First came the dreams, real and vivid, like Daniel's dreams; scary and dark. Such was my life. I read this book on December 26th, 2001. It was the best Christmas present I could have received. I told my older sister that I was following Daniel! Then I was entered into rehab for 23 days. I have remained clean from heroin and coke to this day.I count every day a blessing: (43 days now). And I am starting to like myself again. Thanks for the lift, Daniel! :)

Last week, I read Robert Appleton's RUNNING OUT OF ROAD and was quite favorably impressed. A powerful insight into the drug-infused underbelly of society that so many of us are silently aware of, but pretty much tune out of our conscious awareness. Since then, this book has had me all aflutter trying to figure out how much is Appleton's experiences, how much the real experiences of people he knew, how much third-hand cell block stories, and how much originated in the fertile mind of Mr. Appleton.

That I've spent a little over a week in this state trying to sort it out before asking, reflects well on Appleton's skill as a storyteller and integrator. But I did ask, and the charismatic Mr. Appleton assured me via e-mail that the entire book is autobiographical. He was Daniel Logan. He lived through it all.

Much of this book had an impact on me quite similar to that pounded in by my first reading of Golding's BOYS AND GIRLS TOGETHER or first seeing the movie THE DETECTIVE--both during my extremely naive and impressionable youth. Each of those works drove home the *VERY REAL* existence of an extensive sub-culture that exists *around* my world--rather than within it.

Such realization is always a soul-searching shock. Nothing has had such an eye-opening impact upon my perception of the way the world works, since my early college days. The big difference between the earlier shocks and today is, this time I *KNEW* (intellectually) everything that Appleton was saying--but hadn't *experienced* it close enough to FEEL it. Now, having vicariously lived through the nightmare of the drug-crime culture in a graphically vivid manner, I can't walk the streets of downtown, or drive the "neighborhoods" without looking at the FACES under the generic uniforms of survival and wondering about the person inside--and their own sad story.

Hollywood doesn't make movies like this--and they should. RUNNING OUT OF ROAD could redefine the Film Noir genre for years to come.

...

I think this book should be made into a movie. I can see it reaching out to kids and adult victims who might be experimenting with drugs and crime. As a movie, Appleton's characters would be unforgetable and hypnotic. Just reading the words I can't get some of them out of my head. I would pay to see the movie, just like I paid to read the book. Ron F.

All I can say is wow.
Rachel Roberts has created a fantastic fantasy story, weaving it together from the last two books in the Avalon: Web of Magic series, Circles in the Stream and All that Glitters. each one features an exciting climax and interesting writing style that bring the charecters of this book into real personalities and real life.
Three girls, three powers, three mages, three unique talents. Emily Fletcher, Adriane Charyde, and Kara Davies are three girls who coundn't be more different- or the same.
Emily is a animal- crazy redhead, who has a fun nature and a love of pets. Her mom owns a vet clinic, and Emily likes to help out there for fun. She also gives her mom a hand in the Pet Palace, an animal hotel, and it was three dogs, Jellybean, Biscit, and I forget the third one's name, who first lead her to the Ravenswood preserve. Emily posses a special healing magic that makes her a favorite among the creatures at the Ravenswood Preserve. Emily and her mom just moved there, so Emily hasn't made any friends yet.
Adriane is a spunky, modern girl who doesn't have any friends. She never wears anything but black, and her parents are artists that travel around the world, so she lives with her grandmother, who is the caretaker of a wildlife preserve. Adriane is the first of the three to discover the animals and the secret of the magic. She is granted with the title of "warrior' and, indeed, is strong and brave. Adriane is bonded with a lone mistwolf, Stormbringer. She is really lonely on the large peice of land which is her home.
Kara Davies is spoiled, rude, and popular, a "barbie" in Adriane's words. She is the mayor's daughter, and is interested in fashion, clothes, phones, and boys. She is caught between her popular friends, and Emily, because she Adriane don't get along very well. Her title in the blazing star, and she doesnt have a power yet. Even though the magic likes her and reaches her, she still thinks she's better than Adriane and Emily. Her ideas for the preserve are good, though, and help alot.
An elf that's been transformed into a ferret, Ozzie, is sent by fairymentals from another world, Aldenmoor, to find three human mages. He helps them discover a portal, a path between the two worlds. There goal is to live in a place called Avalon, peacfully, away from the dark sorceress who will spread the black fire and kill all in Aldenmoor.
Stormbringer, Adriane's wolf, is the last of her kind. But soon she learnd there are more mistwolves in Aldenmoor, and joins them.
Adriane is heartbroken, but she can understand her friend's decision. So secretly, she follows Stormbringer through the portal to Aldenmoor, and is amazed by what she sees. She meets a young boy, Zach, and his griffen. Her adventures never end in Aldenmoor, but soon they might- her magic lets her meet up with the dark sorceress, and it may cost her her life.
Don't be suprised- this author isn't afraid to make anything happen to Adriane, anything.
Also- for those who love this series.... visit there website, its really cool!!!

