This is a long overdue book on homeowner associations. Now, people seeking help can read about what really is happening and how and why homeowners are on the short end of the deal.

As an activist myself, I have people writing / calling who tell me, "I don't believe this is happening to me", or "Can they really do this?", or "There is no one to help me. I called the district attorney and my Attorney General, but they all say they can't help", or "I can't find an attorney to represent me". Well, now they do have a source of important information and advice.

This is a must book for all people currently living in an association, seeking to buy an HOA-controlled home, and as an eye-opener for our legislators. The authors tell it like it is, giving their views on many important issues.

I can remember years ago a friend who absolutely HATED her condo association and I couldn't really understand why she was so opposed to homeowners associations. Now, 15 years later, we recently lived our own hell in an Hoa and put our house on the market to get the heck out of there and it was a single family home.

This is the book that convinced us to never again live in a homeowner associations, whether in a condo or single family home. ...for that price we gained far more information and knowledge about Hoa than we could have ever imagined and without paying exorbitant lawyers fees.

...less than one fourth of the price a lawyer charged us who put us in the very financially risky and extremely stressful position of suing an association and leading us to believe that we had a chance of winning.

Boy were we fools. Now we know better.

We are so much happier!! We can relax and enjoy our lives and our new home without someone telling us how to live in it and how to spend our own money. We will never ever ever ever again buy a home in any type of homeowner association!! EVER! And neither will our children, or their children.

A must-read for anyone considering buying into an HOA (condo or single family home). Should be required reading for any board member of an HOA.

Villa Appalling shows how racketeering is systematic in the HOA industry. How homeowners can be bullied in their own homes and sometimes financially ruined by the association.

As a board member, this book showed me where to look to find the corruption. Guess what? It's all rotten to the core, and seems to be in most associations.

Also shows how, if you are stuck in an HOA, you can fight back.

Before you even look at the Real Estate section of the Sunday paper, get this book!

This is a perfect example of true Vatican II theology. The author explains the place of the Eucharist in Catholic worship and life in language accessible to ordinary readers while drawing on the depths of theological scholarship and Scripture study. True to the spirit of the Second Vatican Council represented by Pope John Paul II, his exposition is scriptural, patristic, liturgical, and ecumenical. Rather than focusing on particular points of controversy, this book treats the Eucharistic liturgy as a single act of sacrifice uniting the believer to Christ. In the course of this discussion, the author delves into such topics as the inspiration of Scripture, the meaning of sacrifice in Israelite worship, and the roots of the Christian liturgy in the Old Testament. This book is for anyone who wants to know what Catholics really believe about the Eucharist, and especially for Catholics who want to know why Sunday Mass in the parish really is the most important activity of every week.

Here is a book that every adult Catholic ought to read-a few times. Steve Clark has done a masterful job of explaining Catholic teaching about the Eucharist from the Scriptures. This is not an apologetics tract, although it aims to help non-Catholics who love Scripture see why Catholics believe what they do about the Eucharist. It is a profound explication of the Old Testament teaching on how Israel worshiped God, as well as a thoughtful, careful examination of how the New Testament preserves the wine of this transcendent worship in the new wine skins of Christian worship. In addition, Clark has included a most wonderful section in his book called, "Hearing God's Word," in which he reminds Catholics of their great heritage in the Scriptures and urges them to engage their hearts and minds in serious reflection on God's Word. Clark has done his work in the light of Vatican II, which describes the Scripture as the soul of Catholic theology. It is written for laymen. It deserves the widest possible readership.

I found this book engaging, inspiring, and informative. The book's theology flows out of Holy Scripture, the Divine Lirturgy (both East and West) and Christian tradition. The result is that one learns not only about Holy Communion but about God Himself and His intention for His children (a little Christian history too). A confession: I'm not even Catholic; I'm Greek Orthodox. But I have found Mr. Clark's previous books to be thought provoking, so I gave this book - even thought it's addressed to Catholics - a try and was not disappointed. Great scholarship and a thoughtful presentation! I strongly recommend this book to any Chrisitan - even Catholics.

