When my Mom died, I experienced grief for the first time. It was a very odd experience. A friend gave me this book. It helped me to understand my feelings and to cope with them. I have given it to each friend since who is experiencing grief. Although written from a Christian world view, my non-Christian friends have appreciated the practical approach the authors take.

I have been given, bought and read (or tried to read)many books since the death of my husband 2 years ago. This little book was given to me by a friend three months ago. Perhaps it is where I am in the grieving process, but I found it to be THE most helpful book I've read. It consists of 70 one and a half page daily meditations. I started reading it that way but I couldn't put it down after a few chapters. I have underlined areas that I have successfully gone through....bookmarked those that I want to return to at a later date. It is a book of hope and help not just for someone who has lost someone they love by death but for anyone who is grieving. I gave copies to my adult children for Christmas and plan to keep copies on hand to share with friends.

After the loss of our baby at 13 weeks pregnancy, the death of my father 1 month later, and the death of my grandmother 2 weeks after that, I needed the help and support that this book gave me to guide me through an intense period of grief. The authors helped me to realize my feelings were normal, and that I wasn't going crazy. I have since given this book to my mom, my brothers and sisters, and my best friend who recently lost both her mom and dad within a three week period. Everyone I have given this book to has said how helpful it was to them, also.

An extraordinarily insightful, gripping and vivid description of what life must have been like when people were at the mercy of a maneater. As in all his books, Corbett showed a gift for writing his memoirs. They are thrilling in their matter-of-fact, understated way. His knowledge and love of the Indian people, the jungle and its animals was unusual for a white man of his era. I don't know of another who put it in writing so well. That his books are not widely read by kids anymore is very sad. Corbett's fine character and sensitivity are a lesson to us all and to boys in particular.

One of my best childhood memories is of my father telling my brother and me stories from Jim Corbett's books. I recall that we were held spellbound by the tales, never quite knowing how they might unfold until we reached the end.

Many years later I have rediscovered Jim Corbett's books, and find them even more captivating. They are not trashy blood-thirsty tales. Instead, they retell the experiences of a real man who faced danger to protect others, and who had a deep respect for nature and the animal he was hunting. Jim Corbett's ability to describe his situation is so keen, the events are absolutely vivid for the reader. I thank Jim Corbett for the pleasure he has given my father, my brother, and now also my young sons.

My brother had borrowed this book from the local British Library, and I started reading it casually, without any real interest in reading it fully. As I write this now after just having put the book down, I can assert that this is one heck of a story, narrated in a manner that is hugely engaging -- This is simply among the best books to be found anywhere.

The book was first published in 1947, and you'd expect it to be a little "dated" in its content and style, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I have acquired a newfound respect for Jim Corbett the author, and believe that his legendary stature as the fearless slayer of man-eating tigers (and leopards) almost unfairly overshadows his other qualities evidenced in this book. In an era when being a trigger-happy jungle "sportsman" was probably fashionable, Corbett comes out as a brave but reluctant hunter with deep respect for the wild, whose primary motive is clearly to prevent further loss of innocent human lives.

Being from India, it was also very heartening for me to read how well he connected with the native populace of that period, and the genuine respect and admiration which he holds for many of the Indian characters in his story. This is especially remarkable considering that this was the time of British rule in India, and much (not all) British literature from that period is at best condescending in mentioning the native population.

Books about politics by insiders get most of the business right, but only Ray Strother tells you what it is really like to work in national politics in plain, unhyped prose.

Ray Strother's chronicle of the industry that brings us our leaders is fascinating. His story is also an "American Success Story". From the giants of the U.S. Senate includingRussell Long (recently passed) and Lloyd Bentsen to today's leaders in the Senate - Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln and Zell Miller - Strother has woven a tapestry of stories that enthral and make us consider our democracy.

This is a first-rate, fast-read of an industry that is seldom discussed but that brings us world leaders. Ad agency execs marvel at their brilliance but at the end of the day they sell sugar water to children. Strother has given an insight to a world seldom seen, but of importance to all of us.

Get the book - read it and pass it around. This is one of those books that flys below the radar but could become a movie.

happy reading

Raymond Strother's warts-and-all memoir of his life as a political consultant is a fun, must-read for all students of American politics. Strother's career began when there was still some innocence in campaigning, and winds up during the frustrating years of ego-driven hacks whose self-importance overshadows their candidates, to the detriment of government. Ray Strother's genuinity was formed the old-fashioned way: he grew up poor and learned to appreciate other people.

