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The New Empire of Debt: The Rise and Fall of an Epic Financial Bubble (Hardcover)

2009-10-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Review
"How deficit spending, gluttonous consumption and military adventurism, they say, will bring America to its knees…"
— The Economist
"This is a powerful book. In addition to its depth, it is well written, well documented, and vastly readable. I had the feeling of seeing an X-ray of economic reality with the crust removed. It should be made mandatory reading in most circles. Read it, and your views of the world around you will no longer be the same."
—Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness

"Now perhaps someone will finally listen!"
—Jim Rogers, author of Investment Biker, Adventure Capitalist, and Hot Commodities

"Instead of trade and work, imperialism breeds militarism, inflation, and debt, as Bonner and Wiggin show. Yet there is a golden hope in freedom and honest money."
—Llewellyn H. Rockwell Jr., President, Ludwig von Mises Institute

"[Empire of Debt] is a fantastic book. It's thoughtful, erudite, witty, well written, practical . . . and spot-on. If you value your financial health, you'll read it from cover to cover. Now!"
—Doug Casey, Chairman, Casey Research, LLC, and author of Crisis Investing

"I laughed, I cried, I renewed my passport. . . . Bonner and Wiggin deliver a steady diet of insight and wit that terrifies the reader, even as it amuses. Empire of Debt is not for everyone, only for those of us who hope to enjoy continuing prosperity amidst difficult conditions."
—Eric Fry, Editor, The Rude Awakening

Product Description
An updated look at the United States' precarious position given the recent financial turmoil

In The New Empire of Debt, financial writers Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin return to reveal how the financial crisis that has plagued the United States will soon bring an end to this once great empire.

Throughout the book, the authors offer an updated look at the United States' precarious position given the recent financial turmoil, and discuss how government control of the economy and financial system-combined with unfettered deficit spending and gluttonous consumption-has ravaged the business environment, devastated consumer confidence, and pushed the global economy to the brink. Along the way, Bonner and Wiggin cast a wide angle lens that looks back in history and ahead to the coming century: showing how dramatic changes in the economic power of the United States will inevitably impact every American.

Reveals the financial realities the United States currently faces and what the ultimate outcome may be
Weaves together the worlds of politics, economics, and personal finance in a way that underscores the severity of the situation
Addresses the events leading up to the implosion of the U.S. financial system
Looks ahead to help you avoid the pitfalls presented by a weaker United States
Other titles by Bonner: Empire of Debt, Financial Reckoning Day, and Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets
Other titles by Wiggin: I.O.U.S.A., Demise of the Dollar, and Financial Reckoning Day
The United States is heading down a difficult path. The New Empire of Debt clearly shows how this has happened and discusses what you can do to overcome the financial challenges that will arise as the situation deteriorates.

March of the Kakistocracy, August 26, 2009
By A. Jurshevski "Economist" (Toronto Ontario Canada)

Read the full review at [...]

"Whilst we do not agree with everything that the book has to say, we agree the majority of the arguments and we find the context and perspective that it brings to these issues refreshing, well researched and well-written. Unlike many of the writers in this space, the prose is not verbose, bombastic or shrill. This is a thoughtful and cogent treatment of the most important issue the World is facing today.

You are in good company reading this book. Among those endorsing it are Pete Petersen, Warren Buffett, David Walker, Paul O'Neill, Jim Rogers and others. We recommend that all elected officials and concerned citizens everywhere consider this book required reading."

* Kakistocracy: Government populated by the most corrupt and inept members of a society.

A Crumbling Financial Empire?, October 9, 2009
By Larry Underwood "Author, 'Life Under the Corp... (Scottsdale, AZ)

Authors William Bonner and Addison Wiggin, a couple of economic iconoclasts, have compiled a chilling perspective of a crumbling American financial empire; whose irrational economic policy over the years has created huge buget deficits that defy logic; sooner or later, the bubble is going to burst, and this country is in for an economic disaster of epic proportions.

It's not going to be a pretty picture.

The problem began in the post-Reagan years, when any sort of prudent fiscal policy seemed to become a distant memory. Perhaps the greed & hubris of big government is creating an unrealistic perception that creating an unfathomable budget deficit really won't hurt the economy; just keep borrowing. That's no way to run a business and certainly no way to run a country; except to run it into the ground, financially.

We've become a bailout nation, with little regard for any financial common sense. The Stimulis Package is an ill-conceived plan that is going to be ensuring our long term financial devastation, which our children's children will be still paying off, well into their golden years of retirement. Retirement? What's that?

The message delivered by Bonner and Wiggin is startlingly clear; this country is heading down the primrose path of socialism and it's a cost we won't be able to afford. We're crumbling under a mountain of debt, and the inevitable landslide will prove to be catastrophic, unless our fiscal policy is changed; very soon. We don't have much time to waste; our nation's financial future is on very thin ice.

Wolf Hall: A Novel (Hardcover)

2009-10-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

Product Description
In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII’s court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king’s favor and ascend to the heights of political power

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king’s freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum.

Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?

In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel presents a picture of a half-made society on the cusp of change, where individuals fight or embrace their fate with passion and courage. With a vast array of characters, overflowing with incident, the novel re-creates an era when the personal and political are separated by a hairbreadth, where success brings unlimited power but a single failure means death.

Some of these things are true and some of them are lies. But they are all good stories, September 9, 2009
By S. Matthews "Sean Matthews" (Mainz, Germany)

This is the perfect beach read for people who do not like beaches, since it will remove you efficiently and absolutely from any beach upon which you are unfortunate enough to find yourself washed up. Mantel's reconstruction of Tudor England: how things looked, how they felt, how they tasted, how both the secular and the vicious religious politics functioned (the latter of which, together with it's embodiment, Thomas More, she despises and loaths), is completely absorbing.

It must be said, however, that Wolf Hall is not _quite_ a convincing reconstruction of all of Tudor England. Mantel is clearly in love with her version of Thomas Cromwell, who is just a bit too good to be true: a thinking woman's daydream. I doubt that any man - gay or straight - could have invented him.

It will be interesting to see how the story is carried forward to its grisly end, in the promised sequel. I will be first in line for a copy.

P.S., The publisher's blurb for the american edition, which you can see on it's amazon page, is crass, ludicrous, and completely misleading (though I don't imagine that Hilary Mantel finds it so funny).

The National Parks: America's Best Idea [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

2009-10-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Product Description
The companion volume to the twelve-hour PBS series from the acclaimed filmmaker behind The Civil War, Baseball, and The War

America’s national parks spring from an idea as radical as the Declaration of Independence: that the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. In this evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan delve into the history of the park idea, from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite and the creation of the world’s first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, through the most recent additions to a system that now encompasses nearly four hundred sites and 84 million acres.

The authors recount the adventures, mythmaking, and intense political battles behind the evolution of the park system, and the enduring ideals that fostered its growth. They capture the importance and splendors of the individual parks: from Haleakala in Hawaii to Acadia in Maine, from Denali in Alaska to the Everglades in Florida, from Glacier in Montana to Big Bend in Texas. And they introduce us to a diverse cast of compelling characters—both unsung heroes and famous figures such as John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ansel Adams—who have been transformed by these special places and committed themselves to saving them from destruction so that the rest of us could be transformed as well.

The National Parks is a glorious celebration of an essential expression of American democracy.

A gorgeous book on the history of the National Parks, September 20, 2009
By Tim Martin (South Bend, Indiana United States)

This is a beautiful book! Mr. Duncan and Mr. Burns have done a wonderful job telling the history of our National Park system. The book clearly shows the depth of the 30-odd years that they have been working on their project. As the sub-title of the book indicates, this is "an illustrated history." The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book. You won't see the usual travel guide and brochure shots in this book. Instead you will find hundreds of historic and contemporary photos of the National Park system. I cannot imagine the amount of research that went into assembly and organizing all of these photos. They are simply gorgeous.

The text is very informative and provides you with a good history of the National Park system. You will learn a lot about the history of our nation when you read this book. Each chapter also has an interview with someone who is part of the Park Service or has close connections with the Service. These interviews (no surprise here) help bring to life that topics of the text. Being a Ken Burns project, the text tells the big story through little stories: history is personalized and seen through the eyes of the participants.

Simply put, this is a book to linger over and savor. It is a coffee table book in the truest sense: you will want to keep it within easy reach. This is a book to inspire you to daydream and ponder. It will enrich your experiences of our National Parks and you will find yourself planning years of vacations! If you have any interest in our National Park system, you must buy this book. You will not regret it for one second! Enjoy!

An absolute treasure, September 22, 2009
By Scott Chamberlain "Historian and archaeologist" (Minneapolis, MN United States)

Let me first point out that I'm just reviewing the companion book to Ken Burns' PBS show--having not (yet!) seen the show I make no attempt at discussing how it relates to the TV program. This is simply a look on how the book holds up on its own merits.

And let me say it is an eye-popper! As a coffee table book alone, it succeeds wildly, with all kinds of stunning photos that make you want to grab the kids and hit the road. What is particularly enjoyable is that it uses a whole range of illustrations--besides glorious contemporary photos of these magnificent landscapes, there are fascinating historic photos in B&W and photos of the various cranks, caretakers and visionaries whose lives were so deeply entwined with the park. There are also a number of beautifully reproduced photos of paintings from the Hudson River school of painting back in the mid-1800s that not only sparked interest in America's landscapes but created one of the first great artistic movements in our country.

And as always, it's amazing how landscapes can communicate such profound, and profoundly human emotions, even when there are no people depicted. The simple visual of a lone tree, buried under a heavy canopy of snow and placed against a blank winter landscape can convey loneliness on such a powerful unconscious level. Or how a sunrise on the rim of the Grand Canyon can convey majesty beyond any human description. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

But what makes this so much better than a photo essay of great landscapes is the wonderful written content that frames the illustrations. The text brings these magnificent parks back into the realm of human beings. Again and again we read about how determined individuals, communities, businesses and even bureaucrats *created* these parks, fighting tooth and nail to preserve these natural wonders for us all. Along the way we meet all kinds of fascinating people, and learn to admire their fortitude--or chuckle at their eccentricities. The text is well assembled and flows smoothly, and is as large in its scope as the Grand Canyon itself. Absolutely riveting.

But this also brilliantly shows the character of Americans--we the people. This is a tour-de-force civics lesson on patriotism, of making the country better and making the government serve us, and should be joyously read by every American. Which, I bet, was precisely Ken Burns' goal all along.

This is a book that everyone--left, right, northerner, southerner, African-American, Latino, Caucasian... EVERYONE--should love and cherish. What an incredible country we share! And what a spectacular book that does justice to it!

How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It: Tactics, Techniques, and Technologies for Uncertain Times (Paperback)

2009-10-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

Product Description
The definitive guide on how to prepare for any crisis--from global financial collapse to a pandemic

It would only take one unthinkable event to disrupt our way of life. If there is a terrorist attack, a global pandemic, or sharp currency devaluation--you may be forced to fend for yourself in ways you've never imagined. Where would you get water? How would you communicate with relatives who live in other states? What would you use for fuel?

Survivalist expert James Wesley, Rawles, author of Patriots and editor of SurvivalBlog.com, shares the essential tools and skills you will need for you family to survive, including:

Water: Filtration, transport, storage, and treatment options.
Food Storage: How much to store, pack-it-yourself methods, storage space and rotation, countering vermin.
Fuel and Home Power: Home heating fuels, fuel storage safety, backup generators.
Garden, Orchard Trees, and Small Livestock: Gardening basics, non-hybrid seeds, greenhouses; choosing the right livestock.
Medical Supplies and Training: Building a first aid kit, minor surgery, chronic health issues.
Communications: Following international news, staying in touch with loved ones.
Home Security: Your panic room, self-defense training and tools.
When to Get Outta Dodge: Vehicle selection, kit packing lists, routes and planning.
Investing and Barter: Tangibles investing, building your barter stockpile. And much more.

How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It is a must-have for every well-prepared family.

A reference for further learning., September 30, 2009
By Michael Z. Williamson (Greenwood, IN United States)

This book doesn't cover every detail of every disaster, of course. No one book could. What it has is easily referenced, concise summaries of particular events--hurricanes, earthquakes, brush fires, economic collapses, grid failures--and summaries of preparations one can make. Then, those preparations are roughly described.

All this gives a person or family a handy guidebook to create a disaster plan from.

Obviously, not all disasters have equal probability, nor are relevant to all locations--brush fires and hurricanes don't affect me in the Midwest. Tornadoes, flash floods and blizzards do, as might a New Madrid earthquake. Long term societal problems aren't currently a problem in the US, but are in quite a few other western nations, such as Argentina and sometimes Chile. There's even advice on a checklist to prioritize exactly those issues.

As usual, a lot of the negative reviews revolve around a provincial "it can't happen here" mindset. A given disaster might not be likely in your current location at your current time, but places, people and societies change. Preparing ahead costs little, and can save your life. If you never need it, think of it as insurance.

Prepper bible, September 30, 2009
By W. Kasper (Texas, USA)

First, ignore that illiterate, lying fool who gave this compendium 1 star. He hasn't read the book, and is condemning Mr. Rawles for something he didn't do: Predict a collapse.

Mr. Rawles is a fountain of knowledge regarding basic and not-so-basic prepare-to-survive techniques. Additionally, he supplies excellent Do's and Don'ts for just about every likely, and unlikely scenario you may enounter.

This book is far more likely to save your life than whoever is on the other end of a 911 call, if anyone.

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (Hardcover)

2009-09-29T07:28:00.001-07:00

Review
"This is a magnificent book of wonderstanding: Richard Dawkins combines an artist's wonder at the virtuosity of nature with a scientist's understanding of how it comes to be.'' -- Matt Ridley, author of Nature via Nurture

"'There is grandeur in this view of life,' said Darwin, speaking of evolution. There is no one better qualified to convey this grandeur than his worthy successor, Richard Dawkins, who writes with passion, clarity, and wit. This may be his best book yet." -- V. S. Ramachandran

"To call this book a defense of evolution utterly misses the point: The Greatest Show on Earth is a celebration of one of the best ideas humans have ever produced. It is hard not to marvel at Richard Dawkins's luminous telling of the story of evolution and the way that it has shaped our world. In reading Dawkins, one is left awed at the beauty of the theory and humbled by the power of science to understand some of the greatest mysteries of life." -- Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish

"Up until now, Richard Dawkins has said everything interesting that there is to say about evolution -- with one exception. In The Greatest Show on Earth, he fills this gap, brilliantly describing the multifarious and massive evidence for evolution -- evidence that gives the lie to the notion that evolution is 'only a theory.' This important and timely book is a must-read for Darwin Year." -- Jerry Coyne, author of Why Evolution Is True

"This is the book Richard Dawkins needed to write and many need to read -- a comprehensive account of evolution that faces the difficulties and questions his critics have raised. In it he draws on his great ability to write about science in a way that is clear, absorbing, and vivid." -- Lord Harries of Pentregarth (formerly Bishop Richard Harries)

"With characteristic flair and passion, Dawkins has put on a stunning exhibition of the evidence for evolution. In his own words, 'Evolution is a fact...and no unbiased reader will close the book doubting it.'" -- Dr. Alice Roberts, biological anthropologist, author, and broadcaster

"'...he is an awesome thinker, a superb writer whose explanatory skills I envy, who dismisses his opponents with the thoroughness of a top silk'....A beautifully crafted and intelligible rebuttal of creationism and intelligent design." -- The Times

"Dawkins gathers up the weight of evidence into a huge lump and hurls it at us from the highest heights his rhetoric can scale...his grandness of vision still dazzles."-- The Sunday Telegraph

Evolution is a Fact and Dawkins Proves it!, September 23, 2009
By John W. Loftus (Indiana)

Usually authors will start out their writing careers making a general case on behalf of something, and then later deal with the specific objections as they arise. But not Richard Dawkins. As the leading prolific evolutionary author in our generation he finally got around to writing the book that many authors would've written first, this one. Since up until now he has not set forth the evidence for evolution as a whole, he calls this book "my missing link" in his chain of books, and it's long overdue.

Taking the title from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Dawkins begins by asking us to imagine what it would be like to be a European history teacher who is "continually faced with belligerent demands to give equal time" in his classes to Holocaust deniers. To him that would be what it's like to teach the scientific fact of evolution around the world, especially in America, where 40% of us deny that humans evolved from other animals and who claim instead we were all created as distinct species not more than 10,000 years ago. Just like the Holocaust deniers these people are "history-deniers" too. The antidote to that kind of ignorant thinking is this present work, which presents "the positive evidence that evolution is a fact" (p.6). Many bishops and theologians embrace evolution as a fact, even if some of them accept it begrudgingly.

Who is he trying to reach? The creationist "history-deniers" themselves, but more importantly those who find themselves inadequately prepared to argue the case for evolution (p. 8).

He claims: "Evolution is a fact. Beyond reasonable doubt, beyond serious doubt, beyond sane, informed, intelligent doubt, beyond doubt evolution is a fact. The evidence for evolution is at least as strong as the evidence for the Holocaust, even allowing for eyewitnesses to the Holocaust. It is the plain truth that we are cousins of chimpanzees, somewhat more distant cousins of monkeys, more distant cousins still of aardvarks and manatees, yet more distant cousins of bananas and turnips...continue the list as long as desired...It didn't have to be true, but it is. We know this because a rising flood of evidence supports it. Evolution is a fact, and this book will demonstrate it. No reputable scientist disputes it, and no unbiased reader will close the book doubting it." (pp. 8-9).

These are very large claims he's making. Are they justified? Yes, I think so. I challenge the creationists to place this comprehensively argued book, which is illustrated by many diagrams and glossy full colored pictures, next to what a few ancient superstitious people wrote in the Bible and see which one makes the most sense. My bet is that if believers are truly interested in the facts they will see evolution is indeed a fact.

Dawkins knows how to communicate, he knows where to begin his case with dog breeding, and he knows science. It's practically all here within the pages of this book. The reason why we don't see evolutionary change is because it takes place slowly over generations, but dog breeders can do it quickly and efficiently. "Every breed of dog," Dawkins writes, "from dachshund to Dalmatian, from boxer to borzoi, from poodle to Pekinese, from Great Dane to Chihuahua, has been caved, chiseled, kneaded, moulded, not literally as flesh and bone but in its gene pool....The relevance to natural evolution is that, although the selecting agent is man and not nature, the process is otherwise the same." (p. 34).

With regard to flowers, birds and insects make these changes rather than humans, naturally, not artificially: "Hummingbird eyes, hawk-moth eyes, butterfly eyes, hoverfly eyes, bee eyes are critically cast over wild flowers, generation after generation, shaping them, colouring them, swelling them, patterning and stippling them, in almost exactly the same way as human eyes later did with our garden varieties; and with dogs, cows, cabbages and corn." (p. 52). And he asks us: "If so much evolutionary change can be achieved in just a few centuries or even decades, just think what might be achieved in ten or a hundred million years?" (p. 37).

To believers who object that the earth isn't old enough Dawkins marshals overwhelming evidence that it is billions of years old, along with evidence piled upon still more evidence to show evolutionary development of life on earth is indeed the greatest show on earth, and he is clearly in awe of it.

There are a few great books on evolution but this is a superior book long overdue by today's leading communicator of science. You should get it and think through it, especially if you're a "history-denier." Face the evidence and then change your beliefs. It's the intellectually honest thing to do. Then you too will thank Dawkins like so many of us have for his writing in these areas.

Dawkins does it again, September 22, 2009
By WHM (Amsterdam)

Evolution is an inescapable fact, and we should celebrate its astonishing power, simplicity and beauty, as Richard Dawkins notes in this marvelously titled book, the latest addition to his already impressive list of books on evolution.

Do we really need yet another "evidence for evolution" book? Well, yes we do. If only because of the alarmingly large number of educated people (especially in the United States) who hold virulent anti-evolution sentiments and prefer a supernatural, "intelligent design" explanation for the key questions in biology. But will the "history-deniers" read Dawkins? Leaving creationists and ID proponents aside, many people misunderstand evolution as a long chain of events that shape simple forms into more complex ones, rather than the branching and extinction of lineages. Therefore, open-minded readers should welcome yet another popular book on evolutionary biology, particularly if it has such a breadth and is so very well written as Dawkins'. As a teacher and communicator of science, Dawkins remains unsurpassed.

The "Greatest Show on Earth" is an ambitiously large survey of evolutionary biology; more than 400 pages (plus many color photos) one long argument for why evolution is a firmly-based scientific explanation, a fact. Even for those who accept the evidence for evolution, Dawkins' book is a stimulating and refreshing read; not least because of its conversational yet authorative tone (although Dawkins can't help but to lash out at religion here and there, it certainly is not an anti-religion book like "The God Delusion"). As one reviewer noted: if Charles Darwin would want to know how his theory had fared in the 21th century, this is the book he should read. My own first recommendation, however, would be Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution Is True. The latter book is equally well written and informative, but more concise and focused. What's more, Coyne is less polemical than Dawkins (BTW, Dawkins praises Coyne's book in his first chapter).

Dawkins covers the science in a rather standard fashion. The Galápagos islands, transitional fossils, embryology, artificial breeding, anatomy, etc., it's all there. Which is fine, of course. But those who are looking for a primer on the latest insights into evolutionary biology won't find it here. I would have liked to see more emphasis on the awesome power of molecular genetics in demonstrating evolution as an established fact. After all, the evidence in molecular biology is even more compelling than the fossil record (but, admittedly, more difficult to explain to lay persons). As an accompanying book, I would therefore recommend Sean Carroll's The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution, which focuses on how DNA directs the evolutionary process.

I'm puzzled why Dawkins chose not to mention the new insights into the molecular evolution of the eye. He discussed eye evolution at length in "The Blind Watchmaker" - as did Darwin in "The Origin of Species" - and it remains a favorite topic of the ID crowd. But astounding genetic findings have revolutionized the eye evolution field: the animal eye, from fruitfly to man, was "invented" only once during evolution. Darwin would have been thrilled! Dawkins could have scored a strong point here. A missed opportunity.

That being said, one can only hope that this book will convert at least some creationists and ID advocates; that the scales will fall from their religious eyes. But I have my doubts. To quote biologist Tom Tregenza: The fact that Darwin's theory makes so many predictions, none of which has ever been falsified, makes it easy to make a further prediction: it is only a matter of time before the ID proponents make it a fundamental tenet of their ideology that the pattern of life has been made that way specifically to fool biologists. In which case, evolutionists can take comfort in knowing that the creator specifically had THEM in mind at every step of the process.

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth (Paperback)

2009-09-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

Interesting and very different, July 25, 2009
By P. Wung "Engineering is my vocation, volleyba... (Tipp City, OH USA)

I am a big fan of Doxiadi's book on Goldbach conjecture :Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture: A Novel of Mathematical Obsession.

This book is very different, in manifold ways. The previous book was a novel wrapped around a mathematical idea. In the process of telling a story, Doxiadis explained the mathematical problem. It was pretty straight forward - not the problem, the approach. But this book is a tutorial on logic, a historical review of the most dramatic development in logic, a chronological synopsis of how higher mathematics, philosophy and logic became intertwined and coupled. AND, the book did this in a comic book format. The approach is, of course very ambitious. The question then is: was it successful?

This may seem cowardly, but it does echo the book's conclusion: it is really up to the reader.

The book poses the question early on: pure logic will lead a rational person to a right conclusion to a difficult moral problem, in this case, whether Britain should enter into WWII against Hitler. The entire book then is predicated upon the literary mechanism to introduce a wide spanning discourse on the development of 20th century logic, the narrative is taken through all of its twists and turns by the narrator in the form of Bertrand Russell, with occasional self referencing vignettes of the writing and drawing teams of this book.

Russell is a natural choice, and his life in the higher altitude work in philosophy and mathematics really fits in nicely with the history of the logical arguments. His work, Principia Mathematica - Volume One with Lord Whitehead was also seminal in much of the breakthroughs that followed. The narratives are carried on through conversations with some of the most colorful people in the European philosophical, and mathematical intelligentsia: Frege, Cantor, Wittgenstein, the Vienna, Hilbert, Poincare, and Godels. But, relying on the words of these heavy hitters to carry through the dense and complex ideas is a difficult proposition for the reader because the heavy hitters tend also to have heavy and dense writings, so the authors have thoughtfully provided brief respites featuring the comic book counterparts of the actual writers and animators working on the book, and a welcome respite it is, this mechanism saved the readers from some heavy duty mental headaches and gnashing of teeth.

So, after all that work, we return to the original question: were the authors successful? I think they were, by and large, but once again, it is up to the reader to decide because the depths to which the message is delivered depends very much on the reader's depths of understanding of the problems described and the reader's familiarity with the literature. The tutorial on the philosophical works, particularly the Principia and Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Routledge Classics) was very good, the authors did manage to explain some very important and dense material very cleanly and concisely. As for resolving the central problem, actually the argument used to present all this philosophy was not so successful, but that is the nature of a philosophical discourse: most of them end without a black and white conclusion.

The book is very ambitious, it attacked a very large and complex piece of human thought by using a very untraditional means - the format nostalgically brought back to the days when I was religiously reading Classic Illustrated comic books when I was in my youth- it did a magnificent job of relaying the author's intent.

A nice intro to Russell's ideas, but a messy, rambling comic by committee, August 2, 2009
By Anonymous (USA)

While it's a pleasant and quick read, this book's execution hardly lives up to the promise of its brilliant and appealing concept (nor to its "epic" subtitle). Rather than a tightly structured comic-book intellectual biography of Bertrand Russell, this is a scattered mess of a book with too many (albeit quite promising) ideas and much too little successful execution. The book is simply trying to be too many things at once:

First, and most successfully, it wants to be an introduction to the "foundations" of mathematics, the early-20th-century efforts by philosophers and mathematicians to provide a firm axiomatic ground on which to establish a base for the higher-flown efforts of mathematics, which resulted in the development of mathematical logic and thus eventually led to the digital computer. The book gives even a lay reader enough little nuggets of this field to pique their interest, though often it doesn't explain in much depth. And the exposition does sometimes come off a bit condescending, as if the authors didn't trust us to follow them into a truly complex field like set theory.

And, furthermore and far worse, the book often doesn't even try to take advantage of its format by developing the ideas in image form -- instead it gives page after solid page of hastily-drawn panels of Russell (or the authors themselves!) lecturing the reader in massive word balloons, wasting all the opportunities afforded by its comic-book form. Still, had the book remained on the level of a "Russell for Beginners"-type introductory comic, it would have been a fair piece of work.

Second, the book is an intellectual biography of Bertrand Russell, the story of his life and of the development of his ideas. The problem here is that the authors are not very good at either part of the biographer's project, as they are neither experienced storytellers nor historians. They have consciously fudged many historical details, but have also (apparently unconsciously) introduced many small but glaring anachronisms of tone, language, and thought, making it difficult to suspend disbelief and to find their evocation of Russell's historical moment credible. And their psychological portrait of Russell, as well as of the supporting characters, tends toward condescending simplicity rather than interesting complexity or ambiguity, vastly oversimplifying even when they momentarily allude to the complications of Russell's several marriages, his pacifist politics, or his troubled relationships with family and with colleagues. And, as soon as each of these issues is raised, the book quickly marches on, usually with a dismissive remark about its irrelevance to Russell's ideas. A bit more credit should have been given both to the reader's intelligence and to the complexity of the biographical material; as it is, this scattered story could not even be recommended as a children's biography of a man as complicated as Russell.

Third, the book is a nonfiction "graphic novel," a nouveau comic book for smart people. But it is on this level that it fails the most completely, failing to integrate word and image or to use its comic form to any advantage. Despite the competent simplicity of Alecos Papadatos's art, the book shows its origins as a committee product with page after page of drawn talking heads below mammoth word balloons. The images often distract from the material being covered more than they illustrate it. And the authors' frequent self-insertions -- we often cut away from Russell's life to inserted scenes of their discussions about writing the book and about Russell -- are ham-fisted and annoying despite the authors' apparent conviction that this is clever and self-reflexive. When Art Spiegelman wrote himself and his own writing process into Maus, the formal innovation answered a necessity in the content -- the need to represent the remembering of his father's story rather than assuming a deceptive immediacy and a false transparency in its telling. Here, instead, the narratorial interventions distract from the book's content rather than meditating on it, and the interpretive disagreements among the committee of authors simply emphasize the book's scrambled, unfinished nature. Instead of a worked-out, formally coherent narrative about Russell, we get a series of snatches of his life, punctuated by inconclusive discussions of where to go next; it's like reading a first draft punctuated by notes from its editor. (Speaking of editing, the book's words badly need help from a stronger English writer; they are rife with Unnecessary Capitalization, "scare quotes," ellipses... and other signs of amateur writing. And Russell himself often speaks in glaring Americanisms, puncturing any suspension of disbelief.)

The less said of the philosophical side of the book, the better; its "expert" author-character is a theoretical computer scientist rather than a philosopher, and this shows through everywhere in its account of the importance of Russell and his colleagues, particularly in its ridiculously trivializing treatment of Wittgenstein. (E.g. the book's endnote on Wittgenstein claims that his Tractatus was somehow "vindicated" by the emergence of the digital computer, a truly bizarre and philosophically illiterate remark.) There are biographical and conceptual notes in the back of the book, a mini-encyclopedia that would be more appropriate in a For Beginners/Dummies-style textbook than this ostensibly story-driven piece, and while they're often interesting they seem unedited, un-peer-reviewed, and sometimes goofy and idiosyncratic in their account of the material. This makes it hard to recommend this book as an introduction to the basics of logic or the foundations of mathematics.

In short, the book tries to be too many things at once, and succeeds as none of them. It is neither a strong introduction to Russell's ideas, nor a worthwhile biography in condensed form, nor a successful piece of historical comic art. It's a pleasant enough read, but considering its ambition ultimately a disappointing one.

The Case for God [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

2009-09-23T03:48:00.000-07:00

Review
Praise for Karen Armstrong’s The Case for God

“Karen Armstrong’s book is simply superb. Wide-ranging, detailed, well researched meticulously argued and beautifully written, it is a definitive analysis of the role of religious belief and transcendence in our history and our life.”
—Dr Robert Buckman, author of Can We Be Good without God?

“Karen Armstrong, in writing The Case for God, provides the reader with one of the very best theological works of our time. It brings a new understanding to the complex relationship between human existence and the transcendent nature of God. This is a book that is so well researched and so deep with insight and soaring scholarship that only Karen Armstrong could have written it. The Case for God should be required reading for anyone who claims to be a believer, an agnostic or an atheist.”
—The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, D.D., Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, D.C.

“No one is better qualified or more needed than Karen Armstrong to enter the hot public debate between believers and non–believers over the existence of God. Her latest book, eagerly awaited and received, rings out with the qualities she brings to all of her work—The Case for God is lucid, learned, provocative, and illuminating. Indeed, Armstrong once again does what she always does best by shining a clear light on the deepest mysteries of the religious imagination.”
—Jonathan Kirsch, author of The Harlot by the Side of the Road

“With characteristic command of subject and crispness, the prolific and redoubtable independent British scholar and former nun takes yet another run at the world’s religious history. . . . She’s conceptual, humanistic and exceedingly well-read. . . . [An] articulate and accessible sweep through intellectual history. The “unknowing” of the mystics has its virtues and its place, but being well-read and knowledgeable makes one powerful and persuasive book.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Celebrated religion scholar Armstrong creates more than a history of religion; she effectively demonstrates how the West (broadly speaking) has grappled with the existence of deity and captured the concept in words, art and ideas. . . . A brilliant examination. . . . [An] accessible, intriguing study of how we see God.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The new book by premier contemporary historian of religion is a history of God. . . . Presenting difficult ideas with utter lucidity, this registers at once as a classic of religious and world history.”
—Ray Olson, Booklist (starred review)

“Armstrong offers a tour de force. . . . Highly recommended for readers willing to grapple with difficult but clearly articulated concepts and challenges to the ‘received’ ways of perceiving religion. A classic.”
—Carolyn M. Craft, Library Journal

“One of our best living writers on religion. . . . Prodigiously sourced, passionately written.”
—John Cornwell, Financial Times

“Karen Armstrong is one of [a] handful of wise and supremely intelligent commentators on religion. . . . As in so much of the rest of her hugely impressive body of work, Karen Armstrong invites us on a journey through religion that helps us to rescue what remains wise from so much that to so many . . . no longer seems true.”
—Alain de Botton, The Observer

Praise for Karen Armstrong

“Witty, informative, and contemplative: Ms. Armstrong can simplify complex ideas, but she is never simplistic.”
—Alexandra Hall, The New York Times Book Review

“Armstrong, with her astonishing depth of knowledge and readily accessible writing style, makes an ideal guide in traversing a subject that is by its very nature complex, sensitive and frequently ambiguous.”
—David Lazarus, San Francisco Chronicle

“Armstrong’s enviable capacity to summarize and explain . . . refreshes the understanding of what one knows, and provides a clear introduction to the unfamiliar.”
—Robert Runcie, The Weekend Telegraph

“Aloof and intelligent, she stands on the shore and gives a brilliantly lucid account of those capsizing, floundering and even drowning in the diving ocean. . . . Armstrong has a dazzling ability: she can take a long and complex subject and reduce it to its fundamentals, without over-simplifying.”
—Sister Wendy Beckett, The Sunday Times (London)

“Armstrong . . . writes with precision and lucidity, with an earnestness that keeps her from sounding smugly pedantic even in the midst of what is obviously a great deal of knowledge and insight.”
—Julia Keller, Chicago Tribune

“Arguably the most lucid, wide–ranging and consistently interesting religion writer today.”
—Laura Miller, Salon.com

Product Description
Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that it called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah, or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time, when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith. Why has God become unbelievable? Why is it that atheists and theists alike now think and speak about God in a way that veers so profoundly from the thinking of our ancestors?

