Audiobook Books

It works at all stages. If you are trying to rebuild your marriage or just trying to rebuild yourself, read this book. The author helps you understand what you may be going through and how the other person may feel. I also strongly recommend the author's other book I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't

After the Affair is the most balanced and helpful book I've read on the subject of affairs.

My son-in-law absolutely loved the book. Hasn't stopped talking about how it helped him deal with various issues.

I actually read the author's second book, "How Can I Forgive You," before reading this one. I thought *that* book was spot-on, and her views on forgiveness rang very true with me. She basically says that genuine forgiveness must be earned by the other party and can be achieved when the victim no longer has to hold the wrongdoer accountable for his / her actions, but when the wrongdoer holds themselves accountable for them. While that book applies to many other situations besides infidelity, she really seemed to understand where the betrayed party was coming from.

Having read other books on infidelity, I read this book to see if it would be as helpful. This book was rather disappointing to me, and after reading several other reviews on this board, I'm glad to know that at least I'm not the only one to feel that way.

First of all, I take issue with what Dr. Spring says in her introduction, "I don't make blanket judgments about whether affairs are, in themselves, good or bad"......WHAT???? I'm really not sure why we can't all agree that affairs are bad. It often doesn't go over well when you tell someone who was sexually betrayed, disregarded, disrespected, and lied to that what was done to them "wasn't necessarily bad." Should we also try to say that stealing isn't necessarily good or bad too?

She then says, "What may be enhancing for one of you may devastate the other, and destroy the relationship." Uh, yes- but this is THE MAIN REASON WHY affairs are bad- it's one partner putting his/her own self-gratification first at the expense of the other partner, despite promises made NOT to do this. Cheating, no matter what form it takes- whether it's "cheating" as in infidelity or whether it's "cheating" at a game of Monopoly, you are denying someone else fair treatment. So, in what universe is this "not necessarily bad?"

The tone of her book didn't seem to place enough responsibility on the betraying partner. This book may serve to help the betraying partner feel better about what they did, but it sure won't help the betrayed partner feel as good about what was done to them.

If there are some cases where both partners do contribute to the affair happening, there isn't really much cold, hard evidence of that. I certainly don't believe that to be the case in ALL affairs, so I was really put off by her common "one-size-fits-all" approach to this. I feel that therapists all too often use this approach to make their jobs easier, but it often isn't helpful to both parties, which I thought was the goal.

She does say that the cheating spouse is ultimately responsible for their actions, but assumes that the faithful spouse helped to create the atmosphere in the marriage that contributed to the affair. Sometimes, this just isn't the case. How about when the faithful spouse sees their partner acting differently in the relationship, and makes many attempts to reach out to them, but the cheating spouse refuses their help?

There are many betrayed partners out there that never turned their partner down for sex, and did everything to make them feel special, needed, loved and secure, yet still had this happen. Affairs can happen in marriages that were otherwise happy.

Sure, both parties may have valid grievances in the relationship, but how is it that one partner is able to confront theirs honestly and fairly while the other dealt with their issues by sneaking around, lying and cheating? How about when one feels entitled to seek their fun elsewhere because they believe "men need it more" or holds other similar double-standards? The betrayed party didn't cause the other spouse's feelings of entitlement or lack of integrity. There may be blame on both sides for things gone wrong, but to assume both parties share blame *equally* is a mistake.

I also don't think it should be assumed that the betraying partner dealt with most of the pain in the relationship, "causing" them to do what they did, or that the source of pain necessarily was the spouse of the betraying partner. We all experience stress in our lives, and it comes from many sources, not just from our spouse. And often, it is the betraying partner that has issues that cause most of the pain / problems in the relationship.

I do think this book still has some good points. When she describes the "normal" range of feelings of someone who has been betrayed, it helped me understand that I was not alone. I took what she wrote to mean that these feelings are "normal" for someone to experience under the circumstances, as a result of the damage caused by betrayal. I also liked that she shared stories of many other couples who went through this.

All in all, I think you should take what you can from the book, but the all too common "two parties contributing" theory with a grain of salt.

A not perfect, but better read on the subject I can suggest is: "Private Lies" by Frank Pittman.

No two situations are exactly the same but what this book successfully does is try to help both parties address why it happened and how they can move on together...or apart. I found it very helpful and very thorough. The flood of feelings you go through when an affair occurs is overwhelming and reading this book helps you realize that: 1. you're not alone, 2. that people can and do get past it and 3. that there were probably reasons that it happened that are worth examining if you want to move forward and have a healthier relationship....regardless of whether it's with your partner or not. That is why I would recommend it to anyone who has gone through an affair either as the "hurt" one or as the "unfaithful" one.

