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This woman cannot write. The story drags. Bella is so selfish and immature and the whole story follows her shallow thoughts and feelings. Ugh!

Soy una adulta mayor y adoro las historias que me hagan soñar. Mi hija me regalo el primer volumen en ingles y es fantastica; pero la traduccion al español es muy pobre. Al parecer la persona encargada de ella, no encontro realmente el alma de la novela, duele ver que aquellos lectores de lengua hispana que no puedan leer en ingles,pierdan un 50% de lo esperado.

I own this book in English and Spanish - This is my favorite book after the bible. The story is amazing!

This is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. At some point you actually forget you are reading and begin to see the movie in your head! (No wonder it is being released in Dec 2008)
An impossible love story, a humble quest and a magnificent adventure make this book a most have in your collection, even if you cannot bring yourself to read any other book, there is NO WAY you won't enjoy the wonder if this story...

TwilightGeek

Las historias con personajes fantasticos que luchan contra sus lados mas oscuros son siempre muy entretenidas,agregenle una historia de amor, dosis de humor y ademas de intriga y suspenso, esto ultimo son una serie de interrogantes que han venido surgiendo de la saga completa; Crepusculo, Luna nueva y Eclipse. deberian de ser respondidas o aclaradas en el ultimo libro Breaking Dawn que muy pronto vera la luz. Estas interrogantes se han visto ofuscadas tal vez por la misma historia de amor, pero es en ellas, en donde veremos un desenlace inesperado, las que he podido captar son: La singularidad de Bella, inmune a los poderes extrasensoriales de algunos vampiros, el por que de esto puede ser muy importante en este libro, ya hemos visto vampiros, hombres lobos, sera que veremos algun otro ser de fabula, tengo idea que Bella es una mestiza de Hada, su madre tan despistada y aerea me da la sospecha que se las trae, otra cosa que dudo es en la transformacion de Bella en vampiro, mas bien creo que ella sera la redencion de Edward, el menciona que si se pudiera transformar en humano lo haria a cualquier costo, el hecho de que la sangre de Bella tuviera semejante tentacion para el me parece parte de ese proceso, despues de todo las tentaciones son parte de todo proceso depurativo y evolutivo. De Jacob solo espero que logre superar su amor por Bella, seria ironico una imprimacion con Leah, Seth sera el eslabon de un proceso de acercamiento entre ambos bandos y veremos tambien al clan del norte en conflictos con los lobos, en fin, que predicciones aparte, la saga es interesante y la lectura muy amena, ampliamente recomendada para todas las edades.

You know those really-need-to-give-medication-a-try types who constantly scribble in notebooks using tiny, densely packed letters and nodding knowingly at things that barely penetrate your attention? This is the kind of novel they'd write if they had somehow acquired an English degree with a specialization in Elizabethan England.

I found it not that difficult, at times amusing and a useful tool for understanding the last three decades of post-ironic, post-modern, post-clarity "serious" literature. But I was quite glad it was no longer than it was.

One day Mrs. Oedipa Maas discovers that she has been made executor of her ex-lover's will. As she proceeds she discovers that the legacy with which she has been entrusted draws her ever deeper into a complex web of conspiracies. Yet what she has discovered may be no more than her own paranoia, and the novel ends ambiguously with the final revelation still impending like a judgement day forever suspended.

The book walks a careful line between the comic and the tragic. It is a difficult balance and Pynchon maintains it beautifully. Unlike many literary comic novelists Pynchon is genuinely funny. Yet as Oedipa wanders around San Francisco encountering alienation and loss everywhere she turns a genuine pathos creeps into the humor.

I'm sure there are many ways to read the Crying of Lot 49. I think we may approach it as both a social satire of consumerism and as a larger statement about the breakdown of communication in all human communities.

On the whole I consider this to be one of my favorite novels.

Back in the sixties, I remember carrying a well-worn copy of LOT 49 around with me wherever I went, wherever I hung out in Berkeley. Pynchon was God; He knew. He gave us the California landscape, its craziness, its mindscape as no other author had done before. So what if the book was a put-on? So what if it was really about the "selling" or "crying" in real estate terms of the lot that is California, the state created by the 49ers? So what if the characters were straight out of comic books? It was the way he had woven it all so artfully together, a California of one piece, comprehensible for a change, maybe even understandable. I thank Pynchon for doing that. From time to time, I go back to LOT 49, taste the language and descriptions, do a few mental jumps in time back to that bizarre period in American life. Pynchon saw it all so early, so clearly.

I am afraid I finally have to use this cliche statement: This is really the worst book I have ever read. I wonder why I have even finished reading it. Probably because I wanted to find out what all the Pynchon-hype is about, or because I just expected that the book would take a turn for the better.

Some say that if something is hyped, then it is probably bad. Reading Pynchon has taught me that there is some truth to that. To compare this book or draw an analogy to Ulysses is not only wrong, but also an insult to one of the greatest writers ever.

