The distinguished cardinal certainly puts forth in this tome an exhibit of his broad search of theology and his immersion in the academia of his faith at the highest levels.

What struck me significantly in the read was the obvious priority given to philosophical analysis. Ratzinger even acknowledges this in the included address given in honor of Cardinal Volk: "If theology has to do primarily with God, if its ultimate and proper theme is not salvation history or Church or community but simply God,then it must think in philosophical terms."

Although philosophy to be sure has its place in the world of theology (apologetics and evangelism) it certainly is not to be central to theological formulation. Church history is replete with the trainwrecks of faith that have flowed out of theologians majoring in philosophy.

The section where he debates the apolostolic church was one in this work which was rare in that it focused primarily on Scripture arguments rather than philosophical spins.

He certainly demonstrates an active and precise mind and writing style. At times it is difficult to follow, given our differences in theological circles. However, it must be said that his critiques of Luther are partial illumination of what the Reformer said, e.g. on church and where it could be found. He does not clearly state Luther's central tenet that church is where the pure gospel is preached and the Sacraments administered according to the gospel.

His constant insistence upon tradition and succession becomes mute when only the persistent philosophical bents are offered as primary assurance.

A fine piece of work describing the Church's efforts to create a clear line of truth between the extremes of traditionalists and reformers. There is something here to irritate any school; Ratzinger is not the firm one-sided hand he has been portrayed as in the popular press. Read it and elevate your learning and faith.

The title is misleading -- it is more a study of human interaction and the relationships that result from a high-stress enviroment (i.e. -- a hijacking). The author achieves the remarkable by keeping the reader unbalanced -- there are no clear-cut villians or heroes in this book, only human beings trapped together on a remote Dutch polder. It is as easy to hate the hostages as it is to hate the captors; in the end, all you feel is a sense of pity for all involved.

So far as plot is concerned, the storyline is simple (the editorial review does a fine job of summing it up, so I won't take up space by repeating it here). The suspense comes when the hijackers find their well-laid plan going badly astray -- and not from any outside forces. A strange partnership springs up between those and they have kidnapped and themselves; particularly after it becomes clear that the government fully intends to leave them stranded out on the polder (the loneliest place imaginable).

The artwork the hijackers finally manage to get to replace the hostages twists the already bad situation further -- the negotiating governments clearly are under more pressure to care about the paintings' safety than they ever were inclined to care about the human hostages.

This is a gripping book, as well as a stirring social commentary. The ending is everything you would never expect, and yet, it makes perfect sense in the world the book lays out for you. Read it only if you intend to read it thoroughly and thoughtfully -- it is worth the effort.

The Company She Keeps was Mary McCarthy's first novel (as noted above) and follows the life of Margaret Sargent from her first divorce through the life of a gay divorcee to a strained remarriage. Margaret tries to live the life of a twenties heroine (her ideas of the free life very reminiscent of Fitzgerald) but the context of this time had completely irrevocably changed.

The book covers the prewar period with the infighting on the left and the politics of Trotsky and Spain, the coming war and sexual freedom. McCarthy writes with incision and great wisdom, mocking, mourning, and loving her characters all at the same time.

The only problem with the book is that it was originally not a book at all, but several short stories on a theme. As such, it hangs together remarkably well, but before I knew that it had been short stories first I was already puzzled by some of the abrupt jumps and breaks.

This is the first Mary McCarthy I've read, but I will certainly be reading more. Highly recommended.

You just don't get the feel of this extraordinary, unusual and unique play of Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman - two rival authors during the communist scare - from reading it. I was given the pleasure of seeing this incredible play starring Cherry Jones and Swoozie Kurts in its Broadway run. When the two authors meet in the afterlife, they tell their audience about their lives, beginning with their cleverly told childhoods and slowly moving forward to McCarthy's accusation of being a Communist and ending with Hellman's death before the trial was set by Hellman and McCarthy to discuss McCarthy's lies about Hellman's so-called memoirs. Still clever and still stunning, Ephron's play is an enjoyable read for McCarthy (THE GROUP) and Hellman (THE CHILDREN'S HOUR) fans.

