Audiobook Books

"Say Goodbye" by Lisa Gardner was easy to say goodbye to. Frankly, I can't understand the great reviews this book is getting. I was excited about the book because I like mysteries, detective novels, and strong female leads, but this book was a letdown.

THE GOOD (and the reason the book gets two stars instead of one)

The plot, for the most part, was well thought out, and was definitely a good book idea, but it needed a little tweaking to make the various parts flow.

Kimberly's character was fairly well-developed, although the intrusive references to her backstory just didn't fit with the flow of the novel. Perhaps this was an homage to her previous work, Hide, which I believe featured Kimberly's father. However, for those of us who haven't read Hide, it just didn't make sense that these facts were thrown in there. Also, the constant references to her pregnancy were unnecessary; yes, we know she's pregnant so we're supposed to feel more empathy with her. Empathy, check.

The facts about spiders were pretty interesting and I enjoyed those. They weren't necessary, per say, but were fun to read. If you're not a spider lover, this won't endear you to the little critters at all.

The backstories of the antagonists were told as flashbacks that you're supposed to eventually tie back to the individual characters, and are revealed via little snippets throughout the book. It was an interesting way to develop the backgrounds of the characters and reveal their motivations for what they are doing, but it felt confusing. I found myself wishing all this background had been a chapter at the beginning of the book, because it would have given you more of a feel for the actions of the antagonist. Especially confusing were the bits with Rita, because I was under the impression that these were past events, not current, so was forever trying to figure out who the boy was supposed to be. However, these snippets were, in my opinion, the best parts of the book. They were interesting, the characters were compelling, and you could really feel their anger and frustration, unlike the MAIN characters.

THE BAD:

Writing. Pure and simple, the writing is bad. It's amateurish. It feels like she has an entire plotline and characters in her head, but we're receiving it through the voice of someone who's never written anything before. It makes me wonder how good the writing was in Hide that it warranted another book by this author. Facts were stated, then contradicted. Some details didn't make sense. For instance, at the beginning of the book, it talks about her meeting her husband for the first time at the FBI Academy. The author writes that the first time they saw each other was when she'd gone after him with a knife and he responded by trying to steal a kiss. In FBI training? Huh? And then, on the very next page, she contradicts by saying that they'd met over a crime scene. Another instance, there was no air of any sexual tension between this married, 5-months pregnant investigator and Sal, another investigator, yet all of a sudden, she's sitting next to him outside a hotel room wondering what it would be like to kiss him and run her hands all over him. Then she accidentally calls him Mac, her husband's name. It was revolting and didn't make any sense.

Dialogue. Another bad. It was terribly unrealistic. Example (and I'll block out the character's name her to not give anything away): "[character] leapt to his feet, shouting, 'Well, look at that!' Then a rifle boomed from the trees and red bloomed across [character]'s shoulder and he exclaimed a second time, 'Well, look at that!' [Character] fell to the ground." The guy gets shot and exclaims "Well, look at that!"? Sure. And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Most of the dialogue just doesn't seem real and therefore doesn't allow the reader to be immersed in the action.

The antagonists were interesting, as their motivations were clear and understandable, but the main characters, including Kimberly's husband Mac, her father, and her father's wife were poorly developed and seemed to be there just to move the plot along. The actions and dialogue of Kimberly's father and his wife were the worst in the book. And, I didn't understand why FBI agents would lug along a civilian on investigations, even so far as taking them to a different town and staying in a hotel. Why were these people along for the ride?

All in all, it was very difficult to get through this book. Although it would seem to have all the elements that I look for in a novel, this one just didn't ring true. The characters, dialogue, and writing made it a chore to read and didn't allow for me to step into the reality of these characters. I think the same plot, in the hands of a better writer, would have made "Say Goodbye" much more interesting and a compelling read. My advice would be to read a few random pages before buying to see if you can get over the writing. As for me, I'll say goodbye to the wasted hours spent plodding through "Say Goodbye."

Final Note: There are several scenes of child abuse (verbal, physical, and sexual), so this novel is not for those who find that sort of content difficult to read. The abuse is not explicitly detailed, but contains enough information to give you a clear picture of what is going on.

