angela's ashes was a depressing book which was well written and spellbinding- a true gem. You constantly are flipping back to the dedication page to see if the children survived. The movie doesn't do it justice. Tis was a disappointment to me because i couldn't get an emotional attachment to frank's story until the final chapter.

Purchased Angela's Ashes in the late spring after hearing so much about the book and movie in the past 2 years and was completely blown away with Frank McCourt's life/work. Left hanging by the lack of ending in Angela's Ashes, it was quickly on to 'Tis and immediately thereafter, A Monk Swimming by Frank's brother Malachy McCourt.

Angela's Ashes is riveting for the sheer horror of escalating human tragedy. Just rented the movie and listened to my 11-year-old son repeat over and over, "just when you think it can't get any worse...it does". The book is far more graphic and not at all for the faint of heart. Malachy Sr., who loves his children desperately, is incredible in his alcoholism but even more incredible in his confused indifference to the suffering of his family. Angela is simultaneously pathetic and heroic possessing all the destructive sarcasm of her pretentiously proud mother and sister with an ability to do what is necessary to ensure her survival, along with 4 of her 7 children. Denial kills 3 children and a marriage, while the want of the most basic human contact turns a mother to incest. Miraculously, Frank survives and even thrives, driven by the things that his father did not possess...common sense, the gratification of a hard days work, sobriety, and I would argue literary genius.

'Tis is the ending that Angela's Ashes required and the reader learns that some of Frank's parent's demons have come home to roost. Despite his ability to succeed in America, Frank finds himself trapped in dysfunctional relationships and making several alcohol-induced blunders. Frank's observations/experiences about America/Education in the 50's, 60's, and into the 70's seem very fresh through his Irish eyes (2 holes in the snow they may be). With this, 'Tis takes on a more historical/documentary feel rather than a personal memoir. My wife felt that Frank whined a bit in 'Tis and I'd agree that some of the later chapters about his teaching experiences contain some unnecessary tangents. You are left with Frank McCourt's bittersweet feelings on the death of Angela in New York and finally Malachy Sr. in Belfast.

Both works are absolute page-turners with the shame, and alcohol, and Irishness fanning the flames of your humanity with horror, sadness, and delight. Hoping for a third book to bring us through Frank's eventual divorce and life in the 90's.

McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' leads the reader through the author's impoverished childhood in Ireland. It introduces his parents, brothers and baby sister and the dire circumstances they managed to survive. The story captivated me with the first paragraph. ''Tis' continues McCourt's adventures as he arrives in the United States as a young man. His stint in the Army, his quest for an education and his long search for love are all braided into a moving and unforgetable story. I recommend that you experience both books via audio tape. The author's charming Irish brogue only adds richness to an already overwhelming story.

Froggy is a young frog that is exited to do anything. I think Froggy goes to School is a great story for little kids in their toddler years (mostly for ages 3-7). This story is about a young frog and his first day of school. Froggy wakes up one morning and finds that he was running late for the bus and he don't want to miss his first day so he runs out the door and then when he gets on the bus his friends start to laugh at him because... Froggy forgot to get dressed he was on the bus in his boxers and then when he got to school his teacher called his name and only it was not his teacher it was his father calling him to get dressed school was starting soon. It was all a dream "bubble bubble, Toot toot, Chicken, Airplane, Soldier." To find out what this has to do with Froggy's first day of school read this story it's a Darn Tooting good one. And remember read 20 minutes a day. Thank you for reading this review. Have a good day.

The book Froggy Goes To School is a great childrens book. It is about the main character Froggy is having a dream that he showed up one day at school in his underwear. Then his is awoken by his dad. Froggy thought it was an actually day when it wasn't. After his dad wakes him up, he gets dressed and off to his first day of school he went.
If kids were to read this book, it would make them realize how much fun school really is. At school Froggy and his friends start to sing a song that goes a little something like this " Bubble bubble, toot toot. Chiken, Airplane, Soldier. " Then his teacher walks in and Froggy thinks he is going to get in trouble, but his principal starts to dance and sing right along with the rest of them. This book shows that going to school isn't as bad as kids make it out to be.
I would definitely recommend this book to any children who are not really interested in going to school.

