If someone every told you that funerals were mainly for family members and not friends, this is the book for you. The clergy often fail to recognize the importance of a grief among friends of the deceased. In this small but powerfully written book, Harold Ivan Smith addresses head on the issues surrounding friendgrief in our society.

Although the book appears to have been primarily written with christians in mind, readers from other faiths will find "When Your Friend Dies" helpful when coping with their own grief. Examples from Smith's own life, from the bible, and from American history all make the reality of friendgrief more understandable.

This book is very readable. It would be the perfect gift for someone who has just lost a friend or who is only now revisiting a loss that occurred years ago. "When Your Friend Dies" would also be a valuable addition to every church library.

I've enjoyed this delightful book more than once. Doig writes a travel narrative as he retraces the life and journeys of a fellow named Swan who left detailed daily diaries of life on Washington's Olympic Peninsula during the 1850s. This book provides an insightful look at the Pacific Northwest and the early interaction between settlers and the native Northwest Coast Makah tribes at Neah Bay and Cape Alava. This book is a must-read, just like Doig's "The Sea Runners" and Annie Dillard's "The Living," if you are to understand the Pacific Northwest of the past or present. Doig (via Swan's experiences living on the reservation as an English teacher to Makah children) discusses Haida native art and mythology as well as whale-hunting and potlatches. Just an awesome and insightful read, especially for a cold winter evening by the fire. Makes me want to pull out my copy and read it again, and again, and again.

This book was so helpfull in validating what I saw as relational issues between my feiance' and his parrents. The book gives people real examples of things that parrents do to maintain a controling/parental relationship using guilt, manipulation and your fear of thier death to get what they want. The chapters are organized and easy to read. There is an additional bonus of scripure used to substantiate that this problem has been going on forever. The book is also well researched.

This book is a "must" source if you want to learn about the former-Yugoslavia's history, economic system, and its recent war (and related Balkan crisis). I found it indispensible to use during a course study, and an easy-to-follow, knowledge-packed source for a paper related to the recent Bosnian war.

Norman MacLean's A river Runs Through It is a moving story written in lyrical prose. Yet I have to give it only four stars because the "other stories" included in the book really pale in comparison.

A River Runs Through It has all the majesty and beauty of the American West written with the deep emotion and reverance MacLean attaches to fly-fishing (he compares it to religion). The other stories ("Logging and Pimping" and "USFS 1919") relate to MacLean's experiences working in the Montana Rockies with the Forest Service, and for some reason did not move me as the former story did. His relationship with his brother in A River Runs Through It particularly spoke to me.

All of MacLean's stories are good, but it is MacLean's easygoing narrative, vivid prose and almost spiritual way in which he turns a phrase that makes this book so special. It is an outstanding example of modern American writing, and should be read for such - not fishing.

Set in Western Montana and amongst some of the finest fly fishing rivers in the state, Norman Maclean tells the tale of one brother's alcoholism and the other brother's inability to help. Through the activity of fly fishing Montana's rivers, Maclean's story unfolds.

I favor this book for three reasons. One, Norman Maclean places you in the heart of his characters. Furthermore, since the names in the story point to an autobiographical tale, Norman Maclean places you in his very own heart. The narrator and main character in the story, Norman, pains over reaching out to his brother Paul. Paul, a talented and well-known fly fisherman in Western Montana, shows all signs of alcoholism. From entering the bar at 10:00 a.m. to heavy financial problems, I feel Paul's weakness amongst his strength in fly fishing. The dialogue between the two brothers' illustrates a cry for help from Paul, but challenge in the eyes of Norman. Both men want to stick with what they know best--the great rivers in Montana, the correct fly on a smoldering day, and the smiles of Scottish women as they bring home the largest fish. Instead, each is faced with a real situation, the inciting incident, where one morning consists of Norman driving Paul home from jail.

Secondly, the story carries deep thematic question: communication, competition, and responsibility. Norman battles communicating with his brother in a non-critical manner. Instead of an open-air conversation, Norman and Paul are healed by the waters of the Big Blackfoot River. Each man fishes to his ability while basking in nature's offerings. The men are knowledgeable about their hobby and challenge one another upon every outing. Paul sets his minimum of fish caught in a day at ten, while Norman stops when comfortable. Paul is known in Missoula, Montana as the finest fly fisher around. The idea of competition lurks. In addition, responsibility is addressed as Paul cannot understand his responsibility for himself. Drunken and bruised from repeated bar fights, what is one to do?