If you have read the other Avalon books, you'd know the drift of the story but this is like the best book in the series! It is definetly the most interesting and I love it! It is written well and it made me get watery eyes when Adriane is getting attacked...It is the best because it is about Adriane and Storm and they are my faves!
-=Bye!
(Be sure to read my review on 'The Sight' By David David Clement-Davies!)

This book is my apsolute FAV. I love it.
If you've read the first two books you know that Adriane and Stormbringer are really close and you know that Storm thinks she's the last mistwolf. Key word: thinks. Well, Storm isn't the last of her kind. A pack of Mistwolves drop in for a visit at Ravenswood. Then they leave taking Storm with them. Adriane has to talk to her one last time. So she gets Kara to get the Dragonflies to open the portal. Instead of just talking to Storm she gets pulled into Aldenmor! Where she meets Zach a boy who never saw another human and his griffin. Zach has some secrets that just might mean saving Storm. She also meets the sorceress, sees Fairy Glen and the fairymentals who suceed in confussing her even more. and Meets a Dragon! But will that be enough to save Stormbringer?

Fresh out of engineering school, Zack Zaremba quickly loses any idealistic notion of pursuing his profession as a creative activity at International Instruments. He fights gallantly against a thousand obstacles and betrayals perpetrated by bosses, bureaucrats and the system in general, as well as his own weaknesses. But through crushing disappointments and small triumphs, he learns about himself and how to live his life. Along the way you'll meet a gallery of memorable characters populating this demimonde, and laugh out loud as Grossbach deftly plays each one's foibles against the next.

Grossbach is a gifted and knowledgeable storyteller who weaves a tale rich in sensitively drawn characters, ironic twists and turns, and authentic detail. A satirical, disturbing and yet compelling glimpse into the basement below technology's ivory tower.

A Shortage of Engineers is a must-read book. If you love Dilbert, Office Space, or just plain common sense, this book will appeal to you. It strips away the thin veneer of sanity that hides the dysfunctionality that characterizes large companies, while entertaining with a love story and a rite of passage for a young engineer. Any thinking person will see deep meaning in this book, but the other 90% of the population should view it as a wake up call.

In my past life, I worked on large contracts as an engineer. Grossbach hits resounding chords, again and again. I found myself cheering at some points. At others, I nearly cried. But mostly, I laughed. Out loud. If you're tired of dealing with politics in the workplace, politics on your kid's soccer team, or any kind of nonsense, you will find A Shortage of Engineers is more documentary than fiction.

To all you dysfunctional, cut-off-from-reality CEOs out there, you really need to read this book. If only you knew what kind of waste goes on in your organization, how ridiculous it is, and how foolish it makes you look....

This is one of the best books I have ever read! I have a feeling that if everyone read it prior to voting, we'd have a far different legislative landscape. We would not have the IRS, for example. Think about it. The only purpose of the IRS is to give a group of hostile, insane, stupid people a place to go where they can make harassing phone calls and send out threatening letters. This is cheaper than building asylums for them and hiring people to take care of them. We have a few dozen IRS-inflicted deaths each year, and consider that normal.

As A Shortage of Engineers points out, lunacy is quite normal. The best thing we can do about it is laugh. And A Shortage of Engineers will have you in stitches.

Robert Grossbach's A SHORTAGE OF ENGINEERS is a tragi-comic laugh-out-loud must read for people who enjoy a good chuckle at the aburdities of bureacracy, managers who cannot manage, and parents willing to risk their seven-year-olds for the glory of a soccer game.