It's Froggy's first day of school and this ever enthusiastic little amphibian can't wait. He gets dressed, eats his flies and milk, catches the school bus and has no trouble finding his very own desk with his very own name on it. He's so thrilled to be able to read his name, the first word, he realizes, that he can read, that he reads it again and again, louder and louder and even louder, until his teacher informs him that he needs to keep his voice down and that it's time to be quiet and pay attention. But it's hard for him to sit still and listen and take turns, so hard, in fact that while looking out the window and day dreaming, he falls off his chair. His teacher gently reminds him to stay in his seat and that he'll be able to sit on the floor at circle time. When circle time finally arrives, Froggy has his moment. While telling the class about how he learned to swim during the summer, he starts to sing and dance, laugh and hop and pretty soon the whole class is "swimming" right along with him, including Mr Mugwort, the principal..... No one captures the essence of a busy little pre-schooler, with places to go, people to see and things to do, like Jonathan London. His funny, joyful text, full of energy, motion and silly sound effects is wonderfully depicted in Frank Remkiewicz's bright, bold, expressive artwork. Together, they show a successful first day of school, not perfect, but realistic and reassuring to youngsters getting ready for the big step. This story is just one in a delightful series of firsts and your kids will love each and every one of them. Froggy Goes To School is a winner and a good way to help prepare your children for all the fun that's ahead when school begins.

William F. Buckley is unquestionably one of the most articulate and knowledgeable American debaters of the second half of the twentieth century. Buckley seems to know a little bit--if not a lot--about everything, and he reflects and gives observations about various topics in this collection of essays from the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s.

As an author, Buckley is unfailingly witty and acerbic, and this book is littered with quips and sapient remarks. Buckley is particularly good at analyzing other peoples' positions, and at poking holes in their poor logic. That is where this book succeeds.

This book occasionally fails when Buckley attempts to elucidate his own position on an issue. For instance, in one essay Buckley suggests that Beethoven is "a national monument" and should be entitled to governmental protection, so that vacationers can listen to the great composer's symphonies when they are traveling in non-cosmopolitan areas. My suggestion to Buckley would be to rent a car with a tape deck or cd player. It is not necessary for the government to mandate all-Beethoven channels in all cities and towns in order for citizens to listen to Beethoven when they are on vacation.

In another essay Buckley spells out the case for allowing women to serve in the military, but then says that he takes the opposite position. His explanation for why he is against women serving in the military is vague. He says that allowing women to join the armed forces is repugnant to "human nature," which leads one to wonder how Buckley would respond to someone who believes that what he calls "human nature" is an artificial construct. Maybe he did not provide a response to that question because of spacial constraints, but I think that if he is going to base a policy position on human nature, he should provide readers with some sort of idea of what his theory of human nature is.
I hope that I have not accentuated the negative too much in this review, because Buckley truly is a wonderful writer and an interesting read. He has opinions about everything, and he is fun to read not only for what he has to say, but also for how he says it. His vocabulary is expansive and his word-choices are colorful. This book should be read by anyone who wants intelligent and fiercely-opinionated commentary on newsworthy events, and the various parties involved, from 1985 to 1992.

This is a fine collection of the thoughts and witticisms of William F Buckley. It covers most any area that Mr. Buckley holds an Interest whether it be politics, social affairs, sailing, classical music and spending time with dignitaries and well to do people. It is fantastically written (as can be expected from Buckley) however it seemed to talk just over the head of the common man. With his infatuation with the Ryder Cup and talking about people who are important to him, really have no impact on my life. All in all it is a very well written fast paced collection. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys political and social commentary. And to anyone who just like to read something different than a novel or text of history.
Thanks For Your Time:
T

This is Buckley at his acerbic best on subjects as varied as John Lennon, Ted Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor to academia, Gorbachev and The First Gulf War.

