Product Description
From one of the most beloved and bestselling authors in the English language, a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s

Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)—in his head—as "The Thunderbolt Kid."

Using this persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson re-creates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality—a life at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. It was, he reminds us, a happy time, when automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you. He brings us into the life of his loving but eccentric family, including affectionate portraits of his father, a gifted sportswriter for the local paper and dedicated practitioner of isometric exercises, and OF his mother, whose job as the home furnishing editor for the same paper left her little time for practicing the domestic arts at home. The many readers of Bill Bryson’s earlier classic, A Walk in the Woods, will greet the reappearance in these pages of the immortal Stephen Katz, seen hijacking literally boxcar loads of beer. He is joined in the Bryson gallery of immortal characters by the demonically clever Willoughby brothers, who apply their scientific skills and can-do attitude to gleefully destructive ends.

Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, and full of his inimitable, pitch-perfect observations, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is as wondrous a book as Bill Bryson has ever written.It will enchant anyone who has ever been young. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (356)

Light hearted memoir.


After reading the dreadful news in the paper these days and some of the heavy selections of my book study club, I found this book very enjoyable and a breath of fresh air.I am a little older than Bill Bryson and grew up in the 50s in a small town so I could relate to his experiences. The author has a wonderful way with words in describing people, places and events.There were passages that I shared with my husband that left us both laughing so hard that we were in tears.

Definitely a good read!

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid:A Memoir
This is a wonderful book about growing up in the time when kids could go out and ride their bikes (without helmets)and hang out till the streetlights came on.The author reads it beautifully and it makes you nostalgic for simpler times.It was a great road-trip book!

Thunderbolt Kid for those over 50
Humorous book reminiscing about the good old days of growing up in the 50's...couldn't put it down. Fond memories abound!

The Thunderbolt Kid
Typical Bill Bryson - exaggerated humor - laugh out loud funny. Book is a kind of tongue-in-cheek remembrance of growing up in Iowa. Very enjoyable reading

The 50's
I read Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" and laughed so hard I was crying.I was expecting the same with "The Thunderbolt Kid".However, this is more a reminiscence of life in the Midwest in the 1950's.There were a few funny moments in this book but not nearly as many as a "A Walk in the Woods".

If you are a baby boomer and enjoy reading about growing up in that era, then this book will appeal.There are things here that all of us can enjoy if you are like me, a child of the 1950's.

The author uses the book as a tool for rants against the United States in some of the last chapters.He particularly has great unhappiness with Republicans, the CIA, and Nixon among others.

However, if you like to read about the past and remember some of the good times of the erathen this is a fun book; it is just not as laugh out loud funny as "A Walk in the Woods". I did enjoy catching up with Bill Bryson's old friend, Stephen Katz, who accompanied him on his walk in the wood on the Applachian Trail.Since it is not quite as funny as the other book, I chose to give this book 3 stars.I like Bryson best when he is making me laugh. ... Read more

Product Description
THIS TIME TOGETHER is 100 percent Carol Burnett – funny, irreverent, and irresistible.
 
Carol Burnett is one of the most beloved and revered actresses and performers in America. The Carol Burnett Show was seen each week by millions of adoring fans and won twenty-five Emmys in its remarkable eleven-year run. Now, in This Time Together, Carol really lets her hair down and tells one funny or touching or memorable story after another – reading it feels like sitting down with an old friend who has wonderful tales to tell.
 
In engaging anecdotes, Carol discusses her remarkable friendships with stars such at Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, and Julie Andrews; the background behind famous scenes, like the moment she swept down the stairs in her curtain-rod dress in the legendary “Went With the Wind” skit; and things that would happen only to Carol – the prank with Julie Andrews that went wrong in front of the First Lady; the famous Tarzan Yell that saved her during a mugging; and the time she faked a wooden leg to get served in a famous ice cream emporium. This poignant look back allows us to cry with the actress during her sorrows, rejoice in her successes, and finally, always, to laugh. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (124)

Pleasant
While not as personal as her first book, Carol Burnett recalls short stories of her many friends or other persons of note. People like Lauren Bacall, Tim Conway, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, and scores of others that have touched her life from her times in California to New York. Of course their is her granny, her dad and her daughters, her 3 husbands, Harvey Korman and Vickie Lawrence. It was easy to listen to, flowed well and brought a smile or two.

Perfect
It was a perfect transaction from the get-go, speedy and the condition was as advertised.No problems!

Very Entertaining
I have enjoyed this book so much.It's very easy reading and inspiring to learn about all the other Stars Carol knows.

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection
I grew up watching Carol Burnett as a family, all laughing out loud with this awesome comedian!Reading her book brings back so many happy memories & I enjoyed reading so many great stories about her connections with other actors, directors and producers.Very fun read!

3.5 stars, really -
The book was an okay read - there were times I found memories that were fun to recall, but some of the chapters were rather short and felt "unfinished".I've heard her first book was better and maybe I'll find that and see if it is.This one told lots about Carol Burnett's programs, her team of fellow players, and a bit of her life. ... Read more

Product Description
"A Hero of Our Time," written by Mikhail Lermontov, was first published in Russia as "Geroy Nashego Vremeni." The novel is set in the Russian Caucasus in the 1830s. Grigory Pechorin is a bored, self-centered, and cynical young army officer who believes in nothing. With impunity he toys with the love of women and the goodwill of men. He is brave, determined, and willful, but his energies and potential are wasted, and he dies in a duel. The psychologically probing portrait of a disillusioned 19th-century aristocrat and its use of a nonchronological and multifaceted narrative structure, as utilized in "A Hero of Our Time,"influenced such later Russian authors as Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Leo Tolstoy and presaged the antiheroes and antinovels of 20th-century fiction. Lermontov's technique is surprisingly sophisticated, given the late development of the novel in Russian literature. Lermontov not only dislocates chronology to achieve his result; in equally brilliant fashion he reinforces the effect by employing different contemporary literary genres to create, in the end, a unified whole. In "A Hero of Our Time," Lermontov managed to create a fictional person whose romantic dash to cynicism, tiger-like suppleness and eagle eye, hot blood and cool head, tenderness and taciturnity, elegance and brutality, delicacy of perception and harsh passion to dominate, ruthlessness and awareness of it, are of lasting appeal to readers of all countries and centuries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (59)

Bizarre Edition, Ridiculous Translation ...
I must have clicked on the wrong button somewhere or else been shamelessly misled. This volume is an "on demand" publication in LARGE PRINT, with hundreds of typos. The translators are identified by name as J.H. Wisdom and Marr Murray, but the author's name does NOT appear either on the cover or anywhere inside the volume. Who's hiding what from whom?

I'm almost certain I read a translation of Lermontov's "A Hero of Our Times" decades ago, but I don't remember the translator of my first exposure to one of the most acclaimed classics of Russian literature. Honestly I don't remember much of the tale either, so I decided to read it again. This translation, however, CAN'T be representative of Lermontov's literary artistry. The English is abysmally bad:

"We set off. They told me all that had happened, supplementing their story with a variety of observations on the subject of the strange predestination which had saved Vulich from imminent death half an hour before he actually met his end. Vulich had been walking alone along a dark street, and the drunken Cossack who had cut up the pig had sprung out upon him, and perhaps would have passed him by without noticing him, had not Vulich stopped suddenly and said: "Whom are you looking for, my man?" "You!" answered the Cossack, striking him with his sabre; and he cleft him from the shoulder almost to the heart."

Is that perfectly clear?

Amazon should do a better job of listing translations
Before posting this review, I typed "Beethoven Diabelli Variations" into the Amazon search engine and the first three pages of listings contained 22 CDs by different pianists.Moreover, the reviews of the recording by Maurizio Pollini are listed separately from the reviews of the recording by Stephen Kovacevich, which are listed separately from the reviews of the recording by Rudolf Serkin, and so on for all 22 of the different performances.

Translating a work of literature is not, to my mind, significantly different than performing a classic of the piano repertoire.Yet Amazon often does shamefully little to distinguish different translations of works of literature.

Take A HERO OF OUR TIME, for example.When I went to post my review of "the first major prose novel in Russian literature," as translated by Vladimir Nabokov and his son, I typed "Lermontov A Hero of Our Time" into Amazon's search engine and the first book listed was an edition published by ReadaClassic.com (whatever that is).Amazon's "page" for that offering gives no information whatsoever on who the translator is.(Imagine a listing of a CD of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations, with no information as to the pianist, from a recording company named "HearaClassic.com". How many CDs do you think Amazon would be able to sell?)

On the page for the ReadaClassic.com offering, there are 57 reviews.Wow!But careful inspection reveals that only a few of those 57 reviews pertain to the ReadaClassic edition.Some pertain to an edition published by Everyman's Library; others to one published by Modern Library Classics; and still others to one published by Penguin Classics.If you know how to navigate through the back corridors of Amazon's web site, you can find out that each of those three editions has different translators (respectively, Vladimir and Dmitri Nabokov, Marian Schwartz, and Paul Foote) and, eventually, you can isolate and purchase the translation you prefer.But you have to work at it and have sufficient knowledge of Byzantine Amazon.Otherwise, you will end up with A HERO OF OUR TIME published by ReadaClassic and translated by (who knows?).If Amazon cared about books and readers as much as it should, it could and would distinguish separate translations of works of literature with as much specificity and refinement as it does separate performances of musical works such as Beethoven's Diabelli Variations.

Now for a review of A HERO OF OUR TIME.(Note:What follows repeats the review I separately posted of the Doubleday Anchor paperback edition of the novel.)