Answering these questions with the same depth of knowledge and profound insight that have marked all her acclaimed books, Armstrong makes clear how the changing face of the world has necessarily changed the importance of religion at both the societal and the individual level. And she makes a powerful, convincing argument for drawing on the insights of the past in order to build a faith that speaks to the needs of our dangerously polarized age. Yet she cautions us that religion was never supposed to provide answers that lie within the competence of human reason; that, she says, is the role of logos. The task of religion is “to help us live creatively, peacefully, and even joyously with realities for which there are no easy explanations.” She emphasizes, too, that religion will not work automatically. It is, she says, a practical discipline: its insights are derived not from abstract speculation but from “dedicated intellectual endeavor” and a “compassionate lifestyle that enables us to break out of the prism of selfhood.”

Remarkable, fascinating, mindshifting,, September 22, 2009
By Student of Life (USA)

Karen Armstrong is able to do two things which are individually remarkable, and in combination perhaps unique.
- provide a credible, erudite, historical overview of all the main religions in a way that shows how they fit together. ie. the key ideas they have borrowed from each other
- do so in a way which is vivid, accessible and often inspiring.

Some religious readers will be shocked to discover that "their" religion is based on ideas that are far more widespread than they may have realized. And they may be uncomfortable that the God Armstrong is arguing for is not one actively involved in day-to-day human concerns, checking off prayer requests or directing the weather, but deeper, mysterious, perhaps ineffable. Some non-religious readers will be shocked by how compelling a case Armstrong makes for a religious mindset based, not so much on "belief" or "faith" but on spirituality and compassion. But all, if they approach this book with an open mind, are likely to emerge with a richer understanding of life's most important questions.

The Won Thing: The "One" Secret to a Totally Fulfilling Life (Paperback)

2009-09-23T03:44:00.000-07:00

Product Description
What is the “one” secret to a successful, fulfilling life? Don’t we all want to know just that?

Best-selling author and goal-achievement expert Peggy McColl spent many years pondering that question and searching for the answer. Her driving curiosity took her from inspirational books to self-help workshops and lectures, as she absorbed the best advice from dozens of highly successful people, each of whom had their own ideas about the “one” secret. Like many people who are searching for a sense of purpose, Peggy looked outside herself for guidance. She learned a great deal, creating a better life for herself as she applied the wise teachings of others, yet true happiness eluded her until she finally realized what it actually was: everything she needed to know was within her already!
In this fascinating book, Peggy shares the lessons she learned during her journey of self-discovery, and will also show you how to discover and realize your own dreams. Her intention is to awaken you to your innate ability to create and enjoy the secret recipe for fulfillment: your Won Thing!

About the Author
Peggy McColl is an internationally recognized expert in the area of destiny achievement whose purpose is to make a positive contribution to the lives of millions of others. She has been inspiring individuals, experts, professional athletes, and organizations to reach their potential for the past 25 years. She is the president and founder of Dynamic Destinies Inc., an organization committed to delivering sound principles for creating lasting and positive change. Peggy lives in Quebec, Canada, with her son, Michel, and her husband, Denis.

What's YOUR Personal Recipe for Success?, September 3, 2009
By Janet Boyer "JanetBoyer.com" (Pennsylvania)

"We have the ability to create the circumstances of our lives. We don't have complete control over everything, but we also aren't as powerless as we may think. If we're looking for someone to do the work of changing our lives for us, trust me, it's not going to happen. We've got to rescue ourselves." - From The Won Thing

Is there a universal "one thing" that can bring joy, satisfaction and purpose to our lives?

According to Peggy McColl, there isn't. However, in her newest book The Won Thing, she provides seven hard-won lessons that can--when combined in a personal recipe--promote balance, fulfillment, and growth.

Like all of Peggy's books, The Won Thing is (deceptively) simple, straightforward, engaging, and illuminating. You get the sense that she truly cares about people, desiring that her readers gain the clarity, tools and methods they need to live their best life.

Here are but a few gems that I particularly enjoyed (and highlighted!) from this 167-page book:

* "The reason so many of us don't know our ambitions is because we're often not encouraged to discover what will give us a sense of meaning and fulfillment."

* "Once you believe that answers and resources can show up in your life, they will: The universe works to mirror your beliefs. It will prove you right every time."

* "...If we're not aligned to our purpose and try to conform to someone else's idea of what will fulfill us, we'll lose sight of what we value and experience frustration when problems won't go away."

* "You can ask the universe for anything, but the question is: are you willing to do what it takes to get what you want? While hard work and sacrifice are necessities for achieving any goal, never allow yourself to abandon your family, health, or well-being to attain it. If an ambition requires that sort of sacrifice, it's probably rooted in self-critical sentiments..."

* "Having a sense of purpose is knowing that what you're doing at any time is in perfect alignment with who you are, your values, and visions--which gives you grounding and guidance."

* "...Your recipe is going to be true to your own unique feelings, beliefs, and values. It's important to always remember that there's more than one way to be spiritual, give in service to others, or do anything in life."

Peggy McColl is one of my favorite authors and I find myself recommending her books to my clients quite often. (In fact, every time she comes out with a new book and it crosses my desk, I drop what I'm reading/reviewing and read what she has to say pronto!) She teaches the principles of the Law of Attraction in a practical and reasonable way, emphasizing that action and mindfulness are key components to creating states of abundance, openness, optimism, and well-being.

Like her previous books, I highly recommend The Won Thing, especially for readers unfamiliar with her work. If you're feeling out of balance and are much too hard on yourself, strive for stratospheric perfection, give out of obligation, or expect to be rescued, you need this book.

Also, if you tend to react rather than act, assume good things only happens to others (and resent them when it does) or think there's a single magic formula that will drop in your lap, you would benefit greatly from Peggy's encouraging wisdom in The Won Thing.

-- Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot

The Game of Life, August 31, 2009
By Blanche (Ontario)

When I read Peggy's book, I realized I was not alone in my desire to find the one thing that would make my life more
fulfilling. It was also nice to have a roadmap right in front of me from someone I admire immensely. I knew I had to start somewhere and this book of knowledge has given me the necessary tools to carry forward. Most important, I learned the "won" thing I need to make my life more meaningful is unique to me - therefore; I am the only one who can achieve this for myself. Thank you, Peggy, for sharing your experience with me so that I could follow your path and be the person I want to be. The game of life is ever changing and I am pleased to follow whatever path I need to obtain the results that are best suited to me. Congratulations on another book well done.

Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin (Hardcover)

2009-09-21T03:59:00.000-07:00

Book Description

Official Book Club Selection is Kathy Griffin unplugged, uncensored, and unafraid to dish about what really happens on the road, away from the cameras, and at the star party after the show. (It’s also her big chance to score that coveted book club endorsement she’s always wanted. Are you there, Oprah? It’s me, Kathy.)
Kathy Griffin has won Emmys for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, been nominated for a Grammy, worked and walked every red carpet known to man, and rung in the New Year with Anderson Cooper. But the legions of fans who pack Kathy’s sold-out comedy shows have heard only part of her remarkable story. Writing with her trademark wit, the feisty comic settles a few old scores, celebrates the friends and mentors who helped her claw her way to the top, and shares insider gossip about celebrity behavior—the good, the bad, and the very ugly. She recounts the crazy ups and downs of her own career and introduces us to some of the supertalented people she encountered before they got famous (or, in some cases, after fame went to their heads). Word to the wise: If you’ve ever crossed Kathy Griffin at some point in your life, check the index for your name.

Along the way, Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more. Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy’s life have taught her the most valuable lessons—both inside and outside the entertainment industry.

Refreshingly candid, unflinchingly honest, and full of hilarious “Did she really say that?” moments, Official Book Club Selection will make you laugh until you cry, or just puke up a little bit.

Official Fan, September 8, 2009
By Literate reader (Atlanta)

Call me a literary expert when it comes to celeb autobiographies since I've read a lot of them. But Kathy Griffin's goes way beyond what this genre usually offers, the rags to riches to rehab and/or back to rags or riches saga. KG's unlikely to ever go the rags route, (plastic surgery being her version of rehab) and she's far from poor little girl gone lost in the wacky game of Hollywood fame. And that's mostly because she's one of the most savvy, if not one of the smartest stars on the block, at least when it comes to show biz, an acquired skill set after years spent paying her dues. Her persona is truth stripper and that's what makes this official memoir work and heads above most of the polished nonsense that's out there. KG is a real person who actually has something to say beyond some narcissistic rendition of her "discovery" and ascent. She's had to push herself through a business that would otherwise find her easy to ignore. I recommend potential readers and book clubs everywhere first start reading the book backwards: check out the nifty reader's guide provided at the end as a clue that there's intellect, wit, politics, religion, romance, tragedy and plenty of gossip at work on these pages, which merit both careful reading and reading between the lines. One clue: in KGland, compliments can carry an edge. (Spoiler: Jerry Seinfeld)

Great Book!!! I bought the book and audio version, September 10, 2009
By Phillip Wells (Knoxville, TN USA)

Well, I bought Kathy's book yesterday and I stayed up all night reading it. Yes, I am a big fan of hers and so perhaps I am a little biased but why would you even be looking at this book if you weren't a fan of hers?

She successfully walks the line between serious autobiography and comedic book. Parts of it will rip your heart out while others will make you laugh out loud. I can't say that I love her more now than I did before but I do understand her a bit more. I can't wait to see her live again.

Since she talks so much in her act about her celebrity encounters don't expect any amazing revelations there. There were a few new stories (Steve Martin etc.) but for the most part it really chronicles her entire life and career and shows how hard she worked and the insanity she put up with to get to where she is now. Great stories about her early years with the Groundlings and her friends Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Lisa Kudrow, Julia Sweeney, Jeaneane Garofolo, Margaret Cho and more. You are going to learn where and why she has the work ethic that she does. She never sold out, she did do it all her way.

I loved the book, like I said I read it in about 6 hours cover to cover. My only complaint is that there were no color pictures in the book like most typical biographies.

Also as an ex Los Angelino is was nice to hear her talking about my old stomping in grounds in West Hollywood and her adventures there. I also jumped on the back of a bike at the Carl's Jr on La Brea and Santa Monica OMG!!! Wonder if we banged the same guy!! HAH!!

BUY THE BOOK!!!

Say You're One of Them (Paperback)

2009-09-21T03:56:00.001-07:00

Product DescriptionEach story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances.

A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family’s struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle’s attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees—a microcosm of today’s Africa—a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear.

Uwem Akpan’s debut signals the arrival of a breathtakingly talented writer who gives a matter-of-fact reality to the most extreme circumstances in stories that are nothing short of transcendent.

About the AuthorUwem Akpan was born in Ikot Akpan Eda in southern Nigeria. After studying philosophy and English at Creighton and Gonzaga universities, he studied theology for three years at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. He was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 2003 and received his MFA in creative writing from the University of Michigan in 2006. My Parents’ Bedroom, a story from his short story collection, Say You’re One of Them, was one of five short stories by African writers chosen as finalists for The Caine Prize for African Writing 2007. Say You’re One of Them won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book (Africa Region) 2009 and PEN/Beyond Margins Award 2009, and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. In 2007, Akpan taught at a Jesuit college in Harare, Zimbabwe. Now he serves at Christ the King Church, Ilasamaja-Lagos, Nigeria.

A beautiful, tragic collection, September 19, 2009
By Brooke Cunningh

I read this book a couple weeks ago and am pleased to see it added as Oprah's latest Book Club selection. Say You're One of Them is a collection of five short stories penned by Uwen Akpam, a Jesuit priest who studied creative writing at the University of Michigan. The stories are set in modern day Africa, and most are written from a child's perspective. The stories deal with very serious issues, such as genocide, race conflict, poverty, and slavery. Each account is a deeply moving depiction of individuals forced to struggle through oppressive life circumstances. Though tragic, the stories are deeply moving and transformative for the reader.

It's hard to do justice here to the significance of this book. I wept several times while reading it. Akpam was inspired to write by the people in his village church who would stay after Mass to share palm wine and reminisce about the best. Though fiction, the depth and heartbreak in these stories rings true. I feel deeply and fundamentally changed for the better after having read it.

I'm now reading Emotional Intelligence 2.0. It's outstanding and even uplifting (which I can sure use). If you have any interest in personal development, I recommend buying both books. Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to read next!

An unforgettable, beautiful, authentic and wise literary call to action, September 18, 2009
By Bookreporter.com (New York, New York)

Uwem Akpan is a Nigerian Jesuit priest and writing teacher living in Zimbabwe, and his stories are garnering much acclaim. Just a few pages into his debut collection, it is easy to see why. Beautiful and devastating, the five tales found in SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM are at once compelling and painful to read. All told from the narrative perspective of a child in crisis, they symbolize a continent in crisis as well. Set in African hot spots like Ethiopia and Rwanda, the stories revolve around themes of family and identity, religion and ethnicity, all complicated by violence, fear and poverty.

A destitute family in Nairobi inhales glue to stave off hunger and watches their 12-year-old daughter turn to prostitution in "An Ex-mas Feast." Two little girls in Ethiopia --- one Muslim, one Christian --- are best friends until religious tensions and riots in their city force them apart in "What Language is That?" Both these stories are short yet highly effective. The three remaining tales, however, are even more amazing and heartbreaking.

The nine-year-old girl at the center of "In My Parents' Bedroom" is forced to watch as the horrors and injustices of contemporary Rwanda play out in her house, each of her parents having to take opposing sides. In less than 30 pages, Akpan spins a brilliant tale that entrances and repulses, capturing the complexities of the situation and reminding readers that there are real lives at stake beyond this fiction.

In "Fattening for Gabon" two young siblings are being raised by a kindly and affectionate uncle as their parents lie dying of AIDS in their home village. Kotchipka and Yewa are spoiled and feasted by their uncle's new friends, but Kotchipka realizes that he and his sister are in grave danger and tries to resist their charms. By the end he knows he must fight for his own survival and that of his little sister, or be sold into slavery.

"Luxurious Hearses" is the story of a 16-year-old Muslim boy escaping from one end of Nigeria to the Christian region and the home of the father he has never known. Pretending to be a Christian, he finds himself stuck on a bus full of Catholics and Pentecostals, not to mention a tribal chief of the indigenous religion. As the stuffy, overcrowded bus sits and awaits its driver, wave after wave of tension ripple through it, threatening violence. Differing political views and beliefs find common ground in a hatred of Muslims, and Jubril --- far from his family and having been turned against by other Muslims --- must keep up his façade, all the while praying to Allah for help. The bus becomes a microcosm of a divided nation, and Jubril's internal exploration of identity and personal history is symbolic of the confusion, faith, hopes and fears of its citizens. Akpan takes readers on Jubril's fascinating journey and delivers a surprising and very memorable ending.

In each story Akpan uses language, often a broken but lyrical English, to show the similarities and differences between the diverse peoples of Africa. Because of this, along with powerful plots and sympathetic narrators, SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM is an unforgettable, beautiful, authentic and wise literary call to action. Akpan's book is highly recommended and will leave readers wanting more of his dark, carefully moralistic and quite extraordinary tales.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

Alex Cross's TRIAL (Hardcover)

2009-09-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Separated by time

From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he's written--a novel called Trial.

Connected by blood

As a lawyer in turn-of-the-century Washington D.C., Ben Corbett represents the toughest cases. Fighting against oppression and racism, he risks his family and his life in the process. When President Roosevelt asks Ben to return to his home town to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there, he cannot refuse.

United by bravery

When he arrives in Eudora, Mississippi, Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross and his beautiful daughter, Moody. Ben enlists their help, and the two Crosses introduce him to the hidden side of the idyllic Southern town. Lynchings have become commonplace and residents of the town's black quarter live in constant fear. Ben aims to break the reign of terror--but the truth of who is really behind it could break his heart. Written in the fearless voice of Detective Alex Cross, Alex Cross's Trial is a gripping story of murder, love, and, above all, bravery.

About the Author
James Patterson is one of the bestselling writers of all time, with more than 160 million copies of his books sold worldwide. He is the author of the two most popular detective series of the past decade, featuring Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club. He has won an Edgar Award--the mystery world's highest honor--and his novels Kiss the Girls and Along Came aSpider were made into feature films. His lifelong work to promote books and reading is reflected in his new Web site, ReadKiddoRead.com, which helps parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians find the very best children's books for their kids. He lives in Florida.

Richard DiLallo is a former advertising creative director. He has had numerous articles published in major magazines. He lives in Manhattan with his wife.

Racism fuels the fires of the deep south in 1906., August 24, 2009
By Cla. Cage (aiding cancer research.)

It is hard to find authors as popular as James Patterson, and his Alex Cross books are at the epicenter. Let's remove the Patterson name for a moment and take an in-depth look at this newest novel. In 1906, race relations are being threatened; The war has just ended; Equality is still a foreign concept -- especially in the south. Theodore Roosevelt (the President of the USA) has placed an urgent call to Ben Corbett - a prestigious lawyer - summoning him to The White House. The President instructs Corbett to seek the aid of Abraham Cross in his home town of Mississippi, and together, investigate the outbreak of burning and lynching of minorities.

When he does arrive, it doesn't take him long to find Cross whom is being escorted by a beautiful young woman, Moody. Moody is Cross' grand daughter and together they show Corbett the true extent of the hate-filled assaults in a once peaceful town. While it does take Ben Corbett a while to accept the truth, he does finally come to realize just how dire the situation is. I'll stop there so I don't spoil the story for anyone whom has yet to read this brilliant novel. There are so many twists-and turns (the biggest being Abraham Cross - the grandfather of Alex) The racial overtones are done incredibly well, and while it is graphic at times, they do serve a greater purpose and keep the novel on track.

Now let's put the Patterson name back, and this good novel becomes great. Patterson is the master of suspense, intrigue, and lifellike characters that change and evolve the story to a level that only a very few authors can replicate. Do I really need to mention this? I mean seriously, if you don't know how good Patterson is...then that cave you live in must be nice and cozy. I'm joking. This latest novel to grace the Patterson name is an exciting thrill ride, that moves along at breakneck speeds and gives the reader a reason to place Patterson back on top of the genre. Well done. Well done, indeed.

Southern (Dis)Comfort, August 24, 2009
By Elliott (L.A.)

Alex Cross is a star in James Patterson's fiction universe. This book, co-authored by Richard Dilallo, looks at Alex's great-uncle, Abraham, who was born a slave in 1817. The story begins in 1906, when Abraham was 89, about forty years after slavery's demise. Abraham is poor and lives in the "Quarters," an African-American neighborhood in Eudora, Mississippi.

The central character in the book is Ben Corbett, a young white lawyer in Washington, D.C. He served as a captain in the Spanish-American War (1898) under Colonel Theodore Roosevelt. In 1906 Roosevelt, now President, sends his friend Ben on a secret mission to Eudora (Corbett's hometown) to study the recent epidemic of lynchings in the area. Roosevelt has arranged for Ben to meet the aforementioned Abraham Cross, a wise man who is well-respected in the black community. Abraham gives Ben vital assistance.

Although the authors do not use the term, "Jim Crow" had taken over the South by 1906. Jim Crow was a system of virtually complete segregation designed to humiliate African-Americans and enforce their status as second-class citizens. An integral part of Jim Crow was physical intimidation, including lynching. According to Wikipedia, between 1880 and 1951, 3,437 African-Americans were lynched, mostly in the Deep South.

Graphic descriptions of assaults, mob violence, and lynchings make up a big part of this book.

The novel opens when Ben returns to his hometown after an absence of six years. He finds that many of his former friends and neighbors are upset with his outspoken opposition to Jim Crow and lynching. He does, however, have some loyal friends, including Elizabeth Begley, Ben's first flame. Well, the fire is still there, although both Ben and Elizabeth have married others.

The book explores in depth the tension between Ben and the white residents of Eudora. Many of them come to despise Ben for his support of African-American equality. This group includes Ben's estranged father, a local judge, who ends up presiding at the book's centerpiece, the "trial" of three whites who murdered two people during a raid on Abraham Cross's home.

Ben becomes the subject of obscene taunts and insults. He is placed in grave peril.

This book does not approach the level of, say, To Kill a Mockingbird, a classic work with a similar theme. But Trial is still very interesting; it's a "page turner" of the sort perfected by Patterson, featuring short, fast-paced chapters. It deals with an important topic of which many Americans have limited knowledge. It kept me enthralled; I finished it in about twelve hours.

Several of the characters are painted with a very broad brush; they are either really good or horribly evil. More subtle portrayals would have strengthened the work. And, it seems to me the authors were trying to capture the authentic feel of a memoir by having the central figure, Ben Corbett, narrate the story. This tactic succeeded for the most part, but sometimes the book had an awkward air of melodrama.

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know (Hardcover)

2009-09-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

Review
"Discover why your dog is so sensitive to your emotions, gaze, and body language. Dogs live in a world of ever-changing intricate detail of smell. Read this captivating book and enter the sensory world of your dog." -- Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human

"Inside of a Dog is a most welcome authoritative, personal, and witty book about what it is like to be a dog. This engaging volume serves as a corrective to the many myths that circulate about just who our canine companions are. I hope this book enjoys the wide readership it deserves." -- Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals and Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals (with Jessica Pierce)

Product Description
What do dogs know? How do they think? The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human.
Inside of a Dog is a fresh look at the world of dogs -- from the dog's point of view. As a dog owner, Horowitz is naturally curious to learn what her dog thinks about and knows. And as a scientist, she is intent on understanding the minds of animals who cannot speak for themselves.

In clear, crisp prose, Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs' perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draws a picture of what it might be like to be a dog. What's it like to be able to smell not just every bit of open food in the house but also to smell sadness in humans or even the passage of time? How does a tiny dog manage to play successfully with a Great Dane? What is it like to hear the bodily vibrations of insects or the hum of a fluorescent light? Why must a person on a bicycle be chased? What's it like to use your mouth as a hand? In short, what is it like for a dog to experience life from two feet off the ground, amidst the smells of the sidewalk, gazing at our ankles or knees?

Inside of a Dog explains these things and much more. The answers can be surprising -- once we set aside our natural inclination to anthropomorphize dogs. Inside of a Dog also contains up-to-the-minute research -- on dogs' detection of disease, the secrets of their tails, and their skill at reading our attention -- that Horowitz puts into useful context. Although not a formal training guide, Inside of a Dog has practical application for dog lovers interested in understanding why their dogs do what they do.

The relationship between dogs and humans is arguably the most fascinating animal-human bond because dogs evolved from wild creatures to become our companions, an adaptation that changed their bodies, brains, and behavior. Yet dogs always remain animals, familiar but mysterious. With a light touch and the weight of science behind her, Alexandra Horowitz examines the animal we think we know best but may actually understand the least. This book is as close as you can get to knowing about dogs without being a dog yourself.

Best Dog Book Ever, September 17, 2009
By Ettore Schmitz

As an avid reader of dog literature I approach each new entry in this field with a mix of trepidation and eagerness. Will it merely be a rehash of things I already know? Will it be a sophmoric jumble of memoir and whimsy? Or will this be the book that truly broadens my understanding of the world of canids? Inside of a Dog falls into the last category - plus some.
This book is hands down the finest exploration of canid intelligence that I have ever read. Horowitz writes with a crisp, almost puckish tone - it draws the reader in effortlessly. The book is a delightful blend of an examination of the latest developments in the world of scientific study of dog cognition, and Horowitz's own experiences with her dog as she became one of the scientists who study this animal.
She is one of those writers of whom you think that they could make anything seem interesting. It is to our benefit that she has chosen to do this with dogs.

It's good, but not fantastic. Not many spoilers in this review., September 17, 2009
By M. Carterette (Oakland, CA)

After having read this book weeks ago (advanced copy), I was left a little unsatisfied. I'd give it 3.5 stars if could.

It's more of a cursory glance at canine cognitive ethology rather than a definitive volume, but if you're looking for a good introductory to canine cognitive ethology, this would be a great starter. The anecdotes are sweet and the science is pretty good, and written in a way that the regular Joe Dog Guardian can read it without breaking his brain.

HOWEVER. There is one VERY glaring "scientific" experiment that I feel she used for a bad conclusion, a conclusion whose inclusion of the flawed scientific experiment betrays the entire premise of the book itself.

In the section on "Hero Dogs" (dogs that have responded to emergencies and saved the lives of their owners and people in general), Horowitz details what she calls a "clever experiment" with dogs where

"owners conspired with the researchers to feign emergencies in the presence of their dogs, in order to see how the dogs responded. In one scenario, owners were trained to fake a heart attack, complete with gasping, a clutch of the chest, and a dramatic collapse. In the second scenario, owners yelped as a bookcase (made of particleboard) descended on them and seemed to pin them on the ground. In both cases, owners' dogs were present, and the dogs had been introduced to a bystander nearby--perhaps a good person to inform if there has been an emergency.

In these contrived setups, the dogs acted with interest and devotion, but not as though there was an emergency...

...In other words, not a single dog did anything that remotely helped their owners out of the predicaments. The conclusion that one has to take from this is that dogs simply do not naturally recognize or react to an emergency situation--one that could lead to danger or death." (pp.239-240)

I really don't understand how she could have come to this conclusion after having written over 200 pages on how a dog sees, smells and relates to its world (the "umwelt" of a dog). She didn't consider that the dogs knew that their owners were faking? She wrote herself that a dog can sense the most minute changes in a person's own body chemistry, right down to sensing cancer and other things like an increase in heart rate or adrenaline. A person faking a heart attack isn't going to have the same body chemistry/physical changes that a person having a REAL heart attack is going to have, so in a sense--there is no faking a heart attack around your dog (believe me, I've tried, LOL--it was only playing/testing, but none of my dogs seemed to care if I plopped over in bed, "dead"). Same goes for adrenaline levels when you're in immediate danger, like when you're drowning (and I believe this was one of the examples she used just before this horrible "deduction" of hers; a dog saved the life of a child that was going to drown). And if a person was faking being hurt under a particleboard bookcase, I'm pretty sure that the dog could sense that, too.

Anyway. That was the only part of the book that REALLY got me going "Hmmmnnn...no." Other than that, it's a good read, but left me wanting more (a whole lot of it sucks you in, but then you're left with a little bit of an unsatisfied thirst for more science and more talk about how dogs are in the world; the end chapter seemed a little rushed to me, too).

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

2009-09-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

Review
“Women facing poverty, oppression, and violence are usually viewed as victims. Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s Half the Sky shows that unimaginable challenges are often met with breathtaking bravery. These stories show us the power and resilience of women who would have every reason to give up but never do. They will be an inspiration for anyone who reads this book, and a model for those fighting for justice around the world. You will not want to put this book down.”
-Angelina Jolie

“I read Half the Sky in one sitting, staying up until 3 a.m. to do so. It is brilliant and inspirational, and I want to shout about it from the rooftops and mountains. It vividly illustrates how women have turned despair into prosperity and bravely nurtured hope to cultivate a bright future. The book ends with an especially compelling ‘What you can do’ to exhort us all to action.”
-Greg Mortenson, author, Three Cups of Tea

“If you have always wondered whether you can change the world, read this book. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn have written a brilliant call to arms that describes one of the transcendent injustices in the world today–the brutal treatment of women. They take you to many countries, introduce you to extraordinary women, and tell you their moving tales. Throughout, the tone is practical not preachy and the book’s suggestions as to how you can make a difference are simple, sensible, and yet powerful. The authors vividly describe a terrible reality about the world we live in but they also provide light and hope that we can, in fact, change it.”
-Fareed Zakaria, author, The Post-American World

“I think it’s impossible to stand by and do nothing after reading Half the Sky. It does what we need most, it bears witness to the sheer cruelty that mankind can do to mankind.”
-George Clooney

“It’s impossible to exaggerate the importance of this book about one of the most serious problems of our time: the worldwide abuse and exploitation of women. In addition to describing the injustices, Kristof and WuDunn show how concerned individuals everywhere are working effectively to empower women and help them overcome adversity. Wonderfully written and vividly descriptive, Half the Sky can and should galvanize support for reform on all levels. Inspiring as it is shocking, this book demands to be read.”
-Anne Rice

“Half the Sky is a passionate and persuasive plea to all of us to rise up and say ‘No more!’ to the 17th-century abuses to girls and women in the 21st-century world. This is a book that will pierce your heart and arouse your conscience. It is a powerful piece of journalism by two masters of the craft who are tireless in their pursuit of one of the most shameful conditions of our time.”
-Tom Brokaw

“The stories that Kristof and WuDunn share are as powerful as they are heartbreaking. Their insight into gender issues and the role of women in development inspires hope, optimism, and most importantly, the will to change. Both a brutal awakening and an unmistakable call to action, this book should be read by all.”
-Melinda Gates

“An unblinking look at one of the seminal moral challenges of our time. This stirring book is at once a savage indictment of gender inequality in the developing world and an inspiring testament to these women’s courage, resilience, and their struggle for hope and recovery. An unexpectedly uplifting read.”
-Khaled Hosseini, author, The Kite Runner

“More than just journalism . . . [Half the Sky] is unashamedly intended to outline a problem and convince its readers to take action to solve it . . . The problem here is the invisibility of the oppression, the silence and powerlessness of the humiliated and the uneducated, the indifference of the unknowing world. It becomes clear that the answer is to bring what is hidden into the light . . . and to make it matter . . . In the book, Kristof and WuDunn have done exactly that.”
-Rohini Pande, Harvard Magazine

“A brilliantly argued case for investing in the health and autonomy of women worldwide . . . Far from merely making moral appeals, the authors posit that it is impossible for countries to climb out of poverty if only a fraction of women participate in the labor force.”
-Publishers Weekly

Great book! It's about time, September 10, 2009
By gabrielle (columbus, ohio)

I read the excerpt of this book in the NY Times and it looks like the rest of the book is equally good. I am particularly thrilled to see so many great nonprofit groups getting recognition. In particular it was gratifying to see attention being given to the work of Tostan (chapter 13)--they have been working beneath the radar for too long and it's time more people knew about their groundbreaking work.

Kristoff and WuDunn deserve credit for using their position as journalists to keep so many important issues in the limelight. Especially the struggles women face around the world. As they say, it is only by empowering women that we will find the solutions to many of the great challenges of our day.

Stunning and Powerful, September 10, 2009
By Monica M. Harrington (Seattle, WA)

When I read an advance copy of this book, I was so stunned that I contacted the authors and told them I wanted to do whatever I could to help get the word out. It is a compelling and important work -filled with riveting anecdotes and a powerful, optimistic message about the opportunity we all have to support a movement that has the power to transform lives around the world. Read the book, and then go to [...] to learn more about how Lifting Women Lifts the World.

Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party (Hardcover)

2009-09-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Review
"With scarcely more than a pith helmet, a notebook, and a tattered copy of Escape from Freedom, Erich Fromm’s great study of authoritarian psychology, the dauntless Max Blumenthal set forth years ago to explore the dank forests of American Christianism. Now he has returned to civilization, bringing back a fine collection of shrunken heads and a riveting account of a religio-political subculture that’s even weirder than you thought it was. Republican Gomorrah is an irresistable combination of anthropology and psychopathology that exerts the queasy fascination of (let’s face it) something very like pornography."
—Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker

“A brave and resourceful reporter adept at turning over rocks that public-relations-savvy Christian conservative leaders would prefer remain undisturbed.”
—Rick Perlstein, New York Times Book Review

“Max Blumenthal’s bold and brash reporting style should not overshadow his keen understanding of the extremist ideology that passes for “conservatism” in America today. A witty writer who thinks for himself, he shows the mainstream media where the story is, not vice versa. And his short videos have transformed the conservative crack-up into must-see TV.”
—Joe Conason

Product Description
Over the last year, award-winning journalist and videographer Max Blumenthal has been behind some of the most sensational (and funniest) exposes of Republican machinations. Whether it was his revelation that Sarah Palin was "anointed" by a Kenyan priest famous for casting out witches, or his confronting Republican congressional leaders and John McCain's family at the GOP convention about the party's opposition to sex education (and hence, the rise in teen pregnancies like that of Palin's daughter), or his expose of the eccentric multimillionaire theocrat behind California's Prop 8 anti-gay marriage initaive, Blumenthal has become one of the most important and most constantly cited journalists on how fringe movements are becoming the Republican Party mainstream.

Republican Gomorrah is a bestiary of dysfunction, scandal and sordidmess from the dark heart of the forces that now have a leash on the party. It shows how those forces are the ones that establishment Republicans-like John McCain-have to bow to if they have any hope of running for President. It shows that Sarah Palin was the logical choice of a party in the control of theocrats. But more that just an expose, Republican Gomorrah shows that many of the movement's leading figures have more in common than just the power they command within conservative ranks. Their personal lives have been stained by crisis and scandal: depression, mental illness, extra-marital affairs, struggles with homosexual urges, heavy medication, addiction to pornography, serial domestic abuse, and even murder. Inspired by the work of psychologists Erich Fromm, who asserted that the fear of freedom propels anxiety-ridden people into authoritarian settings, Blumenthal explains in a compelling narrative how a culture of personal crisis has defined the radical right, transforming the nature of the Republican Party for the next generation and setting the stage for the future of American politics.

Max Told The Truth About Me, My Father and My Evangelical World, September 7, 2009
By Frank Schaeffer

By Frank Schaeffer

For me reading Max Blumenthal's Republican Gomorrah is a look into a mirror. That might be because Blumenthal extensively interviewed me and drew rather heavily on my book "Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back" as a reference for his in-depth exposé of what has gone so very wrong with the Republican Party. He's on my turf so I happen to know he's telling the truth as its not been told before. But there's more.

Republican Gomorrah is the first book that actually "gets" what's happened to the Republican Party and in turn what the Republicans have done to our country. The usual Democratic Party and/or progressive "take" on the Republican Party is that it's been taken over by a far right lunatic fringe of hate and hypocrisy, combining as it does, sexual and other scandals with moralistic finger wagging. But Blumenthal explains a far deeper pathology: it isn't so much religion as the psychosis and sadomasochism of the losers now called "Republicans" that drives the party. And the "Christianity" that shapes so much "conservative" thinking now is anything but Christian. It's a series of deranged personality cults.

Th e Religious Right/Republicans have perfected the method of capturing people in personal crisis and turning them into far right evangelical/far right foot soldiers. This explains a great deal that otherwise, to outsiders, seems almost inexplicable--the why and wherefore of "Deathers" "Birthers" et al. Blumanthal brilliantly sums up this pathology as:

"...a culture of personal crisis lurking behind the histrionics and expressions of social resentment. This culture is the mortar that bonds leaders and followers together."

Tracing the thinking of the fathers of the Republican Party, including my dad, the late Francis Schaeffer, who I teamed up with when I was a young man to help launch the Protestant wing of the "pro-life" movement, along with other such as Rousas John Rushdoony and the philanthropist Howard Ahmanson -- who used to donate generously to my far right work -- Blumenthal explains where the current Republican Party came from. He also details who it's foundational thinkers were, and just why it's still so dangerous. (A threat proved again this summer as the gun-toting fringe derailed the health care reform debate.)

He has their number. For one thing this book -- at last! -- will forever put James Dobson where he belongs: onto the top of the list of the American n ational rogue's gallery of mean-spirited, even sadistic, cranks.

Blumenthal first came to my attention when he was doing his in-depth reporting on Sarah Palin. He was a guest on a TV program I was on too. There was something accomplished and in depth about the quality of his reporting on religion that I hadn't seen from other progressive sources. I've been following his work since. Blumenthal understands the philosophy, psychology and religion of Religious Right figures like Palin, Dobson, Robertson et al in a way that no other reporter (with the exception of the always amazingly perceptive Jeff Sharlet author of The Family) does.

Now, having read Blumenthal's book I know why he seems to really understand the nuances of far right religion. No one else has ever investigated this subject with as much insight into the psychological sickness that is the basis of the Religious right's power to delude other people who are also needy and unstable.

In another time and place the despicable (and sometimes tragic figures) Blumenthal describes would be the leaders of, or the participants in, local lynch mobs, or the followers of the Ku Klux Klan. But today figures such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson, (the late) Jerry Falwell, Newt Gingrich, and Sarah Palin have led a resentment-driven second American revolution, not just against Democrats and progressives but against the United States of America itself. And this group of outsiders (in every sense of that word ) now control one of our major political parties.

As I explained to Blumanthal when he interviewed me, one of the reasons I left the far right movement in the 1980s was because I perceived20it becoming the bedrock of anti-Americanism. The worst things got the better we right wing activists liked it. We loved crisis. We manufactured crisis! Crisis (public or personal) would force the country to embrace our radical solution: a radical turn to Old Testament law that would put homosexuals to death, see adulterers stoned at the city gates and so forth.

There were exceptions to the hard edge, my late father Francis Schaeffer was one. And Blumenthal (in his chapter on Dad and I) describes how my father was a compassionate man who opened his ministry to all before something "snapped" after the Roe v. Wade decision when he became a leader in the pro-life movement.

But with a few exceptions (like my late father) most of the people described in Blumenthal's book have no "other side" to them. They are the sick bedrock of what, at any moment, may become a full-blown American fascism. (Sharlet has done great work on showing how these Religious Right folks have also invaded the US Military, especially the chaplaincy ranks.)

My one -- very slight -- criticism of Republican Gomorrah is that Blumenthal neglected to do something that would have bolstered his arguments and given them deeper credibility: introduce a bi t of paradox and nuance into his book. He could have made a better case for the left by frankly looking at some of the extremism on the left that has played into the hands of the cynics who control the Religio us Right: for instance the the way Roe v. Wade was (in the view of many liberal pro-choice advocates) a tactical mistake preempting what was already happening in states including California and New York, in terms of legalizing abortion, and thereby galvanizing the culture war as we know it. And in the same vein perhaps when it comes to the current ethics of abortion and porn Blumenthal's case would be stronger if he had pointed out that there are many progressives, who have serious moral qualms on these issues as well.

That said Blumentha's case against the Religious Right is breathtakingly damning. What these folks want -- to destroy our pluralistic democracy and replace it with theocracy -- appears so far-fetched to most Americans that unfortunately their agenda is not taken seriously. The great service Blumenthal performs is to not only enlighten those who didn't grow up in the movement (as I did, sad to say) but to offer a genuine warning as to the seriousness of what these people will unleash if not stopped, then stopped again and again--because they are here to stay. And they just happen to control the republican Party!

Why should Blumenthal's book to be taken seriously? Take it from this former "insider" he knows what he's talking about. Hi s thesis is less about politics than about the deviant psychology that people like Dobson have cashed in on by feeding delusion, victimhood and failure as a means through which to build a political movement. What Blumenthal reveals20is the heart of the most dysfunctional and truly dangerous -- not to mention armed -- darkest reaches of our country.

What should we "do"? Read the book! Then fight like hell to keep Republicans out of power come what may. And maybe (note to progressives!) be a little less critical of President Obama and a little more grateful that he's in the White House!

Once in a while a book comes along about which one can say: If you love our country read this! Republican Gomorrah is one such book. One other thing: if you know any sane Republicans that would like to save what's left of their party beg them to read this book. If you have to beg them in the name of Jesus!

Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams (Hardcover)

2009-09-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

Review
"I have been struck by epiphany after epiphany listening to these tapes...!" -- Steve Bailey, Simi Valley, California

"I was blown away! I squealed with delight! TTFN, FFL" -- Teddi Williams, Lake Wales, Florida

"Just a little feedback on the tapes...GREAT, FABULOUS, THE BEST! Thank You from the UK!!" -- Rosemary Homer, Bristol, England

Among the "big boys" (Robbins, Dyer, Nightingale, etc.), Dooley is the most literate and professorial... a dazzling intellect. -- Los Angeles Entertainment Today, February 7, 2003 --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review
"Infinite Possibilities is the perfect book at the perfect time. It is full of wisdom, answers, and guidance -- a unique combination that is guaranteed to help anyone during times of change and transition. I loved it." -- Ariane de Bonvoisin, bestselling author of The First 30 Days

"Having been a fan of the 'big boys' -- Anthony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Earl Nightingale, et al. -- I came away with the realization that Dooley is the most literate and professorial of them all." -- Roger Yale, Los Angeles Entertainment Today

"I am so excited about this book! Mike Dooley has given every human soul a great and wonderful gift. He shows us in the clearest terms yet just how to produce what God has always intended for us: a life of joy unbounded!" -- Neale Donald Walsch, author of When Everything Changes, Change Everything and Conversations with God

"This book is your ticket to living. After experiencing Infinite Possibilities, you will never see life from the same perspective." -- James Van Praagh, author of Unfinished Business

Great Self Help Tool - Unique and Original, October 24, 2003
By hkd_999 "hkd_999" (Bay Area - CA, USA)

This is a set of twelve audio tapes (or CDs). The over-riding theme revolves around the old saying that "As one thinks so shall one become" with a lot of other secondary themes and principles. The way in which Mike Dooley speaks and the way he uses logic and deduction makes his ideas quite credible, inspiring and frankly unique compared to a lot of other similar material. The beauty of these tapes is that there are twelve separate themes -- from relationships to beliefs to Q&A and more.
Overall his methods and approach are the opposite of dogmatic and are very positive, open-minded and at least for my tastes not overly spacey or new-age. I would have to say that his approach to describing God is one of the most convincing, practical and realistic that I have heard.

Mike professes to start each day with a cigar and a cup of coffee which I think is pretty cool and shows that he is pretty much living a life like everyone else and not a guru or too "new-age" so to speak.

Right On!, September 10, 2009
By Eco-Friendly Interior Designer (New York, New York USA)

I just love reading books about the law of attraction, so I grabbed Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley. This book is based on Dooley's highly successful audio tapes, published in 2001.

I found this book to be engaging, thoughtful and entertaining. Dooley knows the subject of the law of attraction very well.

According to Dooley, the book is about "learning of your power and responsibilities." It is also about understanding our divine powers.

The key is to learn how to train our thinking to direct our experience, something Dooley assures us that we are capable of doing, as humans are infinite and powerful "fun-loving gladiators of the universe." In other words, we have been around forever, in a different form, in the universe. As gladiators, we created our human form. We are connected to God because God lives within us and throughout the universe.

Change comes from our imagination (infinite and powerful!), our beliefs and expectations. "There is nothing you can't do, nothing you can't have, nothing you can't be," according to Dooley. How we think creates our world and our feelings and emotions can make our dreams a reality. When you desire something, picture the end result very clearly--be specific.

When we want a particular outcome--a job, romance, etc.--we should act as if it already has occurred. If you are seeking a partner, buy 2 tickets for an event, for example. Plan as if it has already occurred.

In the tools and techniques chapter, Dooley recommends visualization, vision boards, scrap books and meditation, among a few other things. All good stuff. As I mentioned, I have read numerous books on the law of attraction. I would also recommend some Feng Shui to add to the power of manifesting--it works. Try my favorites--Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet and Feng Shui Tips.

There is also a question and answer chapter on frequently asked questions. I love how he writes, act like life is "easy and fun and knowable and it becomes that."

The book concludes with a pep talk on appreciating self as the unique being each and every one of us is.

Highly recommend!

OSHO: Books I have Loved

2009-09-08T11:46:00.001-07:00

Ohhhh this is so great.... to hear OSHO say this.....!!!

A Gate at the Stairs [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

2009-09-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Uncertain brilliance, August 19, 2009
By Robert Holland "quiltchannel.com" (Decatur, GA USA)

Like other reviewers I come to this novel as an admirer of Lorrie Moore's piquant short stories, which render with deftness and sympathy the oddness, pleasure, and pain of being human. All of Moore's strengths as a writer -- her ability to find just the right off-the-wall metaphor, her comic sidewise advance on the most painful experiences, her sardonic wit -- are on display here. But the space afforded her by the longer form appears to have reduced her vigilance in maintaining the economy and precision of her shorter fiction. Too much of a good thing is sometimes just too much.

There were long (they seemed long anyway) stretches in the novel where I wanted to say "OK, I get the point! These people are callow and self-absorbed." Or where I wished she had stopped after the first, or even the second, mind-bending metaphor for the same observation.

And then there is the plot, which hangs together only tenuously. Tassie at school and Tassie at home seem largely unconnected, and there are elements of suspense introduced that trail off into nothingness. Perhaps this could be explained as imitative of life, but it often seems to be gratuitous.

Tassie's family is eccentric, a pleasure we have come to expect from Moore, but too often these people come off as self-parodies. The early character development of Tassie's brother Robert is a caricature that doesn't really pave the way for the depth of grief that engulfs the end of the novel.

Tassie is an interesting character and an entertaining narrator, but her insouciance and diffidence distance us from her throughout, and we never really fully penetrate her self-protective shield. In the end I agree with the reviewer who said that Moore would be better served by leaving the undergraduate world behind and finding adult company.

The Groves of Academe, redux, August 15, 2009
By M. Feldman (Bowdoin, Maine, USA)

A version of the first chapter of Lorrie Moore's "A Gate at the Stairs" recently appeared as a short story in "The New Yorker," and on the strength of that, I was excited to read the whole novel. The protagonist, Tassie Keltjin, a young woman from a small town who is a freshman at a Midwestern university, is very appealing in her awkwardness, her wry comments on life, and her growing self-awareness. Moore has a sharp eye for the pretensions of a college town, such as the fraught "support group" conversations that ensue when Tassie's employer, Sarah Brink (a perfect surname you'll discover), adopts a bi-racial child. The parts of the novel that center on this adoption process and on Tassie's relationship with the child are the strongest in the novel. I also loved the account of Tassie's rather aimless, unsupported academic life (and the goofy courses she takes). There are actually two narratives in "A Gate at the Stairs:" the first centers on Tassie's college life and the second on her home life. These two worlds do not intersect and the home narrative is much less successful. For reasons I couldn't fathom, Moore gives Tassie an unhappy Jewish mother who behaves oddly (she orders things online and never opens the boxes, for instance), although the reasons for her unhappiness are never divulged. I sensed that Moore was less comfortable with this material; the latke (potato pancake) frying scene was completely weird and wrong, for instance. (You don't grate potatoes the day before you make latkes, unless you enjoy fermentation and strange colors, and you certainly don't slap them together like a hamburger patty, as Tassie does.) The dad, an alternative-type farmer who grows heirloom potatoes for the kind of precious "gourmet" restaurant run by Sarah, is also unhappy, as is her brother, who escapes by joining the army. The Keltjins' hometown, with which they don't have much to do, is small in size and narrow-minded in outlook. None of this really hangs together the way the parts of the novel set in the college town do. It's stock parochial small town stuff, and it isn't improved at the end by the pastoral rhapsodies that Tassie indulges in after her life has taken a few strange turns, including a connection (rather unconvincing, I thought) to the post-9/11 world. Moore is a good writer, and "A Gate by the Stairs" is definitely worth a read, particularly for its satirical send-up of the kind of college town where naive small town freshmen stumble into courses like "Soundtracks to War Movies" and where Tassie meets her PE requirement AND gets a humanities credit for "The Perverse Body/The Neutral Pelvis." She finds out a lot about that, although not in class.

NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children (Hardcover)

2009-09-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Review
"NURTURESHOCK is one of the most important books you will read this year. Bronson and Merryman move parenting out of the realm of folklore and into the realm of science -- and reveal what decades of studies teach us about the complexities of raising, happy, healthy, self-motivated kids. As a writer, I was impressed by the prodigious research and keen analysis. As a father, I was consumed with taking notes and exhilarated by all I learned." (Daniel H. Pink, author of A WHOLE NEW MIND )

"A provocative collection of essays popularizing recent research that challenges conventional wisdom about raising children...[Bronson and Merryman] ably explore a range of subjects of interest to parents... Their findings are often surprising. For example, in schools with greater racial diversity, the odds that a child will have a friend of a different race decrease; listening to "baby DVDs" does not increase an infant's rate of word acquisition; children with inconsistent and permissive fathers are nearly as aggressive in school as children of distant and disengaged fathers. Bronson and Merryman call attention to what they see as two basic errors in thinking about children. The first is the fallacy of similar effect-the assumption that what is true for adults is also true for children. The second-the fallacy of the good/bad dichotomy-is the assumption that a trait or factor is either good or bad, when in fact it may be both (e.g., skill at lying may be a sign of intelligence, and empathy may become a tool of aggression.) The authors also provide helpful notes for each chapter and an extensive bibliography. A skilled, accessible presentation of scientific research in layman's language." (Kirkus )

Product Description
In a world of modern, involved, caring parents, why are so many kids aggressive and cruel? Where is intelligence hidden in the brain, and why does that matter? Why do cross-racial friendships decrease in schools that are more integrated? If 98% of kids think lying is morally wrong, then why do 98% of kids lie? What's the single most important thing that helps infants learn language?
NurtureShock is a groundbreaking collaboration between award-winning science journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. They argue that when it comes to children, we've mistaken good intentions for good ideas. With impeccable storytelling and razor-sharp analysis, they demonstrate that many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring--because key twists in the science have been overlooked.
Nothing like a parenting manual, the authors' work is an insightful exploration of themes and issues that transcend children's (and adults') lives.

It's not what you think. It's more than you know., July 3, 2009
By switterbug "laughingwild" (Austin, Texas United States)

Parenting books are ubiquitous. How to sift through and determine which are worthy? I have a teenage daughter and have read quite a few. Even when I thought I was impressed, there was always something nagging at me about them. I determined that many of the books had an outside or hidden agenda, which was to socialize parents according to a specific sheep-herding mentality. Often, a social consciousness or a reaction to a negative social consciousness about raising children informed these "manuals." In other words, the science behind the thinking was weak--they were often politically charged or reactionary.

The blurbs about this book intrigued me, but I was also skeptical--until I read the first chapter on the inverse power of praise. Parents and guardians--just get ye to a bookstore and read the first chapter. I think you will be galvanized by its immediacy and logic (as well as back-up data) and it will inspire you to continue. It all clicked when I read about our praise-junkie tendencies, and how it has a paradoxical effect. The authors never condescend to us; they maintain that all of us want to make the best and most informed decisions. For instance, most of us start telling our babies, from the cradle "You are so smart" as almost a mantra of parenting. The authors do not criticize positive praise--they are revealing the data for specific types of praise. Telling a kid he or she is smart rather than specifically praising them for their efforts will eventually backfire. The child will have a tendency to not put out a lot of effort when they are challenged because they are stymied by the feeling that they have to stay smart, or that they must be NOT smart if they can't solve a problem or puzzle. Telling a kid (s)he is smart is praising an innate feature that is out of the child's control. Praising them for each genuine effort (whether they solved a problem or not) will have a better outcome. I cannot convey to readers the way that these authors channel and support this information--the statistical data and the entire beautiful logic of it--you must read it for yourselves.

The chapter on race relations also woke me out of a deep slumber of complacency. Too often, parents try to teach their kids equality just by placing them in diverse environments or showing them videos of multicultural friendships and cooperation. The book explicated a longitudinal study done by Dr. Bigler in Austin, Texas that revealed the lack of actual parent/child discussion on racial equality. That is the key ingredient to integration. Silence is not golden--(silence is black and white, and never the twain shall meet)--it is the wrong kind of colorblind. Just read this chapter and it will open your eyes.

Each section is such a wake-up call to parenting that I found myself reflecting on the blind spots in my own methods--not in an immolating way, but rather in an "aha!" manner. It isn't guesswork or just someone's opinion. The longitudinal studies, ongoing tests, data compilation, and control studies are explicit. But, more than that, you will feel a light bulb go off--it is seriously the most intrepid book I have ever read on parenting. No exaggeration. I can apply the book's information to my own parenting experiences and trials and realize how on the mark these studies are.

There is a chapter on sleep--its bearing and consequences on child performance, on obesity, and on mood. This section alone is worth the price of the book. I learned which parts of the sleep cycle are integral to the storage of which information. They describe the parts of the brain being affected when information is received and when sleep is disrupted. But, more importantly, the authors lay out the pitfalls of losing just 15 minutes or an hour of sleep--so many teenage problems are associated with this that some trailblazing schools are finally arranging the hours of education based on these studies. But more schools need this call to action. And we need to encourage a positive sleep pattern with our children. I know this sounds de rigueur and obvious. But this chapter on sleep is way more comprehensive than anything I have read before, and profound. Almost everything in the quality of your children's lives depends on it.

One of my favorite sections was the one that is like a riptide into everything you thought you knew about your child's language acquisition. Baby Einstein? Fuhgettaboutit. And don't try teaching your children a foreign language by popping in a Spanish DVD and parking them in front of the TV. Not going to happen. As a matter of fact, it will have a deleterious effect. A child needs a "live" person to learn. Additionally, it is the call and response between parent and baby that is the key to increasing their vocabulary and comprehension. Baby Einstein videos are like disembodied voices that do absolutely zip for their education. Sesame Street in Spanish is just as ineffective. Please read the chapter--the whole controversy is revealed when the studies proved that these baby videos are empty and hollow forms of education.

Perhaps my personal favorite is the chapter on teen rebellion. I recognize the arguing and lying of children in a whole new way now. How and why children cultivate what we think of as egregious behaviors usually stems from a psychologically astute and desirable place in their hearts and growth. It is the same with arguing. We need to shed our preconceptions and outmoded concerns about teen compliance, obedience, and integrity and understand the necessary steps in their development. There is a paradox about child/teen lying--it is expected, but it still must be dealt with.

And there is more--sibling rivalry, IQ testing, testing for elite schools at an early age, self-control, and playing well with others are covered immaculately.

Yes, it will blow the lid off, turn upside down just about everything previously advocated in parenting books. But not in a confounding way. That is an important ingredient to consider. This book, the way I apprehend it, is not intended to upset or horrify you or derail your parenting experience. (Although, by its very nature it does derail previous long-held concepts, but in a compassionate way.) As a matter of fact, it provided clarity into numerous bogus concepts and the pious conditioning that we have been hanging onto for years. Additionally, it offers specific practices and interventions that can be measured rather swiftly in your own home with these changes to your personal parenting skills. As much as this book "shocks," it is not intimidating or finger-pointing at parents (although it does point a finger into disingenuous studies). The accessible and engaging flow of narrative is dotted with levity, lightness, and always benevolence. I read this book in just a few sittings and I retained the information well. It is easy to go back and reference what you read, as the chapters are laid out in an explicit, user-friendly manner.

Slide your other parenting books to the side of the shelf and place this one squarely in the middle. I acknowledge this book as a parenting imperative. Read it and leap.

How Children Work, July 10, 2009
By W. Mate "I love books" (Beverly Hills, CA USA)

I learned to cast a suspicious eye toward some who are regarded as childhood "experts" after getting to know the adult offspring of a few prominent figures in the field who were navigating adulthood with considerably more difficulty than the average person. So I particularly like the holes that Bronson and Merryman poke in some of the previously accepted academic theories and trends in child development. I also think that some of the "new" academic data presented in the book is something that many parents will simply (and hopefully) recognize as common sense.

The chapters in the book are all very interesting, covering babies and teens and much of the in between. The chapter on testing for giftedness, which has become a hot button topic of late, is very thought-provoking. I agree with the authors that most gifted programs have run badly amok, but as one who had many years of experience at a private school for highly gifted children, I know that there are children who, in an average school environment, would be teased mercilessly for their ability to relate better to numbers and books than to their classmates. For highly gifted girls in particular, a school such as that can be a very safe place for them to be very smart.

The chapters on false praise, sibling rivalry, teen rebellion and overly-involved parenting speak more to an affirmation of common sense wisdom than to academic breakthroughs, but the research and studies are fun to read nonetheless. The chapters on race, sleep and lying are quite thought-provoking. Overall, the book is well written (not in florid or garbled academia-speak), very well researched, and the authors succeed in offering quite a few new, and fun, things to learn about children.

End the Fed (Hardcover)

2009-09-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

Review
"Rarely has a single book not only challenged, but decisively changed my mind. "
--Arlo Guthrie

"Everyone must read this book -- Congressmen and college students, Democrats and Republicans -- all Americans. The Federal Reserve, which serves private banks, has compromised our economy and is undermining our freedom. It can and must be stopped now. Ron Paul shows us how and why we must end the Fed. Read this book!"
--Vince Vaughn

Product Description
In the post-meltdown world, it is irresponsible, ineffective, and ultimately useless to have a serious economic debate without considering and challenging the role of the Federal Reserve.

Most people think of the Fed as an indispensable institution without which the country's economy could not properly function. But in END THE FED, Ron Paul draws on American history, economics, and fascinating stories from his own long political life to argue that the Fed is both corrupt and unconstitutional. It is inflating currency today at nearly a Weimar or Zimbabwe level, a practice that threatens to put us into an inflationary depression where $100 bills are worthless. What most people don't realize is that the Fed -- created by the Morgans and Rockefellers at a private club off the coast of Georgia -- is actually working against their own personal interests. Congressman Paul's urgent appeal to all citizens and officials tells us where we went wrong and what we need to do fix America's economic policy for future generations.

Ron Paul's Long Fight and the Window of Opportunity, August 30, 2009
By Citizen John (Washington, DC)

Author Ron Paul, M.D., a medical doctor and Republican Congressman for Texas, introduced H.R. 833. This bill would abolish the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and repeal the Federal Reserve Act. The majority of bills never make it out of committee, but Dr. Paul has appealed to the public through his new book, End the Fed.

Ron Paul has had some success advancing his other bill, H.R. 1207: Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. H.R. 1207 has 282 co-sponsors and would reform the manner in which the Federal Reserve is audited. Paul's long term motivation for entering politics and fighting uphill all these years is his views on the nature of money. He wants money of real value, not political money. There is no other elected official like Ron Paul.

Paul is solidly on the side of the Austrian School of economics. His upbringing is inspirational and conveys the frugality and ethic of savings that used to be common in this country. Like Paul, I developed an interest in coins. I collect nickels. I first got interested in nickels when I realized that some from the 1920s are still circulating. They don't buy as much now but they're virtually indestructible. They're made of the more expensive base metals: 75% copper and 25% nickel. My nickel collection weighs a lot because it doesn't take a lot of money to own hundreds of pounds of nickels. Like Paul, I believe the U.S. Mint will make steel coins within several years.

End the Fed offers easy-to-understand solutions to our problems: live within our means, stick to the Constitution and make the legal tender of the country sound money. Because of his lifelong passion, personal integrity and courage, the bills he is sponsoring and this well-written book, I must award the maximum number of Amazon stars - 5 stars. I don't think there's a way to reform the Fed. We have to end the Fed. My personal opinion is that we need a central bank, but let's start over.

It feels good to know we have Ron Paul in Congress. Still, End the Fed provoked feelings of outrage. To consider all the abuse of monetary power and its effect on our lives captured in one book is almost overwhelming. In places I realized how naïve I had been earlier with regard to my faith in the Fed. For example, I had earlier bought into a particular idea espoused by Bill Gross, founder of PIMCO (Pacific Investment Management Company). Gross correctly predicted the crisis and prescribed a Keynesian approach, eloquently advocating that the Fed should dramatically increase the size of its balance sheet (by trillions) to counterbalance the lack of asset carrying capacity of the public. It was a beautiful theoretical approach but in practice it fell due to corruption. Ron Paul did not believe in that approach because he didn't trust the Fed. Paul turned out to be correct.

Ron Paul spent his entire professional political career fighting the secrecy of the Fed in order to prevent the collapse that occurred. His book shows that economic growth slowed after the establishment of the Federal Reserve, explains how the Fed made a depression into The Great Depression and how the Fed burdens the middle class with the stealth tax of inflation. Whenever credit cycles reach their peak and a financial accident occurs, the Fed pours out liquidity at the cost of runaway federal debt that never gets paid back. Paul convinced me that our military engagements would not have played out as they did if our government had to pay for them by raising taxes the old fashioned way rather than finance them with endless sales of Treasury bonds.

There are several arguments made against maintaining the powers of the Fed. One is that it has not performed well. Another is that it should not have authority to oversee monetary policy without any accountability. Yet another is that non-transparent financing has encouraged some political leaders to take an aggressive approach to war.

Paul's bill, H.R. 1207 would allow genuine auditing of the Federal Reserve. This would open a Pandora's Box. Auditors would find out where all the public money went, report it to Congress, and make the information public. Then investigations into the scandal would become the hallmark of the next several years and could even contribute to civil unrest if the foreclosure rate increases. I feel that Paul's arguments for ending the secrecy of the Fed are irrefutable. I believe any thinking person will arrive at the same conclusion if they read the book.

The Fed is fighting this bill on several fronts and has the means to win. If H.R. 1207 passes the House and the Senate, President Obama will almost certainly veto it. One naturally wonders if any sitting President can stand up to the Fed or even be elected without the Fed's imprimatur. The Fed is determined to never allow such a bill to go this far again. However, if the public becomes truly engaged, all bets are off and then even H.R. 833 might get co-sponsors.

Several issues will emerge if and when the Fed's disbursements of public funds get made public. Most involve the favoritism with which the Fed distributed liquidity. We know that bailout money went to where wealth was already concentrated, the big banks. Small banks were generally excluded. We know that money was routed through entities in order to pay the politically powerful investment banks, where the public made good on unregulated derivatives bets. We might even find that some well-connected hedge funds were bailed out. While money is fungible, we're likely to be surprised at the amount that ended up as executive bonuses.

H.R. 1207 is intended to audit the Fed's dealings with financial entities of all types, foreign and domestic. Ron Paul says he does not intend for the Congressional investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), to influence monetary policy or to interfere with the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which sets interest rates. The Fed has counterarguments that H.R. 1207 will subject interest rates to the political influence of Congress. The Fed doesn't want to let any outsiders in on the secrets of their transactions. As author David Wessel has warned, the Fed has become the fourth branch of government and it is not directly accountable to voters.

H.R. 833 would abolish the Fed, the subject of the book. This is the type of thing many lawmakers probably privately believe is in the best interests of the country, but will not risk their careers by co-sponsoring. Nevertheless, this is the first time a well-known person (Ron Paul) has tried to persuade Congress to end the Fed.

Recall that many people were questioning whether the pushing out of credit during the time of the Bush Administration was creating a housing bubble. Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan would only allow that in some parts of the country things were "frothy." He denied the bubble when it was obvious. Greenspan at the same time verbally encouraged mortgage equity withdrawals by homeowners. This turned out to be a trap for many trusting citizens. Homeowners trusted the Fed.

Later Mr. Greenspan insisted that one cannot spot a bubble before it bursts. However, the following is a selection of high-profile people that clearly identified the housing bubble and predicted a possible financial collapse: Ron Paul, Nouriel Roubini, David Walker, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Joseph Stiglitz, Stephen Roach, Stephanie Pomboy, Naomi Klein, Robert D. Manning, Danny Schechter, Juliet Schor, Alf Field, Peter G. Peterson, John Rubino, Daniel A. Arnold, John R. Talbott, Park Dae-sung, Bill Gross, Jim Sinclair, John Mauldin, Fred Hickey, Robert J. Shiller, Barry Ritholtz, Marc Faber, Richard Rainwater, George Soros, Peter Schiff, Bob Bixby, Martin Weiss, Robert Prechter, David Tice, James D. Scurlock, Elizabeth Warren and Paul Krugman.

The Fed got supercharged when circumstances became unusual and exigent. That gives the Fed unlimited power to create and disburse money. The Fed with its battalions of $350K/yr economists decided that public money would be used to make good on unregulated derivatives in the case of AIG, for example. This meant more than $173 billion of public funds went to AIG and then a lot of that got routed to AIG's derivatives counterparties. We don't know how much went to which counterparties because the Fed isn't telling. We do know that this action saved the bonus system. This generosity with public funds toward financial industry leaders made a hero out of Ben Bernanke. End the Fed would stop this abuse for good.