If you have any interest in beautiful birds of any species, I suspect you will like this book. The photography is of the highest quality and Mr. Green-Armytage has a wonderful way of presenting the birds as special characters, not just standard poses. He has done a wonderful job of selecting a wide variety of lovely chickens from both British and American poultry shows. There is just enough text to whet one's interest in the breeds. Unfortunately, the index only has page numbers for the photos. Descriptions of the birds need to be hunted up on your own. But you bought it for the photos of lovely, strange and cute/funny birds.

The book teaches, it enlightens and it delights. The photographs are truly extraordinary and not just for the aficionado of rare poultry. The entire book is simply a feast for the eye and with very useful text. A perfect gift for the chicken lover in your life.

Polish chickens (as displayed on the cover and interior of this book) are a strikingly unusual breed. According to the author, they may actually be Italian chickens, originating near the River Po. They are the avian equivalent of Old English Sheepdogs. Ice can form in their topknots in cold weather, and their crest feathers restrict vision, which causes them to be easily frightened. However, they see very well downward, which after all is the food direction for chickens.

I'm not precisely a poultry romantic, having once helped a friend clean out a chicken coop. But Stephen Green-Armytage's book, and yearly visits to the Poultry exhibit at the Michigan State Fair have convinced me that I am going to raise chickens some day. Just the thought of a flock of Owlbeards, Polish Frizzles, or Buff Orpingtons bobbing through my garden and gobbling up the cutworms and grasshoppers is enough to make me smile. I can always hire someone else to clean out the coop.

"Extraordinary Chickens" is not a how-to poultry manual. It is a book of beautiful photographs that grew out of an assignment the author undertook for "LIFE Magazine." There is also some explanatory text on a small but striking selection of the more than five hundred poultry breeds that have been recorded by poultry photographers such as Josef Wolters and Rudiger Wandelt. It certainly stands testament to the breeders'desire to develop chickens with an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. There are photographs of chickens with combs like red sea coral (Hamburgs) and Moose antlers (Sicilian Buttercups); chickens with tails that are twenty feet long (the Phoenix or Onagadori); and chickens that look like pheasants (Sumatras) or Bulldogs (Cornish game birds---at least from the front).

The author suggests attending a poultry show, if you find yourself intrigued by the photographs in this book---"In 1995, a show in Nuremberg, Germany, boasted a total of more than seventy thousand birds, a record that will probably be beaten before this book appears." California seems to be the hotbed of ornamental poultry in this country, although I can testify to the fact that Michigan has at least one yearly show.

If you think you might actually want to raise your own poultry, first read Chapter Nine of the totally fascinating "Encyclopedia of Country Living" by Carla Emery. It's got everything from "Good Recipes for Old Hens" to a section on roosters divided into "Crowing," "Fighting," and "Making Capons."

Stephen Herrero's "Bear Attacks : Their Causes and Avoidance" is a good, serious, informative, bear attack read. The presentation is more scientific than literary and the book could have been written in a more captivating style, however. It's hard to imagine a book dedicated to true to life bear attacks that wouldn't keep outdoorsmen up at night, flipping page after page, but this is that book. If you'd like to combine true bear attack stories with a more masterful literary style, try Scott McMillion's "Mark of the Grizzly".

Those who go on to read more by Herrero about bear attacks (legal documents, etc.) will find that he ultimately admits that this is far from an exact science too. In his testimony as expert witness in the Mt. Lemon (Arizona) attack, Herrero contradicts some of the most fundamental premises found in this book.

Read this book, by all means, but before entering bear country, keep in mind that sometimes bears will do the unexpected. After all, what's the difference between black bear poop and grizzly bear poop? Griz poop has bells in it and smells like pepper.

I found this book to be the most informative guide to bears I have read. Anyone who spends time in bear country should read, and be familiar with, the information in this book. Some readers may be uncomfortable with the descriptions of the bear attacks, but they supplement the author's points and provide graphic illustration of the potential damage a bear can inflict. The author's analysis of the factors contributing to the bear attacks will help the reader understand bears and their behavior and what types of situations should be avoided. The recommendations on what to do if you encounter a bear are based on analysis of all the reliable reports since 1900. The author thoroughly researched the subject over a number of years. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who spends time outdoors in bear country. The natural history descriptions and the section on bear signs are excellent.