Fresh out of engineering college, an idealistic Zack has nothing to do for the first seven weeks of his first job with a large engineering firm. Then suddenly the rush is on to meet impossible deadlines, as he tries to work through a Kafkaesque bureaucracy with only Alice-in-Wonderland characters to help. Pitted against hypocritcal managers, insane cynical coworkers with bizarre philosophies and agendas, and nearly impossible electronic tasks, Zack manages to preserve an ideal of engineer as miracle worker.

Surpises, sex, and hilarity characterize Grossbach's latest novel. There are no shortages of comic situations, crazy but true-to-life characters, serious issues, and laughs--lots and lots of laughs. The flow diagram of an engineer asking for a date in the middle of the novel is worth the cover price alone.

It was upon having a conversation at school five years ago, that a friend suggested Robert Frost to help (form the basis) of one of my assignments. When I asked how he knew of him, my friend replied; "oh.., he's often quoted on TV" and I believed him (to this day I've never heard him mentioned). So I've come to guess that my old friend uses Frost as I occasionally do. To relax.

For it was upon going through a rough time that I again borrowed the complete works of Frost and a few other poets to get me through. And so inspired I was that I began trying to write some of my own. But as Frost had initially drawn me in with his simple, eaasily understood verses, he just as quickly lost me out the other side. But why I write this review is because I admired Frost's ability to start writing so descriptively so late in life, about man, life, decisions, the enviroment and even a wall! (ha! ha!).

So if you have never read poetry before, or you just wan't some new material. Buy Frost's complete collection. Oh and buy it from Amazon.com!

Robert Frost was and is America's greatest poet. Excepting, perhaps, W. B. Yeats, he may be the greatest poet to write English in the twentieth century. (To me, it's a toss-up.) To read this volume systematically or desultorily is to become convinced of that. But Frost is, above all, accessible, so the casual reader may not appreciate the difficulty of what he does. Like much of the greatest art his looks easy, even inevitable.

All of Frost's poems are here, plus his two dramatic Masques. When this book first appeared (in 1969) it caused a furor: the editor, it was angrily asserted, presumed too much. He dared to clarify - inserting a hyphen here, excising a comma there. That furor has since died down, as people realize that he did not do away with the sacred texts (any emendation was noted), but simply performed his job as editor. He regularized spelling and the use of single and double quotes (though not Capitalization, which can legitimately be thought of as integral to the poet's expression (think of e.e. cummings!)), and corrected other obvious errors. The notes give the published variants for each poem, so if you wish you may make your own call on some of these finicky issues.

The paperback and hardcover editions are identical, except for the covers, of course. I would, however, buy the hardcover. After all, you will be reading this book for the rest of your life. It is a beautifully-built volume, of an easy size and heft for use, with understated appealing typefaces and an exemplary design. Put out by Frost's long-time publisher, this is one of the few essential books of American literature.

After reading the first few poems, I am very glad that I took the time to order this book. It is a collection of many beautiful and intriguing poems that were written by one of the most famous poets of all time. Frost paints a picture of a certain nature scene in each poem that he writes. He displays nature and the earth as beautiful places that are filled with purity and gifts of creation. If you have a great respect and an obsession with nature's great beauty, this anthology of the writings of Robert Frost will give you a deeper meaning and understanding of the world around us. This book will explain what nature really is and how nature should be percieved by all. I highly suggest this book!!

Suppressed in the early sixties, translated into English in the mid-eighties, and published under Gorbachev's rule, Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate is the most famous Russian novel of the Second World war. Historians such as Richard Overy, Catherine Merridale and Robert Conquest have praised it for its realistic account of Soviet life and its courage in Stalinism. Reviewers from Italy to France to Britain praised Grossman and compared him to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy.

Now as Christopher Hitchens once pointed out, to be even compared to Tolstoy is no small achievement, so saying that Grossman does not meet this standard is hardly a damning criticism. Grossman, during the war a prominent journalist and later a novelists, was understandably horrified at the infinite cruelties and callousness of the Stalinist regime. That he is unsparing of the interrogations, the deportations, the tortures, the bureaucratic spite and viciousness, the way that political correctness encouraged cowardice and despair does credit to his courage. But courage is not enough, and one should beware those who believe it is a substitute for art. To say, as George Steiner, that Solzhenitsyn and Grossman "eclipse almost all that passes for serious fiction in the West today," is unfair. These subjects are powerful and moving is true, but beside the point. How could such they not be? Grossman must do more, and ultimately he does not do it.

