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Book reviews for "Pikelny,_Philip_S." sorted by average review score:

One Last Look: A Sentimental Journey to the Eighth Air Force Heavy Bomber Bases of World War II in England
Published in Hardcover by Abbeville Press (1986)
Authors: Philip Kaplan and Rex A. Smith
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Wonderful written and picture account
This was so well done!!! The written account was complimented so well by the great pictures that I felt like I could get an better idea of being there. This really needed to be recorded before it was a forgotten era in history. Thank you for doing that.

bomers
enjoyed the book and found an artist rendering taken at a train staion, i beleive. the approximate page location is 70 & 71, give or take. what i need to know is where i can obtain a source that has this picture showing this german train station during WWII. it is for a friend who works for union pacific and loves enginges. please contact me about the picture. as for the book i grew up near wright-patterson AFB, Dayton OH and love planes - loved the book - hope to purchace it someday. any direction to a source will be greatly appreciated. thank you. Dave Falknor.

One Last Look
As the son of a surviving B-17 pilot, I have spent considerable time poring over books specific to the subject. This book, along with Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer are true treasures. History books alone cannot convey information to our successors like a story retold by someone who had the events firmly planted in their memory by the first-hand impact of the situation.


Overtime: Selected Poems
Published in Paperback by Penguin USA (Paper) (1999)
Authors: Philip Whalen, Leslie Scalapino, and Michael Rothenberg
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The Brainy Beat
I didn't know much about Whalen's poetry until he died this year, but the terrific memorial reading for him here in San Francisco drove me to "Overtime" and man, what a find. The Beats were more learned than the 'first thought, best thought' aesthetic suggests, and Whalen's poems balance religion, philosophy and cranky Zen insight with a casual, conversational Americanese in a way few of his more famous contemporaries could touch. His poems draw from a deep past that embraces everything from ancient Chinese verse to classical music, but insist that it walk down the street in T-shirt and jeans. Whalen spent the last three decades of his life at the San Francisco Zen Center--his particular brand of Buddhism, so generous to human failings (starting always, comically, with his own) and never, ever doctrinaire, has to be one of the most attractive spins on Eastern religion I've read. Whalen was in it and of it, never above it. He gives the moment plenty of wiggle room in his writing, so that cats, friends and silly thoughts can all stray into the poems without being shoo'd out for art. Whatever Beat meant, Whalen shows it in about its best light. Poetry's a little thinner and more straight-laced with him gone.

This is poetry!
This isn't some crumbling, dry keeper of the hallowed institution that is sometimes "poetry." It is sad that Whalen's works are so hard to come by these days.

Why aren't you reading this?

Run to your nearest bookseller and demand this book!
Philip Whalen is a national treasure, one of our most important living poets. This collection, masterfully assembled by Michael Rothenberg, is a great place to start if you're not familiar with Whalen's work, and a glorious visiting ground for those of us who have already discovered him. Don't let the word POETRY dissuade you. You will not be bored for a minute.


Proof Positive
Published in Hardcover by Forge (2001)
Author: Philip Singerman
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A literary jigsaw puzzle, expertly crafted
I think it's one of the best action thrillers of the past year. Singerman takes his story around the world from the end of WWII to present, with an array of interesting characters all of whom will interlock with at least one other as the story builds to its exciting conclusion.

In 1945 a woman is murdered in Austria. Solomon Kessler picks up an album of concentration camp photos her killers sought. Fifty years later an Argentine assassin kills CID Special Agent Stan Erland. Erland's boss McKenzie Rockett and Angela Becker are on the case. Erland had also been investigating the execution style murder of psychic Leo Weiser who, it happens, was Soloman Kessler living under a new identity.

Angela, an ex-model who grew up wealthy, now a cop and part-time social worker who loves fast cars, is an all around great character. Rockett brings in Roland Troy, ex-homicide detective and martial arts pro with a complicated past to team up with Angela, and a great partnership is formed.

Leo's wife Justine tells Angela that Leo had recently spotted someone from his past. Before Angela knows it, the reader realizes Leo saw Novac DuCharme, a super rich white supremacist who was a sadistic concentration camp guard in 1945.

At the halfway point another force comes into the story, Chotoku Nakama a.k.a. Bassai, an Asian warlord who nursed Roland Troy to health after an incident in Viet Nam. An Iranian arms dealer comes to Bassai offering a shipment intended for DuCharme, and Bassai takes an action that lets Troy know he's around if he needs him.

