knows his family may be threatened. As she tries to ingratiate herself into the Cross clan, she makes it clear that she wants custody of the little boy --- and she is willing to do anything to get it. Alex, his children and his mother are devastated at the possibility of losing the wonderful child who had become part of their family.At times THE BIG BAD WOLF seems a bit of a stretch for the reader. The cutouts between worldwide law enforcement agencies and the Wolf defuse the suspense when they laughingly admit they are not who they pretended to be. The abductions, carried out in broad daylight, mostly in shopping malls, will send a chill through every woman who has ever walked to her car without thinking who may be following her. The notion of a white slavery ring, which is the basic premise upon which the plot rests, sounds far-fetched but overall it works and at least makes for an interesting read. After all, how many readers think about suburbia as the showcase for crazy men who are willing to pay millions to fulfill their fantasies with stolen women?James Patterson is such a prolific writer, and Alex Cross is such a familiar character, that fans, and those new to this series, are bound to enjoy the latest addition to the Alex Cross/Will Lee novels. Enjoy!--- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum | 1positive
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Literary Pornography
This is the Miller your mother warned you about. If you enjoy literary pornography then this is definitely the book you're looking for. It is not a novel in the conventional sense but a series of vignettes designed to titillate and ultimately surprise; mission accomplished. | 1positive
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Liberal commentary
I bought this commentary because having been published by Thomas Nelson I thought it would be a conservative and orthodox one. But I was disappointed by the liberal tone of the book; for example, Genesis is considered to be a postexilic product, and Isaiah is divided into three parts (First, Second, and Third Isaiah). If you are looking for a commentary written from a conservative perspective, this book is not for you! | 0negative
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Too many unanswered questions
This book is good in that it reminds us that making alot of money doesn't mean that one is wealthy.But, there are several other problems with this book. Where does this accumulated wealth go? If it is "realized", then taxes were not avoided, just delayed. (A good thing, but then book doesn't mention that taxes will eventually come.) And, if the wealth is not realized, what's the point of accumulating it?I especially disliked the "advice" of how to find a financial advisor. Sure, it makes sense to ask around. But, to call the state school's accounting department? Yes, the school will respond to researchers, but not to the average Joe.Also, if I already had alot of wealth, my CPA, lawyer, etc. would be glad to make recommendations. But, I don't have alot of wealth yet, I do my own taxes, and I haven't needed a lawyer for anything other than a will. How does the average Joe get a good advisor when they don't have a CPA or lawyer? I would have appreciated much more practical advice. | 0negative
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Chinese Cinderella: The True Story Of an Unwanted Daughter
Chinese Cinderella: The True Story Of an Unwanted DaughterBy: Adeline Yen MahReviewed By: S SilerPeriod: 2Chinese Cinderella: The True Story Of an Unwanted Daughter, one of the most realistic and fun books I ever read. This book is a different and unusual book I¡ve read. This book is a autobiography of the author of Chinese Cinderella: The True Story Of an Unwanted Daughter.Know to talk about the book this book is about when the main charter is a little girl. When the little girl was bourn she hat one older sister and two older brothers. Also when she was bourn here mother died because of complications of the birth of her daughter. Remember this happed in the older days. So the doctor couldn¡t saver her mother and after that the little girl had to go through pain she suffering with her older brother and sister.To this day her brother and her one sister says that she is a cursed baby. They said that because after her mother died their father married a lady, a mean lady. That where the Cinderella part cones in the title. So all the girl life she has to live with you are cursed. Also She hates that because she looks at it like "ad least my mother brought people into the would to take her place this is my favorate spot in the book.When the little girl was five she went to school. When she went to school she was well liked and got a meddle for being a good student. But no one cared in her family they took away her medal and laugh at her. Her aunt baba is the only one that believed in her. Even her dad was sad. He forgot his daughters name when he was registrant her for schooltheirs nothing in this book that I didnt like. I hope I educated you enough to go out and read this book. | 1positive
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Very Good Story, but Not Flawless
This is one of my favorite Clancy novels. This was written when he had to put a great novel on the table to make money, and Red Storm Rising certainly is this. Aside from the several slow stretches and its lack of development for some of the characters, this book is a compelling look at a Soviet-NATO war that could have easily happened, this book seizes your attention and holds it until the very last page. The ending is good as well, although some will debate me on this. I'm waiting for the movie. | 1positive
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There And Back Again
"The Travels" of Marco Polo is easily one of the most important books in Western literature. Written during the Late Middle Ages, this book has been widely read and appreciated for nearly 700 years. Yet modern readers should note that this is not a modern work meant for pure entertainment. Furthermore, "The Travels" is not a narrative work in any sense, but rather a collection of anecdotes, observations and impressions of places little understood by Europeans during Polo's time. Considerable attention is paid to the products, wild-life, climate and various customs of the places visited by Polo (if indeed he did visit them), yet from this book we know almost nothing about Polo himself or his life during the decades he spent abroad. Thus don't expect a rousing adventure story, but rather a loose collection of stories - some real, some plainly fantastic - similar to those found in the first half of "The Histories" by Herodotus. Yet this book still offers much to enjoy and is a great read if you can accept the literary conventions of Polo's time and take the information presented here with a grain of salt.Regarding the Penguin edition: this version provides a very useful historical introduction to pre-Renaissance Europe and interesting biographical information about Marco himself. Furthermore, the numerous footnotes throughout the book make clear the differences between the early manuscripts of this work (at times, the extant MSS differ considerably) and the editors do a decent job (for a non-scholarly reader at least) of providing an "accurate" version of the text. | 1positive