The book is about a woman who might have or might not have uncovered a conspiracy. In other words, it is about a woman who tries to find meaning in something which probably does not have any. Well, that is certainly reminiscent of Kafka or Beckett. Only that Kafka or Beckett open new doors leading into a different direction on every page, add layer after layer, and truly disturb the reader. In Pynchon, there are no multiple layers. He only scraches the surface without ever adding any depths to his ideas.

"Crying of Lot 49" is for readers who are very amused about names like Fallopian or Genghis Khan, and think that an idea like the "Maxwell Devil" is incredibly creative. It is for readers who try to seek for qualities in a book which has none. It is fast-food existentialism for the masses and a total waste of paper.

There are so many good books out there. Don't follow the hype, don't waste your time. Go straight to the real classics.

This book just feels nice, really. While the cover's texture is not the most interesting, it makes up for this by being quite flexible, and the binding is perfect.

Like most paperbacks of this sort, the paper it is printed on is anything but mindblowing. Still, it is heavier than most, and the typeface is delightfully clear.

While the graphic design of the cover is relevant, I am not sure that it is effective in a buy-for-its-cover kinda way. The design on the spine is awfully nice, though, so it may very well fit on your bookshelf.

Transaction went smoothly and got the item quicky in the condition promised. Would purchase again.

after i ordered this book, the distributors let me know instantly that they no longer had the book on shelf, and instantly refunded my account. speedy service is one thing, but keeping the customer informed is another...thanks

I found it tedious to read in spite of the high literary reputation and ability of Virginia Woolf. There must be something lacking in me.

Edward Cook

Virginia Woolf in her best form - personal but not self-centred, concentrated and ready to fight for what she believes is right. This long essay gives her views on the position of women in literature but offers also an overview of their role through centuries - from the imaginary Shakespeare's sister to her contemporaries. A must read for all readers regardless of sex!

A timeless essay not only for women. Good hard binding that will keep. It's a must have if you like English literature.

I kept reading through Chapter 8 hoping this book would improve but it did not. I got the impression the author was male with a very low opinion of the female gender. The men in this book, although not leading roles were "father figure" types while all the female characters were "Brats." I had to finally put the book down after the girl fight scene involving every stereotypical "Girl Fight" adjective available. Please do not waste your money. I would ask for a refund if I could.

This series is a wonderful addition to my life. I have read each book with the same "can't put it down" enthusiasm. I actually feel these people are my family. Ms. Michaels, please do not stop writing the Sisterhood. Such an endearing story.

I was so excited when Fern Michaels decided to stay on with the sister hood series. I have read eveyone of them, they are so hard to put down. Hide amd seek, was excellant, I am now reading Hokus Pokus. Those girls and Charles are really smart. Horray for them. I cannot wait for Fast Track to be on the market, I have already preorderd it. Thanks Fern Michaels, for the Sisterhood series. I will be sorry to see them go.

Sophie
New York

Fern Michaels always keeps the reader interested but this is not her best to date. I like her plots and the characters' development but she falls short on the endings lately. I think it would be better if we learned what she did to the objects of their revenge in the last chapter, rather than a side note in the Epilogue. I think she rushes to finish the book and leaves us wanting more details at the end. But I still enjoyed the book, despite the weak ending. I'll continue to follow the Sisterhood as long as Ms. Michaels writes about them.

The Sisterhood is a series that fascinates the reader for its outrageous adventure. Judge Easter is in trouble, her career could be destroyed. Her friends return stateside to take on a power driven candidate for the head of the FBI.
When the Sisterhood hit DC to unexpected is the norm and our delight in their cause is the best in reading entertainment.
Along the way they recruit more members to their cause of justice outside the force of law. Great light summer reading when the basic element of fiction is to suspend belief.
Writing as a Small BusinessUnder the Liberty OakSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil WarGuns Across the Rio: A Texas Ranger in Old Mexico

My favorite book by an American author is Lonesome Dove. The other books in that series are also wonderful.

"Books" is not fiction but a look at the author's love of books and collecting books. This may be of more interest to the people with similar interests.

Larry McMurtry's "Books" is very focused on his career as a Bookman, and, as he intended, gives little insight into his life other than as related to this part of his profession. For lover's of books it is a delightful, fast read. I enjoyed finding out about this part of Larry McMurtry's thinking and the fascinating details of "Bookmanship."

It was fascinating to discover that an author of western novels, Larry McMurtry, is also a used book dealer! With a title like this and the McMurtry name, this book will be bought by every librarian looking for a book that encourages readership. Unfortunately, it is a little more specialized than the average reader would expect. If you enjoy collecting, it's a book to borrow from the library. A more accurate title would have been Reminisces of an Antiquarian Book Dealer. From that standpoint, this is a great book! And the format is one that any dealer in antiques and rarities could utilize in writing their memoirs.

After selling over a million used books and still having an inventory approaching 400,000 books (including 28,000 in his personal residence), at age 72, Larry McMurtry must have realized he needed to move some more books or risk a haunting fear that the remaining stock could go for four cents a book! What better way to advertise his bookstore than this description of his book dealing days and his comment that lots of desirable books are still sitting on his shelves carrying prices that are a quarter century old.

