Wow!!! This is the funniest book I have ever read. The way McManus writes is so unique, subtle humor along with out right hiariousness (if that's a word). Both men and women, country and city will enjoy this outdoor humor. I liked the fact that it was a bunch of short stories that you could read like a novel. It had the same main characters so you didn't have to always learn new people, but you could set the book down for days(if you could last that long)and not get confused. This is my first book of his and I cant wait to read more.

Real Ponies Dont Go Oink by Patrick F. Mcmanus is about a whole bunch of outdoor humor stories. He tells about different things that happend in his life but he uses other peoples names. The humor that Patrick Mckmanus puts into the stories makes the book hilarious. Patrick Mckmanus not only showed that he could write a funny book, but it was also easy to read. His style in the book would like you're seeing it from different angles. One minuite it feels like you are in the book , the next minuite it feels like you're watching other people. Patrick Mckmanus went from funnny to hilarious. Overall, this book was the funniest book I have ever read. I highly recomend that you take the time to read this book and enjoy it. It will make you lagh untill you cry.

I was laughing so hard it took me 20 minutes to read a 5 page chapter. You can't go wrong with this type of humor. I can't speak highly enough about this book. I am just starting to read it for the 3rd time and I very seldom read books twice.

Anybody interested in outstanding customer service will value the experience of reading Emotion Marketing by Scott Robinette, Claire Brand and Vicki Lenz.

When one considers the expenses associated with finding new customers and then compares how little, by comparison, it costs to keep the customers you already have, this book becomes essential reading.

Emotion Marketing is easy to read, yet educational and thought-provoking.

"Emotion Marketing" presents a powerful formula for engaging customers and employees alike in a meaningful relationship with enlightened leadership. This work should dispel any doubt about the value of pro-people practices in business. Engaging the commitment of 20,000 employees and millions of customers is no small task. Yet, in a world of corporate downsizing, worker alienation, and customer distrust, Hallmark has developed the ability to make money by winning people's hearts and earning their trust. This is a must read for anyone seeking to distinguish themselves and their companies from the madding crowd.

I'm a business owner and I know that I rely upon a dedicated cadre of loyal customers. I also know that I need to be constantly increasing this loyal group. Whether you are responsible for a business unit in a large corporation or own your business, YOU need loyal customers. Emotion Marketing is the key. You owe it to yourself, your co-workers, and, most importantly, your customers, to implement the ideas in this book. Read, reread, STUDY, this book. Mark it, underline and highlight it. Teach it to your co-workers. There WILL be a quiz.

This book details the relationship between Latin America and the United states in recent history. Not only is this a very interesting tale of violence, money, and struggle, but it is a story that must never be forgotten. The struggle is still ongoing for Latin America to achieve stability and reverence. Coerver and Hall do an excellent job detaling all the important information and provide a remarkable and informative tail of a past that is not so far away.

As everyone knows, Barney Fife was a high-strung bundle of pride, petulance and braggadocio, an infuriating but lovable man-child. On the other hand, Don Knotts, the comedic genius who created one of the funniest characters in television history, is apparently the nicest, least complex actor of all time. The man doesn't have a discouraging word to say about anyone or anything, and nothing earthshaking to say about himself.

This book is slighter than either Knotts or his alter ego, and that's saying something. Sure, it's interesting to read about Knotts' upbringing in depression-era Morgantown, West Virginia, his years in the service, his first taste of the limelight as a ventriloquist, and his glory years on "The Andy Griffith Show." But the book doesn't make even a token attempt to try and figure out what makes Knotts tick.

After a while, the barrage of ho-hum anecdotes and warm/fuzzy show biz acknowledgements gets mighty old. Even the chapters devoted to TAGS are rather dull. Undue attention is paid to Knotts' so-so movies for Universal, particularly "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken," which Knotts dissects as if it were a screen classic.

It's to his credit that Knotts didn't seize the opportunity to dish the dirt on the amazing galaxy of stars he's worked with in over fifty years as an entertainer. One gets the heartwarming impression there's nothing fake about Knotts' humility and niceness.

Still, you'll find yourself wishing Knotts had lapsed into his reckless Barney persona to write a few pages he might regret.

Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known reveals much more about Don Knotts by what is left unsaid, displaying real character so absent in today's "tell all" market. Early life and influences are nicely detailed and personalized though most of the book centers on his professional career. An anecdotal approach makes this a fun, fast, satisfying read. It's like winning a contest where first prize is a long lunch with Don Knotts at Schwab's. More than anything else, this book is one of the best lessons I have ever read on the "drive" and creativity it takes to succeed in show business.

I have really enjoyed reading this book, and have read some of the other reviews of it. I think Andy Griffith summed it all up in the foreword he wrote for this book, when he stated..."Don was not Barney Fife. Barney Fife was a character that Don created. I know Don to be a bright man and very much in control of himself. As everyone knows, Barney Fife had very little control of himself." Obviously Don did not write this book as Barney would have, but there are little traces of that personality hidden in it, if you infer it that way.
People who buy this book expecting to hear the caustic ramblings of a Hollywood burnout will be sorely disappointed. Mr. Knotts seems as warm and fuzzy as your favorite stuffed toy, without a harsh word to say about anyone. If you want more real background information on him from a more objective standpoint, watch the excellent Biography Channel special on his life and career. Or visit the website www.interestingideas.com and look for the essay someone wrote about him, that was gritty and much more candid and philosophical. You will be fascinated!
However, if you are new to watching the Andy Griffith Show, like I am, and this is the first book you read on the show, like it was for me, this book is a great way to get introduced to the show, and prepare you for the more theoretically advanced books you will read about it in the future. Especially if you are a "Trained Noticer" like me!
Now, if Howard Morris (Ernest T. Bass) would just write his autobiography...

