World of Yesterday is an unforgettable classic and it should be mandatory reading in high school. In this autobiography, Stefan Zweig not only tells his life story and how he became a successful writer in Vienna, but he also paints the most vivid picture of Europe in the beginning of the century, with heart-breaking detail of the consequences of World War 1 and Hitler's rise to power on his life and the life of all Europeans. What touched me the most is his suggestion of a free-thinking continent with symbolic borders and no passports, and his definition of peace. Reading this book reminded me of the meaninglessness of war. How one's friend and neighbor living across the river can become his "enemy" once war is declared. Its message is still 100% valid today. Just watch the world news...

From its introduction: "So choose and speak for me,ye memories, and at least give some reflection of my life before it sinks into the dark!" to its final despairing end, this book is a tour de force. It was first published in 1943, and since Zweig and his second wife committed suicide on Feb. 23, 1942, I presume it was the last thing he wrote that was published. It is of interest that his first wife in 1946 published a book about her first ex-husband (entitled "Stefan Zweig"). The World of Yesterday says nothing about his marriages, but his wife's book succinctly describes how she learned of her husband's affair: "Hastening back to the hotel, I entered my husband's study from the bedroom. Unfortunately it was an inopportune moment."

Stefan Zweig was a quintessential man of letters whose work and sensibility come to life in this memoir. He was a key participant in European literary culture during the early part of the century, and was a contemporary and colleague of many great writers and thinkers. The book portrays the type of privileged life into which he was born, and poignantly documents the degeneration of his beloved Europe into a state of barbarity.

This book is fascinating as much for what it includes--descriptions of his work, his associations, the events that shaped the time--as for what it does not--any mention of his personal relationships with his wives or with those outside his cultural life. One learns about the man mostly indirectly; this is not a confessional memoir as much as a document of a brilliant man's literary values and intellectual life, and how they were shattered by the destruction of war.

This is an interesting memoir of the early life of sailor, captain, and businessman. Unlike other memoirs of the sea, this covers life on the sea from bottom to top: from Tyne's start as a child-sailor, to his rise to captain, finally to ship owner and commodities speculator. It includes some very good passages, which vididly portray the many dangers of a life at sea in the early 19th century. Most of it is interestings and enlightening, but this book is not the literary equal of Two Years Before The Mast.

If you're not already into this stuff, it will put you to sleep.

If on the other hand, like me, the mere mention of the days of tall ships fills your lungs with salt air, gets your sea legs in motion, and gives you a faraway thrill, then this becomes the definitive life story of every sailor who ever went to sea.

And this guy has been through it all: pirates, mutinies, shipwrecks, storms, cruel officers, exotic foreign shores, wars (on both land and sea, including the American revolution and the China traders), sharks, starvation, marriage (that ultimate adventure), disease, and even "haunted" ships.

Beautifully written in the eloquent style of a man who had been an illiterate cabin boy and eventually educated himself with distinction, it even chronicles the effects that his life at sea had upon the way his family saw him and the business world dealt with him, and contains vignettes about minute aspects of life back then that I'd never been aware of.

What a find!

This book is the real thing. If you want to know what it took to be a sea captain in the early 19th century, this is the book for you. informative fascinating, it shows how by force of personality, an ability to command, a bit of luck you,starting with no money, you could rise up through the ranks from sailor to owning your own ship and become a merchant prince. Very inspiring.

"Our lives are filled with useless battles because our minds are filled with useless thoughts," according to Hugh Prather, the best-selling author of 15 books, the most famous of which is Notes to Myself. His latest release is The Little Book of Letting Go: A Revolutionary 30-Day Program to Cleanse Your Mind, Lift Your Spirit and Replenish Your Soul.

He says that "failure to let go can eat up every small chance we have to be happy," and he filled his book with "releases," which are simple exercises for letting go. The releases first bring into awareness what isn't being held on to, and then shows how to let it go. None of them require any tools or equipment other than a willing mind. He begins with an exercise on "letting go of the fear of letting go."

