I bought this book for my 22-month old son on our trip to London this past June. He absolutely loves it! I found it by accident at a children's store there called Trotters. We were actually looking for shoes at the time. When I picked up the book and casually showed it to him, he did not want to put it down anymore. He just kept turning the wheels and saying "round and round" The book is beautifully and cleverly illustrated. Each page is packed of every day life scene made to be fun by the moving parts! We read this book at least twice a day now (it used to be 4-5 times a day!)and he never gets tired of it. He always seems to find something new and interesting every time we read it. He now loves the summary page at the end of the book and the page where everyone gets off the bus to go to the library and my son would say "Don't forget the cat." I know that this book is out of print; however, I'm happy to share that it is available through amazon.com.uk! I'm buying another one for our next child, I don't think this one will make it. Thanks Amazon.com!!

My children (now 5 and 1) love this book. I purchased it when my son was about 2 and a half and the tabs and flaps are still working after lots of use. (A major plus as well loved books with movable parts often don't hold up to toddler adoration.) Now my daughter is taking her turns too and the "wheels on the bus" still go round as well as the wipers swishing and moms shushing. The illustrations capture attention and really bring to life this popular children's song. With this book they can make the doors on the bus open and shut, etc. with great pleasure. I highly recommend this book for its creativity and durability.

I first bought this book for my 10 year old son in 1993. I still have the book, although it is worn and tattered. The pages are colorful and interactive, and if you study the book, you will see the passengers on the bus have their own "story" to tell as they ride the bus. You can't help but to sing the story as you read. The movable parts survived my son's handling pretty well, but now it is time for a brand new one for my brand new twins. The only thing that changed in 10 years, though slightly, is the cover. It's sparkly now.

From me To You is a book of empowerment. In five easy steps, it teaches readers how to write from their hearts. Whether healing relationships or giving comfort and inspiration, its methods are proven to work. Those methods include using five basic elements that make writing powerful, intimate, satisfying and meaningful. In a clear and companionable style, the book shows readers astep-by-step plan for expressing their thoughts in messages and letters. Beginning with answers to five personal questions, the authors teach how to : Express love, tenderness and good will. Pass along life lessons, values and traditions. Comfort the ill or bereaved. Reconnect or repair our relationships. Give advice that gets through to others. Communicate our feelings and concerns for older people (particularly our aging parents). Included are 100 examples by those who've found the methods to work. Jaclynn Morris is a free-lance writer, public speaker, and business consultant. Dr. Paul Fair is a licensed clinical psychologist. Both live in the Atlanta area.

Words provide continuity from generation to generation that surpasses our limited life spans to enrich the shared love of friends and family, to bind generations, and to offer hope to the future. Despite the power of words, many people are reluctant writers, uncertain of what to say or how to say it. To that end, authors JacLynn Morris and Paul L. Fair, Ph.D. bring their own writing skills, teaching experience, and research to bear, offering aid to the reluctant writer in FROM ME TO YOU.

Simple, easy to follow steps guide the writer through the process of conveying thoughts and emotions that might else wise remain unanswered and unspoken. Using the five basic elements enumerated in FROM ME TO YOU, writers can add depth and value to their messages. Concise explanations and the generous use of examples accompany each step, clearly illustrating each point. Many of the examples are both poignant and inspiring, aiding the prospective reader in finding their own voices and experiences. Difficult to write messages that reveal secrets or explanations likewise becoming easier to write with the aid of FROM ME TO YOU.

At last, a writing book for everyone! Whether your words are meant as a thank you, as an apology, to offer comfort or advice, or simply to affirm your love, FROM ME TO YOU will aid all writers in expressing themselves. Powerful, personal messages are our legacy to those we love, regardless of the purpose of the note, and can easily be strengthened by following these simple steps. One of the best writing resources I have encountered, FROM ME TO YOU comes very highly recommended.

Most people are reticent about sharing their deepest feelings, regrets, secrets, and concerns with those they love and care about. For men, this is often tied to a sense of stoicism. For women, it is often related to being uncomfortable with the emotional burdens they carry. For both women and men, there are only so many minutes in the day . . . and many people see themselves as poor speakers and writers.

Yet we all love to receive thoughtful, personal messages that go beyond what Hallmark puts in its greeting cards. But we doubt our ability to create these wonderful messages.

