churn Books

The problem with Tamar Myers is that she doesn't write fast enough! I push aside all else and finish the book in two days. Now I longingly wait for whenever the next book comes out.

Mennonite innkeeper Magdalena Yoder is thrilled that a cow competition has come to Hernia - her inn is booked solid. She's not so thrilled that her ex-brother-in-law, murderer Melvin Stoltzfus, has escaped from prison. When her good friend Doc Shafor is hit over the head and badly injured, she's sure Melvin is to blame and wants to find him fast. She also has other mysteries to solve like the disappearance of her beloved husband Gabe and her "daughter" Allison. She's also been having fainting spells and feeling sick to her stomach lately. On top of all that, her cousin Freni has now decided to tell Mags some long kept secrets that will change her life. No wonder Mags isn't feeling well!

"As the World Churns" is a very humorous if somewhat light cozy mystery. There's actually not much mystery - no one is killed, the disappearance of Gabe and Allison happens fairly late in the book, and even Melvin's disappearance barely figures into the overall plot of the book. But there are a couple of reasons to read this book, especially for long time fans of the series. The first is the laugh out loud humor in the book. All the books in the series are funny, but author Tamar Myers outdoes herself in this one - this is one of the funniest books in the series with very funny jokes, puns, plays on words, etc. on almost every page. As usual, Myers populates the book with eccentric characters starting with Mags herself, her sister Susannah (who is not in the book enough), her cousin and best friend Freni, her obnoxious mother-in-law, the various guests at the inn (you have to love what Mags thinks a pole dancer is) and many others. Unfortunately, Gabe is a wimp of a character, constantly putting his mother's wishes ahead of Mags. Finally, the title of the book is great in a couple of ways. For one thing, Mags is sick throughout the course of the book (readers will figure out why long before she does) and second Mags discovers so many secrets about her past and her parents that her life indeed sounds like a soap opera, in fact the book ends in a mini-cliffhanger.

"As the World Churns" is laugh out loud fun.

I just always enjoy reading about Magdalena. This book is very charming in many ways. It is like visiting a dear friend and listening to her tell you what has happened since you last talked. I hope Tamar Myers writes about Mags for many years to come. They are wonderful stories!!

As the World Churns is the latest in Tamar Myers' successful and entertaining Pennsylvania Dutch mystery series, with the witty Magdalena Yoder Rosen as the "feisty Mennonite innkeeper and talented sleuth (Publisher's Weekly)." Not being familiar with the series will do the reader no harm at all , nor will it decrease the steady delivery of 6-8 outrageous puns per page. Not since Terry Pratchett has the LOL (laugh out loud) button been activated so often and so thoroughly. Disguised as a perfectly puzzling routine Mennonite community murder, As the World Churns is actually a multi-cultural spoof mix in which definitely no sacred cows (or other ridiculous commonly held assumptions) are safe. Be prepared to hold on to your hat with both hands and read quickly and carefully so as not to miss a single pun, alliteration, cultural referent, recipe for ice cream, or other dastardly tool.

The author holds nothing above humourous attack and the result is a surprisingly lovable heroine with size nine brogans and a Jewish mother -in- law problem to end all problems. Even more surprising is her ability to think on her feet, so to speak. The repeated use of various accents, dialects and known or suspected cultural preferences are inevitably hilarious. Although it may be difficult to take As the World Churns seriously as a bona fide murder (there isn't actually a murder, is there?) mystery, it surely redeems itself as an uncategorizable work of Herculean humour and Amish entertainment. In addition, the mystery is studded between chapters with mouth-watering ice cream recipes, all of which end with "transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions." Very practical, and also a tongue -in- cheek comment on the dearth of the Slow Food Movement, don't you think?

At any rate, Magdalena is a memorable sleuth who slings puns, jokes, and words as easily as Pennsylvania Dutch potato pancakes, whatever they are called. Despite the various handicaps of mysterious fainting spells, a handsome husband who still lives with his mother, and a herd of show cows and their shifty owners, Magdalena Yoder manages to resolve the baffling attack on lusty old Doc Shafor, antiquarian cow show judge and friendly lecher. Oh and did I forget to mention the little wrinkle of solving her Yoder legitimacy at the core of all other activities? It makes for a rollicking romp through the pastures of all imagination with many a laugh for free.

Nancy L. Cox
Reviewer

Magdalena Yoder is balancing her new marriage to mama's boy, Gabe Rosen, with entertaining a bed-and-breakfast full of guests who have come with their cows to complete in the Hernia Holstein Competition. Complications arise when one of Magdalena's friends is badly beaten and she herself ends up in the hospital. Eventually Magdalena's husband and daughter disappear and she, her friends, and her mother-in-law are in hot pursuit of some kidnappers. This book is full of puns, plot twists, and downright silliness at times, but it's a quick and easy read and will probably please fans of this series.