What makes this book worthwhile is learning why people collect books and what makes a great library. To Larry, the fun is coming across an important or exciting book he has never owned! This is probably how most dealers in antiquities feel. As he states, "First one has to find such a book; then one has to recognize it for what it is." Unfortunately, rare book investing may not be for everyone. McMurtry gives the example of a book by a Belgian surrealist that he bought as part of a collection of several thousand exhibition catalogues. He quickly resold it for $36. Today, an inscribed copy is estimated to bring at auction, $60,000 to $80,000! Unfortunately, the book may not be for everybody, it is about an exhibition of dolls wrapped in barbed wire!

As often is the case, no dealer can know everything. Sometimes, a rare book is nothing more than a pamphlet. Other times, it's the dust wrapper that brings great value. An example given was a dust wrapper copy of The Great Gatsby that Larry bought forty years ago for $12; just as the most sought after modern books began their spectacular rise. With America now having 946 billionaires running around with money to spend on things of value, McMurtry feels there can be no ceiling and this pricey rarity recently hit $168,000!

McMurtry describes buying real libraries containing thousands of books as alchemy, "One looks, one guesses...." Making a bid you can live with and the seller will accept. Case in point, when starting out, Larry had $1500 in the bank, offered $1500 for a library and when all was done realized $10,000 reselling the books. Another example was hastily appraising a library of 16,000 books at $200,000 for the IRS - a little more than $12 a book. What keeps the reader whipping through is his chapters are so short that you think, "Why not read one more?" After reading this book, the collector/investor realizes it is pretty difficult for the average book lover to put together a rare book library that will grow in value.

Larry McMurtry has had as great an influence on books and movies as any living writer over the last half-century. From THE LAST PICTURE SHOW to LONESOME DOVE, he has penned 30 novels and 41 books, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. As a Hollywood screenwriter he won an Academy Award for Brokeback Mountain and has written 70 scripts.

Who would have guessed, as he tells us in BOOKS: A Memoir, that by the mid-1970s "Writing was my vocation, but I had written a lot, and it was no longer exactly a passion." And this was years before LONESOME DOVE and decades before Brokeback Mountain.

BOOKS: A Memoir is the story of McMurtry's real passion in life: book buying and selling. Over the years he has handled at least a million volumes as a bookseller. He owned a bookstore in Washington, D.C. for 36 years and now has turned his hometown of Archer City, Texas, into a book town where he owns six buildings, five of them filled with books. Indeed, you have a choice of 300,000 volumes to purchase when you enter his store, the appropriately titled Booked Up.

But you probably won't be able to find a latte or scone for sale in the joint. BOOKS: A Memoir is a beautifully written look into the still existing but little known world of antiquarian book dealers. And unfortunately, it soon might be a Lost World, grinded down beneath chain stores and a generation raised on Gameboys, not the Hardy Boys.

This work also gives us insights into the making of a great American writer. Who but McMurtry could write such a perfect sentence: "I don't remember either of my parents ever reading me a story --- perhaps that's why I've made up so many."

There were no books around his Texas ranch house in his earliest years, but then at the age of six, a cousin going off to World War II gave him a treasure --- a box containing 19 books. His life was forever changed. In his isolated rural setting, he tells us, "I came to reading before I came to American popular culture generally..."

McMurtry devoured his cousin's books multiple times and soon, as a young man, was searching through musty old bookstores, looking for books to read. He describes coming across shelves of Modern Library classics in Lovelace's Bookshop in Archer City and being filled "with a mixture of awe and fear." I was reminded of Pete Hamill's description of the awe he felt as a young boy exploring the Brooklyn Public Library and discovering THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. I wonder how much kids lose today when they don't have a similar experience. Not to mention our cultural life.

Soon McMurtry progresses from book scout to bookseller. As a young writer, Hollywood buys one of his early books and turns it into the movie Hud. And instead of purchasing a jazzy car and fancy house, like many of us writers would, his work in films will help him buy all or part of 30 bookstores over the years.

The antiquarian bookseller is like a deep sea fisherman, searching through garage sales, estate sales and auctions for the profitable find. And there is always the big fish that got away, such as when McMurtry sells a rare book, unknowingly for $45, and it ends up later being sold for $5,000.

We meet some of the wonderfully eccentric characters in this world, characters who could easily fill a McMurtry novel. For example, there is the English bookseller Anthony Newnham. McMurtry writes:

"Anthony Newnham tended to marry against type. His first wife, I am told, was a proper English housewife --- thus, in America, he usually went for wild, drug taking, motorcycle girls...Anthony's method...was to marry wild American girls and turn them into proper English housewives --- if they submitted to this change he rapidly lost interest. He was a very attractive man, even though, for a time, he had no front teeth, these having been knocked out by a cricket ball when he was nine. He lost his bridge and, for some years, didn't bother to replace it."

