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Instrumental Evolution Volume 6 Average Customer Review:  Audio CD (25 October, 2002) list price: $15.99 -- our price: $15.99 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Reviews (25)
EVOLUTION gets better every time I listen. My favorite tracks are tracks three through six. But each and every melody is truly gorgeous and achieves the artist's goal of "creating vivid musical pictures." Sometimes I feel as if I am dreaming when listening because I see lovely, haunting images and actually feel warm sunny breezes! I believe, with all the wisdom Mehdi has acquired, Instrumental Vol 7 is going to be his very best. Hopefully he will keep the wide range of instruments and add even more passion and heart than ever before! I can't wait! Thank you, Mehdi for opening the door of our hearts' understanding and appreciating Beauty through your Music. You are a gift to us. Soar!
I now own all of Mehdi's CDs after purchasing them one at a time, starting from volume 1 all the way to volume 6. Unlike most artists, these CDs are all really different from one to the next, but they all offer that same great feeling of bliss not to mention every song is truly great on all 6 CDs...WOW. I really do love them all and most of my co-workers agree on the quality of this music, we play them all day long here at work. I just keep kicking myself for not buying the Gift Set from SoothingMusic.Com from the start. Take it from someone that really doesn't give praise that easily, these CDs are a must for anyone seeking relaxation and peace in the car at the office or at home. I can't wait for volume # 7.
Asin: B000078TD9 |
$15.99 |
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Instrumental Escape Volume 5 Average Customer Review: Audio CD (01 November, 2001) list price: $15.99 -- our price: $15.99 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Reviews (19)
Asin: B00005T5UO |
$15.99 |
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Instrumental Imagery Volume Three Average Customer Review: Audio CD (01 January, 2000) list price: $15.99 -- our price: $15.99 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Reviews (24)
Asin: B00004RD8P |
$15.99 |
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Christmas Treasures Average Customer Review:  Audio CD (17 October, 2000) list price: $15.99 -- our price: $15.99 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Reviews (22)
Asin: B000051W1A |
$15.99 |
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The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Average Customer Review:  Hardcover (18 March, 2003) list price: $24.95 -- our price: $14.97 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history. A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's father's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh ... Read more Reviews (1771)
A violent murder is committed in the Louvre Museum. The museum's chief curator, who is also the head of a remarkable secret society that has existed since the death of Christ, is found dead and gruesomely positioned on the floor near The Mona Lisa. In the minutes before he died, this very complex man was able to leave clues for his daughter to follow. The daughter, a brilliant cryptographer, along with a famed US symbologist, follow her father's codes and leads, hoping that he will, through his death, finally tell her what he wanted to confide in her while he lived. The secret society included members such as: Leonardo Da Vinci, Boticelli, Gallileo, Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, Jean Cocteau, etc. These folks really Did belong to this society, which Really existed! This is when I first began my online search. The mystery, or mysteries, take us through England, France and far back in time. We learn about the secret of the Knights Templar, and the symbolism in many of the world's most treasured paintings, as well as architectural symbolism in some of history's most sacred churches. Of course, we also learn who committed the murder and why - although this is almost secondary next to the real epic mystery the novel uncovers. If there are flaws in the plot, I was too busy reading to discover any. That is probably the sign of a terrific book! The writing is excellent and the characters are a bit on the super-hero/heroine side, but who cares? Is what "The Da Vinci Code" proposes true? Well, the research is correct. The historical events and people explored in the book are real. But no one knows the Truth...nor will we ever, probably. I think that some things are meant to be a mystery. With all the world's diverse religions and each individual's belief in what is Divine - the Truth would have to destroy the beliefs, hopes and lives of many of the world's population. So, perhaps, in the divine scheme of things, there are many more Truths than one. Don't take the book too seriously. Just read it and enjoy!
The only reason other writers could give this book praise is because of its mercenary value. Every writer would love to turn a trick like this one. Runaway best seller, movie deal. You could retire and write some good stuff. Fortunately most respectable writers have more integrity than Mr. Brown and would not stoop to this level. The writing is junk. The controversy is junk history. Brown saw an opportunity to take advantage of the current anti-Catholic sentiment and jumped on it. I'm sure he is laughing all the way to the bank.