I have read all of Ms. Gardner's books and this was the best so far. I found the story to be intriguing and kept my interest the whole time. I will not rehash the plot as that has been done many times, but I have to agree with the reviewers that some of it is hard to stomach. However, it is integral to the story itself. I also agree with the reviewer who said that sometimes it's hard to follow with respect to which person is narrating. I also really enjoyed the way the book ended.

Don't hesitate to pick this one up. It's a great read by an amazing writer.

I could wait for this book to come out and now that I have it I can't put it down. I think it is a very good book

I really enjoyed this book. It was creepy and kept me guessing with all of the different points of view (some of which you're not even sure whose point of view it is). I have to agree that the vivid descriptions of child abuse left me with a sick feeling in my stomach. I understand that they were there for a reason but I still felt like I needed a shower after finishing this book!

Say Goodbye is a disturbing tale of malevolence that begins with a young girl, making out with a boy along a country road; it flashes to her arrival home to find her house locked up. When she accepts a ride from a stranger, the scene is set for tragedy...

Flash forward to Kimberly Quincy, pregnant FBI agent, and workaholic extraordinaire. She and her husband, another agent, disagree frequently about how long or whether or not she will continue on her current hard-driving path.

But then Kimberly seemingly falls into a case so twisted, so compelling, and she cannot turn it down. Someone is killing prostitutes...someone who calls himself Dinchara (an anagram for arachnid, because of his obsession with these eight-legged creatures). And nobody can discover the bodies or any physical evidence, or even any clues that go anywhere. And then they seem to catch a break. Their best clues come from a victim (witness) who comes forward, supposedly to help.

She, however, turns out to be just as twisted as Dinchara. And, of course, you come to see that the abusers were once victims, too.

Alternating chapters reveal the thoughts and feelings of the killer, leading the reader toward an understanding of his motivations. It soon becomes clear that he, too, was once a victim...

As the agents close in on the killer, twists and turns prevent them from finding him. Just when they think they finally have him, he eludes them once again.

The surprising connections begin to come together at the end, and the reader is blown away by the big reveal.

Compelling book...Almost too sordid and graphic, even for me, with my background in working with child abuse and abusers.

Read only if you have the stomach for it.

This book talks about the importance of love and forgiveness, using "A Course in Miracles" as a basis for its explanations.

The message in this book seems good. In a perfect world, there would be all love and forgiveness to all mankind, and then everything would be all perfect (but then again, if it were a perfect world, there would be no sin and no need for forgiveness). The book just seems to superficial to me.

Don't get me wrong - the message about love was good, and I agreed with most of what the book says. I do believe that love is powerful and we need more love and forgiveness. I just wish it was as easy to have it as this book lets on.

I felt too much information was given from "A Course in Miracles" rather than from the author herself (most every page had a reference to "A Course in Miracles"); that's why I couldn't give the book more than 2 stars. Also, the book was unnecessarily drawn out; the point was gotten on a quarter of the pages.

I love the Cd a fabulous and inspiring look at the meaning we all search for and the anwsers to questions we all ask. Marianne Gives an entertaining and honest account of her life and journey, I recommend everyone listen to this wonderful course in miracles CD.

Reading this book helped lead me to the "miracle" of forgiveness I have been trying to find/give for years. Marianne hits on many vein's that need to be opened - love and forgiveness for one's self and others. I am constantly referring back to this book and marking it with my highlighter!

For many years, I have been looking for a way out of my personal hell which has included depression, self subotage, painful thoughts and self loathing. I have tried among many other things, willpower, counseling, religion etc. This book has done it for me. I am a brand new person after reading it.

My greatest fear? Buying a book that is discussing another book. I bought this book after watching Coach Carter (Widescreen Edition) on DVD. What I found was an intelligent woman whining on and on about "stuff". She's very smart, but then she has read The Seth Material, which basically tell her how to frame her experiences. The whiny tone was so infuriating that I wanted to slam dunk it in the trash. I couldn't get past the half-way point because after a while she was complaining about people she should leave alone. Marianne seems unhappy and quite content to take it out on the American public. I'm so happy I'm not an American. But maybe that's why I don't get what she's on about. It's better to read the Seth material and other books by Jane Roberts as background first, and then try doing a A Course in Miracles after. If you are looking for good reading material it might be better to look at her primary sources and struggle with it yourself.

My copy, from Christmas 2004, says "over 15 million copies sold". I see cover copy on books in stores now showing 20 or 30 million sold.