This is an interesting compilation of poems, art and commentary about a little-known but fascinating group of writers in 1950s LA, some of whom, despite the ominous atmosphere of McCarthyism, wrote political poems and pieces that maintain an eerie relevance to issues today. The book contains an interesting anecdote about Allen Ginsberg, a highly charged debate between the editors of Coastlines magazine and a poet-promoter of the Venice West beats and a thoroughly absorbing account of one poet's experience as one of the first test subjects in an early study of LSD's effects on artists. While the quality of the text is at times uneven, most of the poetry stands firmly on its own, especially the work of Thomas McGrath, Mel Weisburd, Gene Frumkin, Ann Stanford, Bert Meyers and Sid Gershgoren.

This is one of those books that copies all of the information from other books and tries to call it their own (an does not give all the information needed to do the few examples). If need information on bookbinding, the best I have found is Hand Bookbinding: A Manual Of Instruction by Aldren Watson (also available here).

The information provided is informative for a beginner. However, the MAJOR drawback was that the pictures illustrating the techniques were much too small. Hence, it was difficult following the instructions cause I couldn't see exactly what the author was doing.

This is a great book for any beginning bookbinder. The entire book features full-color photos with easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for many simple, but beautiful and impressive looking projects.

First, materials and how to use them are covered. There are clear photos of all the materials. Then, the author demonstrates how to make corners for 3 different types of paper.

Next, instructions are given for making several accordion books, a pamphlet stitch journal with either a soft or hard cover, a tied-binding album, & a post album. Two gorgeous box books, & a scroll are also demonstrated.

There is a wonderful gallery in the back that really helped spark my creativity. Contact information on all the contributors is also included. A resource list and other suggested readings are a great bonus.

This is a typical basic book with no real help or new dicoveries. There has got to be a better book out there.

Summary: This book contains the results of a successful randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled test of nutrional supplements and exercise to treat knee problems. The results are formulated into an 8 week program of Knox NutraJoint (10 oz. a day fortified with vitamin C and calcium), exercise, stretching, and weight control. You also receive directions for how to work with physicians and alternative therapies for joint problems, and to build a program of maintaining joint health. In the test, many subjects improved on both this regimen and on the placebo, but those with moderate pain showed significant improvement and greater flexibility from the program test.

Review: The study that this book is based on is a well-designed and executed one to find ways to deal with the underlying causes of joint problems. Most physicians treat these issues with pain relievers alone. The research here is important, because more than half of all adults have joint problems. And joint problems are the leading cause of disability. At any time, a third of all adults are having problems with one or more joints. Frequent causes are loss of cartilage (the cushioning between the bones), injury, and stress (often caused by too much weight).

Prevention of joint problems is basically a function of exercising joints, keeping muscles strong, and having proper nutrition.

The book has a series of questions and tests that you can self-administer to diagnose the degree of your joint issues, and to design the appropriate exercise programs for your age, problems, physical fitness, and flexibility.

The Joint Health Prescription contains many stories of people who were helped by this treatment during the trials. Relief is not instantaneous. You may have to wait several weeks before you notice any differences. Those in the trials were quite good about following the program. Around 80 percent finished all 18 visits over 14 weeks, and those consumed 92 percent of the nutritional supplements. So, you probably really do need to be observant about doing these things.

I thought that the weakest part of the book related to losing weight. That's a bigger subject than can be handled in a book like this, but the material here is pretty good if overly focused on calorie counting. It also prescribes the same diet for everyone, which doesn't appear to work very well from the research behind Live Right 4 Your Type. You may wish to use that book as a resource instead if you need to lose some weight to reduce stress on joints.

Dr. Rippe also operates a center for these problems in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts so you can also visit there for testing and diagnosis.