After 280 pages the bang-bang pace suddenly drifts to something more serene. Troy goes back to Vermont. Then Leo's widow Justine reappears, and things start back up. It builds to an exciting conclusion, a little more violence than necessary, but overall a great action story tying past and present together in a well balanced, exciting finale.

EXTRAORDINARY NOVEL
This book is a must-read. One of the best I've come across this year, and I do read a lot. Singerman has a nice, easy style. This work is a page-turner. The story, the characters, and the locales are all believable. I'm hoping the wait for his next book won't be too long.

BEST EVER
Boynton Beach Fl. U.S.A. I couldn't put it down until I finished. The places and people kept me going from page to page. Good luck and lets see more of this type of stories soon.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS


Roadsigns
Published in Hardcover by Rodale Press (2003)
Author: Philip Goldberg
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Loved it!
Philip Goldberg writes with the depth of a spiritual sojourner who has wrestled with the tough issues, and wants to share his wealth of knowledge. His metaphor of the road trip, with its twists and turns, confusions and changes is perfect for the spiritual path. He not only includes his own stories and those of others, making it a touching and personal sharing, but also deals directly with the difficulties of being a spiritual seeker. His ability to draw from many different traditions to punctuate and expand on his ideas creates an eclectic yet coherent, joyful and fulfilling guide book. At the same time, his humor, humility and encouragement will make anyone on the quest, whether a newbie or oldtimer, want to go further and deeper. I highly recommend it!

Could Have Saved Me a Lot of Confusion!
Philip Goldberg is an underappreciated writer in the field of spirituality and self-help. The classic path to success in this department seems to be to produce one hit book by make flashy claims (e.g., "Perfect Health," "How to Know God") or coining a super-catchy title ("Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus," "Chicken Soup for the Soul"), and then write essentially the same book over and over as long as the public will buy it. Goldberg doesn't do that. Over the years, whether solo or in collaboration with others, he's produced a long string of books like "The Intuitive Edge" and "Getting Out of Your Own Way" which actually offer useful information and do-able exercises, and which all bear the stamp of his common sense and warm sense of humor. "Roadsigns" is, in my opinion, his best yet. This is really a travel guide in the fullest sense, like a guidebook to Italy written by an old hand who's been going to Venice and Florence for years and can tell you which hotels are a bargain, which attractions are tourist traps, and how to keep from having your wallet stolen. If I were going to re-title it, I would call it "Everything I Wish I Had Known About Traveling the Spiritual Path 30 Years Ago." If I'd had any sense then of the way things REALLY work with regard to any number of subtopics (finding the balance between overachieving and laziness, avoiding spiritual envy and spiritual narcissism, the real deal on gurus, the place of sex in spiritual development, etc.), I could have saved myself a lot of wear and tear. Being on the spiritual path means shooting for the infinite - whether you call it God, Buddha-nature, or whatever - and such an enterprise naturally tends to give rise to fanaticism, delusions of grandeur (or worthlessness), and confusion about how to integrate spiritual practice with the demands of daily life. Goldberg is like a wise uncle who's been there and, with a funny story and a couple of potent aphorisms, will help you get it straight.

AT LAST, THE BOOK I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR!!!!!
Who was it who once said that when the student is ready, the book will appear? Possibly no one. As someone who believes that we are all spiritual seekers (practicing or not), I am thrilled to discover a book I know I will reread, refer to, and give to EVERYBODY. "Roadsigns" is a friendly, approachable, and surprisingly funny book that happens to be about our deepest hunger and need: to connect with God (or the Divine, or the Universe, or all of the above), inside and beyond ourselves. With Roadsigns as my guide, I have newfound clarity and direction, and even, thankfully -- peace. I am grateful to Philip Goldberg for his wisdom, experience and HUMOR, and I can't wait to send ROADSIGNS to everyone I love as an early holiday gift! Yippeeee! Ooohhhmmmmmm! -- and Amen!


