Audiobook Books

This is the latest book in the Law of Attraction range.
Its one of the the best books yet.
I live my life working at home making a ton of money and getting to travel the world, thanks to the Abraham Books. I appreciate my journey every day, which gets better and better.
My website is http://makingmoneyissoeasylook.unifiedwealthsolutions.com
Sarah Eaton
Qld Australia

I listen to it over and over. The teachings are so very easy to understand and practice. straight forward direction, very easy to see this works and changes the way you look at everything.. I highly recommend this CD!

I have just listened to the final CD in this set. And they answered ALL my questions. I found it very helpful. But I know I will continue to want and need support. So I'm wondering what to order next as I already have the law of attraction and Sarah books 1 and 2 and now finding the Path to joy through engergy balance, part 2. I'm so pleased with Esther, Jerry and "Abraham" because they have said everything I needed to hear. The answers to the questions they were asked were amazing. Now It seems obvious that they're right and I think at some level I have always known these things but I wanted someone to give me permission to accept these "truths" and they have done it. You know it's a releif to finally hear these things.

I was a little disappointed in this. It seems to be just a repeat of what was already on Ask and It Is Given. If you haven't read/listened to that yet, then this is OK, but I think Ask is better.

I only listen to audio stories. The LAW OF ATTRACTION and FINDING THE PATH TO JOY was impossible to get into. couldn't even finish the first CD in both stories. Sorry. Don't waste your money on these.

Insightful, enlightening and well presented. Although there is some redundant information between the sets, it is all good!

I STUMBLED ONTO GREG BRADEN'S WORK BY ACCIDENT. I LOVE THIS GUY, VERY WELL DONE CD. HE'S VERY INTERESTING TO LISTEN TO. I WOULD BUY ALL HIS STUFF.

This is a solid boxed set although it tends to be verbose at times. Offsetting this opinion is Braden being an excellent speaker. The ideas are exciting and I especially appreciate it when he backs up his facts. This set has me on the precipice of my core beliefs, emotions and feelings...all unseen energies that take form sooner or later.

Gregg Braden has a wonderfully silky voice (and not bad to look at either). I can listen to his CDs for hours. And his message is thought provoking and inspirational, especially when taken together with other "new thought" products... The Secret, Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley, The Attractor Factor, etc. The only comment I will make in listening to many of his CDs is that he repeats selections of his messages over and over again - but maybe its good to hear things numerous times packaged/surrounded in slightly different messages with each CD title. I definitely recommend Gregg Braden and any number of his CDs.

I've only listened to "The Isaiah Effect." There is lots and lots of "filler." He repeats the same vague generalities many times. I was hoping for something more specific. Haven't listened to the others yet.

Not really a novel. Too short and too thin, in every sense of the term. Merely a confection, an homage to the earlier books WHICH YOU CAN STILL GET ON AMAZON OR EBAY. But it does raise the deeply philosophical literary question that, if you initially set the bar in the stratosphere by creating the single greatest action hero in the history of US fiction (no, not kidding, mean every word) and then you allow your later books to get sloppier, and thinner -- can you still outscore everyone else in the genre because you started out at such a lofty level??? At least it is not as insane as the just-prior book, the "Bob-Sans-Bullets" one, which was also an historical achievement, but not one to boast of. And, to be fair, nobody puts his hero through as much Hell as Hunter. If Bob The Nailer is allowed to age gracefully into just one more goofy tale like this, he'll be using his walker to brace his rifle. Good fun and fond memories for fans. A quick read, especially if you skip over the repititive descriptions of the bad guys. Embarrassing for newbies. Get the earlier ones. You won't be sorry.

Bob "The Nailer's" daughter is in a car accident. Bob's paranoia has him investigating the incident thinking it may be some old enemies trying to get back at him. During the process he uncovers the reason for the hit.

The story is familiar to the Swagger series fans. The Swagger Saga is getting long in the tooth and needs to be retired.

