Audiobook Books

Enough has been said about this great man - if he was running for President my wife would be forcibly made to vote for him.

Me - I'm a Brit and miss this style of real humour

Cheers

David

This is a multi-disc set containing Brain Droppings, Napalm & Silly Putty, and More Napalm & Silly Putty. Excellent, funny stuff, but to be avoided if you already own the individual titles. If you don't, this is your opportunity.

Stand-up comedian George Carlin (he of the oblique life commentary and not-for-tender-ears vocabulary) has penned three books ("Brain Droppings", "Napalm & Silly Putty", and "More Napalm & Silly Putty".) Each is rife with his wry, absurdist comments and musings about the world around him. Now, bits and bitters from this trio of laughs is gathered into 7.5 hours of hilarity read, of course, by the man himself.

Although Carlin has been doing his schtick for almost fifty years there's no evidence of age about him. His delivery is as on target as ever and, truly, it's in the delivery that Carlin excels, whether he's observing the popularity of names, noting that nursing homes will one day be populated by Debbies and Tiffanys or doing his vaunted riff on oxymorons - death benefits, close proximity, etc. One cannot fathom how his brain operates as apparently unrelated thoughts come rolling forth leaving listeners guffawing and nodding their heads.

His voice may be a bit raspier but his timing is to the nano second. Listen and laugh.

- Gail Cooke

We got this to listen to while driving on vacation-Love it!!! Very funny & I love the George Carlin is reading his books to you-it's like having him in the car with you. Excellent purchase-very happy with this product!!!!

I have been a Carlin fan since the hippy dippy weatherman days. The fact that he tells you up front that "I will read to you but you'll have to get someone else to understand it for you" is just the best. If you can't laugh at yourself don't listen to this CD. His wit and perspectives are not for the faint of heart or the tight of ass. I met Mr. Carlin several years ago going into a Ruby Tuesday resturant on the beach in Biloxi. He graciously gave me fifteen minutes of his time and was tremendously kind to listen to me rant about how much his humor has meant to me over the years. I love his body of work and I loved these three books on CD. A big thumbs up or at least one those fingers way up!

The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want

A thorough book on becoming happier based upon research by one of the world's leading happiness experts. The book is based on scientific research not conjective. The author writes well and makes this an interesting read. Indentifies the areas that we can influence to help us create a happier life and indicates those that we can't do anything or much about, such as our genetics. Helps the reader identify happiness activities that fit her/his interests,values and needs. Emphasizes the importance of gratitude, positive thinking,kindness and social relationships in finding happiness. Provides many helpful suggestions on managing stress, hardship and depression. A very worthwhile book that provides the reader with a guide to what is likely to produce positive results and what is likely to do nothing more than spin our wheels.

Not really much to say, everything went according to plan. Made the buy, and the product arrived in the projected time frame in perfect condition.

Thank you very much.

Dr. Sonia's text is filled with descriptions of empirical studies that help lift the moods of everyday people. If you want to feel better, practice some of the techniques that she advocates. The book presents several methods for turning your attitude about people and events around to a balanced and optimistic point of view.

In this book, psychology professor Sonja Lyubomirsky presents a simple, step-by-step process to creating a happier life. What is unique about Lyubomirsky's approach is that each and every recommendation she makes is supported by decades of research and scientific evidence; in short, the twelve happiness activities she presents have been thoroughly vetted in their ability to produce ongoing feelings of pleasure and contentment in one's life.

The basic premise of this book is that 50% of one's "set point" happiness is genetic, 10% is related to life circumstances, and the remaining 40% is changeable through our own activities. Lyubomirsky suggests that all of us can be happier if we simply engage in any one of the 12 happiness activities which she describes in detail in this book. However, she acknowledges that certain activities will be a better "fit" for certain individuals, and so she includes a "Person-Activity Fit Diagnostic" to determine which activities might work best for you. (Note: Those who find themselves to be depressed upon the initial assessment are encouraged to skip ahead to the book's postscript, "If You Are Depressed.")

Once you have identified your best fit happiness activities, Lyubomirsky recommends actively pursuing up to four of them. Some of these activities may well be things that you are already doing in your life, such as expressing gratitude, nurturing social relationships, practicing religion, and engaging in physical activity. Lyubomirsky goes on to explain that in order to provide sustainable happiness, these activities need to include several "hows," including eliciting positive emotion, providing optimal timing and variety, including an element of social support, involving motivation/effort/commitment, and finally, becoming a habit.

This book is similar in style to Daniel Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness in that it presents a wealth of scientific evidence in an extremely readable format. Although Lyubomirsky isn't quite the entertainer that Gilbert is, her writing is interesting and engaging. As a psychologist myself, I know that I will use the concepts presented here in my work with my clients, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book as a direct resource for my clients as well.