Ok, Brown makes a very convincing argument that the Holy Grail is actually a symbol of Mary Magdelene, wife of Jesus! Yes, His wife! and guess what ? They had a kid. Brown fills his book with historical data, and assumes that the reader will swallow the bait. Its almost a in your face "you're an idiot unless you believe the author" kind of approach. Very effective none the less. And there are quite a number of authors who agree with his Mr and Mrs Jesus idea. Most people won't bother to check his sources and that's scarey because they'll walk away believing every word. I did my homework. Isbn: 0385504209 |
$14.97 |
Oh the almighty buck
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The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom Average Customer Review:  Hardcover (23 September, 2003) list price: $19.95 -- our price: $11.97 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs. Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley ... Read more Reviews (351)
Such a small book but what a big message it sends to the reader. THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN by Mitch Albom is the follow up novel to his very popular TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE. Both have similar themes - living and dying - but HEAVEN takes on a different approach. The book starts right off with the reader knowing that Eddie is about to die. He's a simple man, worked nearly his entire life for the beachside amusement park called Ruby's Pier, and spent his time maintaining all the rides at this park. He's in his 80's, lives alone and has lived alone for quite a long time. He talks about his dearly beloved Marguerite, but his co-workers have never met her. Basically, outside of the children that come to the pier and his coworkers, Eddie is alone in the world. Eddie's life flashes before our eyes, the years rolling by as we see him "celebrating" one birthday after another. These birthday scenes are significant, showing us what Eddie's life was all about, from the time he was five years old, till many years later in his old age. At the same time, we also watch his death, how his co-workers react to it, and the preparations that take place for the funeral. The third story line is what happens after Eddie dies. He is taken to what he thinks is heaven, and before he can "pass", he is to meet five people that he made some important difference in their lives. He doesn't even know some of these people. But as their stories unfold, Eddie finds out why they were chosen to be his five people, how he touched their lives, and yet he cannot see why his life was so important, to them or to anyone. Not until he meets that last person, the fifth person in heaven. For that is how Eddie lived his life. He feels that his life was unimportant; that it meant nothing whatsoever to anyone. He feels his life was a waste and that he probably wishes he had done things differently. Without giving much of the story away (for this is a very short book), the moral of THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN is this, and Albom did an excellent job at getting to this point: NO person is unimportant on this earth. We are all here for a reason, for a purpose, even though it may be so small that it is hard to see. In Albom's heaven, every person who has died meets their five people, and through these five people, they learn the significance of their lives on earth. Even Eddie learns the meaning of his life, and it is far more significant than he could ever have imagined. It is needless for me to say that I am going to probably give THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN the number one spot for books read in 2003. It has an important message for all of us, and was written in such a way that it should make a big impact on anyone that reads the book and understands the message. Mitch Albom once again has written a classic, and it will be enjoyed by many for years to come.
Isbn: 0786868716 |
$11.97 |
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Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken Average Customer Review: Hardcover (29 August, 2003) list price: $24.95 -- our price: $14.97 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Having previously dissected the factual inaccuracies of a single bellicose talk show host inRush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, Al Franken takes his fight to a larger foe: President George W. Bush, the Bush Administration, Ann Coulter, Bill O’Reilly, and scores of other conservatives whom, he says, are playing loose with the facts. It's a lot of ground to cover, as evidenced by the 43 chapters in Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, but the results are often entertaining and insightful. Franken occupies a unique place in the modern political dialogue as perhaps the media's only comedy writer and performer who is also a Harvard fellow as well as a liberal political commentator. This unique and vaguely lonely position lends a charming quixotic quality to adventures such as a tense encounter with the Fox News staff at the National Press Club, a challenge to fisticuffs with National Review Editor Rich Lowry, and an oddly sweet admissions visit