Although it is an enjoyable read, the characters were cartoonish and sterotypical. The ending was somewhat of a twist.

Not as good as his previous works, Mr. Hunter needs to retire Bob and find a new character.

Hunter continues to disappoint. This book is of little interesting content, it reeks of a publishers 'hurry and finish' mandate and is certainly not worth the cost or time.

Come on Stephen, let's get back to some meaty, interesting, thoughtful, suspenseful writing.

I'd like a refund for this book as well as the 47th Samurai. Never again will I read a Stephen Hunter novel and at one time, he was my favorite author. I've read everything that he has published and unfortunately, his work of late has been very disappointing. He has done a great disservice to both his fans and the great Bob Lee Swagger.

Night of Thunder had more holes in it than a Bob Lee target at 50 feet. The plot had potential with a gang of mountain men trying to kill Nikki, Bob Lee's daughter. However, the characters were just plain boring and the dialog was senseless. The local Sheriff was a retired Army Ranger Colonel. The hillbilly gang was from Polk County and Hot Springs, Arkansas. The detective was a champion marksman. How would they have not heard of the Swaggers? References to NASCAR and the Bristol motor speedway were just plain wrong.

I'm sure it took me longer to get through it than it did for Mr. Hunter to write it.

to spend time with this book. The characters are described by other reviewers as "cartoonish" but that is too kind. Closer to Foghorn J. Leghorn than any other that comes to mind, the dialog on the "bad guy" end, as well as the narration, are just silly. No one talks or thinks like this, even in hill country.

As a great fan of most of the earlier works by Hunter, I gave this one up after the first half. RIP.

(Three-and-a-half stars) Philip Roth's literary output in recent years has been nothing short of staggering. In his mid-70s now, Roth continues to write with the fierceness and moral outrage of a man half his age. His Americana cycle, concluding with the magnificent "Human Stain", has been followed by a series of shorter, less ambitious works ("The Plot Against America" notwithstanding). These shorter, death-haunted novels, have been hit or miss for me. "The Dying Animal"--hit. "Everyman"--miss. "Indignation" falls somewhere in between.

The plot, such as it exists, and the characters, such as they're depicted, take a back seat to Roth's narrative purpose--to show how simple acts have unintended (sometimes tragic) consequences. As a set-piece of 1950s conservativism, it's a good little book. As a literary experiment (I won't give away the "twist," though if you've read other reviews, you probably know it by now), it's an interesting outing. As a compelling novel ... well, I found it wanting. The promise of the terrific title ("Indignation" captures Roth's style and literary career perfectly) isn't realized by this slight, meandering tale of life on a small midwestern campus. The characters--including the narrator, Marcus Messner--show promise, but remain too flat to make much of an impact. The book's narrative strands are never tied together, nor do they shed much light on the theme. I can accept that as realistic and daring on Roth's part, but it's a bit irritating to look back on the book and realize that there was no real point in telling the stories of Olivia, Sonny, Elvyn, and Flusser--since they remain unresolved, insular, and have no real bearing on the novel's outcome. Sure, I get it--that's the whole point. But it didn't make me enjoy the novel any more.

Roth's writing flows seamlessly--indeed, flawlessly--which makes the novel an easy read. Still, for a book titled "Indignation," it seems a bit *too* easy, a bit *too* tame to be one of Roth's best.

At 75, when most of us would like to put our feet up, relax, reap the benefits of having lived a productive life, Philip Roth demonstrates that the true artist still has the power to teach, to move, to illuminate. In his latest exploration of American society writ large by giving an example in miniature, he provides a portrait of an era so crystal clear and yet so haunting. Certain elements of the plot require that the setting be during the Korean War, but there is a timeliness in this wonderful book. Particularly in these days of America at yet another war. It's a short book, but says so much with so few words.

