From the preeminent Fitzgerald scholar Matthew Bruccoli, this book's remarkable thoroghness and honesty is refreshing. Bruccoli gives the oft misunderstood Fitzgerald a human, albeit, reverent study, exploring beyond the overemphasized alcoholism into the realms of insecurity and sensitivity that had an indelible effect on Fitzgerald's work. The book reads well, without the burden of overly scholarly analysis, making it suitable reading either for doctoral study or simply for a summer beach day.

This is easily in my top ten list of books. Wonderful account of growing up in the upper Midwest after the War Between the States. Hamlin Garland writes with a great sense of place and a love of the land.

A.J. Cronin depicts a tale of a simple advanced teenage boy. Perhaps some of it is autobiographical . . . Cronin is deeply in love with the story, it is told with such affection for each character. The young boy grew up through out the British isles he, Laurence Carrroll, meets some very engaging persons. Terence, the dashing swindling cousin; Pin the teacher; Nora, his second love and cousin. His mother is Laurie's first love, pushing him in all sorts of things, with great admiration for it all.
Miss. Greville, is the most interesting and astonishing of all. Upon Laurence and his mother losing their house, Miss. Greville takes them in. With Miss. Greville's lunatice antics and empty promises coupled with some of the most enthralling experiences, Laurence becomes infatuated with everything she has to teach him.
The story grasps you immediatly when Laurence and the reader experience two very disheartening deaths and he is moved shortly thereafter to live with his odd Uncle Leo. Experience the game of cricket and a summer of botany he begins to love himself and the world.
A Song of Sixpence was not what I expected. I was expecting a parody or an advanced version of the classic poem but it was neither. In fact, nothing of the nursery rhyme was mentioned. Clever, indeed! Although Cronin never wrote about pockets full of rye or black birds, Cronin's tales is just as silly and engaging as one could imagine!!

My job requires me to travel constantly. I never leave home without this book. It contains a wealth of spiritual food for every adventure life puts before you. As a spiritual seeker, you'll always have questions regarding health, wealth, creativity, love relationships, family, peace of mind, etc. I bought it while on the road singing back-up for Bob Dylan in Sidney, Australia, and because of the title, thought it would be great to enhance my songwriting. To my surprise, it enhanced my entire life! I recommend it to everyone willing to learn of the awesome power of GOD.

In my studies of Saint Elizabeth Seton I have found this book to be of most value. It goes beyond the auto-biography and dips into the soul of Elizabeth Seton and the reader. This book shows us how we can use Mother Seton's example to better our own lives by becoming closer to God. It truely is a good spiritual read.

This book is great! Not only do you get vital information on momentous First Amendment cases, but you also get to 'hear' the people involved discuss their motives for and feelings while standing up for their (and our) rights.

The book is a compilation of interviews with lawyers, plaintiffs and defendants from 10 key First Amendment law cases that deal with topics such as freedom of expression, libel, privacy, the use of anonymous sources, free press vs. fair trial, commercial speech, broadcast and cable regulation, and new media regulation.

While Russomanno probably intended this book to be used in a Mass Communication Law class, it is also a fascinating read for anyone interested in our right to "speak our minds." The book is well written (especially the Nebraska Press chapter), well researched and interesting on many levels. Definitely a great addition to any collection.

If you're into the First Amendment, you must have this book!

With jobs so scarce lately, I thought I'd spend my time reviewing basic skills while I waited for the phone to ring. One of the skills employers and agencies test for admin jobs is spelling. When jobs are plentiful, who cares. I get 100% on word processing tests; I know how to use spell check. Since I have to compete for a limited number of jobs, I got serious about each test.

This book starts with a mammoth list of commonly misspelled words. It's great as a reference. Skip to the chapters with the rules. I did a read through followed by a close reading of the first three rules chapters. I got 100% on a computerized spelling test for business and legal terms today -- which didn't include the obvious words like mortgage, committee, bookkeeping, and government. I know I would have gotten several of the test words wrong if I hadn't reviewed this book.

My next purchase in this series will be Business Mathematics the Easy Way.

A young man lives life in a bubble, just like the rest of the world does. Isolation, yet a kind of warped freedom are the topics delved into. Disturbing and fascinating. GrUber has won numerous prizes in Austria and Europe for her work and is very well known there. Another of her books, "Windstille," "Silence of the Wind" is being translated into English currently.

It was awesome, it tells you a lot about the history, and adventures of the famous (to those of you who know the Civil War) Belle Boyd, and other courageous men and women. It is so good, me and my cousin are thinking about making a re-make, for kids now-adays to find out what it was like, back then. E-mail me for more info, or to help me.

London biographer Nick Greer sees the finish line on the definitive biography of controversial artist Frank Spira. However, he soon learns the key source of insight into the life of the long deceased artist, his alleged lover, Jacob Grossman, still lives in Manhattan. An excited Nick visits Jacob who provides one revelation that holds the presses. The Incarnation, considered by many the epitome of Spira's career was not destroyed in 1957, but probably still exists.

Not long after his interview, Nick learns that someone murdered Grossman. The police lean towards Nick killing Grossman though the motive is unclear. Nick obsesses over finding the painting, but also wants to stop the murderer who has killed other Spira associates, but "the collector" has different plans that include using Nick to obtain the Incarnation for him.

This is an exciting mystery that works on several levels that include an intriguing serial killer who-done-it, a clever biography subplot, and an insightful art mystery. Nick is a great protagonist, whose obsessive personality is costing him his personal life, leading to the audience to wonder when he will get a real life. Anyone who reads this superb debut novel will feel sorry for author Joseph Geary because improving on this tale seems impossible.

Harriet Klausner