It's always illuminating and stimulating to explore the brain of one of America's foremost conservative thinkers and as these essays drift more into history, his insights and deliberations become astounding in their perspicacity and accuracy.

These essays cover everything from the fall of communism, the Los Angeles riots, Playboy magazine and lots more. The time spent reading this delightful paperback is time spent in the company of charming brilliance.

This book provided a general background about the heart, cholesterol and high blood pressure. I found the book did not provide me with any information that is already available for free from the Americn Heart Association. Several heart-wise recipes were included. The most helpful thing I noted was to eat an apple a day....

Must read if you have clogged arteries.I had tests done and needed a new heart.This book has provided me with very useful information.

I'm 81 years old plus for the last 10 years I've been very sensitive to Blood Pressure Medicines, besides all the reactions to the drugs it didn't lower my BP. Most of the time it was 200/106. I was so miserable all the time, I asked my doctor if I could stop them. After many more tries with several kinds of BP meds. He agreed to stop them. It was then that I got the book on how to lower your BP without drugs. Today my BP is 140/80 and I feel alive again. The information in the book is very clear and understandable. There's so much to learn in the book. It explains it all so well.

I just read Iconic LA as a part of my research on Los Angeles landmark, the Watts Towers of Simon Rodia State Historic Park. The book is truly a valuable addition to the field of architectural literature for all of us! I truly enjoyed reading the entire book. Sincerely, Bud Goldstone, conservation engineer co-author The Los Angeles Watts Towers 6719 W 86th Place #2 Los Angeles, CA 90045

KNOWING LOS ANGELES: EXCERPTS FROM CITE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW: "Iconic LA" is not exactly the book its title and appearance might lead one to expect. It turns out to be more than just a splashy presentation of the cool, the weird and the kinky. What it is instead is a carefully focused look at 13 notable buildings spanning two centuries, well illustrated with pictures both current and historical, and topped off with succcinct text sufficient to whet the appetite of Los Anglophiles and architectural critics alike. Koenig, a former editor and writer at the University of California at Los Angeles, has selected buildings that represent different eras and architectural types. Each project is boradly described and documented, and the photographs - many of them are rare - are sublime. Some surpriese await the readers of this book; for example, how important a fixture on the LA architectural scene Lloyd Wright was, from the time he came to complete his father/s Hollyhock House in 1920, to his seminal designs for the Hollywood Bowl, and on through the 1940's. A readerr can also develop a new appreciation of how much Frank Gehry is a product of LA; it's probably for that reason that he was asked to supply the book's foreward. I have a growing bookshelf dedicated to Southern California, and "Iconic LA" has an important new place on it. It nestles comfortably next to Reyner BAnham's "Los Angeles: The Four Ecologies" and Charles Moore's "Experiencing Los Angeles". Its overview of immediately familiar structures and the insights they offer into the city's culture make "Iconic LA" a good companion to these. In the book Frank Gehry says, "LA is a city of instant recognition." He's right, and "Iconic LA" is where that recognition gets its due.

From Los Angeles Magazine, January, 2001. If architecture is a stamp of a city's identity, then Gloria Koenig's "Iconic LA: Stories of LA's Most Memorable Buildings" is proof that Los Angeles is more than a mass of shopping malls. In a city sometimes thought to be lacking in landmarks, it's surprising how recognizable the 13 buildings included here are and how much they have become a part of our collective consciousness. From the art deco Union Station to the futuristic Bradbury Building, these structures suggest the growth and sensibility of the city - and, with a section on the under-construction Walt Disney Concert Hall, the city to come. The selections may be obvious, but Koenig provides the tales behind them: Aline Barnsdall's conflicts with Frank Lloyd Wright during the building of the Hollyhock House; Sid Grauman's obssession with creating an authentic Chinese Theater in Hollywood; and the struggles of Paul Williams, the African American architect of the LAX Theme Building.