In many ways, A HERO OF OUR TIME stands in the shadows of Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin", which was the first major novel in Russian literature.Actually, I suspect that A HERO OF OUR TIME owes its stature as a minor landmark of Russian literature to factors other than its intrinsic literary merit - especially to the popular conception that Lermontov was the heir to Pushkin, the fact that Lermontov very publicly denounced the social and political circumstances that led to the duel in which Pushkin was mortally wounded, and to the fact that Lermontov himself, just four years later, also died in a duel.And, no doubt, the popularity of the novel owes much to the character and personality of the "hero" himself, Grigory Aleksandrovich Pechorin.

Eugene Onegin is a fairly pathetic protagonist.He is sybaritic and even, perhaps, a little effete.Pechorin is forceful, dynamic, masculine through and through.He is bored with life ("I have a restless fancy, an insatiable heart"), but he lives it to the fullest rather than moping around or trying to lose himself in books.He is far from noble - he shamelessly toys with others, both male and female - but he has charisma.He is, as Victor Terras aptly puts it, "a rebel without a cause."And just as James Dean assumed iconic status in American culture, so too did Pechorin (and Lermontov) in Russian.

The novel is actually a loose assemblage of five stories.The first two are told by an anonymous first person narrator, presumably Lermontov himself.In them we learn about several of the legendary exploits of Pechorin and at the end of the second one the narrator comes into possession of Pechorin's journals.The last three stories are taken from those journals and thus are narrated by Pechorin in the first person.The time period is the 1830's; the setting is the Caucasus.There is an exoticism to these stories somewhat akin to "The Arabian Nights".

The writing displays remarkable energy.But it is untidy and often awkward.The novel is strewn with loose ends, false leads, and inconsistencies.Again and again, emotion is displayed by a character "stamping his feet on the ground" or similar demonstrative conduct.In the first story, the narrative often proceeds via embarrassingly stilted conversations.Throughout, Pechorin and others are forewarned of important matters by being at the conveniently right place at the fortuitously right time and overhearing the plotting of their enemies.Some of Lermontov's similes or other literary formulations made me wince.According to Vladimir Nabokov, even in Russian the writing is "inelegant"; it is the product of "an energetic, incredibly gifted, bitterly honest, but definitely inexperienced young man."One cannot help but wonder what literary landmarks Lermontov might have produced had he not died at the age of 26.

I mention Vladimir Nabokov because he was the translator (in collaboration with his son, Dmitri) of the Everyman's Library edition of A HERO OF OUR TIME.If you are interested in the novel, despite its flaws, I recommend the Everyman's Library edition, in particular for Nabokov's inimitably authoritative footnotes.

A Hero of Our Time
If you think the Russian Novel is a impossible read with huge numbers of characters all called Prince something, "A Hero of Our Time" will be a refreshing change. It's a short book that comes with well-thought out characters. Even though there are three different narrators, the whole book is well organized nonetheless.

A Hero of Time
I just wanted to say that this is a great book, really a classic story. I had to read it for a literature class a few years ago.

"A Hero of Time" By Mikhail Lermontov
The Hero of Time is divided into five short stories or novellas, plus an authorial preface. There are three major narrators: an unnamed young travel writer,an old staff-captain, and Pechorin himself via his diaries. The stories depict Pechorin as impulsive, emotionally distant and manipulative, capable of extreme bravery but generally bored by his life.

The preface explains how the author visualized his hero: "A Hero of Our Time, my dear readers, is indeed a portrait, but not of one man. It is a portrait built up of all our generation's vices in full bloom. You will again tell me that a human being cannot be so wicked, and I will reply that if you can believe in the existence of all the villains of tragedy and romance, why wouldn't believe that there was a Pechorin? If you could admire far more terrifying and repulsive types, why aren't you more merciful to this character, even if it is fictitious? Isn't it because there's more truth in it than you might wish?" ... Read more

Product Description
In this timely and powerful new book, Dr. Creflo A. Dollar shares transforming ways to deal with the challenges, hardships, and opportunities everyone faces today.He equips readers to move beyond trials in areas such as marriage, family, finances, relationships, parenting, career, and health. Even those suffering from personal struggles and addictions can claim victory and healing through faith in God's Word. With the right attitude and mind-set, anyone can overcome life's obstacles and move on to maximum living.Readers will discover the keys to acquiring character, hope, and answers necessary for growth and excellence. Dr. Dollar equips readers with the tools needed to transform their thinking, bring this message of hope into everyday practice, and produce real results in their lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

fantastic
This book is fantastic and will change all who read itr. Dr. Dollar is very Blessed and Praise the Lord he is sharing his God given giftrs and insite with all of us. We all need help getting through lifes challenges . We face each and everyday. But first need to get victory over our past difficult times. Nothing is impossible with God in control.

Simple & Basic truth
Crefro hits it right on the head and explains how we make things so much harder than they are. this is easy reading full of wisdom and knowledge! Would be great if everyone would read this book and live by it!

Winning in Troubled Times
This book is AWESOME!!! Dr. Dollar gives you a step by step guide on how to survive these trying times. I've put into practice just a few of the suggestions and as a result, I was able to find a legitimate work from home job of writing which is something that I enjoy so much. I prayed and did as he stated to do with sincerity and so far it has worked. I still have a little ways to go but, I'm headed in the right direction thanks to Dr. Dollar's book. I would suggest this to anyone going through a rough time to read this book and put the works to practice.

The best christian book
All I can say is that...this is the best book I ever read in my entire life. I got so inspired in reading this book. I bought 4 books already to give to friends and loved ones. I encourage everyone to grab a copy and also share it with your friends.

Improper communication by Amazon.com representative
I was not too happy with the process of waiting for the material to arrive via Amazon.com.I was originally told that I would get a full refund and ended up being charged twice.I probably won't order any other materials through this method. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (11)

Bleak
I recommend reading Per Petterson's novel, I Curse the River of Time, on sunny days only. This melancholy story can bum out the most cheery reader when clouds are present. In 1989, protagonist Arvid Jansen finds everything changing, and not necessarily for the better: his mother is dying of cancer, he and his wife are getting a divorce, and communism is falling. Looking back at his life thus far, Arvid searches for understanding and meaning to discover what can be ahead for him. The writing is spare and Arvid's memories expose complicated relationships and choices that are both in the open and developed unspoken in a rich interior life. There is a rich reality about relationships, life and death on these pages, and Petterson's writing is outstanding. For those readers who can handle melancholy, this novel is fine choice.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)

Big disappointment
After having read and loved "Out Stealing Horses," "In the Wake," and "To Siberia" and absolutely loved them, I was so excited to see "I Curse the River of Time" that I actually bought the hard-back book, which is something I very rarely do.I was very disappointed.It has none of the richness of the other three books.The characters are cardboard, and there's nothing interesting in the action, if one can call it that.Thought I don't need any real action in a book (In the Wake certainly had no plot), I need something more than this.Most it seemed to be the names of the towns and streets which Arvid travels.

Most disappointing was that the mother is the unnamed girl in "To Siberia," Jesper's sister.In "To Siberia" she was a completely realized character, richly drawn and troubled, and one really cared about her. I think Petterson could have done something much better with the character - there is no hint the person she was except the picture of Arvid's Uncle Jesper hanging on the wall.I could not at all connect her characterologically with the girl in the previous book in character.

Sorry, but no.
This is basically a story of a weak character, who bungles the most important moments in his life, either by misunderstanding them, or getting drunk in anticipation of them, or by letting others dominate them.
When his mother makes her final pilgrimage to her homeland, terminally sick and with business of her own, he chases after her with his own problems and need for attention. Everything, after all, is only about him. And he is quite the Lost Boy.
I read and totally enjoyed Petterson's OUT STEALING HORSES.But weak characters, however succinctly portrayed, make for weak books. And this book is dominated by an emotional and perceptual clutz. It istelling that the highlight of the story is the point where the main character's mother reaches across the table to slap his face. I salute her.

Time's Winged Chariot Hurrying Near
"I was a man out of time, or my character had a flaw, a crack in its foundation that would grow wider with each year," says Arvid, the protagonist of I Curse the River of Time: A Novel (The Lannan Translation Series), the newest installment from award-winning Norwegian author, Per Petterson.

What is Arvid's Aristotelian, tragic flaw? How does time (as it "grow[s] wider each year") bear down on Arvid, and push him further down the river of life, a victim of its tumultuous current?

Arvid is thirty-seven years old, and fresh off a divorce. His mother is dying of cancer. I Curse the River of Time: A Novel (The Lannan Translation Series) follows the brooding, sulking, melancholic Arvid, as he tries to reconcile the vast distance that stands between him and his mother, and the little time he has left to do so.

It is the tail-end of autumn, when Arvid's mother finds out she is dying. Taken with news, she decides to head, without her husband, to the family's summer home in Denmark. Arvid decides to join her. It is hear among the grey, autumnal, and breathtaking landscape that Arvid tries to regain a closeness with his mother, and free his mind from the tidal pull of the past.

Arvid is "adrift in time and space", aware of the gulf that separates him from his mother. He feels alone in the world. "I had no name, no home in space," proclaims Arvid. His separation anxiety, his Freudian longing for a vague, alluring wholeness he felt in childhood is paralyzing. Arvid is a fickle ball of emotion.

Like Faulkner's character Quentin in The Sound and the Fury: The Corrected Text, Arvid is a character who is cursed by time. Quentin's existential angst, his rancor towards the incessant ticking of the clock, pushed him to suicide (he ultimately took a deathly plunge into the river, where he drowned).

