Julian Jeffs book is extremely well written, with thorough discussions of the climate, the soil, the grapes, the wines and the Bodegas of the various regions in Spain. Interspersed are several interesting historical details and cultural and literary references. Wonderful to read in the chapter on Sherry was Falstaff's speech in praise of "sherris-sack" from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2 quoted in full. Even better was to find out that they have a monument to G. K. Chesterton in Sitges, a Catalonian town where he often visited.

Refreshingly, this book does not have any photographs - it is not wine-porn! Instead there are lovely line drawings by Wendy Jones, that blend in well with the text, without distracting from it. Again refreshingly, wines are not classified individually. The book will not drive the potential wine buyer to worrying about the relative worth and merits of an 85 point wine compared to a 90 point wine. The classification is done for each region by rating the vintage years on a scale of 1 (least good) to 7 (best). There are additional comments about individual wines in the discussions of the Bodegas.

The book is useful for the Spanish wine enthusiast, and it is good reading for anyone interested in wine.

LeAllan & Lloyd are living testimonials to what must be overcome each and every day when one is in such circumstances. It makes one wonder how many others are feeling so trapped and possess such strong desires to better themselves in the midst of such tragedy.

"Carol" tells the story of cold-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who despises the Christmas holiday and scorns all who celebrate it. But a visit from a series of supernatural beings forces him to reevaluate his attitude--and his life.

With this simple plot Dickens has created one of the enduring triumphs of world literature. It's a robust mix of humor, horror, and (most of all) hope, all leavened with a healthy dash of progressive social criticism. One thing I love about this book is that while it has a focus on a Christian holiday, Dickens puts forth a message that is truly universal; I can imagine this story resonating with people of any religious background, and also with more secular-oriented people.

This is a tale of greed, selfishness, regret, redemption, family, and community, and is enlivened by some of the most memorable characters ever created for English literature. Even if Dickens had never written another word, "A Christmas Carol" would still have, I believe, secured his place as one of the great figures of world literature.

To be sure, the book seems wordy in places, but I suspect this has to do with the translation. And what translator in his right mind would be bold enough to edit the great Dostoyevsky? But this is a very minor problem.

What we get with Dostoyevsky is dramatic tension, detailed and believable human characters, and brilliant insight into human nature. Early in the novel our hero meets and has a lengthy conversation with Marmeladov, a drunkard. This conversation is never uninteresting and ultimately becomes pathetic and heartbreaking, but I kept wondering why so much time was spent on it. As I got deeper into the book, I understood why this conversation was so important, and realized that I was in the hands of a master storyteller. This is also indicative of the way in which the story reveals itself. Nothing is hurried. These people speak the way we actually speak to one another in real life, and more importantly, Dostoyevsky is able to flesh out his characters into whole, three-dimensional human beings.

And what a diverse group of characters! Each is fleshed out, each is marvelously complex. Razujmikhin, the talkative, gregarious, good-hearted, insecure and destitute student; Sonia, the tragic child-prostitute, with a sense of rightness in the world; Petrovich, the self-important, self-made man, completely out of touch with his own humanity; Dunia, the honorable, wronged sister: we feel like we know these people because we've met people like them. They fit within our understanding of the way human beings are.

Dostoyevsky also displays great insight into human nature. Svidrigailov, for example, talks of his wife as liking to be offended. "We all like to be offended," he says, "but she in particular loved to be offended." It suddenly struck me how true this is. It gives us a chance to act indignantly, to lash out at our enemies, to gain favor with our allies. I don't believe I've ever seen this thought expressed in literature before. In fact, it never occurred to me in real life! Petrovich, Dunia's suitor, not only expects to be loved, but because of his money, and her destitution, he expects to be adored! To be worshipped! He intentionally sought out a woman from whome he expected to get this, and is comletely flummoxed when she rejects him. His is an unusual character, but completely realized.

There is so much more to talk about: the character of Raskolnikov, which is meticulously and carefully revealed; the sense of isolation which descends on him after committing his crime; the cat and mouse game played on him by the police detective. I could go on and on. I haven't even mentioned the historical and social context in which this takes place. Suffice to say this is a very rich book.

Do not expect it to be a rip-roaring page turner. Sit down, relax, take your time, and savor it. It will be a very rewarding experience. And thank you SL, for recommending it.