By titling this review, "Happiness for Dummies" I don't meant to insult readers or the author. I am thinking of that series of how-to books "_____ for Dummies". That is what this book reminds me of. It is an extremely tightly organized book. You can just see the outline format the author must have used peeking thourgh every few pages. Every idea has a number associated with it. There are twelve big ideas, two cross-references, X further activities, etc. It is also full of short quotes and brief references to scientific studies. Again, I could just see index cards with quotes on them and notes about this or that study being put to work by the author. In contrast, Jonathan Haidt's "The Happiness Hypothesis" with its various references to literary works, religious and philosophical thinking throughout the ages and more generally discursive style seems to me to be a more sophisticated work and may be better suited to some readers. Also, although I loved the 50/40/10 idea that is one of the book's principal arguments and the one that has probably attracted the most press, I wasn't as sold on the strength of the inference as I had hoped I would be.

This is a fantastic read and a book that I will keep for decades to come as a reference. I also have Wherever You Go There You Are and they both serve a different purpose and compliment eachother well.

As another reviewer has noted, this book is about four books in one. As a person who is very aware of the wonderful books on meditation available today, of which Kabat-Zinn's Wherever You Go There You Are is one, I recommend that you not waste your time and energy on this one.

At 600-plus pages, this deeply philosophical book may challenge some readers. But Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, an accomplished scientist, thinker and author, imparts his wisdom in short, easily digestible chapters. He says you can have a more peaceful, contented life if you are open to exploring the spiritual realm and the practice of mindful meditation. Kabat-Zinn, who cites studies and personal experiences, presents convincing evidence that meditation reduces everyday stress, and can help treat depression and fear, chronic pain, cancer and other serious illnesses. We believe that everyone can benefit from reading this mindful treatise - even those who are already healthy, wealthy and wise. Highly recommended.

I love Jon Kabat-Zinn's work.....and this book is certainly worth getting and reading. However, it is quite long and some of the sections didn't seem to add anything useful. On the other hand, some of the sections were amazing and worth reading more than once. If you like Jon Kabat-Zinn's other writings (e.g., wherever you go there you are, full catastrophe living) you will probably be happy with this book as well.

After seeing Jon Kabat-Zinn on McLaughlin's One-on-One I was intrigued and decided to buy this book. I was sorely disappointed. He makes some good observations (e.g. about ADD and the 24/7 lifestyle), but offers solutions based only on far-eastern philosophies (yoga, meditation, etc). Not what I expected. I would not recommend this book to devout Christians or Muslims. Better stick with the Bible or the Koran, or the writings of accomplished Biblical or Koranic scholars.

In this well researched, superbly well written book, Nathaniel Philbrick who wrote the brilliant In The Heart Of The Sea, tells us about the Pilgrims, where they came from, why they came here, how they landed at Plymouth in December 1620, how they managed to survive etc; and then he goes on to tell in more historical detail than I needed about King Philip's War (1675-6) when the ground of New England ran red with the blood of colonists and Indians. But there was more to this story than history for me because it is a case study in habitat change and culture clash, so when I get through with the history part we'll talk about that.

First, about the story itself. You know it: The Pilgrims were a dedicated group of religious believers who broke away from the Church of England (too lax) and , called Separatists, emigrated to Holland where they had lived for a year or so in Leiden before 102 of them (the original Pilgrims) left the port of Delfshaven in two ships - Speedwell and Mayflower - for America. But it didn't work at first. Speedwell was too small and rotten. Mayflower, 100 feet long, was a typical merchant vessel of the time and seems to me to have been a pretty good sailer, everything considered. They were forced to leave Speedwell in Plymouth and on September 6, 1620 Mayflower sailed from Plymouth with 102 men, women and children crowded into her `tween deck - five fee high and maybe 100 feet long. Sixty-five days later after a stormy voyage but with all of her exhausted passengers still alive they sighted the coast of Cape Cod. But before any man put a foot ashore he signed the Mayflower Compact whereby they were bound "together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation" and agreed to "enact...such just and equal laws...from time to time...as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony, unto which (we) promise all due submission and obedience."

They had sailed for the mouth of the Hudson. But fate, storm and wind had taken them 300 miles north to a sandy spit which promised no refuge from wind or storm nor soil for sustenance, so after exploring for several weeks they settled on Plymouth harbor and came ashore to stay in the second week of December. They were starving, cold, complete strangers on an inhospitable and unknown shore in the dead of winter three thousand miles from home, completely on their own and 500 miles from the nearest English settlement. Yet nothing affected or diluted the faith they had that God would seem them safely through.

No, they were not simpletons nor impractical zealots. They had a military leader (Miles Standish), guns, food and seed and they were not afraid to use any of them. They were there to establish a colony and stay the course, but it almost didn't work. They lost 50 out of 102 people to starvation and disease before spring; and had it not been for Massssoit, the leader of the local Indian tribe (Pokanoke) the colony might not have survived; but he gave them the support needed to see them through that first year; and when they really had a feast with the Indians that November (1621) it was truly a Thanksgiving, although it was not until the 1860s or so that it was so regarded and when our Thanksgiving legend began.

(An aside: They not the first to explore the coast. Cod fishermen from Spain, Portugal and France had been off the coast for years and some had come ashore for brief periods - bringing with them the diseases (measles, typhus etc.) which had decimated the Indians to the point where large portions of the coast were unpopulated. Then there were the earlier explorers, too. These people were not a good advance party for the Pilgrims!)

