I am not going to go over the contents of the book, or much about Charles Bukowski, because if you are considering this book you must know something about the man and his work. I will just give you my impression of this collection of work.
No collection can ever really be complete, there are always new things to add, new commentary, newly discovered works, transcripts of records and unpublished letters, but this book does an excellent job in its attempt.
To me Charles Bukowski will always be one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century, because of the sheer brutality and honesty his work emanates. It is funny, sad, sadistic, cruel, scathing, enlightening and thought provoking. Everything I like to read. This is poetry for people who are disgusted by verse of flowers, trees and Greek mythology. This is RAW human emotion and experience smeared out onto paper. It is not perfect, and it is not trying to be. It doesn't always work, but there in lies the subtle beauty of Bukowski's efforts. the guts to try. The attempts at honesty, clearly blocked by his unwillingness to divulge everything, and his cynicism of man.
This collection is shocking in its beauty, and inspiring by its simplicity. Enjoy.

I am not going to go over the contents of the book, or much about Charles Bukowski, because if you are considering this book you must know something about the man and his work. I will just give you my impression of this collection of work.
No collection can ever really be complete, there are always new things to add, new commentary, newly discovered works, transcripts of records and unpublished letters, but this book does an excellent job in its attempt.
To me Charles Bukowski will always be one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century, because of the sheer brutality and honesty his work emanates. It is funny, sad, sadistic, cruel, scathing, enlightening and thought provoking. Everything I like to read. This is poetry for people who are disgusted by verse of flowers, trees and Greek mythology. This is RAW human emotion and experience smeared out onto paper. It is not perfect, and it is not trying to be. It doesn't always work, but there in lies the subtle beauty of Bukowski's efforts. the guts to try. The attempts at honesty, clearly blocked by his unwillingness to divulge everything, and his cynicism of man.
This collection is shocking in its beauty, and inspiring by its simplicity. Enjoy.

Shortly before his death, Bukowski was the subject of an anthology. It is a good anthology, not a great one, but a good one, and Bukowski seemed to think so as well. He notes during the reading of one the selections that they "Put some pretty good stuff in here" which, for Bukowski, is a whale of a compliment. It took me a long time to realize it, but Bukowski meant for his works to be funny, tragically funny perhaps, but funny nonetheless. Hearing Buk read these well known passages from his poetry and prose is a pleasure that is hard for me to communicate.

He was a decent man.

I was absolutely breathless with excitement when this book finally arrived. I tried to make it last, but at the same time was so caught up in it that I finally just had to stay up late reading it. Any Tomorrow When... fan must read this book immediately!
As much as I loved it and found it thrilling and exciting, the absence of Homer, Lee, Kevin, and Fi for so much of the book was disappointing. I desperately wanted to know what they were doing.Despite the epilogue, I was left wanting to know more. Surely they couldn't just go back to their lives like nothing happened? And why didn't Ellie's parents want to know more about her experiences? And even though, as another reviewer said, it was probably realistic, I can't handle the thought of the group of them not being close knit for the rest of their lives.
So, as much as I really enjoyed the book, I am left feeling kind of disappointed, whether it's because the series is over or because I feel so badly for the characters, or because I think the epilogue was kind of lame, I'm just not sure.

This was a great book and the epilogue didn't really give enough. You felt like the characters were real and you wanted to know what happens to them after. It was a realistc ending though. War brings a lot of pain. This book will be a favorite for years to come. It should be one of the book that we read in school and talk about. This series showed that the bond of friendship is the strongest there is.

I have never been so captivated by a series of books as I have with the Tomorrow series. I ordered this book from Australia months ago so I could get to the end. It is not necessarily the way I wanted the series to end, but it makes more sense than everything turning out perfectly fine. I will miss the brave characters in these books and will most certainly have to read all 7 again at some point.

This book is an absolute must for those seeking to find a gift for the ones who have everything. To be well appreciated, one must have a sense of humor. This book is informative, fun, and gives the reader a wee bit to think about while doing their business. It is also the ideal book to read on airplanes because of the ease with which one becomes absorbed in the articles. Airplanes are not the easiest places to read, as you well may know. All in all, it is an excellent book.