Arvid is "adrift in time", because he is caught in its grip. He can't free himself of a certain time-consciousness. He can't get out of the river to the dry, warm bank. And when he gets close, it is only to realize his mother is on the opposite bank.

Out of Arvid's pain, his longing, however, comes beauty. Arvid is an aware and sensitive being, with an artist's eye for the world around him. His apartment in Oslo is situated not too far from the Munch Museum, where Arvid goes to look at "the colorful, soft, yet sinister paintings [he] loved so much."

Arvid's eye for heart-arresting beauty is of course Petterson's. Snow shooting up behind a bus's turning wheels becomes, "the frozen glittery dust whirling up in the slipstream of the bus, or in its wake, as after a boat. It hung like yellow curtains across the winding road and then was pulled inside by the wind after each bend before drifting in between the trees where it was gone."

In the words of Seneca, "the philosopher's life is...spacious." Through an eye for the beauty of the world, Arvid, like the artist, philosopher, painter, or poet finds his only respite from the clutching, heavy chains of time. Will Arvid find what he is looking for in the halls of the Munch Museum? Will he ever swim across the "Rio Grande" that separates him from his mothers arms?

The title of the novel, tellingly, comes from a Mao poem, "From images of departure, the village back then/ I curse the river of time; thirty-two years have passed." Even Mao feels the slow march of time, his own fickle mortality. But also from Mao comes a lesson, one arguably lost on Arvid- Mao found the outlet for his anxiety through the pen of a poet, through the eyes of a bemused observer.

As Petterson's novel unfolds, you will find yourself begging, praying, hoping Arvid will be able to clear the tears from his eyes long enough to see, record, hail the beauty around him; and in so doing, free himself from time's winged chariot. Petterson, with a master's touch, elevates the subtle, interior drama of Arvid to the highest stages of entertainment.

Why?
There are many reviews here that ably describe what happens in this book. I feel a little guilty only giving this book 2 stars, considering the great talent of the author. Like the other 3 novels I have read by Per Petterson he has a clear and compelling voice. But I can't help but wonder why one would want to read this. Yes, it is very well written and captures the sadness of life and missed opportunities slipping away. But, like another reviewer said, very little happens in the book. It is a story of somewhat flawed people simply running out their lives with no hope and no faith. They are not much different than many of us, and I suppose that is the point. In my opinion it is an accurate portrayal of a life without God but, despite the artistry, I don't think that it is a place everyone will want to visit. ... Read more

Product Description

It’s the present day.  Toby O’Dare—aka Lucky the Fox—is a contract killer of underground fame on assignment to kill once again.  He’s a soulless soul, a dead man walking.  His nightmarish world of lone and lethal missions is disrupted when a mysterious stranger, a seraph, offers him a chance to save rather than destroy lives. O’Dare, who long ago dreamt of being a priest, seizes his chance. Now he is carried back through the ages to thirteenth-century England, to dark realms where accusations of ritual murder have been made against Jews, where children suddenly die or disappear.  In this primitive setting, O’Dare begins his perilous quest for salvation, a journey of danger and flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love.

Customer Reviews (146)

Another Christian Novel.. snores
yes, i felt i was reading the story of Christ's life from her previous novel. This one is departure from the youth of Jesus certainly still i felt like i was being preached to again.

The straight path is one of suffering, yawns, so over done, and this novel is about getting on that path.

To be honest, i quit reading it after 280 some pages... wow.. YAWN.. so i don't know how it end and will never know.

Anne writes great novels, I've read practically every one. Why why does she delve into the dull propaganda of the church and the always over repeated Jewish poor poor history. There both baby religions, and her witch and vampire novels have so much older histories, and not preaching histories by self righteous pompous sect.

If it's not vamp or witches, i wont buy another again ever!SADLY, I cant trust her writing to be good anymore.

Classic Anne Rice Writing with Angels
I picked up a copy of this book at the grocery store. This is the first Anne Rice book I've actually read all the way through in awhile. Some of her latest books have not been appealing to me lately. But the subject of angels really grabbed me. I enjoyed the main character and his dilemma of good vs. evil, esp. since he's a hit man. I loved the descriptions of the Mission Inn and San Juan Capistrano. I want to visit the Mission Inn now. The adventure of visiting the past was interesting, and I'm looking forward to the sequel to see where the angel takes Toby next.

I didn't rate it as high as some of her other books mostly because I think it's less engaging than her other vampire books. Though Toby is a killer like the vampire characters, he's not as enrapturing as Lestat and Louise. But I do recommend this book since it still has her brilliant writing style, and creates enough of a reaction that you want to read the next book. The sequel comes out in Nov. 2010. Can't wait. I've preordered it already with Amazon.

Inspiring
I loved it. It was an inspiring tale of redemption and God's love for us. Other reviewers found the character of Lucky underdeveloped, but I really didn't want to know more of the evil phase of his life. The story of his childhood was more interesting. Was it strictly realistic? I suppose not, but it connected with me. Toby was the Prodigal Son, who in his evil and his misery reaches for God, and is rewarded. It's an engaging telling of a classic mral tale.

Not Worth Finishing
I'm a passionate reader and almost never give up on a book partway through. And I was a passionate fan of Anne Rice's earlier work. And yet here I am, about 1/3 of the way through Angel Time, and thinking it's just not worth continuing. It's not that I refuse to let authors grow and change -- although I will admit to being disappointed when Rice announced she would write no more vampire or Mayfair witches books. But the plain fact is that her new fiction just isn't interesting. She doesn't seem to care all that much about her own characters, for one thing. And while I can appreciate good descriptive writing, page after page of a character describing his world with absolutely nothing else going on is wearing. The good vs evil theme has, of course been one of Rice's motifs for years. While at least this novel doesn't slide into the overblown philosophical pedantry that a couple of her later vampire novels did (one, in particular, was so provoking that I went and reread The Brothers Karamozov instead - Dostoyevsky provides a much better treatment of the subject on pretty much all levels). But at least in those earlier rants, Rice wrote with some passion. This, as far as I can see, just doesn't have enough juice to keep it running.

A Tale of Two Tobys
I liked this book so much I have already ordered for my Kindle the next one in the series (Songs of the Seraphim). Anne Rice shows herself to be the master teller of tales that I missed out on because of disliking vampire stories. Once she became a Christian and began writing about Jesus, I took a peek and was very glad I did. She is now on my favorites list. You don't have to have had a spiritual life-changing Christian experience to appreciate the story of Toby O'Day: from street musician, to talented hit man, to a miraculous transportation to a Middle Ages adventure and back. However, if your life has had some severe and spiritual changes, you will be better able to understand Anne's sincerity in relating a seemingly impossible tale. Read either as a believer, or an agnostic, it is a great tale, especially the adventure in the Middle Ages, where the talented Toby saves a young girl's family, before he returns to the 21st century. It seems that Toby, who had worked as a hit man for a secret organization, has because of his broken-hearted prayers, become an agent of God - working for the angels. It looks like more adventures will be coming and I hope to be there too. Although Anne Rice now has given up on "Christianity" because of the hypocracy she found in the Catholic Church, I don't think she has given up on the spiritual and moral teachings of the Faith, we will see in November. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether moms have picky or adventurous eaters and whether they love to cook or just endure it, getting dinner on the table weeknight after weeknight is enough to make a mom throw in the towel. It's a grind that wore down former Cookie magazine editors, Pilar Guzm n, Jenny Rosentrach, and Alanna Stang until they made it their mission to figure out all the ways they could reclaim the family dinner. Time for Dinner is that playbook of tricks, inspiration, plans, and 100 go-to recipes. With 250 photographs, it's a visual toolkit of a book that gives every mom the ideas and strategies she needs to get a great family meal on the table night after night without losing her mind (or her sense of humor). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Disappointed
I almost hate to write this review, but I don't want anyone to buy the book sight unseen, as I nearly did.

I had very high hopes for this book.I love the blog (dinner a love story) and assumed I would love the book.Not so much.My first complaint is the actual, physical book design.It's a soft, laminate cover, and while it looks very pretty, it's clear that it's not going to lay flat at all.Not particularly condusive for actual use.Opening the book was no less disappointing.The layout was pretty, but I don't buy a cookbook for the pictures.I found there to be a LOT of wasted space--lots of white paper, lots of pictures.I found the recipes that were there to be unrealistic, at least for me.

I'm certain there are some who would enjoy this book, but I urge you to look at a copy first, before you buy.

excellent
one of the easiest cookbooks i have ever used. excellent fast recipes with great good meals.

time for dinner
I felt it was one of the worst purchases I ever made....Terrible recipes, that the normal person would never use....

Pleased with my purchase
I love that every recipe has a photo and that most of the recipes utilize things I usually have in my home.However, there are several recipes that I know wouldn't go over well with my husband and daughter.Plus there seem to be an awful lot of recipes with tomatoes which my daughter loves, but my husband isn't a big fan.The recipes I have made have been good though.

Very untraditional- not in a good way
I was very disappointed in this book. The pictures are nice and it is easy to read but the recipes are just not what I was hoping for. For example one suggestion for a meal is leftover rice from a Chinese dinner with raw chopped vegetables and a fried egg on top. If I fed that to my family they would not be happy- actually I would not be happy either. There is a chart- pick one from each of 3 columns and it is a meal. Their suggestion was Mozarella sticks corn and edamame- put these together and it is a meal you can"feel good about"- are you kidding? I will go back to my Jamie Oliver book, ... Read more

Product Description

"Different minds learn differently," writes Dr. Mel Levine, one of the best-known learning experts and pediatricians in America today. Some students are strong in certain areas and some are strong in others, but no one is equally capable in all. Yet most schools still cling to a one-size-fits-all education philosophy. As a result, many children struggle because their learning patterns don't fit the way they are being taught.