Next, about the rest of it: The rest, as they say, is history. The next year others joined them. Then Englishmen settled in what is now Boston, an area which had a much better and more natural harbor than Plymouth. In ten years the area contained maybe ten thousand settlers, my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather William Phelps being one of them. Twenty one thousand people came shore between 1632 and 1642; and by the time of King Phillips War (1675) all of New England could be termed "settled" in the sense that settlers were within walking distance of each other along he navigable rivers and their tributary valleys throughout most of the area.

The expansion came at a cost, at an environmental and human cost. The Indians were pushed out of their hunting grounds and out of their ancestral homelands, subjugated by treaty and force and disease. The forests were felled. One village of 200 homes used 75 acres of woodland per year for fuel. Beaches and tidelands were denuded of shellfish. The beaver were trapped out, game destroyed willy-nilly. This was a textbook example of environmental change, but Philbrick doesn't really hit on it.

Then came war. Philip, the grandson of Massassoit, went to war and in one year there were terrible casualties through the colony. The colonies lost 8 percent of the adult male population killed. (In WWII it was 1 percent, in the Civil War it was between 4 and 5 percent.) But the Indians suffered more. Nobody knows the numbers but war and its consequent atrocities of pillage, burning, forced marches and massacres killed thousands upon thousands of men, women and children. It was a war to the death. Settlers vs. the Indians; and the settlers won - big time!

Philbrick has done a good job. I got tired or reading about the war against the various tribes, how the tribes collaborated or didn't etc. etc. and, frankly, King Philip's War bored me a bit. But it was on the whole a great book.
February 2008

Excellent and informative. This book is a must for history buffs and teachers. Mayflower busts most myths about our early settlers.

I can't actually review the book itself, since it was a gift, and I haven't read it. I ordered it specifically for my dad who is having difficulty reading while awaiting cataract surgery. The book did arrive quickly and safely.

I was disappointed in Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. The writing and exposition are tedious and uninspired. I found it rather a slog getting through. It seemed he was writing in the style of most tepid history--and then this happened, and then that happened, etc. etc. Furthermore, most of the events described have little more historical merit or glory than gang fights on the streets of LA and are about as brutal. Indeed, I came away from reading this book depressed by the almost unremitting brutality of the Europeans and the Indians and the apparent crudity and greediness of their lives. None of the characters in this historical account emerged as great and admirable individuals.

Philbrick attempts toward the very end of Mayflower to express some of the greater significance of the events he so tediously and in such detail has recounted, but his effort is feeble and unconvincing. Contrary to what other readers and reviewers found, I did not find that Philbrick was able to breath any life into this story or give it any real significance. I learned a few new facts especially about the background of the Pilgrims and early colonial Indian wars, more than a few actually--too many; most of which I will soon forget. I do not recommend this book.

On the other hand Philbrick's Sea of Glory is a wonderful book and story. See my amazon review. Sea of Glory is an exciting book well worth reading. I do not believe that Philbrick's heart was really in the telling of the story of the Plymouth Colony and the brutal Indian wars that take up so many pages of this book.