As background, AIG derivatives traders appear to have deliberately written and sold losing derivatives. These derivatives methodically took the wrong side of the bet but matured years later, so they wouldn't be exercised for some years. In return for taking the wrong side of the bet, they received cash up-front. Goldman Sachs and many investment banks from around the world bought into the scheme, which promised enormous returns that one could never get in a normal investment, but they had to pay AIG a fee for each contract.

AIG immediately took the windfall cash receipts and paid them out as huge multi-million dollar bonuses. When the derivatives matured, AIG would owe a magnitude beyond anything any corporation on earth could pay. But the Fed could pay up if and only if circumstances were unusual and exigent. That is how the Great Panic saved the leaders of the financial industry and preserved the bonus system.

Much information about money movements continues to be withheld from Congress. The Fed strategically placed almost $2 trillion in the financial sector in addition to other financial commitments, and there is more than one way to find out where the money went. Bloomberg news service is using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Fed is resisting and this is the most famous FOIA case of our time. At the heart of the case were attempts by the Fed to benefit from being a private agency when that was beneficial and a governmental agency that was beneficial. The court ruled that the Fed must make this information public. The Fed has until September 30 to appeal the decision.

Meanwhile, H.R. 1207 is languishing in committee in the House of Representatives. US Representative Barney Frank (D), representing the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts is responsible for this holdup, preventing Ron Paul from calling expert witnesses to testify. By holding up the bill in committee, Frank is giving time for the Fed's lobbying effort to turn things around in the House. I fear the Fed can selectively dispense liquidity as concessions for votes.

We now know that when circumstances become unusual and exigent, the Fed is able to exercise unlimited power. Catching the nation at its most vulnerable moment, at the end of the second term of a disengaged president, the Fed distributed liquidity with incredible unfairness. Citizens know we are not beneficiaries of Fed largess. One only needs to visit a bank for a mortgage or business loan to confirm it. This has put the Fed on the defensive for the first time in its history.

In response, the Fed implemented a public relations campaign. Bernanke went on 60 minutes and made a fine appearance. Bernanke also recently starting telling the public what it wants to hear, basically that we've hit bottom and we're on the way up again. Of course, he always hedges himself by adding disclaimers such as warnings about slow growth and possible job growth lag. These pronouncements appear to be part of an extensive defense of the Fed's actions, and an effort to buy time.

Eventually new events and stories will emerge to dominate media coverage and capture the public's attention. The Fed is counting on that. Also, in a display of raw power, the Fed hired a former Enron lobbyist as its own lead lobbyist to Congress. Congressional votes are now in play, worked by top gun Fed lobbyists. Whatever the price, the Fed has "crossed the Rubicon." In other words, Ron Paul is outgunned and we have only a short window of time to get the public on board.

Finding Organic Church: A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities (Paperback)

2009-09-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Review
A Book Long Overdue
In my opinion, this book has been long overdue. For many years we have needed a book that draws both from the New Testament and current practical experience in the areas of church planting and sustaining. Some very helpful books from the last century were Watchman Nee's "The Church and the Work" and Roland Allen's "Missionary Practices: St. Paul's or Ours'?" which are both quoted in Viola's new work. However, what has been needed is a fresh look with current real-life experience in this arena. We have needed someone to give modern day language within the context of what God is doing today. Frank Viola does just that in "Finding Organic Church." He skillfully draws from both the New Testament and over twenty-one years of experience planting and working with New Testament style churches. This piece of work will be invaluable to anyone who seeks to be involved in such churches and especially those who feel called by God to plant them. The book is divided into four main parts:

* Planting the Seed - Biblical Principles for Church Planting
* Tilling the Ground - Answers to Questions
* Cultivating the Soil - Practical Steps for Beginning
* Pulling the Weeds - Health and Development
In all of these parts, Viola takes the biological (organic) view of the church, as given in the New Testament, and weaves that theme into all of his points. Then he dives into each one of those areas that include: The need for itinerant church planters, God's way of planting churches, objections and questions, practical help for meetings and community life, the stages of an organic church, the seasons of an organic church, the diseases of an organic church, and how a worker cares for an organic church. This book thoroughly covers the topics of finding, planting, and sustaining organic expressions of the church. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is truly a treasure that is chock full of resources and helpful to anyone involved in or interested in God's way of planting and developing His church on the earth today. - Rebuilders, 2009 --Rebuilders, 2009

The author of "Pagan Christianity?" (with George Barna), "Reimagining Church," and the bestselling "From Eternity to Here" has written a detailed manual on how to start and sustain an organic church. Everything from what to do with the children, to the developmental stages of church growth, to the diseases of an organic church and their cures are all covered in this comprehensive volume. Church planting principles for organic styled churches are packed together with the author's practical experience of living in and starting such churches. Each chapter is full of advice, outlining the unique problems that such churches will face and their solutions. Church planters of all types will benefit from this book as well as those wishing to explore an alternative way of church gathering. Christian Book Reviews, 2009 --Christian Book Reviews

Product Description
From the author of Reimagining Church comes an essential guide that provides practical, effective tools for finding vibrant Christian communities. Driven by a passion for the body of Christ, Frank Viola has written some of today's most authoritative and celebrated works on the growing home, organic, and missional church movements. Now Viola shares practical keys to a healthy and successful church plant. Viola contends that many congregations today are struggling to survive, not because of bad planning, but poor planting. He presents an essential guide for starting and nourishing organic churches in any culture. Drawing from both Scripture and a wealth of experience, Viola offers real-world tools, insights, and practical suggestions so churches won't just grow, but thrive.

A new look at planting and sustaining organic church, September 1, 2009
By Chad Estes (Boise, Idaho, USA)

"Finding Organic Church" is Frank Viola's newest book in his growing library of resources for understanding and operating as the Body of Christ. This book builds upon the work done in the series by detailing how an organic expression of the church is started and can be sustained. It is easy enough to jump right into the discussion with this newest offering, but it will make you hungry for what has come before. Save your pennies, you will want the whole set.

Viola again has done his research on the topic; the chapters are full of quotes and footnotes from other authors. It makes this book an extremely valuable resource for students or potential church planters who have immersed themselves in this discussion. At the same time the writing is friendly and does not read as an academic book. It is both thorough and passionate.

Rather than build a view of church planting around theories, Viola presents principles that he finds in scripture as well as his own church planting experience. His presentation encouraged me to ask questions and to try to understand how I had previously interpreted these passages. He suggests that "most Christians are stuck in the prevailing paradigms that dominate the religious world today." I for one do not want to be a slave to paradigms, but want to be free to discover God's purposes for his beloved bride. This book is helping me in that regard.

Finding Organic Church is presented in four sections:
* Planting the seed - Biblical principles for church planting
* Tilling the ground - answers to questions
* Cultivating the soil - practical steps for beginning
* Pulling the weeds - health and development

Whether you are a student, pastor, church planter or just see yourself as the average, Joe Christian, there is value in this book for you. Even if you don't agree with all of Viola's premises you will be challenged with this discussion and will find great values to hold fast to.

The Practical Answers You've Been Waiting For, September 1, 2009
By Derek Mooney (GA USA)

If you've read Viola's other books, you've likely had a ton of questions about what to do next. This book shares Frank Viola's insights and experience into discovering church as an organic expression of Christ rather than as a religious institution. This book is helpful for those curious about organic church, but also for those looking to plant or care for an organic church. It includes a lot of perspective into the New Testament approach to church planting and care, specifically relating to Paul's ministry in Ephesus, Rome and other cities, how that was a natural extension of Christ's ministry, and how that ministry continues today in an organic way.

The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care (Hardcover)

2009-08-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

From Publishers Weekly
Washington Post correspondent Reid (The United States of Europe) explores health-care systems around the world in an effort to understand why the U.S. remains the only first world nation to refuse its citizens universal health care. Neither financial prudence nor concern for the commonweal explains the American position, according to Reid, whose findings divulge that the U.S. not only spends more money on health care than any other nation but also leaves 45 million residents uninsured, allowing about 22,000 to die from easily treatable diseases. Seeking treatment for the flareup of an old shoulder injury, he visits doctors in the U.S., France, Germany, Japan and England—with a stint in an Ayurvedic clinic in India—in a quest for treatment that dovetails with his search for a cure for America's health-care crisis, a narrative device that sometimes feels contrived, but allows him valuable firsthand experience. For all the scope of his research and his ability to mint neat rebuttals to the common American misconception that universal health care is socialized medicine, Reid neglects to address the elephant in the room: just how are we to sell these changes to the mighty providers and insurers? (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
Bestselling author T. R. Reid guides a whirlwind tour of successful health care systems worldwide, revealing possible paths toward U.S. reform.

In The Healing of America, New York Times bestselling author T. R. Reid shows how all the other industrialized democracies have achieved something the United States can't seem to do: provide health care for everybody at a reasonable cost.

In his global quest to find a possible prescription, Reid visits wealthy, free market, industrialized democracies like our own-including France, Germany, Japan, the U.K., and Canada-where he finds inspiration in example. Reid shares evidence from doctors, government officials, health care experts, and patients the world over, finding that foreign health care systems give everybody quality care at an affordable cost. And that dreaded monster "socialized medicine" turns out to be a myth. Many developed countries provide universal coverage with private doctors, private hospitals, and private insurance.

In addition to long-established systems, Reid also studies countries that have carried out major health care reform. The first question facing these countries-and the United States, for that matter-is an ethical issue: Is health care a human right? Most countries have already answered with a resolute yes, leaving the United States in the murky moral backwater with nations we typically think of as far less just than our own.

The Healing of America lays bare the moral question at the heart of our troubled system, dissecting the misleading rhetoric surrounding the health care debate. Reid sees problems elsewhere, too: He finds poorly paid doctors in Japan, endless lines in Canada, mistreated patients in Britain, spartan facilities in France. Still, all the other rich countries operate at a lower cost, produce better health statistics, and cover everybody. In the end, The Healing of America is a good news book: It finds models around the world that Americans can borrow to guarantee health care for everybody who needs it.

This book should be required reading for every American, August 24, 2009
By Michelle Long (Boise, ID)

I am a nursing student. I returned to college after 20 years in hospitality and project management in order to realize my dream of a career focused not on money but on providing care to the most vulnerable. One disturbing pattern has cropped up in my education- the emphasis (when studying the importance of avoiding potentially life threatening errors) placed more on avoiding liability than on the well-being of the patient (or "client" as we are now taught, in this money-driven society). It also strikes me that I have never heard it suggested that a health care professional should be painstaking in her work in order to prevent avoidable errors that would bring dishonor to herself or her profession. The focus is on avoiding "costly" errors.

This is where Mr. Reid's book is a most welcome addition to the conversation on health care in America. He shows us that it is possible to have an excellent health care system that is focused on the well-being of the patient and not the all-mighty dollar. He also breaks down a complicated subject into an enjoyable reading experience, with prose that is clear and intelligent and often humorous.

I find it extremely disappointing that so many Americans blindly buy into the myths about the "poor" health care available in other rich, developed nations (every one of which, with the sole exception of the U.S., provide universal health care) while touting false grandiose statements about the superiority of American medicine.

Mr. Reid explains the reality of the better and cheaper health care systems of nations like Switzerland and Japan in terms (to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson) "so plain and firm as to command their assent." He also introduces us to health care professionals who are driven not by monetary motives but by a desire to heal and prevent illness.

If you believe that access to health care (note, I did not say free health care) is a basic human right, then buy this book. Actually, if you are simply interested in learning the honest facts on the ground- buy this book.

BEST WRITTEN MOST INFORMATIVE, August 25, 2009
By Charles Parselle (United States)

I bought this book after reading Jacob Weisberg's review in Newsweek. It is the best thing on the subject for the following reasons: 1. It is well written even funny in places. 2. It is very informative. 3. It presents comparative data both as to health outcomes and also ways of paying for health care 4. It is non-partisan, even though by the end one wonders why we Americans are paying so much for health outcomes that are actually worse than any comparable country. 5. It is revealing as to the complexity of the US; for example, I didn't know that as many as 80 million Americans are already covered by systems nearly identical to the British or Canadian, i.e. medicaid, medicare, military, veterans and Department of Indian Affairs - who would have thought that? But 45 million others are not covered at all. Everyone else is covered, more or less, by insurance and so are the Germans, French and Japanese etc. But what a difference in the insurance systems! In the other countries you get insurance just like here EXCEPT THAT 1. you cannot be denied 2. you cannot be cancelled 3. everyone is covered and 4. your premiums are regulated by government which of course is what the entire debate is about. Because here the insurance industry is for profit and the premiums reflect that fact, the amazing fact that US health is the USA's largest industry by far, larger that the State of California, four times larger that the military, in fact US health would be the world's 8th largest country. No wonder the debate is so fierce. This excellent books set it all out readably and comprehensively.

The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships (Paperback)

2009-08-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Includes a BONUS CD on the Law of Attraction!

This Leading Edge work by Esther and Jerry Hicks, who present The Teachings of Abraham, will help you understand every relationship you are currently involved in as well as every relationship you have ever experienced.
This book uncovers a myriad of false premises that are at the heart of every uncomfortable relationship issue, and guides you to a clear understanding of the powerful creative Vortex that has already assembled the relationships that you have desired. Abraham will show you how to enter that Vortex, where you will rendezvous with everything and everyone you have been looking for.
Abraham says: “It is our desire to help you to solve the mystery of those seemingly impossible relationships; to sort out the details of joyously sharing your planet with billions of others; to rediscover the beauty of your differences; and, most of all, to reestablish the most important relationship of all: your relationship with the Eternal, Non-Physical Source that is really you.
“It is our desire that you experience an enhanced appreciation of your planet; your body; your family; your friends; your enemies; your government; your systems; your food; your finances; your animals; your work and your play; your purpose; your Source; your Soul; your past, your future, and your present. . . ."

About the Author
New York Times best-selling authors Esther and Jerry Hicks produce the Leading Edge Abraham-Hicks teachings on the Art of Allowing our natural Well-Being to come forth. Open workshops held in up to 60 cities per year inspire a regular flow of Abraham books, CDs, and DVDs.

Makes You Feel Like a Winner!, August 13, 2009
By Eco-Friendly Feng Shui Practitioner

I am a big fan of Esther and Jerry Hicks and have read and have enjoyed many of their books.

The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships, is the third in a series of four. It follows the wonderful Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness. (FYI...the fourth book is about Spirituality, and the Law of Attraction.)

The crux of Abraham's teaching: "The basis of life is freedom; the results of life is expansion--and the purpose of life is joy."

This book is about creating joyful relationships. The book is divided into 6 parts; all but the last address how to bring joy into relationships.

* Learning how to bring joy into the different types of relationships we have (coworkers, friends, government, etc.)
* Finding and attracting the perfect mate
* Sexuality
* Parenting--creating positive, joyful relations with children
* Self appreciation--discover your true self and learn awareness of your Vibrational Vortex of Creation.
* Transcript of Abraham

To understand your relationships, you go into the vortex. "The Vortex is the place in which you feel good about yourself. It is the place in which you are closest to 'Source. 'Source' energy is like a vortex of good feelings, of liquid love (as Abraham puts it) of peace and wellbeing, joy - everything that we naturally are."

To access the vortex, you do things that make you feel good. It is in the space of the vortex that the law of attraction takes hold--your good feelings will guide you to other people with good feelings and WHAM...stuff starts happening like you meet your soul mate! "You must make what you want a more dominant part of your Vibration than what you have; once you are consistently doing that, what you want and what you will have will intertwine, and you will be living your desire."

When we are in alignment--in the vortex--we draw all good things to us--people, situations, etc. It's a win-win.

Once we are in alignment with our Source, we connect with our higher selves; with the God within us. The key to getting inside the Vibrational Vortex of Creation is to be in the state of appreciation of self.

Ultimately, The Vortex guides us through the exercises that will make us feel good about ourselves and our relationships.

I am an interior designer specializing in Feng Shui, and I have practiced the law of attraction for years and have helped numerous clients of mine manifest their desires using the LOA. As I did in my review of MONEY, I highly recommend the award winning book, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET along with THE VORTEX, for a few more secrets and unique ideas to finding and keeping love and relationships strong. Finally, the original THE LAW OF ATTRACTION is still a terrific primer.

Ester and Jerry Hicks have written a clear and easy to follow guide to help you live your higher purpose. Highly recommend!

A BOOK FOR EVERYONE!!!, August 22, 2009
By Apryl Reimers-Faw "Apryl" (SanFrancisco Bay Area, California)

Even though each person is different and has different views in life...EVERYONE should learn from this book to create perfection in their own personal lives for today and for tomorrow. If everyone knew the universal truths in this book (which we all DO know to be truth, but some have forgotten), the planet would then have true peace and utopia even within our diverse population and diverse (and beautiful) cultures. I personally LOVE the parenting chapter and family aspects. If Abraham-Hicks released a parenting book, it would make all other parenting/family books obsolete because Abraham-Hicks is based on facts, not opinions. Tried and true! This is information at the source! The world is changing, growing and becoming the beautiful creation that we are making it and will make it. Just don't watch the news and you'll see that to be more of the truth than the media lets everyone believe. Joy to everyone!

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) (Hardcover)

2009-08-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

About the Author
SUZANNE COLLINS's debut novel, Gregor the Overlander, the first book in the Underland Chronicles, received wide praise both in the United States and abroad. The series has been a New York Times bestseller and received numerous accolades. Also a writer for children's television, Suzanne lives with her family in Connecticut.

And you thought the Capitol couldn't get any more twisted..., July 7, 2009
By S. Hughes

If you thought the Capitol couldn't get any more twisted... you were wrong.

The highly-anticipated sequel to The Hunger Games is the kind of novel that has you pulling back to take a breath and go, "How did the author think of this?" (if you can stop turning the pages long enough to breathe)

Catching Fire picks up right where Hunger Games left off. Unrest in the Districts is growing at an alarming pace and Katniss unwittingly finds herself the figurehead for the movement against the Capitol. The characters you loved return for the sequel and the reader must endure each indignity the Capitol inflicts upon them. It is painful, tortuous, imaginative and motivating. It is everything The Hunger Games was and more. It both answers your lingering questions and creates so many new ones. It challenges you to think and creates such feelings of empathy for the characters that whenever I had to put the book down, I was genuinely worried for leaving the characters hanging and couldn't wait to pick it back up just so they could continue fighting for their lives and freedoms.

Everything I loved about The Hunger Games is present in Catching Fire: the unique and engrossing storyline; characters so thoroughly and beautifully described they start to feel like friends; a fantastical setting that is both real and sad; and language that is easy to read and yet conveys such a profound meaning. It has action, romance, horror, hope, despair and, most of all, humanity. It has sci-fi and politics yet, unlike a lot of books on the market, they are not "in your face" and are completely approachable.

Due to elements of violence and some light romantic scenes, I would recommend it for 13+. That being said, I would recommend it for ANYONE 13+ of any reading taste or background: as a bookseller and a recent library school graduate, these are the books I find easiest to recommend to anyone I meet.

I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the third and final book to come out. After reading Catching Fire, I know you will be too.

No sophomore slump here, August 1, 2009
By Jennifer (Bayville, NJ United States)

I got a galley at the BEA Conference this year. Before I started to read, I was terrified that Suzanne Collins couldn't possibly live up to my expectations after the extraordinary Hunger Games. I'm thrilled to say that she did not let me down. I don't want to give anything away as it would only ruin the rollercoaster ride of a read, so suffice it to say that all of our favorite characters are back to join Katniss as the spark of revolution catches fire. Collins is masterful. The story is at once personal to Katniss, Peeta & Gale, but it also makes social statements that can apply to society at large. Characters show the best and the worst of humanity. And at several points, I found myself finishing a chapter, stunned at the turn of events. Collins kept me on the edge of my seat. I hope she's writing quickly, because I can't wait for the concluding volume of this amazing trilogy.

That Old Cape Magic [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

2009-08-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

A Q&A with Richard Russo

Question: Apparently there is a wedding phenomenon you have termed "Table 17." What exactly is that and how does it relate to this novel?

Richard Russo: A few years ago my wife and I were invited to a wedding and were seated at what was clearly a "leftover" table. It reminded me of the final teams who get into the NCAA tournament. You can tell by their seeding that they were the last ones in, that they almost didn't make the grade. Table 17 works thematically in the novel because being among strangers, not sure whether you belong, may be the main character's future if he can't find a way to slow his downward spiral.

Question: You have said that That Old Cape Magic began as a short story. What was the moment you knew it was calling out to be a novel?

Richard Russo: Griffin, my main character, begins the story on his way to a wedding with his father's urn in the trunk of his car. I planned for him to scatter the ashes (his past), put his future in danger at the wedding (his present) and then pull back from disaster at the last moment. But then he pulled over to the side of the road in his convertible to take a phone call from his mother, at the end of which a seagull sh**s on him. At that moment, in part because Griffin blames her, he and I both had a sinking feeling. You can resolve thematic issues of past, present and future in a twenty page story, but if you allow a sh**ting seagull into it, you’ve suddenly moved on to something much larger.

Question: Why did you choose the Cape?

Richard Russo: For some time I've been fascinated with the idea of "a finer place" (see Lucy Lynch and Bobby Marconi in Bridge of Sighs). I'm talking about both fiction and real life. Why do people believe that happiness is more likely to find you in one place than another? It has something with what you can and can't afford, what you think you'll one day be able to swing if things go well. Except that even when they go well, you discover it's still unaffordable, which gives the desired place a magical quality. The faster you run toward it, the faster it runs away from you. I chose the Cape because it's always been expensive and just keeps getting more so, but it could have been any number of similar places. For Griffin's parents, two academics, a house on the Cape would have always been just beyond their reach. One of their many dubious genetic gifts to Griffin is a sense that happiness is always on the horizon, never where you're standing. Very American, I think.

Question: That Old Cape Magic is book ended by two weddings and becomes the story of Griffin's own marriage as well as that of his parents and the impending one of his daughter. Is there some loaded charge to weddings that unleashes the past and threatens the future in a way unlike other events? Or, in other words, what were you up to in framing your story with two weddings?

Richard Russo: It probably won't surprise readers to discover that both my daughters were married during the time I was writing this book, which, if it does well, will pay for their weddings. One of our girls was married in London, which except for the expense made things easier on my wife and me. Living in the states, how much could we really be blamed for things that went wrong so far from home? Our other daughter was married in the coastal Maine town where we live, and her wedding was therefore larger. My wife and I feared that our families, who were largely unknown to each other and living on opposite sides of the country (not to mention the political spectrum), might be fissionable. Mostly we feared for the family of the groom, and maybe even the town, since we hoped to continue living there. In the second wedding of That Old Cape Magic I imagined an absolutely catastrophic wedding in hopes it might act as a talisman against real-life disaster, which it appears to have done.

Planning your children's weddings also gets you thinking back to your own and making the inevitable comparisons. My wife and I were grad-student poor when we got married in Tucson, and our parents were only marginally better off. Our honeymoon was four days in Mexico. We'd booked the sleeper car but managed to arrive late, actually jumping onto the moving train. They'd given our sleeper to someone else and we had to sit in the aisles on our luggage for several hours until seats became available. Neither of us got a wink of sleep and, naturally, when we arrived in Mazatlan early the next morning, our room wasn't ready. We changed into bathing suits, went to the beach and immediately fell asleep under the brutal tropical sun. By the time we woke up we were burned so badly we couldn't touch each other for the rest of the trip. But we were young and the tacos were good and so was the tequila and we'd brought plenty of books and we talked about our future and who we'd be in that future, and pretty damn quick it was thirty-five years later. That's just about how long the Griffins have been married when That Old Cape Magic opens.

Question: Griffin's parents, both academics trapped in what they call the "mid f***ing west," are such wonderful, sometimes maddening, often hilarious, always surprising characters. You've mined the satiric potential of academia before, most notably in Straight Man. Have you been longing to go back there?

Richard Russo: I thought I'd got all the academic satire out of my system with Straight Man, but apparently not. Actually, since writing that novel I've entered another world—movie making—that would be equally idiotic except that instead of academic scrip it involves real money. In this novel, because Griffin's a former screenwriter, I got to compare lunacies. It wasn't a fair fight, of course. Academics are really the only ones in their weight class (heavy).

Question: At the start of the novel Griffin is a man in his mid fifties who seemingly has everything going for him, a great marriage, a great daughter, the career he aspired to, basically everything he had on his wish list when first venturing out in adulthood. Then, within a year, he watches it all come unglued. It’s amazing how quickly that can happen, no?

Richard Russo: That's the other similarity between this book and Straight Man. In both novels we watch men who are tenured in life. Safe, in other words. But there's just this one little thread on the sweater. You know you should clip it, not pull it, but there are no scissors at hand and what's the worst that can happen? The answer to that question, in this instance, is That Old Cape Magic.

Question: Have you actually ever been to a wedding where a guest was trapped in a tree?

Richard Russo: I myself have never been to a wedding where a guest got stuck in a tree, but we're attending a wedding on the Cape this summer and I have high hopes.

One man struggles to cope, August 13, 2009
By D. Kuski

Richard Russo made his mark in the literary world with his books Empire Falls and Bridge of Sighs. His newest novel, That Old Cape Magic, is about a middle-aged man that is having a difficult time coping with reality. Yet, while Jack Griffin is having trouble letting go of the past, the present is filled with slapstick-type comedy that Mr. Russo delivers with impeccable timing. And this, gives the reader a future filled with searches into their own life, lighten with comedy. It really was an enjoyment to read.

Well, let's get a little more in depth, shall we? As I mentioned prior, Jack Griffin, is the focal point of the story. He is a well-respected professor going through a mid-life crisis. At 55, he just lost his dad and will soon lose his daughter (she is getting married) this forces Jack to rethink his life. Most of the book is flashbacks from Jack's life. Jack's childhood was filled with despair. His parents were highly trained and brilliant professors, but their attitudes forced them to work demeaning jobs, well below their status.

As such, they also had a difficult time coping with reality. Always believing "the grass was greener on the other side" This leads to the title of the book. During the family's summer vacations, they would sing Frank Sinatra's song, That Old Black Magic, but since they vacationed in Cape Cod, they changed it to, That Old Cape Magic. This is key. The story begins with Jack driving over the same bridge his family crossed during those trips, singing that old tune, preparing to scatter his father's ashes on his way to his daughter's best friends' wedding.

The book's timeline is just about a year, and that year is packed full of wonderfully described locals, off-beat humor, soul searching, two weddings, incredible dialog, well-developed characters, and a plotline that delves the reader into their own search for answers. The book is good. Real good. But I could only give it 4-stars because it just doesn't quite live up to some of Russo's earlier works. Much like Jack and Joy Griffin, you can look at it two ways. Jack would say, this book deserves to be judged on its own merit. Joy would say, the author has raised the bar with his previous works and while good, That Old Cape Magic, falls just under that bar.

Another book I'd highly reommend is Clarence Cage's novel Ashes Divide: Ashes Divide (Four Horsemen Series, Book 1) the other great book I read this week.

Hmm . . . another meaningful bridge, August 5, 2009
By Dogberry "dogberrysheir" (Heading back to the bookshelves)

Since reading Straight Man, I have eagerly anticipated the release of each new Richard Russo novel, and That Old Cape Magic was no exception. The danger in anticipation, of course, is that the real thing just might not live up to your expectations. Following Bridge of Sighs and Empire Falls is no easy task, either. Can you guess where this humble review is headed? Yep, I was a bit disappointed in TOCM. Not overly so, and it's still a fine book and a very good story, and Russo still does his amazing job of capturing the essence of fascinating, but somehow still believable characters. His delicate mixing of humor and tragedy is still strong. His ability to get the reader into the scene is amazing, and he writes the marital argument better than anyone, I think. This book was missing some of the more comedic foils in Russo's other books, but he's still drawn together an impressive cast. So what's wrong with the book? Maybe it's just a bit short. Maybe there was more story to tell. That was the feeling I came away with. If you are already a Russo fan, by all means, pick it up and read it; it's better than 99% of the other novels on the shelf. If you are new to Russo, however, save this one for later. Go back to Nobody's Fool or The Risk Pool or the Pulitzer Prize winning Empire Falls. Solid three stars for now, but I reserve the right to come back and bump it a bit after I've reflected for a while.

The White Queen: A Novel (Hardcover)

2009-08-22T00:06:00.000-07:00

A Conversation with Philippa Gregory

Q: For readers who love your books set in Tudor England, what would you like them to know about the Plantagenets and the House of York?

A: I suppose I'd like them to know that here is a family just as fascinating as the Tudors, perhaps more so. Certainly, they are more complicated, more wicked, and more passionate--takers of great risk. I think people have been put off this period because it has been so well studied by military historians that it has been regarded as being just about battles. But there is so much more to it than this! The history of the women of the period has been very neglected because of this emphasis on battles and thus the male leaders.

Q: What appealed to you about using Elizabeth Woodville as the main character in a novel? In what ways do you think modern women can identify with Elizabeth?

A: The things I discovered about Elizabeth in the first days of my reading about this period told me at once that she would fascinate me, and she has done so. Her background as a descendant of a family who claim to be related to a goddess was enough to have me absolutely enchanted straightaway. It is in the historical record that her mother was widely believed to be a witch, and that charge was leveled at Elizabeth also. This is exciting enough, but it also indicates that people were afraid of Elizabeth's power, and I am interested in powerful women. I think she will fascinate modern women in the same way that many historical women strike a chord: despite so many changes in the world, women are still trying to find happiness, manage their children, seek advantage, and avoid the persecution of misogynists. As women of any time, we have a lot in common. Despite the amazing advances in the rights of women (and I am so grateful for these myself), the struggle for women's freedom, independence, and the right to exercise power goes on.

Q: Throughout the novel there are scenes relating the story of the goddess Melusina. Is this based on an actual historical fable, or is it something you created for the novel?

A: The fable of Melusina is well known, perhaps to everyone, in its retelling as the story of the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen and then in the Disney movie. As I say at the beginning of the novel, the legend of Melusina goes far back in time, perhaps to the classical legends, perhaps even earlier. The fable was studied by Carl Jung; Melusina has been identified as a form of the material of the world--the dark, watery element that combines with the sun in the alchemist's “chemical wedding.” This is a potent myth, indeed, and I retell the story here in a way that speaks to my characters and to me.

Q: “These are not chivalrous times; these are not the times of knights in the dark forest and beautiful ladies in moonlit fountains and promises of love that will be ballads, sung forever” (page 22), you write in The White Queen. Is there a tendency to romanticize history, both for writers and readers? How do you make sure to realistically portray all aspects of the time period you're depicting, even the more difficult ones?

A: Yes, indeed. These are not chivalrous times. I suspect that no times have ever been chivalrous times. We glamorize the past, and we romanticize it; we even look back at our own personal histories and cast a rosy glow or an enhanced dark shadow over our own childhoods. I keep my writing grounded in realism by reading a great deal before I start writing, by looking at the record with a critical eye, and by being skeptical of grandiose claims. Having said that, I too find it hard to resist the charm of Edward or Elizabeth or the marvelous character Jacquetta or any of the other powerful and interesting people who strove for themselves and for their families in these dangerous times. These are not chivalrous or romantic times, but they are times of danger--and in such circumstances one sees both the worst and best in people.

Q: What challenges, if any, did you face when writing about the battle scenes and the military strategy, which was often a crucial factor in determining who took the throne? Did you visit any of the places where the battles took place?

A: I became a researcher in military history, which is not my natural home! I visited battle sites and I read long and complicated descriptions of battles and the modern speculations. In the end I found myself absolutely intrigued and fascinated by how the battles were lost and won by small events, even sometimes by luck. The mist at Barnet is a recorded fact, and it was possible for me to weave it into the story of Elizabeth and her mother as well as to see it as a determining factor on the battlefield. The three suns of Towton were both a real phenomenon and a powerful metaphor for the troops. The history of battles is a central part to the story of the Cousins' War, and part of my task in this novel and the others in the series was to take this history, as I take any other, and make it come alive in the novel.

Q: The fate of Edward and Richard, the princes in the Tower, is a subject that has confounded historians for centuries. Why did you decide to approach this aspect of the story the way you did? Is there evidence to suggest that Elizabeth sent her son Richard into hiding and a page boy in his place to the Tower?