There are gems of great writing like this throughout the book. And we learn that in all his decades of operating a major bookshop in the Georgetown district of the nation's capital, "we sold only one real book to a member of Congress." Now there is a shock!

But for as much joy as there is in this book about books, there is also a subtle sadness. After all, the antiquarian book dealer makes his living when people die and their precious libraries are broken up and sold by relatives. McMurtry calls this "the silent migration of books." Then, there is the death of independent bookstores all over the country, driven out of business by the ubiquitous chains. Great old stores like Discover in San Francisco, the Heritage Book Shop in Los Angeles and the Phoenix Bookshop in New York City appear in these pages. All gone forever, part of the Lost World. Even McMurtry's own shop in DC eventually gave way to a Pottery Barn of all insults.

McMurtry writes a simple yet beautiful sentence to describe when family members end up breaking up personal libraries that took years of hard labor to amass and gave endless satisfaction to their owners: "Something was over, and that was that."

But for those of us who have made a living in the word business, McMurtry's wonderful little book comes at a time when we, unimaginably, find ourselves thinking not about retirement plans but whether books and their cousins in serving civilization, newspapers, may be the thing that is over. So far in 2008, 6,000 journalists have lost their jobs and some newspaper stocks have dropped by 84% over the past year. The San Francisco Chronicle is losing $1 million a week. The business is dying.

And for those of us who must supplement our writing income not by selling books but by teaching college kids, we soon learn the depressing truth of America in 2008: young people are not reading either newspapers or books. McMurtry acknowledges this:

"I nowadays have a feeling that not only are most bookmen eccentrics, but even the act they support --- reading --- is an eccentricity now, if a mild one." But he remains optimistic about the future. He writes, "Very quickly, once I had my 19 books, I realized that reading was the cheapest and most stable pleasure in life. Sometimes books excite me, sometimes they sustain me, but rarely do they disappoint me --- as books, that is, if not necessarily the poetry, history, or fiction that they contain."

One can only hope that another young person will one day wander into one of the musty old bookstores remaining, pick up a book that has existed for centuries and be filled with awe and captivated by the magic that is books. Upon that child, the fate of this democracy and perhaps even our civilization may just depend.

For anybody who loves books and reading, BOOKS: A Memoir will be a great read and a treasured addition to your personal library.

--- Reviewed by Tom Callahan

The IDEA of a book about books by Larry McMurtry is utterly compelling. The moment I saw it, I "one-clicked" it. The editorial reviews which describe the book as being what the common McMurtry lover (me) expected, must have scanned the first 30 or so pages and written on reputation. This is a bewilderingly awful book, for all the negative reasons mentioned in other reviews.

This novel, written by the mature Jane Austen and published after her death, reveals the strengths of Austen's art. First, she is a careful and exact observer of human character, as compared to those that base a novel of emotion or behavior. Second, she is totally aware of class distinctions and the determinism that is created by a rigid class structure. She explores how character is independent of class but often mistakenly associated with upper class persons. Third, Austen is also a comedic writer, full of wit and funny portrayals of hypocrites, though many may find fault with my interpretation below since this aspect of Austen's art is rarely discussed. Fourth, Austen carefully portrays the world of 17th century upper class women which could be viewed as oppressive, paternalistic, and deterministic. However she continually portrays women as resilient actors rather than victims.

She was a superb observer and interpreter of human character. This is different from those contemporary authors who are more likely to explore emotion and behavior. Character in the work of Austen is destiny and good character eventually leads to better outcomes and poor character leads to worse outcomes. Whereas at times her characters exhibit emotion, they are more likely to withhold emotion and when this withholding is done carefully and discretely, Austen would see this as signs of good character. Whereas she has high regard for honesty, she seems to see honesty as having both a proper method of presentation and to have proper timing in order to have impact. The letter Captain Wentworth writes to Anne Elliott at the end of the novel is a perfect example of suppressed emotion transformed into carefully strategically timed truth-telling.

Class differences play and huge role in the works of Austen and Persuasion explores this with the romance of a rich girl of noble family in love with a handsome but middle class young man who both have reversal of fortune and 8 years later re-encounter each other. Anne Elliott is surrounded by a father, two sisters, and her deceased mother's best friend; all of whom use social class as a cognitive short hand for who is worthy and who is not. Anne is the character that can penetrate the smoke of social class to see the true strengths of character underneath. Interestingly, when Persuasion was written, the Napoleonic wars were over and many young men who made their fortunes in the British navy returned with fortunes into English society. Here the new rich encounter the old landed rich, a formula for social upheaval. Austen perfectly articulates this as the Elliott family vacates their ancestral home, Kellynch, and rent the mansion to an Admiral and his wife.

Austen was witty and could be considered a comedic writer. Her descriptions of human folly, prejudice, snobbery, and hypocrisy are all skillfully handled. She never preaches. She allows the snob, the fool, the hypocrite to reveal themselves through their speech and interactions. The outburst of Anne's father, Sir Elliott, upon hearing this his daughter is visiting a sickly poor school friend instead of visiting barely know distant rich relatives is priceless.