Okay, I moved to Plymouth 3 years ago and well I got tired of not knowing what really happened. Of course, trying to find out has been very difficult. I was so happy to see this book, maybe a bit naive, but I thought it would clear things up for me. And it did! I felt it gave a balanced approach and a much more believable account of what really happened. The romantic Thanksgiving story is so worn out. Human nature, being what it is, also does not account for the story that all the White people wanted was Native annihilation. The documentation of the research Philbrick did was impressive and comforting too. In an effort to fact check, I went to Plimoth Plantation and talked with the Native Americans about their feelings about the book. I was told that Philbrick only accepted written accounts for his research. Is that really true? Without having a written language, the only way the Native American's could pass along their information was through oral history. If Philbrick did not accept this history than it makes this story very one-sided. While I agree, oral history would make his job more difficult, he would have a responsibility to let us, the readers, know that he did not accept oral history. He does mention this very briefly and vaguely on page 360-361, which in my opinion is buried. When I went to the gift shop to look at the books they recommended, suspicioulsy missing was this very book. Just know if you purchase this book, some vital Native information may be missing. Check out the blogs at Plimoth Plantation and ask the Native American Representatives yourself.
The title of this book is wrong and yes, misleading. I didn't realize the book would cover 80 years of history. While initially disappointed, in the end I very much appreciated it. This book explains clearly what is confusing to so many. How did they even survive? How did this historically anti-social group become friendly with the Natives. The details revealed in the book not only explain how these things happen but make a great deal of sense. Philbrick suggests that Massassoit may have believed the Pilgrims has the ability to unleash the plague at-will. As so many of his tribe had recently been desimated by the plague it makes sense that he would have treaded a bit lighly around the Pilgrims. It also makes sense to me that with reduced warriors and with other Native enemies at his door-step that Massassoit would partner with the Pilgrims. That they made a mutually supportive arrangement is not a surprise. But what happens next is more telling about American's and our history. In a story repeated throughout every generation and every people's is the saga about not learning from the previous generation. The Pilgrims spawn forgot about religion and embraced property. Greed, not a new tale, is repeated on a grand scale. With the loss of great leadership and an inability to band together, the Natives have difficulty fighting back. Philbrick also talks about the Natives own attraction to English ways, baubles, and conveniences. This rings true to me and while Natives might not like it, allows for some of the future confusion. The author seems balanced to me. I especially appreciated Philbrick's note on how, when white people were at war around the world, their documented atrocities were more brutal than the "savages" in the new world. He also talks about the relationships that some of the Natives made with the Pilgrims that caused them to support the Pilgrims instead of the Natives. It is very believable that conflicts were not strickly race related. The coverage of all of these years, gave me a much more thorough appreciation for what happened here in Plymouth.
As mentioned by other readers, the account in the story about Church is very unbelievable and reads more like a comic book hero. At the Plantation, they told me a lot of Philbrick's information about Church was written by Church's son and not the man himself. I do not know if this is true or not, but it would account for Church's superhero stories. In fact, as I was reading, I very much enjoyed those very stories. I couldn't believe Hollywood hadn't rolled out many movies, as so many of Church's accounts could produce multiple blockbuster action films that I would LOVE to see. Maybe not true, but definetly entertaining! The story about being pinned down and outnumbered by Natives, Church survives by sending his men, two at a time, by canoe out to a waiting shalloop. He then forgets his belongings, so makes a return trip, retrieves this things and escapes back to the boat. Indiana Jones anyone? Did I mention he had no ammunition? Or that no one was hurt? This was supposedly under constant fire from the Natives. It is hard to believe.
Yes, lots of characters sometimes hard to follow. Yes, very little info on the trip over. Great info on why they came in the first place. However, even with more questions, I do love this book. It has led me to read other first account books and continue my search for what really happened. If you read this book and take it as 100% factual, I think it is a 3. If you read this book for great insight, mostly accurate, and it leads you to other research, I give it a 5. In fact, I am going to read it again!

This book is a very good introduction to "lean manufacturing". I would say it is aimed at managers or other interested people in implementing lean manufacturing in their organizations. It is a perfect book to gain adepts for the lean cause, so if you are finding resistance in your organization to implement it, you could give out some copies of this book.

This book is more a general reading book (basics & benefits, resistance you might encounter, etc.) than a deep study or detailed guide. If you need deeper knowledge of the different tools, more specific applications or more detail on how to apply them, you will require other literature.

Another introduction to the subject is a novel called "The gold mine" (by Freddy and Michael Balle), both books address the topic highlighting different key aspects of lean, so reading both gives you probably a broader perspective. The gold mine goes a little deeper into the subjects and its emphasis on key concepts is very appealing.

The only way to be competitive in the world marketplace is to be much more efficient. In other words "lean and mean." Efficient at engineering, efficient at manufacturing and efficient at meeting/exceeding customer expectations are all keys to becoming more competitive.

This book and their Machine that Changed the World are good resources for manufacturing facilities more lean. And...lean thinking leads to more lean thinking.

Using the Toyota system as a guide, Womack and Jones address how companies can eliminate waste and increase profits. They write:

"Our earnest advice to lean firms today is simple: To hell with your competitors; compete against perfection by identifying all activities that are muda and eliminating them. This is absolute rather than a relative standard which can provide the essential North Star for any organization."

Well written with many telling examples. Recommended!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

I was fortunate enough to participate in the Pratt & Whitney lean transformation described in Lean Thinking.

While it is not a "how to" book, it does a good job of describing the lean initiatives undertaken.

This book is a classic "lean must read."

The book was truly eye-opening for me! Having spent more than enough time with management consultants and the "programs of the week," misguided Six Sigma projects, etc., I am very cautious about "new" programs. The simple, clear, transformational philosophy of the book was amazing to me. While the book does not outline the steps to take for making a Lean transformation, it should be required reading, before any venture into Lean management. Without an understanding of the philosophy behind Lean, many people mistakenly try to use it as a "tool" to cut costs, which will fail miserably. Lean - the new paradigm.

Lean is a specific management technique to make an organization more efficient (and a private sector company more profitable). This book is a well written introduction to the subject. The authors, James Womack and Daniel Jones, provide lots of examples to illustrate their basic points. Thus, this is a very useful introduction to the subject, for those of us who are not experts on this matter.

To start at the beginning. . . . The enemy is "Muda," a Japanese word that means "waste," in all of its manifestations. Lean is an approach to reducing Muda. Pie in the sky? Toyota is one of the pioneers in this movement, and it is now the # 1 automaker in the world--so, maybe, we ought to pay some attention to the concept. As the authors note (Page 15): ". . .Muda is everywhere." And the antidote to muda is lean.