I would also like to counter what another reviewer suggested when they remarked that having an affair is the same as physical abuse. I think it's important to understand that while an affair is emotionally hurtful for one's partner, it is generally not done to deliberately hurt one's partner. Intent and outcome are rather important in debunking the correlation. I have also been the victim of physical abuse and personally found such a suggestion out-of-line to say the least.

Very thought-out book. I believe the author may have posted new thought to B.S psychology. No real new discoveries except for his interpretations of the complexity of the human mind, some ideas I question.

I gave Mr. Goleman only one star due his lack of composition skills ... give this text to the commom layman would only produce boredom. His writing is riddled with technical jargon and complex analysis (some which have no scientific preface). I nearly fell asleep reading the book, myself. His writing style wins no awards for appeal, dynamic, or readability; otherwise, his idea and analysis are interpretations which really does not proof emotional human output - every human response differently to different situations in life.

In this book the author manages to shine some light on an interesting topic which, unfortunately, is not getting enough attention especially in schools and universities. The best thing about the book is that every claim the author makes is backed up with a scientific experiment or a practical example from the real world. The bottom line is that if you have enough experience and knowledge, you may get the job, but in order to advance, or even keep your job, you should have emotional intelligence. Some of the things in the book are common sense, but the author shows us how much they really affect our performance.

Daniel Goleman strikes again with this interesting book about Emotional Intelligence. Ever wondered why Einstein could discover e=mc² but couldn't organize his own family? This book has the answers for you.

Emotional intelligence is probably a very deciding factor in success. It is however by far more difficult to measure someone's EQ instead of IQ so you just have to trust the writings and go ahead with the knowledge. There's a lot being offered within the book and if you want to get ahead of the crowd there's even another book 'Emotional Intelligence in Action'.

The reason why I deducted one star is because something else is missing as well. There are certain people with average IQ and EQ who still excell at something because they are just 'streetwise'. Put that in the mix and you will have a very good understanding of what intelligence does.

Daniel Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence (1995) is a well written and researched study of the role emotions play in people's personal lives, and the effect that incompetent emotional management has on society. Goleman uses many individual examples to illustrate his point that emotional illiteracy (the inability to read emotions and respond appropriately) is both devastating and costly. Broken marriages, depression, domestic abuse, isolation, eating disorders, crime, alcoholism, and drug abuse are all in some way the end result of people's emotions gone awry. How can anyone possibly maintain a healthy outlook on life if their emotions are constantly getting the best of them? Goleman uses terms like:

Emotional flooding: When someone is overwhelmed by another's negativity and their own reaction to it. They become swamped with dreadful and out-of-control feelings. Their perception becomes negative and distorted. They find it hard to organize their thoughts and fall back on primitive reactions like striking back or running away.

Emotional hijacking: a neural takeover by a rush of emotions causing an outburst. "Blinded by rage", "a slave to passion", "scared to death", and "uncontrollable laughter" are examples of emotional hijackings. A person in this state loses their sense of reason, and emotions build on emotions causing a loss of control.

Misattunement: The misattuned person doesn't read his own or other's emotions effectively. They don't recognize or acknowledge their own feelings, and they're oblivious to other's emotional states. It's as if another person's feelings don't exist at all. We all know people like this. The lonely genius who only cares about others when they benefit him or mentally challenge him. The aggressive smart aleck who thrives on making others feel uncomfortable. The distracted mother whose children have become unwanted responsibilities. The driven workaholic who denies himself and represses his emotions. The misattuned person doesn't make a lot of effort to get in touch with what others are feeling, and he just isn't much fun to be with. It is possible, however, for him to make adjustments to increase his EQ, improve his social skills, and get in touch with his own emotions through emotional relearning.

Empathy is the key to Emotional Intelligence. Knowing how others feel unlocks the doors to compassion, self-control, adept social skills, and to becoming a well-adjusted and happier person. Without empathy there is no real love, and life is lived purely for self-gratification. Empathy allows us to care for others and to live with a certain degree of morality.

Being in touch with our own emotions is also an important part of Emotional Intelligence. Understanding our own intentions and feelings helps us to focus on what's really important to us, keep expectations realistic, and prevent negative emotions from controlling our point of view and destroying our lives.

Even though Emotinal Intelligence isn't a self-help instructional manual, it certainly can be helpful to learn new strategies for self-control, getting to know yourself better, improving your relationships, becoming more successful, and learning to be a little more understanding of others. All of which make the world a better place.

This is an inspirational and informative book on emotional intelligence; on our rational and emotional minds and why it is very important to our careers, our relationships and our destiny.