I really liked this book. It was a great book to read. Harry had a lot og imanginatioin and that is what I think made it a great book!

Harry always had a creative and vivid imagination, but now he is seeing purple people in the classroom! But the bad part is that he can only see these purple people. And so no one belives harry- not even Doug his best friend.But all of a sudden strange and unexplainable things are starting to happen in Harrys classroom 2B!Is Harry playing a trick, or are the purple people real.well you will half to find out. So read the book because it is a great mystersy book and wonderful book too. BY SAMMY

I enjoyed Horrible Harry and the Purple People by Suzy Kline. It was a great book because Harry is cool. I laughed at all the different things that happened to Harry and his friends at school. It was neat how Harry used the purple ruler and the teacher from the bee. The thing that happened was when Harry showed the purple br pouring grape juice over his friend's head. I'm sure glad it wasn't me!

This is a very nice guide to help the novice spotter ID today's aircraft. Small in dimensions (just a little bigger than pocket-sized), but loaded with nice pictures and facts about every major airplane type. A good buy.

This book is perfect for the frequent traveler with time on his or her hands at the airport! It is designed to make it relatively quick and painless to find the aircraft you're seeing BEFORE it rolls out of sight -- and I've found that this design works for me.

What's more, the book is the perfect size to fit into the upper pocket on a Travelpro Rollaboard® suitcase -- so it's always easy for me to get to, when that unknown aircraft rolls into view.

The book is very much like "A Field Guide to the Airplanes", in the Roger Tory Peterson tradition -- a way to quickly identify common (and sometimes obscure) aircraft quickly and accurately.

If you're looking for detailed descriptions, or the real difference between a 737-300 and a 737-400, then you'll have to look elsewhere. But if you want to quickly know if that airplane out there is an Embraer 120 or a Fairchild Metro, this is the book for you.

I can't wait for the third edition to appear (hint, hint)!

This book starts with a taxonomic chart (match what you see and go to that page) and branches off until you find the right plane group/subgroup. After that you have to flip through the pictures/descriptions in the subgroups to find the right plane. If you're sitting at an airport and have a good view with plenty of time to watch individual planes, this book is tops. However, if you're working at a distance with field glasses it won't really help. I agree that the specs are limited if you're a hard-core spotter. I too am still looking for a book with proportional drawings. However, I think this is the best book I've seen so far. IMHO, when compared with _Civil_Airliner_Recognition_, this book has more practical comparison/distinguishing notes, better photos, and better views for distinguishing characteristic identification.

Of all the books I have read throughout my life, I have to say in all honesty that HEY GOD is the one I can remember. If I ever begin to doubt any part of my Christian walk, I always find myself thinking of Mama. What an awesome testimony of Gods love. Every new Christian needs to read this book. And every old Christian needs to read this book. It is definetly annointed of God. Maybe if we all had some of Mamas faith we could move the mountains!!

I just donated 10 copies of HEY GOD to a local youth group. I pray they receive the mulltiple blessings that I did from its pages.

Thank you Frank for loving us enough to share your family.

God Bless
Sherry

I love this book it is very encouraging and inspirational. This book lifts you up and up all over again. You will want to read this book more than once. You will get to see the Work of God and The hand of God at work. I recommend this book to every christian and those who just need some encouragement and uplifting.

For those that think this book is "sad", I can only say "How sad for you"

This is a POWERFUL book - filled with the truths of the Bible and how God (Jesus Christ) wants to relate to us in everyday life. To reject the truths of God in this book is to reject the joy and hapiness and peace that God brings.

Frank Foglio humorously tells us how his family escaped the bondage of religious traditionalism and found a true relationship with God. One that frees us to live an overcoming life.