My third reason for enjoying A River Runs Through It lies in Norman Maclean's poetic format. I quote from page 47, "The storm came on a wild horse and rode over us." As a reader, I never wanted the description of Montana, fly-fishing, and the characters to end. Never having fly fished myself, I ended this novel with a great desire to experience the technique and beauty Norman Maclean presents. From the cast to the catch, the author's combines fishing with the rush of the river and front of a storm. Maclean's style and tone exemplify a peaceful song played over and over.

If you are in search a dramatic tale packed between two brothers, I would look elsewhere. The plot is simple and often relatable to personal situations. Norman Maclean probes his readers to look into their own well-being, leaving the feeling of serenity and gratitude.

Maybe the most important thing Norman Maclean does is write this book. He tells the story of his brother with whom he shares love, Montana, and fly fishing. I can almost guarantee you will feel Norman's emotions. This book is a reward to read.

This is a beautiful, haunting book that will live within you well after you finish the last page. Sure, the movie was lovely but could not compare to the lyrical grace of Norman Maclean's words. I only hate that he started his craft so late in life (or at least was published so late in life) and that we didn't get to enjoy more of his work before his death. I read A LOT of books, and this is one of my alltime favorites, among the top 5 and definitely a classic. I give it as a gift to my reading friends. While it's about fly fishing, it's not about fly fishing; it's about so much more -- life, family relationships, living in the moment. I would never have touched this book except for the recommendation of Pete Dexter, a fine author himself, who profiled Maclean in an Esquire article some years ago. If you can get your hands on it, it will give you some wonderful insight into the person Maclean was.

One word: brilliant! Many words: This book is equal parts scathing indictment of conformist thought, a sincere exhortation for the free-thinking individualist to not lose faith in himself/herself, an amusing cosmogony filled with sundry gods, demons, yetis, aliens and more, a free-spirited religious/philosophical treatise on the merits of self-indulgence, an ego-maniacal, self-aggrandizing rant and a blatant attempt to "cash in" by Ivan Stang, a satire on mainstream American culture AND seemingly "counter culture" types (cults, hippies, punks...; in short any "followers" of any stripe or creed), and one long, self-satirizing, not-at-all-to-be-taken-seriously joke.
If all this sounds like essential reading for any sane person in an insane world, then...your right! If all this sounds like a stupid, rambling, jerk-yer-chain-jape, then...your right!
Based on all that, if you cannot conceive how this book could could be so ESSENTIAL, then you're *SO PINK* you can't think straight anyways.

At first, I thought this book was pure EVIL. So I burned it, only to have it appear that night (in perfect condition, yet still warm and a slight smokey odor) under my pillow. So I burned it again the next morning. Yep, you guessed it, under my pillow the next night. I began to read and spent the majority of the next 3 months with gut-wrenching laughter and tears of joy as this confusing world was clearified and classified into an eternal perpetual joke for which only BOB has the punchline. YES!, Brothers and Sisters, You too can be saved by the Grace of BOB. Eternal Salvation or triple you money back!!! No other religion can make such a hefty promise! This is the world's only admitted "for-profit" religion. This book has changed my life. Before, I was a low-life loser who never had any money, women, fun, or slack. Now I am a low-life loser who has no money, women or fun,.... .... BUT I HAVE PLENTY OF SLACK!!!!! PRAISE BOB!

In 1993 I received an unexpected surprise: my brother and I were browsing through the Buck-a-Book discount bookstore in the Cambridge area (Buck-a-Book is a prime source for Slack!) one day, when he found a copy of the Book of the SubGenius on sale for one dollar. He showed it to me, knowing how I had pointed out "Bob" a few times in the past. I snatched the book up and bought it...after all, what's a buck these days? Plenty, as it turned out. I enjoyed the book immensely, and I thought the message of the Church of the SubGenius was a good one. This was back when memberships in the Church were still $20, and every so often I would look through the Book and say, "I should really send in the money and get ordained." But I didn't...because I didn't GET IT.

But the pivotal day came in February, 1994, when Buck-a-Book came through again! This time I was browsing the store in the business district of Boston during my lunch hour, when I came across the book that was to change my life: "High Weirdness by Mail." ("Three-Fisted Tales of 'Bob'" was also on sale for a buck that day, but I didn't get it yet.) I picked it up and said to myself, "I really should get this - it's only a buck!" and I bought it. A good omen occured right there at the cash register: the cashier saw the book and he said, "That is such a GREAT book! I've gotten so much weird stuff from that book...my neighbors think I'm crazy!"