In summary, Austen's Persuasion is a good example of Austen's considerable skill at character analysis and revelation and development of character in social interactions and social contexts. She is delightful to read.

This book answered a lot of questions that came up after I saw the movie i.e. what's with Mrs. Clay and the young Mr. Elliot? A must read if you really want to understand the movie.

When Jane Austen finished "Persuasion" in 1816, she was already suffering from the effects of the disease that would kill her the following year. "Persuasion" is rather shorter than its precessors such as "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice". It is however the polished work of a mature author, and easily holds its own with her other finished novels.

As the story opens, Sir Walter Elliot, a vain and foppish baronet facing bankruptcy, is persuaded to rent his home and move his family to Bath in order to economize on expenses. The middle daughter, Anne, unmarried and ignored by her family, is shocked to learn that the prospective renters are an Admiral Croft and his wife, whose brother is one Frederick Wentworth. Eight years earlier, Wentworth, then a young naval officer lacking wealth and status, had wooed Anne, who was persuaded by her mentor, Lady Russell, to reject his suit on the grounds of his lack of prospects. The kind-hearted but much put-upon Anne is left behind by her family to close up the house and to take care of her hypochondriac married younger sister Mary, who lives nearby.

While visiting with Mary and her husband Charles Musgrave, Anne encounters the now Captain Wentworth, wealthy with prize money and looking for a potential wife among Charles' two sisters. Wentworth is distant and correct with Anne. When Wentworth proposes a visit to the seaside village of Lyme Regis, Anne is included in the group. While there, Wentworth appears to settle on Louisa Musgrave, only to have Louisa be seriously injured in an accident. The practical Anne takes charge in the crisis, causing Wentworth to take renewed notice of her.

Anne ends up in Bath, where her family pursues a meaningless round of social calls. A handsome and long-missing cousin materializes to reconcile with the Elliots and to pay court to Anne. The long-suffering Anne must balance his suspicious attentions with the unclear intentions of Wentworth, who follows Anne to Bath.

Anne still loves Wentworth, but hardly dares to hope that he will pass up younger and more attractive women to renew his relationship with her. The inarticulate Wentworth finally finds his voice in a note to Anne, giving her another chance to make the right choice.

In this final novel, Anne wrestles with a dilemma common to Austen heroines, whether to marry for love or money and security. The younger Anne was persuaded not to marry for love because Wentworth lacked the money and prospects to give her the security of her station in life. In revisiting that choice, Anne concludes that the advice was correct under the circumstances but proven wrong by subsequent events. Anne believes in marrying for love; the further implication of her internal argument is that she and Wentworth should have waited for each other while he acquired the financial security necessary for their successful life together.

"Persuasion" is a well-written and moving story, filled with the usual well-developed characters and often biting social commentary of a Jane Austen novel. It is very highly recommended to her fans and to those readers looking for an excellent period romance.

Persuasion is Jane Austen's most sophisticated story and writing. She lovingly and incisively demonstrates the problems of being a well-bred sensitive person in a society that's more intrigued by social standing, money, and polite conversation than by good character.

Persuasion is Anne Elliot's story. The title's initial allusion is to Anne's brush with matrimony when a promising, but not rich, naval officer, Captain Wentworth, proposed and she fell in love with him at 19. But Anne's deceased mother's friend, Lady Russell, persuaded Anne not to make the match. Up until the time of the story, Anne hasn't had another suitor and she's now well past the usual age of marriage at 29 and "her bloom had vanish early." Her father's spendthrift ways mean that Anne could bring little money to a marriage so she's expecting not to marry.

While in her social class that lack of a husband is a drawback, in reality her family is a greater problem. Her father, Sir Walter Elliot, is a baronet who spends too much money, is obsessed by social rank, loves to be around the "beautiful people" and admire himself in a mirror, and keeps company with an unsuitable, scheming widow, Mrs. Clay, who is looking for a husband and has latched onto Elizabeth as friend. Anne's older sister, Elizabeth, is also unmarried and is as equally obsessed with social status as their father. Both Sir Walter and Elizabeth fail to value Anne and looked to her to suit their conveniences. The other daughter, Mary, is married but the connection doesn't thrill either Sir Walter or Elizabeth. Mary sees Anne as a virtual servant who should wait on her every beck and call when Anne is her guest.

Due to Sir Walter's over spending of his income, it is decided he will rent the family estate, Kellynch Hall, while he, Elizabeth, and Anne take up less expensive quarters and a reduced social life in Bath. This change sets lots of new events into motion, not the least of which is Anne being re-introduced to Captain Wentworth who now has a fortune and seems to be looking for a lively, young wife. Only their common commitment to being polite makes time in one another's company tolerable. What strong emotions burn under the surface? She's very embarrassed, but Captain Wentworth is hard to read.

