An intricate story with a hidden satire on the birth of the fast-paced, all business society, told threw the eyes of orphan Momo, who loves her friends as her only family, she follows a turtle past the reaches of time to figure out why her friends do not come to talk to her anymore. This book is about time--stolen and hidden from people in constant motion, the dreams they had, and the gigantic love of one little girl. Micheal Ende magically weaved a subtle wit, humor, bravery, friendship, love and loss all together and created a story that I could not put down until I read it all the way through. Any generation can learn from this book--all you need is to take a bit of time!

Momo is an interesting commentary on society, with the aid of some grey gentleman, a tortoise who can communicate in an interesting fashion, a wise elderly man, a roadsweeper, a young storyteller and a little girl who appears from nowhere. I loved all of the characters, especially Momo - You'll want to sweep her up and adopt her! The little comments on daily life and work will make you stop and think. Anyone who is fascinated with the concept of time and/or loves The Neverending Story - READ. THIS. BOOK.

Have you ever think of finding a book that capture you from the first page until the end. Beautiful story like fairy tale with supurb narrative style that you want to re-read it many times. Moreover, the book that contains a wonderful idea about life. If yes, try to read this book. Story of a little girl and her friends seemed to be a simple plot. But it isn't like that when it is in Michale Ende's hands. It's about people, friendship and time. Please read this book to your children and you will enjoy this beautiful story as well. If you still don't believe me, Let go through other's people comment for this book. The best way is to find out by yourself. In Thailand, this book is reprinted so many times and I am so glad that I can own this precious book. Another "Gem" from Michale Ende is "The Never Ending Story" both are equally supurb.. I guarantee.

Terminal Consent smartly navigates us through the chillingly corrupt world of `Managed Care for profit' and the utilization of `confidential information'. Both issues in the courts today! Mr. Freeny's extensive and intimate knowledge of the health care profession, and it's technologies, is truly impressive. The book has fully developed and relatable characters, and is written with passion, sensitivity, and a wry sense of humor. Thanks for this compelling and alarming ride. A MUST READ!

Terminal Consent smartly navigates us through the chillingly corrupt world of `Managed Care for profit' and the utilization of `confidential information'. Both issues in the courts today! Mr. Freeny's extensive and intimate knowlege of the heath care profession, and it's technologies, is truly impressive. The book has fully developed and relatable characters, and is written with passion, sensitivity, and a wry sense of humor. Thanks for this compelling and alarming ride. A MUST READ!

Michael Freeny, a Florida writer and chotherapist, provides a riveting insider's view of America's largest service industry - market driven health care. His is a chilling account of cybercare gone mad. Freeny notes at the beginning of his book that the technology described in the novel is currently available. Thus this book could also serve both doctors and the general public as a primer in the intricacies of the deceptive practices of managed care. Indeed, a note at the end of his book notes that 'Healthcare professionals may be eligible to earn continuing education credit for reading this book.'

This was one of my favorites. Even though Jim has been adopted by the Wheeler's family, for him to find a true relative seems to bring him a contentment that he has always deserved. The story is pretty simple and straightforward; a newspaper notice searching for ownership of property brings forth a young woman who is Jim's long lost cousin, Juliana. She becomes involved with the Bob-Whites and is accepted into the Wheeler's home and affections. A seemingly unrelated occurance brings in a new character, Janie, who is recovering from injuries that have left her without her memory. Trixie's involvement in Janie's recovery, and her desire to help Janie discover her past revive more than expected and bring back a character almost forgotten by all but the most dedicated Trixie Belden fans. I first started reading Trixie Belden books in the early 1970's, and adored every book I read. Now that my daughter has started reading chapter books I am eager to introduce her to my favorite childhood series. I adored the youthful angst of Trixie, her fallabilities, but mostly her determination, whether it be in finding the solution to the current mystery, or her belief in her own future as a detective. I, too, would love to see the series reprinted although I realize they would be conspicuously out of date with current technology. However, I would not like to see any revamping to them done, as it would probably change the stories and characters beyond recognition. Hopefully, I as well as many of the others here will be able to find and once again read all these cherished classics.

I grew up reading Trixie Belden. I began reading these novels in sixth grade and I could not get enough of them. I used to stay up late at night and read them aloud to my younger sister in the upper bunk. What great memories we have because of these books! We own the first 10 books of the series in hardback and then have approximately 15 more in paperback. This summer I went to Casville, Michigan and found a used bookstore selling them and I picked up a couple more for my nieces. Like another reviewer, I'm just sorry I didn't have a girls to share them with. My nieces have begun to enjoy them and I eager to share my enthusiasm with them!