In his #1 New York Times bestseller A Mind at a Time, Dr. Levine shows parents and those who care for children how to identify these individual learning patterns, explaining how they can strengthen a child's abilities and either bypass or help overcome the child's weaknesses, producing positive results instead of repeated frustration and failure.

Consistent progress can result when we understand that not every child can do equally well in every type of learning and begin to pay more attention to individual learning patterns -- and individual minds -- so that we can maximize children's success and gratification in life. In A Mind at a Time Dr. Levine shows us how.Amazon.com Review
Recognizing each child's intellectual, emotional, and physical strengths--and teaching directly to these strengths--is key to sculpting "a mind at a time," according to Dr. Mel Levine. While this flashing yellow light will not surprise many skilled educators, limited resources often prevent them from shifting their instructional gears. But to teachers and parents whose children face daily humiliation at school, the author bellows, "Try harder!" A professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School, Levine eloquently substantiates his claim that developmental growth deserves the same monitoring as a child's physical growth.

Tales of creative, clumsy, impulsive, nerdy, intuitive, loud-mouthed, and painfully shy kids help Levine define eight specific mind systems (attention, memory, language, spatial ordering, sequential ordering, motor, higher thinking, and social thinking). Levine also incorporates scientific research to show readers how the eight neurodevelopmental systems evolve, interact, and contribute to a child's success in school. Detailed steps describe how mental processes (like problem solving) work for capable kids, and how they can be finessed to serve those who struggle. Clear, practical suggestions for fostering self-monitoring skills and building self-esteem add the most important elements to this essential--yet challenging--program for "raisin' brain." --Liane Thomas ... Read more

Customer Reviews (77)

A Mind at a Time
This book has changed my way of working with struggling students!I am more alert to their strengths and more willing to help them "demystify" their learning deficits.In a perfect world, every teacher would be trained to implement Dr. Levine's strategies.

Overly anecdotal, barely scientific.
In his book, Dr. Mel Levine expands on concepts of assessment to outline some different ways in which students' performance might be evaluated in school.He calls testing a "necessary evil" and that "any test format...will discriminate unfairly against certain kinds of minds".Dr. Levine states as a given that "an essay test, a standardized multiple-choice examination, or an oral quiz might be fair to one student and discriminatory against the child seated next to her".(p. 329)It is unfortunate for the reader that Dr. Levine makes his assertion without elaboration or explanation.He would have done well to offer some enlightenment here.

Dr. Levine outlines on pages 269-270 his recommendations for any child undergoing examination for his or her problems in school. Incredibly, Dr. Levine does so on the page of his book immediately after his case to dissuade parents and educators from "wasting their time" in attempts to diagnose the causes of such a child's difficulties.This struck me as unbecoming for a clinician and medical doctor such as the author; one would think diagnosis is crucial in ascertaining the best practices in treating and educating children with difficulties.Dr. Levine asserts "since you can never prove with certainty that any cause was the cause, you should skip the whys and instead devote sensitive thinking to describing and understanding your child's neurodevelopmental status and the best way to care for the profile."(p. 268)My confusion, then, is how the child's profile can be constructed without at least some investigation into the causes.As a man of science, Dr. Levine should concern himself with the causes of a child's difficulties, not only for his own enlightenment but for the education of parents, teachers and clinicians as well.

Dr. Levine states that dyslexia is an "unhelpful label" (p. 132) and that tests for language dysfunction are often "culturally biased" (p. 144); these claims create frustration when we are left to take the doctor at his word.Unfortunately for the reader, Dr. Levine once again puts forth assertions for which he provides neither evidence nor example.However, elaboration is deemed unnecessary by Dr. Levine, and as a result he often fails to convince.

Ignore Dr. Levine's uncertain circumstances and read this book
If you have a child with special needs, you must read this book.The previous reviewer who suggested that a reader not buy the book because of the accusations against Dr. Levine is overlooking the fact that many, many parents and teachers have found his books very helpful and hopeful. He has already volunteered to revoke his license and is no longer seeing patients.But what he has to say about children with learning differences gave me insights to both my children who have their own individual struggles.Instead of focusing on their inability to spell or memorize where the states are, I see two very creative children with their own gifts.Would I bring my children to see him?Not a chance.But I would recommend this book to another parent of a child with special needs in an instance because what it says is that important.

Mel Levine's Medical license has been revoked
NC revoked Levine's medical license because there are 51 individuals who have come forward accusing the former Dr of sexually abusing them during his active practice.The former Doctor voluntarily gave up his practice but NC medical board took the step of revoking his right to ever practice medicine again.Please take this into consideration when choosing this book.

Great book
This is a wonderful book that emphasizes the need to look at the individual needs of students. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (210)

Good potty time video!
This is a great educational video that I showed to my 2 year old to get her into pottytraining.She finds it interesting and enjoys watching it and I like that they explain that everyone calls going to the bathroom different things.After watching this twice she was not afraid to use the 'big girl toilet' (with kiddie seat attached) to go number 2.I bought it because someone at the DMV told me their child watched it once and immediately started using the potty, well I didn't have such great results, but every child is different, and I don't expect her to switch right away.Plus kids always love Elmo.

Best Buy
I cannot get my 2 year old son to stop watching this movie. The songs are catchy and he sings them when they come on. They are very clear about how not everyone learns the same time or uses the same words.I think it's very educational and cute too. I bought the Elmo's training potty with it and whenever he watches this movie he wants to run into the bathroom and sit on it (he's yet to actually use the potty but the fact that he sits on it is a good step since he will only be 2 on oct. 22) great movie for toddlers if they love elmo and wanna know about the potty.

Kinda Boring
My son loved Elmo at the time we bought this and he wouldn't watch it.Wasted money.

SESAME STREET-ELMOS POTTY TIME
TOO MUCH TALKING AND NOT ENOUGH "DOING"....IN FACT, NO SHOWING ANYONE ON THE POTTY...HARD TO GET THE CONCEPT W/O BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING FOR A 2 YEAR OLD!

We all do it....I LOVE THIS DVD!
First and foremost, I was sooo nervous about buying another potty DVD. I bought a different one from amazon.com and, not that it was a bad video, I didnt like how it didnt address the "potty" it only addressed the toilet and my little one is kind of scared of the toilet. This DVD is very good with songs and examples and the best is the different words for #1 and #2 (pee, tinkle, piddle, poop, dookie). I thought that was cute. My daughter wasnt really into it as much as I wanted her to, but she started using the potty and singing the songs later on I realized it was from the video. She followed me in the bathroom once and started singing "mommy YOU do it, I do it...even my daddy do's it!"
The only reason I didnt give this video 5 stars is because it is quite lengthy. 45 minutes is a LONG time to keep children's attention and even I walked away from it thinking it would be over soon and came back and it was still on.

I love how Elmo covers everything and how everyone in Seasame street has their own little potty story. There is a toy at Toys R Us tyhat goes with this video. Its Elmo and hes in a diaper and he comes with a potty and talks about how when he drinks he needs to use the potty. Too cute! It's a great video and it helped my baby alot! Potty training is all about consistency and encouragement. As long as you stya on your child asking "do you have to pee/poop?" They will get it. Don't worry if it takes a while, "They'll do it!"

GOOD LUCK! ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (59)

Nick of Time
NOT JUST FOR BOYS!! My daughter has not finished the book yet, but keeps telling me all about it. I'm reading it next. So girls you may want to pick this book up too.

Time Machine + Pirates = High Adventure
Nick of Time is an enjoyable ride through time on the high seas.NIck and his sister Kate lives in 1939 England and discovers a time machine hidden in the cover.Great opening with a thrilling near-fatal sailboat excursion, this book is filled with action when Nick and Kate is chased by the evil pirate Captain Billy Blood across the centuries. Boys and girls age twelve and up will enjoy this fast-paced nautical adventure.

Rip-Roaring Adventure!
Reason for Reading: I have the second book, but thought I had better read the first book, well ... first. I read this aloud to my son, as he loves seafaring adventures.

Set in 1939, just before war is declared, on the smallest of the Channel Islands. Nick's father is lighthouse keeper and a secret spy for politician Winston Churchill reporting back any German U-Boat activity in the Channel waters. A strange man called Billy Blood kidnaps Nick's dog Jipper and thus starts a seafaring adventure that will cross time. Billy Blood is a pirate of Admiral Lord Nelson's time and not only has he taken Nick's dog, he has also kidnapped Lord Hawke's two children. Lord Hawke, Nick and his friend Gunner go back in time with a time machine device of Hawke's which Blood just happens to have the only other existing one. While there they must help Nelson's fleet out of a dangerous situation that only Nick can guide them through. Meanwhile, back at home, Nick's younger sister, Kate, has been left with Commander Hobbes to take some vital information about a special U-Boat to England unbeknownst that said U-Boat is hot on their trail.

Rip-roaring adventure from beginning to end in the fashion of "Treasure Island" and in the same vein the illustrations are a handful of full-page drawings as one would find illustrative plates in an old copy of "Treasure Island". A gripping story with Nick certainly in the lead as main character. He is an independent twelve-year-old, though respectful to his parents, who was born with the sea in his blood. He spends as much time as possible out in his boat sailing the waters in good and bad weather, even mapping a route through a dangerous coral reef into a cove. His hero is Admiral Lord Nelson and he thinks of him every time he starts to feel discouraged in life. His sister, Kate, is only seven and maintains her position well, despite being cute and funny she is smart as a tack and manages to save the situation at the last minute many times.