From Me to You should help you overcome your reticence to create a meaningful, lasting mark with your shared feelings and thoughts. Whether you decide to write, call on the telephone, visit in person, or create an audio or video tape, this book will make you eloquent and appreciated . . . regardless of your communications skills.

A key ingredient is a suggestion that you always include five elements in each message:

1. "What go me thinking about you?"

2. "What are my positive feelings for you?"

3. "What makes you special to me?"

4. "What do I remember and treasure about our time together?"

5. "What do I want you to get from my message?"

The book is filled with varieties of examples of each element (thoughtfully numbered so you can spot them.

You are encouraged to sound like yourself, the way you talk, "your true voice" . . . rather than like a professional writer or a greeting card.

The book also has techniques to help you get started. One that I liked was to plan to write several drafts, and write down your feelings as you write certain things. This will make you more comfortable and confident.

Examples build around a number of themes: friends; siblings; children; parents; grandparents; romantic relationships; passing along favorite memories; sharing unasked-for advice; repairing bad relationships; dealing with tricky family issues after divorce, remarriage, and adoption; sharing hidden secrets; comforting after loss or sadness; sharing traditions and life lessons; building a legacy of communication; and creative ways to share.

For the more awkward communications, like hidden secrets, other elements may be required -- such as why you are now deciding to share the secret . . . and why it was kept before.

Although your own messages will be different from the examples, I think that the examples will inspire you to be more open as you see what others have said and learn how the recipients responded.

I have a good friend who has a very tense relationship with his two sisters. I recommended this book to him, to help him write about his desire to reconcile. He has written before, to no effect, but I think this book can help him to keep trying and pack more caring into his message.

I suspect that anyone can have better personal relationships if you follow this book's helpful and caring concepts.

The two authors speak painfully about how they feel about not knowing much about their fathers. Who are all the people who would be greatly hurt if they did not know you well, even from beyond the grave? How can you connect to those people in a positive, loving way?

A sensitive and perceptive young college freshman from south Alabama, Eugene B. Sledge volunteered for Marine Corps officer training school during the middle of W.W. II. However, such was Sledge's desire to join the fighting before the war ended, he purposefully flunked out of school and promptly joined the ranks of the enlisted Marines.

Upon reporting to boot camp in San Diego, Sledge was introduced to his Drill Instructor with this eye-opening greeting: "If any of you idiots think you don't need to follow my orders, just step right out here and I'll beat your @ss right now. Your soul may belong to Jesus, but your @ss belongs to the Marines. You people are recruits. You're not Marines. You may not have what it takes to be Marines."

Fortunately, Sledge did indeed have what it took to be a Marine, and he has written WITH THE OLD BREED: AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA, an engaging personal chronicle of the horror of war as seen through the eyes of a young Marine grunt. Though this book is a personal account of historical events, it reads like a novel. Sledge is able to transform the course language of a salty Marine and the brutality of war into unembellished passages whose honesty have a lyrical beauty all their own:

"The situation was bad enough, but when the enemy artillery shells exploded in the area, the eruptions of soil and mud uncovered previously buried Japanese dead and scattered chunks of corpses. Like the area around our gun pits, the ridge was a stinking compost pile.

If a Marine slipped and slid down the back slope of the muddy ridge, he was apt to reach the bottom vomiting. I saw more than one man lose his footing and slip and slide all the way to the bottom only to stand up horror-stricken as he watched in disbelief while fat maggots tumbled out of his muddy dungaree pockets, cartridge belt, legging lacings, and the like. Then he and a buddy would shake or scrape them away with a piece of ammo box or a knife blade.

We didn't talk about such things. They were too horrible and obscene for even hardened veterans. The conditions taxed the toughest I knew almost to the point of screaming. Nor do authors normally write about such vileness; unless they have seen it with their own eyes, it is too preposterous to think that men could actually live and fight for days and nights under such terrible conditions and not be driven insane. But I saw much of it there on Okinawa and to the me the war was insanity."

WITH THE OLD BREED does not concern itself with a the strategic and tactical campaign of the Pacific Island hopping campaign. Rather, it is a a fascinating portrait of an sensitive young man's baptism under fire -- a first hand narrative of an ordinary young man's extraordinary bravery on a few remote Islands in the Pacific Ocean. No W.W.II library is complete without this book. Highly recommended.

