I've been buying and reading every Black Lace book as they come out each month for the past five + years. In all that time there have only been three books I did not finish. This is one of them. I read half of it and then tossed it. Why?

The heroine, Natalie, is not somebody I found I could empathize or identify with. I just plain didn't like her and didn't care what happened to her. None of the other characters are interesting because their personalities are not developed. The plot is not very compelling. Natalie is a reporter hoping to expose a local businessman's hidden illicit activities, but she's actually quite a hypocrite on this score. Most of the erotic activity falls into the kinky category, with lots of men in leather masks, beatings, and the like. Perhaps if a female reader is fascinated with the idea of having a sexual relationship with a transvestite this would be just the book to read.

You have to understand, I really dig Portia da Costa's books. I haven't read one yet that I didn't enjoy. She has the ability to set up a scenario that obliges her heroine to grab hold of a problem and then to pull YOU into the action. "Hotbed" is classic da Costa. You watch with fascination and concern as she goes deeper and deeper into a increasingly ambiguous & scary situation, but you can't put the book down because it's just too Hot, just too compelling! Do yourself a favor -- read this one!

Certainly way up there in the Black Lace vein we find our heroine, Natalie in a very very dark novel entering into a new relationship with her very much liberated half sister, Patti.

And what a relationship it is as Natalie finds Patti is now the exclusive seamstress of leather and spice for the somewhat beutifull transvestite social leader of a group of very very horny people led by Stella Fontayne....

What is great about the writings of this author is that she is able to take the impossible and make it delicious as Alex Hendry, one of our happy little characters soon finds out as he submits to Stella .....

Taking outwardly normal working folk and stripping them of their mostly false modesty while they not only submit but partake in sins of the flesh is what make this book really great .....

Mainstream U.S. publishers continue to cater to the American appetite for exotic stereotypes of Asian America, invariably penned by recent Asian immigrants who are too unaware of the history of Asian American marginalization to realize they are being exploited. In this book, Asian culture is problematized as strange and foreign. Asian American health education differs very little from that of the general U.S. population, but to the extent that it does, the real issue is overcoming the barriers of language and poverty to serve isolated immigrant communities. But Costa's concern is with selling quaint stereotypes and myths, not with the welfare of the community.

Shu Shu Costa has summarized the most fascinating Asian perinatal myths and traditions and has put them all together in a most pleasent and erudite fashion. The style of her writing is both educational and personal, without being overwhelming. I stongly recommend it to anyone, of any race, who is involved in the process of pregnancy and birth. It is a reread and a wonderful reference you will use again and again!

Shu Shu has really whipped up something great here - a simmering broth of intriguing anecdotes and ancient wisdom cooked to perfection. I couldn't put it down!

As a fellow Greek-American and student of the Greek Civil War, I must say that this book only perpetuates a number inaccurate popular myths about this difficult and still controversial time in modern Greek history.

There is no true bibliography and many of the authors assumptions and historical assessments appear to be based on speeches and memoirs of only a few people (including Churchill's memoirs, considered by most historians to be of questionable historical value).

If you are truly interested learning more on the subject, I strongly recommend David Close's book "The Greek Civil War" or Mark Mazower's "Inside Hitler's Greece". Both books do a great job of cutting through the political rhetoric which taints many other works of modern Greek history.

I'm not sure what the agenda of the previous reviewer may be, but I am sure that I got a lot out of this book. Contrary to statements about the inadequacy of the research this excellently written, attractively produced and affordably priced book is a "must" reading for every Greek American and, indeed, anyone interested in historical truth, human values, freedom and democracy. It tells the story of the contributions of the modern Greeks to these values during the decade of the 1940s. It is a story of triumph and glory, but also a story of pain, suffering and internal conflicts.

Though mostly a personal account of first-hand knowledge and experience intended for the average reader, the present book is one of the most authoritative works written about modern Greece, its role is World War II, the Nazi and Fascist occupations of Greece, its national resistance movement and the ensuing conflicts, or the Civil War of 1944 to 1949. The decade of the 1940s saw Greece climbing a Golgotha, making a sacrifice of nearly 700,000 of its people against the evil forces of fascism, nazism, and communism.