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A Journey to Middle-End, and the life of Mr. Bilbo Baggins
****************************SPOILER ALERT****************************SPOILER ALERT*******************************************Before Frodo, there was Bilbo, Mr. Bilbo Baggins. He is the Hobbit who led the Dwarves to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their treasure from the dragon named Smaug. Bilbo is middle aged and resides in a clean, warm burrow dug into the side of a hill (the place is called "The Shire", home to many hobbits). In the beginning of the story Bilbo is a very weak character. He is easily frightened, and very shy (one of the conflicts, but I'll get to that later on in the review). Bilbo is also a Hobbit. Hobbits are known for their skills in thievery and spying. The Hobbits are very small creatures (they can only grow up to three feet... if they're lucky) with big feet, covered by tops of thick hair. They are very simple, and never wish to partake in very exciting activities. A very common profession found in their lives is gardening. Some of the other important characters are Gandalf; he is the wizard that accompanies Bilbo and the dwarves on their quest. Thorin Oakenshield is son of the king of the dwarves who were driven from the Lonely Mountain. Smaug is the dragon of the Lonely Mountain who hordes the treasure he stole. Gollum is a slimy creature that was born a Hobbit but had the ring too long; this is the character that Bilbo steals the ring from. Bard is the archer that kills Smaug.I'm not going to go into depths with the story, but I'll give a brief summary. Bilbo enjoys his simple and peaceful life, but all this changes by a simple knock on the door, a surprise visit by the wizard Gandalf. To Bilbo's surprise, Gandalf has arrived with a company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield. They are embarking on a journey to recover lost treasure (from the town of men "Dale") that is guarded by the dragon Smaug, at the Lonely Mountain. Gandalf has decided, much to Bilbo's chagrin, that he will make an excellent addition to the team and Bilbo is going to play the role of a burglar. As they start on their way, Bilbo has serious misgivings. During their journey, they encounter various obstacles and, and all sorts of villains. They also encounter various creatures such as giant spiders, goblins, wolves and many others. In the end, they endure all of them. They eventually kill Smaug and on their way to claim the treasure, they are forced to battle armies of goblins and wargs (of course, Bilbo's party aided by several allies, otherwise they would've been out-numbered and killed). In the end, the wargs and goblins are vanquished and Bilbo returns to The Shire with treasure, the ring of power and a heart full of adventure.The world of the Middle-Earth is a complicated one. Tolkien took great care in representing this world, from creating new languages to including very particular cultural details that add to the richness of the world's fabric. Tolkien states that Middle-Earth was the planet we live today in an imaginary time (supposedly 6,000 years ago), but of course, this is just fiction.As I said, in the beginning Bilbo is the shy, weakest, and most frightened character of the group, but in the end he amounts to be the strongest. And now is when the conflict comes in. The main conflict is man vs. himself, or should I say Bilbo vs. Bilbo? Bilbo has to overcome his fears of dragons and other creatures in order to carry out his part of the mission.Now, let us talk about the theme shall we? I have noticed the story has several themes and morals, but the main one is this: never let your fears get in the way of what you want to do or be in life. Bilbo is an excellent example of this. And then there comes greed. Whilst greed is a recurring theme in the novel, with many of the episodes stemming from one or more of the characters' simple desire for food, or a desire for beautiful objects, such as gold and jewels, it is only by the Arkenstone's influence upon Thorin that greed comes fully to the fore in the story and provides the moral crux of the tale. Bilbo steals the Arkenstone, a most ancient relic of the dwarves, and attempts to ransom it to Thorin for peace. However, Thorin turns on the Hobbit as a traitor, disregarding all the promises he had previously bestowed. In the end Bilbo gives up the precious stone and most of his share of the treasure in order to help those in greater need (this theme can also be seen in Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy with Frodo and the "One Ring").Normally people read this book after watching the LOTR movies, and I don't blame them, I did the same thing. But some people look at this book as a prequel to the trilogy, and I really think they shouldn't do that. This is a completely different story to LOTR, one that may not be as good as the trilogy, but it definitely has more color than it.My thoughts on the book? It was brilliant. I loved the way that Bilbo grows up from a shy humble tea-maker into this great, mature adventurer. It's fairly short, and easy to understand. The plot is fantastic, and the build-up is very well done. Anyone can easily read it, the story is written in a very lighter tone than the actual trilogy (even has its comical parts) and I do recommend it for those who have a thirst for adventure, interested in taking a journey to a new land, to Middle-Earth. | 1positive
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A compelling and emotional book
As I began to read this book, I began to notice a similarity between this high school's football team and my own high school's football team. I am not that avid of a football fan, but as I read this book, I found myself growing a greater respect for the sport as well as the players involved in the game. This book takes you on the journey of one teams losses, and victories, and the importance and impact this sport has on the community as a whole. I found this book quite hard to put down, and highly recommend it to all teenagers. It was a simple reading book packed with loads of information including entertaining and emotional. I give this book 10 thumbs up!! | 1positive
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The most important challenge you face.
Once you've read this book you'll know the time you spend practicing its teachings is time well spent. When will you finally choose to spend all your time this way? | 1positive
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kindle
Actually I was never able to download this product so I ordered the book which I love. I looked and looked for a receipt with the link and it never came and there was never a confirmation email that I could respond to or complain to, so I was not happy with this. I've had absolutely no problem with previous kindle orders but this one gave me nothing. I hate giving dings if I can work it out another way, but so sorry. | 0negative
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One word to descibe this book.