As a novice who hopes to backpack through bear country someday, I found this book to be a good introduction to bears and their habits. The author writes with reverence and respect about these magnificent animals, but he includes common-sense information which could very well be a lifesaver someday. The photos were helpful as well, and the book proved to be a quick read, interesting and useful.

This is the author. I think those who like my work may be pleased to learn that the French edition of the novel, which was published a month ago along with my Truth and Lies in Literature, is already in its 3rd printing and has received favourable reviews. The 5 stars is a summary of the review of the French edition of In Praise of Older Women in the 25 May 2001 issue of LE MONDE. Here is a translation of some extracts: "... For eight years, living from hand to mouth, Vizinczey learned to become a writer in a language of exile. At the end of his apprenticeship, he published a masterpiece, In Praise of Older Women... At the price of discouraging some readers who are fond of sexual spectacles and amorous gymnastics, it has to be said that the novel, far from being about fantasies and neuroses, seeks, like all great novels, to teach those who read it the truth about life. It is a novel of apprenticeship which would be a good thing to offer to young people of both sexes as soon as they approach the enchanted and agonizing shores of sexuality... ... Faced with the youth cult and the barriers between age-classes which bear down on modern societies, where each generation seems to belong to a different period of history, Vajda-Vizinczey "having been lucky enough to grow up in what was still an integrated society", wishes to help to bring about a better understanding of "the truth that men and women have a great deal in common even if they were born years apart". Vajda begins from a simple observation: when adolescent boys and girls, knowing nothing about life and the other sex, want to begin lovemaking, they do it so clumsily, with so many fears, anxieties, preconceived notions and models furnished by bad books that what ought to be a pleasure turns into a struggle. And often for a whole lifetime. After several catastrophic experiences with teenage girls, Vajda, who refuses to look on women as his enemies, decides to rid himself of his sexual illiteracy by learning from those who know: older women. In his peregrinations he not only discovers simple and cheerful enjoyment, sexuality without anguish, free of guilt, sin and acrobatics, he learns the warmth, tenderness, delicacy and complexity of human relations - the voice of the other - the wearing away of time, understanding, habit and how to get around it - the errors, the shames, the joys... The irony, the lightness, the profundity, the naturalness and exactitude of the novelist are found again intact in the texts of the critic... András Vajda reads women the way that Vizinczey makes love with books: with the same desire to understand through pleasure, the same opening up of the mind and the heart, the same freedom, the same lucidity and passion for truth and beauty. You would lose something if you read only one of these books without the other... Vizinczey's intelligence is so bracing, so contagious, that reading his books plunges you into a bath of joy for at least a week."

Like most classic novels, "In Praise of Older Women" is a simple and wise book. I consider my life meaningfully enriched by having read it. (And how many books can you say that about?) I can understand why the author (to whom I give my thanks) pursued the dubious expedient of personally promoting it here. It cries to be read! But I fear that its European sanity with regards to the eternal dance between men and women will always be a foreign tongue to American readers, saddled as we are with the sexual neuroses of our Purtian founders. What Vizinczey has learned about women, and which he has graciously shared with us, is not feminist and it is not politically correct. It is simply true. People who value doctrinal conformity over thoughtful perception had better stick to Oprah-approved novels instead. Those seeking to understand our human nature a little better before it is lost to the grave are well-advised to start here.