I love this book. At first, I just read it on the john. Now, I read it whenever I'm bored! By the way, people used to call the 'John' the 'Jake' in the mid 1500's. That transitioned to 'Cousin John' which later shortened to just 'John'. No, this book is not just limited to captivating info on the chair that doesn't recline but has a handle, it also divulges Mel Brooks' REAL name. I guarantee, this book will enlighten you beyond your current enlightenment. Enough shameless plugs, just buy the book. (save...using Amazon.com)

For the man/woman who has "everything", who couldn't use an easy-to-read, easy-to-pick-up, easy-to-put-down compendium of fun and fast paced antecdotes, amusing stories, and interesting(and generally useless) facts??? This book has brought me considerable entertainment and a few out right belly laughs during my past visits to the throne. Well worth the investment. It doesn't cost too much, and the time you spend is "free time" anyway!!

With the completion of Glinda of OZ, I can now claim to have read every one of L. Frank Baum's OZ books, including the short story compilation.

After glancing at Glinda's Magic Record book, Dorothy notices war has been declared in a remote corner of OZ no one has ever visited. Being the good, just, and noble queen she is, Ozma decides to travel there with Dorothy and the wooden sawhorse in order to implore her people to solve their differences without violence. The journey there is practically uneventful (Ozma and Dorothy adroitly find themselves out of only one misstep), but once they visit Evil Queen Coo-eh-oh they find themselves imprisoned under a globe. Glinda, alerted of their peril by an enchanted ring she gave to Dorothy, sets out immediately with all of OZ's favorite characters in order to rescue the two girls and make peace between the Flatheads and the Skeezers.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story as much as I did the others; perhaps that is because I've grown up and lost my ability to see the playful fun in Baum's books-although I certainly hope not!

"In which are related the Exciting Experiences of Princess Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy, in their hazardous journey to the home of the Flatheads, and to the Magic Isle of the Skeezers, and how they were rescued from dire peril by the sorcery of Glinda the Good."

Always one of my favorite Oz books, Glinda was Baum's last and posthumously published. I can't count how many times I've actually reread it over the years-- that should be enough of a review in and of itself.

Excitment surged through me as I browsed the bookstore shelf, I had found the long-forgotten OZ shelf of the childrens section. I read most of the OZ books long ago, but I had noticed that there were a few that I didn't recall reading, so I ventured into the corner were Frank Baums captivating stories were held. I bought this book, excited about Dorothys adventures that I had yet to experience, and when I opened the cover, I noticed a note stating that this was Baum's last book, and that the publishers were going to try to create another book about OZ. I obviously noticed that this never came to be. Baum seemed to know this would be his last book, because the world of Oz went out with a bang. Every loved character was mentioned, or brought back into the wonderful tale of Dorothy, Ozma, Glinda, Flatheads and Skeezers. In a tribute to the amazing wizard of literature, this was one of Baum's best books about everyones favorite fairyland...OZ.

This is the first serious novel I ever read. (Before that I was only reading Doctor Who tie-in's.) After seeing the BBC adaptation on TV I wanted to read this book. I got it when I was 11 and have cherished it ever since. This was the book that made John Wyndham famous: the overnight destruction of civilization by "comet debris", the world overrun by flesh-eating plants called triffids.

One could look at this book as a war between man and nature on a grand scale. When mankind was the species that dominated all others, nature was driven back, "suppressed", or killed in the name of progress. When the tables are suddenly turned, it looks as if mankind is in decline. As the years pass, dead cities are slowly disappearing, turning into jungles as nature takes hold. In a matter of time nature will take over completely and the triffids will be the new inheritors. Unless the human race can fight back and reassert itself.

I have lost count of how many times I have read this book. I am 23 and the story is just as effective now as it was when I first read it. I like seeing all the different cover artwork that people have done for this book. The fact that it's been reprinted so many times is proof that this novel shows no sign of losing its popularity.

When Bill Masen awakens from his hospital bed to a world bereft of sight he is certain all is not as it should be. This is later confirmed by genetically altered, walking, carnivorous plants running amok throughout London, followed by the emergence of a mystery killer plague.

