One of the most clearly written quantum books I've come across. It emphasizes quantum mechanics from a molecular standpoint and contains applications and theory that are most important to chemists. There are a fantastic collection of examples and problems with highly detailed sloutions...something that is very, very rare. Highly recommended as both a text to learn from and refer to later. I don't think I would have passed my qualifying exams if I had'nt used it!

If you are planning a wedding and don't know "who" to ask the multitude of questions you have, this book is for you. Sherri Goodall and five other wedding experts have put together the ultimate wedding planning book. From etiquette to the bizarre and beyond, this book captures the essence of planning for your very special day! Recommended!

This book of jazz poems inspired me along with Charlie Parker's music to paint a painting with 242 11"x14" canvasses-one for each chorus-each canvas uses the same four elements(black caligraphy from an early hard cover edition, white from the cover's background, a red circle for beat poetry and a blue circle for jazz) yet each is different the way a jazz musician improvises on a melody line. A must read for all lovers of the Beats and Jack in particular.

Mexico City Blues shocked and moved me. The freedom with which Kerouac takes his writing, inventing words and splattering images, envys me as an aspiring poet. I have tried to imitate his style but finally realized that only Jack can write like Jack. The poems contained on these pages are some of the greatest I have ever read and reading them is like slowly devouring an entire banquet.

Jack Kerouac wanted to be known as a jazz poet and with this poem he proves that he is. Mexico City Blues is one of my favorite Kerouac books and a lot of fun to read.

The 242 Choruses are free-spirited and spontaneous, almost like they've been written just before you turn the page. If you've read and enjoyed "On the Road" or "The Dharma Bums" pick this one up and enjoy.

A little Miles Davis, John Coltrane, or Charlie Parker playing in the background will add a whole new dimension. Sweet.

"..Fifty pesos
3 Cheers Forever
It's beautiful to be comfortable
Nirvana here I am.."

'The Dharma Bums' is a tale of social dropouts in California who search for Buddhist enlightenment and truth (dharma) amid wine, sex, hitchhiking and mountain scenery. It's a good introduction to Kerouac - shorter, lighter and more accessible than On the Road, which is a more epic but also has some monotonous bits.

If religious certainties turn you off, you might tire of dharma-bum narrator Ray's Buddhist slogans and the dogmatic Zen views of Japhy, Ray's buddy. But though Kerouac portrays Buddhism as liberating, he also laughs a lot at kooky piety. At some points - like Ray's 'banana sermon' - religion becomes either profound or hilarious, or both.

Ray tries to reach nirvana by convincing himself the world's an illusion, which makes it ironic that the best bits in this novel are poetic descriptions of mountains and travel. The final lonely mountain-top vigil - based on Kerouac's experience as a fire lookout, described in Lonesome Traveller - is a tour de force. Kerouac's prose flair allows him to string 10 adjectives in front of a noun, a heinous crime in modern writing fashion, and get away with it.

Kerouac balances Ray and Japhy's Buddhist belief that the world is illusory against the earthbound views of world-weary poet Alvah Goldbook, a thinly veiled Allen Ginsberg. Alvah's quest to soak up his surroundings rather than transcend them puts him closer to the philosophy of On the Road, in which the travelling bums reach a jubilant but sad-hearted state of raw appreciation of their phsyical world.

Through the Ray-Japhy-Alvah triangle and all the minor characters, 'The Dharma Bums' gives various answers to Kerouac's big question in this and other books: how to lead a free existence in a conformist careerist consumerist society. Fifty years later, the question's got more vital. Youthful rebellion and boheme are just marketing motifs for soft drinks, CDs and snowboards now, but Kerouac shows you it's possible to be authentically free - if you have the guts.

This is a free-spirited energetic, descriptive, tale that was written just before the emerging 60s culture began to evolve and gain mainstream attention and followings. Kerouac lived and did what he wanted in this story (and mostly in his life.) His description of Berkeley and the folks he encountered was interesting, and is full of youth, freedom, and the desire to experience. This is a different read than "On The Road," in the way it flows. His train hops up the west coast, jaunt to North Carolina, and the hike with Japhy, can make one ruminate. "Raymond Smith" was searching for some meaning to life in this book. This piece was written by Kerouac when he still had energy and life left in him. I'd like to know a lot more about Gary Snyder, who is the character Japhy Ryder in the book. I believe he's still alive. The Dhamra Bums goes on everyone's shelf, with the Road, after you've read The Road. Let it lure you to the Rucksack Revolution.