Short, sweet and to the point. "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" is the very best personal memoir on World War II that I have ever read.

Sledge's book very thoroughly describes and covers the physical, mental, and emotional horrors of battle. Sledge's first-hand experience and understanding of youth lost during battle is truly frightening. He describes the gloomy environment, the ear pounding sounds, foul stench, bitter taste, and experience of men, or boys in combat. Sledge writes about their fears and trepidation, but also writes about the bravery and camaraderie, or brotherhood these men had towards one another. Soldiers that fought and some witnessed the death of their buddies.

All readers need do is read a chapter, put their head back, close their eyes, and visualize what the American soldier went through to protect America. If there was a Pulitzer Prize for a personal memoir it would surely go to Eugene B. Sledge for his book. "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa" should be required reading in all American History classes throughout our great land.

When reading about historical events, one must consider the source. Dr. Sledge is an excellent source on the subject of Marines in combat in WWII. Dr. Sledge was really there at Peleliu and Okinawa, and on the front lines. No post-war historian could possibly describe the realities of combat with the accuracy of one who was really there. This book is a treasure not only because of its accuracy, but because it is so rare. Bookstores today are full of first-person accounts of Vietnam War veterans, but similar writings by veterans of WWII are extremely rare. If you want to read a generalized, sanitzed version of combat in the Pacific war, pick up a typical history book. However, if you want a definitive description of young American Marines fighting the ghastly horrors of combat-the worst reality of war-then this book is a must read. In my opinion, books such as this should be mandatory reading for high school students, so that they might have some understanding of how many Americans have fought and died to preserve the freedoms they now enjoy.

This book was a very quick read, as I have found all of Mr. Evans' books to be. While at times the writing did seem a little lengthy and the plot contrived, I very much appreciated the message behind this book (and all of his books, for that matter). This latest work was indeed a quick read, as I finished it in two readings. The story is quite enjoyable although at times I kept mentally picturing Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal (albeit in reversed roles) as Faye and Michael. The book gave me pause as I reflected on Esther's comments on old age and how certain decisions in one's life can indeed be pivotal experiences.

This is a must-read for fans of Mr. Evans and it shall receive a place of honor in my library next to the "Christmas Box" series I own. Read and enjoy!

Straight to the heart and beyond, goes this wonderful book by Evans. After spending the last two years of his life caring for his dying mother, twenty-two-year old Michael goes to work in a skilled nursing facility where he meets Esther Huish, a quiet elderly patient with regrets that have crippled her life. It is through Esther that he realizes his life's dreams and is able to reach for the unattainable.

Faye, the love of his life, is from an upper class family that puts the value of a dollar and breeding on a pedestal that Michael falls short of. When Michael finds himself accused of a terrible crime he learns just how alone he really is. Faced with choices that are near impossible to make, he is guided as well as saved by the wisdom of this older woman that has come into his life.

This is an excellent story filled with inspirational quotes and bits of hard won knowledge from Esther's journal. The sequel is titled "The Carousel" and is a continuation of the lives of these extraordinary characters. Evans is the well-known author of "The Christmas Box" series that also includes, "Timepiece" and "The Letter". 3/4/01

This is the only book I've read by this writer, but I will definitely read more of his books. It is a very well written and beautiful story. I couldn't stop reading it once I started. It is also a very quick read because of the brief chapters and the way that it is organized. Although it was a quick book to read and a fairly simple story, I still felt I had been challenged in thought by the time I finished the book. I also had a good cry in the end. Can't wait to pick up another of his books.

I first read this book when I was twelve years old and it affected me so much that ten years later I still have a deep and abiding love of Greek mythology. A ratty, paperback copy I found at Salvation Army still holds *the* place of honor in my Greco-Roman collection, usurping The Odyssey, The Iliad, Edith Hamilton, and Robert Graves.

What originally struck me as so fantastic (and still does) is that the D'aulaires don't write down to their audience or edit out details important to the original myth that some parents might not approve of. The end result? An all ages storybook and mythological primer that no one should be ashamed to own.

The drawings are an acquired taste, falling somewhere between Classical pottery paintings and Art Deco, but they do grow on you. My only quibble is that there's no pronunciation guide, which can really hamper you if this is your first exposure to these stories.

Buy this for for your children or even for yourself, you will never regret it.