to ultra-conservative Bob Jones University (with a young research assistant posing as his son when Franken's real-life son refuses to participate in the charade). Less useful are comic book dramatizations of "Supply Side Jesus" and a fictitious Vietnam War story featuring the numerous righties who, Franken intimates, improperly avoided service. And Franken's criticisms of conservative talk show hosts Sean Hannity, O’Reilly, and columnist Coulter, while admirable in their attention to detail, fail to shed much new light on people who have built careers on broad arguments and relentless self-aggrandizement. But Franken is at his best, and most compellingly readable, when he backs off the wackiness and the personal grudges and writes about more personal matters such as the political circus surrounding the memorial service of the late Senator Paul Wellstone. But even on these more serious topics, Franken's wit is still present and, in fact, grows sharper. In a time when much political discourse is composed of rage and shouting, it's refreshing that Al Franken is able to shout in a witty manner. --John Moe ... Read more Reviews (2322)
Even though I am rather conservative, I did find some good point in the end. I'd recommend reading this if you want to keep your mind open. ... Read more Isbn: 0525947647 |
$14.97 |
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The Complete Far Side by Gary Larson, Steve Martin Average Customer Review: Hardcover (21 October, 2003) list price: $135.00 -- our price: $94.50 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Gary Larson calls The Complete Far Side, the massive two-volume collection of hisFar Side cartoons, an "18-pound hernia giver." Sure to give any coffee table a solid workout, the handsome and heavy 1,250-page "legacy book" is a must for fervent fans; over 4,300 single-panel comics with more than half in color and 1,100 that have not appeared in any book form before (the popular--and far less weighty--paperback collections). Set in rough chronological order, the comics share pages with occasional letters from fans, detractors, editors, folks made famous by a particular cartoon, and those begging for explanations. Though few explanations are provided (Larson personally supplies merely one, plus a single apology), this collection helps answer the inevitable "how do you think up these things" conundrum. Before each year's cartoons, Larson provides insight with essays about his childhood, various travels, occupational hazards, and his official rules for dealing with bedtime monsters (which often turned out to be his older brother). Most wonderful is the first essay on how the comic started. (His longtime editor Jake Morrissey's long introduction is a must read on The Far Side's story). Despite no central characters, it's easy to spot patterns in Larson's wild and wacky cartoons. Animals, insects, and inanimate objects often exhibit all-too-human impulses. Larson's subjects are often in scenes of peril--disasters, visits to hell, and perhaps a hundred cartoons set on a one-palm tree deserted island. It is what Larson's fertile imagination mined from those situations that created fans and enemies for 14 years. (Larson retired at his peak and then went into jazz music). The comics are not indexed (how could they be--first lines? listings of cartoons with cows?); finding a favorite requires a great memory for its publication date. Best simply to peruse the pages of this beautiful collection in which you will certainly find more than a few new chuckles before landing on your beloved Larson sketch. --Doug Thomas ... Read more Reviews (58)
Books are very well made, like good art history volumes, with thoughtful notes included between each section (divided by years), and the paper and ink quality is excellent. However, while this collection features all of the Far Side comics published since inception (and a few more never before seen by the public), it leaves out Larson's hilarious Farsidian take on classic art pieces as featured in the superb "Weiner Dog Art" collection from the 90's. Also, and I suppose this would have made what are already two massive tomes even more unruly to handle, it leaves out all of "Prehistory of the Far Side" material. So just make sure you get "Weiner Dog Art" and "Prehistory", and then with this collection you'll have the ultimate Far Side opus.
the volumes are beatifully bound in hard cover and printed on a very heavy , archival bond. top notch printing and a gorgeous slip cover make these tomes a joy to behold. i won't gush in any detail about how larson is a genius or how his comic changed my life because i figure if you are reading this review to begin with, you are familiar with the farside. i will say this however, had i been drinking milk upon my first reading of this book, it would have surely spewn from my nose. it is THAT funny. one warning: the literal-thinking, slow witted, closed minded and/or acerebral witlings need not apply. if you don't "get" this kind of humor, buying this book will be a colossal mistake and will yield nothing more than a very nice, 20 lb paper weight. on the other hand, if you do get it--buy the book. trust me--have i ever lied to you before?