So, this is not a new or little-known book, and obviously, many people have read it and find it very good, and indeed it is. Warren gives five Biblical purposes for life, consistently using scripture (in many different translations where they help convey meaning). And while the book does occasionally reference other "PDL" products like the journal, it doesn't appear to be a sales tool for these other products.

In fact, the The Purpose-Driven Life Journal in conjunction with a good study translation (New American Standard, New Internation, or King James) is a great way to study and make notes.

Wow-really good book!! On a side note, would have prefered the Bible references at the point of reference ( eg Psalm 23:1 and not '2' so as to prevent the need to continually turn to the back of the book. I am at day 12 and I am really impressed at how applicable this book is to my life. Again, I wonderful read

I disagree with many reviews here. This book is not meant to be your bible or replace the bible. You cannot read this alone and expect to have all of the answers. If Rick Warren attempted to put every single point that is in the bible into this book, this book would have been overwhelming and very long
Rick touches on important points that many of us may miss while reading scripture. God made each of us for a purpose and I believe Ricks purpose was to solely touch on the points that he did in this book. It truly inspired me to look more beyond what my mind would read a scripture or passage to be.
We could read the bible and say Noah, Abraham, Paul or Joseph did these things, but that may be all we read it as. Simple as that. But God made certain people to understand these stories more in depth. While I am by no means stupid, my mind will not put together passages from the book of James and the book of Revelations and see a puzzle pieced together or see the relevance of 2 very different books, one from the old testament and one from the new, to be very much connected. Most of us cannot do that. But I know God created people specifically to do so.
That is what I believe Rick does here in this book. He gives it to us in laymans terms that any idiot cannot misunderstand. Do not let the very narrow minded reviews keep you from checking this book out yourself. It is very inspiring and will help get that fire burning under your behind. If you've felt yourself slipping away or backsliding a bit, then this book may be just what you need to get back on track with your relationship with Jesus.
ps. Shame on the people who would give this book a 1....or per a previous review that people would rate the Holy Bible a 1....You should be ashamed.

Excellent book!! As a Christian I was at a time in my life where I knew I needed help and to lean on God, but I didnt know HOW to go about doing it. This book definately shed some light on my path.

This book is thought and prayer provoking. It opens up your eyes to what it means to live as a Christian using thousands of verses in the bible. For me bible study was difficult and often times I did not understand what I was reading, but this book gave me insight and help walk me through the door of understanding so that it all made sense to me.

If you are looking for answers inside of you and you know God is the way, but just not sure how to make a move-- then read this book! God Bless you!!

My husband and I used this book to do an almost year long study with our house church group a few years ago. We did a chapter a week and had discussions and worked through the Points to Ponder and Questions together. Probably time to revisit this book I think! Definitely one you can do over and over again

Dr. Gurgevich knows what he is doing when it comes to hypnosis for weight loss. While I didn't have the problem that a lot of the reviewers had with his voice, I agree that the CD quality and production values could have been improved. I prefer his other book The Self-Hypnosis Diet: Use The Power Of Your Mind to Reach Your Perfect Weight.

If you're a woman looking to lose weight, I'd also recommend looking into Body Esteem: Weight Loss Through Self-Discovery (includes 2 Audio CDs). For the same price you get two CD's and a workbook. Sherri Dawson's audio programs are wonderful, accompanied by sounds of nature and relaxing music.

It's all about what works for you. The bottom line is I needed to look inside of me for the answer to my weight struggle rather than quick fix diets and pills. Find a book/audio program that is relaxing to listen to and helps you develop the inner path to self-awareness and happiness.

I absolutely LOVE this set of CDs!!! In approaching my own weight loss, I took the "buckshot" approach and bought every highly recommended book or CD I could find (many of them are rated 5 stars on Amazon). This set is the best - by far. It has helped me to completely turn around my attitudes and ideas about weight loss. It has helped me to EASILY make changes that were previously impossible (no sugar or flour) and make me look forward to exercise. The result is EASY weight loss and much better health. Thank you, Steven Gurgevitch!

Gurvevich has a smooth, assuring voice; and he teaches you how you can control your own mind. No one but you can hypnotize you. He doesn't control your mind; but, he teaches you how to be in better control of your 'self.'