So I read the book...and I WAS STRUCK BY A REVELATION! The rightings within this Sacred Tome were as much of an eye-opener as Rick had been! The chapter on dangerous hate groups alone was worth the cost of the book (the full cost, that is - not just a buck), and the book's musings on the philsophies of life and what is good (and what isn't) helped me to truly read between the likes of the Book of the SubGenius at last. YES! I was struck by the reality of the true meaning of the Church of the SubGenius...and it was good! It was something I already believed in! It was a cause worth sending money to! I finally GOT IT! Within the next week, I finally wrote out my $20 and mailed it in to the Sacred P.O. Box. I also went back to Buck-a-Book and got "Three-Fisted Tales" before it vanished, though I thought (and still think) that it wasn't as good as first two books had been.

When you first read "The Book of the SubGenius," you may not GET IT. Only those of true Yeti heritage will be blessed with the vision that is J.R. "Bob" Dobbs...and one of those rare souls could be YOU. You MUST see the Book of the SubGenius. Even if you don't GET IT right now, you will one day...if it is right for YOU!

The Death of Ivan Ilyich was a wonderful book that dove deep in to the realities of the death of Ivan. The character in the book named Ivan faces the fact that his life is going to be cut short, and he realizes that he never had the good life he wanted. I thought that this book gave a good realization on what death could be like, and what a person could truly go through. This book had a wonderful plot hat really left a person thinking, and wondering what would be in store for them. The book gave the reader a good sense of what Ivan was going through. Through out the book Ivan was denying the fact that he was going to die, and was in a sense going insane form all of his thoughts. In the end of the book, the author showed us how Ivan got over that insanity and how he accepted his fate.

There are so many levels upon which this story can be read, yet they are woven so inextricably into this masterpiece that the complexity is staggering. The premise sounds simple: a man who is about to die realizes he has never fully lived. We've all heard this before--in fact, Hollywood likes to drum such messages into our heads on a regular basis. But rarely, if ever, is it portrayed with the exquisite mastery which Tolstoy employed upon writing "The Death of Ivan Ilyich".

Paradoxically, this story is just as much about the life of Ivan Ilyich as it is about his death. This is in order to fully appreciate who he is and the man he has made of himself before disaster strikes. It is also to highlight both the tragic deterioration of his life and the gradual enlightenment of his inmost soul.

In portraying Ivan Ilyich's character, Tolstoy's subtle but inexorable condemnation is devastating. Not a detail is gratuitous: every point further serves to illustrate what is essentially a life without ideals and without purpose. Yet the author does not beat us over the head with this, rather than allowing the clear and unembellished facts to speak for themselves. And the way Tolstoy knew exactly which facts to accentuate creates a psychological depth which is unparalleled.

Many seem to be under the impression that Ivan Ilyich was some sort of villain, and that the story is a warning against corruption and bad behavior. My personal view is that Ivan Ilyich is no worse--although no better--than many people. Perhaps he is of a slightly lesser moral calibre than most, but that does not make him completely evil. To believe that he is evil is to miss the whole point, for this story was meant to be universal, to depict a reality which exists for us all. This is obvious from the way the story begins, with Ivan Ilyich's friends' and relatives' reactions to his death. Like him, they see death as something that can never happen to them, and like him they lead lives which are shallow and superficial in an attempt to avoid the unpleasant realities of life. By the time he dies, Ivan Ilyich has risen above these people by at last coming to the realization of the worthlessness of his life. This has elevated him above the common man, who avoids the reality of death and the effort it takes to make life worthwhile. In Tolstoy's own words, "Ivan Ilyich's life had been...most ordinary and therefore most terrible."

Therein lies the impact of this story: Ivan Ilyich is Everyman, and the message he represents is applicable at every moment in our lives.

Tolstoy's novella makes rewarding and unsettling reading. Surely, I can think of no novel that treats dying as boldly. Death is a fact. In this story Ivan Ilyich's life and death are plainly represented in a fashion that remarkably resembles the times I have been aware of other, near people dying. What the novel puts on display in so satisfying and disconcerting a fashion is the remarkable inability or reluctance of most people (I ashamedly include myself in this group) to take part in the life of a person who is inevitably and rather immediately dying. Only one character in the novel has the goodness, humility and patience to care for a dying man, the rest scurry about and take care of their anticipated needs in the face of losing a loved one.