We both loved this book. The story is engaging and the shared time between the two time periods is very exciting. The chapters alternate with one set of characters in 1805 then back to the present with the Nazis in 1939. All of the main characters are likable and each has a sense of humour which adds a light tone in between the action scenes. The story is realistic and the battles scenes in 1805 are not for the very young or sensitive as battle wounds are described in full, and blood and violence are shown in their proper place in war, though never unnecessarily or gratuitously. The pirates, and well most adults, do use a small amount of language using the British curse words bloody/bleeding frequently and taking the Lord's name in vain quite often. Since I was reading aloud, I was able to say the words about half the time as they applied, something really was bloody in the battle and I spoke the Lord's name in a way that the character was now calling upon Him rather than swearing, the other half of the time I edited it out. But these are two small complaints in a book aimed at this age group.

I just love finding books that are definitely aimed at boys, there are of course many girls who enjoy this type of action and they have the character of Kate to identify with, but I appreciate when the male/female characters are brother/sister thus eliminating the awkward love angle or the even more annoying battle of the sexes angle. Kate and Nick are especially a nice team as they are loving family members, far enough apart in age that Nick is Kate's parent-in-absentia figure and Kate adores her big brother.

A wonderful book with family values, adventure, really bad guys (pirates and Nazis) and an edge of your seat action set in exciting historical times. Looking forward to Book 2 in the series.

A Different Harry Potter
Ordered this book as a graduation gift for an 8th grade boy. Decided to read it first just to make sure. Very enjoyable fantasy. Just as wonderful as Harry Potter but a different time and place - and a little reality actually mixed in. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Nazis And Pirates And Time Travel, Oh My!
NICK OF TIME is the first installment in the An Adventure Through Time series by author Ted Bell.Set in 1939, just prior to the onset of WWII, NICK OF TIME is an excellent tween adventure novel, which can (and should) be enjoyed by all ages.While clearly written to appeal to middle grade boys, NICK OF TIME certainly keep this mother of two (girls) completely entertained.Nazi spies, blood thirsty pirates, and time travel all mix together to keep the reader enthralled and the pages turning.

In June of 1939, 12-year-old Nick McIver wants nothing more than to spend his summer on his sail boat, the Stormy Petrel, exploring the coastline and dreaming of adventure. His father is the lighthouse keeper at Greybeard Light, Greybeard Island, England, and Nick and his family actually live in the lighthouse.In fact, his family has been keepers at Greybeard Light for generations.It turns out; however, that Nick's father has a secret life. He's a "birdwatcher," a secret agent searching the Channel for German activity and reporting to Winston Churchill, in direct violation of Prime Minister Chamberlain's orders. On top of this, Nick and his sister Katie find a mysterious sea chest washed up on the shore, which contains a time travel device invented by Leonardo da Vinci, along with note from Nick's ancestor, Captain Nicholas McIver, requesting his help in a sea battle during one of Lord Nelson's famous campaigns!It seems that Nick McIver is about to get more adventure than he ever dreamed.

NICK OF TIME is a great fantasy adventure, full of spies, pirates, and science fiction. The writing style is almost formal; reminiscent of the original Hardy Boys (before they were "modernized").People of all ages are polite, respectful, and take the time to listen to each other, no matter what their age.Yet at the same time, NICK OF TIME is action packed, exciting, and full of mystery.

While reading this book, I had this image in my mind of my husband and his two younger brothers as young kids, reading this book aloud to each other, late at night, heads under the covers, with flashlight in hand.It is THAT kind of story, full of mystery and suspense; something that young boys would miss bedtime and risk punishment to keep reading.At least, that is how NICK OF TIME made ME feel.

I really enjoyed NICK OF TIME.My one small criticism is that is starts off too slow in the first few chapters.It almost lost me, but luckily, the action picked up somewhere around chapter 4.I am really glad I stuck it out.I will definitely be recommending this to my 13 year old DAUGHTER who loves adventures and even to my 18 year old nephew, who is still not too old for such imaginings.NICK OF TIME is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially if you have adventure in your heart and love of a good story in your soul.
... Read more

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Customer Reviews (8)

Interesting but editorially flawed
Like many others, I was intrigued to read a follow-up the "The Messengers" and downloaded "Time for Truth" onto my Kindle.It came as a shock to see such a poorly formatted manuscript issued by a major publisher such as Hay House.About 90% of the capitalizations are missing, except in the channeled material and letters are often floating around.Despite this distraction that I'm sure is no fault of the author's, I persevered to read his material. (A friend of mine also downloaded and received the same mangled version.)

Since Mr. Bunick is sincere in his quest to have us believe he is the modern representative of the Apostle Paul, his first challenge is credibility.Once again I wondered at the quality of editorial help he received from Hay House.There were several things that may have better served Mr. Bunick to have been left on the cutting room floor--an off-hand remark about "couch-potato angels" and bringing up a mysterious, unsubstantiated Christ-figure supposedly popping around the planet felt more like something I'd read in the Enquirer than a book that wants to be taken seriously.

There is a lot of thought-provoking material here, but the manuscript is often disjointed and sometimes shallow.The early chapter on reincarnation that basically uses only Mr. Bunick's personal recollection of a life in France as proof-positive feels flimsy.He returns to reincarnation later with a little more substance, but dividing the subject up feels like the puzzle pieces don't fit together properly.

Also, Mr. Bunick's grasp of Scripture seems shakey.Does the New Testament actually claim Jesus was a carpenter or is that merely tradition?He also seems to blame all anti-semitism on the Roman Catholic Church, but the historical information of the Old Testament shows Jewish persecution goes back thousands of years.

I enjoyed Mr. Bunick's enthusiasm and fervor.But if he's hoping to shake up the world with this manuscript, I think he's in for disappointment.It needs work.But, I wish him success on his perceived mission.There is a lot of merit in his goals.

Dana Taylor
SupernalFriends.com

The time for a NEW BEGINNING is now
I have been following Nick Bunick since THE MESSENGERS. With the release of IN GOD'S TRUTH came a volume that showed me the way to rid myself of the deeply ingrained fear and guilt of my early religious upbringing. As the title of Nick's newest book states, now is the TIME FOR TRUTH as it is this very truth that shall herald A NEW BEGINNING for all.

There is a passage in the book (page 101) that struck me deeply ...

There are no evil spirits or fictitious devils vying for our souls and minds. Rather, there are only the deliberate acts of individuals who, by virtue of free will, choose to put their wants above those of others, and, in so doing, find themselves in disharmony with their own spirituality - that part of God that is inside them.

... for these words comprise my own personal understanding as well, and yet there can be no greater love than this ... the gift of free will.

The natural laws of the Universe are those of universal love and universal compassion. Anything demonstrated outside of these laws goes against God/dess, and, yet, if it were not for the polarity (duality) of this human experiences, how else might we come to know what we wanted? To know what is wanted also means that one must also know that which they do not want. Once again, this is why the gift of free will was bestowed upon us.

Clearly, love is the answer to everything that seems to elude the magnitude. The simplest of acts, imbued with love and compassion - be they the look in one's eyes, the smile on one's face and/or the words that one chooses to speak -can do so much more than one can ever fully realize.

In reading the passage from Nick's unpublished manuscript, THE COMMITMENT, I found myself resonating with these words ...

Everything that you need ... lies within (page 139).

The kingdom of heaven lies within you (page 141).

God is within you ... residing within your own soul (page 141).

Live in peace (page 141).

Live in love (page 141).

Be aware of the presence of God at all times (page 141).

Love is the motivating force for the world, for love is God (page 141).

The power of God through love transcends everything and can bring peace and tranquility to the troubled world (page 141).

Embrace love and compassion for all and live your lives in truth (page 141).

You are the temple of God (page 142).

... because they exemplify the way that I attempt to live my life each day.

In essence, we are all messengers of light, of love, of truth, of unity, of oneness, of respect, of compassion ... are we not?

The reading of TIME FOR TRUTH: A NEW BEGINNING will allow you to feel the love and peace that we have been asked to embrace, by Jeshua (Yeshua), throughout these earthly lives. May you, too, welcome this new beginning.

Michele Doucette
Amazon Author Page
http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Doucette/e/B002NDDOY6/

Time for change for Truth

Nick Bunick is leading readers of this excellent book into a more honest spiritually
conscious future, where the powerful love of God is fully recognised and adhered to, creating a humanity, we all can be proud of to belong to.

It Is Time For Truth
I was a very active member of my church community yet I was plagued by unanswered spiritual questions and troubled by mixed messages from my "spiritual leaders".These feelings were with me most of the 62 years of my life.I was led to read "The Messengers" by Julia Ingram and GW Hardin over 12 years ago.This book had a profound effect on me and launched me into my quest for understanding.Along the way I have prayed for discernment and have been led to many books that are opening me to the universal knowledge available to all of us.The most recent book I have read was "Time for Truth" by Nick Bunick.In this courageous book, Mr. Bunick discussed the original teachings of Jesus.He explains that many of these messages were distorted due to an error in translation or more troubling, a manipulation by the early church to fit their agenda.His message in this book is one of universal truth and of living in peace and love.This timely book was waiting to be written as society is now more aware of discrepancies in truth from all of our leaders. This book is sure to stir up a great deal of controversy especially from those who are still entrenched in dogmatic thinking.I strongly recommend this book to those of you who are on my quest.I thank Mr. Bunick for having the courage to write this book and face the negative criticism from those who are not yet ready to hear his loving message.