42[okay, that's not a word, but you get my point] | 1positive
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The print and size of book make it hard to read
Something about the way the book was put together, literally- the size of the book is too big and you cannot hold it right because the print is all the way to the middle crease. Very akward. Disappointed- damn cheap publisher! My mom has an old extra copy she is going to give me. This is going to goodwill.Thoreau is awesome. Too bad the book doesn't live up to his words. | 0negative
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Offensive
What happens when someone takes a wonderful idea and betrays it?NarcissisticInaccurateDistastefulRemember that the majority prefers mediocrity and that's why a book like this becomes popular. | 0negative
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BORING
What I do not understand is how people can like this book! It is really boring and I don't really like or understand that Jack guy. I think I would've given this book a better grade if it hadn't started out sooooo slow. Really if you don't have this book don't bother getting it unless you want to be confused the first 5 chapters and bored most the rest. It's just not worth it. | 0negative
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Terrible story written beautifully
This is one of those books that I purchased based on the glowing reviews, and I am left wondering if I read a completely different book from these other folks. I have to admit that the author writes beautifully. The first half of the book had me completely intrigued. I loved the characters, especially Nardi. He was so beautifully flawed, but his flaws were understandable.But about half way through, the story falls completely apart.Spoilers!!Hannah begins acting completely out of character. She is in desperate need of employment due to her having disgraced herself in her previous employment, and so the first thing she does upon arriving at the chateau is disobey the owner's specific orders NOT to go to the cottage. She not only goes there, but falls off a rock trying peek in the window. She isn't the least alarmed by the sexually explicit drawings that Nardi has made of her. When we finally find out why she was disgraced, it turns out she slept with someone to get out a marriage. Completely unbelievable.When Nardi abandons family and fortune for Hannah, she suddenly realizes she liked him better rich. And the convoluted ending where Nardi is to show up at his wedding and just say "No" during the ceremony to solve his predicament was ludricrous.This book is expensive because it is hard to find, so let me warn you, don't spend your money. | 0negative
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getting down to it
This is a great book for people who have looked at the picture books and decided to build in strawbale. It is excellent whether you are an owner builder planning to prepare your own plans, or simply want to pass the detail on to your architect or draftsperson. I like the spiral bound layout which allows you to leave the book open without breaking the spine. The authors have considered most types of strawbale construction (e.g. with and without cellar, timber floored, concrete slab,etc) but a big negative for me was that it deals only with single storey details. I want to build two storey and would have appreciated information on how to incorporate the middle floor into the strawbale walls, both for load-bearing and post-and-beam buildings. If you've read architectural plans before, you'll be able to decode how to build a strawbale house... if you can't, you won't have a use for this book. All in all - a winner for the serious strawbale builder (cheaper than a strawbale workshop and you get a resource you can keep!) | 1positive
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Zzzzzzzz....Still, a Great Man Has to Start Somewhere!
Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep is a great example of a seminal novel that is not actually a very good one. It helped establish numerous tropes of the hardboiled mystery subgenre, but the plot is a stitched-together, unsatisfying mess and the psychology is risible. About halfway though the novel, the plot--never very mentally stimulating--runs out of steam. Chandler throws in a naked girl in the hero's bed, some beatings and some shootings before reaching his finish, which predictably turns on the hardboiled keystone credo, "dames are bad news."Chandler's main purpose in this book seems to be to convey his conception of masculine dignity and honor withstanding the temptations offered by rich, decadent, beautiful young women. This is a valid enough idea for a novel and the opening image of the knight in stained glass in a truly arresting one, but Chandler's "psychology" is blundering and heavyhanded. He was quite daring for his day in his presentation of blatantly loose women and "degenerate" homosexuals, but these depictions are not only insulting and offputting now but I would argue quite shallow (thumb-sucking, loose-bladdered, nymphomaniac Carmen has to be one of the most cartoonish and misogynistic creations in the genre by a serious writer). The characters with whom Chandler sympathizes are his ego-projection detective, Philip Marlowe, and Marlowe's original client, old, dying General Sternwood; tellingly, these are the only characters in the book who get anything beyond surface treatment.In The Big Sleep Chandler achieves some of his patented, pithy bon mots, but his writing would get better in his next book, Farewell, My Lovely, as would his plotting. Chandler is a great figure in the genre and he produced some great detective novels, but The Big Sleep is not one of them. | 0negative
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OK Introduction to Fusebox 4
I have been a web-developer for 6 years. I recently started using fusebox 4.0 but had several problems with this book. Firstly, they omitted putting an index in the book. Secondly, some of the fusebox/xml examples within the book themself do not even run because the code is bad. Lastly, many of the examples and concepts are not explained very clearly. I think that this book could have been written much better. | 0negative
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learned a lot can't wait to see what the new year brings
This book has helped me to create a business plan for the next three(3) years. I learn how to project sales and how to service my customers to both our advantage. Who to help and promote, who to put myself into. Made me think about things, i didn't think were important. I will be reading other writings ofthis Author. Great motivation!! | 1positive
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Strikes a rousing blow for freethinkers and womanhaters everywhere!