Turn Up the Heat: Unlock the Fat-Burning Power of Your Metabolism
Published in Paperback by Plume (27 May, 2003)
Authors: Philip L. Goglia and Glen Berenbeim
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It's working for me! Easy to read & follow.
I'm not overweight, but I want to improve my body composition. I've done a lot of research on the subject and I have come to the conclusion that the secret to reducing body fat is that there is no secret. The only way to do it in a healthy, safe, sustainable way is through proper diet & exercise. Before reading this book, I had two problems with my existing fitness regimen: (1) with regards to diet, I was eating nonfat foods and keeping within my calorie range, but I was eating too many carbs at the expense of not ingesting enough protein. I am much more focused now on eating nutritionally balanced meals. (2) I *love* cardio exercise, and would happily do step aerobics & cardio kickboxing exclusively. After reading Phil Goglia's book, it finally clicked that for my body type, I should be eating adding weight training to my exercise routine. The results have been great. I also like his theories on water consumption. I am drinking a heck of a lot more water than I used. I've cut out juice (I'd rather eat a piece of fruit) and aside from water, the only other liquid I drink regularly is milk (and chocolate milk at that!). At first I was worried that I may be drinking too much water, but my doctor assures me that a person can safely drink up to 3.5 gallons of water a day (~10L) without becoming ill. There have been reports of people becoming overhydrated and developing water toxicity, but those usually apply to people who either drink too much at one sitting (instead of spreading it out throughout the day) or drink tons of water and don't eat. Note that some people say it's better to drink bottled spring water as opposed to only distilled water... I'm not sure if it's true but it's worth checking out. Overall, I may not have lost much "weight" per se, but my clothes are now loose, especially my pants, which is the real test. I suspect that I've been losing fat, but gaining muscle, which is why I may not be significantly lighter than I was before. However, my tummy is much flatter and my tush is smaller. For once in my life, I'm happy with the way I look.

Having said all these great things about the book and how it's changed my lifestyle, I want to point out a few caveats. (1) I would not follow the %protein, % carb & %fat guidelines he recommends without checking with a registered dietician or doctor first. I generally agree that people are probably not eating enough protein in their diet (I certainly wasn't), but some of the proportions that he suggests for certain body types may not be safe. Please, please check with a health professional before radically changing your diet. This also applies to the water drinking as well. I mentioned the spring water vs. distilled water issue, but I'm not a specialist and I advise you to talk to somebody who is. (2) Phil includes some sample meal plans for every week of the program. I think I got as far as week 1 or 2, and then stayed there. Had I continued, perhaps the changes to my physique would occur faster, but there were some things I just refused to do, like give up bread. Yes, Phil recommends that for certain weeks of the program, you do not eat anything with yeast + sugar, e.g., bagels, whole wheat bread, sour dough, ... only flat breads like pitas are allowed. Instead of cutting it out of my diet completely, I eat smaller portions and eat it with some protein. (3) For some weeks of the program, you're supposed to get the majority of your protein from fish. That sounds healthy, but I've just read a scary article ...suggesting that eating a lot of ocean fish (e.g., halibut, tuna, seabass and swordfish) can increase the levels of blood-mercury in your system to dangerous levels. Salmon, however is fine. I would look into this research to make sure it's valid. (4) Phil lost some credibility with me when I got to the seciont of the book which talked about supplements (and wouldn't you know, he sells his own line of supplements). I avoid that stuff since I am a big believer of eating "real food". My issues with supplements is that you have to keep on taking them to get the benefits (if any), they are expensive, and I'm not sure which of them are medically proven to "work" in a material fashion.

After weighing all the pros and cons, I still think this is a fabulous book. My advice is to read the whole thing through and then pick and choose what works for you. Everybody is different and you just have to use trial and error to find what your body responds to, especially in the long run. After all, fitness is a lifetime goal.

best food program ever!
Philip Goglia has written a book about nutrition that is mindblowing! It strips away all my previous notions that I had to starve myself to lose weight. The food charts and menu plans included are easy to use and incorporate into my life. And water has indeed become my best friend. Read this book - the knowledge you will gain is immense. Share it with your friends and family.

Have Energy All Day!
While my motivation for buying this book and following the program was to lose a few pounds (and I have lost 5 already), the best thing is the change in my energy level. Wow! This is the first time in my life that I don't feel the need to take a nap at my desk after lunch. I was under the impression that eating a big lunch caused my energy lull at 3pm everyday, so I started skipping lunch. That just made me irritable AND tired. I can't believe that eating MORE is giving me so much energy and making me so much more productive at work. I feel like a new person! The Turn Up the Heat program is great and I recommend it for anyone who wants to feel good. For me, feeling good is making me look even better!