This is a bleak, harrowing read with few moments of hope, heaps of dread and isolation, and a constant stream of terror. If the idea of walking killer plants doesn't sound overly engrossing and a bit too B-grade sci-fi, fair enough. However, it is an absorbing and frightful read. Frightful in that the situation doesn't seem too far away from what could happen. One reviewer described this book as humanity versus nature, which is one way of looking at it. I see it more as humanity at battle with itself. Humanity versus nature in our interference with it, but humanity struggling with itself, getting ahead of itself, the inability to cope with the monsters that we create.

John Wyndham was the pseudonym of John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (1903-1969). This novel is regarded as one of the classics of science fiction literature and was made into a film in 1963 (poorly made). The book was runnerup for the 1952 International Fantasy Award. It is one of the classic examples of the "disaster novel;" or, more specifically, the sub-genre referred to as the "cozy catastrophe" in which a world-wide disaster is depicted in such a manner that the reader doesn't feel too upset and roots for the main character to overcome all odds. This novel set the pattern for many later novels of other authors: a disaster occurs, a large city is depopulated, panic develops, bravery is seen in the main characters, and a small core of individuals strive to build a foundation from which mankind can reestablish his position. (The synopsis given above with the publisher's comments is wrong. Wyndham is not the father of the disaster nove. There were several prior to 1951.) In this particular story, a series of green showers from a comet's tail (we are later told that this may have been a weapon in orbit that had been accidentally set off by an Earth government) cause most of Earth's inhabitants to become blind. Only the few who didn't see the showers (such as the main character Bill Mason who was in a hospital) can see. Later, a plague (possibly originating from a biological weapon) kills many survivors. But, the main malevolent force in the novel are the triffids: carniverous plants that can walk. Bill Mason believes these plants to have been genetically engineered by the Soviet Union and were accidentally released. Now that mankind is blind, the triffids "day" has come. The word "triffid," first used in this novel, has even gotten into the English language as a term describing any malevolent or obnoxious plant.

...

Timeless myth takes a new reality in this beautifully illustrated version of THE TOOTH FAIRY: THE TOUCH OF KINDNESS. Concealed within an entertaining story about young Piper Noble are a number of lessons that parents will appreciate. For example, children learn about the power of love, of accepting other differences, and respect for all people.

Having tried this book on an audience ages five and eight, THE TOOTH FAIRY LEGEND is a hit! My young audiance loved the mustic aand narration on the accompanying CDs, and enjoyed following along with the text in the book. They were entranced by the story, and talked about it for days. As a professional caregiver, I appreciated the opportunity for them to enjoy a long story without the TV that we usually have going. For a terrific story accompanied by the beautiful music and marvelous illustrations, THE TOOTH FAIRY LEGEND; THE TOUCH OF KINDNESS comes very highly recommended.

This wonderful book was very entertaining and my children loved reading along with the accompanying CDs. The music and the illustrations were beautifully done and gave life to the characters in this new spin of the Tooth Fairy story. This is a great modern update to a timeless legend. Kudos to Long and Meyer.

As a teacher of elementary-age school children, I was delighted to read Long and Meyer's "Touch of Kindness." The sensitivity with which the subject matter was treated was an important issue for me. I teach children who are struggling to understand and cope with the fear of some strange winged creature entering their bedrooms to retrieve teeth in the middle of the night. How wonderful that a book finally exists that explains it all in a humorous and yet adventurous manner. The book should keep any youngster on the edge of his or her seat. The fact that the book is chaptered allows someone in my capacity to take time with the telling of the story and ask and answer a multitude of questions that will certainly surface in the classroom. And the read-along, sing-along CD's that are provided as an extra bonus will allow for some more than pleasurable moments in the "reading corner." In addition, the art work adds incredible dimension to the storyline. I can't wait to get back to work in September and introduce my new class to the wonderful, creative minds of Long and Meyer and the special world of "The Legend of the Tooth Fairy."

This book will keep you entertained for the whole bathroom-break with very interesting articles, and tiny factoids at the bottom of each page. This is the kind of book that man loves, because it is almost like TV. It keeps your attention with interesting facts and things like that that will make you surprised. Buy this today and you will be entirely satisfied.