When I was in elementary school I found this book at the library. I loved it so much that I did not want to return it. Finally, after several months of renewals, my parents bought it for me. It was one of my most treasured--and worn out--books that I owned.

What made me fall in love the book was the beautiful, large colorful pictures; the easy introduction of the many Gods (to a child with no background in the stories); and, of course, the myths themselves. They were wonderful stories and will pull in readers of all ages.

The book inspired me to read more books on Greek mythology--Edith Hamilton, for instance--and Norse myths (the D'Aularies wrote a book on Norse gods that is unfortunately still out of print) and Asian folktakes when I was still in grade school. In college, however, I learned that these myths in this book had gone through a bit of sanitization, but it is still terrific. I haven't found another chilren's book that treats Greek mythology so well.

This book is one that will keep giving even when the child becomes an adult. When I went to college and was assigned other Greek and Roman poems, plays, and essays, I would be reminded the pictures and the myths found in this book. It would bring back wonderful memories, and at the same time made reading ancient literature enjoyable and easy rather than onerous. To this day, I still remember all of the myths and gods that are in this book, and it gives me a nice referemce to my academic reading.

My parents recently bought the hardcopy edition of the book for me for Christmas. It was the best gift I have received in years!

It is simply a wonderful book!

I don't know about all of you, but Greek Mythology is something I just can't live without! I pondered long and hard over many other volumes that were of the same material, but VERY longwinded. I don't have a lot of time on my hands, but I was just dying to learn of the famous Zues, Hera, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, and all of the other gods and goddesses who governed the world high atop Mount Olympus. Also of Cronus, Rhea, Gaea, Uranus, and other gods and goddesses I never knew about. Then I found this book, this treasure amongst literature. The artwork alone is enthralling and the detail in which the stories are told is absolutly mesmerizing. The book is one of the best and one would certainly advise a friend to read it if one is streched for time yet has an incredible lust for Greek Mythology. The stories are easy to understand and yet so graphical that even the simplest child could lose themselves in the stories of Eos, Hercules, or Heracles as he is called in the book, Persephone, Demeter, and Phaethon. If you love Greek Myths, this book is an absolute must

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet is a book that has touched many people very deeply since it's publishing in 1923. It has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American edition alone has sold more than four million copies. It is considered both by Gibran himself, and by the general public to be his literary masterpiece. The Story is about a prophet leaving a town, and as he leaves he imparts some of his knowledge to the towns people. Gibran himself was born in Lebanon in 1883. He was a poet, artist, and philosopher. His fame and influence has spread through the world, superceding linguistic and cultural barriers. His poetry has been translated into more than twenty languages, and his drawings and paintings have been distributed and showcased all around the world. In the last twenty years of his life he lived in the United States, and began to write in English. The book The Prophet was written during this time period. His words and pictures change the way that people look at life, and people find them to be an expression of the deepest impulses of man's heart and mind. The Prophet is about a man who is leaving a small town called Orphalese where he has made his home for the past twelve years. He has, for that time period, been waiting for a boat to take him back to the land of his youth. We are not told where that land is, only that he has been waiting to return there for twelve years. The entire book occurs on the date of his departure. As he is about to leave, the townsfolk stop him in the town and request that he tell them about certain things. He talks to them about life's lessons and imparts his wisdom to them. He is asked about giving, and he tells the people to give without recognition, because their reward is their own joy. He also talks about things like marriage, work, friendship and also love. He speaks about each, and more, describing the way that people should deal with each issue. This book is an interesting book. It is ninety-three pages of life's lessons set down in writing. These are words to live by, and tell others to live by. This book is certainly a book that everyone should read. Even if people don't agree with some of the beliefs, they should still read the book, if only to get their mind thinking about life, and it's many quandaries from a different perspective. This book is not unlike the musings of an aging man imparting his life's lessons to an audience of just about anyone whom he can gather to listen to him. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's lessons and stories are wise beyond the ages, and still hold up to be as true today as they were when Gibran wrote them in 1923. The lessons enumerated within this pages are lessons that one would hope were followed by the general population, and I know that if more people read this book, then the world as a whole might become a more easily survivable place.