I have lost 12 pounds in the first 2 weeks. After giving birth at middle age, when my body is resistant to weight loss, this has been a miracle. This product has given me the motivation to eat healthier smaller portions and to exercise. If you commit yourself to taking these CDs seriously, you will see results.

I find the author's voice actually quite soothing to listen to. I have the Audible audiobook (no CDs, just one big file) and I do wish that each hypnosis session was a separate track. I went through the audiobook via iTunes and wrote down the time when each hypnosis session begins. I printed it out and keep it nearby so I can fast forward to the specific session that I want to listen to. I hope this will help out anyone else with the program as an Audible file. (I tried to post this on the Audible website but I keep getting an error message.)

Healthy Habits 1:17:03
Emotional Barriers 1:41:10
Self Love & Acceptance 2:01:37
Self Control over Cravings 2:17:12
Morning Motivation 2:31:20
Before Dinner 2:52:44
Bedtime Hypnosis 3:07:47

David Allen gives you specific tasks to organize and streamline your life and business. Do it or drop it - words to live by if you want to eliminate clutter in your office and in your mind.

GTD called it right when it identified broken agreements with self as a source of negative feeling, anxiety, guilt and "disintegrated self-trust". And one cannot be wholly productive when they are nagged by worries of open loops. GTD presents a methodology for remedying this and achieving a "mind like water".

While I still believe in traditional time management principles such as task prioritization, GTD offers some excellent concepts and takeaways: Corralling all your stuff is critical - you can only feel good about what you're not doing ONLY when you know what you're not doing; the notion of Next Actions is simple but invaluable; separating reference and support material from actionable items will keep the system less clogged; the Someday/Maybe list as an outlet for off-the-wall and future tasks; and the four criteria model for choosing actions in the moment works, among others.

GTD makes a strong case for some type of time management or personal organization system. This was my second time through the book and while it was worth the revisit, I wish it gave more specifics on tools; and the lack of mention of Blackerrys and iPhones nearly make the book dated. GTD doesn't offer a panacea; but as David Allen himself states, no system is perfect for tracking projects and tasks, you just need to know you have them and where to find more information. I am looking forward to his upcoming sequel.

The methods in this book were extremely helpful to me. They are very plain and written in simple, totally understandable, language. The information and advice in the book can be applied to almost any situation, even for optimizing my productivity as a high school student. However after I was about halfway done with this book I literally just stopped reading and through my head went "Have I already read this page? Did I loose track of where I left off?" I hadnt! The book is simply so redundant its hard to keep reading. It tells you about the methods (In pretty decent depth) and then in the next section tells you how to apply them, and in the third section tells you how to actually use them and put them to action. About half of the information in the sections overlaps and the information is simply not well structured.

Useless. Tortured analogies that only illustrate the author's total lack of substance. It's like porn for the anal-retentive. The illustration of 43 file folders on page 175 of the paperback is one of the most absurd things I've ever seen in a business book. Don't bother unless you're a robotic control-freak.

As with most books like this, a great deal of the content is common sense. But as is always the case with me, formalizing it and explaining it is always what I need.

He explains the natural thought process of a project in order to help you get a grasp of what things need to be done in order to achieve your outstanding goals.

He explains why you can't ever relax because you have so much to do, and how to get over that stress so that you can relax during those times you want to relax!

He gives you a system, which you can use as-is or tailor to your personal taste, that essentially guarantees that nothing gets lost, everything gets done and puts you in control.

I know it sounds like an ad, but as I started with, the content is true and makes sense.

Admittedly, I'm still pretty new at this system, and have to improve how I work with it, but so far I am loving it.

Also, if you have a BlackBerry, look for the "NextAction!" software. It's not great software, but it's good enough to follow the system. The main thing that I don't like about the NextAction! is that I find it difficult to manage the tasks in Microsoft Outlook, so I have to stick with Outlook to manage my mail-based tasks and my BB for my non-mail based tasks, but that's not too bad for me.

This CD set provides a remarkable and powerful insight into the man who is running for President of the United States. Hearing the written words in his own voice is a fascinating way to learn more about Barack Obama. I highly recommend this set for anyone who wants to capture the history of this election on CD and also enjoys listening to books as an alternative to reading for long trips in the car, etc.

These audio books make for informative and pleasant listening while I am driving,working around the house or walking around my neighborhood. Barack Obama's narration is clear, interesting and expressive. I would recommend it to anyone.