The Introduction itself does a nice job of laying out the key concepts of Lean. Then, each part of the book builds on that foundation. Key points: (1) Value. Value is defined by the ultimate customer. The problem? Corporations and other organizations often think that they know best and do not really understand what the end user wishes as value. As the authors note (Page 19): "Lean thinking therefore must start with a conscious attempt to precisely define value in terms of specific products with specific capabilities offered at specific prices through as dialogue with specific customers." (2) The Value Stream. This is the actions needed to bring (Page 19) ". . .a specific product (whether a good or a service. . .) through the three critical management tasks of any business." (3) Flow. Outline the step-by-step process by which goods and services are delivered and identify muda, so that waste can be reduced/eliminated. (4) Pull. Develop a process such that customers pull the product from the source/supplier. (5) Perfection. Keep working on improving the product/output, by incremental changes leading to further reduction of muda.

Examples abound. Think of the miserable experience these days of flying from place to another. Muda is everywhere (see the discussion on pages 32-35).

Part I lays out the lean principles in much more detail (Value through Perfection, steps 1 through 5 already summarized). Part II explores lean in more detail (including comparing lean versus the German approach). And so on.

Want to know about lean? This is a pretty good introduction, as far as I can tell, for a lay audience. I'm not an expert, but I think that I have learned quite a bit of value from reading this work.

'Reposition Yourself - Living Life Without Limits' is a content rich book that is part inspirational and part instructional centered on forging the blessings that life has to offer - that which is due and inherent. Within this book, T.D. Jakes has a stream of conscience flow that in some parts resemble Susan Orman and other times Jack Canfield. Forging even deeper he picks up the reinforcement exercises of Napoleon Hill (at times), and the practical sequence of action leads to results approach of Brian Tracy (take a minute and write this down or before you go any further). Mixed in with the candor and straight forward writing style that is all T. D. Jakes.

Jakes opens this work by introducing us to fictional characters that include the dreamer, the lover, the manager, and the believer in all of us. This sets the framework (somewhat) of the discussion that will take place between Jakes and the reader; however, he does not expound upon the characters so we are disconnected from them at the outset - in other words Jakes leaves it to you to remember and associate with the aforementioned characters - most importantly their traits (our traits) except when he decides to bring them up - he doesn't take them along for the ride. Yet, Jakes doesn't take long to reconnect with us through powerful lessons with the first being the 'five stages of progression,' which include the revelation of opportunity and continues into burn out (not just professionally speaking), or as he writes ". . .when deterioration has taken its toll." This outline of the stages was both innovative and unique because it did not climax with optimal performance, but instead ended with performance taken to far.

Jakes goes on to write about the difficulties that we all will face as a result of living a full life, along with the opportunity to overcome life's challenges with a "go all out" BALANCED approach to living -- where Jakes believe in not only speaking your blessings (as practiced by many men/women of faith), but through measured and deliberate deeds and actions. He has - I dare say it - a "pull yourself up by our bootstraps" philosophy to those discouraged and a "hold your hand out" to those that have prospered.

Chapter 6 entitled 'Shifting Gears and Changing Lanes - Repositioning Yourself for What Around the Corner' is one of the most inspiring chapters. Here, Jakes not only advises, but challenges the reader to throw off limitations that prevented success in the past. Specifically, on page 102 (hardback - May 2007) edition, he captures the content of his message within one paragraph:

"You must stop procrastinating, waiting for others to lead you to where only you can go yourself, or blaming the past. So many times it's much easier to embrace the role of victim, of loser, of the one who's not smart enough, not good enough, not educated enough, not financially sound enough. When you accepted such limitations for yourself, then you don't have to worry about being disappointed. . ."

I don't care how many inspirational/self-help books you have read - that is powerful in and of itself. Within the remainder of Part II, Jakes goes over what many authors have already written about numerous times yet bears repeating (in his view): Importance of paying down debt, managing your finances, working on purpose, leveraging credit to obtain wealth, finding a mentor, etc. with a hard to identify target audience - initially thought by reviewer to be a broad audience of those that are seeking to "reposition" themselves and later thought to be a primarily AA audience; followed by young AA that have lived long enough to experience life, yet still have enough life (and belief) to reposition (25 - 45?) -- followed by women (sometimes all?). That was the weakness of the book. Because it is primarily a stream of conscience flow, Jakes is really speaking to ANYONE that needs to reposition (or desires to) and either forgets to keep the lens wide enough or really doesn't care -- it's his view and lessons that are important.

Part III contains an inward focus on Jakes himself, specifically Chapter 13 'Mail Carriers - Surviving the Labels of Success'. Yet, he offers another series of steps in which one can remain connected (this chapter I think assumes you have repositioned or at least would like you to visualize). It is the balance of those that have arrived, emphasizing the importance of keeping grounded within one success; the you can go alone and be alone or you can involve family and friends while recognizing your roots. In essence, Jakes' message is that success is a team sport.

In conclusion, this book is not eloquently written (the "then-than" rule may irk you from time to time and there are a couple of administrative errors). In addition, he may have lost some of his audience when two chapters were dedicated to "ladies only." That is fine and very important; however, a 'Reposition Yourself for Women' book that addresses their challenges unique to them may have been more appropriate in the opinion of the reviewer. (This prevents alienating your core reader and gives a dedicated work to this important group.)