All far side comics from 1980 to 1994 are included, along with letters from both happy and disturbed "fans," text from Gary Larson and his editors, etc. Well worth it if you're a Far Side fan. My only complaint so far is that the ink used in printing the book smells fairly strong.. Hopefully that will wear off over time. ... Read more Isbn: 0740721135 |
$94.50 |
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The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss by Arthur Agatston Average Customer Review: Hardcover (April, 2003) list price: $24.95 -- our price: $14.97 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review The verdict is in: those simple carbs we've been living on are killing us. For good health, we've got to get our blood sugar under control and stop the incessant cravings. Or so says Dr. Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet. The first half of the book details the science behind the diet. Most of the explanations revolve around why things you thought were healthy—-orange juice, wheat toast, carrots—-are actually evil. To avoid blood sugar surges, Agatston created a modified carbohydrate plan, recommending plenty of high-fiber foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats, while cutting bread, rice, pastas, and fruits. Major differences from other diets include a lack of concern over portion size and a serious indifference to exercise. Feeling full while on a diet is a beautiful thing, but it seems odd that a cardiologist buries his exercise recommendations in a solitary sentence. The last half of the book covers his three-stage plan; daily diets are mixed with recipes, some of which are from South Beach restaurant chefs. The most restrictive period lasts just two weeks, enough time to stabilize your urges and lose a few pounds; stage two adds fruits and a handful of other carbs, while stage three is meant to last the remainder of your life, with occasional lapses for white bread or birthday cake.While the diet is sound, the book could be better organized. The first half mixes scientific study with anecdote in a seemingly random way, while the mix of meal plans and recipes can be confusing. Still, the recipes are varied and tasty, and you'll never feel deprived, unless you currently happen to live by bread alone. --Jill Lightner ... Read more Reviews (323)
I am down 55 lbs in 10 weeks and lost 8 waistline inches. Sticking to this plan was/is easy because it makes you feel full. No hunger pains. I had increased energy, something that never happened with other diets. Typically I felt tired, hungry and irritable. Not so with The South Beach Diet. This programis good for you too. Must less restrictive than Atkins and delivers the same fast results. Also, like Atkins the weight lost is actually fat loss, not muscle and water as is so typical of other diets. And I didn't have to take dangerous ephedrine or other diet aids. The South Beach Diet is the ideal diet program. Sure worked for me. ... Read more Isbn: 1579546463 |
$14.97 |
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Dude, Where's My Country? by Michael Moore Average Customer Review: Hardcover (07 October, 2003) list price: $24.95 -- our price: $14.97 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review The people of the United States, according to author and filmmaker Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Stupid White Men), have been hoodwinked. Tricked, he says, by Republican lawmakers and their wealthy corporate pals who use a combination of concocted bogeymen and lies to stay rich and in control. But while plenty of liberal scholars, entertainers, and pundits have made similar arguments in book form, Moore's Dude, Where's My Country? stands out for its thoroughly positive perspective. Granted, Moore is angry and has harsh words for George W. Bush and his fellow conservatives concerning the reasoning behind going to war in Iraq, the collapse of Enron and other companies, and the relationship between the Bushes, the Saudi Arabian government, and Osama bin Laden. But his book is intended to serve as a handbook for how people with liberal opinions (which is most of America, Moore contends, whether they call themselves "liberals" or not) can take back their country from the conservative forces in power. Moore uses his trademark brand of confrontational, exasperated humor skillfully as he offers a primer on how to change the worldview of one's annoying conservative blowhard brother-in-law, and he crafts a surprisingly thorough "Draft Oprah for President" movement. Refreshingly, Dude, Where's My Country? avoids being completely one-sided, offering up areas where Moore believes Republicans get it right as well as some cutting criticisms of his fellow lefties. Such allowances, brief though they may be, make one long for a political climate where the shouting polemicists on both sides would see a few more shades of gray. Dude, Where's My Country? is a little bit scattered, as Moore tries to cram opinions on Iraq, tax cuts, corporate welfare, Wesley Clark, and the Patriot Act into one slim volume--and the penchant to go for a laugh sometimes gets in the way of clear arguments. But such variety also gives the reader more Moore, providing a broader range of his bewildered, enraged, yet stalwartly upbeat point of view. --John Moe ... Read more Reviews (664)
for the reviewer who's title was: What The Heck is Going On?
You don't have to be a liberal to understand that George Bush has been a disaster for America. Moore's point of view should be taken seriously. What's at stake is the integrity of the nation. The Republicans could have done a lot better. I highly recommend this book.