I find that I read this book again every year and that it remains such a fine portrait of a bureaucrat whose family life does not entirely satisfy him and whose pursuit of a more meaningful life fails to cease even in sickness, when he understands that his mortality is soon to be demonstrated. There are few works of this nature that I can set in the company of this short novel. Despite many readings, I feel I still don't entirely understand it, but later in life I imagine I will do better. This book is so excellent and the edition here lends itself to portable and pleasant reading.

'Fathers and Sons' by Turgenev is no doubt a very importnat book - considered to be Turgenev best work, it features beautiful poetic descriptions, very sharp and wiity dialogues, poignant characters - some spiky and some very soft, and conflicts that will never die and remain relevant until today (like that of nihilism - the term which was coined by Turgenev in this book). It is very captivating and i found Bazarov to be a very interesting charcter (although it seems less original when you look on the literature of the last century. We must remember Bazarov was the Father of the Nihlisits to come. and the originality is his). However, I feel somewhat ambivalent about Turgenev - first of all because his ugly way of treating Dostoevsky at the time, and the way he mocked the young Dostoevsky. Secondly, i'm not sure if it's merely deformed hazy memory but i belive if found his book 'home of the Gentry' to be a better book - maybe because it was more naive and sublime. Anyway, it's certainly a very important book, maybe even a masterpiece - but for me it is not in the level of the great masterpieces of Tolstoi and Dostoevsky. That is because in my opinion his messages and his way of giving them are inferior in it's profoundness to those of the previous two.

This is the first fiction book I've read in a long time, and I have to say I'm not too disappointed. Fathers and Sons relates not only the generation gap in 19th century Russia, but also shows how fragile and fake the entire Russian system was in that time period. Every character symbolizes an important facet of Russian society. Paul Petrovich is the old slavophile nobility, convinced that Russians and their ways are the best in the world while they wear English clothing and speak and read in French. His brother Nicholas is the bridge between the old world and the new world, trying to fit in with the new ways while he only understands the old customs. Arcady, who represents those in society who outwardly follow the latest trendy beliefs but can't shake their emotions or their humanity. And Barazov, who represents youth, with its eternal promise of new ideas and ways, but who are blind to their own naive hypocrisy. Certainly there are other characters, but these major figures shape the plot of the book.

Turgenev manages to leave no stone unturned, casting withering attacks on peasants, psuedo-intellectualism, government officials, corruption, and conventions. The book mentions that Turgenev alienated and angered many in Russia with this book, and the reader will quickly see why.

Turgenev recognized the backwardness of Russia, and that it must change if it were to survive in a new world. The big question was how, and Turgenev shows that while idealists like Bazarov may have new ideas (Bazarov's idea was nihilism, a belief in nothing), those ideas mean nothing if not backed up with solutions to the problems.

An excellent book, and very readable. The price is low enough that most people really don't have an excuse to give this one a shot.

In Turgenev's Fathers and Sons, as in most of Chekhov, nothing much really happens. People talk a lot and that's about it. Should be dull, right? But it isn't. The talk, and the characters revealed, reflect the profound changes that were being felt in Russian society at the end of the 19th Century; changes that would set the stage for much of what was to happen in the 20th Century. But more important to a modern reader, the ideas and the real life implication of those ideas are as current and relevant as when Turgenev wrote. Bazarov, the young 'nihilist', sounds just like the typical student rebel of the 60's (or of the Seattle WTO protests just recently). He has the arrogance and the innocence of idealistic youth. He is as believeable, and as moving in his ultimate hurt, as any young person today might be confronted with the limitations of idealism and the fickle tyranny of personal passion.

I loved this book when I first read it as a teenager and I enjoyed it even more on subsequent rereadings. It makes the world of 19th century Russia seem strangely familiar and it gives many a current political thread a grounding in meaningful history.

My grandmother, an avid reader and former English teacher, recommended this book to me with the words, "You'll feel guilty eating anything while you read this." Having read a multitude of books centered around various concentration camps, including Elie Wiesel's Night among others, I thought that there was little that could shock me or even make an impact on me in this book. I was wrong.

The novel is centered around one day in the life of a man named Ivan Denisovich who has been living in Soviet camps for years. It tells how his prized possession is a spoon he carries in his boot, and a good day includes an extra bowl of gruel with fish bones for lunch. It is winter in the heart of Russia, and the only thing that pushes him to work is the fact that his increasing circulation warms his hypothermic body.

This book opened my eyes to a world that I have never heard of, that of the Russian camps, where the objective was not to exterminate the prisoners. Instead, the prisoners were worked like animals until they dropped dead in the fields of hunger, exhaustion, sun stroke or hypothermia. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an easy read with a difficult reality.