The person who gave the scathing review in February is mistaken. I have all of the Bathroom Readers and there are hardly any repeats in the ones that say "All-new" on the cover. (Every once in a while, they goof, but they've probably done over 10.000 pages so far, so i can forgive a few flubs.) Absolutely Absorbing is the best all-new edition so far as far as I'm concerned. It's both funny and thought-provoking, and has some of their best articles ever (Movie Star for a Day, Coined by Shakespeare, The Margarine Wars, and hundreds more). Any Bathroom Reader is great, but it seems like they were really on their game when they made this one!

This is a great book to keep in the latrine. I have found myself spending more time on the throne than needed because I get so absorbed in this book. It offers amusing or serious short to long stories and facts to suite the occasion. Definite recommend.

I felt that this book really drew me into its plot. The evil man trying to produce this opera made me realize how charming and innocent people sound when you don't have all the pieces of their life story. It was also exciting to see Rose Rita, and Mrs. Jaeger coming together to thicken and enrich the plot. The only criticism is that there's not much of an epilogue at the end of this story.

I have reviewed this book as 8. It was a great book but it needed a better ending. Rose Rita and Lewis go searching through a sealed up opera house when Lewis finds a lost piece of Music. Little did he know he was bring a evil ghost back to life to try to take over the world.

"Doom of the Haunted Opera" is one of my favorite books by John Bellairs/Brad Strickland, a good mix of spookiness, humor, supernatural megalomania, and a dash of real human fears. Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger are at their best here.

Jonathan Barnavelt receives the news that a friend -- another wizard -- has recently died, and posthumously asks that Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmermann take care of his old magical objects. The two leave New Zebedee, and Rose Rita and Lewis are left to their own devices. They explore an old opera house and find a crumbling old opera called "Day of Doom," by Immanuel Vanderhelm. As Lewis finds the opera, he sees a ghostly dead man who calls out "Beware the doom of the haunted opera! He means to be King of the Dead!"

Then a strange man appears in the town, claiming to Vanderhelm's grandson. He means to put on as performance of the opera, and at first everything appears to be all right. But soon all the adults in the town are enamored -- and enspelled -- by Henry Vanderhelm, communications with the outside world are cut off, wizards are locked in their houses, and Lewis sees a tomb statue come alive in the graveyard. With the help of a well-meaning ghost and a grandmotherly witch, can Rose Rita and Lewis hope to stop the raising of the dead?

Anyone who has suffered through a badly-performed opera will enjoy the idea of one being a necromancer's spell. The imaginative plot base is only one of the appealing things about "Doom." The incredibly grim and tense plot is leavened by humor, such as Jailbird the whistling cat and Finster, a ghost who inadvertantly freaks out Lewis with ghostly intonations, then makes himself sound more friendly. Aside from the usual fears of evil sorcerers, there is also the chilling fact that the capable adults are not present throughout much of the book -- we get to see how Lewis and Rose Rita can try to handle the situation on their own. Any kid who has had to deal with a crisis on their own can relate to the fear and frustration of the heroes in this book.

Lewis is, as always, a sweet timid boy who has more guts than he knows. Rose Rita is his equal friend (she can't really be classified as a sidekick) who has to take matters into her own hands when Lewis vanishes. Mrs. Jaeger is a little too vague to be entirely believable, but the idea of an absent-minded grandmotherly witch is a nice one. The deceased Finster is a good source for plot-related info, and mildly amusing as well. And Vanderhelm is an outstandingly sinister villain.

Full of the funny and the spooky, this is a first-rate thriller for fans of fantasy, horror, and John Bellairs. Excellent read.

... there's The World According to Garp to remind you. This book--which is at times hilarious, absurd, heart-breaking, outrageous, and tender ... often all of them at once--is one of the most profound books I've read in a while. As Garp described one of his own books, The World According to Garp is at once funny and serious, and above all it is "true." Irving often steps out of the bounds of what would normally be called common, or at least literary, decency, but the result is to remind us that the world we are living in is really an "X-rated soap opera," just like Garp's, full of comedy and tragedy, love and loss.