This is the book that lured me into the world of kerouac. I had previously read "On the Road," which was excellent, but I feel no match for "the Dharma Bums." This book changed my life. It changed the way that i thought. Kerouac introduces the reader to his experiences and beliefs through his novels; they are mostly semi-autobiographical. Before this novel consumed me, i had no notion of Buddhism. In retrospect this has been the single most influential thing that I have been exposed to. This book is just a starting point for a Kerouac fan. I recommend that you follow this book with Kerouac's "Desolation Angels." Simple, and yet so satisfying literature. I have not really encountered any other writers who are so beloved, so beautiful and poetic in few and simple jazz talk and random amusing European literary name dropping. Pick this one up, maybe it will change your life too!

There are lots of cats and crime novels out there...crime solving cats are almost a cliche. But in Dymmoch's first mystery novel, cats are metaphors for human behavior: independent, intelligent, and irrepressible. Dymmoch writes about them well...in fact, Dymmoch is an excellent writer in general. "The Man Who Understood Cats" is well written, and fairly well constructed, though I felt it a bit repetitive: the sequence of murders seemed similarly devised (suicides made to look like murders) and the ultimate discovery of the murder was an anticlimax: he was the least developed of characters and his motives remain unclear.

However, I enjoyed the setting and the partnership of cop and shrink, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Don't let the title of this mystery fool you into thinking that this is one of those cute mysteries in which man and cat solve crime. This riveting first mystery features Chicago detective John Thinnes and psychiatrist Jack Caleb, neither of whom believe that Dr Caleb's patient, Allan Finley, an obsessive but otherwise unremarkable accountant, committed suicide.
The plot is complex and suspenseful, but what makes this book special is the relationship between Detective Thinnes who is near burnout and the openly gay Dr. Caleb. Each man is forced to reassess what he thinks of the other as they work together to solve the crime.
As a psychotherapist, I found Dr Caleb very believable. He is a skilled, well-trained professional not a mind reader. Dymmoch understands, as many writers don't, that a good pyschiatrists and detectives have a lot in common with the ideal writer of fiction who in the words of Henry James is "a person on whom nothing is lost."

Josh McGowan: international (and yet patently American) man of intrigue.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Brave the action, adventure, and breathtaking stunts McGowan executes as he works to rescue a young Russian, a woman of mysteriously high importance to intelligence and military figures of the former Soviet Union. But why is she so important to them? What secrets does she hold? McGowan would like to know, but she's not talking.
What we're talking about here is an adventure, a spy/military/political thriller, and first and foremost, an action novel penned with a gift for the mode by author Jack Allen - so much so that this novel might easily translate into one of the action flicks Hollywood is so fond of turning out.
If you are a fan of spy novels or action flicks, take Allen's "A Change of Heart" out for a spin. But be careful; on Allen's roadways, the rules tend to disappear.

"Change of Heart" is Jack Allen's first novel. While I do not usually read spy thrillers, I felt a sense of duty to do so this time, since he is a fellow Michigander. In addition, someone who can call themselves Burping Frog Publishing is worthy of attention, if not respect. The news is good. This is an old fashioned spy thriller with all the appropriate parts - evil master spies, beautiful women, a true hearted hero, and all the epic action and violence that a reader could ever ask for.

Josh McGowan is the hero in question. He is part of Naval Intelligence and has spent most of his career doing the hard and dirty work of a field operative. The opening scene of the book has McGowan busting up an undercover information theft with a chase scene the has him destroy a truck with one car and then bring down a boat with another. All in a days work for Josh, who has just been ordered to Washington for an even more harrowing assignment. As part of a protection deal, KGB Colonel Mironov (the nasty of this story) has provided the prison location of Valeria Konstantinov. She is a spy that US intelligence is anxious to talk to. Valeria knows the location of Dr. Otto Jones, an explosive expert who is aiding the Communist Party in its effort to retake Russia. Valeria has been freed from prison and smuggled off the Siberian coast by the CIA. Josh's assignment is to bring her back to the States.

In a series of confrontations with every thing from a destroyer to sharks, Josh barely makes it to Japan with Valeria. Josh wants to head for the U. S. Embassy, but Valeria is intelligent enough to figure out that she does not want to face interrogation. Playing on Josh's feelings, the beautiful spy manages to escape him and sets up a meeting with her Russian lover. Unbeknownst to everyone, Mironov is planning a double-cross and manages to recapture Valeria, who figures greatly in his plans to resurrect Communist Russia. Josh is caught up in a series of events that will take him to Israel and then back to Russia in his efforts to save Valeria and defeat Mironov's plan.