I should review this book twice, one time for each of its two main themes.I salute the book that gives us the freewheeling tale of an individual who leads a revolt against stifling social oppression. In a closed world where the authorities demand obedience and punish anyone who doesn't toe the line, one wild n' crazy guy stands up to buck the system. In doing so, he brings hope and courage to his fellow downtrodden sufferers. Hooray for our hero!I revile the book that gives us, as man's greatest enemy, the archetypal Castrating Bitch. You'd think that the head psychiatrist would make a more realistic symbol of oppressive, all-powerful authority. (Even today, nurses have little power to act independently, and in the era of this novel they were pretty much expected to say "Yes, Doctor" and fetch the coffee.) But author Ken Kesey was willing to ignore this bit of obvious. I guess he really, really wanted to write a woman in the role of man's oppressor.Of course, not every woman is a Nurse Ratchet. There are good women, too - women who are good for men. Billy found one, after all. The cure to all his ills came in the form of a silent, obedient female who spread her legs at his command. How sweeeet. Nothing feels as good as a girl who knows her place and does what she's told.So, guys, let's review today's lesson. Powerful women are out to cut off your equipment. Submissive women make a man feel like a MAN! Ahhh. You're feeling better already, aren't you? | 0negative
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Solid, short and readable
Firstly, it is nice and short (140p), good for those who have to study other books for college courses. There are only 4 Chapters and an introduction, with a clear numbering system for each section that should make it an easy book to discuss.Intro: Full outline of the argument1. The Setting in family, church, culture, and nations2. The contemporary challenge3. An exegetical response to the challenge4. ConclusionAs you can see from the chapter headings it is a response to a new theology of Justification that denies the imputation of Christ's righteousness. Consequently, it has a polemical style and focusses on the issues raised by this new approach. For me, it is reminiscent of Leon Morris's two great books on the atonement.The apostolic preaching of the cross (1984)The atonement: It's meaning & significance (1984)It is a slightly odd book because 3 out of the 4 chapters are very easy reading, whilst the 3rd chapter is quite dense exegesis. In the first two chapters Piper provides a great overview of the practical importance of the doctrine of imputed righteousness. The fourth chapter is just a summing up of what he has said in the whole book.Is it worth reading? It depends on where you are at. I found it very encouraging and affirming on the crucial nature of this doctrine. It didn't really expand my thinking so much as provide a solid basis for believing. I also liked being put in the picture about current trends in theology. It will help me spot the position when reading commentaries etc.The exegetical chapter was clear, solid and well argued but I don't think he has totally proven his case on all points. | 1positive
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Not Magical For Me....
Based on the reviews, I was looking forward to this fantasy novel. However, I was disappointed.One thing I particularly enjoy when done well and struggle with when done poorly, is the dialogue between characters. In this novel, the dialogue never felt smooth and natural, as if two complex, intelligent beings were talking with each other. This had an effect, for me, of making the characters seem stilted and one-dimensional.Perhaps my biggest disappointment was with the aptitude of the hero. He is set up as a very powerful adept, but seems to not be very good at much that he attempts. There is one particular magical display where he accidentally taps a power he thought beyond him (or his contemporaries). However, this doesn't translate into any increase in his useful, actionable power as far as I can tell. He seems to make tons of mistakes and would die quite often if not for the intervention of various other parties.With respect to the general writing style, the descriptions of places is interesting, but seems disconnected -- not part of a larger world-building effort where everything makes sense and places/cultures/people/customs relate to each other in a reasonable way.The story is reasonably interesting, though it takes a while to get going. However, the other faults are serious enough for me that I don't plan to buy the sequel to find out what ultimately happens. | 0negative
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Prague
I thought this book was awful. As many other people said, it starts out well- I thought I was going to enjoy it. But about 3/4 of the way through (after forcing myself to keep reading in the hopes that it would improve) I realized that none of the characters were likeable or even sympathetic. I'm sure there are people like this but I really don't want to waste my time reading about them. Also, it seems like the author wants to show off all of these writing techniques and ideas that he has- it's not necessary to cram all of this into one book. One other thought- I thought the descriptions of the artwork of one of the characters was ridiculous. Just because you're a writer doesn't mean you have good ideas about painting or photography, buddy. All the characters are so in awe of this artwork and it's so cheesy! I think Phillips overestimates the shock value of sex in general. It's ironic because he tries so hard to be modern and he is such a throw-back. Obviously Phillips is bright and has a lot to say- I guess I just find him trite and overly impressed with himself. | 0negative
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A Classic
One of my favorites. This book is a classic and I highly recommend it! Don't be discouraged by the style. | 1positive
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Review of Y:LM, Volume 2
The second volume in the series carries on with the strong, considerate world of the first. Vaughn continues to be inventive and thoughtful in his display of the post-masculine world. There are several new characters, all of them used well with the story. A strong second stride. | 1positive
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A show for Ricki Lake
Thankfully this wasn't the first book I read from the Oprah book club. I realize this is Ms. Cleage's first novel, but I would suggest she stick with playwriting. No doubt, she has lots of literary talent, but she didn't do herself any favors with this book. First, we are to feel sorry for Ava because she got AIDS. She deserved it, after all she would go into a room and be proud, she sleep with every man here. Second, a black paradise that she left is no long their, it looked like every one under 19 had a kid with no father around. . Seemed like only two teenage boys (Frank & Tyrone) were around to be fathers. Sound like a show for Ricki Lake The when the idealistic heroines (Joyce, Eddie, Ava) suggested possibly hurting or killing the two troubled teenage boys (Frank & Tyrone), I was appalled. Even though their intent was not made specifically clear, my take on it was that they were tentatively planning to murder those boys! If this should even be fictionally stated that this is how the black community deal with their own, let's just pray that a white supremist not get hold of this book!! Considering violence against children (even fictionally) is scary.When it comes to this book, Why waste their time reading this drowning book, that would sink the Titanic? | 0negative