Grossman suffers the vices of a journalist. His writing resembles romantic magazine cliches ("His love for Marya Ivanova was the deepest truth of his soul. How could it have given birth to so many lies?) The sententious title, all too reminiscent of War and Peace, does not help. Passages are suffused with rhetoric ("No, whatever life holds in store...they will live as human beings and die as human beings, the same as those who have already perished; and in this alone lies man's eternal and bitter victory over all the grandiose and inhuman forces that every have been or will be.") and the comments about freedom are particularly hollow. ("Does man lose his innate yearning for freedom?" "Man's innate yearning for freedom can be suppressed but never destroyed.") Behind the suppressed liberal, a middlebrow is waiting to come out.

Grossman writes at one point of how in totalitarian countries a small minority is able to bully or brainwash the rest of the country. This point has two flaws: it is a simplistic description of how modern terror works and Grossman does not bring it aesthetically to life. True, there are some stirring passages as the protagonist Viktor Shtrum finds all his colleagues at the scientific institute he works with drop away from him once he is criticized for supporting modern physics. But Grossman cannot portray the mind of an Anti-Semite or a Stalinist torturer. This failure is particularly damaging when one considers that Russian literature has no shortage of profound portraits of this sort of corrupt mindset (Dostoyevsky, Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Chekhov, Tolstoy, even Nabokov's Humbert Humbert). While it is true that Hitler was not the product of a primordial German anti-semitism, Grossman's picture of the Holocaust where almost none of the perpetrators are actually anti-Semites, just cogs in an automatic system, is seriously misleading. (One thinks of Omer Bartov's Hitler's Army in contrast).

Stalinism per se seems to be a caste separate from the population. This is misleading because it does not deal sufficiently with the internalization of Stalinism among the Soviet population. Viktor Shtrum seems surprisingly calm and composed towards the Germans who murdered his mother because she was a Jew. What is really odd is that most of the rest of the Soviet characters feel the same way. On both sides there is stoicism, a sense of comradely duty, thoughts about loved ones. There is not on the German side violent racist loathing towards the enemy. Likewise, there is surprisingly little rage, indignation, heartbroken grief and anger or lust for vengeance on the Russian side, though God knows there was no lack of provocation from the Germans. It would have been very easy, indeed one would think it unavoidable, to show reasonably decent Russians consumed with rage against the Germans. But that would complicate Grossman's picture of evil flowing down from a totalitarian state. It also says something that the Communists never win an argument in this book. (When a Russian prisoner of Tolstoyan pacifist opinions speaks of redeeming the world with acts of spontaneous kindness, no one actually points out that a lot more is needed to stop the Nazis.)

A comparison to Aharon Appelfeld's novels, or Gunter Grass's The Danzig Trilogy, or This way to the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen, shows Grossman's weakness as a writer of character. He assumes that most people are like himself. (Consider the failure in his portraits of Hitler and Stalin). And so there are endless scenes of people thinking about their loved ones, because Grossman cannot provide much more. They are endless scenes of women portrayed as the objects of men's affections, rarely as subjects, and certainly without the depth of other writers. (One notices that in Stalingrad the German soldiers have love affairs with Russian girls. They do not rape them). Strikingly, Grossman's characters are overwhelmingly Russian. Although the Soviet Union was a multinational state, other nationalities are usually only mentioned as reminders of Soviet persecution. In the end one is reminded that whereas Dostoyevsky could convince a reader that it is just and humane for Dimitri Karamazov to suffer the punishment for a murder that was actually committed by someone else, Vasily Grossman is unable to bring many of his liberal good wishes to life.

Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate belongs the category of suppressed literature in the Soviet Russia. The author dared to submit the manuscript of this big book approval only after the death of Joseph Stalin. But the Party's cultural wing even then refused its publication for next 500 years! One night they took away all the manuscripts from author's apartment. Only in the 80's the manuscript was recovered and published in first time. This is a novel in a Tolstoyean mould. It has a lot characters. The story hangs in and around Victor, a nuclear physicist, and his family and friends. The events happened during the period of second world war, when Russia was attacked by the forces of Nazy Germany. The Russians called it great Patriotic War. Every problems of soviet system was swept aside in the defence of fatherland. The novel was conceived in the mind of Vasily Grossman during years of new purge against the jews in the USSR after the second world war. People were hunted down or isolated again by the soviet authorities in the name of race, religion and ationality. Vasily Grossman once a communist now understands he is a jew also. The Central character in the novel, Victor, is the alterego of the author himself. Victor works as a scientist.He has a wife and one daughter.Victor's character is always in clash with his wife.His tender relationship with his friend's wife is the only spiritual solace for him. When war broke out everybody starts speaking for the war against German forces is to protect freedom and honour of people. Vasily Grossman finds the irony of such a slogan. A People without a freedom and individual honour for many terrible years under Stalin now think they go to protect it. When Victor's political stand threatens his own existence he becomes fearful and starts to think of an apology before the authorities. Everybody treats him as an alien and people fear his arrest is near. In such a lonely and desperate night Victor got a telephone call from Joseph Stalin himself....

The narrative is simple. Victor's mother's last letter from the German concentration camp is one of the moving chapters in the novel.The scenes at the Russian labor camp are also interesting and informative. Life anf Fate gives a total, let me say, accurate picture of the Soviet Union. As some critics said, while other writers went out of the soviet system and wrote about it, Vasily Grossman lived in and through the troubles of soviet society and wrote about it. Like Dr. Zhivago this is also an important book for them who who love great fiction.

There's a decent proportion of readers whose reaction to a Russian epic over 600 pages called "Life and Fate" is to snicker. If that's you, probably best to pass on. That would be a shame however, because this is a book about people in a situation which is everything ours is not. Where we are safe, prosperous and secure, the characters in this book are all constantly at risk.

Grossman's magnificent acheivement is to allow us to empathise with these characters and explore a war of the bad with the worse. The pages do not "fly by" - but they do stay with you long after the book is finished. Grossman was a Soviet war journalist, and his coverage of everything from the battle of Stalingrad to the gulag is utterly gripping. It is not a feelgood book, or a "testament to the triumph of the human spirit". It is a beautiful, memorable tribute to how ordinary people cope with impossible situations. If you have any interest in life in an utterly different situation, this book is a purchase you should really, really not pass up. I cannot praise it highly enough.

Having read this book over 20 years ago, it has stuck in my memory as one of the Greats, where dozens of other titles are all but forgotten, and it is out of print?! A Pulitzer Prize winner, no less! This book needs to be available to hand down to my children and yours, and their children after them!

I was fortunate to stumble across this book in our local used bookstore. My children and I read it together and absolutely loved it. The children think it is much better than any of the books their schools have required them to read. It is exciting, insightful, educational, and mostly just fun. Read this book!

My mother forced me to read this book 30 years ago. I resented it for probably no more than the first two pages of the book. After that, I was hooked. This book is truly gripping. I could not put it down. I looked for a copy without success the entire time my children were in their teens. I started looking for a copy again recently because I figure in ten to fifteen years I'll have grandchildren in the right age bracket, and I want to be able to give them a copy of it. If you can find a copy, buy it! You won't regret it.

This is my first Spenser novel and my first Robert B. Parker novel. Parker's writing style is sparse, quick and fun. It's an easy read and so far, thoroughly enjoyable. Last night A&E aired Thin Air, a made for TV Spencer movie. I was going from watching spencer to reading spencer. Robert B. Parker now ranks up there with my other favorite authors, Trevanian, Conor Creggan and Donald E. Westlake. I'm glad that I discovered Parker so late as there is so many old books I can back and read!

Most 'serious' reviewers of Robert Parker's Spenser books will argue that "A Catskill Eagle" is the best of the series. I won't disagree that it's very, very good, but I think Spenser (and by extension, Parker) is at his best in "Early Autumn".

Primarily, through the books, Spenser has deep relationships only with Susan, and to a lesser extent, Hawk. We really don't know much about him beyond the front he puts up for his clients and his opponents. "Autumn" is the exception to that; we see him treat Paul in much the same way he must have been treated as a child and the same way he would have treated a child of his own, if he'd had one -- with respect and decency. He drags the 'real' Paul out of the shell Paul had constructed to protect himself from his parents and the world and provides him with a sense of worth, teaching him, as Spenser says himself, "what [he] knows" -- boxing, running, carpentering and standing up for something.