This insightful book examines emotional intelligence in an easy to follow and understand format which makes the book useful to a wide readership. The book pragmatically examines what emotional intelligence is all about and what it can achieve for individuals and organisations. The author methodically explains how the rational and emotional minds can effectively work productively together. As I go up the corporate ladder, it is critical to know how to manage my emotions so that I can relate better with others.

Dr Goleman is both a good writer and an original thinker. This is not just an academic book but also one that looks at the whole aspect of emotional intelligence to see how it "fits in" with all aspects of life. The book examines all the relevant issues and provides sound, sensible advice succinctly.

The book changed the way I look at life and relate with people. As an engineer, I used to believe in the power of logic and reasoning in all my dealings with people, be it at work, in the home and in relationships. I considered emotions as irrelevant or for those that are intellectually challenged. How wrong was I. Now that I am a bit more enlightened, from lessons learnt in this wonderful book, I am a better self. I realise that emotional issues affect the way people work, their motivation, satisfaction and productivity and affect the quality of relationships among spouses or friends. I am now a much happier and more effective manager and therefore recommend this book strongly to anyone who wants to live a happier and successful life.

I had exactly one year of French with this course, in summer school, several years before moving to France. When I got to France, I got a job almost immediately answering the telephone; before I knew it, I had got a job taking dictation and was getting requests for translation of artists' catalogues, scientific papers, poetry, and everything else imaginable. The French I spoke was both current and correct, and everyone felt at ease working with me. Pierre Capretz's method is entirely different from everyone else's method out there, and the use of clips from radio and TV commercials makes this better for understanding different people speaking to you rather than the same two over and over as in other courses, as French accents differ wildly. I recommend this to all my voice students.

well, i thoguht i was ordering the dvd's at first, but it ended up I really need the audio program for the class i'm taking. the cd's seem to work fine so far.

Used in combination with the audio materials, this course promises so much more than the usual (colors, numbers, basic greetings, etc.), and places a strong emphasis on pronunciation and idioms. You finish with a useful knowledge of French--the kind people actually speak. Comprehension is difficult at first because the speakers talk at a normal pace without overemphasizing the words, but it is this technique that leaves one able to know what people are saying without having them slow down.

As for the method of delivery--it's fun! The textbook follows a narrative structure, specifically a story about Robert, an American student in France, and Mireille, a young and witty student at the famed Sorbonne in Paris. There is love, mystery, and lots of important cultural information on the way, as well as an underlying humor that made our class laugh quite often. I recommend it highly for use in a class, and if you are willing to dish out the cash, for independent study as well. It has everything you need to gain a firm grounding in French language, culture, and idioms.

The audio program complements both text and workbooks and is essential in learning the pronunciation, as well as for practicing hearing and understanding French spoken at full speed. Many of the exercises also work well without the books and can be used in the car.

This series is phenomenal.I have used it on my own and made good progress doing so. When I backslid, I hired a native-born French woman as a tutor and used this as our text. Our classes were constantly being broken up by her laughter. "She said what?" "That's so French!" "People say that all the time." She was right, too. I spend a lot of time in Paris now, too much of it eavesdropping on the folks at the next table. I can attest, the conversations are often right out of the book. The cultural insights are dead-on and invaluable. More often than anything else I have used to learn French, I find myself relying on the words, phrases and conversational patterns that I picked up in these lessons. I'm glad the cassettes are available as CDs now, because mine were wearing out!

This is an excellent introduction to French. You will need the textbook that must be ordered separately. I still have not found Part two of this product which would finish off the learning of basic French at about the second year level at a university in the states.

Jeremy Irons is the perfect choice to read this Audiobook of the "infamous" Lolita. Iron's reading is a perfect pairing with Nabokov's writing, the richness of the language comes through even though you are not settled into your easy chair by a crackling fire with a decent vintage opened at your side.

It is pairings such as this that gives one hope that more Audio books will be prepared with equal care, unabridged, and enriching the listener's experience.

"LOLITA---LIGHT OF MY LIFE- FIRE OF MY LOINS---MY SIN, MY SOUL.
LOOO---LEEE---TAAA.
The tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps.
LOOO--LEEE--TAAA" -Hubert Hubert-

Humbert Humbert is an intellectual, a teacher, fluidly articulate, a lover of books, a poet, and good looking. One could say he has it all. But there's one little problem, Hubert Hubert happens to be a pedaphile.

Nabokov is so brilliant, the reader will empathize with Hubert Hubert in some strange way, because he
will make them...justifying why Hubert Hubert does the things he does. And the reader will try to justify his perversion, too.