What a great book to read this Autumn as college sports play against the backdrop of the Fall foliage and a war rages in the distance and few show real anger. Roth's "The Plot Against America," which begins in Newark in the late 30s and 40s, is among my favorite novels, so I quickly purchased this book, which starts out in Newark in the 1950's. The story flows so quickly that you can finish the novel in one day. Marcus Messner, the son of a butcher, a kosher butcher, a Jewish kosher butcher, is a good son and an "A" student. He does as he is told, he helps his parents in the shop as supermarkets take a greater share of the meat business, he visits the slaughterhouse, he gives customers their orders, he.. he.. he.. he does what is necessary. But like the lyrics of the Chinese National Anthem, which pop into his head, (which we heard all August at the Olympics), he "refuses to be a slave" to the mores of that time (can you recall or imagine panty raids, segregated housing, chapel requirements, restricted dating, rural Ohio Republicans, only Seniors can have cars) and his blood boils with in-dig-na-tion. What can I add to these other reviews? Not much. Except that the characters will stay with your for quite a while, and you will question whether Marcus was right or wrong in his indignation and his choices. And if you have extra time, you can ponder and ponder whether the story has deeper meanings with regard to war, marriage, McCarthyism, and fitting in.

Butchery and blood are recurring images in Philip Roth's scalding new novel which is probably his darkest comedy since Sabbath's Theater. The images are shocking yet appropriate since this little novel deals with a big subject: what someone once called "the meat-grinder of history." Many of Roth's familiar elements are here. The naive young Jewish hero meets up with an unstable gentile girl in the 1950's and farce ensues. But this is 1951 and the Korean War hovers over the story like a thundercloud. I wasn't very enthusiastic about Roth's last couple of novels which seemed rather flaccid to me. But this one has suspense, narrative drive and storytelling fury that recall his great "American" novels of 10 years ago, only in concentrated form. "Indignation" left me wrung out, like you hope a novel will do for you.

Marcus Messner announces on page 54 that he is dead (this is no great spoiler, believe me.) The dead narrator is a time-honored narrative strategy in film noir (see Sunset Boulevard (Special Collector's Edition) and the novels of Jim Thompson, especially Savage Night) and it's interesting to see how Roth uses it. Although there may be an alternative explanation for Marcus' state; check the chapter titles. As he tells his story we learn how he came to die. Practically driven out of his home by his loving but suddenly paranoid kosher butcher father, he flees to go to college in the same town as Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio (Signet Classics). The smart but inexperienced boy finds himself way over his head. He is flummoxed by a beautiful girl he dates and is unable to tolerate either a flamboyant gay roommate or the strictly conservative college administration with its Christian affiliation. Instead of laughing it off and making the best of it, as apparently Roth in real life was able to at Bucknell, Marcus goes to war with his surroundings. His private mantra becomes the Chinese national anthem he learned in grade school with its refrain "indignation, arise!" And in a hideous irony it is the Chinese army that butchers Marcus on a hill in Korea some months later.

This is a remarkable book: a terrible tragedy with farce, a funny book where the laughs catch in your throat. It once again displays Roth's famous psychological toughness; no one is let off the hook here. And Roth plays fair; although he displays what is coming to be his obvious disdain for religion of all kinds, he shows Marcus playing a role in his own destruction through the kid's own intolerance and pride. Although the president of the college is a Republican political hack (as Roth sees it), the author lets him deliver the theme of the novel in a thunderous speech near the end of the book: you may try to hide from history: but like Jonah inside the whale, it will find you.

I think this book will be read for decades, maybe longer. It's succinct and fiercely written.

The centerpiece clash between Marcus Messner and Dean Caudwell is a brilliant verbal boxing match that speaks to assimilation, organization, power, faith, ignorance and, yes, indignation. There's nothing extraneous here. The writing is taut and boiled-down to its essence. "Indignation" made me think about people's attitudes towards their own self-worth and how much a role that plays in their character - from would-be girlfriend Olivia to Messner's mother, from the dean to Sonny Colter.