Other releases cover mental pollutants, emotional fixation, misery, control, inner conflicts, negative honesty, the ego mind, and spiritual specialness.

Prather emphasizes the role of thought and provides suggestions for identifying the ones that can trigger negative emotions. He calls these the "T-thoughts." The releases are designed to help you let go of the T-thoughts and unclutter your mind. While simple to do, the releases are exceptionally powerful and most are immediately effective. Readers can do the releases in the order presented, or pick and choose among them.

"There are only three things you need to let go of," Prather says, "judging, controlling, and being right. Release these three and you will have the whole mind and twinkly heart of a child." He combines humor and real-life stories with straight-forward and easy-to read writing to help readers release the thoughts that have kept them from wholeness and happiness. The Little Book of Letting Go is essential for all those who wish to rediscover their twinkly hearts.

I had pretty much gotten jaded about self-help books when I picked this one up, but it actually helped a lot and I finished the book feeling better about myself and my life. One of the things I liked was that there's humor which makes the book much more accessible and fun to read. I also like the spiritual aspect and the way it's presented.

The most important thing to me was that Mr. Prather's approach actually worked! I bought the book because of the title and because I had just gotten out of a relationship that I was having trouble letting go of. I started trying some of the exercises and amazingly I found myself stopping all the endless thoughts about what I wish I'd said, etc.

I definitely recommend this book because I also had the feeling that Mr. Prather actually believes this and practices it. I love the whole imagery of cleaning out the mind, which when I started doing it made me feel so much better!

I loved this book! Hugh Prather's "THE LITTLE BOOK OF LETTING GO" is very inspiring, very understandable, and I felt it had a healing effect. I enjoyed it very much. Some of the concepts and insights help put things in a very different perspective. While there is nothing wrong with achieving goals, and having possessions, if we make having things more important than having peace of mind and well-being, then all those achievements are still empty. This book has a depth and also a feeling or quality that made me feel easier and more well in myself while reading it. It helped me Let Go! Thanks.

Other books that also inspire me and have helped me to feel more at peace in my life are "THE POWER OF ONE" by Tolle; but my favorite book in the last couple years about personal growth and satisfaction is "WORKING ON YOURSELF DOESN'T WORK" by Ariel and Shya Kane. Hugh Prather, Eckard Tolle and Ariel and Shya Kane have really learned how to let go of what prevents you from being enlightened.

If you're trying to figure out Sociobiology like I am, the 3 best books on the subject are:

#1 HOW TO MAKE ANYONE FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU by Leil Lowndes, #2 SURVIVAL OF THE PRETTIEST by Nancy Etcoff, and #3 HOW TO SUCCEED WITH WOMEN by Ron Louis and David Copeland. But even though I haven't finished WHAT WOMEN WANT by Larry Stains, Stefan Bechtel, and Laurence Roy Stains, it's already #4!!!

What makes all these books so good is that unlike books like MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS, this fantastic four of books deals with the real world, and tells us what women--who rule the game of love--really want!

Some readers have criticicized this book as being a copy of HOW TO SUCCEED WITH WOMEN, but what makes WHAT WOMEN WANT different is that the authors not only tell us what women want, but they go into even more details about Sociobiogogy than HOW TO SUCCEED WITH WOMEN, and somehow, the writing is even better organized. The section on first date failures is dynamite, and I love the way the book refers to hundreds of the women the authors interviewed, instead of the usual studies quoted in other books. And like the Top Three, WHAT WOMEN WANT doesn't shy away from the importance of appearance, and emphasizes good grooming.