A: Part of my response to this story was simply emotional: I have a son of my own, and the thought of Elizabeth losing both her sons was tremendously painful. So I confess a bias to wanting at least one to survive. Then there is the historical evidence. A very interesting book by Ann Wroe, Perkin, suggested to me that the so-called pretender Perkin Warbeck might well have been the surviving prince, Richard. Her case for it is very compelling, as others have suggested too. There is other persuasive evidence that both boys were not killed as the traditional history (and Shakespeare) suggests. Even the traditional history--of them being suffocated in their beds in the Tower and buried beneath a stair--is filled with contradictions. If Perkin was Richard--and this is speculative history, as indeed all history around this genuine mystery must be--then Richard must have somehow survived. How could this have happened? It seemed to me most likely, not that he escaped from the Tower, but that he was never sent to it. His mother knew the danger her older son was in, had herself seen Henry VI murdered in the Tower, and was highly aware of the danger to her sons. It seemed to me most unlikely that she would hand over a second son when she had lost the first. The changeling page boy is my invention, but the history of Perkin in Flanders is based on his own confession. His story will continue in the series.

Q: Elizabeth's father says to her, “We are forming a new royal family. We have to be more royal than royalty itself or nobody will believe us. I can't say I quite believe it myself” (page 63). How unlikely was it that Elizabeth Woodville would become queen? How has she been remembered by historians?

A: Elizabeth's ascent to the throne is one of the great triumphs of a commoner and was considered so exceptional in her own time that one of the explanations offered was witchcraft. It is really a triumph of unlikely events. How unlikely that Edward, raising troops for a battle, would be diverted by a woman he must have met by chance? How unlikely that he would offer marriage when he knew as well as Warwick that to secure his reign he must marry well, preferably a European princess? How unlikely that even after a secret marriage he would honor his vows? It is a catalogue of unlikely events, and the only coherent explanation is that Edward and Elizabeth fell in love at first sight and married for love. Elizabeth, like many powerful and effective women, has been unkindly treated by historians. Some follow the gossip against her at the time that begrudged her good fortune; some point to the alliances she made for her family as symptoms of greed and self-aggrandizement. She gets little credit for surviving two periods in sanctuary, nor for her courage during the siege of the Tower. She is like many women “hidden from history” in the phrase of historian Sheila Rowbotham, and when her role is acknowledged she is often treated with very harsh criticism.

Q: Anthony Woodville, the queen's brother, seemed to be ahead of his time in regard to education and culture. What more can you tell us about him? Was Elizabeth honoring his memory by becoming a patroness of Queens' College Cambridge?

A: Elizabeth took over the role of patron of Queens' College from her predecessor Margaret of Anjou, but her interest in education and culture may have been inspired and would certainly have been encouraged by her brother, who was a true Renaissance man: spiritual, martial, thoughtful, and innovative. He brought the printer William Caxton to England and sponsored the first printed book; he was famous for his ability in the joust; and he was a loyal brother to Elizabeth and a devoted uncle to her son. The poem I quote in the book was indeed the poem he wrote the night before he died. We can only speculate as to the sort of man he can have been that he should spend his last hours on earth, not in rage or grief, but in crafting a poem of such detachment and clarity.

Q: If you could go back in time and live in any of the royal courts you've written about, which one would it be and why?

A: I would be absolutely mad to want to be a woman of any of these times. A Tudor or Plantagenet woman was wholly ruled by men: either father or husband. She would find it difficult to seek any education, make her own fortune, or improve her circumstances. Her husband would have a legal right over her that was equal to his ownership of domestic animals; and the chances of dying in childbirth were very high. If one could go back in time and be a wealthy man, these would be times of adventure and opportunity but still tremendously dangerous. I think I would prefer the Tudor period to diminish the danger of being killed in battle, but there were still regular plagues and foreign wars to face. I cannot sufficiently express my enthusiasm for modern medicine, votes for women, and safe contraception.

Q: The younger Elizabeth emerges as quite a vivid and spirited character. Will we be seeing more of her in a future book?

A: Elizabeth, the Princess of York, goes on to marry Henry VII and so is mother to a royal dynasty, just as her father and mother hoped they were creating a royal dynasty. She is, of course, mother of Henry VIII, and her granddaughter is England's greatest queen--Elizabeth I. Elizabeth of York will be the subject of the third book of this series, to be called The White Princess. But coming next is the story of the mother of Henry VII, the indomitable Margaret Beaufort, whom you may have glimpsed in this novel but who deserves a book all to herself. It is called The Red Queen.

Ms. Gregory is Back!, August 18, 2009
By Julie Peterson "Booking Mama" (Central PA)

I have been anxiously awaiting the new Philippa Gregory book THE WHITE QUEEN. Like many, I enjoyed THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL; however, I didn't exactly love the last book that I read by Ms. Gregory. I was sincerely hoping that THE WHITE QUEEN would love up to all its advance billing. After reading it (or you could say devouring it), I am so excited to say that Ms. Gregory is back. I loved THE WHITE QUEEN!

THE WHITE QUEEN is the first book in The Cousins' War Series. You can't see me, but I'm doing a little happy dance because that means there will be two more books about the Plantagenets -- THE RED QUEEN and THE WHITE PRINCESS. I am already excited about the release of the next book because I felt as if I was kind of left hanging at the end of THE WHITE QUEEN. I don't mean that in a negative way and I'm sure it was the author's intent, but I want to know what happens next!

While I definitely enjoy historical fiction, I am sadly lacking in knowledge about England and its Monarchy. As a result, I knew almost nothing about the Plantagenets except for a few small things that appeared as side stories in other novels. I can't tell you how much of this story is fact versus fiction; and frankly, I don't even care. I was fascinated by the story Ms. Gregory told about these characters' lives. THE WHITE QUEEN is better than any televised drama or movie I've ever seen. These characters are smart, determined, and ruthless; and I just loved reading about them.

I thought THE WHITE QUEEN had a little bit of everything; and I'm sure there is something in Elizabeth Woodville' s story that will capture your attention. First, THE WHITE QUEEN is just a fabulous historical story about the Cousins' War. There are so many scenes where brother is pitted against brother for control; and the characters involved have absolutely no idea who they can and can not trust. It was a great, suspenseful ride for the reader too! I also thoroughly enjoyed how Ms. Gregory used facts to tell the story while also embellishing the mysteries and holes in the characters' lives to make a very readable story. I realize that Ms. Gregory picked some fascinating people to write about, but a whole lot of credit goes to her for being such an amazing storyteller.

Another part of this story that will keep many readers entertained is the magical and sorcery elements. Elizabeth is said to be the descendant of a mythical water creature called Melusina. Ms. Gregory incorporated the myth of Melusina into the novel and actually used it as a recurring theme/symbol throughout the story. In addition, Elizabeth's mother practiced some examples witchcraft. Some people actually claimed that Elizabeth's mother put a spell on Edward to make him fall in love with her daughter. The character of Elizabeth also had premonitions about certain things and places in her life. She always had a bad feeling that something awful would occur in the Black Tower.

One of my favorite elements of the THE WHITE QUEEN was the love story angle. It seemed to me as if there was a perfect blend of romance and history in this book. Not only did THE WHITE QUEEN show the love affair between Elizabeth and Edward, but this book is also demonstrated the love between mothers and their children. More than once, I was amazed by what women did to protect their children especially in the case of Elizabeth and her sons.

THE WHITE QUEEN would make an excellent book club pick. In fact, if your group enjoys historical fiction like mine does, then you should definitely consider this book in the very near future. One added bonus is that the book is around 400 pages (shorter than many historical novels), and it is not at all overwhelming in scope. There is a great reading guide with fifteen questions that really allow you to delve into Elizabeth's life and her actions. Some of the topics for discussion include mother/daughter relationships, moral dilemmas, adultery, betrayal, and witchcraft. There is also a very interesting interview with Ms. Gregory that gives you some insight into the background of this novel.

Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) (Hardcover)

2009-08-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Product DescriptionAgainst all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

About the AuthorSUZANNE COLLINS's debut novel, Gregor the Overlander, the first book in the Underland Chronicles, received wide praise both in the United States and abroad. The series has been a New York Times bestseller and received numerous accolades. Also a writer for children's television, Suzanne lives with her family in Connecticut.

And you thought the Capitol couldn't get any more twisted..., July 7, 2009
By S. Hughes

If you thought the Capitol couldn't get any more twisted... you were wrong.

The highly-anticipated sequel to The Hunger Games is the kind of novel that has you pulling back to take a breath and go, "How did the author think of this?" (if you can stop turning the pages long enough to breathe)

Catching Fire picks up right where Hunger Games left off. Unrest in the Districts is growing at an alarming pace and Katniss unwittingly finds herself the figurehead for the movement against the Capitol. The characters you loved return for the sequel and the reader must endure each indignity the Capitol inflicts upon them. It is painful, tortuous, imaginative and motivating. It is everything The Hunger Games was and more. It both answers your lingering questions and creates so many new ones. It challenges you to think and creates such feelings of empathy for the characters that whenever I had to put the book down, I was genuinely worried for leaving the characters hanging and couldn't wait to pick it back up just so they could continue fighting for their lives and freedoms.

Everything I loved about The Hunger Games is present in Catching Fire: the unique and engrossing storyline; characters so thoroughly and beautifully described they start to feel like friends; a fantastical setting that is both real and sad; and language that is easy to read and yet conveys such a profound meaning. It has action, romance, horror, hope, despair and, most of all, humanity. It has sci-fi and politics yet, unlike a lot of books on the market, they are not "in your face" and are completely approachable.

Due to elements of violence and some light romantic scenes, I would recommend it for 13+. That being said, I would recommend it for ANYONE 13+ of any reading taste or background: as a bookseller and a recent library school graduate, these are the books I find easiest to recommend to anyone I meet.

I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the third and final book to come out. After reading Catching Fire, I know you will be too.

I wish I could give it 10 stars!!!, July 9, 2009
By Echo (Washington, DC)

When I read the Hunger Games, I read it straight through the night, from 1AM til 5AM. Couldn't stop reading even though I had to pee badly. After I finished it, I was dying for the sequel. DYING!!!! When I found out the ARC would be available in the spring, I bribed everyone I could think of to get me one. And yes, I got it. The day I got it, I couldn't look at it until 1AM again. This time, I promised myself, I would only look at the first chapter and then put it down. Riiiiight. It was 4:30AM when I finished reading and immediately began plotting to find out when the next book ARC would be available.

I thought the first one was fantastic. In the back of my mind I felt that the sequel just couldn't be as good. How could it? Boy was I wrong! It was even better! My heart was racing the whole time I was reading it and I simply couldn't put it down. I believe Ms. Collins is the MASTER of the pageturner. Every chapter ends with almost a cliffhanger feeling. It compels you to keep reading. It physically traps you into the book so that you just can't put it down. If you can't read this book in one sitting, then I urge you not to even look at it until you can. Like the first one, you will not be able to put it down. The house could have been on fire and I doubt I would have noticed.

Since we got to know Peeta and Katniss so well from the first one, what the sequel does is invest us even more deeply into their emotional well being. I won't give any other spoilers than what has already been said. So the book starts with Katniss as the face of the rebellion because of her act of defiance in the first book. As rebellion grows, the President sets up his revenge - and when I found out what it was, I literally sat up in bed and shouted "Oh NO! I can't believe they are doing this to them!!!" Yes I was talking to my book. That's how deeply this book sucks you into this amazing and disturbing dystopian world. It makes you want to grab up a weapon and join the rebellion.

One thing I have to say, I was deeply satisfied with the ending of this book. The first book ended in such a way that I was bothered by it and itchy for the next book. With the end of Catching Fire, I felt it was absolutely right and thrilled with the conclusion. But I'm still DYING for the third and final book of this amazing book series.

Smash Cut: A Novel (Hardcover)

2009-08-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Product Description
The latest thriller from "masterful storyteller" (USA Today) Sandra Brown
THE PRINCIPALS: Paul Wheeler: CEO of the Wheeler Enterprises empire, is shot dead during an armed robbery. Julie Rutledge: A savvy, cultured, and attractive Southern woman, was hand-inhand with Paul Wheeler at the time of his death. Derek Mitchell: A defense lawyer of renown, he goes to the mat to make a case for every client -- and headlines for himself. Creighton Wheeler: The prodigal nephew of Paul and a playboy with a passion for movies. Even those closest to Creighton can't be sure when he exits reality and enters the fantasy world of films.

STORYBOARD: The murder of Paul Wheeler has all the elements of a blockbuster: family rivalries, incalculable wealth, and a prominent man dying in the arms of his beautiful mistress. It's a case that could earn Derek Mitchell even greater star power. When the Wheeler family approaches him about defending Creighton for his uncle's murder -- even before he's charged -- he jumps at the chance.

Although Creighton has a rock-solid alibi, Julie is convinced that he is responsible for Paul's murder. Caught in several lies, and keeping secrets from Derek and the police, Julie is suspected of casting blame on Creighton to cover her own crime. Meanwhile, Derek fears he's being duped...yet he burns with jealousy when he thinks of Julie with her late lover. But the more Derek learns about Creighton, the more he doubts the young man's innocence. And hiding in a squalid motel under an assumed name is the one man, a career criminal, a killer, who knows the truth. The clock ticks down toward a shocking ending that can't be known until the final SMASH CUT.

Unabridged Compact Disk Includes a Bonus MP3 CD of Sandra Brown's The Switch!

About the AuthorSANDRA BROWN is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers--including most recently Smash Cut, Smoke Screen, Play Dirty, Ricochet, Chill Factor, White Hot, Hello, Darkness, The Crush, and Envy. She is the recipient of the 2008 Thriller Master Award from International Thriller Writers, Inc. She and her husband live in Arlington, Texas.

Lost in a world of sordid lust and carnal desires, August 11, 2009
By Lace Merlinds

Sasha Brown is among the best writers that adds suspense-filled overtones to an underlining romantic plotline. Her newest book, Smash Cut, is just another example of her brilliant pen work. The book begins with the murder of a highly successful, well-recognizable CEO, Paul Wheeler. What at first seems like a simple robbery, however, is proving to be anything but.

The Atlanta businessman had romantic entanglements with one of the most successful art dealers in the Southern US, Julie Rutledge, may be the only viable witness alive.

As this case dominates the headlines, the world renown defense lawyer, Derek Mitchell, is hired by the family to defend, Creighton Wheeler, the nephew of Paul, whom has yet to be charged with the crime.

This is a bold move from the family and it raises all sorts of red flags. But laying in wait is Julie, who is committed to bringing justice to Paul, and is willing to do all she can to see that it happens -- and her first task is to prevent the incredibly handsome, Derek Mitchell, from defending the case.

This latest book by Ms. Brown moves along at a blinding pace. The book starts fast and only gains momentum. The twist and turns are so unpredictable, that you cannot see them coming. For instance: Creighton Wheeler is the primary suspect, yet has an alibi for the night of the crime. But if he is not guilty, then why did the family rush and hire the best defense lawyer in the business? And what role did, Julie Rutledge, truly play in all this? Remember, she is the viable witness?

The characters are brilliantly constructed and mesmerize the reader by inviting them into this world of sordid lust and carnal desires. I highly recommend it. Another book I would highly recommend is GE0 TIN'S masterful novel SIRENS: Sirens (Enchanted Song) it is another incredibly crafted novel the features the dual genre.

Just Like In The Movies, August 11, 2009
By Tom S. "filmfan3" (New York City)

When a high-powered CEO is killed in an apparent robbery, it soon becomes clear that his murder was personal. His ne'er-do-well nephew, Creighton Wheeler, is a logical suspect, and the dead man's mistress will do anything to get him convicted. This is a problem for Derek Mitchell, the attorney who's been hired to defend Wheeler--especially when Derek becomes personally involved with the mistress. It gets more complicated from there....

The newest thriller from Sandra Brown is a special treat for movie buffs. One of the characters--the suspect, Creighton Wheeler--is obsessed with films, particularly the work of Alfred Hitchcock. A working knowledge of Hitchcock's movies helps you play along with the action here, but it isn't essential. You'll enjoy it either way. SMASH CUT is a twisty, sexy, surprising mystery, and perfect summer reading. Recommended.

Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking (Paperback)

2009-08-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Amazon.com Review
What would you give to see the notes Julia Child keeps in her handwritten loose-leaf kitchen reference guide? Your wish is granted! This clever little volume was inspired by Child's notebook, compiled from her own "trials, remedies, and errors."
Organized by large category and technique, it's a very handy reference guide for anyone reasonably comfortable in the kitchen. Each section contains a master recipe followed by variations. The emphasis is on technique, so if you occasionally find yourself trying to remember at what temperature to best roast a duck, the best way to cook green beans and keep them green, or how to save your hollandaise, then this is the book for you. And what good is a reference guide without an index? As always, Child comes to our rescue with a fantastic, comprehensive index, 19 pages long for 107 pages of text, so we can find the answers to life's burning questions in a flash.

Part of what makes Julia Child such an icon is that she can describe a complicated dish, and in the next breath convince us to make it. Classic Chocolate Mousse, Sabayon, Scalloped Potatoes Savoyarde, and Butterflied Leg of Lamb sound manageable when they follow recipes for Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Scrambled Eggs. And with Child's help, they are. "Quick, snappy answers" for both basic and complicated cooking questions make this a work we'll never outgrow. And if Julia can use a cheat sheet, so can we! Fans of Child will love that her personality shows through in comments like, "Don't crowd the pan... or you'll be sorry," and, to introduce her Basic Vinaigrette Dressing, "I use the proportions of a very dry martini." Eight pages of photos taken by her husband, Paul, including one of Child with the famous dancing goose, make this even more of a treasure.

If there is anyone qualified to offer kitchen wisdom, it must be Julia Child. After a lifetime of cooking and teaching, her knowledge is a perfect gift for fans, novices, or anyone responsible for putting dinner on the table every night. --Leora Y. Bloom --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers WeeklyThis slender book from the doyenne of gourmet cooking is a boon for those who need a refresher course in, or a handy source for, basics. These notes come from Child's own kitchen notebook, years in the making. Generally, each recipe is included in "master" form with numerous variations; for example, a section on potatoes explains the ins and outs of Mashed Potatoes, as well as provides a recipe for Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Child's voice is always welcome, and never more so than when she is providing no-muss-no-fuss advice like this. A quick section on dried beans covers soaking as well as cooking in a pressure cooker or Crock-Pot, and some more esoteric treats, such as homemade bread and souffl?s, have their place here. Helpful tips proliferate throughout: Sea Scallops Saut?ed with Garlic and Herbs are followed by a paragraph on scallops that exude too much juice, and a section on tarts explains how to prebake a shell. Even Hamburgers (plain and flavored) are covered here.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Useful Cooking Reference, September 28, 2001
By A Customer

I love cooking shows and often read cookbooks for pleasure, picking up tips from each author and pondering what recipes I'd like t try, but I have to admit that I've never been a part of the cooking cult that worships Julia Child. I do remember watching her shows as a child, with my mother, and know she pioneered the genre, but the meals she made rarely appealed to me--too time consuming, too "fussy" and just too "strange" for every day taste. (If I have to visit eight different shops and peruse three mail order catalogs to make a dish, I'm probably not going to try it.)
Recently, I picked up "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" at the library and was quickly sold. I am now ordering a copy to keep. The book is filled with useful basic recipes and techniques, as well as lots of helpful time-saving tips that Child has picked up over the years. It's not really a recipe book per se, though tried-and-true formulas for things like Hollandaise sauce and pastry dough do appear, it's more of a kitchen guide. It's full of ingredient substitutions, serving suggestions and definitions of terms you may come across. More useful to experienced cooks, it's also a helpful guide for the best technique, according to Child, for things like braising, searing, roasting and folding. Child's years in the kitchen have made here at master and I was pleasantly surprised to find many time-saving techniques and places were Child says the "easy" way is actually better.

This slim volume really packs a wallop of cooking information and I think it would make a nice addition to any cook's bookshelf.

Handy reference, March 7, 2001
By Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA)

Packed with expertise, Julia Child's "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom" began life as her personal kitchen reference, "a mini aide-memoire for general home cookery." It addresses the basics - making stock, master recipes and variations on basic sauces, soups, salad dressings, bread dough, cakes, omelets, rice and more. There are charts for steaming vegetables and tips for successful roasting, braising, sautéing, broiling and stewing.
In among the basic techniques and recipes are boxed tips - for herb bouquets, making clarified butter, buying and storing eggs, whipping cream, butterflying a chicken, etc.

Recipes range from earthy to elegant - French Fries, Pizza, Hamburgers, Pot au Feu Boiled Dinner, Cream of Mushroom Soup, French Style Risotto, Potato Galette, Genoise Cake, Country Pate, Beef Bourguignon, Creamed Lobster (or shrimp or crab).

The index is extensive and cross-referenced and the book is impeccably organized - a slim and efficient volume which answers most of the questions that arise in everyday cooking.

How Did That Happen?: Holding People Accountable for Results the Positive, Principled Way (Hardcover)

2009-08-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

Review“Definitely the ‘go-to’ book for teaching organizational accountability that works— without the backlash.”
—Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 habits of Highly Effective People

“Packed with practical tools and insights, this is the book that can help you turn accountability from concept into reality.”
—Jim Mazzo, president, Abbott Medical Optics

“Connors and Smith have done it again! . . . This book will provide a competitive advantage at a time when ‘accountability’ is more important than ever before!”
—David Brandon, chairman and CEO, Domino’s Pizza, Inc.

“This is the right approach for getting results in today’s global environment.”
—Gregory J. Newell, former U.S. ambassador and assistant secretary of state

“How Did That Happen? clearly outlines the path to accountability. . . . We will place a copy of this book in the hands of all leaders throughout our organization."
—Michael Lippert, chief operating officer, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc.

“Creating greater accountability in a way that captures people’s hearts and minds is harder than it looks. . . . How Did That Happen? delivers specific and practical advice to do just that.”
—Ginger Graham, former CEO, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

“Connors and Smith offer an insightful view into the underpinnings of accountability that translate into spectacular and sustainable results.”
—Michael Kneidinger, vice president of worldwide operations, Hard Rock Café International

“How Did That Happen? peels back the onion on achieving sustained accountability.”
—Jeff Brundage, senior vice president of human resources, American Airlines

Product Description
A simple, proven approach to improve accountability and your company’s bottom line.
The economy crashes, the government misfires, businesses fail, leaders don’t lead, managers don’t manage, and the people we count on for the results that affect our own performance don’t follow through, leaving us asking, “How did that happen?”

All the surprises caused by a lack of personal accountability plague almost every organization today, from the political arena to every large and small business. How Did That Happen? offers a proven way to eliminate these nasty surprises, gain an unbeatable competitive edge, and enhance performance by holding others accountable the positive, principled way.

As the experts on workplace accountability and authors of The Oz Principle, the classic book on personal accountability, Roger Connors and Tom Smith now tackle the next crucial step everyone can take, whether as a manager, supervisor, CEO, or individual performer: creating greater accountability in all the people on whom you depend.

Connors and Smith have spent decades implementing their approach to creating greater accountability in some of the world’s most admired companies. Through hundreds of successful client applications, they have proven that organizational accountability can be the single most important factor in ensuring a company’s success. Now, they present the Accountability Sequence, a systematic and sensible approach that includes two essential components: The Outer Ring, which reveals how to establish expectations and positive accountability connections with everyone in the Expectations Chain. The Inner Ring, which shows how to manage unmet expectations when people fail to deliver and thereby reverse the misfortune of missed results.

Using case studies, practical models, and self-assessments, the authors make it possible for anyone to install accountability as a central part of their daily work, their team’s efforts, or an overall corporate culture—and, in turn, increase profits and generate better results.

Awesome! Much needed today!, August 11, 2009
By Christine Jones "Get it done" (Boston, MA)

This book is so needed today. Holding people accountable in a way that actually gets results vs resentment is a message that many people could use (especially since there's so much pressure out there right now). I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the message of accountability and to anyone who needs people deliver for them!

Solving Unmet Expectations, August 11, 2009
By Douglas E. Judson (Highland, UT United States)

I have read The Oz Principle and Journey To The Emerald City and they are both reference books that I keep on my desk. How Did That Happen has found a place right next to the other two books! As we all have to deal with unmet expectations, this book explains this difference between "Hands and Feet" and "Hearts and Minds. Roger Connors and Tom Smith teach you how to capture the heart and mind. Where was this book when I started out as a manager many years ago! You must read this book if you are a manager, parent, teenager, or anyone who has to interact with others to get results. I am giving copies to people at church. The book is fun and the examples are true to life. This will be a solid best seller!

How Did That Happen really hits the mark!, August 11, 2009
By R.Hayden (Southern California)

I found How Did That Happen to be very insightful. The focus on effective communication between people in the workplace is absolutely invaluable. This book delves into personality styles, and introduces concrete tools to work around issues we face on a daily basis to increase the company's bottom line and achieve results we never thought we could get. I would highly recommend organizational leaders read this book to gain a better understanding about how to more effectively manage employee expectations and boost morale. 5 Stars!!

In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect (Hardcover)

2009-08-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Never before has a journalist penetrated the wall of secrecy that surrounds the U.S. Secret Service, that elite corps of agents who pledge to take a bullet to protect the president and his family. After conducting exclusive interviews with more than one hundred current and former Secret Service agents, bestselling author and award-winning reporter Ronald Kessler reveals their secrets for the first time.

Secret Service agents, acting as human surveillance cameras, observe everything that goes on behind the scenes in the president’s inner circle. Kessler reveals what they have seen, providing startling, previously untold stories about the presidents, from John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, as well as about their families, Cabinet officers, and White House aides.

Kessler portrays the dangers that agents face and how they carry out their missions–from how they are trained to how they spot and assess potential threats. With fly-on-the-wall perspective, he captures the drama and tension that characterize agents’ lives.

In this headline-grabbing book, Kessler discloses assassination attempts that have never before been revealed. He shares inside accounts of past assaults that have put the Secret Service to the test, including a heroic gun battle that took down the would-be assassins of Harry S. Truman, the devastating day that John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas, and the swift actions that saved Ronald Reagan after he was shot.

While Secret Service agents are brave and dedicated, Kessler exposes how Secret Service management in recent years has betrayed its mission by cutting corners, risking the assassination of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and their families. Given the lax standards, “It’s a miracle we have not had a successful assassination,” a current agent says.

Since an assassination jeopardizes democracy itself, few agencies are as important as the Secret Service–nor is any other subject as tantalizing as the inner sanctum of the White House. Only tight-lipped Secret Service agents know the real story, and Ronald Kessler is the only journalist to have won their trust.

About the AuthorRONALD KESSLER is the New York Times bestselling author of The Terrorist Watch, The Bureau, Inside the White House, and The CIA at War. A former reporter for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, he has won sixteen journalism awards. Kessler lives in Potomac, Maryland, with his wife, Pamela.

Kessler's track record, August 4, 2009
By E. Mark (USA

Kessler has an excellent track record of getting some solid sources and this book no doubt will have many as well. Have not yet read but I am guessing it will be an informative and entertaining read.

Be the Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life (Hardcover)

2009-08-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Be the hero you want to be!At times we all feel frustrated, stressed, or out of control. What if you could be at your best when your challenges are on the rise? Well, you can. Be the Hero introduces us to the way of the "Everyday Hero" and shows how to turn self-defeating thoughts and behavior into heroic actions. The trick is in the stories we tell ourselves.

All day long, without even realizing it, we tell ourselves dozens of stories--about other people, our situations, and ourselves--stories that shape our emotions and behavior. These stories are so powerful, they make us think and act like either a hero or a victim. Be the Hero shows you how to choose the stories that lead to personal and professional success.

In the tradition of the best storytellers, Noah Blumenthal weaves a tale that is both captivating and profound. Be the Hero is destined to become a classic.

Standing on a mountaintop in Switzerland, Jeff thought he had figured out the secret to living a great life. Eight years later he was a rising star in his company and looking forward to the birth of his first child. Then it all unraveled. Follow his extraordinary journey as he discovers what he missed on the mountain and how to recapture his success at work and in life.

From the Publisher
Praise for Be the Hero
"Noah Blumenthal's uplifting new book, Be the Hero, will teach you to think like a hero. This book will change your outlook on life!"
--Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Leading at a Higher Level

"I recommend Be the Hero for anyone who is driven by the challenge of delivering peak performance at work and at home."
--Michael H. Thaman, Chairman and CEO, Owens Corning

"Noah Blumenthal uses a simple, compelling story to teach profound lessons."
--Tammy J. Winnie, Director, Organization Change Management, Kellogg Company

"I could not put this book down. The story is riveting and the learning from it is priceless."
--Sharon Jordan-Evans, coauthor of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay

A Must Have!, July 21, 2009
By Rosemary Gandolfo "Rosemary Gandolfo" (East Moriche, NY)

What an amazing book! Noah Blumethal has done it again! Noah has a gift for being able to simplify ones ability to make changes in ones life. This a quick and easy read. I believe before you get through the first 30 pages you will be able to apply the ideas that Noah shares.

Noah Blumenthal explains the difference between those people who seem to always fall victim and struggle to get by each day with those who have the same challenges yet seem to find peace no matter what. He shares with us the secret of how we can live this same life in a simple way that we can put into practice immediately!

This book also makes an excellent gift and is perfect for a book club. It inspires a real sense of community. I will also go out on a limb and say that this book has the potential to improve entire families and communities. It inspires one to "Be The Hero" and to help others "Be The Hero". If we live in a community of people living these principles we will all be much happier and successful!

Thank You Noah for this gem!

Fondly,
Rosemary Gandolfo ACC
[..]

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Deluxe Edition) (Hardcover)

2009-08-01T04:38:00.000-07:00

Smart tribute to years of Batman creativity, July 27, 2009
By Traveling professor (Texas)

This is a great comic book for fans of the Batman, for readers who will appreciate a whole range of allusions to various incarnations of this hero over time. It is a brilliant tribute to one of the classic comic book heroes. Those who do not know the history of the character may miss some of the references.

The use of alternate stories may trouble readers who want a straight-forward adventure story -- what Gaiman is providing is an imaginative tribute to the various ways this superhero has been imagined by his creators over the time. It is not a linear story with beginning--middle--end in that order but a series of possible explanations, a series of alternative universes, all of which are tied to the final visions of the hero on the edge of death. What is most amazing is that in the process of imagining all of these possibilities for the Batman, Gaiman is both faithful to various past creators of the hero and completely original.

In many ways, this is a postmodern Batman and a brilliant book by one of the greatest masters of the graphic novel.

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, July 25, 2009
By David Edmonds "tapestry100" (Lansing, MI)

OK, I'm prepared for the gasps of shock and anger from the appropriate crowd, but honestly, I was really disappointed in this story. Maybe part of the problem is that I am just not that familiar with what is happening in the individual comic book series right now, but I do know that Bruce Wayne has apparently died. Gaiman was asked to write a swan song of sorts for Batman, and Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is the end result.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I don't think this was it. Originally publihsed in Batman #685 and Detective Comics #852, basically, we are witnessing Batman's funeral (not Bruce Wayne's) and the remaining supporting cast of the series has come to pay their respects. Each person, including his Rogues Gallery, speaks about Batman and how he died, and how each person contributed to his death. Yet not one of these stories matches with another. And it appears that Bruce Wayne is viewing all of the ongoings as a sort of out of body experience.

I think the biggest problem here is that Gaiman was only given two issues to write this out in. I definitely think that the story could have benefited from one, maybe two, more issues of story. It seemed, at least to me, that Gaiman had more story to tell but had to compress what he had to make it fit into the space allotted. He tried to pay tribute to each of the most influential artists and writers of the Batman mythos, but with so many tributes crammed into only two issues and still needing to leave room for the 'big reveal' explanation at the end, what we're left with is a rather jumbled mess of a story.

Andy Kubert's art is quite stunning throughout. He makes an effort to replicate the basic art styles from each time frame that Gaiman pays tribute to, and does an admirable job. His unique style comes through the entire story, but you can also see the artistic influences of the time in his art. I found it a unique and fresh approach to the art. I just wish the story itself left me with the same feeling.

Also included in this edition are four other Batman stories that Gaiman has written over the years.

Maybe if I were more immersed in the Batman series right now, this story would have meant more to me. Maybe if I were a faithful monthly reader, I would have gotten more out of it. But I'm not a stranger to the Batman mythos, and this still felt like Gaiman couldn't quite decide where he wanted to take his story. Maybe he needed another issue. Who knows. I'm sure this story will appeal to the right person, whether that person is a Gaiman fan or a Batman fan. All I know is that I'm a little bit of both (more a Gaiman fan than a Batman fan) and I was left wanting something more out of this story.