This book is about entitlement in a very powerful way. It's about oppression by organization, whether it's frat boys or the college superstructure itself. It's about the people in the trenches (not giving anything away) doing the messy work of life. It's about societal norms and niceties--and everything, in the end, that's not so nice. Brilliantly conceived, well executed and power in every page. For the return on investment (in other words, this won't take you long to read) this is one of the best.

Zig is the most encouraging writer. Not only teaches you proven business skills, but how to approach life in a new way. Definitely recommend.

I have listened to the CD at least three times. I love it. I get really motivated every time I hear it. I am going to Acapulco!! (once you listen to it you will know what I mean).

I listened to this audio CD in the car. I was very satisfied of the message and it's delivery. I've always been able to create a destination but never knew exactly how to set the goals that would help me through a mapped out journey. Zig Ziglar uses great analogies in his seminar that anyone can comprehend and use as a model for setting their path.

The biggest lesson was about the company we keep, or the situations we keep ourselves in; we are who we associate ourselves to be. If we have negative thoughts, negative will be surrounding us. Positive thoughts will be a positive aura for us. It is our way of thinking that forms us. His example included the child with CP; this child had 30 diagnoses that he would never do, never walk, never be... but this child was raised with a different mindset and miraculous things became possible. As with a second child to reference, the child was misdiagnosed with CP; that child's life was able to show the complexity of psychology for thoughts and actions.

Zig uses humor in his anecdotes and it carries well with his audience. I found myself recognizing many things that I'd overlooked or taken for granted in the past. I chuckled often with the humorous stories. There is even a section for motivating anyone who needs help with dieting. He broke it down so well, it seems fail-proof.

I recommend this audio (and I mean AUDIO, not so much a book because you cannot feel his energy by reading text) to anyone who struggles with 'where to start' as they journey along the 'wandering' path. I look forward to hearing more of his speeches.

This is the second Zig Ziglar CD that I have purchased and it is well worth the money spent. Very upbeat and well presented, his information is timeless.

I attended a "Get Motivated Seminar" and heard Zig Ziglar in person. He is amazing, funny and truly inspirational. I got Zig Ziglar's books on cd so that I can listen to them on my ipod/car. What he calls "Automotive University". I am truly inspired by him and would highly recommended all of his books!

I am not an English Major but I "got it". If you haven't read The Scarlet Letter, On the Road, seen Hamlet in the theatre or any of the other pieces of literature recently or ever at all, it is time you read them. The reason they are classics is that they are good stories. The way Garrison Keillor explains it, you get a lot more out of it, than when you took American Lit. in high school or college from someone who was tired of trying to impress morality on someone not particularly interested in that subject. Keillor's interpretation plus thirty years' distance will do wonders for you sometimes.

I enjoyed this compilation of English Major inside humor from Garison Keillor, and I did laugh out loud a few times, but the previous reviewer is right in that the humor is very "inside" and esoteric. If you didn't just spend like four years as an undergrad and two years in grad school studying English, you probably won't find these jokes funny, or even get them. But for the nerdy bookworm English major out there, slaving over Tolstoy and rewriting that term paper, this is for you.

I am a huge Garrison Keillor fan - I buy everything I can get my hands on (on audio CD) and it makes my drive time so enjoyable. I stopped listening to this one only because it has so much inside humour that my little non English major brain didn't understand or didn't find humourous. I intend to give in to my brother who lives in Minnesota and has a PHD in English, loved Shakespeare and I know he'll enjoy it better than this music major did.

Predictably Irrational is one of several popular books about the way people really make decisions and judgments. This growing sub-genre includes Nudge, Sway and Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me).

Ariely lucidly explains the findings of various experiments about decision making. It's easy to find applications in marketing: offering options that serve as anchor points and recognizing the power of "free." These findings are useful but I would like to see more discussion of the implications for everyday life.

For example, most of us cannot predict how we will behave when we're swept up by strong emotions. Yet every day judgments are made by jurors in courtrooms based on, "Well, if I were in that situation..."

Ariely points out the futility of taking too long to make certain decisions. One friend kept dithering over the choice of a digital camera, only to forego months of memories captured on film.