Barbara A Schmucker
Pennsylvania

Truth obviously varies
I bought this book on a recommendation. Sadly I can't recommend it myself. I consider myself a very active seeker after Truth, having moved on long ago from the orthodox Christian position. I am also very familiar with channeling, and have spent ten years reading a very wide variety of channeled works, a number of which have significant information on the details of the life of Jesua ben Joseph, while here 2000 years ago. They also contain his detailed teachings. I also have a view on reincarnation, and how folks come to discover these historic memory recalls. But frankly, anyone claiming to be Paul the Apostle, needs to have the goods, just as anyone claiming to be Jesua Ben Joseph better have the goods. I have met quite a few of the latter, and in my view they do not have the goods. Neither does Nick, in my opinion. And his optimism that this book will change any atheist into a believer, and restructure all the Christian churches, simply beggars belief. I do accept this is the Correcting Time, and folks will experience substantial enhancements of their psychic abilities, but sadly some will misinterpret what they see or hear. I fear this is one such individual. ... Read more

Product Description
A powerful social satire which outraged the authorities of the author's native Peru, where 1000 copies were publicly burned. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Lessons to be learned
The first one third of this book is not an easy read. The narrative is chaotic, heavy with characters and they come at you fast.A scorecard would be helpful. The narrative frequently switches between first and third person.Vargas Llosa is also fond of long, long paragraphs. Chapter three of part one totals 22 pages divided into six paragraphs! If the reader can only persevere however, this chaos gives way to light and insight at the end.

The setting of this story is a military boarding school for adolescent boys. We learn that many of these boys wound up at Leoncio Prado Military Academy because they were delinquents in need of discipline or, conversely, wimpy boys whose parents thought they needed to be toughened up.Academic standards at Leoncio are obviously lax and there is an egregious lack of discipline and supervision within the cadet barracks. These adolescent males engage in all manner of prohibited vice including cheating, smoking, drinking, stealing,going absent without leave, and pornography. Most appalling is the bullying and victimization of the weak by the strong. In fact, the first third of the book is given to detailed descriptions of two broad categories of adolescent diversions or perversions: machismo and masturbation.In common with other institutionalized environments a social stratification falls into place, a pecking order develops, and the weak are victimized mercilessly. Early on the newcomers form a clan for mutual protection from hazing by the upper class cadets and this clan itself evolves to terrorize others.

By the time I finished the first third of the book all I really knew of the main protagonist, Alberto, is that his mother was passive-aggressive but mostly submissive and his father was abusive. I nearly closed the book and put it away at the one third mark because I didn't really care and wasn't really interested in this mixed-up kid.But I plowed on out of curiosity. Curious as to where this tale was heading------------something needed to happen to break up the tedious dark lives of these young degenerates and I was especially hungry for some analysis or insight into why they acted out like this.Vargas Llosa delivered, all in due time.

Fortunately for me I didn't give up. In the final two thirds of the book the characters were fleshed out, the fog lifted and I didn't want to put the book down, it just kept getting better. When the brutality in the barracks climaxes in a murder on the training grounds the apathetic administration is forced into action. Without spoiling the plot I can say that Vargas Llosa utilizes the principals involved in the crime and ensuing cover up to give us glimpsesinto their consciences and a look at the rationalizations they employ to justify what they have done or failed to do. We are handed insights into the meaning of compassion, courage, loneliness, selfishness, selflessness, and honor. Some of these lessons conform to our own experiences and some will be revelatory. Especially fascinating is an innocent girl, fancied by three of the cadets, who orbits in and out of the story line; her gravity affecting multiple characters and indirectly providing energy to move major events. She truly is free of malice and unaware of her power and its tragic consequences. For every action there is indeed a reaction and this invites us to ponder our own real life effects on others.

The larger lesson I will continue to ponder is the paradox of the code of silence. The code is ultimately both futile and vitally necessary for the integrity and order of the unit. Those caught up in the murder-cover up are damaged whether they adhere to the code or turn out to be squealers.Interestingly, the cadets who are not directly involved as the drama plays out are strengthened as a unit even as the principals are sacrificed by their adherence to or violation of the code of silence.

Not my Favorite Novel by Vargas Llosa, but Interesting...
I've now read several of Vargas Llosa's novels and I am a HUGE fan, actually, but this particular novel didn't strike me in quite the same way.It is an earlier novel than most of the others that I have read by him--this is a schoolboy/military academy novel that Vargas Llosa wrote during the Latin American Boom in Literature.Imagine "A Separate Peace" set in a Latin American Military Academy, in fact.(Except that it is also written in the less traditional, non-chronological narrative format favored by many of the Boom writers, who were all admirers of Modernists such as Virginia Woolf, James Joyce and William Faulkner.)

There really isn't any particular reason that I can pinpoint that I enjoyed it somewhat less than the other novels that I have read by Vargas Llosa--and I would recommend it to other readers.The way that the non-chronological narrative veils certain things about the story might frustrate some readers, but others might find that very element of the novel to be an intriguing selling point.Especially if you're interested in Vargas Llosa, the Latin American Boom, or Latin American literature in general, this is a must read, despite my own personal preference for some of his other novels.

(I would highly recommend "Death in the Andes," "The Storyteller" and "The Feast of the Goat," all by Vargas Llosa, as well as "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.)

Coming of age in the military
A novel which provides shifting perspectives and which moves back and forth in time and which moves easily from third to first person and in so doing manages to accumulate an engrossing look at adolescents and their experiences in the military. But it also manages to show the side of the officers in charge with intelligence and understanding. A major theme is the individual conscience in collision with the institution, and the individual faced with the imperatives of the group. The cadet training institution is a dumping ground for adolescents who are fed, clothed and "disciplined" and the novel examines their experiences especially ways in which they manage to create their own society within the structure much as in prisons.THe novel is especially strong in depicting the idealism of youth and their groping towards first love.Although cynical at times - rules are for subordinates not superiors one Lt is told (p382) it does end with an overall feeling of hope. A Mosaic of life in Peru in the 1950's which might be paralleled in many other cultures.

A+ book, C- translation
The Time of the Hero is one of the best books of our time, and ideal for The American Scholar. Llosa's writing style incorporates insights about life, war, love, fraternity, and humanity in a characteristicallyintelligent way. The subject matter is both informative and universal, andthe presentation is unique and intellectually appealing. The book ismulti-faceted, layered, and intriguing. Unfortunately, the translationtakes so much away from the story. It is necessary to either read the bookin the original Spanish, entitled La Ciudad y los perros, or read it with agrain of salt, always trying to read the language not as it appears on thepage, but as Llosa wrote it.

Not his best effort, but good none the less.
This is not the best of Vargas' books.Death inthe Andes is definitelybetter.However, this isnot to say that Time of the Hero is notinteresting.The first 50 pages are so are a little boring, but afterthat, the plots really starts moving. Read carefully.Some plots gonowhere, some are everything.By the end, you really care about thecentral characters, which is the sign of a good book. ... Read more

Product Description
When we fail to achieve our goals, procrastination is often the culprit. But how exactly is procrastination to be understood? It has been described as imprudent, irrational, inconsistent, and even immoral, but there has been no sustained philosophical debate concerning the topic.

This edited volume starts in on the task of integrating the problem of procrastination into philosophical inquiry. The focus is on exploring procrastination in relation to agency, rationality, and ethics-topics that philosophy is well-suited to address. Theoretically and empirically informed analyses are developed and applied with the aim of shedding light on a vexing practical problem that generates a great deal of frustration, regret, and harm. Some of the key questions that are addressed include the following: How can we analyze procrastination in a way that does justice to both its voluntary and its self-defeating dimensions? What kind of practical failing is procrastination? Is it a form of weakness of will? Is it the product of fragmented agency? Is it a vice? Given the nature of procrastination, what are the most promising coping strategies? ... Read more

Product Description

One of the vital challenges facing thoughtful people today is how to read the Bible faithfully without abandoning our sense of truth and history. Reading the Bible Again for the First Time provides a much-needed solution to the problem of how to have a fully authentic yet contemporary understanding of the scriptures. Many mistakenly believe there are no choices other than fundamentalism or simply rejecting the Bible as something that can bring meaning to our lives. Answering this modern dilemma, acclaimed author Marcus Borg reveals how it is possible to reconcile the Bible with both a scientific and critical way of thinking and our deepest spiritual needs, leading to a contemporary yet grounded experience of the sacred texts.

Customer Reviews (92)

Excellent book for the thinking Christian
Historical-critical scholarship has happened, and there is no going back to pre-modern days.Some try, but in the educated West, there are ever-fewer takers for this.So where does that leave the value or relevance of the Bible?Marcus Borg gives an answer that is compelling: the Bible points us to the heart of the Christian religion, hence it is still the Word of God in a meaningful sense, but without need to take it entirely literally.Highly recommended.

Why Haven't I Thought of That?
Think you've read the Bible often enough that there's little more you need to know?Borg dispels such thoughts in an easy to read manner which leads you back to those verses you thought you understood so well.And if you haven't considered reading the Bible, this is just the book to change your mind. Borg writes so well that you'll wonder why you haven't read the Bible.No proselitizing, no esoteric language, just good straight-forward prose.