Strother's tales of Southern political skirmishes will entertain. He's a smooth storyteller who should write more, now that he's out of the maelstrom of the Washington kill-or-be-killed consultant circuit.

Caveat: I am a Republican, and although Strother's life has been spent around Democrats, his tales are compelling across the board.

When I was about four or five, a bookmobile drove near our house way back in the boonies. Every single time (and I do mean EVERY time), I would check out this book. About ten years ago, the bookmobile stopped coming around, and I haven't seen this book since. Today, when browsing around, I saw this and instantly knew that I had to have it once more. I've been looking for a very long time, and it has been found. A WONDERFUL book.

Fungus the Bogeyman is one of the funniest, richest, not to say murkiest, children's books I know. The detail of Bogey life is brilliantly conceived and illustrated (the contents of a Bogey bathroom shelf alone are worth the price of the book), and the guiding story of Fungus' own vague existential doubts about Bogey life are a delicious parody of some much more heavy-handed English fiction. Raymond Briggs is a master (see also his two books for adults "While the Wind Blows", about nuclear war, and "Ethel and Ernest" about his parents lives).

I was given my original copy of this book when I was about 11, by an uncle with a "unusual" sense of humor. I loved it! Lots of illustrations and text jammed in an unusual comic book style layout made this quite the fun book for me to read.

You get to follow Fungus, a bogeyman, on his daily duties as a Bogeyman and experience the complex Bogeyman world. Peek into his bathroom and see hygiene products like "pepsomuck" and "eau de colon". Some of his daily duties include waking sleeping babies, making things go bump in the night, and scaring vicars in cemeteries. You also get to learn Bogey history, anatomy, and more. It's quite complex and fun and provided me with hours of entertainment as a child.

I recently got hit by a wave of nostalgia, and purchased it here at Amazon as I couldn't find my old copy. My 13 year old daughter who is a Harry Potter fan (which also has complex characters) has promptly taken posession of this new copy and has trotted off with it.

I fear I wont get it back.

Fellow Fungus fiends will also want to check out "Father Christmas" by Raymond Briggs, available here on Amazon, which chronicles Santa's day to day life in a most hilarious way!

When I first glanced over Dick's book I thought that it would be based a little too much on his sponser (garden way-great carts by the way, have used them for 20 years) and perhaps some fertilizer company. Although he supports the use of some chemical fertilizers and tills quite a bit more than I might support, he has really terrific organic methods, green manures and old-fashioned thinking that remind me of what gardening used to be - a means to feeding the family with all of the fun short cuts and ideas!
The book has fabulous photos, great wide row and multi-cropping ideas, super tips on all aspects of gardening , and offers insight into maximizing your harvest. His tried and true methods and down-home common sense really make for motivating garden reading! I am going to try to grow sweet potatoes from started slips this year in my community ocean-side garden in Maine, as well as attempt his tomato caging technique with roofing paper. This is a great book to learn heaps about gardening in a simple, friendly way.

I never gardened until I moved to Vermont a few years back. As a city slicker I was amazed a little seed in some dirt could amount to anything. I got a few gardening books to help me, but this one handed to me by my mother-in-law was the very best (I found the others, especially "Gardening for Dummies" a waste of money). Dick's book is filled with photos of just about any run-of-the-mill vegetable (such as the tomato) as well as the more exotic (like my favorite, the brussels sprout). With clear and easy to follow directions and photos, Dick guides you through the process of growing any vegetable successfully. My second season of gardening I had an incredible bounty of tomatoes as my fellow gardeners' tomatoes were hit by blight - I just followed Dick's suggestions for planting and mulching. With the help of this book, I became a somewhat comfortable organic vegetable gardener. I just bought it for a friend on the West Coast as a housewarming gift - he plans to plant his first garden ever, and as he spoke, I just knew this book would help him.

The only caveats I would add are: 1) I did not find much success with his seed-scattering method. For some veggies, he suggests using a wide row and putting seeds in a salt shaker to scatter and over-sow, and then raking through to thin the young sprouts. I did find his wide-row method helpful for planting more in a smaller area, but I found I had to plot out where things would go. 2) This is a book for organic vegetable gardening. If you are interested in commercial pesticides or primarily in flower-gardening, this book is not for you.