Similarly, he feels he took too long to evaluate a job offer from Stanford. But for major life decisions, a lengthy process can be rational, even if you sacrifice current productivity. You have a greater likelihood of identifying the fact or factor that will be the ultimate deal-breaker.

Ariely created an experiment to demonstrate that keeping options open comes with a high cost. So, he says, keeping one job or one residence for a long time can have a high payoff. Maybe. But often outsourcing options or industry shifts will kill a career. As a career consultant, I advise clients to focus on marketability, not security.

Second, Ariely shows that money changes relationship dynamics. As he says, your family would be insulted if you offered to pay for Thanksgiving dinner.

But while he advocates a greater role for social norms (p. 88), money norms often smooth difficult transactions. The New York Times magazine recently featured an article by an unmarried professional woman who needed a kidney. She wished she could just pay for what she wanted instead of being forced into difficult conversations that threatened her friendships.

Many of us who move frequently have learned to pay packers and movers rather than seek help from well-meaning friends. After all, your helper might drop your new high-definition TV on the sidewalk (maybe breaking a toe in the process).

The absence of money also affects relationships. When strangers email to ask how to resolve a challenging career question or fix a troubled website, I often wonder what goes through their minds. When friends ask, they risk the friendship.

Third, Ariely suggests (p 121) that we apply lessons from auto maintenance to motivate individuals to undergo medical exams. This reasoning seems flawed.

Tests won't prolong lives the way regular oil changes prolong the lives of car engines. After a diagnosis of disease, you should consider false positives. You embark on a journey of life-changing (and life-threatening) medical procedures, lifestyle changes, battles with insurance companies and endless waits to deal with rushed, indifferent or even rude medical staff. A better analogy would be to compare medical exams to auto diagnostics (which car owners rarely choose) or else compare teeth cleaning to oil changes.

Insurance creates economic disincentives that muddy the waters. I know several people who had tests that came back negative -- no disease. A few months later, these folks developed symptoms that suggested a need to repeat the tests. In every case, the insurance company said, "No -- you get one a year." One person told me her doctor ruled out her disease based on a test she'd taken a few months earlier. So skipping a routine exam can be rational.

Any benefits of early detection accrue to the individual, not society or insurance companies. Those who stay alive while making ongoing demands on the medical system will cost more than those who are rushed to the hospital in crisis and die shortly afterward.

In any case, Ariely discusses how doctors resist research findings that point to the effectiveness of placebos. Just what is rational thinking, anyway?

Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ariely's writing entertains as well as informs. We all need to base our decisions and our lives on how human minds really work, not what "everybody" knows.

With this week's headlines about the dizzying volatility of the stock market, we've seen investors jump in and out of the game as they've responded to the most powerful emotions on Wall Street: fear and greed. Surprising? Not if you're Dan Ariely, behavioral economics guru at MIT. This may be the most entertaining econ book you'll ever read, as you laugh at other people's foibles and then wince inwardly as you recognize some of the described behaviors in your own life. It may make you swear off shopping, at least for a while.

The basic premise of the book is that yes, people behave irrationally where money is concerned (thank you, Alan Greenspan!). But Ariely's contribution is to prove, through research so far-ranging it will make you pity his research subjects, a.k.a. Poor Sod Graduate Students, that people behave irrationally in quite predictable ways. We will, for example, almost always report more satisfaction with a product if we know it was expensive--even if that means we give high marks to an ineffective medical placebo. On the other hand, we will also go to ridiculous lengths to obtain any product that is "free," a fact that marketers realize and routinely exploit. That chapter reminded me of the Simpsons episode where Lisa asks Homer in disbelief if he is drinking blood. "Correction!" Homer responds. "Free blood." Bottom line? We'll do just about anything to get something for nothing.