The author was an eyewitness to and a participant in many of the events he describes. He began his career as an academician, served as a journalist and publisher of newspapers, and worked actively in the resistance movement. Furthermore he himself experienced the brutality and horrors of the German occupation and German camp atrocities. First he was captured by the Gestapo, imprisoned in a concentration camp in Attica and soon after he was sent to Newgamnen and Beendorf concentration camps in Germany.

Following the liberation of Greece, he became General Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and served the country in several other capacities. Though he uses important archival materials and sound bibliographies, as an insider he writes with impartiality and sensitivity. The first part of his book reminded me of O Polemos tes Hellados 1940-1941 (The Greek War of 1940-1941) by Alexandros Papagos which I had read a few weeks before I received the Stassinopoulos's book. While Papagos provides step by step chronicle of the events leading to the Italian invasion and the Greek resistance during the 1940-1941 period, Stassinopoulos presents a wholistic picture of the 1940-1949 events.

Excellent Book! Never mind the foregoing reviewer, they have an agenda of some kind. The book addresses a topic mostly ignored by modern historians: Modern Greece. It is a well-researched book which sets the historical record straight. If you are even the slightest bit interested in Modern Greek history, this book will definitely make for good (if not engrossing) reading. I highly recommend this book.

Luisa Valenzuela penetrates censorship once again with her unnerving novel Bedside Manners.

Author of The Lizards Tail, Symmetries and Clara, and described by Julio Cortazar as "the heiress of Latin American Fiction", Valenzuela never fails to provide the goods. This time she brings us a Kafka-esque tale which delves in to the psychology of the Argentine Dirty War.

The protagonist, a thinly disguised Luisa Valenzuela, goes to an Argentine country club to escape the stresses of life. Not only does she fail in her endeavor to block out reality, particularly the stark political reality of her native Argentina, but she achieves quite the opposite. Far from being a safe haven, the hotel room becomes a stage on which the country's troubles are played out.

Neurotic military generals, terrified soldiers and an inflation obsessed maid, form the cast of a surreal black comedy in which the line between spectator and protagonist is blurred.

This promises to disquieten even the most devout Valenzuela reader and is a must for everyone interested in Latin American politics.

In "Bedside Manners," Luisa Valenzuela tells the story of a woman who returns home to an unnamed Latin American country after having lived away. The protagonist's visit to a country club soon becomes a surreal comedy in which sex, politics, militarism, and economics are all mocked and deconstructed.

Along the way, Valenzuela satirizes the U.S. military presence in Latin America, the use of television as a narcotic, and other aspects of 20th century culture. A bizarre cast of characters--the imperious maid Maria, a megalomaniacal military commander, and more--enact scenes that are often funny, often disturbing. And throughout the unsettling refrain is repeated: "Don't think. . . . Thinking's bad for you."

Luisa Valenzuela just might leave you thinking. This is an important work by a major writer of Argentina.

This is a very small/short book that serves better as an overview prior to your trip. There is some good, very general information, but nothing very specific.

Hi, I am working at ILISA Spanish Language Institute in San Jose, Costa Rica and I just want to say that this book helps our students a lot by giving them helpful inside information and thus by getting to know all the ins and outs about this fantastic country. Thanks!

Mr. Costa's translation is lousy. There are too many 20th Century colloquialisms scattered throughout the text to preserve the dignity and style of the original. This book will have to be appreciated on its intrinsic merits, not on the skill of the translator.

The book is way too short. With all the material that Seneca wrote, it's hard to figure out why so little of it got into this volume. A hundred and twelve pages???

On the up side, many of Seneca's sentiments are repeatable, brilliant and incisive. You will certainly appreciate his wisdom and character as you read through his Letter to Helvia.

On the whole, though, you'd be better off choosing another collection.

Great book. This collection by penguin includes a piecemeal assortment of some of Seneca's work. This was my introduction to Seneca so I can't speak to its representation of his work.

The essays and letters read in the classic proscriptive style of stoic philosophy (see especially the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius). It was filled with succinct proverbial exhortations that are memorable and penetrating. Seneca and the stoics provide more psychological self-help than most contemporary books in that genre. There is a reason some authors are still read after 2000 years. A quick read and for a worthwhile investment in time--at least for those who are new to Seneca.