Good luck & happy planting!

Some books are like gold-bearing ore--you have to sift tons of words to find a few nuggets. This book has nuggets on nearly every page. And unlike some authors, Raymond is open-minded to the various gardening methods and has tried them. Even better, he has worked in different soils in different parts of the country. And he is innovative.

I am not a fan of tillers and I am biased against chemicals, so Raymond had to overcome my initial skepticism. He did. While he extols the use of his tiller [he has a long relationship with Troy-Bilt, owned by Garden Way, publishers of this book], he also shows how to garden without one. And in most cases he offers organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Furthermore, he started out on a farm, paid for his first home with a garden and roadside stand, has appeared in food production documentaries and has given gardening classes throughout the country, face-to-face and on radio and television.

I do not agree with all he writes, nor is he inclusive of all gardening methods, for instance Fukuoka's no-till, Steiner's biodynamics or Mollison's permaculture. But in gardening, the proof is in the eating and it is clear that Dick Raymond eats very well. Beginning, mid-field and advanced gardeners alike will learn valuable techniques for soil enrichment, bed-building, seed-growing, transplanting, spacing, weed-killing and insect-handling. He is excellent on green manure crops, seeding and harvesting. I was especially taken with his Eternal Yield experimental plots, where he imports only seeds and lime but has improved yields and soil over a ten-year period. "My goal was to plant different sequences of green manure crops to see if they alone could provide all the nutrients food crops need. My guidelines were simple: don't add any fertilizer, compost, or manures to the soil. As for organic matter, till under only the crops that grow on the plot. Do not bring in any outside material--no leaves, no mulch, nothing."

This is the best-illustrated gardening book I have found. Hundreds of color photos and drawings on high-quality paper illustrate every lesson. All popular plants are given their own coverage including gourds, peanuts and sunflowers. In the section on pests I learned a technique I am eager to try on the mole army here--sticking pieces of blackberry canes into the runways. There is an insect pest section as well as one on diseases. An eight-page planting guide supplements and synopsizes earlier coverage, there are maps on first- and last-expected frost dates. The index is small but adequate.

Should your budget allow only one gardening book, this is as good as you can do.

This is a fabulous cook book. There is nothing overly exotic so it was very easy to find all of the ingredients. I served the Tempeh salad sandwich to my meat eating family and none of them knew the difference, infact they said it was the best sandwich they've ever had! The carrot cake with tofu cream frosting was incredible and was finished all in one evening. My mom loved the coffee cake and insisted I not forget to give her the recipe. I can't wait to try all of the recipes. Thank you Jennifer Raymond!

"The Peaceful Palate" by Jennifer Raymond is full of delicious easy-to-make recipes that don't require any strange or hard-to-find ingredients. Between me and my mother-in-law, we have made a dozen of the recipes and each one turned out well. As an alternative to an overly sweet birthday cake, I have made the "Applesauce Cake" several times with the "White Delite Frosting" or just a sprinkling of cinnamon and powdered sugar. I like to give this book as a gift to friends and family, so that they can see how easy and tasty vegetarian cooking can be.

I just bought The Peaceful Palate about a week ago, and I've already used it several times. I love buying veggie cookbooks and collecting recipes, but this one stands out. I can make most of the recipes in it just using the ingredients I already have in my kitchen -- I do have a well-stocked pantry, but that's still unusual. I would recommend this book for beginners, busy people and those who sometimes just forget how easy it can be to throw together a healthy meal (like me!).

The book was representative of true icons in our century,though other African Americans such as Jimi Hendrix , Sidney Poitier, and Diana Ross were worthy of inclusion as opposed to Michael Jackson or Oprah Winfrey.The information accompanying each icon was valuable as well,because there were several I was not familiar with.

But, alas, too American in the perspective. The selection includes people who are only of importance in the U.S. area. I.e. baseball & football players and t.v. entertainers (Oprah!)And in choosing Oppenheimer and Fermi instead of the far more important Niels Bohr. Further, Karen Blixen is presented by her alias Isak Dinesen - quite embarassing. The photos, though, are phantastic and the layout creative. In spite of an American chauvenism in the selection, the book makes a brilliant statement heading for the millennium.