This book is all over the map. Have you ever read 200 pages and still not known what the main point of the book is? If you enjoy such experiences, this one's for you.

This book is written for Christians who are dealing with significant issues of betrayal and trust in their family lives. The author has included many good points in her book, as other reviewers have commented on. I do want to warn the potential buyer that this is not a quick or easy read. She writes about many difficult concepts relating to forgiveness which take some real time to think over.

Also, I feel that the title and subtitle of this book really don't fit it's contents. The author spends a great deal of space in the book writing about theological, biblical and somewhat ethereal issues dealing with forgiveness and the roles of men and women in marriage; but there was much less practical, hands-on, day-to-day, "real family life" living advice than I expected.

One part of this book that I greatly appreciated was it's emphasis on the need for we "evangelical" or "fundamentalist" Christians to stop playing a role, a part that we think we should fit into, and rather focus on the true internal character of our hearts. She also differentiates between falsely judging someone (that is God's job, alone) and serving as someone who helps someone else overcome their sin. She points out that, since our churches suffer from as much overt decay as our society (as seen in our divorce rates and porn-use rates), we need to realize that there is something drastically wrong in our church society.

I recommend this book for anyone who has the time to devote to this deep subject of forgiveness. I highly recommend this author's first book, An Affair of the Mind.

God doesn't want you to be a doormat--and forgiveness is MUCH more than just 'sucking it up' or 'forgetting and forgiving'. You may have heard "turn the other cheek" so many times--but as Laurie explains--that scripture is highly misunderstood and had a whole other meaning in Jesus' day. Jesus spoke for forgiveness-but He also spoke of a 'defiance' towards sin and abuse, and 'turning the other cheek' was a way of defying the one who would strike you--and winning back ones' dignity. This book about forgiveness gives a whole new way of looking at real forgiveness, radical forgiveness in a sound, scriptural way. The realities of betrayal and abandonment abused people feel were part of Jesus' pain on the cross- a topic rarely spoken about in the church.

Lauries' experience with her sexually-addicted husband, as well as disappointments and struggles with the Christian advice she often received, have produced a wisdom which is God inspired and gives hope to the hopeless. As the wife of a man addicted to pornography, I know how lies and deception can ruin not only your marriage, but yourself. This book changed my life and gave me back hope-- not a hope based on any certain outcome in my marriage, or my husbands recovery.

I was reminded of the scripture, "Above all else--guard your heart--for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23) I had a wrong idea of what forgiveness is--and I never understood what "tough love" was about.

A good complement to this book is "Boundaries" by Cloud and Townsend--which dispells the many myths of 'loving' people taking responsibility for each others' actions. I don't believe it sexist to say that women (especially Christian-women) are especially prone to this. The spouses of addicts even more so. May the peace of Jesus be with you."The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Ps. 34:18)

We've read all of Susan Rogers Cooper's delightful stories, including the six Sheriff Milt Kovak books, the (very difficult to find) two Kimmey Kruse stand-up comedian stories, and the previous six EJ Pugh mysteries. Obviously we like Cooper's great writing ability; one would swear she can turn a soccer practice carpooling chore into an event of note with her descriptive and insightful commentary on everyday life. All of her characters tend to be a little low profile, humble practitioners with an overdose of curiosity that leads to solving crimes, sometimes almost unwittingly. Unlike her sheriff, who of course was paid to catch killers, Kimmey and EJ are strictly amateurs who depend on cajoling friends and policemen into helping move along reasonably good plots.

In this story, EJ is far from her home (Texas), and is re-united with her three sisters (with spouses/partners along) in a contrived vacation in St. Johns cooked up by her mother who wants to see the girls "get along". Much of the story revolves around their childhood goings-on and/or their perceptions of each other's adult lives and situations in society. Hence, the plot is almost a little secondary to the mental and verbal meanderings in the Virgin Islands setting. There is a murder or two to solve, and even if a bit improbable in total, we're hooked enough by a few real clues mixed in with several red herrings along the way to feel some suspense. Indeed, we thought the ending fairly surprising, and hardly anticipated the ultimate culprit at all.

While we'd readily give almost all Cooper's books 4 stars, we don't think this one was one of her best -- maybe the unusual setting (although entertaining in itself in some ways) put our author off her usual game plan; and with none of the regular supporting characters to help out, we didn't know anybody here either. Still, the faithful will want to read this; and while many of her others seemed better to me, all 15 books are fun, worthwhile "reads" without demanding too much from us the reader but "enjoy". Why not ?!!

This was the first book that I've ever read by Ms. Cooper. I picked it up intially because I had been to St. John, U.S.V.I. a few times in the past, and wanted to see which sites were mentioned.

I liked this book, but I found the writing style to be a bit spare. I have no real mental image of what the protagonist and her husband look like, or whether or not I would like them if I met them. The story itself was interesting, and the sibling problems added a nice twist to the story. Actually, I probably would have liked the book better if the family relationships were the sole focus of the book (Ms. Cooper seemed to handle that well). The mystery seemed to be a secondary issue here, and the whole treatment of the crimes that were occuring seemed too lackadaisical.

Although I liked the book, I don't yet know if I care enough about the characters to read the other stories. I'll have to think about that for a while...

This is my first E.J. Pugh mystery. It was a very fast read, the mystery kept me guessing, and I liked the characters of the four sisters. The memories of E.J. and her sisters while they were growing up greatly helped in understanding the dynamics of their dysfunctional family. The mystery itself was good, clues were there, but not obvious. I will read the other books in this series with enjoyment. If you are looking for an easy fast read, this is it.