Yet Jakes does provide a powerful, practical, and sage words to live a fuller and rewarding life. It is not narrow in focus and what's refreshing is that Jakes has a practical view of spirituality - knowing that believing alone is not even half of the battle, but it sure helps!

THIS BOOK WRITTEN BY BISHOP JAKES IS A DIVINE BLESSINGS FROM GOD FOR EVERY CHRISTAIN.I PRAY FOR GOD DIVINE WISDOM AND ANNOINTING OF HOLY SPIRIT TO BE UPON MY BELOVED BISHOP JAKES.THANK GOD FOR USING YOU,YOUR FAMILY AND MINISTRY TO REACH TO LOST SOULS ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

I love Bishop TD jakes but I could not get past Disc 1 track 5 or so of this audiobook. I listen to him on my podcast but it seemed like the book lacked something. It seemed like the Bishop just focused on a particular individual. I could not relate...I hope to listen to all of it one day...I pray so...

I have read several books by Bishop Jakes, but this one by far in my opinion is one of the best one yet. I haven't finished reading it yet, because once I read a particular section I have found myself to go back and reread it. Bishop Jakes is definately annoited by GOD. I just hope and pray that GOD keeps on using him as he sees fit to minister to the world. This book is a real blessing and eye opener.

This is a must read. It covers how to be a person that is true to themselves. This book inspired me to write a poem called falling in love with me and I can't put into words how inspiring this book was. T.D. Jakes covers all the elements on how to grow. I would recommend this book to anyone because it has something in it for everyone.

Truly one of the best books in The Dresden Files.

Small Favor feels like Harry is maturing and facing up to many of his new-found responsibilities. The action is fast paced and very exciting!

I'm a big fan of this series and have not yet been disappointed.
This book is exciting from the very beginning to the end. Can't wait for
the next one. I will however recommend that you start at the beginning
of the series to meet all the characters and learn the plot. I highly recommend this book. It is pure reading pleasure!!

I loved this latest Dresden Files novel. I love all of them, but this one was great. This is the one a really fine movie could be made of, in its entirety. The fight at the Shedd Aquarium would certainly work, as well as the final scene on the little island, with Harry strangling Nicodemos.

Good page turning book, but I never got a true reason for all the W's. Why was Summer suddenly trying to kill Harry? What is going to happen with Michael? Who destroyed the Winter Castle?

If the author can come up with a quick follow up book to answer all the questions that he posed, I would raise my rating. Waiting a year or more for the next one is a bit too much.

There were too much of the Fallen Angels to suit me. I personally enjoy the Vampire and Fae problems. The Fallen ones seem too hard to conquer without a large amount of Luck to come to play.

Will be interested when the next installment will arrive. And yes, I will be on the list to pre-purchase the volume.

Calvin P. Poole, Jr.

Jim Butcher's SMALL FAVOR is set in the dead of an icy Chicago winter but the plot operates on the same principle of a car with no brakes hitting the ice at 60mph. Harry Dresden, Chicago's favorite magical hero, has the Summer Queen of the Sidhe gunning for him when Mab the Winter Queen makes him an offer he can't refuse: he's got to help criminal kingpin John Marcone. In addition, the Denarians are back in town.

Fight scenes go by faster than snowflakes in a blizzard. There's some really clever action in this book! Fortunately, Harry has the aid of the Knights of the Swords, policewoman Karrin Murphy, his apprentice Molly, his vampire half-brother Thomas and Someone Else. Harry is always good company and his friends are welcome any time. In the small interludes between frantic action, almost casual insights into love, treachery, loyalty, family and religion detonate like hand grenades of wisdom.

I like the way Harry Dresden continues to learn and develop in front of our eyes. He's a man so caught up in action that he misses some of the subtler aspects of relationships--which his exasperated brother takes him to task for. Jim Butcher has left his loyal readers wondering if Harry is giving up on the idea of getting together with Karrin. I enjoyed everything about this book, while at the same time wishing for just a little more time with the inner Harry. I mean, come on, this is a book for adults. Did he or didn't he?

Except for a bad CD in the set, Amazon customer service just outshines them self on the replacement. I like the story.

This series is very addicting. It is easy to get lost in the characters and world. I love it!

RIP Robert Jordan aka James Oliver Rigney, Jr. Too bad you couldn't finish the series.

The narrative hits some snags again in this book (as I felt it did in book four), but still results in a strong read by one of the best fantasy writers of our time. Some of the subplots begin to drag on and you don't feel that page-burning speed that is in the other books. There are some great plot twists here that leave you wondering what else Jordan has up his sleeve for future volumes. While the pace of the overall story decreases in this book, Jordan still pleases in the end. Recommended strongly to fans of the series.

This is the 6th book in the Wheel of Time series, Lord of Chaos, and several months have passed since the end of 5th book, The Fires of Heaven and it is now nearing winter or what should be winter but the land is going through an unnatural heat wave (in which many characters suspect is the Dark One's doing). Almost 2 years have passed since The Eye of the World.