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Sitka
Book had been recommended by a friend . First L . Lamour I'd ever read .Not my kind of reading . Way too improbable story . | 0negative
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A more apt title:"Johnny Fontane Returns"
Mike Wingardner has accomplished what neither Puzo or Coppola could do. He made the Corleones boring.The title "Johnny Fontane Returns" would be more indictative of the aim of this book.He takes up more pages than any other character in this book. The heavy use of the oh-so-very-fictionalized Sinatra/Rat Pack/Kennedy plot is very unimaginative and highly predictable. Does any reader have any doubt that the Bay of Pigs invasion will not succeed? Or that the ridiculous attempts to kill Castro will fail? I wonder?Winegardner's novel deviates from the Godfather story in facts(Michael went to Dartmouth not Columbia.McCluskey was shot in the throat and head not in his throat and heart.)as well as style(Fredo seems to have inherited Carlo Rizzi's personality.)Godfather fans will not recognize this Michael Corleone as anyone we have experienced before.A few episodes were interesting. Tessio's murder. Michael's combat service in WWII. I would have prefered more along this line and less Francesca Corleone. Who cares about Francesca Corleone?One element of this novel stands out among all of the others.The idea of Fredo Corleone hosting his own TV talk show,to me, is stupid.I was excited when I first learned of this book. I've read the original numerous times. I've seen all 3 movies (yes, Part III is just as good as the first two.) more times than I can count.I bought the book the day it came out, but it took me 3 weeks to read it. It was tough going. Not what you would call a page-turner. If this was planned as the first of more Godfather books, don't bother. | 0negative
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Don't be fooled -- this is NOT a new book
Unfortunately, this is NOT a new book from Rowan. It was first published last winter (2004) in the company's usual paperback format as "Vintage Style." It is still a lovely book with several attractive designs to knit, but it's the exact same book most Rowan fans already bought last year. I am extremely disappointed in Rowan for misleading its customers with this repackaging effort. | 0negative
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Perfect for my grandaughter
written with a child's point of view - simple yet very good at getting the story of the birth of Christ in an understandable format | 1positive
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It Doesn't Make Sense
To listen to an obviously unhappy man about how to be happy. | 0negative
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UNWORTHY OF THE NAME: "BRITANNICA"
At nearly 1200 pages, this book seemed promising. It boasts of a variety of 'archivable' information. But, the fact that its editors chose to include outdated statistics in it surprised me. Some of these data are more than fifteen years old!The compilers of "Encyclopaedia Britannica", (who also handled this Almanac), have access to one of the most current and the most versatile infobase in the world. And, I wonder why they refused to let this Almanac live upto its name.This inexplicable reason makes it hard for me to recommend this Almanac. | 0negative
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Big Disappointment
I picked up "The Nanny Diaries" expecting a good summer read: light, amusing and quick. Instead, I found the book to be unfunny, poorly written, predictable and unsatisfying. With the exception of the Nanny's Grandmother, her boyfriend (known as "H.H." for Harvard Hottie), and a few other nannies the narrator comes in contact with, the characters are venal, selfish and mean, which does not make the book humorous or enjoyable. And ith the exception of Grayer, the boy Nanny takes care of, the characters are all one-dimensional. That includes the Nanny, which is the narrator's name - and demonstrates a laziness or a lack of creativity that appears throughout the book (from the names given to characters such as her bosses, Mr. & Mrs. X, H.H., etc. to the authors' descriptions of a Nantucket that's really a poorly disguised Martha's Vineyard, complete with a Black Dog-like restaurant). Given her Manhattan born-and-bred background, which includes a grandmother who is on a first-name basis with the maitre d' of Lutece, a father who works at an exclusive all-boys prep school and her own education at an exclusive all-girls prep school, the narrator is unusually and unrealistically clueless, not to mention spineless. In fact, Nanny is a classic unreliable narrator: she's fixated on every fault of her boss while being blissfully unaware of her own - even as she describes them - some of which she shares with Mrs X. Nanny drinks more than anyone else in the book, even while looking after Grayer; she gets drunk a couple times throughout the book. And Nanny is just as interested in status as Mrs. X: would she have been interested in her Havard Hottie if, instead, he had been an NYU Hottie? Would she have been so interested in H.H. if he lived in a 5th floor Brooklyn walkup instead of a huge apartment (with his parents) in the same Park Avenue building as Mr. & Mrs. X? Finally, for someone who is an NYU senior major in child development and who wrote a thesis in order to graduate, Nanny does not seem to have put any of her education to work with Grayer; as much as she claims to love him, she does not provide any ongoing educational impact. At one point in the book, she claims she wants to give Grayer time to de-stress from the pressures of his parent's marriage, but at no point in the book does she seem to give him anything more than attention. Grayer certainly needs attention, which is the depressing part of the book, since no one else gives him any, except Nanny. As the parent of two young boys who employs a full-time nanny, that conclusion is both predictable and unfair. | 0negative
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Women pull this crap, too
I've seen plenty of the things men are accused of in this book done by women to men. The book's notion that women are soley the victims of men is myopic. If a partner in a relationship is reading this stuff, probably they are in a bad relationship. Maybe they should reexamine how they got into this relationship in the first place? I think social pressure for women to get married is at the root of the problem. Many will "settle" just to be married. If things don't click before you march down to the altar, they probably won't be that great after the I dos have been spoken. Many men take women at their word and unfortunately, that is a bad mistake. | 0negative
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The Only Suspect
I am not much good at writing reviews. but for this book I feel I have to.If you want suspense, well written characters, and a book you can't put down, then select this book.I use the Kindle DX and usually have it on audio while I knit. I can't even count the times I turned the audio off and read it myself (I read fast). | 1positive
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gift for grandson
i have no idea about this product as it was a gift for my grandson and I haven't read it. | 0negative
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Good for Sunday School classes