This is a pretty wild tale, long on action, with good solid details. Characterization, no surprise, suffers in this kind of novel. But many of the players are painted well, even if a bit sparingly. I wouldn't hold this against this kind of fiction. Only John Le Carre is prone to pushing the envelope towards making spy fiction great literature. The story is far from boring and will carry the reader right through to the end. My only real complaint is that, while the story reads believably while you are in the middle of it, there are a few places which don't quite make sense in retrospect. Like McGowan taking the time to erase a disk drive in the middle of a warehouse complex he is shortly going to completely obliterate. These few idiosyncrasies do serve to move the plot along and are easily forgiven. I found the book to be great fun, and hope Jack Allen gets to write many more. Recommended.

I could not stop reading Jack Allens new spy Thriller,"Change of Heart," for 2 days.(I did have to hide it a couple of times because I read most of it at work)Its like watching a movie from start to finish.I can just picture Mel Gibson playing our Hero,Josh McGowan.I'm still thinking about who could play the beutifull,former KGB female spy,Valeria Konstantinov. I can also picture Jerry's face,Josh's new partner, flying airborn on his first assignment with our hero.I honestly bust out laughing at some parts,felt romantic when Josh and Valeria had there first dance,and what she was thinking,and was amazed at what happened next."Change of Heart" is the first in a series of new adventures about Josh McGowan,the American spy with the selfless sense of honor.I can't wait for the next adventure.

I was so moved by this book. Several of the chapters moved me to tears. You dont know Jack is not a book for Nicholson fans, but for everyone who is touched by tender family moments. It is a book many will be able to identify with as it touches on many topics relating to all. I loved it, well written, well documented, I couldn't put it down. I hope down the road for this author there is a happy ending with her brother. You don't know Jack, but if you read this, you will!

I loved the book. Like the introduction states, it's not just a book about Jack Nicholson. It's about Jack's father, his sister, and his family. It's a story which Jack Nicholson doesn't want told. But, one that should be known to people, even those who are huge fans of Jack's.

I could not put this book down! The book does not focus solely around Mr. Nicholson as one would think but, rather, centers on his other family. I learned about the blood lines that run through this remarkable family. At times the book made me want to cry and at other times it made me laugh at the way little details of the family were captured through the written word in ways I could relate to. Having the pleasure of knowing one of the authors, I can truly say that this book (and the author) come across as genuine and warm, someone I would be proud to have in my family.

Although Kerouac was quite an interesting character, Charters gives little justice to this literary genius. She gives merely a string of events, adding no story to his life at all. In addition to that, Mrs. Charters does not describe some situations at all. The reader is left to wonder what truly happened in some instances, and this gives little justice to Jack's life. There were a few sentences were the author attempted to write in Jack's style, and fails miserably. I'm sorry to detract so much from Mrs. Charters, but she is no Jack Kerouac. Overall, the book isn't bad, and if you're really interested in Kerouac, it's not a bad place to start, but if you really want to dive into Kerouac's psyche and true genius, this is not the place to do it.

Ms. Charters did a commenable job putting together
this book. I would rate it right up there with
Nicosia's bio. The author certainly provided a lot
of background info and did a compelling job of
helping me get a better understanding of the social
climate which Kerouac & friends had to contend with
and conquer. My only complaint is that her writing style
sometimes lapses into a style a little too closely allied
with that of her subject, but given the subject matter, that is

understandable. I would recommend this book for those of
you who have found Kerouac's writings to be enjoyable.

While in college, I had to do a paper on "On The Road" and after reading it, I became absolutely fascinated with Jack Kerouac. I got this book out of the library one day. I think it is excellent. It documents Kerouac's whole life from birth to death and gives the reader a wonderul insight into the "real" Jack Kerouac. I literally could not put this down.

Most readers come to know Kerouac through On the Road. Those who develop a relationship with his work invariably point to Visions of Cody as the one that hooked them for life. While the plotting and structure aren't nearly as sound as On the Road, this isn't exactly a novel. More like a rambling, poetic love letter to a period in Kerouac's life that was quickly slipping away.

Incidentally, Kerouac did not intend for this to be a companion to On the Road. If the author had had it his way, this would have been the definitive version of On the Road.

Most readers agree that the first 150 pages is by far the best writing in this book. Read this section, even if you put the book down for good afterward. These 150 pages are pure, loose, and brilliant. Kerouac sketching unequaled by any other part of his oeuvre.

As with all Kerouac books, this one has its faults. The middle 200 pages are overwrought and self-indulgent. But that can be said of most of Kerouac's work. The tape transcripts are important reading if you want a first-hand account of the dynamic that existed between Jack and Neal. But this section could have been shortened substantially. Also, for every perfect sentence, there are ten that fall flat--examples of how the spontaneous prose technique had its drawbacks. But no writer is great all the time. And Kerouac's sporadic greatness more than makes up for the notes he doesn't quite hit.