Some of my favorites:

It is better to be despised for simplicity than to suffer agonies from everlasting pretense. Still let us use moderation here: there is a big difference between living simply and living carelessly.

We should also make ourselves flexible, so that we do not pin our hopes too much on our set plans and can move over to those things to which chance has brought us without dreading a change in either our purpose or our condition, provided that fickleness, that fault most inimical to tranquility, does not get a hold of us.

The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and losses today.

Good if your looking for nice hotels although one big inaccuracy. Hotel La Mariposa in Manuel Antonio is not nearly as wonderful as they described it, much nicer hotels are available. Good background info on the country.

Hi, I am working at ILISA Spanish Language Institute in San Jose, Costa Rica and I just want to say that this book helps our students a lot by giving them helpful inside information and thus by getting to know all the ins and outs about this fantastic country. Thanks!

Hi, My name is Leonie and I am working at ILISA Language Institute in Costa Rica, San Jose and I just want to say that this book helps our students a lot by giving them helpful tips and their way around in Costa Rica. Thanks!

Great book for good value travel (although it provides info on all types of travel from Budget to Luxury). Accurate descriptions and recommendations on accomodations, restaurants, and activities. Used it to plan a amazing 7 day trip to numerous sights in Costa Rica. Highly recommend the book.

This book is a waste of the readers time and money. Christensen travels to the Costa Rican rain forest with his family to settle the "frontier". He never gives an explinatoin as to why he decided to travel to the "frontier", only excuses and apologies to his many, many mistakes. Darryl Cole-Christensen hates the rainforest, he hated it from the day he arrived and he hates it to this day. His only interest in the rainforest is monetary, money drives this man and this book. I had to buy and read this book for my college course, you have a choice.

It is beautifully written--- the writer must also be a poet. The evocation of the forest, the air and the rain, the sweating labor of the horses and the men, the mud, all was done very well. The fine language combined with the author's humility made this an unusual book to come out of a backwoods experience. It is about farming on the frontier but it is also very much about his own growth!

A Place in the Rain Forest is not only the story of an adventure, but a journey of the spirit. I found myself listening to the sound of the rain falling in an untouched wilderness and walking with bare foot peasants as they came to settle a new land. Cole-Christensen had a tremendous insight to the character of the land,the people who live on it, and the consequences of their actions. It is a story for any one who has ever wondered what it would be like to go to a wilderness and become a settler.....

I was disappointed with this book. The first author is a doctor, but appears to have no experience actually prescribing the drug. He was asked to write the book when the drug was to be released in the US but had little or no first-hand experience with its use. Therefore, the entire book reads like a very pedantic review of the scientific literature, with long sections explaining things such as what double-blind studies mean. Furthermore, the author is overly cautious in that despite dozens of studies he is often unwilling to reach tentaive conclusions but says more studies are needed.

The book Stop Depression Now by Richard Brown et al. on Sam-e describes extensive experience with prescribing the drug to hundreds of patients and contains everything and more from this book. While Brown may be somewhat an over-enthusiastic salesperson, the book contained much more useful information.

I watched a friend with mild depression be prescribed an anti-depressant and then wrestle with the side effects. It was sad to hear his descriptions of how this drug was affecting him negatively even though it was keeping his depression in check. After a painful divorce, I too, was feeling overwhelmed and chronically depressed. I referred to this book to research some natural alternatives before I went to a doctor. I was luck that my favorite supplement site, iHerb, also sold SAMe. Based on Grazi's information and the corroboration at iHerb, I started on SAMe and Kava powder (shaken in about a cup of juice). I am feeling fine and am glad this Grazi & Costa did such a good job on this book when I needed it most.

Unlike many books on dietary supplements that tend to be extremely biased, this book presents a balanced and scientifically supported report on a program that is working wonders for Europeans with conditions as diverse as osteoarthritis, depression, migraines, and cirrhosis of the liver. The books challenges the American pharmaceutical industry that prevents compounds like SAM-e from getting into the U.S.