Hubert Hubert is a child molester, a monster, a pervert, a stalker, evil, and sick. And he is appalled, even by himself. This is the reason Nabokov has named him Hubert Hubert (One is good-one is evil).

"IF ONLY SHE SAW THE MONSTERS BEHIND THE EYES,
I AM THE DEVIL'S PLAY THING" Hubert Hubert

Hubert Hubert is obsessed with young girls (Nymphets) as he so elequently calls them. He is sexually attracted to Lolita most of all, and married her mother to get close to her. (Naughty boy).

His thoughts are written so beautifully and deliciously the way he feels for Lolita, that the reader neglects, at times, to see his perversion and sins. Hubert Hubert describes Lolita's knees, her legs, her skin, her hair, how it
drapes over her apple fresh cheeks. How lovely. How pretty. How wicked.

Hubert Hubert descibes Lolita's mother (his wife)like this: "Being with her was like thrashing inside a decaying forest"

Shame on you, Hubert. She's only 35 years old! You dirty, dirty old man.

Hubert Hubert speaks in third person through several parts of the book...because Hubert Hubert cannot even bear himself--for he is a demoralizing, warped, sick individual. And the reader will still fill empathy for him

"I am the Devil's Plaything. I am a Monster."

Hubert Hubert trys desperately to become the doting step-father, giving Lolita what she wants, getting involved in school activites, protecting her from the big bad world.

But he forgets one thing....

Hubert Hubert does not protect her from Hubert Hubert.

Vladimir Nabokov is a genius, and Lolita has so many levels of beauty, metaphor, and lushness, one cannot find any inmperfection within it.

Lolita will horrify the reader and delight the reader at the same time. How the heck to Nabokov do that?

Nobody could have read this book as Irons did--the sexuality rolls of his tongue like a kind of poison.

***Not too many books can compare to this Lolita. A true, unbelievable classic.

the scariest thing about this book is that you don't see it coming. you pick up the book thinking you're going to be repulsed by the whole thing. it's pedophilia! but instead you find yourself nodding along, agreeing, sympathizing with humbert's totally horrible viewpoints. you find yourself wanting to be more like lolita so someone will love you like that. you find yourself laughing when the narrator wants you to laugh, feeling sorry for him when dolores finally escapes. it's utterly convincing to anyone who's ever been obsessed with anything... like diving into another world.



it's incredibly well written, but i don't think i would recommend this book to anyone. i think instead that it's the first book i've read that should carry a warning label. "listening to this book will seduce you."

Nabokov's story of HH and his obsession with little Lolita is one of the most amazing books of all time. The audio version read by Jeremy Irons is absolutely the best audio book I've ever heard. Jeremy Irons played the role of HH in one of the movie adaptations of the book, and he reads this first-person narrative fully in character. I cannot think of another actor who could have captured the essence of this book the way Irons did. I purchased the audio version to listen to on my iPod on a trip, and I kept listening to him read the story even when I was taking breaks from the road. Just as it is hard to put the book down, it is hard to stop listening to this audio book. Once you get past the introduction to the book (I didn't catch the name of who read that; it was a different voice, unless Irons was just doing a character), you won't be able to stop.

I had read Lolita many years ago in my college student garret and was entertained, a bit appalled, thought I was able to "get" HH, but mainly I was amazed by the language. I can remember rereading sentences just to feel the commas. BUT, hearing it read by Jeremy Irons is a whole different thing. He is an absolutely amazing actor. It is CREEPY and the incredible language becomes his own completely, rather than feeling in any way, like Nabokov's intellectual exercise. Just describing Iron's speech, his sibillant esses, makes me shudder. I had to stop around CD 5 (near Salina, Kansas, as I drove from SF to the East Coast with Tyler the dog) because the person and the story were now so sordid and disturbing.
Then, staying with my cousin in Bethesda, I was in a room with the usual suspect college student books (Camus, Pynchon, Vonnegut, a used copy of Introduction to the Principles of Earwax) and sure enough, there was Lolita. It was ~benign and fascinating once again, until I pushed myself to imagine Iron's voice. Then I put it back on the shelf and washed my hands.

I listened to these CDs on a recent trip and was very pleased. They are well done, hold your interest and are well-spoken. I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I found these stories lacking. My sister has the unabridged version and she says they are much better. My advise is to be careful and buy only unabridged versions.

An absolutly enjoyable read/listen. Great entertainment! Hard to put down because you want to keep going!

I didn't listen to the book because it was abridged. I detest abridged books so I gave it away. Next time I will be more careful about what I buy, and examine the fine print before purchasing.