I bought this book as a gift to my wife who works at a local mobile telecom firm, and handling loyalty and churn management.

We were disappointed that we saw the same title a few days after we had already ordered it in Barnes& Noble website for over 20% less, and they had free rush delivery (2-3 days). I had requested Amazon to give me a credit or a GC worth the difference, but Amazon went behind the rule that they didn't have a price matching policy.

How disappointing.

Because we didn't get the customer service we expected from Amazon, my wife and I will buy our books somewhere else next time. And to think your website was built on selling books online...

Mr. Abe Cipriano

Today there are unprecedented changes taking place in the telecom industry which will affect everyone working in wireless, landline phone, cable TV, satellite TV, VoIP, and electric utilities, plus the thousands of companies that support these industries.

New technologies are being introduced, and consolidations are taking place. In the next few years, thousands of telecom employees will lose their jobs, while, at the same time, new opportunities for exciting employment will open up. Most of us working in the telecom industry know our part of the picture fairly well. But the telecom universe today is so broad that few have the big picture.

The book you are reading gives you the big picture. It fills you in on those sections of the telecom industry that you may not be totally familiar with, but which could be the reason why your part of the industry may be changed beyond recognition.

These changes are not being brought about by "market forces." They are only partly due to new technologies. The driving forces are the marketing activities of many companies that are using new technologies to expand in new directions - directions currently the province of some established industry that had not previously been thought of as a direct competitor. These marketing activities will affect your industry, your company and your job.

What should your company do about the situation? What should you do, yourself, to prepare for the changes? Those are the questions that should be in your mind as you read these pages. They are a guidebook for the future.

This book provides step by step procedures for successful marketing for Telecom industries, including telephone companies, cable TV companies, wireless companies, satellite TV companies and many others. It provides details on how to determine the lifetime value of Telecom subscribers. It shows how to create and market to subscriber segments, and how to use analytics to predict which subscribers are most likely to defect - before it is too late.

You will learn a number of things that you do not know now, including how to compute the lifetime value of your subscribers, how TV ads will become targeted to individual households, how WiMAX could revolutionize phone and broadband delivery, and why electric utilities could become players in the Telecom space.

After reading this book, you will have a master plan for reducing subscriber churn in your company, despite rapidly changing technologies and unexpected competition from industries that used to be placid monopolies. You will learn how to keep your subscribers happy and loyal. You will become a master marketer. What could be better than that?

Arthur Middleton Hughes

This is by far the best book I've read on grieving. Although it is entitled, Lessons in Grieving for African-Americans, I believe that all who are bereaved can benefit from this book. While the author examines how mourners were not allowed to grieve during slavery and gives insight into how others in different cultures grieve.

What I found most helpful were her scriptures and the fact that she was not 'preaching' to get over it, but more or less how to move through it and acknowlege your grief in your own time. I also liked how she highlighted how some people grieve differently and how some forms of grief can be harmful in that they cause 'double grief.' For example, the author notes how when some people who not so nice pass, we tend to 'make them good' in death and almost re-create this wonderful person and in doing so we are essentially grieving twice, once for the actual person who was lost and again for the person whom we have re-created in our minds.

The author also has some very useful resources at the end of her book in terms of locating bereavement counselors and groups. I would like to see a reprint of this book with some possible websites and additional information, but the information included was extremely helpful to me. I think that the book was not overly religious and as such can be a benefit to all who are of different faiths. This book really helped me to realize that my loved ones would not want me to stop living, simply because they have moved on. I've recommended this book to others who are grieving and they too have stated they've found it to be very powerful, helpful and comforting in their grieving process.

This is a ground breaking book about telco churn management. Hundreds have read it, and we have re-published it because the demand is still high.

I just love this book. The author has included templates to use to speed piece the churn dash blocks. Her technique is the main reason I bought the book. Also, the design on the cover is really clever. The quilt has a giant churn dash in the background formed from the darker fabric. Very cute!

I really liked the magazine format combined with a well researched summary of the issues in the intelligent design debate. The articles are real page-turners, but definitely well thought through. The case for ID is presented in a systematic, logical manner. Many quotes from leading scientists such as Hawking, Penrose, Gould, and others on both sides of the issues. Highly recommended for those wanting to understand the essential issues in the ID debate.

This book is fabulous! The pictures are absolutely perfect, and the wording reminded me of stories my grandmother told me when I was a child. Talk about memories! The is a very educational and realistic book.