But WHAT WOMEN WANT does have two weaknesses, as the authors try to downplay the importance of certain aspects of appearance such as hair--they try to use womens' answers to their questions to suggest that women don't care about baldness, while my research indicates hair is very important to women--and the authors overstate the importance of money to women--which my research says is a distant second for women to looks. (Why else are so many women married to guys with no money, or who aren't rich?!) Also, like HOW TO SUCCEED WITH WOMEN, there are no pictures of the authors, and I'm always a little curious to see what the writers of books like these look like!

But WHAT WOMEN WANT is still sensational, and it's the best book of the 21st Century!

Chari Krishnan

This book is awesome. It's written by guys FOR guys but it interviews over 2,000 women. From the chapters on dating and companionship to the chapters on sex and intimacy, there are thousands of tidbits in here that make you sit up and pay attention. In some ways the book illustrates that men and women really DO see things diffently -- we all knew that but didn't really know what to do about it, with this book, now we do! If women speak a "foreign" language then this book is the code book that makes it all clear. Hey one of the best tips is that women want someone who pays attention more than they want a CEO...easy enough to handle!

This is the kind of book women want you to read. Any book on this subject should be written where it's the women telling men what they want. Many of your questions will be found between these covers. Learn more on what works with women, by listening to what they want. A good buy.

Perry Rose, author of Women, Sex And Dating, For The Single Man

All of my life I have been passionate about traveling. The Way of the Traveler opened my eyes as to how I can truly make my traveling adventures a deeply sacred and transformative journey. The metaphor of the hero's journey is weaved through out the book which adds a cross cultural and archetypal richness that allows one to transcend time and space. Dispenza offers invaluable insights for making even a business trip a powerful ritual of self discovery. Seasoned travelers as well as the armchair traveler will find this gem of a book a breath of fresh air. I highly recommend this book!

Owning a small business leaves little time for travel. Yet after reading The Way of the Traveler, I was inspired to make a long-held dream trip to Italy a reality. I began by researching the home of my grandparents and trying to locate relatives there.Soon small "coincidences" began to happen. I met someone in Santa Fe from my hometown in Upstate New York whose family was also from that very region in Italy, people I meet in business are constantly mentioning their travels there, and two good friends asked me to join them on their trip to Italy next year. I have no doubt I'll do it and what a journey of self-discovery it will be!

This extraordinary book is a guide for the thoughtful traveler, but I found it a guide for life, as well. I have read it through now three times, and I still am finding remarkable insights in the writing. The arc of the book is the structure of 'the hero's journey,' a beautifully conceived way of looking at not only traveling out into the world, but also within, as the author continually reminds us. This is highly-charged spiritual material, exquisitely written and lyrically set out. I recommend it for travelers who are truly interested in enriching their spiritual lives as they travel either 'out there' or 'in here' -- or both.

The book is stunning.

I read Dr. Sem's book after my second miscarriage. I was surprised by the title since most doctors agree that nobody knows what causes miscarriage or what can be done to prevent it. As it turns out, neither does the author. He explains ways to tell if you are currently miscarrying (but not how to prevent it), which were not helpful to me since in both of my miscarriages I had absolutely no symptoms. It is probably more helpful in explaining signs to look for in heading off pre-term labor. It also has good info on nutrition during pregnancy and does encourage mothers to try again.

I started reading this book and learned more in two chapters than I knew before! Having recently suffered my first miscarriage, I found myself wondering "why?". Dr. Semchyshyn offers more than the pat answer "Nature Knows Best" and empowers women to learn about their bodies and take charge of their pregnancy. It is great to hear someone in the medical field is fighting the archaic practices of medicine.

Losing my baby was terrible. But the doctors said there were noalternatives but to let "nature run its course." Pregnantnow, I live in fear every day. When I started having problems in this pregnancy, my new doctors said the same thing the old doctors did -- there are no treatments.

I tried everything suggested to me -- bed rest, vitamins, healthy eating, no bad stuff. I was told I could do no more. I was told there was nothing I or the doctor could do to stop my baby from being lost.