However, the story is anything but boring: Raskilnov, a poor student, comes up with the philosophy that killing an old female pawnbroker will actually be good for the world because she cheats people and is otherwise useless. It's premeditated --- he even counts exactly how many steps it takes from his place to her door.

The book also recounts the following few days when Raskilnov's mother and sister come to visit and he has to play his 'family role' i.e. "I'm a good son and brother when I'm not killing old women." In addition, he is involved with a family consisting of a dying mother, a father, 3 young sons and an 18-year-old daughter who must go into prostitution to support them.

So what happens to all of these characters in pre-Revolutionary Russia? What will be Raskilnov's punishment? Does he actually think he was right to kill? The answers unfold as you read this gem from the world of Russian literature -- so renown you feel like you really achieved something when you read it!

Do you not deserve credit for its brilliance? For its success? But also for its failure? For its punishment? And the suffering that follows?

These are the existential questions facing the protagonist Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky's classic work. Set against 18th Century St. Petersburg -- a time when poverty and blind religious faith created a recipe for scandalous social acceptance of depraved living conditions and suffering of many. All of this accentuates Raskolnikov's own condition. A brilliant law student, he himself is very poor. Living in shabby quarters, he rarely eats. In this setting, Raskolnikov comes to a final decision (or delusion?) -- to prove his worth and superiority through a crime of Napoleonic proportions.

This is not your typical crime novel thriller. Not in the least. The suspense comes not through the cliched question of "Whodunnit?", but through Dostoyevsky's own brilliant grasp of human psychology. Once the deed is done (early on) the story shifts to the events following the bloody crime. Slowly, Raskolnikov's motives, desires and philosophical views become clear. We see him challenge the cynical and hollow Looshin for the benefit of his sister. We see him confront the police and magistrates directly with his alleged guilt. But all the while, the depravity of Raskolnikov's living condition and unpredictable emotions and actions render all of these "conscious" intentions suspect. Like Gregor Samsa in Kafka's Metamorphosis, our privileged access to Raskolnikov's thoughts perhaps betray a diseased mind. A confused consciousness. A man no longer the agent of his actions.

These circumstances both consciously and subconsciously drive Raskolnikov to question his own actions and state of mind. In a sense, he grasps for straws as his past actions becomes blurred. And this becomes his struggle -- the existential anxiety of losing control over the ability to shape his destiny. Dostoyevsky answers with a powerful gest, equalled only by Nietzsche's Dionysian Spirit: To trade freedom and dignity for ultimate responsibility and suffering. And only through this affirmation of the Will, shall Raskolnikov achieve salvation.

The third grade at Bailey Elementary is the hardest class to control, especially Eddie, who is the class trouble- maker. Most of the teachers who had this class left Bailey Elementary because of all of Eddie's pranks. The new teacher, Mrs. Jeepers is different, though. She won't quit no matter what Eddie does. Each day Mrs. Jeepers wears a brooch that kept getting greener and greener as Eddie does something bad. Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots is about how Mrs. Jeepers takes control of the third grade, but the kids begin to wonder about her.
I think the authors wrote this book to make people laugh. Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots is a very funny, entertaining book. I read the book and laughed.
I really liked this book because of the interesting way it was written. There are all kinds of clues and mysterious events that make you want to figure out the solution. I thought it was clever how the authors used details and events to make the teacher look like a vampire. In a way the classroom and kids seemed like they could be real, but the authors also included parts that were fun and imaginary.
I would recommend this book because you can have fun reading it. I think first to third grade kids would enjoy this book.

In "Othello," the "green-eyed monster" has afflicted Iago, a Venetian military officer, and the grand irony of the play is that he intentionally infects his commanding general, Othello, with it precisely by warning him against it (Act 3, Scene 3). Iago has two grievances against Othello: He was passed over for promotion to lieutenant in favor of the inexperienced Cassio, and he can't understand why the Senator's lily-white daughter Desdemona would fall for the black Moor. Not one to roll with the punches, he decides to take revenge, using his obsequious sidekick Roderigo and his ingenuous wife Emilia as gears in his transmission of hatred.

The scheme Iago develops is clever in its design to destroy Othello and Cassio and cruel in its inclusion of the innocent Desdemona. He arranges (the normally temperate) Cassio to be caught by Othello in a drunken brawl and discharged from his office, and using a handkerchief that Othello had given Desdemona as a gift, he creates the incriminating illusion that she and Cassio are having an affair. Othello falls for it all, and the tragedy of the play is not that he acts on his jealous impulses but that he discovers his error after it's too late.