Our Sunday School class is using this for our weekly lessons. The writing is very conversational and tends to repeat itself to get the point across. The book comes from BBC broadcasts C. S. Lewis made in the 1940s. This tone fits the style of lesson we have where one member of the class reads aloud while the others listen. We use the journalMere Christianity Journalas a guide for discussion questions in class. The questions presented are equally applicable to today as they were in the 1940s. Lewis has made us think about what it means to be "Christian" in the WWII era as well as today and how the life of a christian is challenging no matter what place or time you live in.You may have trouble "getting" some of his references and following his train of thought without re-reading some sections. The reader can tell that C. S. Lewis is an academian through the way he writes. This is not leisurely reading, but makes you think about where your life as a christian can fit into the world. Recommended. | 1positive
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Stands the test of time
I've spent the last thirty-two years being reminded of the brutal honesty and truth of much of this classical work on race, sex, and poverty by Eldridge Cleaver. I was honestly shocked by some of the sexual/racial ideas it contains the first time I read it in 1968, and decided to try it again to see if my present understanding of and assumptions about America now render this work moot- or affirm it.Not surprisingly, as much as I'd like to confirm or refute this work, the jury still won't come in and remains out. You should read this book if you've thought deeply about the "why" of our race problem in America, our prison problem in America, or the psychology of gender. You really owe this one to your real-world educational and intellectual development, whether you agree with it, or like it, or not. It will challenge, frustrate, and in the end, inspire you to look deeper. Great achievement; makes you wonder what extraordinary things never surfaced from inside this man's mind.A must-read from the 20th century. | 1positive
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Not so great
I've read Lisle's "I see you" and "Midnight Rain", and both are better than this book. This book's characters were really dull (Hank felt like he just existed in a bubble to do his psychic thing when needed, and have sex with Jess whenever possible) and there was very little tension, conflict or action in the plot. I began to get bored by about page 100, but suffered through the rest of the book because one of Lisle's other books was a bit slow for a bit, but then got MUCH better. This one, unfortunately, never improved. The final conflict was over much too quickly. This book is very forgettable. I'm glad I didn't spend too much on it. | 0negative
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Great way for kids to think about Christmas
I had my 8 year old grandson read the book to his 5 year old sister at my home before we opened any gifts. It was the perfect way to bring the focus back to the real meaning of Christmas.They loved it and we will make it a a tradition from this point on. | 1positive
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Disappointing until the last line
I am trying to read the series in order, and this is the first one out of 6 that was disappointing. I thought it was sloppy. If the so called Mastermind knew what Alex Cross looked like, why would Alex then go and try to work in the hospital where the Mastermind was a patient. Of course he would see Cross and begin to run or cover his tracks. Dumb!!!! Yes the last line was a shocker, but seriously, that was the only part that sparked my interest. As far as Alex's personal life....what a mess! I will continue to read the series, but I hope this one was just a bump in the road. | 0negative
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Full of Adventure
Both books are very good. I read both of these when I was 11. The story is fun and it really makes your imagination go wild. All though the story is about strange creatures and people, it is also about real life things. At some points the story was boring, but never for long, because something un-expected would always happen. This is a wonderful book, that everyone who can read English should read. | 1positive
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Overkill
I was pretty disappointed with this book. I guess I went in with high expectations. In the beginning of the book, I thought it might be worthwhile, but as I read on.......the repetitive nature of the book got old very fast. The book could have gotten its message across with a lot less pages. I found the ceremonies that they had in there useless....I hope they don't recommend this book for someone that is lonely. I think the authors idea for the book was a good one, but the execution of their idea didn't deliver in print. | 0negative
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Too many of these books arrive damaged.
I ordered extra copies of this book to give as gifts, but they all arrived with some damage, some with a lot of damage. I kept two with the least amount of damage. It feels more like a problem with the publisher rather than Amazon. | 0negative
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Disappointing distractions
Though I was transfixed by the previous book in the series, I did not make it through this one. Call me a prude, but the constant self-satisfying and obligatory sex in this book really distracted me and put me off. It seemed to me that the author had some kind of sex fetish and had to put as much of it in the book as he could. Simply put, his previous book in the series was tight. Though thick, nearly every scene and chapter moved the story. Not so with this book. Slowed by "extra" chapters detailing characters having sex, this book was not written for fantasy lovers, but for porn lovers. If you like to read such distraction, then buy the book, for the author's prose is both rich and lyrical. Too bad. | 0negative
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Excellent and Pleasurable book
I'm in the seventh grade and wanted to read book for enjoyment. I usually don't but this book was reall great. I am now going to start to read the second book in this excellent series. | 1positive
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:)
Thank you. I had a really good experience with you. Everything went smoothly and I didn't have any problems. My book arrived right on time! :) | 1positive
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Nice For Some, Maybe Even Most, But Sadly Not For Me
Nice For Some Maybe Even Most, But Sadly Not My Cup of TeaTo those of you who adore Jane Austen please try not to take it personally that I did not love this book, it is not an insult to you OR her.I have traditionally avoided the classics but made a recent resolution to try some. I made a list of a dozen or so and have had mixed results so far.I think that my expectations were too high, I was expecting something like Jane Eyre, which I loved. Unfortunately I found 'Pride and Prejudice' a little too frivolous for my tastes.Perhaps if I had known what I was getting before I started I would have been less disappointed? It felt like a fluffy romance novel, which I do not in general care for. I love a good love story, part of why I loved Jane Eyre.Maybe if it had been called 'Pretty Girls Out Husband Hunting' or 'Lydia Lands In a Jam' or something equally silly I would have known what I was in for.Maybe this wasn't the best first Jane Austen novel to read?I'm not sure if I will be reading another.Okay, I know that 655 of you loved this and many of you will have to give me a negative vote because we don't agree...So, let the negative votes begin *winces*. | 0negative
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Here Come The Tickle Bugs!
