The previous edition of this book, edited by Cassandra Vivian was far superior to this one. This edition is written for a single audience-wealthy married with children embassy types-and ignores the wide variety of other foreigners who wind up in Cairo. It is highly idiosyncratic in its views and leaves out whole areas of information that were covered in the previous edition. My old edition fell apart and I threw it away thinking the new edition would replace it, and now I am kicking myself for doing so.

This book is not your average "here's-how-to-get-to-pyramids" guide book to Egypt, nor is it intended to be. This is a book specifically for individuals and families moving to Cairo for an extended period who have not spent time in Middle Eastern, African or other second-tier countries whose citizenry has a different "walterschaaung" or worldview. Listing this guidebook in the travel guide section is wide of the mark; this is a survival guide for ex-patriots to one of the most historic and culturally unsual (from a Western perspective) place on the planet. Thousands of survival tips are given, such as which kinds of cheeses to select, where to find and what to pay a housekeeper, where to find fresh meat, which mall has a Baskins-Robbins, which neighborhood would best suit the new arrival, and a pretty good chapter on survival Arabic. The writing style, like this guide, is not sugar-coated but directly sparse, defoliated and easy to read and remember. I would pack this book along with several other guidebooks if you are planning an extended (more than a few days) stay in Cairo. While world-romping tourists could probably live without this guide, the expat would find it indispensible. Chances are, though, a new guide book edition (the 10th) is already headed toward the American University in Cairo Press.

are about all that this book has to offer. I found that it was full of suggestions like 'get a really nice pen to write your journal with.' I was hoping to learn more about the actual mechanics of writing a journal entry. Other books I have read recently suggest starting simple with a record of the daily weather, or a record of the people you met during the day. Then you slowly start increasing the details that you write on a daily basis. In contrast to this type of concrete suggestion, "Dear Diary" offers far too many generalizations to be truly helpful.

I found this book to be just the thing I needed to get started writing the journal I always wanted to keep. The author has shown me not only the how and why of journal keeping, but the many benefits to be derived from journals. In the first week, I began seeing some of the benefits in my own life. I recommend this book to all!!!!!!

Good readings, but the producer apparently felt the poetry can not stand on its own and added background music throughout. It distracts terribly from the music, and never has any relation in mood to the poetry. Avoid this tape.

If you like Emily Dickenson (and I do) you will love this audio cassette. The readers include Meryl Streep, Sharon Stone, and other great female talents. They read the poems with style and a subtility that matches the work of the poet. After hearing the presentations, I came away feeling that the poems were studied by the readers and for the most part understood and delivered accordingly. Thumbs up!

Does this book come with a dinner or what? I think i'll check out the public library or just sit back and wait for the movie...

I have read and grown quite fond of this book, it is the moist in depth, wonderful collection of Hudson River photography I have ever seen ! I highly recommend this book to anyone who would be intrested in a photographic tour of one of the most beautiful and history filled rivers in existance.

From the author of "The Evils of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", and "The Truth about D&D" comes another book that displays her inability to retain a grip on reality. She uses a technique of blaiming other people and their lack of understanding of her radical beliefs on their own hobbies and the way they worship God. She is obviously a brainwashed foul from some cultish church that tries to blame the world's troubles on the fact that everyone doesn't belong to their religous group.

this little book of 100 insights asto what Jesus would do in these 100instances that we encounter today.It is somewhat speculative but issupported by biblical teachings and quoutes. This is a marvelous,spiritually comforting book. Robieshows lots of love and compassionand probably comes as close to theessence of Jesus that mortals arecapable of.

Compared to other Crawford biographies "Joan Crawford: The Last Word" is a slender volume. However the facts of Crawford's life move along in a steady fashion and the photos are lovely. The author refrains from waggling a scolding finger at Christina Crawford and gives weight to both sides of the Joan the Monster, Joan the Queen of Kindness images that Crawford summons.