I first became aware of Kahlil Gibran when I read a poem of his that was on the menu at my favorite Lebanese restaurant. Ever since then, I have sought out his books. The Prophet is my favorite. Several of the "poems" or passages are fully relevant to parts of my life. The book makes one feel good and inspired to do good for others. There is barely an aspect on life that the poems do not touch on-love, marriage, death and all of our own insecurities and doubts about people and life. This would be a good book to give to a friend who is going through a rough time, or just has unanswered questions at a certain point in their lives. The writing is lucid, insightful, and will be relevant for as long as time goes on.The drawings add to an already great work. At my favorite Lebanese restaurant, I not only found good food-I thankfully found Kahlil Gibran.

My late father gave me a pocket sized hardcover edition of this book when I was a teenager. I've had it ever since and still read it from time to time.

Gibran's words are refreshingly nonsectarian yet feel none the less profound, timeless, universal and relevant to all cultures, peoples and times. Some have attributed an alternative spirituality to this work either as praise or as criticism.

I personally don't view the Prophet as a book that advocates any particular spiritual or religious path whatsoever. Regardless of whatever else this book may be may be, I've found the Prophet to be restful and quite enjoyable from time to time. I don't worry about the potential hermeneutic interpretations (that I seriously doubt exist) that might exist therein.

Thus, if it's a spiritual and/or religious text you seek I wouldn't recommend the Prophet. But I don't mean that as a criticism of the Prophet.

I simply view the Prophet as a text on the nonreligious, nonsectarian and universal ideas, ideals, feelings and qualities of what it is and means to be and feel human as viewed from the perspective of another fellow human being who had the same limited perspectives that we all share by virtue of being human beings. Gibran never claimed any differently.

If you only buy one book of prose then this is the one I'd recommend.

I suffered from pain and fatigue for most of my life. After 20 years of making the rounds of dozens of doctors, I was finally given a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Then I was told, no one knew what it was, what caused it or how to treat it. The only solution was to treat the symptoms, and only then if you could find a doctor willing to give you the drugs to make life bearable.

Then I read Dr. St. Amand's book, and knew my instincts had been right all along. There was something in my body, actually causing this pain, and it was getting progressively worse. This is the most logical explaintion I have seen.

I have been on this protocol for 6 months and feel better that I have in several years. I can now look forward to a pain free future. This is a must read for everyone with fibromyalgia and their families.

Dr. St. Amand's use of analogies and ability to explain complex concepts using clear, straightforward language make this book a joy to read! Its readers will understand the "mysteries" of fibromyalgia (and the hypoglycemia that often accompanies it) as never before. Best of all, they will be handed the tools for re-creating optimum health, vibrancy, and a sense of well being. A victim of fibromyalgia for many years, I've been on Dr. St. Amand's protocol for only five months and have already experienced amazing results! Patients, doctors, and medical students need to become intimately acquainted with this treatment plan, which is the result of over 40 years of careful research. Finally we have a solution that actually reverses the disease and allows fibromyalgia patients to lead normal, active lives.

There are not enough words of praise to thank Dr. Paul St. Amand and Ms. Claudia Merek for having the determination to get this wonderful life changing book to the public. Because of this book, many sufferers of fibromyalgia are getting their lives back. I have started a support group in my community and highly recommend this book to the group. Most all have purchased the book, started the protocal and are already getting relief from their pain. I could tell some amazing stories. This protocal and the book that describes it will eventually be the book on every doctor's desk and will belong to every fibromyalgia patient who wants to get well. I can't recommend this book enough for Dr. St. Amand's research as to the cause and reversal treatment of fibromyalgia, a horrible disease which to date is described as having no treatment. WRONG! There is HOPE and it's in this book.

This is the book we have all waited for. For almost 30 years we have waited; and MAN!!! Was it ever worth the wait. This book is at first glance; one of the most beautiful books I've ever held in my hands. The paper used is thick, heavy, and smooth as silk. It's a rather large book, which gives the photographs an impact few books have offered before. Even the shots I've seen before are striking. This is by far the most comprehensive document ever published on the "Fab Four". So many surprises, so many "little" details that only the boys could know. Everything about the "Anthology" project has been done with such loving care, and this book is no exception. The beatles have given the world so much over the past four decades; and now, with this rich impressive chronicle, they give us their own personal recollections of a time when the world was just beginning to learn how to ROCK!!! Thank you, John, Paul, George, Ringo, George Martin, Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans, Derek Taylor, Klas Voorman, and Yoko Ono. This is without doubt; the "Ultimate" book on "The Beatles". Still the most influential band in the history of Rock n' Roll.