The Grammy award winning recording of the Essential Barack Obama did not disappoint me at all. I wanted to read his 2 books and thought since he is such a great speaker with a dynamic speaking voice,I would get the recording of his books.I sit back,close my eyes and listen to his words and the ways he intended them to mean.I never bought an audio book before,so this was quite a treat to enjoy.

I bought this CD for my daughter as a classroom tool and she did use it, along with web clips of the other presidential candidates, in her English class. She tells me that Obama is articulate and has a beautiful voice so this CD is a joy to listen to -- so much so that she won't let me borrow it and the multi-disc set is packed away and going to Europe with her this summer. There are abridged versions of both his books and an excellent introduction on these discs. When I bought this, I didn't realize it was such a bargain. Highly recommended. I guess I'll be buying my own.

These two books together are a wonderful look at Senator Obama's life and his character. The "Dreams From My Father," reflects the character-building life that he led, thank to his mother, and grand parents, as well as the intelligence and standing of his father, who died when Barack was young. You get a great sense of his concern for mankind and his desire to help others.

"The Audacity of Hope," describes his feelings about the pressures and potential pitfalls of running for and holding public office. He tells how he was able to keep to his ideals and the teachings of his mother and grandparents throughout his political career.

One of her best by far! I would highly recommend this as a summer read. I spent many enjoyable evenings on my sun porch with a fine glass of wine and this book. Can't think of a better way to spend my time!

Ms. River Siddons's new tale is an extraordinary song of love and loss, reinvention and perseveance with a dash or two of well, magic. Set initially on one of Maine's less wellknown sections of coast in the early 60's, you are introduced to a shabby genteel family with academic father, painter mother, introverted son and gang leader daughter who "summer" in their slightly down-at-the-heels wooden house. That fateful summer of 1962 leads to many changes in the protangist daughter's life which echo through her life and the novel. Lilly retraces those early years at Edgewater, the Maine cottage, when she unexpectantly loses her beloved huband Cam and goes to scatter his ashes in the place he felt most at home. Loss of parents, a first love and the changes one makes to keep going on are revealed in flashbacks. Coastal Maine is as much a character in this book as any of the humans named and it's evident that the author holds the magic of the place as precious as any gem. An engaging read to share with friends...

What a wonderful read. I don't know how an adult can capture childhood emotions so perfectly and with such recall but she did.. Beautifully written. I admit I reread the ending three times to comprehend what I had read.

In her newest novel, Anne Rivers Siddons has triumphed. Off Season is a beautiful rendering of one family, the connections between its members, and the flawed relationships created by secrets and betrayal.

When Lilly Constable McCall loses her husband Cam, to an untimely death, she escapes to the family's summer home on the coast of Maine. It is here that all of her memories, both beautiful and painful, descend...

It all washes over her, just as the coastal tides sweep the shores---memories of beautiful family vacations, childhood friendships, first love. And pain. Horrible, searing pain that can only be appeased by allowing the memories, good and bad, to sweep over her so that she can
finally come to grips with the secrets and betrayals of one long ago summer...the last one she spent with her birth family at the coastal house. When she experienced her first love and her first loss.

She remembers everything now. How, after the first pain and loss, followed so quickly by another, her heart decides that it is too much, so she retreats into a hermit-like existence. Protecting herself from further pain. She turns to a new obsession and becomes an underwater
swimmer, escaping each day, wearing her wetsuit and helmet...Until she meets Cameron McCall.

They fall in love, marry, have children...And she thinks she knows everything there is to know about him. They are two peas in a pod...right?

But when he dies and when she escapes again to her summer home, she learns more about him. And about herself.

An enchanting story of love, loss, and renewal, this tale is a beautiful addition to Ms. Siddons' collection of family sagas.

Will admit to two things: Chose this book because of the cover photo (yes, I know such a weak reason) and this is my first Siddons book.

Thoroughly loved it - the change of time crafted very well. Main character extremely "real."

When I got to the end of the book I wasn't sure I understood at first. Very well written - but felt while the end was very clever and complex - Siddons ended the book abrubtly and left the reader slightly out of kilter.