Isbn: 0446532231 |
$14.97 |
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Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1) by Christopher Paolini, Christopher Paolini Average Customer Review: Hardcover (26 August, 2003) list price: $18.95 -- our price: $11.37 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review Here's a great big fantasy that you can pull over your head like a comfy old sweater and disappear into for a whole weekend. Christopher Paolini began Eragon when he was just 15, and the book shows the influence of Tolkien, of course, but also Terry Brooks, Anne McCaffrey, and perhaps even Wagner in its traditional quest structure and the generally agreed-upon nature of dwarves, elves, dragons, and heroic warfare with magic swords. Eragon, a young farm boy, finds a marvelous blue stone in a mystical mountain place. Before he can trade it for food to get his family through the hard winter, it hatches a beautiful sapphire-blue dragon, a race thought to be extinct. Eragon bonds with the dragon, and when his family is killed by the marauding Ra'zac, he discovers that he is the last of the Dragon Riders, fated to play a decisive part in the coming war between the human but hidden Varden, dwarves, elves, the diabolical Shades and their neanderthal Urgalls, all pitted against and allied with each other and the evil King Galbatorix. Eragon and his dragon Saphira set out to find their role, growing in magic power and understanding of the complex political situation as they endure perilous travels and sudden battles, dire wounds, capture and escape. In spite of the engrossing action, this is not a book for the casual fantasy reader. There are 65 names of people, horses, and dragons to be remembered and lots of pseudo-Celtic places, magic words, and phrases in the Ancient Language as well as the speech of the dwarfs and the Urgalls. But the maps and glossaries help, and by the end, readers will be utterly dedicated and eager for the next book, Eldest. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell ... Read more Reviews (282)
The writing is like being hit over the head repeatedly... no subtlety. The character development is roughly, "Eragon realized he wasn't a farm boy, but a mighty dragon rider with a responsibility to all the little children." Or, "Eragon felt really, really bad that his mentor died." Paolini is so wrapped up in writing an epic that he forgets, or is unable, to make his characters real. They're one-dimensional and weak. Paolini seems to hope the plot can drive the book, supported by the details of the world he's "creating." The problem is that he's not creating anything, just stealing from the Lord of the Rings. His world of humans, elfs, and dwarfs is a weak contrast to the Rings series and other books. What drove me over the edge to write this is that Paolini is arrogant enough to write this as a multi-part series. The ending is lame, with a big voice that says, "Come find me...." It's amazing that he expects this book would draw us back. Bottom line: don't waste your money on this one.
Sadly, I soon realized that ERAGON (which had been described as "better than Harry Potter" by a young reader referred to in the interview) was nothing more than a cobbling together of stories by more talented writers. How I can justify the incongruity between the praise in the interview and my poor reading experience? Perhaps this book would be pleasing to someone who's time spent with the fantasy genre consisted of the Harry Potter stories excusively. But for anyone who's come within ten yards of David Edding's BELGARIAD series, or Anne McCaffry's DRAGONRIDER series, or a dozen other well-known stories, ERAGON is a sad and frustrating copy. For an intelligent tale of magic and self-discovery, start with Edding's PAWN OF PROPHECY. His characters are compelling and three-dimensional. The occasional humor is a delightful counterbalance to the action. Unlike Eragon and his companions, you actually care what happens to young Garion and company. If the concept of dragonriders is appealing to you, check out McCaffry's DRAGONFLIGHT. Here you get fully-fleshed dragon-dragonrider relationships, not to mention a complex, believable social structure. Besides Paolini's obvious borrowing from these and other authors, I found the extensive list of made-up words highly annoying. With few exceptions, they were poorly crafted, unnatural-sounding, and failed to add interest to the story. If only Paolini had read Vonda McIntyre's "Pitfalls of Writing SF and Fantasy" (see her website), particularly "Pitfall #7: Neologisms, or, Calling a Rabbit a Smeerp, or, This Essay Almost Made My Spell-Checker Toss Its Cookies". To paraphrase Ms. McIntyre, unless you have a particular talent for inventing words, made-up words sound made-up. Despite the effort it took to finish this book, I wish Mr. Paolini well. With more experience and original ideas, this young writer has the potential to create an enjoyable story.