All kidding aside, this is a fantastic volume for the end of the century. The one-page articles are informative and well-written, and the b&w photographs are quite striking--I never imagined I'd see a photo of Mikhail Gorbachev hand-feeding a squirrel! I was, however, taken aback to see "Queen Elizabeth I" listed as an icon of the 20th century. I'm sure Elizabeth Tudor (1533-1603) and The Queen Mother would get a kick out of that! (Actually, this is pretty funny, coming from a book published by "The Overlook Press".) Enough of my carping: I highly recommend this book to every home in the country, and imagine it being a treasured posession in fifty years or so--especially by the children now who are too young to have known of any of these fascinating people. Thanks, Santa Claus--great choice!

Before discovering a dusty old hardcover copy of John Gardner's 'On Becoming A Novelist' in an infamous New York City bookstore (Gotham Book Mart), I was under the impression that every book related to the art of writing fit into one of three catagories. Either it focused on technique (Robert McKee's 'Story'), it offered encouragement (Anne Lamott's 'Bird By Bird'), or it took memoir form (Annie Dillard's 'The Writing Life'). I was wrong.

This book is a portrait of the writer as a young man (or woman). After years of teaching creative writing courses and wallowing around the publishing industry, Gardner acquired an opinion or two (major understatement). He correctly believed that writing novels is not a profession or a pasttime for the timid, and so he outlines the prototypical writer's 'character'. The purpose, of course, is to get the young writer to ask himself if he is really cut out for this. In the course of telling you what traits a talented writer must have (verbal accuity, a discerning eye, faith, etc.), Gardner offers up some brilliant insights into the craft. His discussion ranges from writer's block to writers' conferences, and while you may not always agree with him, his views are always thought provoking and perceptive.

In the end, this book may be mildly discouraging for the would-be writer who is currently on the fence. Gardner does not sugar coat his opinions, but I am glad for that. He has no qualms in informing his readers that worthwhile writing takes a great deal of talent, and not everyone has that talent. As he says, the worst that can happen after reading this book is that you will realize you don't have the right stuff, and you will move on to something else.

In reading this book, you get the impression that he was a brilliant writing teacher, as is evidenced by perhaps his greatest student, Raymond Carver. Carver wrote the brilliant introduction to this book, which familiarizes the reader with Gardner's personality and makes it easier to put the rest of the book in perspective. I, for one, would have loved to have Gardner as a teacher. As that is no longer possible (he died in a motorcycle accident years ago), this book is no small consolation.

Don't imagine that is book is out dated. It's actually better than most other books on writing out there today. Read it with your highlighter to capture some really helpful and inspiring advice. This is one you'll want to own.

There are lots of books out there on the mechanics of writing a novel. There are others that give you plot outlines, character sketches, or tell you how hard, hard, hard, or easy, easy, easy it is to build a career in writing.
Gardner, on the other hand, simply tells you how it is- at least from his point of view, and he makes it clear throughout that his advice to young writers is only one wall of the pigpen. The most refreshing aspect of this book is that it is geared to the "serious" novelist- i.e. someone who doesn't want to write books based on formulas or what sells, but just wants to write what they want to write. Gardner doesn't lie about the slim possibilities of making a living as a novelist, but he does give solid advice on how to make money without your job interfering with your work.
Though it was written more than twenty years ago, this book is still valuable today for the beginning writer- I'll keep it on my shelf for many years to come.

Raymond Chandler's creation, Philip Marlowe, is a character that has influenced modern fiction greatly. Without Marlowe the archetype of "private dick" would not carry the cultural weight that it does today. It is true that the plot lines of many Chandler works are contorted to the point of no return, but it is not the plot that counts. The reason why these books are so successful is because we the reader become enthralled by Marlowe and his immediate knowledge of all things that surround him. Because Chandler made Marlowe such a carefully wrought character, Farewell, My Lovely becomes an examination of the human character rather than a list of dastardly deeds committed by crooks without depth. Every scene is an interaction between fully developed characters. He defines himself in relation to the people and actions that whirl in and out of his life. Marlowe offers us plenty of insight into his opinion of his relations. Because he is such an endearing person we want to believe every word he says. He is a product of the LA scene where he works. We the reader build confidence in our hero because he is capable of sizing up any situation immediately. Slowly we learn to trust Marlowe's way of navigating the underbelly of LA. I truly enjoyed Farewell, My Lovely because Chandler forces through Marlowe an undeniable wit and charm. He will make you laugh and draw you into his brand of thinking about other characters. I wonder sometimes when reading Chandler about how Marlowe would size me up. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about interesting characters and loves a wry wit and dark charm.