For those new to Kerouac's work, you would be better off reading The Subterraneans first just to get acclamated to the spontaneous prose style. Even then, it will be tough going. But you read Kerouac for more than the storytelling. Faithful Kerouac readers cite the author's inventiveness, his fearlessness, and his unwavering devotion to the written word. Most writers go their entire lives without a sentence as good as, "So pull that skull cover back and smile." And that one is buried in a heep of perfectly constructed, evocative sentences.

For a more critical look at this book, try reading Kerouac's Crooked Road by Tim Hunt (with help from Ann Charters). It offers a thorough breakdown of Kerouac's techniques, while providing an insightful comparison between Visions of Cody and On the Road (two versions of the same idea).

Not the best Kerouac novel but one of the more entertaining, Vision Of Cody follows Kerouac's hero Neal Cassidy through his endless exploits and meaningless discourse. Sometimes dubbed as Kerouac's Finnigan Wake, according to particular critics, the book utilizes a style of an architectural text format on the printed page, as well as inventive diatribes and phonetical play on words. However, the book is definitely a challenge (writing close to 500 pages) and requires a lot of patience. Nevertheless, it still is a fun read once the reader overcomes the Joycean first two chapters. The book's highlight is the tape-recorded transcriptions concentrating on Jack and Cody's contentions of Jazz and sex.

Buy this book! Then forget it's a novel. Forget looking for plot, action or continuity, just read each section like a prose poem. Or better, a short run of notes in a brilliant sax solo. Jack wrote this in 1951 (age 29), right before "On the Road." It's more like a sketchbook than a finished portrait, but on every page his amazing ear takes American English to entirely new places. If you get bored, read it aloud & listen to the surge, chop and swing that Keroauc gives to the language. In "Visions of Cody," he got his vision of America down in a SOUND: staccato, breathless, brave & precise. One of America's greatest poets, and this is maybe his greatest poem. Read, re-read, read again, enjoy.

A must read for the serious Kerouac fan, Pomes is a "Why bother?" for everyone else. Ann Charters wrote "The quality most pure in Kerouac was his grasp that life is really a dream." Nowhere is this more evident than in the random jottings that has been published as Pomes All Sizes. There are some gems among his silly little haikus, and I truly enjoyed the first sequence of "Poems of the Buddhas of Old." Most of the collection left me scratching my head. Was Jack just having a bit of fun with us, or was he so advanced that I still can not grasp the meaning? "Life is like a dream. / You only believe it's real / Cause you're born a sucker / For that kind of deal;" In Pomes All Sizes the roses are beautiful, but the path to them is unpassable to all but the most devout.

I first heard most of this poetry on the CD "Kicks Joy Darkness". I was entranced, and went looking for the book. This is some of my favorite modern poetry. It has interesting rhythm, perspective, organization (or lack thereof) and a variety of emotions, ranging from goof ball stuff to poems about death. As usual with Kerouac you are constantly encountering Buddhism and Catholic thought, along with sexual themes. I do wish he would use grammar a bit more, but hey, I'm not a famous poet who represents a generation. Read it out loud for best effect.

You will not understand Kerouac's writing style by reading "On the Road" or "Dharma Bums." To really dig what he was getting at you have to read his "Belief & Technique in Modern Prose" then read some stuff like "pomes all sizes," "old angel midnight," "visions of cody," "mexico city blues" etc. "Pomes all sizes" is an incredible book, full of astonishing pomes by one of the most important literary innovators of the 20th century, & along with "some of the dharma" it's kerouac's most personal book (but far, far, far more readable than "some of the dharma," which I would only recommend you read after reading everything else kerouac has ever written). Yes, there's lots of silly fragments and intoxicated sketches (where else do you find a kerouac pome written while on morphine or goofballs), but you gotta see Kerouac's style values spontaneity over crafted work, so it is these unpretentious, unselfconscious pomes that are among his greatest accomplishments.

This slim volume is jam-packed with mind blowing pomes: "Mexican Loneliness," "How to Meditate," "The Moon," "Skid Row Wine," "Long Island Chinese Poem Rain," "Silly Goofball Pomes," "God," "Bowery Blues," and dozens of haikus... Yes, the book is inconsistent at times, but after all it is selections from his private notebooks -- and what a rare treat to be invited to spy into a great writer's "secret scribbled notebooks and wild typewritten pages."

If you do not dig this book then you do not dig Kerouac. Nuff said.