I had read one other book in the "Camel Club" series and was disappointed. However, after seeing all the great reviews for this book I decided to give the series another shot (plus I have just gotten a Kindle and it was cheap :-)). Once again I was disappointed. I would have given this 1-star, but Balducci's writing style is interesting - he moves the plot (what there is of it) along at a good pace. However, the characters were flat/one-dimensional with no depth. The 'bad guys' always make mistakes at just the right time and the 'good guys' are basically superheroes that always make the right move. The plot is driven by superhuman achievements by the heroes and by ridiculous coincidences. No more "Camel Club" books for me...

This was the best Camel Club book in the series. The writing is fast-paced and it makes the reader want to find out what happens next. David Baldacci is the next John Grisham. I am so anxious to find out when the next one is coming out. I won't tell you what happens in this book but suffice it to say that the Camel Club is on full tilt.

I've never read Baldacci before but after reading this book I am super excited to read the rest of his work. Stone Cold is a great page turner. I actually found myself thinking of actors to play the characters in the book. Baldacci paints perfect pictures without weighing the reader down in minute details. Every page felt important. The good guys are easy to root for, the bad guys easy to fear and root against.

You made it to this page considering purchasing this book, do it, you won't be disappointed. Pick up Camel Club as well, it will help with character development, although not necessary because I started with this book.

The third story of The Camel Club will keep you on the cutting-edge of your seat that you might fall. The three stories herein are great so you won't be able to close the book till you finish it. The plot and the characters are great and the pace is fast so you'll enjoy reading this one.

Stone Cold is a mind magnet that pulls you from page to page.

The action moves at a blistering pace, but stops every now and then so you can catch your breath and enjoy the clever and witty prose.

The characters are rich and deep as needed for a thriller to move with agility and purpose along a sharp plotline.

Bestseller Baldacci gets another solid hit----5 stars!

The book was in great condition and arrived super fast. I would order from this seller again and again! The contents in the book are great!

This book makes you think the way we should each day. eye opener and enlightening.

Written by Lynnette Haygood because I was unable to list review under my own account. I found John Maxwell's book "Developing the Leader Within You" a very helpful tool for anyone interested in developing personal leadership skills or trying to bring out the leaders in their employees. Being new to the studying of leadership roles I found Maxwell's concept of everything rises and falls on leadership to be extremely true. I personally feel that this book is going to be a great tool in my future success in the business world. I have always considered myself to be a leader, in every position that I have been in I have always been considered a "go to" person, but always struggled with obtaining that management position. I am currently struggling with the next step in my career as a college student that has years of experience in the same field with the same position. Throughout my reading of Maxwell's book I started to learn valuable lesson in the difference between leaders and managers. I have been able to evaluate more clearly the types of managers that I have had, and have came to the conclusion that I have not had many leaders in my life who have been able to assist me with growing my own leadership abilities. I really enjoyed the way that Maxwell was able to clearly relate his knowledge and experience to real life situations that allowed me to grasp his concepts much easier. I especially could relate to the analogy that he gave in regards to the Sandhill cranes and their distinct leadership qualities and how they rotate leadership, and choose leaders who are able to handle the turbulence and how they all support the leader by honking in affirmation. After reading this book I am particularly excited to take my turn as the leader instead of constantly "honking in affirmation". Great book!

John C. Maxwell's book, Developing the Leader Within You, will no doubt become a classic. Maxwell's approaches to leadership are easy to understand and put into daily practice. This book is the starting-gate for any person desiring to lead and is also essential for the well-seasoned leader because of the concrete principles.

We hear so much about the dog-eat-dog world and it is refreshing to be reminded that we are called to become something greater. This book will alter your mindset, challenge your faith, and prod you to serve others while building a strong team.

The leadership principles from John Maxwell are timeless and always work to bring greater insight and rapid change for people who want to rise to a new level of leading others. I wore out my cassette tape player listening to Dr. Maxwell's leadership resources, (at least :15 minutes a day for years), because I realized they were so practical and useful to 'move to the front of the line' as a stronger leader in my personal and professional life. If you want to grow stronger as a leader, John Maxwell can take you there faster than you ever thought possible. Listening to John personally coach you, (he always does his own audio presentations), with enthusiasm and power in his voice will encourage, equip and empower you to achieve greater success.

As a psychotherapist interested in Buddhism I discovered Jack Kornfield recently and was pleased his book was indeed what I was searching for. His life endeavour is to balance his first-hand Buddhist experiences with living in the Western world. He reveals theory and insight in a personal intelligent way: a diverse presentation also offering practical examples of meditations. Although he reveals meditation as something one can do immediately from where one is now in the world, he does not present meditation as an instant cure, realizing that deep emotional difficulties can need other therapeutic interventions as well. The book for me is one of grounded inspiration.