This is likely the most useful book I have read in a decade. Having grown up in the clean-your-plate-get-dessert era I greatly appreciate Pollan's fresh (pun accepted) perspectives on food and eating. Despite a medical background, I have long been perplexed by food and the many products now available that masquerade as food. If Pollan is right, it's not so complicated after all. This diligently-researched book explains the origins--government, food industry, junk science--and motivations behind commonly held myths about healthy and not healthy. He does a masterful job of presenting evidence, but avoids a know-it-all attitude common among so-called experts of the modern era. Though I find the evidence-based nutrition science to be fascinating, the book is filled with practical, applicable advice that anyone can understand, like Pollan's recommendation to avoid products with more than five ingredients or those with ingredients that are tough to pronounce. Though I still eat more than I should, I have drastically changed what I eat. More importantly I am using the book's concepts to gradually, persistently re-educate my high-fructose-corn-syrup-craving teenagers. Hopefully it's not too late.

Pollan starts his book with sage advice: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Any of Pollan's readers will know that what he means by "food" isn't what most of us eat. He means unprocessed locally produced food.
He spends a couple of hundred pages beating a dead horse about problems with scientific studies about what we should and shouldn't eat. He makes his point again and again and again. Nutritional studies are faulty. Food is more than the sum of its parts, and research about what we eat tries to reduce food to its nutrients, thereby enabling food processing companies to add and subtract what nutritional gurus are promoting at any given time.
To be healthy, he advises, eat traditional diets from virtually any area of the world, and avoid processed foods.
"The Omnivore's Dilemma" is a great book, that makes the points raised in this one, but is much better written.

This is the answer to "So now what do I do?" that one may ask after reading Omnivore's Dilemma. There is some new material and information, but if you are freshly finished reading OD, you could just give it a skim. It makes a great gift from readers of OD to those who want an action plan but aren't interested in all the juicy details in OD.

Great book, gets the point across and really makes you think. I'm glad I purchased and read it. It has already been passed on to a friend and two others are waiting in line.

Everyone wants to know "what should I eat?", but as the author details, should we really have to ask such a basic question... I believe the answer is yes and no due to the craziness which has been created with the "Western Diet".

Hopefully food choices will change for the better, but I'm not counting on it happening anytime soon.

Read this book and pass it on, it will benefit us all...

I'm still not sure what made me buy this book, as I consider myself fairly well educated on food and nutrition; perhaps just the catchy "don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognise as food" line. I am glad I did as it not only reinforced and gave reasons for much that I already knew, but opened my eyes to much that I hadn't. I've been growing steadily more interested in food issues ever since a lactose-intolerant colleague made me realise how many food products have milk powder added to them, for no very apparent reason. I have struggled with my weight for years; after reading this book I finally understand WHY eating bread twice a day makes me fat within a few days, while cutting out the bread makes my waist slimmer just as quickly. For the first time I've been given a plausible theory explaining the sudden and simultaneous rise in obesity and diabetes type 2 in western countries.

I live in Australia so our situation is not quite as dire as the USA's: for example we don't have a corn lobby so the use of HFCS is much less common, and most of our cows and sheep still eat grass, not grain. I was flabbergasted by Pollan's revelation of just how much of the foodstuff sold in a US supermarket contains corn in some form or other. I've always avoided grain-fed meat on environmental grounds; now I know to also avoid it because this unnatural diet forces the animal's meat to be much higher in omega-6 than it's meant to be. Despite knowing quite well that "you are what you eat" and that cows and sheep aren't meant to eat grains, somehow I had failed to make the connection that this would have an inevitable effect on the nutritional makeup of the animal's flesh. That, to me, is the real power of this book - that it makes connections between numerous facts that I'd been individually aware of, but had failed to put together into a larger picture. Pollan does this for us.

Not that I'm complacent about Australia as our obesity rate is on par with the USA's. Today's newspaper had an article supporting Pollan's claim that the more nutritional claims a food makes, the less healthy in reality it is likely to be. More than half the food ads on tv that trumpeted nutritiional claims such as 'low fat' or 'high fibre' were for junk food ( http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2008/08/04/1217701950053.html)

Another reason I liked this book was that it put me onto some other very good books such as Wansink's "Mindless Eating" and Taubes' "Diet Delusion" (sold as "Good Calories, Bad Calories" in the US) neither of which I'd heard of but have found just as illuminating as "In Defense of Food". Pollan is generous in crediting other people's work, something a lot of authors fall short in.