I have just read In Praise of Older Women for the second time. Many reviewers have drawn attention to the wisdom contained in this little book, which slyly presents itself as a breviary for young men without lovers. I am reluctant to insist on its status as "an erotic classic," for fear that to do so would confine it to a very narrow context. Indeed, the erotic scenes do not constitute the heart and soul of the story, nor do they even take up very much room. Rather, the book brings some very subtle psychological observations to bear on human relationships. Note, for example, the analysis of the "rapport des forces" between the older women and the younger hero. Zsuzsa, a "small, colourless woman," struggles to overcome her pride. Her coyness turns to compliance only when Vajda snaps at her, showing his passion (one recalls a scene in The Red and the Black: playing for somewhat higher stakes that Vajda, Julien tears a sword from the wall, imprudently displaying his passion before Mathilde, who briefly sees that he loves her). Other women aim stinging remarks at the young man only to succumb to his advances; or else they are guarded and surly the morning after, suspicious (and, in many case, rightly so) of the young Don Juan's motives. In another case, it is Vajda who is prideful. In his efforts to keep up with an energetic violinist whose relentless athletic pursuits and strange sleeping habits he takes as a challenge, the poor Casanova wears himself down to the bone. Vajda also writes of the anonymous onanists, versions of Dostoevsky's "underground man," who keep to themselves and satiate their erotic cravings in solitude. These misanthropes belong to the category of men who have not opened themselves up to women, who want to seduce and dominate the opposite sex, unlike Vajda, who looks on women as "accomplices." The book is a very strong and subtle critique of pride. When I think back on its contents, I remember not only the pleasant watercolors of Hungary and Rome, the descriptions of bodies and faces, and the maxims worthy of La Rochefoucauld ("Whatever is sanctioned by society as a principal good also becomes a moral imperative"), but also the wry humor that examines human interaction with sympathy and insight. While desire plays a large role in the recollections of the hero, the extent to which the author soars above his past is quite remarkable. To be invited to partake of his calm gaze is a pleasure worth repeating. One can read this book again without tiring of it.

The book was very well received in France. "Un bain de bonheur" was how one reviewer described it. How to account for its popularity in Europe (the book has been a best-seller in Spain and elsewhere I believe)? It is true that eroticism has been raised to the level of a value in France, which deploys its Catholic moeurs like scud missiles against a monolithic (and not wholly imaginary) American puritanism. Ideology aside, the fact remains that France knows how to appreciate good literature.

I see that the author himself has posted a review translated from the French. Good for him. America should know about the European point of view.

Jack Aubrey falls upon hard times, beginning with the apparent failure of his luck when a long, long chase across the Atlantic from the West Indies after a privateer ends with the quarry slipping into port just ahead of him. The old SURPRISE is for the knackers -- she's been living on borrowed time for the past two volumes -- and Jack seems headed that way, too, after falling into a cunning trap that ends with him being roasted in a political show-trial for trying to manipulate the stock market. Stephen Maturin's fortunes, on the other hand, seem to be rising. He has found himself unexpectedly wealthy and he comes into information that answers the disturbing questions arising in his recent intelligence operations. As always, O'Brian shows himself a master of the details of early 19th century British society, language, and general style, . . . but his plotting is unfortunately becoming almost pro forma. A pretty good story, but far from his best.

I find Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series a challenge to read, albeit an excellent, well-connected long novel. I could not put down the eleventh in the series, The Reverse of the Medal, once I began it. Although most of this book occurs on land, where Captain Jack Aubrey is naive and awkward, O'Brian exploits this: the force of the plot is as strong as the earliest, more typically naval stories in the saga. The climax brought tears to my eyes, and the last chapter's denouement evoked a cheer for Maturin and his dear friend. I went right to the Web to order the next two novels.

The eleventh installment in Patrick O'Brian's excellent series of naval adventures finds Aubrey and Maturin back in Britain as their journey to the Pacific, begun in the previous book, comes to a conclusion. Aubrey, always a minnow among land sharks when he has money in his pocket, finds himself innocently ensnared in a complicated stock exchange scam that may have been set up by Maturin's enemies in the intelligence game. The complex case and courtroom scene, O'Brian assures us in a note, are based on a real case. The pillory scene is powerful, as Bonden gruffly clears the square of all but sailors, and officers and seamen of all stripes come to show Jack their love and respect.

After several books at sea, "The Reverse of the Medal" brings readers back to the Admiralty in London with its complicated and layered intrigues, back to Ashgrove and Sophie, and back to Maturin's espionage machinations. As always, O'Brian's wonderfully intelligent prose and satisfying grasp of historical nuance captures the reader in little pockets of 18th-century Britain. The entire Aubrey/Maturin series is great, and this installment is no exception.