There were a couple of great anecdotes in the book. One was about a company that introduced one of the first bread machines in the world. The trouble was, nobody bought it; people who already routinely made bread at home didn't understand why they would need a machine to help them do it, and those who didn't already make bread weren't about to start. The company's marketing folks hired a consulting firm, which advised them to also introduce a very high-end bread machine to sell right alongside the other. It would have all the bells and whistles and be super-expensive, out of reach for most consumers. The point of this exercise was not to push the high-end model but the basic one, which started to sell like gangbusters. Apparently consumers love and need choice, and they always want to feel they're getting a deal. When faced with the option of the high-end machine, they both a) felt justified in buying the less tricked-out version and b) felt that they were part of a movement that was trendy, exciting, and upper-class. Interesting. It's similar to the phenomenon in fancy restaurants that might have a $40 entree. Very few people order it, but its presence on the menu sure makes them feel better about the $26 entree they actually choose.

Another fascinating revelation is that the presence of an honor standard or system really does work. Ariely find that people were less likely to steal or cheat when reminded of the Ten Commandments, for example, even when they couldn't remember what all the commandments were. Just being reminded of some sort of honor benchmark (which could be anything, not just something religious) helps to prevent cheating. Also, people are less likely to steal when the results of their thievery are direct. In an informal experiment, when Ariely put Cokes in his refrigerator at work, they disappeared readily. When he put actual cash in the fridge, no one touched it. As he points out, stealing food and beverages is out of someone else's pocket, as if they had stolen cash, but most people stop short of stealing actual money. This is why white-collar criminals try to justify their behavior as victimless crime.

It's not a perfect book, and some of the research is too anecdotal to convince Ariely's fellow economists, but for the general reader it's fantastic--well-written, story-driven, and even funny. High marks.

[This review is also posted at The Review Revolution: janariess.typepad.com]

At first glance, the title of Dan Ariely's book seems to be an oxymoron. (It certainly catches one's attention.) Can irrational thought and/or behavior be predicted? Perhaps if it is repetitive? (The judgment and behavior of at least some people can be repetitive and thus predictable.) So I began to read his book with curiosity but also, yes, with some skepticism. Here are a few of my reactions. First, he learned a number of "lessons" from what he calls "experiments" in his life, each of which struck him as being counterintuitive. For example, everything is relative...even when "it shouldn't be"...or in fact isn't. That is, our mind can "play tricks" on us and thus we tend to see what we expect to see, hear what we expect to hear, etc. Images and sounds are relative to their context or frame-of-reference within which we place it. Or consider the frequently expressed observation, "one man's trash is another man's treasure" or one or more of self-serving juxtapositions such as "He's a tightwad whereas I'm frugal...she's narrow-minded whereas I'm a specialist...They're stubborn whereas I stick to my convictions." Ariely's other lessons also, directly or indirectly, involve illusions and delusions of one kind or another. They explain why we can't make ourselves do what we want to do, why we overvalue what we have and especially what we purchase, and "why a 50-cent aspirin can do what a penny aspirin can't."

As I worked my way through the first few chapters, I was reminded of a joke I heard years ago. This fellow arrived just in time to tee off for another round of golf with three friends. They played every Saturday morning. "Hey, I've got great news! Just bought the best hearing aids that money can buy. They cost $8,000 each but they're worth every penny. It's a whole new life for me. Never been happier." "You spent $16,000 on two hearing aids? That seems expensive." "Nah, like I said, worth every penny." "What kind is it?".... The fellow glanced at his watch. "Exactly 7:30." To paraphrase Descartes: It is if I think it is.

Also, Ariely shares what he learned about the differences between conventional economics and behavioral economics. Contrary to "the far-reaching conclusions" that generations of economists have developed "about everything from taxation and health-care policies to the pricing of goods and services," asserts that human beings are far less rational than standard economic theory assumes. "Moreover, these irrational behaviors of ours are neither random nor senseless. They are systematic, and since we repeat them again and again, they are predictable." (Hence this book's title.) Ariely makes a convincing, at times humorous but nonetheless rational argument to support modification of standard economics, "to move it away from naive psychology (which often fails the tests of reason, introspection, and most important - empirical scrutiny)." He collaborated with a number of colleagues when conducting various experiments that enabled them to "slow human behavior to a frame-by-frame narration of events, isolate individual forces, and examine those forces carefully and in detail." The results of the experiments illustrate general principles of human behavior (e.g. the decision-making process) within and beyond the workplace.