The Lord of Chaos can be slow-going, there isn't much action (not until the very end), but there is a lot going on with the various characters. Rand gets the most page time in this book, as well as Egwene, with portions told from Nynaeve & Elayne's viewpoint, as well as more page time devoted to some of the Forsaken. Mat and Perrin are given some chapters devoted to them, but not much.

At the end of The Fires of Heaven, Rand has conquered two nations, Nynaeve has captured one of the Forsaken, Moghedien and both Nynaeve & Elayne have found the gathering place of the rebel Aes Sedai, and Moiraine perished with one of the Forsaken Lanfear (or did she?).

In Lord of Chaos, Rand divides his time between the 2 nations he conquered and dealing with the politics that come with it, Nynaeve & Elayne make strides in the One Power and discover an object that could alleviate the weather problems facing the world and head off to Ebou Dar to find it, Egwene is summoned to Salidar, where the rebel Aes Sedai are gathered, and Mat now is commander and general of a unit of soldiers called the Band of the Red Hand.

Throughout the previous book, Rand had glimpses of a past life and memories of a man more than 3,000 years dead, a man that was called Lews Therin, the Dragon. In Lord of Chaos, this manifests as a "voice" inside Rand's head and he struggles with his approaching insanity that comes with wielding saidin, the tainted half of the True Source. Of course, Rand believes this voice is a separate person from himself, but well there are all sorts of theories out there on Rand's sanity. IMO, it is a symptom of touching and wielding tainted saidin.

I feel Lord of Chaos is a turning point for Rand in how he will view all female Aes Sedai from now and into the later books. Rand has never been very trusting of Aes Sedai, but after an event that occurs in this book toward the end, any inkling of trust he may have had has disappeared. In fact, I think he has more hatred and contempt for the Aes Sedai in this book than he has had in previous books. To counter the female channelers, he forms a school devoted to gathering and training male channelers. A false Dragon named Mazrim Taim is given the task of over-seeing the school, and Rand distrusts him immensely (there are also theories on Taim as well, but that is a discussion for later books).

Egwene continues to become more Aes Sedai and I think this character also reaches an important turning point here. She becomes something "more" in this book, and you get a glimpse of Egwene in transition, but you can be sure in the later books she becomes more confident of herself and her position. Besides Rand, Mat, and Perrin I think she is the next most significant character in the series.

Even more so than the previous book, you get more page time devoted to some of the other Forsaken we haven't seen as much, such as Sammael and Graendal. You also learn that 2 Forsaken previously thought dead have been given new life by the Dark One, and no one knows they are alive, not even the other Forsaken as they have been given new bodies. I found it very interesting to read the schemes and intrigues each Forsaken used against the other. Although they all are loosely allied, in that they are all against Rand, they continue to plot against each other because there will be only one that will stand below the Dark One when he breaks free from his prison. And all the remaining Forsaken want the job.

Anyways, from reading the various viewpoints of the Forsaken, it was obvious they were getting conflicting orders from the Dark One on what their orders were in the world in combatting Rand and his allies, and you as the reader are privy to it all. The Dark One enjoys pitting his underlings against the other, and so it made sense in a way they'd squabble, but yet were still able to fulfill their orders. You see more of the work of the Dark One's hand in affairs of the world in creating the chaos (title of the book, Lord of Chaos, some believe the title refers to Rand, others to the chaos the Dark One creates) that is supposed to keep the forces of Light divided so as not to present a unified front of strength to oppose him in the Last Battle. Basically, he's trying to make it as difficult as possible for Rand to gather the people of the world together. So he gets his agents, the Forsaken and other strategically placed Darkfriends to counter Rand.

Like I said before, this book has a lot of events occurring and can be slow-moving, and I have only mentioned a small portion of the whole of this book.LOL. I still enjoyed this book despite the slow pace. If you've reached this far, you still have a long way to go. The next book after this one is A Crown of Swords.

This was one of my favorites as kid. Then, sadly, I forgot about it until stumbling across it in the school library. It is once again one of my favorites. Cynics might roll their eyes at this tribute to good ol' days gone by, but I personally appreciate the nostalgia and the house with its subtle face parts is adorable. You feel so bad for the cute little house! It is also an observation at the change of time. I don't know how intense that is as a theme, but I found it touching and Burton tells the tale with such heart and care.

We live in a very old house in the country and this book was such a cute story about just that. We enjoyed it.

Another timeless classic by this author. It's an amazing story about appreciation. Completely entertaining and like the other books in this series, the artwork is phenominal!!!

This was my favorite book as a child and I am so happy to find it again!! Now I will enjoy it as I read it to my grandchildren.

It was my favorite book when I was little, now it's time for my children to get know bout little house story. I got today from Amazon with free shipping. Great story book delivered to the door. Saving time to seaching at book store with carrying 2 little childrens especially summer hot day!
Thank god Amazon... I'm looking forward to reading this book tonight ^0^/

Buried in an early snowstorm, the Sun Valley, Idaho, mountains play a major role in Ridley's second Sheriff Walt Fleming thriller. The story begins with a nighttime mountain search-and-rescue, and goes on to include snowbound cabin hideouts, isolated ranchers, buzzing snowmobiles, chases through the snow and among the peaks, and even a crucial and spectacular encounter with a hibernating bear.