I first read Trixie Belden: The Secret of the Mansion when I was eight years old. I fell in love with the Trixie Belden series immediately. I'm almost 22 now, and I own through Book 20 with a few more from the more recent books. I would dearly love to find copies of the remaining books (up to 39). Not only do I still like to read these books, but I plan to pass my collection down to my own children.

Just a note, Trixie Belden: The Secret of the Mansion was written by Julie Campbell, not Kathryn Kenny. Julie Campbell is the author of the first six Trixie Belden books. Kathryn Kenny picked up the Trixie Belden series with Book 7, Trixie Belden and the Mysterious Code.

John Lewis tells the story of a time when America was at its crossroads. He was Destined to become a leader in the Civil Rights Movement from his humble beginings in Troy, Alabama. Congressman Lewis tells his story of 35 years standing steadfast with determination and never wavering efforts to bring about "The Beloved Family". "This book is a legacy to us all and should be required reading in all educational settings."

This work is a well written account of one of the most tumultous times America has seen this century. Its vivid descriptions of the many facets of the Civil Rights Movement take you through the mundane and the monumental, and make you feel as though you are there. Through the touching recollections of his family, and the friendships that he made during the Movement, this compelling book gives insight to what makes John Lewis one of America's living legends.

John Lewis was seemingly everywhere during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. From the Nashville Sit-Ins, to the Freedom Rides to the famous march from Selma and more. It is akin to someone having been at the Boston Tea Party, Lexington and Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. Not only was Lewis there but he was an active participant, one of the many brave souls who risked injury, even death to bring down segregation. Lewis knew all the key figures in the Movement, such as Dr. King, and was a leader himself. Today, of course, Lewis serves his country in the House of Representatives.
It's hard to go wrong with such a compelling story to tell and Lewis doesn't dissapoint. With the help of co-author Michael D'Orso, we learn not only of one person's participation in the Civil Rights' Movement, but gain insight into the Movement as a whole.
Lewis is vastly under appreciated by Americans today. Hopefully Waking With the Wind will help future generations appreciate John Lewis, an American hero.

This is a really good choice when it comes to New Orleans cookbooks, you can't go wrong with these easy to follow and delicious recipes. The author suggests other ingredients/substitutes if a particular food item is unavailable in your area. The Mardi Gras King Cake is outstanding.

My Neighbor is orginally from Pierre Part Louisiana (In the heart of Cajun country) & she is such a good cook, I asked her which book would be best for REAL Cajun style food and she suggested this one. I have not been disappointed yet... My gumbo taste as good as hers now!

Fat City,Mardi Gras Metropolis, The Big Easy... New Orleans has many names and is famous for great Cajun & Creole food. Where the hurricanes flow & the bars never close; if you've been down Bourbon Street in the historical French Quarter you know why New Orleans is unique & this book is a tribute to the fine food and the endless parade of things that make it such a memorable place!

We have an inexpensive paperback version (see our reviews) of this classic poem, and we said that's enough for us. That was before we looked through this beautifully illustrated (by Bruce Whatley) edition of The Night Before Christmas.

The lyrics are the same, from book to book, but the fanciful illustrations in this one are enough to engage adults and children as they read this book together.

The perfect gift for any family whose Christmas tradition includes reading this classic!

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.

I will not repeat what other reviewers have said about this classic learner's dictionary. It has been a valuable reference for ESL students for many decades. I own several learner's dictionaries published recently (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 4th Edition, Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, and Collins Cobuild 3rd edition) and some of them have features this one does not have. But I still use this dictionary a lot and will continue to use it. I hope a new edition of it will come out soon.

I have recently bought the millenium edition (hardbound) of this book. In my scientific studies (I study Scientology which uses a precise study technology that demands a good dictionary to look up misunderstood words) a good dictionary is vital.
This one has been very helpful to me as it gives precise yet comprehensible definitions. This is maybe the most important point of all.
I found it very easy to look up a word i did not understand and gain a conceptual understanding of that word after a short period of time. The definitions just make sense and are not too complicated and confusing.
It also includes example sentences and idioms and information for the further usage of a particular word.
It also has a section with colored pictures (maps, categories such as clothing, food, animals etc.) that provide a picture of the real thing that the word represents - a quite useful tool for foreigners and non native speakers like me.

If you are currently studying english, reading english texts (but have a limited vocabulary) or just don't want to run into too many complexities when using a dictionary and don't want to be too confused but you just want to know the meaning of a word and understand it, then this is the right dictionary for you.