Frederick Lawrence Guiles' intention in 'Joan Crawford: The Last Word' is to liberate the real Joan Crawford from the maniacal control freak enshrined in the public mind by her daughter's hatchet-job biography 'Mommie Dearest' and its subsequent shlock movie adaptation. It's a noble aim which is becoming very fashionable of late - especially with the recent publication of 'Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography' - but it's also a difficult one. Paint the subject in too negative a light and Christina's claims seem justified; too positive a light and, to paraphrase Shakespeare, it appears you are protesting just a little too much.

Guiles does quite a good job of walking the line in between, but what results inevitably remains little more than a short biography with infrequent interjections about Christina's inaccuracies and misinterpretations. Admirably, he resists the temptation to demonise Christina herself, although her distortions of the truth are manifestly obvious as Guiles explains. Perhaps the most potent example is the fact that, while 'Mommie Dearest' gives the impression of having been written as a reaction to having been left out of her mother's will, Christina actually began the book while Joan Crawford was still alive. Guiles conjectures that it may well have been Joan's horror at the venomous portrait her daughter was painting that prompted her to leave her out of the will in the first place, not the other way around.

What really comes across here - and in 'Mommie Dearest' itself - is that Joan and her daugher did not get along simply because they were too similar to one another, their personalities so strong that a clash was inevitable. Christina even grew up to take on many of the characteristics she hated most about her mother, including professional competition. Neither woman was perfect but, as Guiles attempts to emphasise, Crawford does not deserve to live on only in the guise of shrewish mother-from-hell. She was an emotionally crippled person, but not the cartoonish monster most people see her as today.

If you have read 'Mommie Dearest' and taken it as gospel, I definitely recommend giving this book a read, to learn that the truth was more complex. If you're after a straight biography of Crawford, leave this one for later.

This book was terrible. the only reason I give it one star is because Joan d'Arc's story is one i like. this author portrays it very drily and i felt like i was reading out of my history book! i think the author could have made the book more interesting with more details and descriptions.

I thought it was a great book. It showed that if you beleive enough in your cause you can do anything.

I am an avid reader and I would have to say that this is the worst romance I have ever read. It was so unbelievably corny and without substance that I found myself skipping pages just to complete it. The section where Joe finds out the students reaction to his choice of neighborhoods is laughable. Why was he upset? Does anyone see any depth to any of the "issues" this couple is facing????? Oh brother. I was just disgusted that I wasted a few hours reading this. I will note this author's name so that I never purchase another one of her books.

I found the story to be very engaging and the characters well developed. I read a lot of books (not just romance) and I couldn't put this book down!

This is not a thorough biography on Lee, however, any serious collector on the life of the greatest angler and most innovative fly tier that blessed our presence in the last century is s must-have.

Jack Samson had the knowledge, experience, and access to the materials needed to write a solid biography of Lee Wulff. Wulff's achievements (originated fly patterns most anglers carry, and the vest in which we carry them; a leader in catch-and-release angling and salmon conservation; a fine writer) certainly merit the attention of a biographer. Samson's book has not filled this gap.

The best parts of this book are the abundant quotations from Wulff's prolific writings and occasional useful contextualization provided by Samson. The narrative itself offers neither insight into Wulff's character, nor compelling reading. There are enough anecdotes to incite interest, but too little follow-through on many interesting topics.

There are also nice photographs, some of which are Samson's.

With the journalistic style Samson employs, Samson demonstrates that Wulff speaks clearly for himself on issues of interest and importance to anglers. Further, Samson demonstrates that he knows a good bit about Wulff's life and writing. He could have created a useful anthology to introduce readers to one of the most original sports fishing authors of the twentieth century. Such an anthology might still be welcome.

This book provokes interest that it cannot satisfy. Fortunately, Wulff's own books are still available.

I've purchased this book and have found that the directions are not at all easy to follow. Details are left out, and diagrams are few and far between. I wouldn't recommend it.

This book was my primary reference while I made shades for 13 windows, saving thousands of dollars over having them made by a workroom. Not only did the book provide inspiration by use of many pictures, I found the instructions to be more than adequate.