"To be full of Garp is to be full of life!" writes one reviewer, and I could not agree more. The World According to Garp was one of those books I wished would never end, but at the same time I was content with how it ended. Well before the end of this book, Garp and his family felt like a part of my own. If you have not read this book, what are you waiting for? Go out and read it! If you have read this book, count yourself fortunate: The World According to Garp is one of the most imaginative and enjoyable books out there.

The World According to Garp is a vivid, emotional, and very imaginative read. It tells the tale of a man named T.S. Garp. He is the son of a world-famous feminist author, an author himself, a husband to a loving and earnest wife, and the father to two children.

Despite his unorthodox conception, Garp is just about as normal a person as can be. He has his flaws, of course, just as any person would, but he seems far too real and alive for your imagination to lead you to think otherwise. However, as normal a character Garp might be, his life is anything but. It is marred with adulterous affairs, cheating wives, a world-famous mother, struggles to be a successful writer, the anxieties of parenting, the loss of a child, a transsexual ex-football player friend, fanatic cult members who cut off their tongues in anti-male protest, dear and down-to-earth prostitutes, soul-searching trips to Vienna, and much, much more.

All the above account for 600-plus pages of enraptured storytelling, the likes of which I have never read. The reader (or in this case, I) becomes entrenched into the lives of John Irving's obtusely realistic characters, for this is where he has no doubt placed his greatest emphasis.

The strong cast of 15 or so main and background characters easily cover the gamut of recognizable human characteristics. Irving not only plays the role of storyteller, but he also plays the role of social observer and commentator. His characters are so realistic, so utterly recognizable that the reader needs little effort to connect to each and every one of them.

There are a whole slew of themes criss-crossing their way across the novel. A few of the more prominent would be the breakthrough of sexual roles, the breakthrough of sexual frustration, the longing to be understood and loved, the need for family togetherness, and so on and so forth. There are simply too many to mention.

With The World According to Garp, John Irving has achieved a true classic. Not only has he proven that he is of the most artistic and skilful of writers, but he has also proven that one can find more realism in a fictitious novel than one can potentially find in the world outside the door.

It isn't easy to write about the book you like the most, but I'll try it. This is the ultimate novel by John Irving. It is his fourth book and this was the book that made him famous - he deserved it.

The book is about a guy called Garp, his life, his friends, his wife, and last but not least his mother and his relationship with them. The first chapters are about Garp's mother, Jenny Fields. Jenny isn't the usual women, she has strange ideas of the world. She is a feminist but she denies to be one. She thinks it is the natural way of thinking. She doesn't want to have a husband but she does want to have a child. She manages to have one - I'd rather not tell you how. Then she raises little Garp alone and starts writing her book - thet becomes a bestseller in the moment of publishing. She becomes a feminist star and she still can't understand why she becomes one. She houses all sort of deserted and sick women, the craziest characters of the book. For example there is a group called Ellen Jamesianists who think they can join the sufferings of a little girl who was raped and her tongue was cut out. So they let their tongues cut out. Then there's a basketball star called Robert who becomes Roberta... and that's only a part of the crazy characters.

So poor Garp hasn't got an easy mother. Anyway he gets on well with her. He wants to be a writer and he starts writing books at an early age. His books (in a book in a book structure) are contained in he novel. Garp becomes a good and respected writer though he is always compared to his mother and he is crazy about this thing - he thinks her mother isn't a writer so he shouldn't be compared to her. As Jenny isn't the usual women, Garp isn't the usual man. His thoughts and his reactions differ from the ones we are used to. It is understandable considering he was raised by Jenny. He is a very complex character as well.

Other characters are fantastic, too, my favorite is a woman called Alice who has a speech problem and is a lover of Garp. The way Irving describes her is unbelievable. You can imagine her easily. My favorite line is also about her. "She couldn't thtop". And I couldn't thtop laughing. The story itself can't be told in 1000 words, it couldn't be told in 10000 as well. It is one to be read. The book features many word jokes and real jokes. It describes horrible things in a way you can laugh at them. You can't help laughing all the time though you should feel like crying. That's why it is my all time favorite - life is just like that. If you learn to laugh at things that are inevitable and shocking then you learn how to live your life better. Garp helps in this process a lot. I think this book is a must-have for everyone.