As it is a dictionary for "learners" it does not include things like etymology and syllables (the only negative points), technical definitions (although it includes some where their appearance is reasonable) etc.

But it includes phonetic symbols at the bottom of each page and has, as all dictionaries, a section wich explains each symbol and abbreviation that can appear in an entry.
If there would appear some symbol or abbreviation in the entry that you wouldn't understand, you would find it easy to find its meaning as everything in this dictionary is exactly where you would consider it to be.
So you don't fool around loosing time and getting frustrated. I think the editors of some dictionaries assume that you already know all these symbols but include their definitions anyway in a very complicated way.

Not with this one.
I highly recommend this dictionary. You can buy it without reservations.
But...you should have a second one with etymologies at hand.

No other book on my bookshelf is more worn out. I use it all the time. When I started to study English I used to use an English / Portuguese (my first language) dictionary but I could only actually improve my English when I started using the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

The dictionary has lots of pictures (over 1700) for words that can be explained but for which a picture is much more effective like "hinge". The words have a pronunciation guide with a mark (') showing the main stress. There are many useful appendixes like irregular verbs conjugation, usage of numbers, punctuation, family relationships and a few colorful maps.

Over 220 usage notes clarify the subtle differences among words such as dealer trader and merchant. Although it's mainly a British English dictionary the differences in spelling, use or pronunciation between American English and British English are stressed.

By far the most interesting feature is the extremely reduced defining vocabulary constituted of 3500 words. The great majority of definitions are written using that reduced defining vocabulary. This simplifies the definitions and it's a great starting vocabulary for the beginners. The use of such a small defining vocabulary rules out the use of this dictionary as a thesaurus but the advantages compensate this drawback.

My copy is a paper back that has been reinforced with adhesive tape. This makes the dictionary lighter and handy. I used to put it on my back pack and take it to all my classes when I started college in USA.

The drawbacks are the need of an additional thesaurus and the fact that the entries are not syllabified. Nevertheless I would give it 10 stars if I could.

Leonardo Alves - December 2000

Have you ever had a man accuse you of stealing his dog or having him try to kill you? Well in the book Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, a boy named Marty has this problem. He worked for Judd Travers` for two whole weeks and kept secrets just to keep his beat up dog named Shiloh. Judd says Marty did not even earn that dog and it still belongs to himself. So Judd starts to drink more and more beer. Then all of the sudden one night he got so drunk he got in an accident. One night Marty and Shiloh were taking a jog down to Dr. Murphy's and he was not home, but Judd was around. They took a rest on a log and right in the middle of Marty and Shiloh a bullet comes flying. Judd! That is all that came to Marty's mind. Was it Marty or Shiloh he was trying to kill? Well if you want to know read this book! It's a great adventure story. I think you'll love it!
I like this book a lot, but I did not like it when Judd killed animals and tried to shoot at people.
I think the book was pretty neat though. When Marty had his mind full of secrets it made me think about what he might do with them. He might tell someone or he might not tell anyone. Then I was thinking of what might happen if he spilled out a secret. What might that lead to? This book kept me in a lot of suspense throughout the whole time I read it. The book has many cliffhangers in it so it makes me want to keep reading. I really enjoyed the book, but that Judd Travers made the book have some horrible scenes that were hard to understand and was uncomfortable to read. That's how I feel about this book.
The main character in the book I read is Marty. Everything is based on him and his life. He is a 10 year old boy who lives in Friendly, West Virginia. Marty has blond hair and two bratty sisters. Their names are Dara Lynn and Becky. He also has a friend named David. They go to school together and are in the same class. Marty has many traits throughout the book. One is he is a very curious boy who always needs to know things. He is also a very courageous kid. He is always spying on Judd, making sure he doesn't do bad things. Marty is a very caring kid. When his dad thought Judd was hunting in their woods, Marty was worried about Dara Lynn and Becky, but most of all Shiloh. Marty has many strengths. One is he is very good in school. His teacher feels that he wrote a great report but he must use his "family" language at home and good grammar in school. He also is a very good spy. He goes to Judd's house with his friend David. They were being very underhanded. Marty also has weaknesses. He just barely leaves Shiloh to get on the school bus. Rarely does Marty ever go to friends house for a long time. Those are some of his strengths and weaknesses.
I think Marty does all the right things! I think Marty loves Shiloh so much that whenever he is not with him he anticipates being with him. To me Marty resents Judd Travers. Everything in Marty's life seems to be very bewildering. During the book everything seems to change my mind. One minute I like the book, the next minute I do not like the book. Marty, a young 10 year old, seems to do quite a lot for his age. He is a very brave young boy to me. I like this book a lot because it makes you feel like you go right inside and the book comes alive. This was a spectacular book! I hope you will read it.
I thought this book was wonderful because it made me think about how hard life could be and that I do have a good life so I should be proud.