Michael Jackson: The Magic, The Madness, The Whole Story, 1958-2009 (Hardcover)

2009-08-01T04:35:00.000-07:00

Product Description
So much has how been said and written about the life and career of Michael Jackson that it has become almost impossible to disentangle the man from the myth. This book is the fruit of over 30 years of research and hundreds of exclusive interviews with a remarkable level of access to the very closest circles of the Jackson family - including Michael himself. Cutting through tabloid rumours, J. Randy Taraborrelli traces the real story behind Michael Jackson, from his drilling as a child star through the blooming of his talent to his ever-changing personal appearance and bizarre publicity stunts. This major biography includes the behind-the-scenes story to many of the landmarks in Jackson's life: his legal and commercial battles, his marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe, his passions and addictions, his children. Objective and revealing, it carries the hallmarks of all of Taraborrelli's best-sellers: impeccable research, brilliant storytelling and definitive documentation.

About the AuthorJ. Randy Taraborrelli is a respected journalist, a recognizable entertainment personality, and in-demand guest on many television programs. He is the bestselling author of eight books. Taraborrelli is a reporter for the Times (London), Paris Match, and The Daily Mail (UK) and a contributor to Redbook,McCall's, and Good Housekeeping.

Read with caution, July 25, 2009
By Ivy Gordon (Boston, MA)

Ok, so in the sad world of Jackson biographies, this is undoubtably the best. Taraborelli's style is conversational and enjoyable and I agree with the reviewers before me- it is difficult to put down.
However, there are a number of things that rattle the credibility of this publication.

1. Taraborelli contributes to the Daily Mail, a smutty British tabloid.
2. Taraborelli allows the Daily Mail to refer to him as Jackson's "friend" and even "lifelong confidante." This is incredibly far from the truth. Taraborelli makes no such assertions himself, but allowing himself to be referred to as such is just as bad. This type of self-aggrandizing disregard for the truth undermines his otherwise seemingly-semi-credible work. (Also of note, the Daily Mail also calls Stacy Brown a family friend. Brown is another Jackson biographer who revealed that crucial portions of his biography were made up for sensational purposes when under oath in Jackson's 2005 trial)
3. There are some things that Taraborelli reports as fact that could only have reached him through a biased, drawn-out grapevine. For example, Jackson's sex life with Lisa Marie. Also, the portions written about the nature of Jackson's relationship with Jordie Chandler, particularly the pieces where Jackson is alone with only the family in their home when Jackson is like, obsessively staring at Jordie. Who the HELL told Taraborelli that? One of Chandler's parents? Good ol' Uncle Ray? Knowing that Taraborelli took liberties with the fact here and in other places where he will put incredible detail into scenes of which he couldn't possibly be aware makes you wonder where else he did this(and, also, if he knew all this- why did he not know that it was Jackson's insurance who paid the Chandlers the $20 million and not Jackson himself?) Does it make for enjoyable prose? Yes. But it's basically FAN FICTION.
4. Taraborelli associates with some pretty shady anti-Jackson characters. He considers Diane Dimond a close friend. Frankly, I don't understand how someone could see past her tasteless witch-hunting to become a friend. He also gave interviews to this guy whos in this name escapes me, but he made a documentary called "Michael Jackson: What Really Happened" This documentary is so poorly made, it seems like a middle-schoolers powerpoint. And basically everything in it is ridiculous and incorrect.
5. Taraborelli's participation in the 2005 trial was less than admirable. He seemed to favor the prosecution's chances when, upon review of the transcripts and evidence, they never had a case. He also got all of this credit for being so "close" to Jackson, but then he went along with all of the reporters who entertained themselves by relentlessly mocking their cash cow. I spent one week on the press there, and I was blown over by how unprofessional the environment was.
6. Taraborelli admitted in an interview that he hadn't been keeping up with Jackson's story for the past few years. This means that the final portion of this book was scrambled together in a month.
7. The reason, Taraborelli admitted, that he had been ignoring Jackson was because he was mad at him. .....seriously? ...are you joking? FEELINGS SHOULD NOT MATTER IN BIOGRAPHY WRITING!!! Taraborelli, you are not Jackson's FRIEND. You aren't allowed to be mad at him! This is unprofessional and immature.

I'm not a fan of Jackson's music, but I have been very intrigued by his story and relationship with the media since I witnessed the circus in 2005. All of this said, I do think this book is worth a read. Taraborelli writes well and definitely appears to come much closer to fact than any other biographers. His sources listed are extensive, yet vague in some very crucial areas. Unfortunately, the truth will never be known when it comes to Michael Jackson. Some lie for fame and money. Celebrities will lie for their image. Taraborelli does seem to care for Jackson and is capable of discussing his life without his comments dripping with mockery like other "journalists." Sadly, I imagine this is as good as it's going to get.

The most comprehensive and accurate book on Michael Jackson...period., July 23, 2009
By Frank Bruno (Los Angeles)

Being a fan of Michael Jackson from the time I was a small child, I have read most of what has been written about him. In my opinion this book is by far the most accurate account of a man that has so much mystery surrounding him.

Well written and obviously tirelessly researched, J. Randy Taraborrelli has uncovered much of the mystique in an honest and accurate way. I'm not sure of any other biographer out there who actually knew Michael Jackson and his family. This is a true insiders perspective.

Taraborrelli's writing style is from a humanistic standpoint. Who was Michael Jackson the man? If you are looking for paparazzi style writing with flinging accusations just to sell a book, this is not it. Don't get me wrong, this book is full of juicy tidbits and things the public was not aware of, however they are truthful. So you know you are getting the REAL story. And the real story is riveting. I could not put this book down for 4 days!

I highly recommend this biography to anybody who wants the real story of Michael Jackson, not a 500 page tabloid.

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously (Mass Market Paperback)

2009-07-30T01:13:00.000-07:00

Review"A feast, a voyage, and a marvel." (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love )

"Laugh-out-loud funny." (Boston Globe )

"Powell writes like a culinary Chris Rock - profane, honest, and very funny." (Seattle Times )

"A really good book." (Washington Post Book World )

Product Description
Julie & Julia, the bestselling memoir that's "irresistible....A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef" (Philadelphia Inquirer), is now a major motion picture. Julie Powell, nearing thirty and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, resolves to reclaim her life by cooking in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life-lived with gusto. The film is written and directed by Nora Ephron and stars Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia.

I really enjoyed Julie & Julia., March 31, 2007
By C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

A friend of mine lent me Julie & Julia at a point when I needed something to cheer me up. I have to admit that few things make me more suspicious than a book that derived from a blog. I also have a pretty low tolerance for chick lit in general, and this smelled like chick lit to me.

But anyhow. Despite going into the book with poor expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. I found it well-written and it felt honest. It had several laugh-out-loud moments. Best of all, I found myself genuinely liking the narrator/author. It was good fun. And that was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Although you can get some foodie kicks from Julie & Julia, it is not really about food. Do not read the book if you are looking for technical details, deep reflection about Julia Childs and French cooking, or kitchen tips and tricks. It is not that kind of book. Think light read with cooking as a kind of character quest.

One quarrel-- in her author's note Powell declares that "sometimes she just makes stuff up". That made me less comfortable with the book, honestly. As a memoir it has a lot of charm. As a novel, it has much less interest. I am not sure why that should be the case, but it took a little bit of the shine off for me to see that note at the beginning.

Anyhow. If, like me, you are looking for some cheering up then this could be a book for you. Bonus points if you find yourself an urbanite with a foodie-wannabee cooking habit, because then the funny parts are going to be even funnier. I had to wince when remembering some of my own attempts at homemade mayonnaise. Recommended.

Powell's Souffle Falls Flat, June 23, 2009
By Lindsay Johnson (Chicago, IL USA)

Many a blog turned book falls into the "nothing new" trap; what we get on paper is just a reproduction of what we got on the screen. In her attempt to escape this pitfall, Julie Powell goes to the opposite extreme and tries to do way too much. The premise lured me in: approaching 30 and flitting from one temp job to the next, Powell attempts to do the improbable, tackle all of the 524 recipes found in the first volume of Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one calendar year. What could have been an interesting story of using a culinary challenge to provide structure and direction to an otherwise chaotic New York lifestyle turns into a book with an identity crisis. Part memoir about family and friends and life in New York, part story of getting closer to Julia Child through her iconic cookbook, part recounting the blogging experience near the time of its inception, part fictional re-imagining of the relationship between Paul and Julia Child - the book felt like a shouting match between styles and genres each fighting fiercely for attention.

Was the book diverting? Yes, and sometimes it was hilarious. However, there are a number of books out there that successfully do what Powell is attempting here. If you have your heart set on reading this book, go for it. However, I would also like to offer the following recommendations depending on what drove you to look at this book up in the first place:

If you are interested in Julia Child and how she (and others) have influenced American cuisine, I suggest "The United States of Arugula."

If you are looking for a food memoir, someone learning about cuisine to better understand themselves and a culture, try "Serve the People: a Stir Fried Journey Through China."

If New York is the draw, "Garlic and Sapphires" is written by the former restaurant critic of The New York Times and includes stories of restaurants (with reviews), home cooking, and some tempting recipes.

If you are looking for great, laugh out loud memoir that actually pulls off the blog-to-book transition, but does not have much to do with food, pick up "Bitter is the New Black."

There has been a huge surge in the publication of food-related books over the past few years and many of them are excellent, but "Julie and Julia" is just not one of them.

The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America (Hardcover)

2009-07-30T01:10:00.000-07:00

Product DescriptionIn this groundbreaking epic biography, Douglas Brinkley draws on never-before-published materials to examine the life and achievements of our "naturalist president." By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor. This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt's most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest.

Tracing the role that nature played in Roosevelt's storied career, Brinkley brilliantly analyzes the influence that the works of John James Audubon and Charles Darwin had on the young man who would become our twenty-sixth president. With descriptive flair, the author illuminates Roosevelt's bird watching in the Adirondacks, wildlife obsession in Yellowstone, hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains, ranching in the Dakota Territory, hunting in the Big Horn Mountains, and outdoor romps through Idaho and Wyoming. He also profiles Roosevelt's incredible circle of naturalist friends, including the Catskills poet John Burroughs, Boone and Crockett Club cofounder George Bird Grinnell, forestry zealot Gifford Pinchot, buffalo breeder William Hornaday, Sierra Club founder John Muir, U.S. Biological Survey wizard C. Hart Merriam, Oregon Audubon Society founder William L. Finley, and pelican protector Paul Kroegel, among many others. He brings to life hilarious anecdotes of wild-pig hunting in Texas and badger saving in Kansas, wolf catching in Oklahoma and grouse flushing in Iowa. Even the story of the teddy bear gets its definitive treatment.

Destined to become a classic, this extraordinary and timeless biography offers a penetrating and colorful look at Roosevelt's naturalist achievements, a legacy now more important than ever. Raising a Paul Revere–like alarm about American wildlife in peril—including buffalo, manatees, antelope, egrets, and elk—Roosevelt saved entire species from probable extinction. As we face the problems of global warming, overpopulation, and sustainable land management, this imposing leader's stout resolution to protect our environment is an inspiration and a contemporary call to arms for us all.

About the AuthorDouglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. The Chicago Tribune has dubbed him "America's new past master." Six of his books have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. His most recent book, The Great Deluge, won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

Warrior for the American Wilderness! Theodor Roosevelt., July 29, 2009
By Sandra Lancaster "my real name" (Las Vegas, NM)

I have never cared much for biographies, I typically read Journals for work, and fiction to relax. But my husband, who works in the Publishing industry said I had to read this book (he had acquired a pre-publication copy of the book). It sat by my night-stand for a couple weeks until I finally gave it a go. Well, all my free time for the next few days was lost to this fascinating book about President Theodor Roosevelt (The Naturalist President).

Before I started the book I knew Roosevelt was a supporter of the National Parks, and that he was a great outdoors man. What I did not realize was how original an idea the parks were at this time. How things could have turned out very differently and much of what has been preserved today could have been lost forever, and Roosevelt was a central character in this crusade for the American Wilderness. He was the right man at the right time!

The author takes on a tour of Roosevelt's adventures life illustrating the role the great outdoors had on the formation of the man's qualities. How the great naturalists of the time From Audubon, to Charles Darwin and John Muir influenced Roosevelt. The most engaging part of this book for me were the stories of Roosevelt's adventures in the natural world, He was at times a Rancher, hunter, fisherman, and above all conservationist. Roosevelt was probably responsible for saving many species from extinction (Buffalo, Antelope, elk, even Manatees). This makes for fascinating reading and gives great insight into the man and who he was.

The book is so well written, it is easy to read and flows smoothly. This is not a dry look into the past but a well written, colorful look at our Naturalist President. My husband is two for two now. He also got me to read the excellent "Across the High Lonesome," another book I thought I'd never like. He is going to get way to full of himself!

Heaven and Earth: Global Warming, the Missing Science (Paperback)

2009-07-30T01:06:00.000-07:00

More in heaven and earth than is dreamt of in green philosophy, May 7, 2009
By Roger McEvilly (the guilty bystander) (Sydney, NSW Australia)

Ian Plimer is a Professor of Geology with a background in mining. He is a strong independent thinker, with a particular flair for interdisciplinary integration and overview, although his books are a bit hard to read. They contain a lot of dense information, but are perhaps weak on highlighting what is more important, and at times a little too emotional and bulldozing for some.

This is a timely book that attempts to survey ALL the basic data and debate related to climate change, rather than cherry-picking solely in the interests of green ideology. The book is very similar to Lomborg's `The Skeptical Environmentalist' (with just as many back-up footnotes-over 2000-so at worst it is at least a useful reference for alterative views and debates).

There are serious claims in this book; a general one being that data and debate about climate change is being suppressed by green ideology. Here are some assertions:

* There is no scientific consensus on the causes of recent (~last 150 years) global warming.
* Data and debate from solar physics, geological, archaeological, and historical circles is ignored in the media and within the political process.
* Gross, unscientific, major distortions of data and debate is occurring, largely due to ideological agendas, and parallels Soviet Union agricultural science and policies.
* Amongst other examples, scientific fraud has been committed with relation to the `hockeystick' graph of Mann et al. regarding temperature in the last ~1000 years, which has been widely circulated (eg IPCC 2001), and which shows distorted temperature trends.
* The influence of changes particularly in the sun, and in cloudiness, cosmic rays and volcanoes on climate changes has been under-estimated.
* There is a correlation between solar activity and earth temperatures, including in the last 150 years of warming.
* Recent global warming since about 1850 is minor and largely not related to human activities, but part of a natural climatic variation since the Little Ice Age.
* There has been no global warming since 1998 (at May 2009), and analysis of solar activity suggests a natural cooling trend in coming decades, which has already begun.
* Influence of increase in C02 level on temperature in the atmosphere tapers off once a certain level is reached. (Rather than `runaway greenhouse', we have 'atmospheric buffer')
* The `precautionary principle' is not a scientific principle, it is a social and political one (I concur).
* There is no such thing as a `tipping point' in science (I disagree-e.g. the term `catalyst' comes to mind).
* IPCC climate models do not accurately model observed temperature trends since 1998, undermining their projected global warming models.
* Computer models used by the IPCC are `computer games', as global climate trends are too big and complicated to meaningfully forecast.
* The global climate is too big for humans to have any meaningful effect.

The books strength is the variety of data, the weakness is the convoluted writing style. At worst, one might contend that Plimer is guilty of obfuscation, but at least there is a broad overview, including real gems you won't hear from extreme greens:

* the very small size of the Amazon rainforest during the last ice age,
* Strong legal disclaimers about climate projections from the very same agencies that want to enforce major legal changes using such data,
* the strong correlation between sunspots and earth temperature
* solar activity has increased in the last ~few hundred years
* that warm periods in human history generally occur with human prosperity,
* Siberian Soviet-age historical temperatures were fudged below -15C because towns received a vodka levy when -15C was reached,
* Parts of Greenland have been cooling since the early 20th century,
* The US, France, Italy, and UK squabbled over ownership of a new volcano in the Mediterranean in the 1800s, which then promptly sank beneath the ocean (which Plimer hopes will happen to global warming advocates).
* Global temperatures have been warmer on several occasions in the last several thousand years, with no adverse effects, rather, they generally correspond to human prosperity.
* C02 has been much higher in longer geological history, with no adverse effects.
* The use of the `precautionary principle' in banning DDT use resulted in an estimated 40 million deaths from malaria
* Ice is a rock
* Water vapour is the main greenhouse gas
* Many western cities have water shortages because new dams are not being built due to green politics,
* `Being creative and riding the waves of change is the only way we humans have survived', `sustainable living', on the contrary `is such that with the slightest change in weather, climate or politics, there is disease, mass famine, and death'.

Suffice to say in short review, there are some good examples of environmentally-driven distortion and cherry-picking of data, in the worst cases fraud (e.g. Mann's hockeystick), but I suspect, there is also errors on his side.

An example which bugs me: new, unpredictably/spontaneously generated changes and processes can produce large, longer term effects, (classic catastrophism versus uniformitarianism). However, Plimer states: "there is no such thing as a tipping point in science". If I read him right, this shows to me a basic limit of perception (what about e.g. catalysts and saturation points in chemistry?). Charles Lyell, one of the early uniformitarians, couldn't see the `catastrophes' written into rocks that were staring him in the face, (new, unpredictable changes, can produce large scale effects)- and neither could Charles Darwin (one of his few errors of judgement); I suspect that Plimer may have a similar data analysis problem (but this is just my opinion).

All in all a good overview, and although I'm not sure I agree with some of his assertions, I see a lot of value in the books' broader discussion of data and debate than is typically found amongst all the hot air that surrounds and distorts climate science and policy.

Whish side is right? Plimer will convince you, July 11, 2009
By Ron House (Qld, Australia)

Ian Plimer is perhaps best known as the geologist who debunked creationism in "Telling Lies for God". Here he turns his attention to the global warming beliefs that are now resulting in huge (possibly disastrous) policy changes by governments in the hope of avoiding "climate change". In "Heaven and Earth", I think Plimer does pretty well.

First off though, if you are expecting a simple read, this book is perhaps not it. Not that it is difficult to read, but it is technically dense, the average page having maybe ten references to academic papers to support its claims. And it has its mistakes. There is a diagram on temperature forecasts which is not properly explained, another one which, so it is claimed on the web, has been withdrawn by its author for errors. Also the author has a recurring habit of writing the opposite of what he means; it usually happens on unimportant points, but it distracts from following the argument. For example, he writes that the early half of the little ice age was more variable than the latter half (p 75), then a little later says the opposite (p 79). I noticed maybe ten such examples on my way through. They are not by any means fatal to his argument, but I am sure his opponents would dig them out and present them as if they were. But in a 500 page book, absolute correctness from cover to cover is, I think, far too high an expectation. The real question is: does he carry his main arguments?

I believe that he does. He shows, for instance, that CO2 in geological history has been up to 25 times higher than it now is, and that in this era it is at its lowest in the entire history of life on Earth. He shows how malaria is a disease of poverty, not of temperature, and has existed in England in the coldest of times. He discusses the major 'snowball earth' glaciations that most likely took ice all the way to the equator, but which, luckily, preceded the appearance of multicellular life. (If such an ice age happened now, it is hard to see how any multicelled life, let alone human life, could survive.) The main impression the book left me with was 'being given the complete picture'.

The main question I was asking myself when I first started investigating global warming in depth was which side is right? I came to the conclusion that the realists are (climate has always changed, and current temperatures and temperature changes are within historical limits). So this book was not the factor that convinced me. The single fact that did so, however, is included here. Pages 371 onwards discuss the IPCC's climate models, which predict an increasingly warm tropospheric 'hot spot' in the atmosphere, providing a 'warm blanket' that is heating up the planet. This 'warm blanket' simply isn't there, as Plimer explains. It boils down to this very simple fact: on a cold night, if you want to get warm, you must have warm air around you somehow - turn on a heater, put on a blanket, whatever, but unless warm air surrounds you, you won't get warm. The planet does not have any warmer air around it than it ever had, so it simply cannot be heating up due to insulation. Since that is the central claim of global warmism, the theory must be wrong. All the rest is 'sound and fury, signifying nothing'. But Plimer takes on that sound and fury, and shows it for the flim flam it really is.

If I were writing such a book, I might not choose Plimer's organisation. He starts with the geological history of the Earth's climate, and moves on to the Sun, the Earth (volcanoes, extinctions, desertification, etc.), then Ice (ice ages, glaciers, antarctica), then Water (sea levels, acidification, corals),then Air (greenhouse effect, temperature, hurricanes, carbon dioxide), and finishes with a very entertaining chapter called 'Et moi' - perhaps not so rumbunctious as some of the more acidic writings of Bertrand Russell, but good reading nonetheless.

Plimer has had his share of run-ins with shysters, as witnessed by his court battle with creationists, and he doesn't shrink from taking on the latest bunch - even speculating about the judgement St Peter might one day settle upon one of them! The concluding section puts the sheer evil and lunacy of the warming scaremongering into sharp relief. At the risk of spoiling the whole story, here is his final sentence: "Human stupidity is only exceeded by God's mercy, which is infinite."

When the current climate insanity is finally exploded, this book will, I am sure, be seen as one of the turning points.

Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies (Hardcover)

2009-07-30T01:02:00.000-07:00

Frightening look at the dark side of politics, July 28, 2009
By M. Scott

I bought this book yesterday, and could not put it down. There was a lot of information in it that I had heard on the news, and a lot I did not know about. Seeing it all together made me angry, and left me wondering how we, as a people, can take our country back from the crooked politicians who enter "public" service solely to get rich. It's disgusting. Obama had a lot of pretty words during his campaign, but he is absolutely just as corrupt as the worst career politician. And the people he has surrounded himself with are there for their own enrichment. These people want to control every aspect of our society, and they do not care anything about the best interests of the people. People need to stop being apathetic, and pay attention to what's going on. Obama and his Democratic congress plan to change our government and society in ways I suspect many people can't even imagine.

The Chicago Machine Revealed, July 27, 2009
By Brian Linn Smith Author of The Flying Deuce

Michelle did an awesome job of laying out the trail of corruption that follows the Obama administration. It made me realize that this administration is no different than any other. I love the way Michelle uncovers the little known facts about Obama's appointees. It made me clearly see their agenda and how they are in the process of paying back the people who got them there. It's commentary like this book that will shed light on what these politicians are capable of and help us to avoid being sold a bill of goods.

Brian Linn Smith
Author of
The Flying Deuce

America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family's Favorite Restaurants (Paperback)

2009-07-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Discover the recipes from America's most popular family restaurants and cook them at home for a fraction of the price!
Wouldn't it be nice if you could treat yourself to dishes from your favorite restaurants anytime? Now you can -- at home! In America's Most Wanted Recipes, Ron Douglas reveals copycat versions of carefully guarded secret restaurant recipes and shows family chefs how to prepare them at home, saving time and money. With these easy and mouth-watering recipes, families can enjoy a night out in their very own kitchens.

- Great selection: With more than 200 recipes from 57 of America's most popular restaurants -- including The Cheesecake Factory, KFC, Olive Garden, P.F. Chang's, Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse, and many more -- no taste or craving will be left unsatisfied.
- Cut the cost: Watch your wallet without giving up restaurantquality food! You can save your family thousands of dollars each year by preparing these recipes just once a week.
- Skip the lines: Forget about waiting to be seated. You can have your favorite meals "on demand" from the comfort of your own kitchen. Time-saving tips and shortcuts will have dinner on the table in no time.
- Eat healthy: Low-fat alternatives and waist-slimming suggestions make these dishes delicious -- and nutritious.
- Impress your family and friends: These recipes are all fast, simple, and virtually indistinguishable from the originals. We bet your family and friends won't be able to tell the difference!

About the Author
Ron Douglas is a former finance director at JP Morgan and founder of the #1 copycat recipe website, www.recipesecrets.net. He lives in New York with his wife and two children.

Liked his first books better., July 22, 2009
By Denise "Niecy" (New York, NY)

I purchased this book and tried a few of the recipes. The tijuana philly steak sandwich from Applebee's was okay, so was the Olive Garden chicken scampi. The book is okay, I guess why I didn't like this book was because, when I purchased his first two books, almost every recipe I tried came out so good and almost exactly like the original. I even went as far as to say that I like his books better than Todd Wilburs "Top secret recipe" books. His recipe's just had a little something different to make it so much better. I think with this one I didn't find alot of recipes that I was willing to try. My advice to someone looking to purchase a copycat book is to get your hands on a copy and look to see if those recipes are the one's you want to try. I think my problem is I didn't like alot of the recipes in this book.

Restaurant tastes at home!, July 23, 2009
By H. Nakaguchi ""Wannabe Chef at home"" (Queens, NY United States)

I have heard a huge buzz in media recently about Ron Douglas's book. I went out and bought a copy and my family loves when I use the recipes in the book. I have always wondered if I can make many of the dishes when I eat out and now I can. Great book with great results!

The Defector (Hardcover)

2009-07-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

Daniel Silva Continues his Brilliant Character Study in THE DEFECTOR, July 20, 2009
By allangiven.com

In the follow-up to his 2008 New York Time's Best Seller, MOSCOW RULES, author Daniel Silva picks up exactly where the action last left off, and THE DEFECTOR is a brilliantly crafted novel that is unparalleled in its genre. What makes THE DEFECTOR so unique is found within its main character, Gabriel Allon, one of the world's premiere art restorers who just happens to be an Israeli intelligence officer and assassin. Allon is one of the most incredibly complex and dynamic characters to be found in modern literature, and Silva's newest novel further builds and expands upon the Allon mythology, creating a fascinating character who must deal with the dichotomous nature of the two worlds in which he exists. In fact, it is here where Silva's greatest strength as an author is found, for he is able to blend seamlessly elements of both intense page turning action with subtle examinations of character. The result is a book that is simply brilliant.

Having a main character who is an assassin, and one who can kill easily and without remorse, seems an unlikely choice for an audience to become invested in, but with Gabriel Allon, Silva is able to craft a character who is so well realized that the reader becomes hungry to learn more about him. This is the ninth novel to feature the Gabriel Allon character, and in this outing, Silva examines the relationships between Allon and those he is closest too, including those relationships both professional as well as private. Allowing the reader to see this side of the character, including moments of absolute tenderness showing how much Allon cares for his wife Chiara and how deeply he loves her, is what transforms him from that of the seemingly invincible spy character that is so prevalent in the genre into something that is more human, and in turn, much more accessible to the reader. When asked if he had in fact created a love story, Silva states, "It's true. A heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat, and sometimes extremely violent love story, but a love story nonetheless. I feel as if I've developed a real bond with my readers, and I've learned something extremely valuable from them. While they're captivated by Gabriel's adventures, they also follow his personal trials and misfortunes very carefully-especially my female readers." This broad appeal to all readers, and the willingness to show a side of a main character that most other authors would shy away from is what makes THE DEFECTOR so intriguing. Knowing what is at stake for Allon, and knowing that he is simply not just an emotionless killer bound by duty to his country, is what helps build the tension of the novel. The love story actually then punctuates the action that unfolds while underscoring it with anxiety for the reader. You want Allon to succeed because you know what he will lose if he does not.

It is important to note though that having a love story in an intensely action orientated spy novel does not mean that the female characters in the book, such as Chiara, are shallow and without depth, only there to serve the purpose of allowing Allon to achieve a greater depth. This is so far from the case. What is most impressive about THE DEFECTOR is the fact that Silva has incorporated so many incredibly strong women into it. These are women who have the same amount of development as Allon, and are never used by Silva as mere periphery devices, but instead are presented with an equal amount of strength. As Silva explains, "Each of the remarkable women portrayed in the novel have a huge impact on the way the story is finally resolved. In real life I'm surrounded by strong women---anyone who's met my wife knows that---so it's only natural for me to cast women in heroic roles." This is such a crucial element to the success of THE DEFECTOR, for there exists no misogynistic undertones here, but rather a story populated with characters, both male and female, who are each allowed to develop on their own, while at the same time becoming compellingly interwoven with the others in the novel. The result is an incredibly dense and multilayered novel that hooks the reader and draws them into the intrigue of its world.

This world that Silva has so masterfully crafted is what gives the novel its relevance. The amount of research Silva does in preparation for his books is staggering, and the result is so vividly descriptive, both in regard to its physical as well as political landscapes, that it feels like even though it is a work of fiction, it is being ripped from the headlines, and characters such as these, in situations similar to these, are operating exactly in this manner somewhere in the world. This realism, set against the rapidly politically changing environment in modern day Russia, is what is most intriguing about this novel, and will have the effect of inspiring its readers to look more closely at the actual news headlines and to become more informed on Russia's relationships with the West.

With these elements, THE DEFECTOR is one of the best reads of the year, and even if you are not a fan of the spy genre, it is one you absolutely must pick up.

Defectors may flee, but they can never really escape..., July 22, 2009
By S. McGee (New York, NY)

When readers last encountered Gabriel Allon, Israeli spy and master art restorer, he was escorting the wife of an oligarch, Ivan Kharkhov, out of Russia, along with a journalist and FSB (KGB successor) agent. All four were fleeing Russia to save their lives, but as the events of this sequel show, it's hard to escape the long reach of the modern-day Kremlin or the fury of an outraged oligarch.

When this novel opens, Israeli master spy and assassin is back in Italy, restoring a Guido Reni altarpiece and debating the issue of having children with his wife, Chiara. Then Grigori Bulganov, the former FSB agent, vanishes off a street in London. Has he re-defected, returning home to Russia with insight into the way the British and Americans operate and dangerous knowledge about Allon? Or has he been snatched, in revenge for his betrayal? Allon needs to find out, even if it means flying in the face of direct orders from Shamron, his longtime boss, mentor and the head of "The Office". Not only is Allon's security at stake, but he made a promise to Grigori as they were driving to safety. "Promise me one thing, Gabriel," Grigori had said to him. "Promise me I won't end up in an unmarked grave" -- the traditional Russian punishment for betrayal. Nor is keeping that promise Allon's only motivation.

That promise and Allon's investigation are just the beginning of a dramatic series of events, as Gabriel must race to save the lives of those he cares for and deliver some measure of final justice to Kharkhov. It's not, properly speaking, a spy novel, but more of a suspense thriller in which the main protagonists happen to be spies or other forms of agents. The missions that Gabriel and his team tackle are deeply personal ones, culminating in a deeply personal act of vengeance at the book's close.

As with all Silva's books, the writing is careful and often eloquent. Still, anyone who has followed Gabriel and his team and occasional allies through all nine books in this series won't find many surprises outside the twists and turns of this particular plot. Gabriel is still torn between his desire for a peaceful life and his art and a deeper compulsion to do what only he (apparently) can do for his country; Shamron is still an elderly, tyrannical and rather ruthless 'retired' spy, etc. That's perhaps the single greatest flaw in this series -- while the characters' lives change (such as Gabriel meeting, falling in love with and marrying Chiara), the characters never really develop or change in significant ways. Thinking about this book after finishing it -- it's too good to stop and think while reading -- I realized that many of the passages about the thoughts of the main characters, removed from their context, could fit neatly back in to nearly any book in the series. It may sound like a quibble, but to me that means that while Silva is still able to craft a great thriller around one of the classic themes -- revenge -- his characters are getting a bit long in the tooth. Given the strength of some of his early, pre-Allon books (The Marching Season and The Unlikely Spy), I'd love to see this very good author turn his talents to some fresher material, before the plots also begin to feel repetitive. It's a tribute to Silva that this book -- which when I stepped back to think of it, was really just round two of Moscow Rules (Gabriel Allon) -- was such a pleasure to read.

Highly recommended to the author's fans; thriller readers will also enjoy it, although I'd suggest reading Moscow Rules before this one. (It's possible to read on a stand-alone basis, but you won't get the full background and context.) Die-hard spy novel afficionados may find that they prefer some of Silva's earlier books, which involve intelligence work as well as the tradecraft showcased in this one, or else read the works of Alan Furst or Olen Steinhauer. It seems to be open season on the part of suspense/spy novel writers on Putin's Russia; another new thriller I've just read and reviewed takes aim at some of the same themes (corruption and the oligarchs), albeit in a more oblique and less suspenseful manner -- Alex Dryden's Red to Black.

Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture (Hardcover)

2009-07-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

Great Insights into Consumer Culture, July 8, 2009
By Wayne Johnston (Fort Lee, NJ)

I've always considered myself a sophisticated consumer, able to see through the marketing ploys of restaurants, car dealers, department stores, etc. to obtain real value. But then on the drive home from work I heard Ellen Shell on the radio, bought Cheap, and, almost despite myself, read it in two days.
It's frightening, eye opening, and not at all what I expected. I now know that the marketers are one step ahead of even the most savvy shoppers. By masking the true costs and value of merchandise, our perceptions of value are based to a surprising extent on the marketers manipulations. The disturbing thing here is that this occurs at virtually all price points. Whether we shop discount "big box" stores or high end department stores with "designer" merchandise, our perceptions of "beating the system" are illusory. Opening with a fascinating history of discounting, from the days where "cheap" was an insult to its rise as the holy grail of the mass marketer, CHEAP moves on to the economics and psychology that drive our purchasing patterns. It goes much farther, though, looking at the impact on the cultures and environments where these bargains are produced. In an increasingly globalized economy, we can't afford to ignore these impacts as--CHEAP ably shows--they are already at our doorstep. Extremely well written and thought provoking, this book offers a fresh and alarming perspective not only on our current economic condition, but on our own often self defeating behavior.
It's forever changed the way I'll shop...for the better.

Insightful and Well Researched, July 13, 2009
By James Kirwin (East Coast USA)

I like to read in bed and because the Wife is sensitive to light, I have bought numerous battery operated reading lights - all made in China. No matter what brands I purchase or how much I spend, within a couple of months the lights break and I'm left using a flashlight to read in bed until I go out and buy another. A reading light is quite a simple device consisting of a battery, LED, and wires all linked together in a circuit. This circuit is then encased in plastic, metal or a combination of the two. Although simple, these lights break within a few months. Sometimes the cases break, other times the soldering fails somewhere in the circuit. I try to repair them but the repairs inevitably fail after a few weeks. Over the past 5 years alone I have probably spent $150 on reading lights.

After reading Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppell Shell I now understand that my frustration is the result of the replacement of quality goods by shoddy ones made in China in order to maximize profit and minimize expense. This exchange of shoddy for quality has happened as Americans have pursued low price at the expense of all else. We save money in the short term by pursuing low prices but lose much in the process including long lasting quality goods and decent paying jobs.

Shell writes for the Atlantic and is a professor of journalism at Boston University. Throughout the book I searched for Shell's anti-capitalist bias, but didn't find it anywhere. Instead she writes "Trade is and must be free," and believes that regulation and unionization is not the answer to our obsession with low prices. She quotes Adam Smith liberally and suggests that Smith himself would not be pleased with the junk on the shelves of America's superstores. She writes that Smith advocated a system whereby workers earned a decent wage to purchase a decent life, and supporting that system were Smith's heroes - consumers buying the goods and services made by the workers at fair prices. These prices weren't inflated: the consumer received a quality product that performed the job it was intended to do.

Shell discusses the usual suspects - Wal-mart, dollar stores and discount chain stores - but she zeroes in on Ikea as a firm that has built a mythos around itself to shield it from the fact that it uses illegally harvested hardwoods from the Russian Far East and Asia (Ikea is the third largest consumer of wood in the world), and sources production to some of the lowest paying companies on the planet. Shell cites a table that sells for $69. A master craftsman admitted that he couldn't buy the wood for that price, let alone build the table. Ikea headquarters exudes an aura of cultishness that is more reminiscent of Scientology than of a business. There workers design products that are meant to be made and ship cheaply - not to be comfortable. The products are given cutesy names that slaps a "happy face" onto what in essence is a soulless product.

While every move by American giant like Wal-mart is subjected to scrutiny by environmentally minded intelligentsia, she notes that Ikea is given a pass:

"Wal-mart's relentless march toward world retail domination provokes scathing exposes in books, articles, and documentaries. But most media responses to Ikea verge on the hagiographic, swallowing whole the well-polished rags-to-riches story the company wrote for itself."

Everything Ikea does is geared towards lowering its costs. Ikea's store placement outside of cities and away from public transit, as well as its refusal to deliver makes its customers drive to it is a conscious decision by the firm to minimize the cost per square foot of its stores by buying cheap land. It ships disassembled products to save on shipping and on manufacturing. It regularly squeezes its suppliers, thereby preventing workers in some of the poorest places on the planet from getting better wages while encouraging environmental abuses.

Shell's criticism of Ikea hits home because I've bought from there. In fact the table that I'm writing on is from Ikea. Its wood grain is quite dense, unlike that from plantation farmed trees. Of course only its legs are wood; it's top is wood veneer and already shows signs of wear after just three years. Did the legs come from illegally logged old-growth forest in Siberia or Indonesia? How environmentally friendly can this table be if it is already falling apart after 3 years and will need replacement in another year or two? It's not friendly to the environment - but it is to Ikea's profits if I'm stupid enough to go there and buy another table. No, it's replacement will be a nice, well-worn American table from a second-hand shop.

Shell makes a convincing case that America's love affair with shoddy goods is bad for the environment and living standards abroad. Unfortunately she could have made a better case that shopping at Wal-mart and Ikea leads to lower living standards at home. Shell mentions a worker in furniture manufacturing who was laid off by an American furniture maker and picked up by Ikea - at much lower wages and benefits. However families who shop at Wal-mart save roughly $2700 a year on their purchases, and since Wal-mart caters to the lower demographics the savings is a significant part of the demographic's income. Shell argues that this savings is less than the family would have made had Wal-mart and the discount chains not driven jobs abroad, and because the jobs are gone forever Wal-mart consumers are locked into a decreasing standard of living that no amount of savings can justify.

Shell's work is heavily footnoted but because the footnotes aren't referenced in the text, I ended up reading them on their own after finishing the book. This is a small quibble with an otherwise fine and thought provoking book, but it would have made her arguments even stronger had the footnotes been referenced.

Shell's writing style is easy to read and her ideas are well supported and researched. Her conclusion that it is up to Americans to recognize that things that fall apart quickly - like reading lamps - don't provide good value in the long run leaves the decision whether or not to improve the situation up to us.

She believes that we need to educate ourselves on the products we consume - where they come from, how they are made, and what we consume is in line with our values. If we are comfortable buying cheap crap that falls apart, sending our dollars to the Chinese government that funds oppressive regimes in the Sudan, Burma and North Korea, then we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Overall this book is must reading for anyone interested in modern American consumerism.

Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It (Hardcover)

2009-07-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Put Down Everything Else You're Reading And Read This, July 13, 2009
By Kelly Belmar

This one's as solidly stunning as her first collection, Half in Love. Few flashy plot points, zero flashy sentences, but a confidence in the telling so acute that the characters' lives stay with you for a long time. Meloy GETS people, and she gets the West the way few writers do--the comfort and anxiety of slow open spaces, the barreling toward progress and development and peopled places not inconsistent with the ache for untouched land. This is by far the best collection of shorts this year.

Masterfully Eloquent Collection From a Gifted Observer of Human Frailty, July 17, 2009
By K. Anderson "Xanadude" (Los Angeles, CA United States)

This is my first exposure to the work of Maile Meloy, but if my enjoyment of this collection of short stories is any indication, I think I have just found a new favorite author! Speaking literarily, Meloy must be a Hydra or something. How else to explain 11 stories of acutely observed characters, graceful prose and achingly naked insights, each distinctly different in tone and approach?
Each story is a complete reality explored in the most poetic, economic language I've encountered since Truman Capote, plus she possesses a way with regional detail that rivals Carson McCullers. Some stories, like "Spy vs. Spy" will make you laugh out loud, while others, like "Travis B." will blindside you and won't be aware of your eyes tearing up until the words have become too blurry to read. The chilling "The Girlfriend" is like Stephen King if Stephen King could write.
I can't remember when I've enjoyed a book more or been as unhappy to come to the end.

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story (Hardcover)

2009-07-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

An affair to remember?, July 11, 2009
By Gretchen Schwenee

I have been on a 1960's reading jag lately, a kind of nostalgic look back at my parent's decade of youth. Helps me understand where they come from and it was an interesting time of change. I was excited to get an advance copy of this book as it looked to be a trashy but fun read, and I can say it delivered on both counts (trashy fun that is)! Did Jackie and Bobby Kennedy have a love affair after the assassination of JFK? This author makes the case that they did and it is fascinating reading. But how much real truth is there here? And even if it is all true is it something the public really needs to know? The book held a certain creepy fascination over me, I couldn't stop reading, yet a part of me thought I should. Its that kind of read. It is well written, and appears well documented but I would be interested to hear if there are any dissenting voices out there?

Speaking of 1960's and creepy fascination, Check out "Misfits Country" for a look into the mind of Marilyn Monroe and the making of her final film.

Great Summer Read, July 12, 2009
By Paul Black

This book was a quick and entertaining read. I particularyly found interesting how the personal relationship of Jackie and Aristole Onassis was put on hold for Bobbys political ambitions. There are tons of indisputable and juicy tidbits to this book that add up to a summer beach book best seller. Hats off to C. David Heymann

Rain Gods: A Novel (Hardcover)

2009-07-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

Another winner from a Grand Master!, July 14, 2009
By Penelope Forrester "pennysinheaven" (TRAVELERS REST, SC, USA)

Burke wins again with this elegantly written tale of Texas Sheriff Hackberry Holland and his search for the killer of nine Chinese women and girls in a sparsely populated Southwest Texas County. We first met Hackberry as a young lawyer in an early Burke work, LAY DOWN MY SWORD AND SHIELD.

Hack, a Korean War veteran, and his able Chief Deputy, Pam Tibbs, must fend off agents from a couple of three-letter federal agencies as they seek a solution to the slaughter while attempting to protect a young, alcholic Irag veteran who witnessed the machine-gunning of the victims. Chock full of displaced New Orleans mob bosses, a hired serial killer, a lonely and talented songstress, and a hapless bar owner bent on protecting his family at all costs, Burke delivers a rip-roaring tale for those who only "surface" read, or those who delve the deeper issues and significances to be found in all his novels.

One often overlooked facet of Burke's work is his creation of strong, brave and talented women. RAIN GODS introduces us to three such women in this work - three women of very different lifestyles and talents - who demonstrate that courage, beauty and love is proven in diverse ways.

A beautifully written work constructed with Burke's usual haunting, involved narrative. Five stars!

(Mea culpa: Added 16 July 2009: To those who may have read my review earlier in the week, I apologize. I confused myself. You will note in the book that Hack spent time in a Korean POW camp. References are made to the Chinese jailers there. In my original review I mis-identified the victims of the mass murder as Chinese. The women were from Thailand. It comes with age. Penny.)

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "A CHARACTER AND LANDSCAPE DRIVEN MASTERPIECE!", July 16, 2009
By Rick Shaq Goldstein "Rick Shaq Goldstein" (Danville, Ca, USA)

Way back when the written word was invented... I'm sure there were some lofty goals for its use. But the way James Lee Burke mystically organizes his words in this book is literally evocative... mesmerizing... and outright stimulating. This *ABSOLUTE-CLASSIC* story is a testament to what an artistic genius can create... with the end product assuredly more compelling than was ever hoped for when words were created. This book took me twice as long to read as a book of this length normally would. I found myself underlining his character descriptions... and literally reading them again slowly to myself for my own pure enjoyment. The author's descriptions of landscapes and sunsets... exulted past the boundaries of a murder mystery... and bloomed into fully formed poetry. I literally called a friend just to read some of my underlined verse.

The story takes place in a southern Texas town whose Sheriff is Hackberry Holland who among other things was a POW in North Korea. "I SPENT SIX WEEKS IN A HOLE IN THE GROUND IN WINTERTIME UNDER A SEWER GATE THAT WAS MANUFACTURED IN OHIO. I KNEW ITS PLACE OF ORIGIN BECAUSE I COULD SEE THE LETTERING EMBOSSED ON THE IRON SURFACE. I COULD SEE THE LETTERING BECAUSE EVERY EVENING A COUPLE OF GUARDS URINATED THROUGH THE GRATE AND WASHED THE LETTERING CLEAN OF MUD. I SPENT THOSE WEEKS UNDER THE GRATE WITH ONLY A STEEL POT TO RELIEVE MYSELF IN. I ALSO SAW MY BEST FRIENDS MACHINE-GUNNED TO DEATH AND THEIR BODIES THROWN INTO AN OPEN LATRINE." Holland uncovers nine murdered Thai women and girls in a ditch covered with dirt by a bulldozer. The subsequent search for the murderer leads to a non-stop readers delight involving a list of characters that range from a revengeful ICE agent that breaks the rules because he's never recovered from a personal tragedy involving his daughter being kidnapped... locked in a car trunk... and burned alive... to a gangster that runs a strip joint and "escort" service... another gangster who runs an "escort" service and who in the past buried a bunch of dead Russian prostitutes with stomachs full of heroine... and an almost limitless number of "BUTTON-MEN"... killers for hire... with a very jagged organizational chart reporting chain of command... with the most noteworthy Jack "Preacher" Collins... who in addition to being a cold blooded murderer is a religious fanatic. In the midst of this gaggle of hit men... is a poor sad-sack alcoholic Iraq War Veteran Pete Flores... who after too much alcohol ("One is too many... and a thousand is never enough!") gets involved as a driver on the fateful night that the Thai whore massacre takes place. When Pete flees the scene... he becomes the key witness that all the bad guys need to eliminate... so Pete and his "too-good-for-him" girl friend Vikki Gaddis go on the run. The bad guys are after them... and the Sheriff is after the bad guys... and the Sheriff is also after Pete and Vikki... to try to cut them a deal. And through it all the author's descriptions makes the reader feel like they're sitting on a Greyhound bus looking at the type of characters... who would be sitting on a Greyhound bus on hot southern Texas days and nights... and the landscape... sunrises... and sunsets... are so beautifully conveyed by the author... you feel... and believe... you're looking out the window of the bus... instead of sitting on your living room couch.

Some examples: "THE SKIN OF HIS FACE LIKE A LEATHER MASK, HIS LIPS THICK, ALWAYS SUPPRESSING A GRIN, THE INSIDE OF HIS HEAD CONSTRUCTED OF BONES THAT DIDN'T SEEM TO FIT RIGHT."

"HIS MOUTH WAS COMPRESSED, HIS MIRTH LEAKING FROM HIS NOSE LIKE AIR ESCAPING A RUBBER SEAL."

"THE HILLS FLICKERING WITH ELECTRICITY, THE HORN OF AN EIGHTEEN-WHEELER BLOWING FAR DOWN THE HIGHWAY LIKE A BUGLE FROM A FORGOTTEN WAR."

"A MAN WHOSE BACK LOOKED LIKE RED ALLIGATOR HIDE AND WHO SCREAMED IN HIS SLEEP PROBABLY WASN'T CUT OUT FOR COMMUNAL LIVING."

"HIS FACE WHITE, DISTORTED, HIS EYES WATERING, HIS NARROW HEAD AND LONG NOSE AND GREASED HAIR LIKE THOSE OF A MAN WHO WAS OUT OF SYNCH WITH HIS OWN ERA, A MAN FOR WHOM LOSS WAS A GIVEN AND INEPTITUDE A WAY OF LIFE."

"THE STARS WERE SMOKY, LIKE DRY ICE EVAPORATING ON BLACK VELVET."

"HIS EYES LUMINOUS POOLS BEHIND OCTAGON-SHAPED RIMLESS GLASSES, EYES THAT NICK COULD ONLY ASSOCIATE WITH SPACE ALIENS."

"HER EXPRESSION AS EMPTY AS A WOOD CARVING."... "HIS NECK AND FACE WERE DEEPLY LINED, LIKE THE SKIN ON A TURTLE."... "THERE WAS A SKINNED PLACE ON DANNY BOY'S RIGHT TEMPLE, LIKE A PIECE OF FRUIT THAT HAD BEEN RUBBED ON A CARROT GRATER."... "HER LIPSTICK LOOKED LIKE A FLATTENED ROSE ON HER MOUTH."... "HER FACIAL SKIN HAD THE TEXTURE OF BOILED PIG HIDE."... "ART ROONEY'S FACE HAD AN EXPRESSION ON IT LIKE THAT OF A BLOWFISH WITH A HOOK IN ITS MOUTH".

"IN THE DISTANCE, HE SAW A TRIO OF BUZZARDS CIRCLING HIGH ABOVE THE HARDPAN, THEIR OUTSTRETCHED WINGS STENCILED AGAINST A YELLOW SUN THAT REMINDED HIM OF LIGHT TRAPPED BEHIND A DIRTY WINDOW SHADE."

"AND THE MOON SAT ON THE HORIZON LIKE A HUGE, BRUISED WHITE BALLOON."

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of these enlightening, intelligent, thought provoking aphorisms... all wrapped around an outstanding thriller.

Harry Potter Paperback Boxed Set (Books 1-7) (Paperback)

2009-07-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

All Aboard Platform 9 3/4, July 11, 2009
By Logan

Harry Potter has done the impossible: he has defeated the Dark Lord, Voldemort, an evil wizard of tremendous power. And he did it before he knew how to walk or talk.

Now The Boy Who Lived is ready for his seven-year schooling at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he'll meet new friends and make new enemies on his way to becoming a wizard.

J.K. Rowling's story became an instant global phenomenon, attracting millions of children and adults from every background. Harry Potter has been translated in over 67 languages, and the last four books were the fastest selling books in history. Now, with the paperback release of Deathly Hallows, all seven books are available together in a beautiful box illustrated by Mary GrandPré, who also illustrated the books' cover art in the United States.

After the disaster that was the 1-6 box set (where some books were missing pages or even entire chapters), some buyers may feel a bit reluctant to buy this set. After receiving my copies, I checked each book and everything appears in order: the covers are in great shape, the box is in great shape, and all the pages appear to be intact (though I could be wrong; I haven't read all seven books just yet). At over $30 off the original price, I would definitely recommend buying this set while this great bargain lasts--I can find this same exact set in stores for over $70.

South of Broad (Hardcover)

2009-07-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Another Gift to the South, June 16, 2009
By W Ray "W Ray" (Bay County)

I read an advanced reader's copy of this new Conroy novel and must
say that it is simply beautiful from the first line. The story, set in
the late sixties till the nineties, mostly in Charleston, is centered on
the life of Leo King. Born into a devout Catholic family, Leo is haunted
by his brother's suicide, and trying to salvage a ruined adolescence with
the help of a handful of best friends, who have their own histories and
ghosts to deal with. Conroy often writes of salvation through friendship,
and this is his strongest novel yet on the subject. It is also an
unexpectedly Catholic novel, and at base, a very devout one. The South,
and the Low Country in particular, are exalted, beloved, and cherished in
prose so fine it breaks your heart. I don't want to spoil the story in
any way, but have to say that the last pages did that thing that modern
novels seem incapable of doing these days: it lifted my heart, ending on
just the loveliest, most affirming word (won't say what.)

Read the first line and you'll understand.

I would give this SIX or more stars if possible!, July 11, 2009
By BeachReader (Delaware)

I was lucky to have a fairy godmother loan me an ARC of this book. But I will be buying my own copy and re-reading it on August 11....I loved it that much.

SOUTH OF BROAD was simply A M A Z I N G and well worth the many years of waiting. I am looking forward to re-reading this so I can savor even more the language, the story, the atmosphere. WOW!

Conroy uses the most beautiful language -- it just made me want to read some sentences over and over. I found myself reading some parts aloud, just to hear the way the words resonated.

Not only is the writing beautiful, but Conroy's storytelling is so compelling and just captivated me. The characters are so well-developed....I even liked the ones that were supposed to be unlikable. These characters' unbreakable ties continue for years, though distance and circumstances separate some at different times.

One of the main characters was the city of Charleston, with all of its glory and all of its problems. Conroy's obvious love of Charleston shows in his luminous writing about it.

Some reviewers have described SOUTH OF BROAD as lyrical, poetic, compelling, breathtaking, passionate. I agree with all they say...I just loved this book.

I have been a Conroy fan since reading THE WATER IS WIDE in 1972 (based on Conroy's work as a teacher on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina). It was made into a movie, entitled CONRACK, a couple of years later. I have since read everything he has written, including his cookbook and THE BOO (hard to find, but I managed to do so). He wrote it just after his graduation from The Citadel in 1970. It is about Lt. Colonel Thomas "The Boo" Courvoise, the Commandant of Cadets at the Citadel.

Highly recommended.

Best Friends Forever: A Novel (Hardcover)

2009-07-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

Review
"Former mousy types, rejoice! In Weiner's delicious latest, a popular girl hits trouble long after high school and only the geeky pal she once shunned can help." -- People

"This beach read will win readers over with its wit and wisdom. A clever, sad and sweet turn on Thelma and Louise [with] what may be the funniest not-quite-heist ever pulled off ..."-- Publishers Weekly

"Warmly and realistically drawn... Weiner, creator of widely popular female characters, injects an element of suspense into her latest, Best Friends Forever. This book begins on an unexpected note of violence, but the friendship of the title is at its heart. Two estranged onetime high-school chums -- one now a television weathergirl and the other one of Ms. Weiner's lovable, snack-obsessed frumps -- are thrown together to find out what happened in that opening scene and to hash out old grievances. Weiner writes comfortably about the real world." -- Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"Jennifer Weiner is a master of the modern-day fairytale. In best-selling chick-lit romps like In Her Shoes, her heroines look just like us: self-deprecating, plagued by those few extra pounds - and ready for Prince Charming only once they've embraced their quirks. Weiner's latest effort is no exception, this time following a pair of friends - one fat, one thin - over two decades."-- Marie Claire

"The must-have beach read... In popular chick-lit-with-a-pulse author Jennifer Weiner's newest novel, Best Friends Forever, two childhood gal pals suffer a teenage-falling-out but reunite for an unexpected female-bonding adventure."-- Elle magazine

"A hilarious caper... resplendent in charm and poignancy...Weiner handles sorrow with a deft touch, blossoms in beautifully descriptive passages, and keeps readers glued to the page with curiosity and delight." -- Booklist, starred review

Product Description

Some bonds can never be broken...

Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That's what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they're both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school's scapegoat.

Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents' house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She's just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you're the only one who can help."

Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It's about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together.

Funny and poignant, July 14, 2009
By Karin Gillespie (Georgia)

I finished the novel last night and really enjoyed it. Jen Weiner has such a lot of range. She can go from poignant to laugh-out-loud in just a few sentences. The novel is about a friendship that goes sour and then is resurrected and often has a madcap, Thelma and Louise-feel, especially when the two friends are "on the lam." Weiner fleshes out minor characters --her self-assured brother who meets with tragedy is particularly memorable--and keeps the pacing brisk, serving up a bit of a twist at the end.
My favorite part of the novel was the flashbacks to the girls' childhoods. Jen brilliantly captures what it feels like to be ten and to have a very best friend with whom you share everything.

I think this just made tops as my favorite summer read...it has it all!, July 14, 2009
By A. Chandler "artistalana" (Austin, TX)

When Addie and Valerie became neighbors as children, Addie was certain they would remain BFFs forever. However a negative high school incident left Addie (the overweight and loyal friend) hurt--and tore the two into two directions where they remained until, 15 years later, Valerie (high school cheerleader, now weather girl) entered Addie's life again...and with blood on her sleeve and in need of help.

Best Friends Forever is a story of suspense, friendship, adventure and secrets and is told via 1st person and 3rd person from two different characters and also weaves tales of the past into the present via flashbacks. Where these elements could be awkward if not done well, it actually not only flows perfectly, but adds great interest for the reader.

In spite of having read several great books recently I hadn't realized that the range of emotion (humor, suspense, love, tears, revenge...) within "Best Friends Forever" was just what I needed til I read it.

The character development is so deep that I felt certain the author must "know" pieces of these characters somehow in real life or experienced some of what she described within her own--Great depths to their personalities and interactions. You truly read into their souls and she captures details in her words that make for deep insight.

I also felt I was taken from childhood to adulthood in great detail (some will feel as though they are right back in highschool with her descriptions. ) and I both cried and laughed...it's actually a very deep story and nothing felt forced or contrived to me.

You'll want to go through the adventure of Addie and Val so much that you may need to grab your booklight for this one...I found it to be a true "page turner".

I felt empathy for Addie's struggles and adored Jordan and was captured by a roller coaster of emotions for Valerie.

And...I'm typically not a person you can surprise with a twist at the end of a book; I always see it coming it seems. But this one was a surprise.

To wrap up a tale and include such a range of emotion...suspense, heartbreak, humor, romance, and surprise all intertwined made for a truly great summer read.

Afterall, what more is left?!

Conclusion: excellent read...includes great characters, descriptions, adventure and a range of emotions spliced with some humor. A+

The Doomsday Key: A Novel (Hardcover)

2009-07-12T02:25:00.001-07:00

Another winner--why do I even doubt?, June 23, 2009
By Susan Tunis (San Francisco, CA)

Yes, I doubted, very briefly. I'm ashamed. It's not that The Doomsday Key doesn't start off in a readable and totally entertaining manner. It really does. Rollins has what he does down to a science by now. He quickly reintroduces the main players (a few of whom we haven't seen in a while: Rachel Verona and Seichan) and establishes their relationships with each other. In addition to the ladies above, all the main Sigma players make their appearance, but as usual not all of them are heavily featured on this adventure. Seichan fans rejoice, she has a major role and experiences tremendous character development in this novel.

After the characters are reestablished, (again, as you'd expect) the action starts. A motorcycle chase here, a shootout there, a dash of international travel. Now, I love James Rollins with all my heart, but these opening salvos--while very well-written--felt a little... generic. My moment of doubt.

Happily, it didn't last long. Once Rollins set the main plot in motion, all such thoughts vanished. Seriously, WHAT was I thinking? For me, things really kicked into high gear with the introduction of a new character, Professor Wallace Boyle, whose lecture on peat bogs thrilled me to my soul. I know, peat bogs, who'd a thunk it? But again, that's Rollins' gift. He must look at the world through curiosity-colored glasses; he can find the wonder in the most unlikely of places and subjects. And even more brilliantly, he manages to string together a laundry list of disparate fascinating topics into the plot of a tight, tense thriller. And he does it again and again.

I know I'm being very, very vague about the plot. It would be a shame to give too much away. The central plot revolves around a plague from the past and a plague of the future: hunger. As characters in the novel expound, there will soon be a tipping point where there are far too many people on this planet to feed. Who gets to choose who lives or who dies? If you had the power and resources to make the hard choices, what would you do "to save the world?" And would you be a hero or a villain?

It is the exploring of the above questions that entails ancient artifacts, hidden rooms, booby traps, prophecies come true, missing bumble bees, miracle-performing saints, love triangles, the final resting place of Merlin the wizard, polar bears, teddy bears, and the world's healthiest apple. And I didn't even give you a hint of the real shocker!

A lot of thrillers make the goal, save the world, whatever, and end abruptly. Not so here. There was a nice... cooling down period after the action ended. It's a chance to check in with all the major characters, and a chance for Rollins to leave us with another of his signature cliff-hangers. This one isn't as brutal as some he's written, but those invested in the series will be left with a question to keep them wondering for the coming year.

A final note: Is it wrong that the author's afterwards have become my very favorite part of these novels? This may be the longest one yet (And for God's sake, DON'T read it before you finish the book!), and I am staggered by how much true stuff was worked into the novel. I mean, pretty much every too-amazing-to-be-true fact was, in fact, true. James Rollins, you rock my world!

Fun summer read with fascinating facts!, July 7, 2009
By Sara Chung (SF, CA)

I have come to love James Rollins reads for great action adventure tied into fascinating historical and archeological themes. His books have taken over a place that used to be reserved for Cussler's Dirk Pitt adventures. Doomsday Key started out kind of weak for me, the action is there but it all felt a bit too formulaic. I could almost read Rollins mind as he was writing "Ok, I need a car chase here and then a shoot out followed by...." Thankfully this feeling did not last as I got deeper into the story and the surrounding mystery. This time out the ancient Druids and the mystery of Stonehenge play a part in the plot, and in typical Rollins fashion more true unusual facts and pieces of ancient mysteries are woven into his fictional mystery. I agree with another reviewer, one of my favorite parts of a Rollins Book is reading the after-words and learning what the truth really is! This is another solid adventure read From Rollins and his fans should be more than satisfied.

If you're a fan of action adventure steeped in ancient mystery do try "A Tourist In The Yucatan!" A gritty thriller wrapped in the mystery of the ancient Maya!

The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power (Paperback)

2009-07-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

A compellingly brilliant account of power in America, June 5, 2008
By R. Stuart (Boston, MA United States)

A compellingly brilliant account of power in America and how it's shaped by religion. 'The Family' chronicles the ideas advanced by the elite Christian fundamentalist group of that name at the highest levels of government during the past half century. Through its White House and congressional connections, the Family has influenced the deployment of US power, especially in foreign policy during the Cold War and beyond. Led by the talented and Machiavellian Doug Coe, the group has operated sub-rosa in the corridors of power unhindered by democratic accountability.

Jeff Sharlet, a scholar-writer on the nexus of religion & politics, pursues three goals in this remarkable book: (1) To trace elite fundamentalism's lineage from Jonathan Edwards in the 18th c. through the 19th c. religious leader Charles Finney to the present; (2) To demonstrate the Family's behind the scenes role in deployment of American power; and (3) To challenge the purely secular American historical narrative by arguing the role of religion behind the facade of formal power.

Sharlet accomplishes the first objective with verve, the Finney chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Based on his research in the Family's archives, the second goal is achieved, especially on the group's involvement in blunting US de-Nazification policy in postwar Germany, facilitating Indonesia's Suharto's crushing of East Timor, and encouraging the Somalian dictator and other similar types. The author's third challenge is the most ambitious, but I believe he meets it.

In fact, if the critical sociologist C. Wright Mills who wrote the influential 'The Power Elite' (1956) were alive today, I expect he'd be among the first to welcome 'The Family' revelations on the secretive role of Coe's elite "followers of Christ in government, business, and the military" in the projection of American power.

Important now, and for years to come, June 1, 2008
By Peter Manseau (Washington, DC)

The Family is the best book available on the Christian right precisely because it unpacks the ways in which the people often described as such are neither Christian nor right. I don't mean that in the bumper sticker sense - I don't buy (and Sharlet does not suggest) that this elite group of religiously motivated power players are not real Christians because of their political interests (even if the group itself sometimes prefers not to use the word). Rather, he makes the case that such easy categorization does not do justice to, or sufficiently warn against, their actual influence and reach. The story we are often told - that there are "fundamentalists" and "evangelicals" who are easily understood because they are somehow separate from the world the rest of us live in, hidden in megachurches making megaplans -- is not found in this book. Instead, like a carpet expert explaining the patterns in an intricately woven Persian rug, Sharlet shows us how strands of fundamentalism have been woven into the fabric of the nation's history.

As a journalist, I know and have worked with Jeff Sharlet, but then everyone who writes about religion does or should. His work is particularly popular among writers who cover religion because he tells a story that many wish they were allowed to tell. The history recounted in The Family is one most media outlets deem too complex for the average reader. (What in the world does union busting have to do with religion? A lot, in fact.) Sharlet does not regard complexity as something to be avoided, however, and his true talent is in finding just the right key for unlocking it. He frames keen-eyed analysis and impeccable research within a gripping narrative that lets readers with even a passing interest in the ways religion has influenced American life and politics understand it in a nuanced way.

In an election season in which religion again and again rears its head, this book is particularly relevant. Yet its importance will not fade any time soon. The Family is a hundred year history that shows how we got to this strange place where candidates are forced to damn or defend pastors and everyone must genuflect to the idea that God is a part of the political process. The use of the word "secret" in the subtitle might imply to some that Sharlet is describing a hidden reality. After reading the book, signs of the Family's influence will be obvious to anyone with eyes to see.

Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself (Hardcover)

2009-07-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

Product Description

How many of us can honestly say we do not suffer from at least one of the following:

* Colds or viruses each year
* Allergies or hay fever
* Extra pounds that won't come off
* Restless nights
* Recurrent indigestion, constipation, or irritable bowel syndrome
* Itchy skin, acne, or any other troubling skin condition
* Depression, anxiety, or frequent fatigue

If you were to seek medical advice for any of the above, you would likely be prescribed pills, topical lotions, injections, or even surgery. Such treatments are used to manage the symptoms and do not address the root of the problem. Too often, doctors treat these common ailments as inevitable costs of living a modern life. The result is a patchwork approach to health care that has become the norm.