The end of the book always gets me. I've always been glad, too, that Paul makes further appearances in other books: Widening Gyre and Playmates, among others. It's interesting to see the relationship between Spenser and Paul grow and develop. It deepens Spenser as a character and gives us one more reason to like him.

This is one of my two favorite Spenser books (The other is A Savage Place.) Early Autumn was the first Parker book I ever read and also the first suspense/mystery. My parents and brothers all read Spenser but I shunned them, preferring scifi. I was desparate for a read one summer night and my mother pressed this on me, saying "You'll like this if you just give it a chance" I was 15 and I read it that night, reporting back to her bedroom and saying, "Next Book! More! More!"

This book is about Spenser's surrogate fathering of a lost 15 year old boy named Paul who is a pawn in his own life. It is sort of a coming of age novel, but really not because it is told from Spenser's perspective like all the Spenser books.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I highly recommend it to any Spenser fan or to any one who remembers 15 and that lost in your own life feeling.

It was about time I read "Tom Jones." Fielding's 1749 novel gives us a panoramic view of 18th century British life. Its titular hero journeys among the low- and high-born trying to find his way in a world in which he occupies a precarious position. Fielding uses the sprawl of 800 pages to explore a multitude of social, political, and literary issues, gluing them together with an exquisitely outlandish, fully embodied sense of humour.

The action of the novel begins with a view of the Allworthy family, a landed gentleman, Thomas Allworthy and his sister, Bridget. Into this family is dropped an orphan, a foundling - a child, if you will, of questionable parentage. This child, Tom Jones, is raised alongside Bridget's child, Blifil, as relative equals. Both are tutored by two ideologues, the philosopher Square and the theologian Thwackum. Jones is a precocious, free-spirited youngster, spoiled by Allworthy while Blifil, the heir apparent to the estate, becomes the favourite pupil and spoiled accordingly by his mother. As the two youths age, Tom develops a fondness for the neighbour's daughter, Sophia Western.

Tom's sexual development begins to get him in trouble, as it tends to throughout the novel, and as a result of one such incident, coupled with the goading jealousy of Blifil, Tom is driven out of the Allworthy home, left to seek his fortunes in the world. Meeting his supposed father, Partridge, on the road, the two begin a quixotic ramble across England. Sophia, meanwhile, pressured into marrying Blifil, runs away from home, beginning her own voyage of discovery.

"Tom Jones" begins with the narrator likening literature to a meal, in which the paying customer comes expecting to be entertained and satisfied. All 18 books of "Tom Jones" start out with such authorial intrusions, each cluing us into the writer's craft, his interactions with his public, and various other topics. This voice is actually sustained throughout the novel, providing a supposedly impartial centre of moral value judgments - each of which seems to tend toward enforce Fielding's project of a realistic, and yet, didactic portrayal of a world full of flawed characters.

Some of the issues the novel deals most extensively with are modes of exchange, anxieties over female agency, and the power of rumour and reputation. Exchange and the ways in which value is figured include a wide range of goods - money, bodies, food, and stories - and are integral to the story. The treatment of women is a great concern in "Tom Jones": from Partridge's perpetual fear of witchcraft to the raging arguments between Squire Western and his sister over how Sophia should be treated, to general concerns about sexuality and virtue. A novel that can be in turns hilarious, disturbing, and provoking, "Tom Jones" is never dull. Despite its size, the pace of the novel is extremely fast and lively. So, get thee to a superstore and obtain thyself a copy of this excellent and highly entertaining novel.

Journey with a guy with much testosterone, but a HUGE heart. I was not looking forward to reading this book for my 18th Century British novel class, but upon starting to read I found it to be a pleasurable story. This piqaresque novel has a humor that I have seldom encountered in other narratives. What is ironic is that Fielding wrote this piece during one of the most traumatic periods of his life. His wife just passed away, his daughter was dying, and he was inflicted with the gout. One would never think it from the clever way the book is written. The point of view gives us an in so that we feel as if we ourselves have roles in the storyline. Rooting all the way for Tom despite his flaws, we find out more about human nature along the way. A good read, light a candle and sit down with some wine like they would've and enjoy this classic comical delight.