A Superb Book
This is the book to read whenever the bible gets boring.Whenever we read it "for the first time," we are incapable of boredom.One of the reasons I've wanted a kindle is to be able to read and reread Borg.When he writes with his Catholic buddy, Crossan, he gets even better. The two of them are dynamite.

Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
This book is thoughtful, inspiring and very helpful in understanding difficult and/or contradictory passages in the Bible.It is easily understood and clear.I will buy other books by this author, as I feel he addresses many of us who simply cannot take the Bible literally but still have faith.

Book Purchase
Never hear from the people I placed the order with.They never shipped the product that I ordered.I had ordered this for my wife for Valentine's Day.What a bum outfit to order from. ... Read more

Product Description
In the years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time has established itself as a landmark volume in scientific
writing. It has also become an international publishing phenomenon, translated into forty languages and selling over nine million copies.

The book was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the nature of the universe, but since then there have been extraordinary advances in the
technology of observing both the micro- and the macrocosmic world. These observations have confirmed many of Professor Hawking's theoretical predictions
in the first edition of his book, including the recent discoveries of the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE), which probed back in time to within 300,000 years of the universe's beginning and revealed the wrinkles in the fabric of space-time that he had projected.

Eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these many observations, as well as his most recent research, for this revised and expanded edition Hawking has prepared a new introduction to the book, revised and updated the original chapters throughout, and written an entirely new chapter on the fascinating subject of wormholes and time travel.

In addition, to heighten understanding of complex concepts that readers may have found difficult to grasp despite the clarity and wit of Hawking's writing, this edition is magnificently enhanced throughout with more than 240 full-color illustrations, including satellite images, photographs made possible by spectacular new technological advances such as the Hubble telescope, and computer- generated images of three- and four-dimensional realities. Detailed captions clarify these illustrations, enabling readers to experience the vastness of intergalactic space, the nature of black holes, and the microcosmic world of
particle physics in which matter and antimatter collide.

A classic work that now brings to the reader the latest understanding of cosmology, The Illustrated A Brief History of Time is the story of the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (58)

Get over it when there is no time
From past to current, from simple kinetics to quantum theory, this book introduces ideas gradually.A well-organized review book that will widen many eyes.

Easy to follow!!
This book really breaks down astronomy and makes it easy to understand, even explaining the General Theory of Relativity which can be very confusing.It's a well written, understandable, intriguing, and easy to follow book :)

The best
The best physics' book I ever read. Simple, concise, practical for non-experienced regular curious persons.

Timeless classic worthy of your personal library
The significant enhancement over the original version is the inclusion of 240 illustrations of the concepts. The writing style is characteristically Stephen Hawking; he delights in adding his own personal experiences with colleagues. The book traces the historic discoveries, his personal experiences, and development of significant concepts to understanding the physics of our universe. His effective writing style presents these concepts descriptively in context without the mathematics. Note: If you are really thirsting for the heavy math, I highly recommend Roger Penrose's 'Road to Reality'.

In Chapter 2, 'Space and Time' (my favorite), Hawking summarizes the sequence of events that occurred between 1887 and 1905 that moved our understanding from classical (Newton) physics to relativistic (Einstein) physics. Prior to 1887, Maxwell's equations had proved the velocity of light is a constant. From a classical physics perspective, scientists thought that 'ether' must fill the vacuum of space and that observers would measure different speeds of light based on their own velocity relative to the ether. Measuring this difference in velocities was the intent of a famous experiment (Michelson-Morley) conducted 1887. Problem was, the experiment showed that the speed of light from different directions was exactly the same (i.e., speed of light is constant, independent of an observer's own velocity). Between 1887 and 1905, several theories were proposed to explain this apparent paradox. But it was Einstein, who published his famous paper on special relativity (constant speed of light, time dilation) in 1905 that resolved it, once and for all. The subsequent advances in our understanding of physics during the last 100 years have been remarkable.

The following quote is from the first chapter: "But ever since the dawn of civilization, people have not been content to see events as unconnected and inexplicable. They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world. Today we still yearn to know why we are here and where we came from. Humanity's deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for our continuing quest. And our goal is nothing less that a complete description of the universe we live in."

Stephen Hawking has published a collection of books on the physics of the universe, each with a different perspective and focus. Regardless of which books written by Stephen Hawking you acquire, the illustrated version of 'A Brief History of Time' is a timeless classic worthy of your personal library.

Bood is Great and Arrived in good condition
Its probably one of the greatest books ever written. I dont have to say it if you are reading my review about this book. The service is good and the book arrived in great condition. ... Read more

Product Description
America's most delightfully unconventional hostess and the bestselling author of I Like You delivers a new book that will forever change the world of crafting. According to Amy Sedaris, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, SIMPLE TIMES, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters.



You will discover how to make popular crafts, such as: crab-claw roach clips, tinfoil balls, and crepe-paper moccasins, and learn how to: get inspired (Spend time at a Renaissance Fair; Buy fruit, let it get old, and see

what shapes it turns into); remember which kind of glue to use with which material (Tacky with Furry, Gummy with Gritty, Paste with Prickly, and always Gloppy with Sandy); create your own craft room and avoid the most common crafting accidents (sawdust fires, feather asphyxia, pine cone lodged in throat); and cook your own edible crafts, from a Crafty Candle Salad to Sugar Skulls, and many more recipes.



PLUS whole chapters full of more crafting ideas (Pompom Ringworms! Seashell Toilet Seat Covers!) that will inspire you to create your own hastily constructed obscure d'arts; and much, much more! ... Read more

Product Description
Boynton is back! Joining Barnyard Dance! and Birthday Monsters!, here is Pajama Time! a good-night book with the irrepressible language, the inimitable illustrations, the irresistible cast of characters only Sandra Boynton could create.

A jump-roping chicken and a pig on a swing. A Scottie in plaid pajamas and an elephant in a fuzzy one-piece with feet. And in sing-along nuttiness reminiscent of Barnyard Dance!, it's time to head to bed-to the beat: Pajammy to the left. Pajammy to the right. Jamma jamma jamma jamma P!J! Everybody's wearing them for dancing tonight. Jamma jamma jamma jamma P!J!

Then the next morning, Hey! Wake Up!:Yawn. Stretch. Touch your toes. Shimmy shimmy shimmy, Wiggle your nose.

Just watch out for the broccoli stew. (Ew.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (101)

Love Boynton!
How can you NOT love Sandra Boynton books?We got most all of her board books for our 11 mo old triplets & they are great.Perfect length, fun rhythm and rhyme, and very durable which is important when three babies are eating them!

Wonderful Books!
I love all of the Sandra Boynton books I have seen and the songs that go with them.My granddaughter has this book (and song)sung every night and adores it!

One of the very boring Boynton books
Nothing exciting in this book. Very boring. Neither my son or I every pick up this book to read. Others like the Going to bed or "but not the hippo" are much much better.

kids favorite
my kids absolutely love this book - Jammy Time. It's a MUST read for bed. Lost it and had to buy another one - they were so upset that we had to go with out it for 3 nights.

Teaches kids to be judgemental
The book is fun to read when you make up your own rhythm.But we don't approve of calling unique pajamas "strange" and having others leer at uniquely clad individuals as though they were weird.We changed the wording and picture in the book a bit to teach our child tolerance. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (22)

Tedious...
I echo the sentiment of other reviewers so I'm making my review short. There is much sash twitching, names that sound identical, and excessive detail for an item that has been described before. If you like the series then this shouldn't be too much of an issue, considering the series starts picking up again at book 11.

awesome
i'm not going to review a 14-book series.they are good.if you like fantasy, give them a try.

Great books!
The books arrived quickly and in perfect condition.I love the books and the boxed set is the only way to go.

great series (so far)
Good series. I have trouble sometimes due to the sheer meat of it, but I'm getting through. So far, great great story(-ies).

Read it!It will change your life.
Ok, maybe not change your entire life, but this is an awesome book.If you are a fantasy nut, or just want a good book, and you haven't read this series yet, you are totally missing out.Seriously. ... Read more

Product Description
Zizek analyzes the end of the world at the hands of the “four riders of the apocalypse.”There should no longer be any doubt: global capitalism is fast approaching its terminal crisis. Slavoj Zizek has identified the four horsemen of this coming apocalypse: the worldwide ecological crisis; imbalances within the economic system; the biogenetic revolution; and exploding social divisions and ruptures. But, he asks, if the end of capitalism seems to many like the end of the world, how is it possible for Western society to face up to the end times? In a major new analysis of our global situation, Slavok Zizek argues that our collective responses to economic Armageddon correspond to the stages of grief: ideological denial, explosions of anger and attempts at bargaining, followed by depression and withdrawal.