In the course of the book, you'll find out a lot about social climbing in Regency England, the finances of the social elites and those who were up-and-coming, how marriage agreements were struck, and how the naval officers differed from the gentry. You'll also be impressed, I'm sure, by the patina of politeness that served as a social lubricant among people who often didn't care a trifle for one another.

In such a society, people mostly wore masks of being thoughtful, considerate people while in reality they were seldom thinking about very much and didn't care much for others. Anne Elliot is the exception in that her heart and mind are actually devoted to the service of others.

One of the most interesting parts of the story is how it was possible (mostly by accident) to sort out the phonies from among those with glittering manners.

Anne Elliot is one of the most memorable and admirable characters in English literature. Do read this book and find out about the other kinds of persuasion that took place during this year of her fictional life. You'll be delighted that you did.

Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel, is the story of Anne Elliott and Frederick Wentworth, two young lovers who are persuaded to be separated rather than marrying when they first fall in love around age nineteen because of lack of prospects. The story picks up eight years later when circumstances have changed and the now Captain Wentworth has returned to the area with a successful career and Anne's family is now reduced in financial status. Anne wonders if perhaps Frederick might still harbor feelings for her, but this being Austen, things never go smoothly and there is quite a lot of wondering and subterfuge, and colorful characters to keep things amusing.

This is not my favorite Austen; things started off quite slowly and there is not a great deal of dialogue. I did enjoy the fact that Frederick and Anne rediscovered each other relatively later in their lives, and as always, the build-up to the happy ending kept me smiling. While Persuasion doesn't have quite the emotional zing that Austen's earlier works do, it is still enjoyable. I doubt there's such a thing as an Austen novel that won't capture you in some way, and Persuasion accomplishes just that in its subtle, quiet style.

This is a wonderful treasury of stories and pictures designed to keep young children amused and entertained. Gentle lessons in how to be polite and be a good member of a household are delivered with humor, questions to the reader, and brightly colored illustrations.

I used to read this book to my sister when she was very young for hours on end. My 2 1/2 year old son discovered it in our bedroom a few months ago, and now it has become, in his words, our special book, and we read from it night and day! It delights me that he enjoys it so much, and I enjoy reading it with him, and rediscovering my favorites.

This is a book I will likely be sending for Christmas gifts this year!

Love Richard Scarry, but the illustrations in this publication are a bit dull/faded. There is a lot of content here, but still I was disappointed by the faded look. I recommend Richad Scarry's 'I Am a Bunny' Board Book which has superior color and my baby loved it at 3 months! Her first favorite book!!!

I'm very glad to see this back in print, but there are at least a couple of changes between this and the 70's version. First and foremost, the story of Pierre Bear has been replaced with "Good Night Little Bear." I strongly suspect that it was to 'modernize and politically correct' the book. But, I do think that Good Night Little Bear is a better story all round, so no real complaints.
Also, some of the stories and nursery rhymes are a bit abbreviated. E.g. the kittens and the mittens, and for reasons I can not figure out, the illustrations are about 10% smaller than in the Best Nursery Rhyme book.

Also, for the I am a Bunny book, I certainly think it's worth getting the book itself. The unique format makes it really stand out, and the pictures fill the pages entirely, with no distracting empty space.

This book was one of my main teaching aids growing up; however, my child will need some time to understand Richard Scarry's concept (along with some of his other books as well) of combining several theories and objects on one page that can confuse a young or developmentally challenged child. Not saying that it's impossible, but would take time. I say let them get interested in colors and basic shapes first, then direct them to the pictures and start introducing them to what they are by definition. Not only are there definitions and body parts and other concepts, but short and concise stories too if you can capture your child's interest long enough to sit still to listen to your reading and place the story with the pictures in a concept that they understand. LLO'C

Parents who grew up with Richard Scarry's books and who are nostalgic about his wonderful characters may be somewhat disappointed with this book. Some stories are taken from the delightful Richard Scarry's busy world (which appears to be now out of print and only available used on amazon for $124). Apart from these, the other stories are in a style which is very different from the Richard Scarry's books which I grew up with.
Until they come out with a reprint of Richard Scarry's Busy world, I would recommend "What do people do all day", or "Funniest storybook ever", where you can find all the familiar characters such as the cat family, lowly worm etc.

This was my first introduction to O'Connor's work. Had I known how thoeoughly I would enjoy, I would have read her years ago. I grew up in the South and always thought I got a pretty good education. But I was never introduced to Flannery O'Connor's work. From the dark and stark nature of her unique characters, I suppose I can see why she might have been excluded. Her work shines a bright light on the flaws and foibles that make us human. She does not show the lovely views of gentle Southern living with mint julips on the veranda. She shows the frustrated rednecks and misfits of rural life. A truly excellent read.

Thomas Merton said of O'Connor that when he thought of her, he did not think of her in terms of her peers in contemporary fiction (i.e., Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck) but rather, he thought of Sophocles or Aeschylus.