I hope that many other common problems will receive research on nutrition and exercise as well. I wonder if other common ailments would respond equally as well. Dr. Dean Ornish showed that he could help people reverse heart disease and pain of angina with diet and exercise. Perhaps many of our diseases that the aged population suffers from are really the result of bad diets and lack of exercise.

After you read and apply these lessons, I suggest that you think about whether your mind is getting as much exercise as your joints need. Are you feeding your mind with high quality reading material? Are you examining heavier material from time to time in your reading? Are you stretching your thinking to create greater flexibility in what you do? And . . . are you finding ways to read and exercise at the same time? I like to read while on the treadmill.

"Use it or lose it."

My joints have hurt me for the last 5 years, they were so bad that I could not even walk my dog. I read about this book in a newspaper article and thought I would try out the program. There are simple tests to get you started and help make you aware of lifestyle changes that need to be made. A great suggestion in the book is adding supplements to your diet. The author suggested using a joint supplement, Knox NutraJoint, which he used in a study last year. I have been following the 8 week program and adding the NutraJoint to my morning OJ and my joints feel better than ever. Better yet, Maddie and I are back out on the pavement with no pain. Thanks Dr. Rippe!

This book is a brief description of the impact of the Internet on Businesses of all kind. It starts with b2b e-business success stories like Cisco, FedEx and Ingram Micro whose business volumes on the web is several hundred fold greater than more popular b2c companies like Amazon.Com and Yahoo !. The most important factor to succeed in e-business starts with the right vision of the top management and the book provides a simple and effective framework that integrates business and technology drivers with the e-business strategy.

"Digital Transformation" as defined by KPMG is not just the conversion of text, images, voice and video into digital form but also involves the changes in the business processes associated with them. Once the vision and strategy are in place it is important to move fast and get the "first mover advantage" since in the new economy it is the first movers who walk away with all the marbles.

One chapter each is devoted to b2b and b2c challenges and in each case the business model is brought out well.

The authors then borrow the concept of " disruptive technology" - the term coined by Prof Clayton Christensen in his book " The innovators dilemma". The web as a disruptive technology and what this means to diverse industries - Travel, Broking, Automobiles is quite interesting. In fact I have started reading " Innovator's Dilemma" once again.

The final chapter is devoted to future trends ( and threats !).

An excellent summary of what it means to be transformed- Digitally, in just about 120 pages.

Patel & McCarthy have written a compelling book that is short yet filled with valuable information. As the race to ecommerce gets white hot, the subjects of this book are being discussed and debated in board rooms, via e-mail, during kids sporting events and even during dinner. My favorite chapter was "Do It In-House or Spin It Off?" valuable for those trying to catch up. A one sitting read that you will go back to again and again.

Ever notice how the really good teachers (the ones with the deepest subject knowledge) are also those who impart their wisdom the most succinctly and simply?

This is what Patel and McCarthy have done with Digital Transformation, a thoughtful, pragmatic discussion of what being an eBusiness really means.

The book is short enough that most folks could polish it off on a five hour flight - a welcome departure from the blathery eBiz treatises that occupy most bookstore shelf space (whose main aim seems to be the self-aggrandisement of the author).

In Digital Transformation, Patel and McCarthy underscore that eBusiness is less about the ubiquitous dot com appendage and its accessories than it is about using technology to redefine a company's business strategy and means of delivering on it.

The discourse is peppered with interesting commentary from such eBusiness mavericks as John Chambers (Cisco), Vint Cerf, Priceline CEO Dan Schulman and Dave Wetherell of CMGI fame.

Now, if only other business books could be as simple and relevant, there'd be more shady trees under which to read them.

As an academic, I anticipated liking this book very much. I find the day-to-day petty politics of the university amusing in real life and thought such a satire would be enjoyable. The Groves of Academe, however, proved to be lifeless and long-winded. The protagonist is so entirely unlikeable that I found myself wishing he'd just leave and get it over. None of the other characters were particularly engaging either; they tended to be rather flat stereotypes (e.g. the dried-up spinster), which usually work in a satire, but really needed to be more human to counteract the distaste inspired by Mulcahy.