In Clean, a New York City cardiologist and a leader in the field of integrative medicine, Dr. Alejandro Junger offers a major medical breakthrough. Dr. Junger argues that the majority of these common ailments are the direct result of toxic buildup in our systems accumulated through the course of our daily lives. As the toxicity of modern life increases and disrupts our systems on a daily basis, bombarding us through our standard American diet and chemical-filled environments, our ability to handle the load hasn't accelerated at the same rapid pace. The toxins are everywhere, but Clean offers a solution.

Clean is an M.D.'s program that provides all the tools necessary to support and reactivate our detoxification system to its fullest capabilities, and can be easily incorporated into a busy schedule. The effect is transformative: nagging health problems will suddenly disappear, extra weight will drop away, and for the first time in our lives we will experience what it truly means to feel healthy.

Every day spent on the Clean program is a major step in healing not just the symptom but the root of the problem, effectively and simply. Dr. Junger's life-changing program restores what rightfully belongs to you—your health, vitality, and peace of mind.

I never create reviews, but for this I must., June 5, 2009
By Ronald Moscoso (Maryland)

Read this book, it is amazing. The simplicity, the imagination, the story telling, how alejandro junger explains our body is just amazing. No complicated terminology, everything is simplified. I saw Alejandro on Marth Stewart and since that day have been a firm believer of what he does. Congratulations to you Alejandro and to the people who have the desire to get clean. You might think you are clean, but until you do this program you will have realized the amazing change a body can make.

bottom line...it works., July 9, 2009
By Susan Towers (New York, NY USA)

I have to confess that I didn't find this the easiest book to read - it's a bit repetitive but the bottom line is that Dr. Junger knows what he's talking about, is a caring physician and he's on to something. I met him, read the book, followed the program and I have to say that by the second week, I felt a lot better. My skin glowed, I slept well and I just felt altogether much better (the flat tummy helped!). My seasonal allergies also seemed to evaporate. Finally - I lost ten pounds which had been dogging me for two years - so frankly I was thrilled. It's a little tough on your social life but I plan to juice more regularly, take some supplements he prescribed and try and do the Clean program annually. I've cut back on my dairy / bread consumption overall but it's made me rethink my diet substantially, which was what I wanted. I'd recommend this...

The Metabolism Miracle: 3 Easy Steps to Regain Control of Your Weight... Permanently (Hardcover)

2009-07-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Do you keep gaining weight, despite your efforts to diet? Do the pounds accumulate around your tummy? Do you feel tired, irritable, and unable to focus? If you answered “yes” to any of the above, you may be one of the millions who have Metabolism B, an inherited condition that causes your body to overprocess carbohydrate foods into excess body fat. There is a reason that some people can eat all they want (and seemingly never gain a pound), while the rest of us fret over every carb. Diane Kress, a registered dietitian and weight-loss specialist, has helped thousands with Metabolism B lose weight—and keep it off—with her revolutionary, scientifically based program. Now she shares its secrets here. Among the many life-changing elements of The Metabolism Miracle, you will discover:

• The reason why cookie-cutter approaches to dieting (subtracting calories burned from calories consumed) cannot work for those with Metabolism B
• The tools to lose weight and reprogram your metabolism permanently
• A foolproof method to improve your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar
• The return of your energy, focus, and sense of well-being
• Sample menus to help you take it one day at a time
• Delicious recipes (including vegan) tailored to match each step
• An active lifestyle plan to maintain your newfound body weight.

As someone who struggled with Metabolism B for years, Diane Kress knows firsthand the frustration of diets that don’t work. Based on the latest research, her own experience, and the experiences of her clients, she has developed this groundbreaking plan to help you take back your life—starting today.

About the Author
Diane Kress, RD, CDE, is the owner and director of the Nutrition Center of Morristown, New Jersey. She has specialized in weight reduction and diabetes for over twenty-five years. She researched and developed the Metabolism Miracle, the program that she has successfully taught to thousands of patients.

It is a miracle!, May 8, 2009
By Beth (Morristown, New Jersey)

For years I tried all kinds of diets saying to myself they should work if I really follow the rules, but they didn't. I thought I failed. Yet deep down I knew there was more to it. I'm not that lazy, yet the scale said otherwise. Then I learned about The Metabolism Miracle...and it is a miracle. In very clear language Diane Kress explains why my physiology doesn't fit the mold of all those other diets. She tells me why I am different and why those other diets will never work for me; something I knew but didn't understand. And it's backed up by fact based on Diane's research and physiology of the human body. A lot this has been known for a long time, yet no one has put the puzzle together like Diane has before. The book is full of information on how my body's metabolism works. The book explains each phase of the program in easy to follow steps and how your body will react to each step and it's full of data supporting each phase. In reading the book it seemed like there was an answer to each possible question - what if I slip (there's a plan to get back on track); what types of foods can I eat (not only are there sample menus, there are pages and pages of recipes); what do I do if I go out to eat; etc, etc. The book will be a reference book for me for years to come. I really am excited that I've found where I belong.

Miracle in the Works..., May 4, 2009
By Tammy Guild "Metabolic Miracle" (NJ)

I've been practicing the Metabolism Miracle and have lost over 60 LBS/8 SIZES and still counting... as I continue phase 2 and strive towards my goal. My bloodwork has reflected positive results as well! This is the life-plan that I can live with as I'm provided with knowledge and tools to keep myself on track. Guilt is a thing of the past. I've even continued my weight loss while going through arthroscopic knee surgery! With these results, energy increases and exercise actually becomes enjoyable! This diet has spared me from the downhill cycle I was on. It is a MUST for anyone who is struggling or about to give up the struggle. Don't give up.... just try this diet. It is HOPE in a book! The chocolate, cinnamon and zucchini muffins are amazing. REVIEW FROM LORI GUILD, NJ: For anyone not fortunate enough to meet and work with Diane Kress, you must read her book - The Metabolism Miracle. As a devout chocoholic and extreme pasta lover, I didn't believe for one minute I could last a week without either. I wouldn't go to a restaurant unless they served pasta, couldn't make it one day without chocolate, and used to tell people that if I died in a vat of chocolate, I'd go happily. Now, I am living testimony that controlling those urges can be done... and it's easy! Yes, I say easy - - because living for a few weeks without Carbs and finally controlling those urges is so much easier compared to a lifetime of rollercoaster dieting and constantly feeling like your best just isn't good enough. If I can do it, anyone can, and I can't do enough to convince people The Metabolism Miracle is truly a miracle maker. There is real hope out there for anyone who has struggled and it's right here. I'm sure there are many people who will read about this book and think it's just another diet book... and I feel sorry for them... because they'll never discover the truth. So don't pass it by... what do you have to lose? Put yourself in Diane's hands for a few weeks and you'll see a difference in yourself that will last a lifetime.

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel (Paperback)

2009-07-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

Characters you care about, a story that grabs you -- maybe more dogs should write novels, May 13, 2008
By Jesse Kornbluth "Head Butler" (New York)

I have finally found a new novel I can stand to read.

To my great astonishment, it's told by a dog. (I'm not a pet-lover).

It contains many insights about car racing. (I have no interest in car racing, and I look askance at sports analogies.)

And the author has described it as "Jonathan Livingston Seagull' for dogs." (That book is tied with 'The Giving Tree' as my Least Favorite Ever.)

So what do I find to praise?

The concept: "When a dog is finished living his lifetimes as a dog, his next incarnation will be as a man." Not all dogs. Only those who are ready. Enzo, a shepherd-poodle-terrier mix, is ready.

Enzo has spent years watching daytime TV, mostly documentaries and the Weather Channel (It's "not about weather, it is about the world"). And because Denny Swift, his owner, is a mechanic who's training to race cars, he and Enzo watch countless hours of race footage. So Enzo knows about the world beyond the Swift home near Seattle.

The situation is equally appealing: Enzo is old, facing death. While he has learned from racing movies to forget the past and live in the moment, this is his time to remember. And he can remember objectively --- as a dog, his senses are sharper, his emotions less complicated. With the clarity of a Buddha, Enzo can see. And he can listen: "I never interrupt, I never deflect the conversation with a comment of my own." So he's quite the knowing narrator.

And then the story: a happy family, brimming with good feeling and ambitious dreams. Denny loves Enzo like a son. Denny loves his wife Eve, who works for a big retail company that "provided us with money and health insurance." And Denny lives for Zoe, their daughter. Then Enzo smells something bad happening in Eve --- the dog is always the first to know --- and you start to brace yourself. But not enough, not nearly enough. Bad things happen to good people in this novel, and then worse things, and soon you are so angry, so hurt, so tear-stained and concerned that you do not think for one second to step back and say, hey, wait, this is just a story! A shaggy dog story, at that!

It works out. This is fiction, of course it works out. Not without cost to the characters and the reader. But the payoff is considerable --- a story that commands you to keep going, ideas that are a lot smarter than the treacle Garth Stein could have served up.

"How difficult it must be to be a person." Enzo nails that. "To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live." Who wouldn't? "Racing is about discipline and intelligence, not about who has the heavier foot. The one who drives smart will always win in the end." And there's more --- yeah, this could be summer reading in progressive high schools some day.

Or you could take a refresher course now in learning how to race in the rain.

Why wait?

A dog's eye view of humanity, May 18, 2008
By Nicole Del Sesto (Northern Cal)

I might secretly be a dog person, or maybe subconsciously ... but if you were to ask me I would tell you I'm not a dog person. Oh, but how I loved Enzo.

On the eve of his death, Enzo (a dog) tells what amounts to his master's life story. Stein's attention to detail was amazing - the book read like it was written by somebody who took the time to stop and think "what would a dog feel/do in this situation?" As a result, Enzo is memorable and lovable. He's at once a crotchety old man, and an innocent youth. He's wise, he's naive, and he is devoted.

I'm not going to lie to you, this book is very sad. But it is also laugh out loud funny at times, and filled with love, devotion, philosophy and hopefulness.

It's a beautiful book and definitely one of my favorites of the year.

The Girl Who Played with Fire (Hardcover)

2009-07-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

"Salander alone against the world", January 25, 2009
By K. M. "literary devotee" (California)

In THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, the second volume in the late Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, publisher Mikael Blomkvist and the police are conducting parallel investigations into three horrifying murders -- and their initial evidence points straight at young computer genius and social misfit Lisbeth Salander. Kalle Bastard Blomkvist (as Salander has begun referring to him) hasn't seen Salander in nearly two years, except for one night when he happened to witness a huge man attempting to kidnap her and both she and the attacker eluded him. He's bewildered about why she cut him off cold, but had accepted her decision -- until now. He doesn't believe Salander killed these victims. Well, at least not two of them. He has to contact her, find out how she's become embroiled in this, and help her. Salander, as usual, has her own ideas about who she'll see and when....

In THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Larsson partnered Blomkvist and Salander as they unraveled a twisted tale of corporate greed, Fascist connections, and perverse sex and violence. FIRE highlights another subject on which Larsson wanted to shine light, namely the underbelly of the sex trade, a swill of human misery being forcibly imposed for money and simple loathing of women. Blomkvist's magazine, Millennium, plans an issue devoted to the subject based on the interviews and reporting of a criminologist and a journalist, and there follows much in-house discussion of the lurid material and how it should be presented to the public. But the three murders turn the magazine and its people on their heads.

Meanwhile, Salander travels, changes her appearance, and matures in the early chapters of the 569-page book that covers four months in total and is told in four parts. Among her pursuits: attempting to proof Fermat's Last Theorem in a way Fermat himself might have done, furnishing her new abode, and keeping tabs on Bjurman (whom, recall, she memorably tattooed in DRAGON). Then, she disappears for quite a spell as the murder investigation gets cranking, and finally, she regains the spotlight as the book rushes headlong into a heart-stopping denouement.

The last book in this series -- tentatively entitled THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST in its English translation -- is not scheduled for release until 2010. However, the entire trilogy has already been published in Swedish (naturally), French, and German. Larsson reportedly had planned a ten-volume series. He had written part of the fourth book and had outlined volumes five, six, and seven. Sadly, due to his early death, only the trilogy is complete and will, according to his father, be published. After reading FIRE, the thought creeps in that perhaps the trilogy will not provide closure, and that the reader could be left dangling, unsatisfied. That would be a crying shame because Salander and Blomkvist -- along with other continuing characters -- do burrow themselves deeply into the reader's (at least this reader's) affections. Fortunately, reviewers who have read, in the other aforementioned languages, the entire story arc, including the final novel, seem generally very satisfied. Some claim that the last book, also the longest, is a grand finale that answers all outstanding questions. A few are less effusive, stating that the last book can't meet the anticipatory heights set by the stunning, unusual first one.

This last criticism can be applied to the second book as well. FIRE does not pack quite the punch of uniqueness that DRAGON did. One can perhaps think of the movie trilogy THE MATRIX, MATRIX RELOADED, and THE MATRIX REVOLUTION as an analogy. The smash introductory film awed with its mind-bending perspective. The second and third passes were very solid, even amazing, partners, but they only reiterated the cutting-edge magic so novel in The MATRIX, building on it, not inventing something mind-blowingly fresh. Familiarity takes a bit of the bloom off the rose, but it certainly doesn't breed contempt in these instances. Larsson's FIRE lags a little during the mid-section in which criminal investigation procedure grinds along and the author belabors certain points, seeming to believe his readers novices at crime mysteries. But overall, FIRE accelerates the enthralling story of Lisbeth and Mikael with panache. One can't help thinking the world they inhabit is too slimy, too vicious, but Larsson was a man with many crusades and causes, and his trilogy vividly paints the harsh pictures of society that he hoped to reform. The Millennium Trilogy encompasses uncompromising social critique; prickling thrills; and curious, bittersweet romance. FIRE drew me like a moth, and I can't wait to get my hands on HORNET. 4.4 stars.

'...Dragon' on Amphetamines, December 28, 2008
By R. Bennett

This is the follow up to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I suggest you read that one first, though this novel is reasonably self-contained.

This book opens with Lisbeth Salander enjoying her newly ripped of wealth lazing in a hotel in Granada. No one knows where she is (as usual), and back in Sweden, Millenium magazine are preparing a an expose of the sex slave business in Sweden. The journalist who is preparing the expose is murdered, along with his partner, and Salander's legal guardian. Salander, now back in Sweden is the prime suspect, and the police hunt is on.

To say things get complicated from this point is an understatement. There are multiple investigations (Salander's of course, the police and Millenium's), multiple suspects, more murders, red herrings galore, and just general mayhem. Dark as all this is, it is actually quite funny in places: the police have no idea at all what is going on, despite a well meaning and competant detective in charge.

This is all tremendous fun for the reader. It is as anything remotely boring (and probably realism suffers) has been left out, yet despite the novels sheer page turning ability, (I read this too fast, I will need to read it again), it still has the power to inform.

So buy it, read it once, and then read it again.

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town (Hardcover)

2009-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

From the allegorical fishbowl looking out....., June 30, 2009
By Nathan Lein

Yesterday I retraced the route I first drove with Nick that first day I met him in 2005. I drove by the houses I identified to him as places where methamphetamine had been cooked or distributed. One has been torn down, one still appears dilapidated or "burned out." The other one I barely recognized because it is in such good shape with obvious care and attention being lavished upon it.
Oelwein, like many other rural communities, has changed significantly since Nick started this book. Our transformation, thankfully has been extremely positive. We have a new library, a sewer treatment plant that is not violating Clean Water Act Regulations, an absolutely gorgeous downtown area, 400 new jobs in the last 18 months, a microbrewery with multistate distribution agreements, new shops and restuarants, and a new community college campus that allows high school kids to take the kinds of classes previously only available to prep school kids or kids in major urban centers and allowing them to graduate with an A.A. degree the same day they get their high school diplomas.
My point is simply this: None of the above listed things were here that day Nick and I went to Leo's for lunch. The town was (and still is in some ways) suffering from all the forces described by Nick. There was a palatable sense of dispair. The last two chapters describe the start of the transformation, but all books end, and Oelwein's story defintely has not.
The problem is insidious and scary. As of 6.15.2009 52% of my juvenile case load is still because of methamphetamine use/addiction. The police are still arresting dealers and finding purer and more addictive product from Mexico.
Nick's research methods looked pretty solid to me. The Fayette County Sheriff's Office did have input. I was there when Nick and the Chief Deputy sat down together. Nick did contact colleges in the area. I was not privy to those conversations, but I know they were had. I know some conversations were not held because of refusal to return phone calls and emails. Are there some innacuracies? Yes, on the micro detail level, but they certainly do not detract from the story or affect it negatively. The lines drawn from point A to point B are 100% in my professional training and experience.
Nick was able to treat Oelwein fairly and report on an example of a town trying to find its way in a global economy. Oelwein and I both found hope during the writing of this book in spite of obstacles thrown up in our path, sometimes by the very government I represent on the front lines of the drug war.

An important, thoughtful book, June 11, 2009
By AKB (St Louis)

Everyone has heard of the meth epidemic; its scary effects on human life and the social fabric have been in the papers and on the news nationwide for what seems like a very long time. As meth gained a high public profile, many people have looked at the isolated elements of what we now call the drug wars. What we haven't had is any insight into how meth came to occupy a central place in so many lives and so many towns. More than a description of how bad it all is, this book attempts something much more ambitious: explaining how the political and social dynamics work to make meth what it is. Reding's argument of how the intersection of Big Pharma, Big Agra, mis-directed governmental action (and inaction), labor economics, sociology, and human greed brought us to this dangerous place is laid out against a narrative about a real town and its all-too-real people. Reding has a journalist's soul and he writes like a novelist. While there are several heroic characters in Oelwein, not everyone in the story is admirable; however, he respect their humanity and has a certain sympathy for the mesh they are caught in. The final section, which is about why this matters to us and how we can think about it, is nuanced and layered--there are no easy answers but there are some important ways we can think about it as we move forward.

Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters, Book 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

2009-07-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Review
“The queen of paranormal romance.”
—USA Today

Product Description
In her Drake Sisters novels, #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan delivers “everything her fans have come to expect” (Publishers Weekly). Now, she exceeds expectations as the fate of all seven sisters depends on the destiny of one.

An engrossing (yet disturbing) end to the series., June 30, 2009
By Jolie Kamensky

This is the seventh and presumably the final Drake sister romance of the series...and much the way Christine Feehan introduced the series with mystical and spellbinding characters (anyone remember: Magic in the Wind) Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, Book 1) rather short, but still enjoyable...the series ends with an equally entrancing prose.

Stavros Gratsos, is a well-to-do Greek businessman involved in trafficking humans, Elle Drake must try her best to blend in with the social scene as she goes undercover to investigate. Yet, there is something strange about this man. Elle, now working under the guise of Sheena MacKenzie, is unable to use her psychic abilities on him - and thus unable to read his being. The book gains momentum when the youngest Drake sister is forced to Stavros' private island.

Distraught and confused, Deputy Sheriff Jackson Deveau - the man that loves Elle, does all he can to find and return Elle to Sea Haven. Concerns are further raised when he learns that her six older sisters are unable to telepathically link to Elle. Will they be able to locate her? And if so, what has happened to her? Who is Stavros Gratsos? And how is he able to block their psychic abilities? I will stop there, but there are some very graphic and disturbing scenes coming up.

With all Christine Feehan books...the characters are drawn like an artist painting a masterpiece - and if I do have anything bad to say, it is that the book can overwhelm the reader with the number of characters in it - there are a lot! But the villain...Oh, the villain. The villain is one that is so depraved that all seven sisters (and more) are needed to bring his reign of sadistic terror to an end.

If you are new to the series, Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters, Book 7) is not the book you want to start with. The characters and plot are so engrossing that you'll find yourself lost without having read the earlier books. If you are caught up with the series, then book 7 is the perfect ending to a great series.........another book I would highly recommend that blends mysticism and romance together flawlessly is Geo Tin's novel Sirens--Sirens (Mass Market)--that is, if you are one of the few that haven't read it yet.

Don't miss this book - my favorite in the series, June 30, 2009
By NoSleep2Nite4Me "MCO" (Elkins Park, PA USA)

You can't miss this book if you've read the others in the series and I do agree with others that this should not be the first book you read in the series. It's a great book and represents the power of all the Drake sisters - love, family, sisterhood, understanding, magic, community. Don't let other reviews that puts this book down because of what happens to Elle stop you from reading this. SKIP CHAPTER 3 if you don't want to read in detail what happens to her. For some it may be too tough to read. There is enough implication about what happened in the rest of the story that you'll get a good understanding without all the detestable details. And the rest of the story is very good.

Before reading this book, I really did not care about Elle and Jackson - only that their story would end the series. After reading it, I can't help but have them as my favorite couple because of what they went through. Elle is a great female character (understandably vulnerable and then she makes a come back that just makes you want to yell YEAH!) and Jackson --- I can't help but love him for what he does. All of the other sisters and their men also have parts in this story.

After my great disappointment with Hannah's and Jonas' story, I think Christine Feehan did a great job with this book. Hopefully, the author will revisit the Drake family in the future (maybe a future family reunion with all the kids please!).

The Apostle: A Thriller (Hardcover)

2009-07-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Product Description
Every politician has a secret. And when the daughter of a politically-connected family is kidnapped abroad, America's new president will agree to anything - even a deadly and ill-advised rescue plan - in order to keep his secret hidden.

Master of suspense and #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor returns with his most riveting international thriller yet.

A new administration and a new approach to dealing with America's enemies have left covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath without a job. But when American doctor Julia Gallo is kidnapped in Afghanistan, the terms of her ransom leave the president with only one course of action.

In a dangerous assignment that the United States government will deny any knowledge of, Scot Harvath must secretly infiltrate Kabul's notorious Policharki Prison and free the man the kidnappers demand as ransom - al-Qaeda mastermind, Mustafa Khan.

But when Harvath arrives, he quickly learns that there is more to the kidnapping than anyone dares to admit. And as the subterfuge is laid bare, Harvath must examine his own career of hunting down and killing terrorists, and ask himself if he has what it takes to help one of the world's worst go free.

Brimming with the kind of ripped-from-the-headlines authenticity Brad Thor's internationally bestselling novels are known for, The Apostle doubles down on the blockbuster success of The Last Patriot and reaffirms Thor's status as the master of the political thriller.

About the Author
Brad Thor, a graduate of the University of Southern California, has served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security's Analytic Red Cell Program and is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Lucerne, Path of the Assassin, State of the Union, Blowback, Takedown, The First Commandment, The Last Patriot, and The Apostle. Visit his website at www.BradThor.com.

Another bare-knuckled thrill ride from one of the masters., June 30, 2009
By L. Lendelle

Brad Thor is one of the preeminent writers of thriller today, and his best-selling books are too numerous to count...so instead of talking about his past successes, let's get straight to his newest novel: The Apostle: A Thriller, shall we? The book, in short, is about an American physician who gets kidnapped while working in Afghanistan. Ah, the scene is set, but this doctor has connections. He, and his family, are politically connected to America's new President, and turn to him for help, but the ransom being asked is too steep for the President, and he decides to launch a covert operation to get the American physician back instead.

The premise, along with the characters, are rather interesting - they have a passionate view on the current state and try to convince others to come to that point of view. It would seem that The Apostle has mingled in current affairs with a fictional tale. The President in the story is another interesting facsimile of our current Commander in Chief. A quote from the book "the new President had been very aggressive with his first 100 days. Campaigning on a platform of change, and he had done just that when he stepped into the Oval Office, and not necessarily for the better." The President, in the book, had single handily eviscerated the central intelligence of the country.

Much like all of Brad Thor's novels, he bases them on current headlines but allows the reader to decide which is which. Is the President in the book based off of our current President? The Apostle informs, implores, and entertains the reader in a way that only a few authors can. He has created another bare-knuckled thrill ride that seems so believable, it could have been taken from the headline news. I really enjoyed this novel (as I've enjoyed all Brad Thor's novels) I guarantee everyone will walk away from this reading experience knowing more about global terrorism, central intelligence, and other aspects of our country that you didn't know before.

But I personally think the true message of the book (or at least what I took it to be) As Americans there is quite a bit of frustrations with the higher offices of the country. We have got fantastic men and women in the militaries that are putting their lives on the line to protect our citizens, to protect our country, and to protect Lady Liberty, and yet, they are forced to deal with some of the worst management and leadership...and they shouldn't have to. This book really is a voice for the people who can't speak of these matters due to the red tape and bureaucracy. The Apostle: A Thriller is an incredible novel that you don't want to miss.....Another book I would highly recommend that shows the true colors of war is Ashes Divide by Clarence Cage: Ashes Divide it is another great tale that shows the heroics of true warriors in battle.

Bring the pain Scot H., June 30, 2009
By Jason Frost "RubiconReader" (California)

Stephen King once said that "hell was spending eternity reading Danielle Steel novels". If that is indeed the case then let me say that "heaven is eternity reading Brad Thor novels". A little dramatic? Maybe. But if you've read anything by Mr. Thor then you understand exactly where I'm coming from. If you haven't... well I pity your life. (not really).

I love how Thor brings in current headlines and issues that we have a country and weaves them brilliantly into the storyline. I actually laughed when he talked about a "president who promised change",his administration and their asinine policies that just decimated our intelligence community. Gee, golly, gosh, I wonder who he could be talking about? This President has as a best friend, a woman who is a true ball-buster in every sense of the word. This woman has a daughter working overseas and she is kidnapped by the worshipers of the religion of peace. And because of this President's "Dr. Phil approach" to dealing with terrorists he's caught between a rock and a hard place. He can't just go in there and get her because that would go against everything that he spewed during his campaign. If he doesn't go in there, his ball-busting pit bull of a best friend will expose him and one HUGE secret that could bring him down.

What is a hypocrite President to do? Enter Scot Harvath. Thus enter blood. Enter pain. Enter controlled mayhem. Enter doing what it takes to get the job done. Tell political correctness to take the rest of the week off! Of course Scot has strong mixed feelings about this, because it was THIS idiot President who stripped him of his job. True, all Scot does is protect American from the animal thugs who use children to carry out their terror while they hide in bunkers. He really doesn't do anything but put his life on the line to keep our cities free from dirty bombs, chemical weapons, and WMD'S. I mean why keep a guy around who was born to see the unseen and anticipate the impossible? Stupid if you ask me. Unfortunately the moronic President in this story can't sense my sarcasm and, therefore, doesn't see the plain common sense in keeping a man who lives for protecting America!

Showing a rare form of common sense and penchant for making the right decesion, the President calls on Scot to serve his country, (more rather his cause), one more time. I will say that this book doesn't have the usual extremely high adrenaline action that we've come to expect from Brad. Oh, there is violence and death but on a smaller scale and I'm spoiled so I want a high body count! In spite of my obsessive need for bodies to fly and blood to burn, fans will absolutely love this one!

The Evolution of God (Hardcover)

2009-06-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well-Researched, Judicious, and Enlightening, June 10, 2009
By John W. Loftus (Indiana)

This new book from acclaimed author Robert Wright is a well-researched one covering a great deal of territory. It should be read in its entirety to be properly understood. In it he discusses the history of religion with a focus on western Abrahamic faiths, although not entirely neglecting eastern religions. He tells us in the Introduction that he's giving us a human "materialistic" account of it, although he thinks doing so "actually affirms the validity of a religious worldview," though not a traditionalist one, but one nonetheless. Wright argues the gods arose as illusions and that "the subsequent history of the idea of god is...the evolution of an illusion." This evolution points to the existence of a "divinity," he argues, even though this god is not one that most believers currently accept. As it evolved it has "moved closer to plausibility." (p.4).

Wright begins with the five types of primitive hunter-gatherer supernatural beings: elemental spirits, puppeteers, organic spirits, ancestral spirits, and the high gods. These primitive gods were not always worshipped but treated as we would treat other human beings. In these societies the Shaman was the "first step toward an archbishop or ayatollah" who had contact with these otherwise hidden forces and could help focus their powers to heal, protect, and provide.

As small tribes grew into larger societies the chiefdom was the next evolutionary stage where there was a need for a "structural reliance on the supernatural." Chiefs in these agricultural societies were conduits through which divine power entered the social scale down to the lesser folk. If things went well for a society then the chief was doing a good job. Superstition reigned in these days.

With the arrival of the city-states, kings needed divine legitimization and used the gods to solidify their rule over the people. The king was now the conduit of divine power. The character of the gods could differ between city-states, but many of them demanded human sacrifices or else there was chaos. Along with this development came moral obligations, which if they were not met caused sickness and death. In these city-states there was competition between rival cities and along with them rival gods. This had a tendency for these polytheistic people to elevate their god above others, which was a step toward monotheism.

When Wright turns to a discussion of the emergence of Abrahamic monotheism it appears to me he is at his very best. In decoding the biblical texts from how we normally read them beginning with Genesis, he finds good evidence that behind what we see on the surface is a different story of Yahweh who was just one god in a pantheon of early gods. Yahweh starts out with a body, for instance, and was given the people of Israel to rule over by Elyon, the highest god in the pantheon. Originally Yahweh was probably one of the Canaanite deities, he argues. When it comes to the Israelites themselves, Wright argues from archeological evidence that they look more and more like Canaanites who originally worshipped Baal and Asherah, rather than some people who invaded Palestine after leaving Egypt.

In a fascinating discussion Wright argues that this Hebrew god evolved into a monolatry, which was a "way station on the road to full-fledge monotheism." Monolatry didn't deny the existence of other gods, it just affirmed that Yahweh was the highest of those gods in the pantheon. This was achieved mostly by King Josiah, who sought to solidify his reign and centralize worship in Jerusalem. Josiah even had his reforms written in much of the book of Deuteronomy.

When Judah was carried away into captivity by the Babylonians the exiled Jewish theologians made the most of their disaster. Based on good reasoning and scholarship Wright shows how they thought about such a complete and utter disaster and why they came to the conclusion that Yahweh was the one and only God. If it was Yahweh's will to bring the mightiest empire of their day to so utterly destroy them for their sins, as they did, then Yahweh was bigger than they had ever thought. "A god who governs the actions of the greatest known empire is a god who can govern history itself." (p. 171).

But this God of theirs was not yet thought of as a good God. That was the next evolutionary stage to take place, and Wright sees this coming from the writings of Philo of Alexandria, who urged a tolerance for other gods at about the same time Jesus was preaching.

But even Jesus did not think of his God as a loving God, Wright argues. In Mark's first gospel Jesus is portrayed as one who "believes you should love your neighbors, but that isn't to be confused with loving all humankind. He believes you should love God, but there's no mention of God loving you." (p. 258).

The Apostle Paul, however, is described by Wright as the "apostle of love," not only because he penned I Corinthians 13, known as the "Chapter of Love," but also from other things he wrote. It was Paul's version of Christianity that eventually won the day in Constantine's multiethnic empire because it favored ethnic harmony, Wright argues.

Wright sees the same evolutionary trend in Islam. First Allah "transcended tribal distinctions," as Yahweh did before him. Then he acquired the "multinational perspective of an empire," even to the point when in places the Koran grants the possibility of salvation to people "outside the fold." (p. 436)

Wright concludes that in our day "we've reached a stage in history where the movement toward moral truth has to become globally momentous." In short, God has some "some growing to do," (p. 436), and Wright seems confident this will happen, given what he wrote in his previous book, Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. Whether he can be this optimistic depends on the case he made there.

In the end, traditionalists will not like this book, and he admits this. Wright's god seems to be an abstract god as "the source of the moral order" (p. 446), and in such a belief he finds his god, although he holds out hope this god is also a personal one.

Other thinkers have argued God will become unnecessary and will evolve out of existence in the human mind, but whether or not that will happen is yet to be seen. In any case this is a judicious treatment that will surely provoke controversy. It's also enlightening. Hopefully his book will contribute to the ongoing evolution of the idea of God. And maybe it'll contribute to his evolution out of existence, too.

John W. Loftus, author of Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity

Absolutely brilliant, June 29, 2009
By GLS (Brooklyn, NY USA)

In THE EVOLUTION OF GOD, Robert Wright has given us a mind-blowing look at how monotheism has evolved over thousands of years, and in turn how our conception of God has changed along the way. I admit that my theology background is not the strongest (have read Old and New Testament, but not the Koran) but I found something new and provocative on nearly every page. Among the things that have stuck with me are how he shows how Jesus never said "love thy neighbor," how the Jews were not monotheistic after escaping Egypt, that Mohammed was willing to compromise his principles again and again in order to build alliances, etc, and that there is a moral direction to history, that we are heading for an age of tolerance--not what you'd expect given today's headlines. Perhaps what's best about this book is that it charts a middle path between hardcore atheism and hardcore religion. I just read the New York Times review which called it "brilliant" and I could not agree more.