This compendium more than validates Merton's assessment -- after the American Empire passes, O'Connor's achievement will remain as its literary zenith. It's doubly strange, too, both for the form in which she specialized, and the content of the works. Americans (always poor judges of their own culture's worth) normally speak in terms of "The Great American Novel" --"The Naked and the Dead," "Ravelstein," "Moby Dick," "The Great Gatsby," even newcomers like "The Bonfire of the Vanities, ", "The Corrections" and "Infinite Jest" are mentioned as contenders for the title. And the content of most candidates for anything "great" or "American" must always involve wealth, splendor, orgiastic sex or consumption of some kind. O'Connor's characters, for all their supposed grotesquerie, are far less exaggerated or caricatured than any others in American fiction.

Furthermore, unlike the other authors mentioned above -- particularly unlike Tom Wolfe -- she was never in search of the "thousand-footed beast," that all-consuming rig veda of a novel. And yet, in her own, simple, steady way, she outpaces the Mailers and Franzens and their febrile journalism. O'Connor is the consummate artist craftsman, who sees her art for what it truly is -- "reason in making" -- who finds reason in the created world, and informs her creations with a parallel, answering reason. Her mental eye is unwavering, like the beam of a lighthouse -- it is always pointed at truth.

For that reason, O'Connor will probably never have the same popularity in this land of artifice and subterfuge that those others listed above will enjoy. History, nonetheless, will give her the laurels.

One does not read Flannery O' Connor for feel good endings. The characters feel incredibly real, in that their innate psychology is so easy to realte to. Whether it be the old man who lives vicariously through his granddaughter and tries to shape her to be just like him to the proud intellectual who gets outmaneuvered by a crooked Bible salesman, it's disturbing in the fact that you've felt some of the same feelings as some of the despicable people that populate her short stories.

The prose is incredible, and vividly shows that South in a time of rampant racism as well as transition to a more technological age. If there was one complaint, it would probably be that almost all of her stories have a tragic ending, and becomes a little predictable after a while. I consider myself pretty jaded, but a lot of the time it was cynicism for cynicism's sake, even if the underlying message spoke something all too true.

I suppose Flannery O'Connor has her own genre, and the reader gets it aplenty in The Complete Short Stories of Flannery O'Connor (550 pages of it). Even if you do not share her version of Thomistic philosophy, or care too much for the unique American southern fixation with exaggerated characterization, there is much to enjoy here. Some stories, like the heavily anthologized A Good Man is Hard to Find, is heavy handed and obvious. It is the less known stories where the punch is packed, like Enoch and the Gorilla and The Displaced Person. O'Connor has an uncanny way of making the obvious and banal evil; she takes the Catholic fixation on the fall of humanity and its need of redemption seriously, and in this collection the state of this state is unusual, exotic, page turning.

"Grace changes us, and change is painful."

O'Connor, a delicate Southern Catholic who lived a third of her life ravaged by lupus, was certainly acquainted with pain. Her stories reveal this much. Many readers and reviewers may wonder if she doesn't take a bit of artistic license with her definition of "grace," though. Considering her religious ideologies (which aren't hard to figure out, even after reading just one of these deliciously dark little tales), her unsubtle brutality isn't so unexpected. Look God directly in the face, the Bible says, and it completely and utterly destroys you.

It's safe to say that even if her characters don't always get an unobstructed view of their Creator, they all at least catch a glimpse. O'Connor is not shy about her beliefs, and in fact, her unswerving social sensibilities are part of what make her writing so delectable. Read closely, because every single detail is important and potent. And just like the Bible she adheres to so fervently, the endings to her stories are forecasted unapologetically by every word that comes before them.

This in no way ruins the power of those conclusions. Read a hundred interviews with a hundred writers, and I guarantee you that many of them will mention, as inspiration, "A Good Man Is Hard To Find." Sit down for twenty minutes with the hilarious and heart-breaking "River," and ask yourself if your foreknowledge didn't rob the final lines of their shuddering ferocity. Visit "A Displaced Person," meet "Enoch and the Gorilla," stay for awhile with "Greenleaf," and take a good long look at "A View of the Woods." You may find yourself wondering if there is any compassion and hope in O'Connor's world, but you'll never doubt that it is full of meaning, full of necessity, and full of heavenly fire.

There's a legitimate beef some may have with this collection. "O'Connor has written an amazing story," one of my friends once said. "I just don't know why she chose to write it thirty-one times." It's fair to say that O'Connor doesn't stray much from her predictably gruesome formula. But while her themes never change much (purification through fire, self-knowledge gained via self-destruction, and the immolations brought on by racism and doubt), her telling of them is so fine and so stark, the details themselves are what really showcase her writing's true brilliance and beauty.