I was drawn to this book for its cool artwork. When I gave it to my friend's three year old son for his birthday, I was amazed. I don't think I could have given a better gift. He loves this book and is crazy about the Tickle Bugs. He literally carries it around with him wherever he goes! On so many levels, this is a very special book for kids. | 1positive
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A Useful Guide, But Short on Detail
The book is a very interesting read on an under-treated subject. If you want a concise, highly readable, brief book on the period between the rise of the Seljuks to the collapse of the Safawids, I strongly recommend it.That said, it seems odd to have such a quick survey on such a limited subject. The usefulness of a monograph is that an author can get into more detail than with a general survey, but the detail is lacking here. We have barely two pages on Toghril Beg. Alp Arslan gets three. Tamerlane gets a little over eight.Still, if the reader is willing to supplement the framework set forth here with in-depth studies of the major players, dynasties and battles, Morgan's book will have served its purpose of providing a coherent "big picture" view. | 1positive
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A Separate Peace
A Separate PeaceA Separate Peace was about a boy named Gene who thouhthis best friend, finny, was jealous of him. Gene came upwith an epiphany that lead him to believe that Finny wastring to sabotage his grades and ruin his chances ofbecoming valedictorian. Gene kept on having more and moreepiphany's that lead him to hate Finny. Little did Geneknow, Finny didn't think Gene had to study because hethought good grades came to Gene, like sport came to him.So Gene had all those false epiphany's, which created hisjealousy and hatred toward Finny. One day Finny decided todouble jump out of the tree with Gene to purify theirfriendship. When they were both on the branch, Gene's innersavagery belt up and made him unconciaciously jounce thelimb. Finny was physically crippled because of his brokenleg and Gene was mentally cripple because he was aware ofhis inner savagery in his heart. Gene had a hard timeduring the winter sesson because he was trying to controlhis inner savagery and Brinker, Quackenbush, and othersplayed jokes on him about purposely jouncing the limb. WhenFinny returned to the school he was shocked to find out thateveryone was talking about enlisting for the war. Finnydidn't believe in the war because he didn't have that innersavagery like everyone else at Devon. Finny finallyrealized that the war was true when he heard that it droveLeper crazy. Later Brinker and Quackenbush suspected theinner savagery in Gene and put him on trial. During thetrial Finny realized that Gene really did jounce the limb,so he rushed out of the office and fell down the stairs,which caused him to rebreak his leg. At the end Gene andFinny confessed to each other and became friends again.During Finny's surgery bone marrow got to his heart andkilled him.The theme of A Separate Peace was the inner hatred,vengeance, and savagery in the human heart. Gene had innersavagery and he had to mature to learn how to control it.Gene was barely good enough for the world. Finny, on theother hand, did not have the inner savagery and he did notmature. He was to good for the world. That caused him todie because he did not mature and face reality.A Separate Peace took place during world war two in aprivate school called Devon, which symbolized the garden ofEden after the fall of man, located in northern Maine.Devon was surround by two rivers. One was called the Devonriver, which was clean, pure, and fresh water, it symbolizedinnocence. The other was called the Naguamsette river,which was dirty, muddy, ugly, and salt water, it symbolizedexperience( the fall into good and evil ). The seasymbolized the war or the outside world.A Separate Peace was really good. The author showedextreme brilliance in the novel of good vs. evil and fantasyand reality. The only part of the novel that I disagreewith is when Finny died. He should have lived and found hismaturity, because he would of made a real impact on theworld. | 1positive
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I liked it
The book was in good condition. It took a while to get to my house in Dallas, TX. I would have liked to be informed that it was shipping from ENGLAND!!! I would not have ordered it if I had known it was going to take so long to get here because it was coming from overseas. Please let the buyer know where you are shipping it from. | 1positive
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Not for professionals
Early on in my career I bought this book hoping that it would give me some technical chops. It didn't. Now, to be fair, I bought it back in 2001, but still, I distinctly remember not liking it and thinking it was a waste of money. Why? I can't recall, but from what I understand there's plenty of other good books on Maya and mel out there. | 0negative
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Unable to Review
Unfortunately, I have to say that I am very very disappointed with this order. I ordered this book on Sept 2 for my daughter to read and write a report about for school. (Report is due Oct 25) and to date, October 9, I have NOT RECEIVED it yet. When I contacted the vendor to report last week, I basically received a "sorry for your luck, but once it leaves our hands, we really don't care" type of response. Totally not impressed. | 0negative
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The ending brought it up one star
I must admit that this book was quite boring at times and I kept asking why this was a classic. The story did not go in-depth enough, but, I kept with it, and found it pleasing enough in the last two-thirds of it. This is the second book I've read of the Bronte sisters, "Jane Eyre" being the first one (which was amazing and my favorite of all the classics). But this one I will remember fondly, and I am thankful it wasn't any longer, because I may have lost patience with it. The ending is what saved it from a three star vote, when Agnes was able to see some of the comeuppance with her silly students, and become the wife of the man she fancied. I own "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" so I will give it a try, which is said to be better than this one. | 1positive
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Eragon
First, I must say that I have never written a review at Amazon, but I just couldn't resist this one and I actually haven't read the book! My 14 year old son did. A boy that I normally would have to make him sit down and read in 30 minute increments, read this book in record time without me having to say a word. This book granted me my fondest wish, to have my child sit down long enough to read without it being a hassle, (and I might add he enjoyed this book very much!) So whether the writing or the content would pass muster with an English teacher or a professional writer doesn't matter, I'm just happy to have my son read!!!! Also, considering the boy who wrote the book, was just that, a boy of 15 at the time, I have to be quite impressed and give him high praises. I think writing a book of that magnitude deserves nothing less. Now if he'd just hurry up and finish the second of the trilogy so I can get my son reading again........ | 1positive
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sprout technology