It was absolutely stunning -- and enfuriating -- to read this book and understand that there ARE treatments and preventatives. This book describes things that I can do and things my doctor should be doing. It also describes medical issues and symptoms in wonderfully helpful detail.

The author of this book has a 97.5 rate of births among his patients. Everything I have read says that 15-20% of ALL [pregnancies] end in miscarriage. Why is it this doctor is saving so many babies while other doctors are just letting them die?

I strongly recommend you read this book and learn what you -- and your doctor -- need to know.

With The Protector, David Morrell grabs his reader at the beginning of the book and does not let go. This is a fast-paced, page-turning thriller. The main character is Cavanaugh, a former Delta Force commando who now works as a protector for Global Protective Services. When his latest assignment takes a terrible turn, Cavanaugh becomes both the hunter and the hunted as he tries to unravel the mystery and extract a basic form of justice. Beyond the plot's twists, turns, action, and suspense, Morrell brings together an interesting cast of characters who complement Cavanaugh's character. All-in-all, The Protector is a real winner from Morrell. His fans will clearly be happy with this latest effort.

Biochemist Daniel Prescott creates a drug that is supposed to help stop addiction, but instead is rumored to provide an incredibly addictive rush by stimulating the body producing adrenaline. Fearing that undesirables will harm him to get at his creation, Daniel hires Global Protective Services, a security firm not squeamish about crossing legal barriers. Former Delta Force commando Cavanaugh serves as the lead "protector" to keep the client safe from the Feds, foreign governments, and drug kings.

However, Cavanaugh gets a taste of the elixir, but loathes the monstrous amount of fear he feels caused by the geometric stimulation of adrenaline. When his men die in a firefight that Daniel caused before the biochemist vanished, Cavanaugh assisted by his wife joins those seeking the missing scientist, but unlike the myriad of others in the chase he needs the antidote.

Fans of action filled with "state-of-the-art tradecraft" gizmos will want to read THE PROTECTOR, a plot that flows so fast and furious as if David Morrell stayed on an adrenaline rush while writing this exciting thriller. Cavanaugh is a wonderful "tragic" hero, but the gadgetry and the careening from one loaded scene to another energy laden adventure overwhelms much of the rest of the cast. Except the star and his spouse there are no good or bad guys just readers elating with this ride.

Harriet Klausner

For thirty years David Morrell has been a leading talent in the thriller genre; not just a master at creating great realistic plots, but also writing some of the best (and most diverse) prose out there. With classics such as FIRST BLOOD, THE TOTEM and THE FIFTH PROFESSION to his credit to name a few; Morrell is the thriller writer's thriller writer.
Now over thirty years after FIRST BLOOD he returns with THE PROTECTOR, a book that may surpass even these other classics in terms of realism, page turning suspense and explosive action. In fact, THE PROTECTOR may be the best work Morrell has ever written.
The protagonist of the book is Cavanaugh, an ex-Special Forces soldier who is haunted by the violent massacre of his men on what was to be a routine training mission. Years later he is working for an organisation called Global Protective Services, a security organsisation that will bend the rules to ensure the safety of their clients.
Cavanaugh's latest charge is Daniel Prescott, a biochemist who has created a powerful new drug, and naturally the wrong people are hunting him down in order to learn its secret. On the surface Prescott appears to just be an annoying dweeb Cavanaugh has to babysit, but as is always the case; Cavanaugh finds out the hard way that Prescott is not a man to be underestimated... or trusted.
Fast paced, explosive, intelligent, brilliantly researched THE PROTECTOR may only be 400+ pages long, but Morrell throws up more action and intrigue than Tom Clancy has in his combined backlog (discounting the hideous BEAR AND THE DRAGON and RED RABBIT). And unlike Clancy, Morrell is a talented writer.
Strangely, Hollywood's long ignored Morrell. THIS IS THE MAN WHO CREATED JOHN RAMBO fer cryin' out loud! THE PROTECTOR is one of those books that as you read it, it actually feels like there's an action movie playing in your head. (A not so subtle hint to Hollywood execs).
If you've never tried David Morrell before then you've got a lot of great reading ahead of you. (But try and avoid the novelisations of RAMBO 2 & 3.) For novice Morrell readers just cutting their teeth, THE PROTECTOR is a great starting point.