Fleming's search for a missing skier fans out snowshoeing teams with dogs across the mountain, and includes one skier who crosses the slope from the top, Randy Aker. The operation culminates in Randy's murder and the next day his brother Mark, the sheriff's friend, goes missing.

The missing skier was a hoax, of course - someone targeted Randy - or Mark, as it seems he was the intended victim. This surmise is confirmed when veterinarian Mark's young assistant turns up at a hospital, brutally raped and beaten and so drugged she remembers nothing.

The reader has the advantage of Fleming here as Pearson has been cutting to the villain, John Coats, a mountain man and former meth addict who views himself as a hero on a patriotic mission. What this mission is, who is behind it, and why, remains a mystery for Fleming to solve.

Help in this comes from his top deputy and nemesis Tommy Brandon (who is living with Fleming's estranged wife) and an attractive photographer who provides a tentative new love interest while she pieces together crime scenes. Strange illnesses further complicate the puzzle as time begins running out for diabetic Mark Akers.

As the story accelerates, cutting from Fleming to Akers to Coats, the terrain and the weather continue to immerse the reader in Sun Valley's mixed milieu of money, independence and wilderness.

Pearson gives the reader a fast-paced, big story in big country with characters who continue to grow. Yes, there are one or two small holes in the plot, but the ride is well worth a couple of bumps.

This was the first book I read from Pearson and I throughly enjoyed it. I recommend this book if you are looking for a page turner at the beach, airplane etc...

My Review of KILLER VIEW by Ridley Pearson

Ridley Pearson brings back Sheriff Walt Fleming in his new suspenseful story, Killer View. With well developed, intriguing characters and a stunning setting in Sun Valley, Idaho, Pearson has readers unable to put this mystery down as its intricately woven plot keeps you captivated.

When the story opens, a skier is reported missing on Galena Summit in Sun Valley so Sheriff Fleming is immediately alerted. Fleming brings together his top-notch rescue team. Mark Aker, who is Walt's best friend, and his brother Randy, round up their tried and true team of search and rescue dogs. Dividing up the dogs, Mark and Walt take off one way, while Randy who has more experience heads out in another area. Suddenly, Walt and Mark hear what sounds like a shot and that ignites the story with one plot twist after another. They also can't get a hold of Randy, and it isn't long before they find him dead from what appears to be an accident, dropping off a cliff. Finding Randy, protected by his faithful dog, the sheriff notes there is no blood so he didn't die from a gunshot wound. Although, when Walt thinks about it, perhaps the shot was what drew Randy's attention away from where he was headed? If so, who fired that shot and why? Sadly, Walt lifts Randy's body to take him back as his brother Mark is devastated.

The next morning, Walt discovers that now Mark is missing. Sheriff Fleming first wonders if Mark just needed some time alone to grieve. But the search continues with intensity as Mark appears to also now be lost. However, Mark Aker's survival in a very remote area introduces another character for readers to ponder and decide what part of the puzzle he is involved with. The question of if Mark will escape keeps the readers on edge but all the while in an structured manner so you don't have to take notes to enjoy this fast paced flurry of activity on the snow filled mountains of Sun Valley.

Into what is becoming a multifaceted plot, comes Deputy Tommy Brandon, who is known to be sleeping with Walt's soon to be x-wife. Too good a deputy to be fired without charges of discrimination, Walt has this thrown in his face daily as he must work along side Tommy. Next in this picturesque setting, Walt discovers that mountain sheep are mysteriously dying, a local bottling plant contains contaminants causing workers to be hospitalized, and finally that a very powerful political figure may be involved in all of this. The sheriff begins to suspect that terrorism may even be playing a part of the picture.

With the help of his deputy and a photographer, the female love interest, the story's pacing amazingly allows the reader to be able to keep all the clues straight albeit not necessarily connected until the end. Will Mark be found? What part will Fiona, the photographer, play in the scheme of things and in Walt's life? Will Mark finally be saved and is there really a terrorist plot? These questions will keep the reader plowing through this snow filled mystery until the end to find out if Walt Fleming can assemble the pieces that frame the final picture in the Killer View!

Submitted: copyright by Karen Haney, August, 2008, published for Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)

Killer View is the second in his series featuring Sun Valley Sheriff Walt Flemming and if you're a fan of seat of your pants non-stop action then this book is for you.
It deals with home grown terrorists dealing in bio-warfare, government bureaucracy and hidden agendas. In addition to everything else going on our hero Sheriff Flemming is trying to deal with his personal life as a single dad with twin girls who's wife left him for his best deputy (we found this out in the first book Killer Weekend). So those of you who just like to stroll through the pages of non-exciting books this is not for you for the rest of you get off the couch and get the book.

This is a terrific read, this Author was new to me, not anymore, its a real thriller