This collection is arranged in chronological order, and it is part of the treat to see her ideas age as she does. Her final story, the aptly titled "Judgement Day" is a revision of her first story, "The Geranium." The differences between the two show most openly where O'Connor hides the hope and faith and love that many feel is missing from all the works between. O'Connor, like the God in which she believed, seems too ready to expose her characters to an amazing amount of pain and degredation. But if you look close enough, if you read every sentence carefully, you'll see that she makes necessary every sacrifice, every drop of blood, every harsh, scalding ray of sun. In an era now where authors tend to shock for shock's sake, O'Connor stands out as a timeless reminder that as senseless and vicious as life's stories may sometimes seem, there is still the chance that behind it all lies a deeper, knowable truth. That truth may come at some great costs, but, O'Connor seems to say, it is better to buy with your flesh something lasting and real, than to sell your soul for even a whole world of lies.

I got this book because of all the hype surrounding it, especially when something carries the title "Utopian society". Yet, after reading it I find that Utopia itself was never meant to be the "perfect" society, but rather a "different" society. In fact, Utopia is far from perfect, and people need to quit thinking that it is. As a STORY, Utopia is not all that exciting. Animal Farm is a much better book in my opinion.

I read this book out of curiousity mostly. Considering it was written several hundred years ago, it was a challenge to get over the dry writing. There isn't a story here as much as a listing of daily practices and customs in Utopia. Some silly, some almost ingenious.

The underlying theme is an example of a perfect society; but at aprice - personal freedoms. What I also found interesting was that a few of the ideals contridicted themselves throughout the novel. Everyone is equal, except for the non-king rulers. If this is a perfect society, why would there be crime in the first place? War is bad and nonsense, except when Utopian government finds merit in it. Everyone seeks out knowledge, but they need permission to gain it.

I found the writing very dry (most likely due to the period it was written) and almost like reading a text book. A good read however. Makes you think about personal freedoms versus a perfect society.

This is an odd little book. I read it years ago but only remembered the golden chamber pots. I reread it yesterday and today. The chamber pots are still there, as is a strange blueprint for an ideal society, or at least one version of ideal.

The account is in the form of a traveler named Raphael speaking to the author about his experiences in Utopia, an island in the New World. In Utopia there is no private property and no need for money as everyone's needs are met. Each person pursues their own happiness while simultaneously working diligently to care for the common good. Its citizens are happy, healthy and prosperous. Utopia, though, is less utopian than many current utopian visions since it still makes allowance for slavery, capital punishment and warfare.

At the end, after hearing Raphael's tale, the author dismisses the customs of Utopia as ridiculous, but almost in the next breath he wishes some of the practices were adopted in his homeland. This ambiguity mirrored my own reaction to the picture of Utopia -- silly, but in some ways strangely appealing.

I suspect this translation is a paraphrase of the original Latin. Nevertheless, it has the virtue of being lively and very readable. More is a Catholic saint, which makes much of what he says in Utopia very surprising indeed. The Tudor functionary who persecuted Protestant heretics advocates religious toleration, married priests, the abolition of private property and the pursuit of scientific knowledge as an end in itself. His criticism of society is breathtaking when one considers that there was no freedom of conscience or opinion in his time. The tone throughout is pleasantly witty, as More himself was. For those who can read old books, Utopia is well worth the effort.

I first read this book in my impressionable and idealistic youth (some time in the second half of the last century). I've read it a couple of times since then and still enjoy the way that the book can be read as either a satire (my current preferred reading) or as a description of an ideal society.

This is a very short book and well worth reading - even for those of us without Latin who can only read it in translation.

Recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Helpful to me as I need reminding that it's a waste of my time to pursue a man. If it's not going to happen, it's not going to happen. Why stick with someone that is half into the relationship? Book discourages women to be the pursuers which I needed to hear. On my second read, I skipped the parts that definitely did not pertain to me.

So, this book isn't really bad , but it is common sense. We girls keep making excuses for the man when deep down we known what's going on. We just don't want to say it or belive it. The book basically says the same thing over and over in every chapter just different situations. Basically if the guy doesn't treat you like a princess then " he is just not into you!" That doesn't take a whoe book to say but and here is where credit is due; if you are hard headed and in one of these relationships maybe reading the whole book is what you need.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I do think it is one every girl should read. It is a very short read so I did think it was overly expensive. However, if you do buy it, just share it with all your girlfriends as I have. For the most part, all of the advice in here is commmon sense and stuff we all know . . however . .it is all the things we refuse to admitt to ourselves. I believe this does help you do just that. It is also done with great humor which is much needed if you are in a situation where you "need" to be reading this book. The bad part about it was that I really think if we all held out for the guy this book says exists . . we'd be single forever. So as long as you realize that no one is perfect but you do deserve to be treated well I think this book is worth the read.

This is literally my favorite book now. It was helpful to have a "professional" (sort of) tell me that if he's not calling, etc., he's just not that into me, and why would I want to wait around with him, when there's someone better out there who WILL BE "into me" enough to call (or whatever). The point is, why waste your time with someone who's not into you--potentially preventing you from meeting that someone who is? It goes through all the ways that he might not be "that into you" and why and how you should move on. Every woman should read this book, and I mean that.

The book was received in great condition! As always, I'm very happy with the service that Amazon provides, the quality of the merchandise, and the members that I deal with.