After passing through this zero-point, we can begin to perceive the crisis as a chance for a new beginning. Or, as Mao Zedong put it, “There is great disorder under heaven, the situation is excellent.” Slavoj Zizek shows the cultural and political forms of these stages of ideological avoidance and political protest, from New Age obscurantism to violent religious fundamentalism. Concluding with a compelling argument for the return of a Marxian critique of political economy, Zizek also divines the wellsprings of a potentially communist culture—from literary utopias like Kafka’s community of mice to the collective of freak outcasts in the TV series Heroes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Read it!
For a long time I thought Z. was a kind of academic joke, a media clown - but, after reading a few of his books, especially his work on Schelling, I realized my mistake. He is a serious and innovative thinker but, also, one that appeals to popular thought - this book names an `outside' of capital and whatever the limitations of his alternative - communism (again, as what exactly? And could it be that both Capitalism and Communism are wrong, stemming from the same rotten root of heterodox-secular salvation myths?) - the thought of an outside is the vital thought right now as the riders are approaching, and the wind begins to howl! Go Zizek!

disappointed
I am very slowly making my way through the beast of a book, but not due to high density. I actually wish it was more dense. It's a bit of a stretch to call this "philosophy," although Mr. Z is obviously steeped in Hegel and Lacan. Of course, I am implicitly comparing it with Hegel's Phenomenology (I'm reading that one simultaneously) which isn't really fair. But even when weighed against Marcuse, this is clearly a very popularized sojourn into Hegelian-Marxist philosophy. I do appreciate Mr. Z's overall perspective. I just feel like it's possibly not worth weeding through all those literary references. I don't think this stuff is too heady to grasp easily; I think Mr. Z's text is just really meandering, and so literary and jumpy that it's not always clear what he's trying to say until he throws some Hegelian or Lacanian jargon at you with little explication (as if that really clears things up?). I guess if you're good at fitting synoptic-picturesque description to jargon, you're good. I just prefer more middle ground, where people explain their concepts a little more thoroughly and directly. Plus, it seems to me that the heart of what he's saying is something like: "A great deal of what we say is or at least could be considered to be to opposite of what it *really* is. Oh, and please revaluate the soiled-by-Stalinism-etc. notion of 'communism' because it's worth trying to make the world better, and 'communism' (w/o Stalinism) is actually a really viable, even *necessary* thing to consider." That's cool, but why do you have to bring "I Am Legend" into it? You don't! I keep looking for more meat, but I just can't seem to find it. Maybe I need to keep reading? Maybe I should just pick up Badiou instead.

An Important Work from a Great Contemporary Philosopher
If I had to recommend one contemporary philosopher for everybody to read, it would definitely be the great Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek. Oblivious of what his prissy colleagues in the academia might think, he gives equal space in his analysis to Husserl, Hegel, Hollywood and Heroes (an American TV series). I tend do disagree with many things that this passionate Marxist and devoted follower of Lacan says but his writing is so brilliant that each new book by him makes me jump for joy right in the bookstore. At over 400 pages long, Living in the End Times is Zizek's most important political statement so far in his fruitful intellectual career.

Zizek is the kind of philosopher who never stoops to triviality. He challenges every preconceived notion we might have. This is the reason why he mocks the concept of tolerance that enraptures liberals, ridicules the practice of recycling, criticizes Mahatma Gandhi as somebody whose struggle to protect the rights of the Untouchables ended up perpetuating the caste society, and ridicules the familiar trope that "globalization thratens local traditions and . . . flattens differences." Those who acquire an ironic distance from ideology and laugh at its tenets are - according to Zizek - most fully under the control of ideology. It is precisely Zizek's willingness to analyze critically every concept that others tend to hold as holy that has led him to be vituperated by pretty much every political group imaginable. If you want a book that will tell you things you already believe, Living in the End Times is not the kind of reading you will enjoy. If, however, you want to be forced to question and to think, Zizek is the philosopher for you. If anger motivates your analytical capacities, then rest easy: Zizek is guaranteed to shock you out of an intellectual aporia.

According to Zizek, we are living through a moment of crisis that our global capitalist system is undergoing. Zizek uses the well-known scheme of the five stages of grief in order to address our collective responses to the crisis. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance give name to the chapters in Zizek's book. There is a certain sense of discontent with the way the system in question functions, says Zizek. There is a danger that this discontent will be appropriated by nationalist populists. The Slovenian philosopher believes that the main task of the progressives is to avoid this and find a way to articulate this discontent in progressive terms.

Zizek's criticism of "today's ethical-legal conservatives" is convincing and incisive, as usual. Their struggle is futile because what they are trying to recreate simply did not exist in the first place: "In wanting to recreate the lost order. . . they will sooner or later be forced to admit not that it is impossible to restore. . . the old traditional mores to life, but that the corruption they are fighting in the modern permissive, secular, egotistic, etc. society was present from the very beginning." Try analyzing pretty much any aspect of the moralistic agenda of the Conservatives and you will see how they are trying desperately to "preserve" a system that - unlike what they would have us believe - isn't time-hallowed in the least.

Zizek points out that in spite of their internal contradictions the conservatives are pretty successful at channeling the growing popular discontent with the current state of affairs to their own ends. He calls the progressives to stop being afraid of radical change. Nobody can guarantee that the revolution will "work", he says. And we'd be wrong to ask for such a guarantee. But we are nearing the apocalyptic moment of a complete disintegration of the current global order. Zizek insists that the only responsible thing for today's progressives to do is to be ready to provide a viable and radically different alternative. We have to come out of our state of denial and recognize that trying to modify the existing system so that it would be somehow "better", "fairer" or "more just" is a completely useful enterprise.

Whether you agree with Zizek's agenda or not, the questions he raises in this book definitely merit to be asked.

the standard test
Whenever I come across one of these kinds of books from a European/Slavic philosopher I always perform what I call the "Israel Test." This test tells me whether or not the author is sane. Failing the test, the author can be counted on as either a lunatic with something of interest to say, or just another spiteful blowhard. At any rate, I performed the Israel Test on Living in the End Times and this is what I found. The author believes that the founding of Israel was a crime (his word) and that the Israelis believed they were engaged in a crime. Here you will find many such nuggets tucked and squirrelled away, as the author casually presents them. Personally, as a philosopher myself, I have little truck with such idiots. ... Read more

Product Description
A thoroughly updated and expanded edition of the definitive guide to managing and freeing up time

Applying the groundbreaking from-the-inside-out approach that made Organizing from the Inside Out a New York Times bestseller, Julie Morgenstern set a new standard for the time- management category. Her system has helped countless readers uncover their psychological stumbling blocks and strengths, and develop a time-management system that suits their individual needs.

By applying her proven three-step program-Analyze, Strategize, Attack-and following her effective guidelines, readers will find more time for work, family, self-improvement, or whatever is most important to them. Time management is a learnable skill, and in this completely revised edition, Morgenstern provides the ultimate tools to combine, delegate, and eliminate unnecessary tasks; put technology to work; and stop procrastinating once and for all.

This revised edition delivers
- a new chapter about the WADE formula for getting started
- new time maps for people with irregular schedules
- new four-, eight-, and twelve-week program guides for improving time-management skills
- a fully updated resource guide
Amazon.com Review
In Organizing from the Inside Out, author Julie Morgenstern used three main strategies to whip a living space or office into shape: "analyze, strategize, attack." Using the same system, Morgenstern now shows readers how to get rid of chaotic schedules in order to live more comfortable and productive lives. Morgenstern likens a cluttered schedule to a cluttered closet. For example, a closet is typically "crammed with more stuff than storage," and a schedule is typically "crammed with more tasks than time."

Those who fear "time management" because they worry about living uncreative or overly scheduled lives will find themselves reassured by Morgenstern's ability to customize her system. The most important thing readers must do, she emphasizes, is to create a time management system that fits one's personal style--whether it be spontaneous and easily distracted or highly regimented and efficient. "Just as everyone's living room looks different, reflecting the individual's or family's values and priorities, everyone's time management system will look different, reflecting what's important to him or her," she explains. Fortunately, readers can easily customize her excellent advice while learning how to create a personal time map, streamline routine tasks, conquer procrastination and chronic lateness, and manage all the inevitable crises and distractions of daily life. Speaking of procrastination, what better time than now to try this book out--ridding yourself of all that draining clutter so you can get on with living the life you want? --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

a different spin on time management
While I consider myself good at time management, I like to read a couple time management techniques when my life has changed in a way that no longer suits my current "system."This system doesn't come from a book although it is inspired by techniques from many places.Reading this book helped in my goal.I actually think I've read this book before many years ago.It still provided ideas, which is fine.That's the nice thing about time management.Techniques change over time to match how you work with time.

On to the book.Julie covers time's relationship with space.Which is interesting because most don't think about it that way.She covers why you must think of spatial vs electronic vs etc when choosing your system.

The standard time management techniques are in here of course.What surprised me was the emphasis on delegating because it isn't a book for managers.She brings up an excellent point though - delegating isn't just for subordinates.Trading tasks with people is a form of delegating that benefits both.As is paying someone to do something for you.

time management
Helps you organize in natural manner to your own needs. Kickstart book. Follow-up to excellent-"organizing from inside out". Best organization book for me.

I Was At My Wit's End Until I Read This Book
I desperately needed better time management skills, and I was at my wit's end about managing everything, until I checked this book out of the library. Halfway through reading it, I bought it from Amazon.com. I knew that quickly that this was the book I needed. I love Julie Morgenstern's emphasis on literally mapping out your time, learning what's truly important to you, emphasizing that in your schedule, and letting unimportant things go. Since then, I have a better sense of what I need to do each day, and now I create a weekly calendar based on what I need and want to do that upcoming week. It's a disciplined-but-flexible approach that works for me better than anything else has. I also bought her book on getting organized from the inside out. Sixty-five pages into the book, I had already organized my bedroom - a huge disaster area - with ideas from it. And it's stayed organized ever since. BUY THIS BOOK!

This book is just amazing, excellent and so practical!!!!!!
I recommended this book highly to everybody that need take control of their lifes and be succeful.
A lot of people are talking about this book and the reason is because is so useful, practical, ease to read & understand.
Well done Ms. Julie Morgenstern.

The Queen of Organization
Julie has a wealth of knowledge and the rare skill of sharing it in a way that matters with everyone else. Apply what you will find in this book, you'll be delighted to discover that you not only get more done each day, but that you have more energy for your family when you get home. ... Read more