Finally, I admire the extent to which Ariely succeeds in explaining the fundamentals of economics and social science for a reader such as I who knows essentially nothing about either. (Oh sure, I have some scraps of information and countless opinions but....) For example, in Chapter 9, Ariely describes an experiment that he conducted with two MIT professors to answer questions that include "How to explain violence? Why does it happen? Is it an outcome of history, or race, or politics - or is there something fundamentally irrational in us that encourages conflict, that causes us to look at the same event and, depending on our point of view, see it in totally different terms...We came up with a simple test - one in which we would not use religion, politics, or even sports as the indicator. We would use glasses of beer."(I do have extensive prior experience with beer!) The details of this experiment are best revealed within the narrative but I will indicate that the material in this chapter provides a number of revelations that help to explain "the hidden forces that shape our decisions."

Congratulations to Dan Ariely on a brilliant achievement!

Blame Malcolm Gladwell - but after Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking social psychologists of the type he featured in that book have been coming out of the woodwork to publish in the pop science market in alarming numbers figuring, reasonably, enough that there's a bit of money to be made on the side. I'm guessing royalties from articles in the International Journal of Psychology would pale in comparison.

One of the latest is Dan Ariely, whose unique selling point is a horrific accident he sustained as a student Israel which left him with burns to 70% of his body. His book does what it says on the tin, by way of explaining a number of social experiments that he and his colleagues have run in the last few years, loosely themed around the observation that we don't always act as sensibly as logic would dictate.

Which is fine - as you would expect, some of the examples are eyebrow raising - but it really shouldn't be news and it certainly doesn't require Dan Ariely to tell us that our liberal western societies aren't as rational as we like to think (incontrovertible proof of that, not offered in Ariel's book, being the politicians we elect and the amount of attention and money we collectively devote to cosmetics, fashion, celebrity and professional sport), especially as deeper epistemological examination reveals the idea of "rationality" is incoherent anyway.

But just as some anecdotes are enlightening, the implications of others are not nearly as plain or convincing as Ariel thinks they are, and some of his experiments struck me as being particularly glib, superficial and susceptible to plenty of alternative interpretations.

And what Ariel's book lacks is any further theoretical drive: OK, we re predisposed to behave in silly or odious ways - but what's your point? In what underlying way are our irrational proclivities linked? What conclusions can we draw; what can we learn; what strategies can we adopt to counteract the harmful effects of our fecklessness?

Ariely implies, but doesn't say, that some sort of regulation is required to save us. But given that it was our irrational proclivities by which we arrived at these politicians (and the political institutions through which they organise themselves) I'm not sure he leaves us any better off than when we started.

Olly Buxton

I borrowed my Mom's copy of Nudge but couldn't get into it. It was a little more academic than my payrate, so to speak. I got this book instead and I am glad I did. Arely takes a breezy fun approach to Behavior Econmoics that made it easy for me to digest. He offers no advice, just information about some of the hidden aspects of human behavior. Gread Read, Bottoms Up!!

A wonderful uplifting read. You can hear Joel's voice as you read. I would compare this book to Norman Vincent Peale's motional books with the addition statement that this comes with a fresher touch and breath of God's Love given through his servant Joel. Definitely inspirational and a must read for all of God's children - that means everyone, those who consider themselves Christians and especially everyone who considers themselves something or nothing else.

Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential

This is a great motivational book for anyone, whether they are Christian or not. Osteen has been criticized for his super positivism and theory of entitlement from God for good in life. Anyone that bothers can easily ignore those sentiments and still derive a whole lot of benefit from the book. I find no problem with anyone who encourages a positive attitude. This is one of the best self-help books I've read and I've read loads of them. It is an excellent gift book also. I've given several of them as gifts. The doughnuts in this book far outweigh any perceived holes.