The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars rather than 5 was because I found the final chapter on how to eat better somewhat slight compared to the preceding chapters. It's no news (to some of us) that agribusiness needs serious reform and I would've liked Pollan to discuss how this might be done instead of just saying it's needed. But I liked the way he pointed out that so many of us say we eat poorly because we can't afford to eat better, yet can find the money for a bigger tv or faster internet connection. In my experience a lot of people need to be reminded that they are indeed making a choice when they spend money on one thing rather than another.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

Where do I go after Hogwart's? Well, one place you can go is Camp Half-Blood. The book definitely reminded me of Harry Potter. A young misunderstood kid finds out he is the heir to a fantastic heritage. He is the Son of Poseidon the Sea God. As mentioned this first book really felt quite a bit like it was borrowing from Harry Potter and substituting myth for magic, but the later installments took a different tack and the rest of the series made the this book well worth the read.

this is the best book in history. i love the series 2. its about a boy who has does not know who his father is and all of the gods think he stole a valuable thing . Its kind alike a cooooooooler hp!!!!! but better and some times i some times read it again.

Imagine Disney's Hercules mixed with Harry Potter in a modern setting. Riodan basically did to Greek Mythology what "Shrek" did to fairy tales. I've enjoyed the Greek Mythology and The Lightning Thief is a great blend of that with good action and witty jokes. For kids this book is great as it introduces a theme in a fun and stress-free way. And for someone who has some knowledge in the Greek gods and heroes, it's truly enjoyable to see these characters so much alive in a modern setting.

This book is not without flaws though. Some of the book reads like episodes of Scooby-Do. Not very much character development and many themes in the book are carbon copies of Harry Potter. But don't get me wrong, the entertainment value of the book far overshadows these draw backs. I won't be surprised if this book brings an renaissance of Greek mythology to popular culture.

Bottom line: read this book, it's fun. Or buy it for your kids, they'll love it.

This is an awesome book. All my friends recommended me to it so I tried it and it was awesome, really transforms monsters well like Auntie Em, to Medusa and like Peresues fighting the hydra.

This book begins what is a terrific series for all sorts of older elementary school and Jr high kids. But it's perfect for kids who like books with a sense of humor, description but not too much of it, and enjoy collecting facts about the various Greek Gods and monsters. I enjoy it myself, and I'm just a parent.

Though the release of The 19th Wife is well-timed due to the recent national exposure of the Texas FLDS sect, the strength of Ebershoff's storytelling stands on its own. He seamlessly weaves two stories into a cohesive whole. His mastery of his art is apparent in his ability to effortlessly transition between two very different voices separated by more than a century but connected by the thread of polygamy and the destructive force it plays in the lives of men, women and children. Ebershoff sprinkles subtle clues throughout his narrative about how these two stories will become one, but never gives too much. I found myself eagerly awaiting the turn of each page. This is a brilliant book. I would recommend it to any reader.

After the recent headlines of the polygamous cult in Texas, I bought this book out of curiousity. I've been reading several books lately on the subject of polygamy, trying to understand the reasoning, the faith, the beliefs behind it.

Initially, the "jumping back and forth" from present-day back to the 1800's was a little jarring, but soon I found I could not put this book down. The weaving of fact and fiction in this book has been done so well, it's like a beautiful tapestry that envelopes you completely with its story. After I finished reading, I found myself on the internet, trying to get more information about events that the author mentions in his book - what was true? What wasn't?

The book is a wonderful blend of history, humor, tragedy...and I think what amazed me most was that the author, a modern-day man, was so able to describe the feelings of an 18th-century plural wife. Wonderful book.

Beware - once you pick up this book you will not be able to put it down. Having Mormons in my family tree, I've grown up hearing basic stories of Joseph Smith, etc...but this book really shed more light on the historical aspect of the religion...questions were answered that I'd wondered about and the stories were all so entertaining, I couldn't get enough! What a talented author.

Readers who like The 19th Wife may also like Booth's Sister, by Jane Singer. It's also based on a true story, and heavily researched. Asia Booth was her brother, John Wilkes' mentor and soulmate. Booth's Sister follows their turbulent childhood and examines how he turned into an assasin while she was accused of being his accomplice.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I learned so much about Brigham Young and his religion as well as the sad history of current day cults.
Historical fiction at its best.