Shiloh Season was about a boy named Marty and a dog named Shiloh.They had an adventure that Marty would never forget. The setting was in a town just like any other town and the characters were realistic because Marty was like any other kid and Shiloh was like a normal dog. The main character was a very likable person because he was nice. I liked this story because it was exciting. Shiloh was like a real dog. My favorite part was when Judd Travers wrecked because he was always mean. One thing I learned from this book is that you can't make some people happy. I would recommend this book to a friend because it's realistic and heartwarming.If you like this book you will like Shiloh.

Have you ever struggled to keep your pet? In the book Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor a boy named Marty Preston tries hard to keep his dog Shiloh. Judd Travers a mean hunter formaly owned Shiloh. Judd attempts to kill Marty and Shiloh. Judd was trying to shoot Marty when he was at his doctor friend, but luckily missed. One of Judd's rabid dogs bit Becky in the arm. She was weeping and weeping, but Shiloh came to the rescue when he attacked the mad mutt. Judd tried to run over Marty and Shiloh with his rusty truck. One late balmy night Shiloh was sleeping on the porch Judd shot his gun and woke up Shiloh. This is a book I recommmend.

This book is not for everyone. It is for people in a period of trouble or unease in their life. If you are a happy, content person- don't read it- spend your time in your own best way possible. I had a hard time getting through this book. I read 2-4 pages a day at the most. It is not that the material is hard, it is that it caused me to reflect so much that I had to spend time digesting all the stuff that it brought back to my mind.
Yes it is somewhat repetitive and relies on a lot of quotes- but- big deal? It is not meant to be an authoritative work of discourse on some academic matter. It is meant to help people in distress.
It is not a solution to all problems. But I found it helpful to help point me in a more productive way. It may or may not help others. But I do recommend at least looking at this book.

Gregg Levoy's book literally fell into my hands at my public library. Since then I have purchased it as my own. It is a deeply spiritual and invigorating piece of work which has made me become more aware of the messages around me.. A powerful related experience is when I happened to be talking to an acquaintence who was expressing her frustration with her life in general. I said I was reading a book that might help her. She said she had begun reading a book, too. She had been to a large book store in a metro area and turned to come face-to-face with a book. When I asked her the name of it, I gasped when she said, "Callings." Read this book and open your ears, mind, and soul.

Read this. "Callings" clearly gives you the tools, motivation, and resources to initiate real improvements in your career and personal life. It's not a preachy, "HOW TO" thing, but rather an enlightening journey through a great deal of intelligently compiled information from a superior resevoir of sources.

Other career review books tend to be guides to wealthy socialites with resources and risk tolerance to spare. Levoy's book appeals to a more dynamic audience, from College grads to working stiffs to semi-retired baby boomers in search for something new. I have to say that it's the only career book of its kind that really inspires one to seek purpose in our worklives (partially a result of his creative writing flair). Thank you Gregg.

When I'd finished reading "A Place called Wiregrass" and looked again at the editorial reviews on the cover I was surprised that no-one had commented on the strong message of faith portrayed in the story. Erma Lee Jacob's journey from the depths of despair to following God's call came slowly, honestly, sincerely and lovingly throughout the book. It
showed how much easier it was to live God's plan and not the world's plan for a happier life. It wasn't a sudden decision, but a long thought-provoking one and I enjoyed travelling along this spiritual path with Erma Lee.

Well done Michael Morris. You deserve recognition for this first novel beautifully written. I believe this book is so powerful that it can appeal to anyone -- regardless of individual spiritual beliefs.

A Place Called Wiregrass kept me captivated from cover to cover. It's rare to find a book you really can't put down. I was drawn into the life of Erma Lee by the strong story line, vivid imagery, and powerful language. Her journey from a destitute life to one of independence was very uplifting. The relationships she formed along the way were inspirational. I felt like I knew Erma Lee, Gerald, Cher, and Miss Claudia. I will definitely look for Michael Morris' next book.

A Place Called Wiregrass is a wonderful novel-- eloquently told, with empathetic and richly drawn characters. Erma Lee's voice is both provocative and powerful as she navigates through often difficult circumstances, along the way discovering the power of friendship, prayer and her own inner strength. Michael Morris is a compelling storyteller, and the book reads like the work of a seasoned author -- it's difficult to believe this is his first literary effort. In a nutshell, you'll be glad you took the time to visit a Place Called Wiregrass.