Over the last few years (this year in particular), my soul has been on a search for something. As a result, I've read so many books I could not even begin to list them all. To make a long story short, this book is by far on #1 on my list and as I've said--that would speak volumes to you if you saw my collection. Joel is down to earth & the real deal. He speaks with such sincerity when he does sermons, and in this book. While on this spiritual quest, a lot of the books I've read were related to manifesting-the most well known book being "The Secret". While I thought this book had some good things to say, I later found myself still feeling a void in the way this information was presented. "Your Best Life Now" filled the void and explained everything in such a way that made complete sense to me. This book really will enable you to live your best life now, and I can say that confidently after reading nearly every similar book out there. To Joel: Add this to your file that you read for inspiration and a quick pick me up--You are a wonderful person and you are the perfect example of the words you preach. You don't just talk the talk, you walk the walk. You and your life are proof of everything you speak of in this book. My favorite book of all time--one I would give to friends, family, my future children, or a stranger on the street. Truly life transforming. Congratulations!

Ignore the fundamentalists (scribes and pharisees all!) who keep creeping into these reviews and bad-mouthing Osteen. Christianity has been hijacked long enough by word-worshipping Bible Bangers. What did Jesus say about the fundamentalists of His day? "Ye search the scriptures daily for in them you think you have truth." Osteen has written a wonderful book. I also reccomend watching & listening to Joel's broadcasts too. So refreshing! The world needs more of this kind of positive and encouraging teaching and much less of people like "Sandra F." who keeps admonishing positive reviewers with her little sermonettes and quoting Bible verses to prove her point(s). You can use the Bible to prove anything and you can use the Bible to represent (and justify) a miserable and joyless Christianity - which many have! You take FEAR and GUILT away from these people and their churches would empty out and go broke in a week.

If you read this book and act on the author's suggestions, you'll feel better about things, your life, yourself, and your future. Osteen, leader of the non-denominational Lakewood Church in Houston, has been unfairly criticized by the media who portray him as some sort of huckster. It's obvious he profits from his ministry, but read the book and you'll understand why. Osteen's approach is gentle, positive, and uplifting. His teachings have greatly enriched the practice of my own faith, Roman Catholicism, and helped me to discover the treasures contained in Holy Scripture. There is also a book of devotionals based on this book. The chapters are brief enough to fit into a busy day, and both books offer a jumping off point to a more faith filled life. If you tend toward pessimism, you will greatly benefit from this book. If your spiritual life feels stale, this one's for you. If God is simply some vague unknown concept, He won't be after this book. A friend gave me Osteen's first two books nearly three years ago, and I found them to be life-changing . I keep them close by for those difficult times when I need a some encouragement.

Found these lean french language to be very helpful. Listen to driving in my car. great for basic french. now I want to lean more.

Don't let the intro fool you, this tool needs a lot more in order to understand and speak french

When I started listening and practicing with these CDs in my car, I was very pleased with the method. But by the time I got to the end of all the lessons I was disappointed. I expected to learn more than just how to ask someone if they want to have lunch with me, or drink something, and at what time (not even learning ALL the hours on the clock, but just four or five of them.) There's too much repetition of the same thing over and over... and over... With 5 CDs and 10 lessons total, I'm sure I could have learned a lot more. After all, if I want to go back and repeat something, I can just slip the CD into the player and go over the materials I need to review.

it's a very good aid for someone that whants to learn the basics of French

there are definitely strength and weaknesses about these CDs. first of all, it does not come with any written material. If you can't see how a word is spell, how can you memorize it efficiently? The syllabus is very restricted. There are you and I, but how about he, she and they? The strength is that they repeat themselves over and over again, so by the end, you've heard it enough times that it does start to stick. They do emphasize on the correct pronunciation, which is very helpful. I'd give it a 3 star at best.