_Ivan Denisovich_ is by no means light reading, nor is it particularly notable for its entertainment value. Solzhenitsyn's detailed descriptions of the horrors of life in the Gulag, though, give the reader a glimpse into an otherwise unknown life, a life filled with desperation, starvation, frozen tundra, and injustice. Although I did not particularly enjoy the book as I read it, I am glad that I did--Solzhenitsyn's story is worth being heard, and the novel's ultimate value surpassed my initially negative feelings about the book. It is truly amazing and thought-provoking to realize what sort of a day is good in the eyes of Ivan Denisovich and his fellow prisoners.

This book is an excellent example of the horrors of the Stalinist work camps (Gulag) that were in existence for most of Russia's modern history. Alexander Solzhenitsyn masterfully weaves descriptions of minute details, which, surprisingly, do not become tedious, but provide a better understanding of the task or action that the main character performs, with a universal theme that all people can relate to - survival. The title accurately describes the setting of the book; its entirety occurs in one day of the life of Ivan Denisovich, a prisoner. This may confuse some in that everyday tasks and unique events around this main character provoke flashbacks more often than not, and provide a complete picture of this man's life before he was imprisoned and since he has been serving his ten-year sentence. All in all, this book has a superior edge to most other books on this same subject in that its author, ALexander Solzhenitsyn, went through the same struggles as the main character of the novel, providing valuable insights, thoughts, and emotions that tie the novel together. An excellent read - one that I would recommend to anyone.

Admittedly I am occasionally infuriated by some of the reviews in the Penguin Guide to Classical CDs; there's an unfortunate tendency to emphasize recordings by great British and European conductors, soloists and ensembles over equally memorable ones by their American counterparts (For example, why isn't Solti or Bernstein mentioned as frequently as Karajan?). Yet it remains the indisputable guide to the latest available great recordings of classical music. While Grammophon has made the dubious decision to list only its preferred recordings, Penguin's latest edition offers a wide variety of choices for the discriminating classical CD collector. Admittedly there may be too many choices for popular works such as the entire Beethoven symphony cycles, yet I greatly appreciate such generosity with respect to choices. This is easily the largest edition of the Penguin Guide I've come across, but one still worth its weight in gold. Without question this is my reference "Bible" when it comes to finding the best classical recordings currently available.

Contrary to the opinion of a previous reviewer rapid obsolesence is not one of the failings of this fine series in my opinion. In this latest incarnation it continues to live up to the indispensible reputation of it's predecessors. New recordings (or re-issues) are picked up in the year books (and it takes a special one to dislodge well regarded older recordings of well worn repetoire so you are pretty safe using this guide right up until the next one comes out in 2 years). The guide remains unashamedly opinionated but the passion (and the prose) of the reviewers makes it a pleasure to read in it's own right. In addition to the usual great depth given to well established works, the reviewers continue to champion fine recordings of little-known composers and repetoire they feel are unfairly ignored or under represented. I can remember reading in a previous edition a review of a lone CD of a composer (Jan Zelenka) whose music I had at the time never heard but who I knew was a direct contemporary of JS Bach. It was such a passionate and well argued review I went right out and ordered the CD. Zelenka is now one of my favourite Baroque composers. I'm sure such reviews have actually influenced the choice of content of some new recordings (because conductors must read the guide too). The historical and social context of composers or compositions that sometimes accompanies reviews is also an added bonus. Still the definitive guide complete with all it's quirks.

I have been an avid collector of these books since starting a classical music library over 20 years ago. The most recent edition maintains the high standard as prior issues. For the record, the "N" is used to designate a new release/recording that has not been reviewed in a prior edition. While the editors' opinions are as a rule highly reliable, they do not guarantee that what they consider to be an outstanding recording will automatically become a favourite for the potential buyer. So this book is truly a guide and no more than that. Oddly enough there are more proofreading errors in this issue than prior editions - particularly with cross-referencing - but that should not deter anybody. Considering the vast amount of material it covers, it remains very competitively priced. The use of two columns per page - which one hardly ever sees outside of the Bible (!) - adds to the depth and concentration of the book. The editors have gone to the trouble of adding expository material when evaluating recordings of obscure works, which gives the reader added motivation to try them out. The book is very strong in the area of Scandinavian music, mainstream and otherwise. These books are also quite sturdy and can take some abuse without literally coming apart. All foreign accents are used where required. Still a very fine reference. Highly recommended.