"Fortune of War" is the sixth installment in Patrick O'Brian's monumental 20-volume 19th-century maritime series. It is full of energy, as Captain Jack Aubrey and best friend Stephen Maturin limp into port in HMS Leopard, after their adventures from the previous book. Aubrey learns that he is to be given a fine new ship, but must take a transport to Britain to meet her. He never makes it. He suffers shipwreck, two burnings, and two of the epic sea battles that O'Brian depicts so keenly that a reader is torn between reading them apace and pausing to catch some breath. The War of 1812 with the United States has begun and the American frigate USS Constitution is building what will become an enduring historical legacy. In Boston, Maturin meets Diana Villiers, his long-time love, and confronts shadows from his past of espionage.

Once again, O'Brian has combed the historical records and offered up an engaging blend of fiction and fact. These ships did exist, the spirit of 1812 Boston is faithful and evocative. Odd as it sounds, Aubrey and Maturin have evolved in something of a Kirk-and-Spock team. Aubrey is all action, sometimes a bit shallow, but always gregarious and outgoing. Maturin is stoic, deep and introspective, and always pulling strings that others can not even see but that often reach across seas and years in their reach. They are a well-matched team, they make us smile. This is a good book.

Of the early Aubrey-Maturin novels, this is my favorite! O'Brian has dug deeply into historical reality to place his characters in the middle of the War of 1812, making real-life sea heroes like Bainbridge, Lawrence and Broke come alive in their scenes with Aubrey. What's more, O'Brian finally lifts the veil off Maturin's espionage, as Stephen's previous activities have blown his cover, and enraged the U.S.-based French intelligence officers who hope to make him pay big-time. Less talk, more action than in earlier books, as French and American spymasters hunt down Maturin in Boston. Yet he has time for another coup, and Aubrey recovers from serious injuries to show amazing resourcefulness and courage in engineering Maturin's escape. Regarding the obligatory-and-thrilling battle scenes, American readers will cheer the USS Constitution's capture of HMS Java, and mourn anew the bloody defeat of Lawrence's USS Chesapeake by the determined Captain Broke of HMS Shannon. O'Brian does an excellent job of describing just how seriously the little US Navy humiliated the Brits during the Second War of Independence. Finally, O'Brian plucks the romantic heartstrings with grace as he renews Maturin's and Diana Villiers' relationship (which I'd earlier found unconvincing) in a most unusual fashion.

An excellent book, though no less could be expected from O'Brian. I took a considerable amount of time off between Desolation Island and this book so the characters and the nautical terms were a little unfamiliar to me. After the first twenty pages or so the characters, terms and myself came together like three old friends laughing and remembering our past adventures.

O'Brian re-introduces characters from his previous books (Diana Villiers, Michael Herapath and Louisa Wogan) which I found tiresome from his previous works. In this book, however, O'Brian uses these three characters to great effect. To see my old friend Stephen Maturin become the ruthless spy I always wanted him to be was exhilirating.

This is an excellent book and should be read by anyone who professes a liking for sea stories or historical fiction. Any bibliophile who is aimlessly scanning these reviews and has not read this series should start as soon as possible. Any O'Brian fan who wants to know if this tale is as good as the others in the Aubrey-Maturin series, let not your heart be troubled, it is excellent.

I have greatly admired Stephen J. Gould's essays over the years because I generally find them clear and humane. I tend to agree with most of his evolutionary views, although I think that he pushes too much the roles of contingency and natural selection in the history of life. Certainly, there are other biological mechanisms acting on evolutionary change, some of which have been brilliantly discussed by Stuart Kauffman in his book "At Home in the Universe." In any case, in "Leonardo's Mountain of Clams and the Diet of Worms," Gould again presents us with some food for thought. I found the essay on the separation of the scientific and religious realms of thought ("Non-Overlapping Magisteria") quite appropriate for people in the United States in particular, but my favorites were "A Lesson from the Old Masters," "Brotherhood by Inversion (or, As the Worm Turns)" and "Triumph of the Root-Heads," not only because Gould is at the top of his writing skills explaining difficult biological or paleontological ideas, but because the phenomena themselves are so incredible. Other essays were somewhat trivial (I really didn't see much in "Can We Truly Know Sloth and Rapacity?") and even forced (despite its undeniable humane message, "The Diet of Worms and the Defenestration of Prague" comes to my mind). I would imagine that, despite Gould's impressive intellectual talents, meeting a monthly schedule for "Natural History" magazine for such a long time in some instances must result in repetition and lack of interesting subjects to write about. If you are an avid Gould reader, however, this book will not dissapoint you.