The horizontal organization is a more appropriate model for the knowledge age, according to author Frank Ostroff, who says companies increasingly find this structure more effective. He emphasizes the need to start with an understanding of your organization's core competencies and to develop a horizontal structure from there. Ostroff claims this is the first model of this approach, but it is not. In fact, his fairly academic book advances a trend that is already well documented. Horizontal organizations have been covered in numerous other books, which, like this one, promote more decentralized, downsized, team-oriented organizations with empowered workers. Despite a leaden, pedantic writing style, Ostroff distinguishes his theoretical discussion with several detailed examples of how the horizontal organization works and how you can apply it to your company. We ... recommend this book primarily to academics, who may enjoy its theoretical nature.

The Horizontal Organization by Frank Ostroff is well written and an easy read. Its main draw back is that the author is claims that he is presenting something new when in fact it is not. The concept outlined in his book and the design principles for the horizontal organization are nothing but a "dumbed" down version of basic industrial engineering principles that has been espoused for years. The concept of organizing around business processes and with cross-functional teams has been discribed in various books by industrial engineers for years, espesially in the area of socio-technical systems design theory. The book is good in that it gives managers, with business major degrees, a good introduction to a sound organizational design theory. Any manager with an industrial or systems engineering degree will already be aware of these principles for organizational design to a far greater extent than the author.

The subtitle promises that Ostroff will explain "what the organization of the future actually looks like and how it delivers value to customers." It is more accurate to say that Ostroff suggests what that organization will probably look like...and how it will probably deliver value to customers. Specifically, what he calls the Horizontal Organization "organizes around core process groups. All the people who work on a core process are brought together into a group that can easily coordinate its efforts and maximize the value of of what it delivers to customers." It differs from other models in that it is more comprehensive by incorporating "elements of some of the existing concepts, such as process reengineering, individual empowerment, and teams. But it goes beyond them by providing an overall framework for the organization that integrates and makes use of the best of these ideas in a new structure that has been proved in practice." So, Ostroff's intention is to help his reader understand what the Horizontal Organization is, how it works, how it can be developed, and how to decide where it can be effectively employed in any organization.

I rate this book so highly, not because it provides THE answers but because Ostroff asks what I consider to be the important questions as all of us proceed into an uncertain future. There are so many paradigm shifts occurring simultaneously. Words such as "organization" and "customer" seem to be redefined constantly, as are the concepts of "leader" and "manager" as well as "core business" and "competitive marketplace." Of course, despite what his book's subtitle suggests, Ostroff is well aware of all this. He thinks clearly, writes well, and in his concluding remarks indicates a proper respect for "buy in" throughout any organization., asserting that "the change effort itself and the new organization born from the old must have full top-down, bottom-up, cross-functional commitment. If done right, the integration of the fundamental principles of the horizontal organization will inspire the people in your organization, supercharge their performance, and create a winning value proposition that lifts your organization far above the competition."

The title is very misleading. Remember that this book has not been updated since 1998, so unless you are looking to buy a car older than '98 this is really not a "buyer's guide". It has good coverage of Mercedes historically, so if you want to know about the various models from a collectors point of view this book would be appropriate, if you are in the market for a current model Mercedes ('98-'01) do not waste your time with this book.

This book is invaluable to MBZ lovers. It is written with love and experience and knowledge. If you've seen the others in this series (BMW, Jaguar, Corvette, Porsche, etc.) they simply don't compare in quality. The photos are terrific; the advice honest.

This is a must have for any MBZ lover.

Frank Barrett, as editor of "The Star," the magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, has become THE guru for classic Mercedes-Benz knowledge. I've been in the Mercedes business for 20 years. I'm considered very knowledgeable about Mercedes-Benz. But when someone talks about acquiring a classic Mercedes, I tell them to first buy this book. It can save a prospective purchaser a lot of money. It also acts as a quick source for statistics I've long since forgotten. It's a great reference book I'll expect to have available at my desk for a long time. It's well written, interesting, and accurate. If you need information about pre-owned or classic Mercedes, buy it.