Isbn: 0375826688 |
$11.37 |
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A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson Average Customer Review: Hardcover (06 May, 2003) list price: $27.50 -- our price: $15.60 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History ofNearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured itout. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson useshundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews withluminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, whorejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate howwe have used science to understand the smallest particles and theunimaginably vast expanses of space. With his distinctive prose styleand wit, Bryson succeeds admirably. Though A Short History clocksin at a daunting 500-plus pages and covers the same material as everyscience book before it, it reads something like a particularly detailednovel (albeit without a plot). Each longish chapter is devoted to atopic like the age of our planet or how cells work, and these chaptersare grouped into larger sections such as "The Size of the Earth" and"Life Itself." Bryson chats with experts like Richard Fortey (author ofLife and Trilobite)and these interviews are charming. But it's when Bryson dives into someof science's best and most embarrassing fights--Cope vs. Marsh, ConwayMorris vs. Gould--thathe finds literary gold. --Therese Littleton ... Read more Reviews (135)
This book is so good and so comprehensive I can see myself reading this over again. Thank you Bill Bryson for your hard, extensive research! Quite remarkable.
Bryson's everyman prose makes the mysteries of scientic thought interesting, understandable, and funny. The book begins with the building blocks of the universe and works its way slowly down through the smaller mysteries such as life on earth and why human beings even exist. However, the science of the work does not become overwhelming to the lay-reader and Bryson maintains an admirable sense of wonder and joy throughout. And, of course, the text is delightfully littered with anecdotes about the men and women who have dedicated themselves to discovering and defining these mysteries. Both living and dead, these men and women take on life that leaps off the pages, making them feel like old friends. And from the comfort of your favorite reading spot, you feel like you could be sharing a pint with them and Bill in a cozy pub somewhere. I recommend this book to anyone who has a inclination for pondering the large questions of life but who is equally interested in keeping his or her sense of humor and sanity in tact.
Great book. Bill loves to write and it shows. Jack in Toronto ... Read more Isbn: 0767908171 |
$15.60 |
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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Average Customer Review: Paperback (28 January, 2003) list price: $14.00 -- our price: $8.40 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their South Carolina peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart's answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words "Tiburon, South Carolina" scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. When Lily's beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of--Tiburon, South Carolina--determined to find out more about her dead mother. Although the plot threads are too neatly trimmed, The Secret Life of Bees is a carefully crafted novel with an inspired depiction of character. The legend of the Black Madonna and the brave, kind, peculiar women who perpetuate Lily's story dominate the second half of the book, placing Kidd's debut novel squarely in the honored tradition of the Southern Gothic. --Regina Marler ... Read more Reviews (442)
The writer sets out to manipulate the reader's feelings from the outset, and then tries to play on them throughout. Lily is minus a mother, and (what's more!) her mother walked out on her and (what's more!) she may have killed her mother and (what's more!) her father doesn't love or appreciate her. "Feel sorry for me please" is what is required of the reader. After 300 pages of this, the intelligent reader gets a bit tired of it. "Get over it, Lily!" This book is really a girly book about feelings, most suitable for teenage girls of about 14 to 16 rather than anyone more mature, playing on their own feelings by creating a continuing cynical search for our sympathy, and mainly dealing with subject matter which would be of more interest to females than males. The plot is narrow, too simplistic and uninteresting (an easy escape from jail; Lily and Rosaleen easily taken in at the honey farm) and eventually becomes