Made to Measure
Published in Hardcover by Princeton Univ Pr (03 November, 1997)
Author: Philip Ball
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An excellent introduction to the coming age of materials
Just as the 20th century has been often described as the information age, it might also be described as the age of materials. At the beginning of the 20th century, our technology was based mostly on materials harvested and refined from nature. Milled lumber, iron, copper, and alloys of common metals. Fabrics were all derived from plans and animals with very little processing.

Early in the past century a revoution started to develop in materials technology, as scientists and engineers began to experiment with creating molecules and structures not found in naturally occuring materials. At the molecular lever, chemists created long-chain polymers that had some of the characteristics of natural materials, but greatly improved resistence to wear and temperature. At the macroscopic level, materials were combined into composites like plywood and epoxy reinforced fiberglass. New structures unseen in nature, like matrixes of carbon and boron fibers embedded in metals, became possible. By the end of the century, it was possible to start moving around individual atoms to create entirely new materials with designer properties.

Ball's narrative covers both the history of materials science, and the future and its possibilities. He's particularly good at the historical story, and at drawing parallels betwene natural and artifial structures. As in Ball's other popular works on science, "Made to Measure" is approachable without being trivial, and rigorous in its attention to detail without becoming numbingly pedantic. This is a book that would serve admiribly as either an introduction for the educated reader or a supplimentary text in an introductory materials engineer course.

Made to enjoy
This is a well done book.
Its not a technical book (but good pointers) yet not non-technical popular-mechanics type work. This book describes what science is pretty much all about! Its easy to get bogged down in your own world of work so a book such as this helps get your eyes open to the possibilities of the opportunites that come from hard, hard work. :)

This book talks about whats going on at the molecular level of things (my version is 1997). For the non-specialist this book is just great though I suppose if you work in micro-optics or semi/super conductors you might find that research is moving on a bit.

things discussed:
Optics (photonic material), superconductors, medicine & applications: biomaerials (chapt 4 - my fav), biomedical materials (cool), polymers, smart materials. energy, and more.

there is also a rather extensive bibliography so you can look for more info with Google.com(r) or other site.

Fantastic introduction to modern material science
A unique book that presents a comprehensive and modern overview of new materials in both scientific and popular ways at the same time. It is so nicely written that you can read it as a novel. Philip Ball managed to put a truly encyclopedic knowledge in a single book. A "must have" book for every person who is dealing with new materials.


Meet the Bible
Published in Hardcover by Zondervan (01 January, 2000)
Authors: Philip Yancey and Brenda Quinn
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A reworking and expansion of a leaner book
If you can find the earlier Philip Yancey book, A Guided Tour of the Bible, get it. It includes six months of daily readings. This newer book simply takes that slim-but-elegant volume and interweaves six more months of readings from Brenda Quinn. It reaches serviceable result, but the briefer introduction sufficed.

A great summary of the bible
If you tried to read the bible (like me) and couldn't (like me) because it doesn't make sense and you don't know what you're reading half the time then read this book. it tells the entire story of the bible in a language that you and I can understand. It basically summarizes everything in the bible so you only get what's important. So if you want to read the bible but don't want to READ the bible then this is the book for you. It contains 365 segments each of which is 1-3 pgs. but i just read it staight through in a couple months.

Best Devotional I Have Ever Seen!
One of the hardest things for Christians to do is to feel like they can tackle the entire Bible in a refreshing and disciplined manner. Yancey and Quinn have finally provided a way for that to happen. Although the readers of "Meet the Bible" will not cover every verse of Scripture, the authors to a fantastic job of making sure that the reader covers the main themes of each book of the Bible. What's even more benificial is that after each of the 365 readings, Yancey and Quinn see to it that the reader understands the historical and practical issues of significance of the passages have just read. If you have desired a devotional that will help you undersatand scripture in its entirety as well as answering the all-important "what does it have to do with me?" this is by far the best tool I have ever seen to give your relationship with God the boost it so often needs. As a Pastor, I highly suggest you buy it. It'll be the best [money] you ever spent!


Minor Emergencies: Splinters to Fractures
Published in Paperback by Mosby (15 January, 2000)
Authors: Philip M. Buttaravoli, Thomas O. Stair, and Buttarovoli
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How ELSE can you get a pea out of the nose?
A great book for those little things that come into the E.D. and Tintanelli and Rosen just don't cover.

You won't find how to dx and rx a AAA or SAH, but when you can't remeber for the life of you how ESE to try and remove a nasal foreign body from a 3 year old, you'll be glad to have it.