It is a characteristic of Shakespeare that his villains are much more interesting and entertaining than his heroes; Iago is proof of this. He's the only character in the play who does any real thinking; the others are practically his puppets, responding unknowingly but obediently to his every little pull of a string. In this respect, this is Iago's play, but Othello claims the title because he -- his nobility -- is the target.

I read it in the Arden edition, edited by Honigmann. Honigmann argues that Othello has a strong claim at being Shakespeare's greatest tragedy and makes a strong case for the work. He has a good introduction that gives a quite balanced and clear overview on many topics regarding this play, from the "double" time method Shakespeare uses, overviews of the various characters, as well as a the stage history. Amazingly, he can be remarkably balanced, even when he is talking about his own views. While he is a decent writer, Shakespeare is better... In the text itself, he gives quite ample footnotes to help explain the language, why he picked particular readings, as well as where themes came from...

Like all scholarly Shakespeare editions, the notes are in danger of overloading the text. This reader, however, recognizes the distance between myself and Shakespeare and so I find it comforting to be able to look at the notes when I have questions. At times his "longer notes" were awkward, but there is no easy way to handle this amount of material.

A series that is rapidly growing into it's 40's, the Bailey School Kids may have met their match when their new cafeteria cook starts whipping up luv potion #9 goodies for the student body. This is book #12 in the series and will likely appeal to young boys for the "ewwww!" factor of students getting all mushy on other students, especially Eddie who is normally the prankster and unbeliever of all these odd occurrences.

Some books in the series are downright creepy-"Werewolves Don't Go to Summer Camp" and "Skeletons Don't Play Tubas" comes to mind-and some are more funny or silly. "Cupid Doesn't..." falls into this latter category. It's fun, it's cute, it's a good holiday tie-in for teachers in the month of February, but if it's dark, creeping heebie-jeebies you're looking for, you won't find it here.

On the other hand, it's a fun, very fast-moving series that has been known to rope in even very reluctant readers because of what I like to call the "what if...?" factor. That is, nothing is plainly spelled out: Cupid COULD be flipping hamburgers, or the new cook could just be a Valentine's Day mad woman in the spirit of things. You, the reader, will have to read and decide for yourself!

I really enjoyed this book because of it's easy readability and the wonderful pictures. There were many interesting anecdotes about basketball. Bill Bradley talks about his development as a player, and about the values of the game. The importance of teamwork and hard work is stressed. I found Bill Bradley's story fascinating, because of how the values of the game helped him win. This book related the values to many contemporary and old players, like Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and many others. If you are a basketball fan, I strongly suggest this book.

Whether you work primarily with individuals or with organizations, Bill Bradley's new book can be a great source of inspiration and enlightenment. Ostensibly this book is merely a set of ten essays on the values the former US Senator and Rhodes Scholar lived by when he was a star professional basketball player for the New York Knicks. However, Values of the Game can be read on another level: as an allegory on how one can balance ethics and the desire for achievement.

Bradley's ten values are the following: Passion, Discipline, Selflessness, Respect, Perspective, Courage, Leadership, Responsibility, Resilience, and Imagination. Each of these is presented through a series of personal anecdotes from Bradley's career on the court, surrounded by terrific photos of the sport's many legendary super-stars, both male and female.

One of the most moving photos is in the "Courage" essay, in which Michael Jordan is pictured at the end of the fifth game of the 1997 NBA Finals, when he led his team to victory despite playing with a high fever. Bradley weaves his text around this theme by telling stories of how players--including himself--learned perseverance and inner calm in the face of tremendous pressure and challenge.

Just having completed a year of study and reflection at Stanford's prestigious think tank, the Hoover Institute, Bradley's comments on leadership are eloquent and quotable: "Leadership means getting people to think, believe, see, and do what they might not have without you. It means possessing the vision to set the right goal and the decisiveness to pursue it single-mindedly. It means being aware of the fears and anxieties felt by those you lead even as you urge them to overcome those fears. It can appear in a speech before hundreds of people or in a dialogue with one other person--or simply by example."

Although Bradley has been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in the 2000 election, he steers clear of partisanship and political grandstanding. Instead, we find a book that delivers a calm, consistent message on values through the lenses of an assertive, convincing and sensitive man. As such it can be valuable tool for one's self-development as well as for coaching others. Positive but not overly idealistic, packaged in a beautiful format, Values of the Game provides practical tools for right living.