I first picked up Tom Jones because to put it bluntly I am a bibliophile and it was a cheap book. However, I was suprised at how engaging and hilarious the story was despite the claims on the back cover, which are often far off. To tell the truth I did not expect to make it through this extremely lengthy tome, I only wanted to satisfy my curiousity.

Although I am a fan of Jane Austen I was shocked by the freshness and wit that Fielding's writing still retains. Every book in the novel begins with an essay by the author. Do not skip these, they are one of the best features of the book. My favorite is the essay before the ninth book which explains the purpose of these introductory chapters. What a riot!

The story of big hearted and big appetited Tom Jones and his adventures and misadventures is one long satirical gem. Fielding's interpretation of morals, piousness, love, and high society is still as hilarious and relevant as it was in the 18th century. For anyone who appreciates wit and history, this is a must read.

Keller's classic book on Psalms 23 provides unique insights into the conduct & character of mankind.
If the reader can not gag on the continual self-promotion of Keller, smeared throughout the booklet, it remains a very good choice for devotional reading.
A better title may have been "Shepherd exalts himself while commenting on Psalm 23".
Spend the [money], it's still worth it.

My brother bought this book for me and started my addiction to Mr. Keller's writings. I read the book through and only put it down with great reluctance. Mr. Keller took one of the most beloved of Psalms and made it so that I was not only able to understand it better, but I could see the "subtle colors" in it. I not only love this Psalm for why I first read it, I can see more of the background to the picture that God was painting for us through David's hand. I would not only recommend this book for ANYONE, I have bought copies of it to use for presents. If you read it, you will be happy to pass it out to someone that you love. Mr. Keller has written in such a style that you will enjoy reading his book and then go back into your Bible and read what the Lord has written for us with a lot more joy in your heart for His provision.

Mr. Keller is very good at bringing to life the shepherd's view as expressed in the 23rd Psalm. He is personally aquainted with the Eastern way of sheep ranching, which of couse is the method employed and understood by David, the psalm's writer. More than just being insightful into the shepherd's mind-set and references, he takes us beyond the physical realm to the spiritual applications that were intended by the the Lord, who inspired David to write it. Herein lies the real worth of this book, because we are brought to see the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and how He is caring for the sheep of His pasture. It brings great comfort to know the love and care that My Shepherd exhibits for me. I recommend it to read by all those who have called upon the Lord and have let Him be their Shepherd. As they read this book they'll understand in a far deeper way the psalms' opening line, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." I also recommend it to those who ! ! are seeking such an encounter with the Lord God. He is patiently waiting your surrender. God bless you and brother Keller.

I don't know how I lived without this book. It's a thorough discussion of how to pre-wash, mark, interface, and sew most of the fabrics a home sewer will encounter. It's organized dictionary-style, so that you can open the page (flat!) to "Silk Chiffon" and find immediately the appropriate thread, stitch length, needle, presser foot, and pre-treatment for your project, as well as the helpful advice to "Never sew silk chiffon in a hurry! It will always go wrong on you."

Indispensable to even experienced seamstresses; I've been sewing on and off for thirty years, and this book had tips I didn't know, such as that some fabrics have incremental shrinkage, and must be washed and dried twice before you cut them out.

I have been sewing garments for several years. This book has been a great quick reference guide.

I have always had a difficult time with certain fabrics, they would snag, the stiches would bunch up or the fabric would stretch and slip.

With the help of this book, I have been guided to use the right needle, foot, stitch and finishing touches. Now, sewing difficult fabrics have become a breeze. An example is sewing on Tissue Lame, with this guide I was able to use the correct needle, the perfect stitch length and finish the seams, with no problems!

Thank you Sandra for this helpful guide!

Before acquiring this book I frequently had doubts and concerns about suitability, treatment and care of fabrics. Sandra's book is very easy to use, with clear photo of a garment made with the referenced fabric. What is the best needle to use? thread? style of pattern? method of cleaning? interfacing? This is not a sewing manual, but a very useful guide to fabric. Even when I assume I know my fabric, I check it's page and usually find a crucial tidbit of information. At the very least, I proceed with greater confidence on my project.