tiresome. The writing is simple and shallow. The religious elements are just silly. Men are relegated to the bad guys or to minor characters in the book (I was left wondering, does the writer have some personal issue with men? If so, it shows through in her writing). Some amateurish aspects of the writing interfere with enjoyment of the book too. Dozens of phrases (e.g. in similes or thoughts) are employed which are meaningless or are wide of the mark or are badly written, and which cause the reader to pause and say, 'actually, that idea doesn't really make much sense!' or which are simply silly. Also, rather too often, Lily is made into an omniscient mindreader by the writer, being able to detect the thoughts of another person merely by observing some vague movement of the face or lips. Lily herself isn't a very appealing or likeable character, and we don't really get to know her very well except from what the writer tells us by way of reaction to her experiences. She tells lies. She steals (e.g. fans/snuff). She has a tantrum (the honey throwing incident). She is too self-centred. It doesn't occur to her after she runs away to get word to her father immediately that she is safe, so she's selfish or inconsiderate too. Eventually she comes across as a somewhat tiresome, shallow, silly girl. The writing is mainly self-centred autobiography on her part. Why should we be interested in her? The writer tries to make her main appeal to the reader her hardship of being motherless, unloved by her father, a runaway and maybe having accidentally shot her mother, but she bleats on about those things so much that in the end, after 300 pages of this, the intelligent reader loses sympathy for her and her teenage angst. "Get over it!" The quotes from various bee books heading up each chapter unfortunately rarely have much connection with the text of the chapter following, so they become pointless. It would have been more sensible to use a quote which actually fits neatly with the chapter text below it. This is a reasonable attempt at a first novel, but it was rather slow and unexciting and shallow and there isn't much to be gained by reading it. The book lacks intellectual depth. The writing is weak in places, and the book doesn't really have anything to say: it is just about obvious interplay and feelings generated between particular characters in a life situation. The writer could usefully be more careful to employ phrases which actually mean something or which are true, rather than being so vague or inaccurate in places that phrases end up annoying the reader who is reading the text carefully. A more involved plot, and not so much time dwelling on the same points, and less time trying to found a novel on the tugging of our heart strings, would have been better. Whether or not this book appeals to any particular reader depends on what that person wants to get out of reading novels. Some people may delight in it. The prolonged attempt to manipulate the reader's sympathy towards the main character purely by reason of her past eventually irritated me and I couldn't wait to reach the last page so this read was finished.
Isbn: 0142001740 |
$8.40 |
Hmmm...
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30-Minute Meals 2 by Rachael Ray Average Customer Review: Paperback (June, 2003) list price: $16.95 -- our price: $11.86 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Reviews (47)
A larger quibble is the number of recipes that call for alcohol, and I would have appreciated suggestions for those who would like to avoid it. I found this myself by looking thru Google links (fruit juice, stock, etc.), but it would have helped to have her suggestions in the book. I know that liquer is the quickest way to dress up a plain dessert, but still...I had an uneasy flashback to some deceased relatives who didn't think dessert was dessert unless it was covered in kahlua, frangelico, etc. There's also some inconsistency with her risotto recipes - in one recipe, she lists 2 cups for four people; in another, 1 1/2 cups for four people. The box of arborio rice I had listed 1 cup, and I wish I would have gone by the box and not the 2 cup recipe...a couple of guests had seconds, but there is still far more leftover green risotto than my husband and I can eat tonight. What an unfortunate waste. On the plus side, the recipes have inspired me to try some things I haven't tried before (and I've been cooking for over 15 years), like reconstituted dried mushrooms and grouper. I also liked that she included a section for lighter fare, since - if I ate those suggested menus regularly - I'd be the size of a house. There's no system for half stars, but I'd really give this 3 to 3 1/2 stars.
