This was one of my favorite Her Story books. It is about Julie, a young girl who travels west with her family by covered wagon on the Oregon Trail in the 1840s. If you liked the other Her Story books you will like this one.

Let it be known that I cannot be unbiased when it comes to De Quincey. When browsing aimlessly through my college's library a year ago, I discovered him and have been entranced ever since: with his eloquence, with his brilliantly feverish imagination.

Klosterheim demonstrates the fascination with German themes that one sees in other Romantics and Victorians (Carlyle and Coleridge, for example). De Quincey was a loyal reader of German metaphysics, and perhaps one can see their influence here. One also wonders (and I am no expert, so take this with skepticism) how much Poe read of De Quincey.

An exquisite gothic Thomas De Quincey's book, where converge suspense, terror, heroism, fight for justice, love.

It is not only recommended, but it is incumbent on anyone who wishes to read this book to read "The Sorrows Of Young Werther" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe first. Otherwise, this book will make no sense whatsoever.

Mann writes a hilarious tale of "what if?" the real life Charlotte Kestner & Goethe met up in Weimer 50 or so years after the publication of Werther. The result is a true masterpiece of writing. We get to meet Charlotte, as well as Arthur Schopenhaur's rather ditzy (at least in this novel, anyway) sister, Adele along with the almighty Goethe himself. The book centers around an interesting question: which is more real? The true life Charlotte? Or the fictional one of Werther? This is an intriguing question, as Mann furnishes the "real" Kestner (which is also a fictional one) with a "real" personality; something which was rather lacking in Goethe's story.

The book has everything one would want for fans of both Goethe and Mann. It articulates the "pressures" put on people who exist in reality who provide the inspiration for fictional characters in novels. Who, in fact, has it worse? The innocent individual who is inserted into fictional stories? Or the artist who feeds personal experiences into the machinery of his genius with the efficacy of producing great art? Who makes the greater sacrifice in the name of creativity?

This is a truly wonderful book. Although most of Mann's books have a distinctive humor to them, this one is much more lighthearted than any of his others. There is even a wonderful chapter in which we first meet Goethe....a stream-of-consciousness which asks the $60,000 question: what HAPPENS inside a mind as massive as Goethe's? It kind of reminded me of Hermann Broch's "The Death Of Virgil" which asked a similar question regarding the mental acumen of Virgil in a stream-of-consciousness way. In either case, who could ask for anything more?

The author shared deeply from his heart. He was an obviously bright and talented young man drawn into the gay lifestyle. The sacrificial love and concern of his wonderful family will inspire any family who is facing a severe illness in a loved one.

How wonderful it is to find a collection of stories that speaks so directly to one's heart. The writing is masterful, the voice of the writer convincing and seductive, the tales contemporary, urban and authentic. Thomas Farber is a master of love stories; in each narrative of love found and lost, his truthfulness shines through.

"Go to him," Joni Mitchell says in her song, "But be prepared to bleed." This is what truth does to our heart, when we realize that we can never alter the course of time, stop the sorrow of death, rebuilt the life we left behind. But this book fills me with warmth and joy in the end -- a touch of grace, a sense of gratitude, a feeling of hope.

Mr. Austin does an excellent job laying out his unique and valuable methodology for conducting "fast, focused" due diligence for any merger or acquisition. For an executive of any company, the most important consideration in any transaction may very well be the "unknowns." Putting Austin's techniques to work in the diligence period of a transaction will allow you to quickly get the market-based facts, and ultimately make a smart business decision by uncovering the blind spots.

Collaboratively edited by Tamia A. Burt, Joseph D. Thomas, and Marsha L. McCabe, Moby-Dick: A Picture Voyage is an abridged edition of a classic work of American literature by Herman Melville which is lavishly illustrated with both black-and-white and color photographs of relevant places, original artworks, images of the whaling industry and much, much more. A superbly presented and very highly recommended supplementary edition to Melville's masterpiece, Moby-Dick: A Picture Voyage features imagery on every page that draws the reader into Melville's evocative world and would make an especially welcome choice for any school or community library's Memorial Fund acquisition.