Wonderful E. D. Reference
Covers many of the common "urgencies" seen in the E.D. Very well written; suggests what you should do as well as what you should NOT do...

Just what the doctor ordered
The essential text for an urgent care setting. What to do for common aliments beyond general internal medicine training and especially what NOT TO DO. Simple language and specific recommendations are easily accesible in a busy clinic. It never leaves my desk.


Portraits by Ingres Image of an Epoch
Published in Hardcover by Yale Univ Pr (1999)
Authors: Gary Tinterow, Philip Conisbee, Hans Naef, and Phillip Conisbee
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Favorite Painter!
Always my favorite painter, I was lucky enough to see an exposition of his work at the National Art Gallery in London in 1999 and his more famous works on constant display the Louvre in 2000. While his historical and allegorical paintings are impressive, his talent with portraiture is unmatched. I am particularly struck by the detailed imagery. It feels like you are looking at a photography, the realism is so intense. Yet as the book demonstrates, numerous studies were done before each painting, trying to determine how best to capture the subject.

The book is a large format, with numerous full color, full plate images. Personally, I did not find the accompanying essays particularly interesting but thought that the notes on each specific work more compelling. The choices of artwork included in the book is primarily restricted to portraits, but not only paintings but paper drawings and minatures also.

An important and seminal contribution to art history studies
Portraits By Ingres: Image Of An Epoch showcases odalisques and dramatic historical scenes painted by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) and are justifiably considered to rank among the master-pieces of nineteenth-century French art. The superbly reproduced paintings are enhanced with informative contributions on Ingres' life and work by Philip Conisbee, Rebecca A. Rabinow, Christopher Riopelle, Robert Rosenblum, Andrew Carrington Shelton, Gary Tinterow, and Georges Vigne, as well as drawing entries by Hans Naef. With its photographs of the artist and his sitters (and caricatures from contemporary journals) Portraits By Ingres is a seminal, scholarly, beautifully presented, landmark publication that will secure Ingres in his proper place for students of art history.

The Book About Ingres You Have Been Waiting For!
I have been waiting for a first-rate work on Ingres portraits for many years and now it is finally here! This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone who admires Ingres. The book was published in conjunction with the wonderful exhibition of Ingres portraits which played in London, New York, and Washington DC. I attended the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and this book does justice to what I saw in person. Since not every work of art was seen at each venue, the book provides reproductions of several works which were not made available for viewing in the United States (such as the great Rothchild portrait). I have the books on Ingres by both Robert Rosenblum and Georges Vigne. Although both of those books were good, this new book surpasses them due to the quality of the writing and the superb reproductions. There are enlightening essays by both the exhibition curators together with outside experts such as Rosenblum and Vigne. The reproductions are plentiful and very good quality. In addition to the oil paintings, there are dozens of high quality reproductions of the superb portrait drawings. Each portrait is accompanied by an essay together with the provenance and exhibition history of the work. The book also deals with the thorny issue of collaborators. Although the book is fairly expensive, it is well worth the money. Perhaps one day we will have similar books published on other great portrait painters such as Holbein, Moroni, and Bronzino. Anyone in the museum or publishing world listening?


Spitfires, Thunderbolts, and Warm Beer: An American Fighter Pilot over Europe
Published in Paperback by Brasseys, Inc. (01 January, 2000)
Author: Philip D. Caine
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Larry Johnson
This book is a fine example of what WWII was being fought with. Just a normal person doing heroic things for defence of his country. I was unable to put the book down until I had read the whole thing. The author put in some lighter moments at just the right time, because you will find yourself in the war with him while you are reading.
I was impressed, and have added this book to my library of books to keep forever!

An education and entertaining read
Although history and aviation buffs will definitely enjoy this book, there was so much more to it. This book really makes you think about the value of life. Many, many people died in this book, from training accidents, falling off boats in the ocean, getting hit by "friendly fire", as well as getting hit in combat. Yet nobody complained. Lives were expendable for the cause. And for some pilots, just the act of flying was worth dieing for. The act of living seemed to become more important, and people seemed to live life to the fullest in spite of the troubling times.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't some deep, intense book. It was also very entertaining. I learned a lot about early aviation, and the early part of the war between England and Germany. But at the end of it I got a much better inside view about what it was like to live during World War II, and to enjoy the life we're given.

An Outstanding Read
From the first page to the last, I couldn't put the book down. I never gave it much thought what a Fighter Pilot went through during the war. An outstanding read for all history buffs.


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