Isbn: 1891105108 |
$11.86 |
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Angels & Demons by Dan Brown Average Customer Review: Mass Market Paperback (26 June, 2001) list price: $7.99 -- our price: $4.79 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review It takes guts to write a novel that combines an ancient secret brotherhood, the Swiss Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire, a papal conclave, mysterious ambigrams, a plot against the Vatican, a mad scientist in a wheelchair, particles of antimatter, jets that can travel 15,000 miles per hour, crafty assassins, a beautiful Italian physicist, and a Harvard professor of religious iconology. It takes talent to make that novel anything but ridiculous. Kudos to Dan Brown (Digital Fortress) for achieving the nearly impossible. Angels & Demons is a no-holds-barred, pull-out-all-the-stops, breathless tangle of a thriller--think Katherine Neville's The Eight (but cleverer) or Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum (but more accessible). Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is shocked to find proof that the legendary secret society, the Illuminati--dedicated since the time of Galileo to promoting the interests of science and condemning the blind faith of Catholicism--is alive, well, and murderously active. Brilliant physicist Leonardo Vetra has been murdered, his eyes plucked out, and the society's ancient symbol branded upon his chest. His final discovery, antimatter, the most powerful and dangerous energy source known to man, has disappeared--only to be hidden somewhere beneath Vatican City on the eve of the election of a new pope. Langdon and Vittoria, Vetra's daughter and colleague, embark on a frantic hunt through the streets, churches, and catacombs of Rome, following a 400-year-old trail to the lair of the Illuminati, to prevent the incineration of civilization. Brown seems as much juggler as author--there are lots and lots of balls in the air in this novel, yet Brown manages to hurl the reader headlong into an almost surreal suspension of disbelief. While the reader might wish for a little more sardonic humor from Langdon, and a little less bombastic philosophizing on the eternal conflict between religion and science, these are less fatal flaws than niggling annoyances--readers should have no trouble skimming past them and immersing themselves in a heck of a good read. "Brain candy" it may be, but my! It's tasty. --Kelly Flynn ... Read more Reviews (330)
Set in the form of a macabre and thrilling scavenger hunt (with the four cardinals, and ultimately the survival of the Vatican and the Church, as the prizes) around Rome, the book's action is compressed into a single, heavily-packed twenty-four hours. While this would be complex and fascinating enough on its own, the addition of the lore of the Illuminati, and the recasting of familiar tourist sites of Rome as signposts on a secret, subversive journey add a flair to the novel that is unique. If Robert Ludlum had written "The Name of the Rose" the result might have been very much like this novel- but Dan Brown is his own author, and he puts O. Henryish twists in almost every turn of the plot. I began this book rolling my eyes over the co-opting of the Illuminati as a plot device and the ho-hum idea of a satanic cult murdering both physicists and cardinals. By page 50, I was hooked, and by the end, the book had drawn me in so completely that none of the plot twists seemed outlandish. On the whole an excellent read, and certainly a good lead-in to "The Da Vinci Code", which I've just started.
Isbn: 0671027360 |
$4.79 |
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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré Average Customer Review: Hardcover (21 June, 2003) list price: $29.99 -- our price: $17.99 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Editorial Review As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. It's been yet another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, this time with minimal contact from our hero's non-Muggle friends from school. Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world, wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike. Returning to Hogwarts will be a relief... or will it? The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series follows the darkest year yet for our young wizard, who finds himself knocked down a peg or three after the events of last year. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet) has turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. Even Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, has come under scrutiny by the Ministry of Magic, which refuses to officially acknowledge the terrifying truth that Voldemort is back. Enter a particularly loathsome new character: the toadlike and simpering ("hem, hem") Dolores Umbridge, senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, who takes over the vacant position of Defense Against Dark Arts teacher--and in no time manages to become the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, as well. Life isn't getting any easier for Harry Potter. With an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors, and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is sorely tested. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, more than any of the four previous novels in the series, is a coming-of-age story. Harry faces the thorny transition into adulthood, when adult heroes are revealed to be fallible, and matters that seemedblack-and-white suddenly come out in shades of gray. Gone is the wide-eyed innocent, the whiz kid of Sorcerer's Stone. Here we have an adolescent who's sometimes sullen, often confused (especially about girls), and always self-questioning. Confronting death again, as well as a startling prophecy, Harry ends his year at Hogwarts exhausted and pensive. Readers, on the other hand, will be energized as they enter yet again the long waiting period for the next title in the marvelous, magical series. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more Reviews (4607)
*My Big Problem: The Predictability- *My Bigger Problem: The Characters- *My Biggest Problem: Sirius Black- *The Ultimate Problem: The DEATH- Despite my rantings above, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a very good book. It has many wonderful parts to it even if it wasn't all around good (like Prisoner of Azkaban) or have an amazing ending (like Goblet of Fire). Happy Reading!
Isbn: 043935806X |
$17.99 |
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The Big Bad Wolf: A Novel by James Patterson Average Customer Review:  Hardcover (17 November, 2003) list price: $27.95 -- our price: $16.77 (price subject to change: see help) US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France Reviews (101)
Isbn: 0316602906 |