Seeing as how "The Big Sleep" and "Farewell, My Lovely" are the first two Philip Marlowe detective novels that Raymond Chandler wrote (published in 1939 and 1940, respectively), this is a grand place for a Chandler novice to begin pursuing the morally decrepit alleys and boulevards of the rich and not-so-rich in Los Angeles.

One thing you should note is that Chandler held the conventional detective stories (think: Agatha Christie) in disdain. Ergo, any attempt of mine to barf back the plots to you is a waste of time. They are so complex that you often forget exactly what happened shortly after you finish reading the books themselves...which doesn't detract from their quality whatsoever mind you. It's been told often enough that after their publication, Chandler often didn't even know what was going on in his own novels!

Suffice to say that both books concern murder among the wealthy elites in L.A. during Chandler's life--a time when the city was a lot smaller than its present size, and more hostile to outsiders--particularly to people of color. "The Big Sleep" concerns a disappearance and a reclusive millionaire and his two daughters (one is a mentally deranged nymphomaniac; the other is a bit more sensible, but no less shady) and the lengths he'll go to protect them. While this isn't the best Marlowe novel, this is probably the best place to start. Plus, it got made into a pretty good movie starring Bogie and Bacall.

"Farewell, My Lovely" is perhaps the most politically incorrect of the Marlowe books. It starts off with a murder at a bar in South Central L.A. and extends its tentacles into jewel heists and gambling rings where it is difficult to ascertain exactly who is doing what to whom. In Chandler's L.A., nothing is what it seems.

The story itself is engrossing, however, you must prepare yourself for Marlowe dropping the "N" word at least once, and his mockery of an American Indian for speaking in pidgeon English. Remember that this was 1940 and was 25 years before the Watts riots began to put an end to the white-dominated old boys network that used to rule L.A. That in itself makes it an interesting look at the mentality of the powers at be (the wealthy, the LAPD) and see how much has changed since Chandler's day...and how much hasn't.

My personal favorite of Chandler's books is "The Long Goodbye"--the second-to-last Marlowe novel that was published in 1954. I would rank both of these books below that one, but "Farewell, My Lovely" is a close second, while "The Big Sleep" is an auspicious debut for the hard-boiled, cynical, yet romantic ...

For those who are willing to take more than a passive interest in the works of Raymond Chandler, this two-book set is an excellent place to start. Furthermore, for those who are merely casual Chandler fans, this set is great because these two books are among his best (and it looks nice on your bookshelf too!)

I've always believed that Chandler was one of the great prose stylists of the 20th century. Read these two novels and try to disagree with me.

A very detailed but not a confusing book. Suitable for a foreign student at a level of intermediate english. Especially the cases motivates you to the Marketing area.I offer you to study with the CD...

Books like these are used for reference and do there job well but this book is different. Its fun to read for somebody who is into business. Why? Well because it is so up-to date, features ad campaigns that are still in magazines, refers to interesting real life examples and case studies from large multinational businesses to small family firms.

Its written well, it highlights the main points on the sides of the page for quick reference but the only criticism is the index isn't very well laid out but you get used to it.

I honestly find my self reading the case studies when i'm bored, so this is like a fiction/ reference book.

On the reference front it contains pretty much everything you need to know for an introduction to undergraduate marketing but be warned it doesn't go that much further. If you are studying for a course which goes into great depth about marketing this isn't for you, it just covers all the basic aspects. Layout is great and the book itself is quite bulky, so its best not to carry around.

I have also got the European edition which is very good, the case studies are different and its slightly smaller and much much cheaper. The cost of this book is astronomical, but it could be the difference between getting a good grade or a mediocre one.

This book is one of the best marketing books. The content of book is very comprehensive and embellished with cases that help you better understand the marketing theory. Especially, the most fascinating aspect of the book is its chapters about INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY and its impacts on the marketing concepts.

You can buy this book even for its excellent cases. I strongly recommend this book to all MBA students whose interested field is marketing.