The presentation of the book is great. I did not find the general CORBA section all that useful, but the later sections provided some valuable insights.

My main criticism is that the book is getting slightly dated. There is no coverage of the POA. The current edition is totally BOA based. A couple of chapters by the authors on using Visibroker to handle transactions would be really welcome as well. I am looking forward to the next edition.

I am very disappointed with most CORBA books, e.g. the Martian books fill me with dismay and make me wonder whether CORBA will ever make it. But this is a proper book, this is a book that tells you facts. I have printed out the on-line manuals for VisiBroker, and read them, and this book taught me heaps more stuff.

I absolutely recommend this book for anyone who has to write a VisiBroker program which is more than just a bank example. We have a team of developers, and the book is in such demand that I have to get a second copy.

This book is not a tutorial, and it is not about general CORBA. If you buy VisiBroker, you should buy this book as well.

I've purchased three or four other books on CORBA and the only one that's of any use to me is this book. I wish I could return the others (including the Orfali book).

Bottom line is if your programming Visibroker in Java BUY this book. Also refer to the Visibroker docs on-line at the Inprise website.

Shiner has either been or known a struggling musician, I'm sure, because he has captured what it's really like for someone who's trying to get their music in front of audiences. Vivid descriptions of life on the road, conflicts and personality clashes within any group of people who are together too much, power struggles between the Living Legend and the New Blood. Definitely worth checking out if you are a music fan and want a peek behind the scenes!

I enjoyed this book very much. I'm not a musician myself, but I always dreamed of being one. This book provided me with the opportunity to live Laurie Moss' life! There were also loads of references that I smugly enjoyed "getting" - if you love rock and roll, and are in your thirties - this is for you. Being a woman, I of course wanted more relationship stuff, but maybe in your sequel, Mr. Shiner? Please, I love Skip - and I want to know all about him!!!

Well, Lewis Shiner has done it again. A superb, underrated writer who
first made his name writing great cyberpunk science fiction, Shiner
has written a thoughtful, revealing look at a young
singer-songwriter's struggle to make a name for herself in the music
business. It is a poignant, mesmering tale about a would be Ani
DiFranco. His crisp prose is literally music to my ears - sweet and
clear - his words eloquently reveal his rock and roll musicians as
living people, not as one-dimensional cartoons. Along with his
previous novel "Glimpses", Shiner has written some of the
best fiction pertaining to rock and roll. Before you read a novel
written by any other author on rock and roll, please take a look at
Shiner's work first.

If you are looking for a single volume "bible" on cost accounting, this is likely the best book in print today to fit that bill. It is comprehensive in scope yet has many strengths to ease comprehension and aid readability.

The topics are grouped in six main sections each with several chapters on that topic. Since it is unlikely that you will read this reference / text book left to right as you would a novel this organization helps in finding what you are looking for and focusing on the area(s) of interest.

There are many helpful illustrations and a good use of color as well as chapter summaries and all the exercises you could ever hope for.

A very excellent feature is the use of application problems that take you step-by-step through building an Excel spreadsheet. This is tremendously useful.

The web support is also a good help as well as the streaming video vignettes.

I honestly find this topic very interesting and the 11th edition of this book to be a very valuable resource.

An easy to read and understand book characterized with the breadth of material and examples.

I've studied cost accounting for 2 years in Hong Kong. The first year I used a really bad text book named 'Costing', I hated studying Costing. However after using the 'Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis (10 Edition)', I become interested in Costing and Management Accounting. And deceide to have CMA exam in future. THIS BOOK IS REALLY GOOD ONE.