The setting in the post-war, commie witch-hunt days really turns out to be less important than anticipated. While it provides some interesting strategies for our anti-hero, it could be replaced with any number of "isms" without changing the essential effect.

McCarthy's style is excruciatingly dry and her dialogue is stilted to the point of being stylized. The sheer boredom of plowing through her prose deadens the mind to the point that any satirical effect is largely lost.

The jabs at "progressive" education were mildly entertaining, thus two stars rather than a mere one.

With my interest in the academic genre -- David Lodge is good, light humor, Richard Russo's "Straight Man" was a wonderful, comedic treat -- Amazon directed me to "Groves", where I quickly proceeded to become lost among the trees.

Like Kingsley Amis' "Lucky Jim", a book I found to be absent much appeal, McCarthy offers a highly literate analysis of the travails of a male professor struggling at university after World War II. McCarthy's Henry Mulcahy is strapped by poverty, with a sickly wife and four children, in a temporary teaching position offered, in part, out of a sense of guilt by the college president. Then Mulcahy gets the dreaded and unexpected "non-renewal" letter.

Some aspects of academic life have not changed in fifty years: petty squabbles and politics, the longing for job security, the poor wages of some professors, the need for intrinsic interest in teaching, the complaints about students' habits. But the focus on communism and loyalty oaths as a basis for job insecurity is a distant memory to most people. And Mulcahy's own dishonesty (or grasp of reality) left me confused rather than sympathetic. Rather I found myself attuned to Mulcahy's nemesis, the president.

The story is simple yet the tone of the book put me off. There was more philosophy than conversation, and when academics did speak, they spoke in a fashion most would find hard to expect in conversation. I grew bored. The characters weren't that interesting despite their intelligence, and I found myself speed reading the last thirty pages. And I found myself as displeased with "Groves" as I had been with "Lucky Jim".

Sometimes very literate and well-educated authors don't translate well to my level, to meet my self-admittedly need for a clearer, more linear story and engaging characters.

I am an alum of the small college "Groves" is based on. I am also an academic and great fan of McCarthy's novel "The Group". I should have found "The Groves of Academe" engaging on these three facts alone. Sadly, the book left me cold. As a satire the novel is dissatisfying on several levels -- where we spot the familiar, the recognition is only sad, not humourous; and the plot, even for an academic who can be expected to find campus politics interesting, is deadly dull. If you aren't familiar with McCarthy, start with her far more interesting and accessible "The Group" instead. If you are new to academic satire, start with "The Lecturer's Tale" for a far more entertaining and cunning critique of academic culture.

This book is tedious and nearly impossible to read. When one gets into the narrative, wham! Quotes and comments are jerked onto the page and the reader gets lost again. It's a shame that such a marvelous topic should be presented so poorly. Give this one a miss.

I had been a fan of Mary McCarthy since high school and therefore was excited when this book came out. I ordered it as soon as it was available but still have not finished it. The text is jumpy and jerky and definitely not presented in an organized, smooth manner. Biographical information is interesting but then is supported by repetitive gossip or other information that interupts one's train of thought. I would have not purchased this book if I had previewed it first. I believe that I wasted my money on this one.

It took Frances Kiernan nine years to research and write this biography of America's first lady of letters. It was well worth the wait. To see McCarthy "plain" -- simple, yet with sharp clarity -- Kiernan pieced together her subject's life, from years spent in Seattle, New York, Maine, Italy and Paris, by interviewing more than 200 people who knew her. What emerges is an intellectual,, affectionate yet judgmentally balanced portrait of a woman, mother, stepmother, wife, ex-wife, lover and friend ... as well as an important literary voice. With Kiernan on the scene, make that two important voices.