Can you imagine what it must be like to take an essay test in one of Stephen Jay Gould's classes? He's not only a better scholar, he's also a better writer. He demonstrates this admirably once again in Leonardo's Mountain of Clams. The title essay, which opens the collection, explores da Vinci's motivations in exploring fossil history. Gould stands in awe of da Vinci's genius, but he also shows how the scientist/artist was also clearly a figure of his own time -- and a bit of a celebrity to boot. The other essays are solid, but they lack some of the whimsy that made his earlier books so enjoyable. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is a solid narrator and doesn't intrude on the listening, the way some "name" celebrity readers have been known to do.

As Stephen Jay Gould's writes another book of thought provoking essays, here he toys with us with the title to this book.

The title is about two seperate essays and they are well written. Understanding nature itself is what Gould is doing here... making a point in his customary brillance. There are short biographies, puzzles and paradoxes, all the time Gould is leading us through his thought prossess and reasoning.

This is a very good collection of essays and well worth the time to read.

Read and enjoy.

I have been trading off and on for five years. I have read books by Larry Williams & Tom DeMark. I have studied numerous articles in Futures Magazine. I found Stephen Bigalow's book to be the finest so far.

He provides excellent examples that allow you to learn the interpretation of candlestick charts. I am putting it into practive immediately and will let you know how it goes!

Also a very informative chapter on the Ultimate Investment plan. That alone could be worth the price of the book to those of you with $100,000 in a stock account!

This book is the third Candlestick book that I have read cover to cover. The previous two were Steve Nison's two Candlestick books. While Nison's books were excellent and extremely easy to understand, this book concentrates on strategy for making money and gives more trading insights. I have been making money even in this bear market using the trading signals described in the book.

The system is simple...use stochastics to confirm candle signals to ensure that you always buy oversold stocks and sell short oversold stocks. If you are a disciplined trader and wait for confirmation of the signals you can be profitable more than 75% of the time and your losses from your losing trades will be minimal if you keep tight stops - A must in these market conditions.

There is a huge amount of overlap in Nison's and this book but I would still recommend all three as there is always some different points in each.

I have been fascinated by candlesticks for years but I never had the knowledge or confidence to properly apply the candlestick methodology until I read "Profitable Candlestick Charting". In the past I would see what I thought was a candlstick pattern, but I was never quite sure of the implication of the pattern. Steve Bigalow not only clearly explains how to recognize each reversal or continuation candlestick pattern, but also shows how candlsticks depict the battle between the buyers and sellers and how quickly the market's perception of a stock can change and be recognized by candlestick analysis. Most importantly, he shows how to combine candlestick analysis with stochastics to not only set up high probability trades, but also establishes clear entry and exit rules to limit losses and maximize profits on those trades. In summary, a superb book which brings objectivity to a subjective subject.

The Gunslinger series is an excellent story. I've read the poem by Robert Browning that this story is based on and find the poem much more enjoyable since reading this series. I'm looking forward to book number five and hope Mr King is sufficiently recovered from his accident to get it to his fans very soon.

This series is unlike anything else Stephen King has written It is by far the BEST series I have ever read and I read alot. I have read the series twice and have already started reading it again.I Love these books that much.I would recomend these books to anyone.If you are reading this Mr.King I would like you to know that all I ever think about is the next book.

Im reading the series for the second time, anticipating #5. Each new book is better than it's predecessor. Stephen King is able to write about any genre, from horror to fantasy. If you want to read a good series, read this one. It's truly Kings best work, and he's got some good work.