From "Love Me Do" to "The Long and Winding Road", the Beatles were always viewed by everyon as a phenomenon. I was born five years after the death of John Lennon, fifteen years after the band broke up, and yet, somehow, I've become an avid fan. Looking at the so-called 'authorized biographies' and such, I thought that this would be some kind of touchy-feely novelistic biography.

Boy, was I wrong!

From the minute I opened it in the bookstore to a random page, I was thrilled. Gung-ho pictures, poignant comments from the four and their closest friends and co-workers(like George Martin). Reading John Lennon's autobiography was a particularly moving moment, seeing the disillusioned Beatle's take on his own hard life. The whole book is not to be read start to finish, in my opinion. Open it to a page and start. I guarentee that you won't put it down until they prise your fingers from the book.

Don't Pass this one By. Get Back online and BUY THIS BOOK!

The Beatles story is an incredibly fascinating one. In so many ways their history is not merely of a musical group, even a great one. The Beatles transcended mere music. From 1962-1970, the entire period of their recording career, the Beatles recorded hundreds ofbrilliant songs, groundbreaking albums and lived enough advenutre to fill a lifetime. When this book was published, the three surviving Beatles had lived more than twice as many years since the breakup as the entire time the group was together. It is really remarkable to read (or see in the video) McCartney, Starr and Harrison talking about the Beatle's times from the perspective of late middle age. The story itself will be familiar to any Beatle's fan. The early days in Britain, the crazy days of Beatle mania, the acid drenched mid-sixties when the times began to influence the Beatle's sound and the Beatle's music so headily influenced the times. The flirtation with Indian religion, the death of Brian Epstein, Yoko Ono, the slowly growing rigt and finally the acrimonious breakup. All in an incredible 8 years. What makes this book unique, even from earlier books that quote the Beatles is the perspective of time which has clearly mellowed the three surviviors. Lennon's quote's are necessarily taken from before his death in 1980 and it is interesting to see how his failure to reach middle age lends a different perspective to his memories of the Beatles, in his case memories less than fifteen years old. How fascinating to hear Paul and George discussing the making of "Let it Be" where the bitterness was clear. Paul essentially apologizes and it is nice to know he and George settled their differences before Harrison's death late last year. Not only do I recommend this book, it cannot be missed by anyone interested in the Beatle's history in their own words. No other auto-biography will be as comprehensive for one reason. It will require much of the book to focus on pre and post Beatles years. As I stated, the Beatles recording career lasted 8 years. Today a top band would record at most three albums in that time. Don't miss the book or the video collection

This book covers almost every topic you would want regarding sexual satisfaction in a user friendly format. It's funny and informative. I recommend it to "beginners" as well as their more knowledgeable counterparts.

Another book I enjoyed and recommend highly is FIVE MINUTES TO ORGASM EVERY TIME YOU MAKE LOVE. This book has a "no work" approach to female orgasm that is going to relieve a lot of men of the responsibility of "bringing" their partners to orgasm. It works! Since reading this book my sex life has become more satisfying, meaningful and rewarding, and a whole lot easier.

This book is a wealth of knowledge. No matter if you are a neophyte or a Latin-lover. Read this book. Highly recommended for all. Life in the sack a little tame? Read this book. Looking for tips? Read this book. Want to know a little more about what makes her tick? Read this book. The best thing is it's not just about sex, it's about all the extra's, like how to treat her after a hard day at work, how to make the other person unwind and WANT to do something. They spend enough time on how a relationship should work, but without being condesending. Then there is a lot of info about things you might not of thought of. Want to know how to size a butt-plug? Read this book. Want to know how to get him off with your hand or mouth? Read this book.

It's not smutty or low-brow, lots of informative info with high-class (yet tasty) drawings for, um, illustration of key concepts shall we say. I take my hat off to the writers for this one.

Sure helped me :oD

Ride Free - Mk.

I know that moniker above sounds exaggerated, but if there's a better book on sex able to be understood by as many different types, ages, and experienced folk, you let me know.