Graphs, charts, milligrams of specific vitamins produced on each day in the life of selected sprouts, comparisons of sprout nutional content with human milk--these are the kind of data found in Sprout for the Love of Everybody written by a student of Ann Wigmore. The information is wrapped in a humorous style of delivery that is light and easy to read. Included in the contents is a basic rundown on how the body works from a point of view that considers health and longevity normal. In fact Kulvinskas labels the aging process as abnormal in that the body is set up to replicate cells as they age and wear out for replacement of each cell. He asks, "Why don't we all live as long as the 400 year old turtles?" Answer: "We eat ourselves to death with cooked food." His premise is that if the reader has 7 years to live wherein every body cell can be replaced with material gathered from a raw food diet there is no telling how long survival will continue. For the love of your self and your posterity read this book. | 1positive
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The essence of Asimov
Foundation is a landmark in science fiction, and epitomizes the best of what Isaac Asimov stood for. This book proves that you don't have to have a lot of sex and mindless violence ("-the last refuge of the incompetent") to make a book suspenseful and a page-turner. The book is entirely without action and romance in the normal sense, and consists almost entirely of dialogue. What makes it so interesting is the ideas (and reversals of ideas) that it presents, in all their aspects, subsequently debates, and solves. It has an aura of almost detective story fascination with regards to political ideas. What is interesting is that the book takes a pacifistic approach to politics, and thereby forces itself to present a plausible solution to occurring problems (say, rebellion, anarchy, and war) without degrading into violence. Each self-contained story (the book is not a novel, but a collection of stories that were originally published stand-alone) is therefore a sort of logic puzzle (much the same, in principle, as Isaac's Robot stories) that you must delve into and accede all its ramifications, and come out with an answer that will work, without using violence. It's a credit to Asimov that he could not only achieve this, but make it interesting, and, indeed, arresting. This is an essential science fiction read, and perhaps Asimov's apex. | 1positive
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Would give it zero if I could
I picked it up in the doctor's office, and prepared to open my mind and get a little inspiration. Instead I met a bunch of thoroughly unlikeable people, telling unbelievably selfish stories of their own sick behavior and glossing it over with a thin veneer of faith. This is Christianity at its absolute worst: preachy, judgmental, hypocritical, materialistic (the money and possessions these women demand are absolutely amazing), self-righteous and smug. People like this are responsible for the unfortunate holier-than-thou stereotype that plagues real Christians--those who walk the walk as well as talk the talk. One character (do real-life people count as characters?) goes to the local Newmann Center (Catholic group) and then gives us a few paragraphs about how misguided Catholicism is and how it makes her so spiritually uncomfortable. "No wonder the world doesn't want to be Christian, it's too much work" [sic]. Exactly who is forcing her to be there? Not a single one of them seems to repent anything, or undergo any kind of spiritual/philosophical change whatsoever--indeed they appear proud of not having changed at all. Every one of them manages to say something nasty about others and brag about her own piety, cloaking it with the ever-handy "I know Christ tells us not to judge, but....". I believe these ladies need to read what Jesus says in Matthew 23:13: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrits!"Even more nauseating are the end-of-chapter suggestions on how to spread the Gospel: "Invite a woman of a different color to your home this week." "Invite a single mother to your home this week." Thanks, it's a well-intended idea, but terribly clumsy and inconsiderate. If I'm invited to someone's house, I want to be invited because they like me and/or want to get to know me, not so they can check someone of my skin color/marital/religious status off their go-to-heaven list.By the way, this isn't what broke it for me, but this is also probably the worst copyediting I have ever read in a published piece of work. Repetitions, misspellings, punctuation errors (including the dreaded "it's" for possessive), vague pronoun references and dangling modifiers abound. And for the record, I am an atheist who has enjoyed other spiritual/ inspirational literature, both fiction and nonfiction, many times in the past. But it's exactly people like this who make the whole religion-thing hard to swallow, for me. | 0negative
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Do not spend the money.
I want to have a child by donor insemination. I was confused. I didn't have much information regarding the process and purchased this book believing it would answer at least a few of my questions. Only 1 chapter was geared towards DI and it didn't help me at all. I cannot go beyond chapter 4 because at the book asumes you are pregnant by then. I found that "The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians" is actually better equiped in answering questions and it is good whether you are a lesbian or straigt woman. | 0negative
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muffin man
Good book. My first with the kindle fire. I enjoyed the muffin man. Having a bipolar person in my life made the book interesting. | 1positive
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Poor choice
I was not expecting stories from long ago, so I was pretty disappointed in this book. I would not recommend it. | 0negative
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Buy This
This has to be one of my top 5 best reads to date. James Clavell manages to tear you away from present day life by offering you a detailed look at the remarkable history of Hong Kong and the colonisation of the uninhabitable rock off China.Guranteed to have you calling in to work sick, you will not be able to put this down with more action than you can handle as well as amazing facts that you probably never knew.Noble House follows James Clavell's Thai Pan which I strongly recommend you read before hand, also 5 stars. | 1positive
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Why bother?
Unfortunately, Batu is niether well-written nor a positive story for women.Toth is clearly not a seasoned author. His writing style is basic and at times awkward. The story is a simple chronological, third person narrative with no attempt to use any variety of literary device.While on the surface, the storyline seems to be sensitive to women, there is a consistent undertone of misogyny. Toth seems to equate physical beauty with self-centeredness. Batu is punished for her beauty and her self-confidence. She is punished by both the negative male characters and the "creator". It is as if Toth is trying to tell us that in order for a woman to be fullfilled she must not only be deprived of beauty but must be nearly destoyed by suffering as well.As for the butterfly on the cover? A cliche symbol of ugliness transformed into beauty while the story is the opposite. | 0negative
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