(I'm going to make one more statement that sounds exaggerated, but isn't: If this book was put in the hands of every American pre-teen during that dry (or non-existent) school sex-ed program, I sincerely believe we would have teens making far better choices about when and how to explore their sexuality, as well as more meaningful sex, orgasms, and enjoyment for when they become sexually active adults. What I'm trying to say is that the sex education quotient here is just that -- and because it has no agenda, it's honest about the pros and cons of everything from heavy petting to intercourse--including frank discussion of disease, the cost of teen pregancy, etc. I love an early section that lists all the responsibilities that come along with a fully sexual relationship...it then challenges the reader to answer the question of whether or not they are ready to take on every single eventuality should it occur. If not, it cheerfully steers you towards a more progressive sexual development (with plenty of tips) but makes it clear that you should NOT be having intercourse. I think that one problem with American sexuality is that we don't really deal with it until the "time" comes, instead of progressively building our sexual experience alongside our building of physical and emotional maturity. If we did that, on a more reasoned and comfortable timetable, we'd all be better off. This book lets all of us know that there are plenty of things to do with those "urges." And not all of them require intercourse. YET, is this a book for kids? No, it's genuinely a book for everyone.)

The book's style is easy reading, light but not offensive, and complete. With everything from sex tips, to sex history, to chapters on approaching sex while one partner pregnant, disabled, on her period, has erectile dysfunction, etc. You can't beat the content, and its straightforward understandable presentation in any other sex book out there.

(The pictures are cool, too -- fun, realistic drawings, not cold, clinical photos.)

Over the years, there have been many attempts to establish a
"Deep Inner Meaning" for "Lucky Jim," but I wouldn't pay them
much attention if I were you. "Lucky Jim" is simply a hilarious
book. For me, it was a revelation -- I had no idea that a book
might leave me with my sides aching, weak from laughter, yet
ready to laugh again, as I recalled the phrase or the incident
which had initially tickled my funny-bone.

One reason the book is so funny is that it gores some very
Sacred Cows. In its time, those sacred bovines very definitely
included provincial academics who were seriously into
Elizabethan madrigals and recorder concerts; Amis had the
genius to see these daffy eccentrics for the incredibly comic
figures they really were. Even more outrageously, the novel's
hero gets the girl of his dreams and escapes the dreary provinces
for a happy career in London, by abandoning the academic life
and going into (are you sitting down?) BUSINESS. Into... TRADE.
It is hard to imagine anything more non-U.

In short, a masterpiece of comic English prose!

Highest possible recommendation!!!

When it was first published in 1954, it turned the author, Kingsley Amis (the father of Martin, also a fine author), into a celebrated writer and a spokesman for his generation, a position that he didn't seem to want or care about. The novel was "Lucky Jim," and it tells the story of a young academic, Jim Dixon, at work in one of England's provincial universities. The book is hilarious, from the first page (where Jim describes the physical sensation of hangover) to the last, when he leaves the shady groves of academia for a job with better pay in London. Along the way, Jim learns a lot about academic life--he hates recorder concerts, musical evenings, and academic pretentions--and he learns a lot of girls; his main preoccupation. I keep thinking this book is ripe for a movie version, with someone like Daniel Day-Lewis as the title character; it was made into a film in the 1950s, but I've never seen it and the reviews are not great. The book remains a delight to read, however, and, like all good satires, has some serious points to make, about things that Amis detected, like pretentiousness. "Lucky Jim" is also noteworthy because it launched Amis's career, and he wrote novels, short stories, poems, and journalism for the rest of his life, which ended just last year. He's a very different writer from his son Martin (rumor has it he didn't like Martin's work all that much), but they both share a real gift for comic writing. It is a work that achieves that rare combination of being interesting in a literary sense, but also humorous and a real pleasure to read. I recommend it heartily.

Lucky Jim remains one of the funniest books I have ever read, and Jim Dixon one of the most engaging anti-heroes. Sure, the book is a little dated in terms of the society it satirizes, but so what? Jim is still hilarious, Neddy Welch is still a pompous old fool who gets what he deserves, Margaret is the attention-seeking neurotic we've all met, and Tristram is still odious and still instantly recognizable in any self-consciously "arty" group. I love Jim's story--he is lucky, but he deserves his luck more than most. Amis wrote a very funny book that has held its ground, despite the vast social and economic changes that have taken place since Lucky Jim was written, because he targets human foibles and pretensions that men (and women) will always be prey to.