I just finished reading this book from MVLL. In fact it is the first novel I read from my paisano (compatriot) and I was amazed at his technique and how entertaining this novel is. Excellent work, you wont' be dissapointed.

MVLL es considerado actualmente como uno de los escritores más representativos de la Literatura moderna y el eterno candidato a ganar el Premio Nobel. Su estilo ha innovado la narrativa y, valiéndose de técnicas ingeniosas, le ha proporcionado un dinamismo especial a sus novelas, favoreciendo su lectura fluida y canivalesca -a pesar de los pequeños espacios de tiempo que me permiten leer, he podido devorar a cada uno de sus personajez con una avidez pocas veces experimentada con otros escritores.

En esta novela MVLL demuestra sus habilidades para entretener al lector a través de un humorismo sutíl que arrebatan carcajadas durante su lectura.

El título, "La Tia Julia y el Escribidor", refleja de manera amplia y rígida la temática de esta novela. Por un lado nos cuenta la historia de Julia (Urquidi) -cuñada del tio Lucho (Llosa) y, por lo tanto, su tia política- con quien sostuvo un amor desenfrenado que no admitia barreras ni prejuicios sociales (ella tenia 32 y él sólo 18) y el cual culminaría en un matrimonio original y divertido.

La otra historia referida, y que se desenvuelve paralelamente a la ya comentada, describe de cuerpo entero las concepciones que, el entonces novel escritor, tenia (y que con el tiempo se lo ha tomado más que en serio en la vida real) acerca de su profesión. Estas concepciones estarían disfrazadas de un personaje más que peculiar, Pedro Camacho "El escribidor". Pedro Camacho simboliza, según una opinión personal y más alla de lo cómico que nos pueda parecer este personaje, al escritor "ideal": escribe más de 15 horas al día, su vida está dedicada en cuerpo y alma a la invención de nuevas historias. Y el rasgo más importante: cual Mario Vargas Llosa, sus historias son vivenciales, es decir, surgen de situaciones reales y las entremezcla con sus propias invenciones.

No acostumbro a recomendar libros ni escritores pero si a calificarlos. En ese caso diría que MVLL, sin temor a equivocarme, es uno de los mejores escritores de la actualidad y, al igual como todas sus novelas, "La Tia Julia y el Escribidor" mantiene esa calidad que caracteriza a las publicaciones de MVLL.

La tía Julia y el escribidor. Mario Vargas Llosa

Esta novela es impresionante. En el principio parece una obra liviana de vargas Llosa pero en la medida en que se avanza uno ve en este libro una gran obra que se va contando de una manera tan natural que resulta fácil terminar las 464 paginas del libro en escasos días y sin sentir el menor cansancio o fatiga. Las historias principales se desarrollan en la juventud del autor recontada y ficcionalizada de forma amena. Se ve que la novela ha sido trabajada arduamente para lograr ese equilibrio perfecto y esa ficcionalizacion que impide al lector mas aguzado adivinar que es verdad y mentira en la narrativa del amorío del escritor con su tía y su posterior casamiento con ella. ( no he leído nada sobre la vida de vargas Llosa así que evitare hablar mucho de esto para no caer en la trampa que Mario tiende para los lectores de hablar sobre una vida ficticia).Varias cosas de su vida me dió gusto saber como esa de que fue profesor un tiempo en Berlitz, instituto donde también yo desempeño esta labor de instructor, y me dió gusto saber ese detalle. La otra parte de la historia, la vida de Pedro Camacho, es tremenda en su contenido de obras al estilo Corin Tellado y radioteatros de los 70. Recuerdo haber oído algunos en mi infancia. Y ese personaje de carácter tan fuerte, de dedicación extrema al trabajo de escribir tan prolíficamente sobre una base diaria, me dió al igual que a marito cierta envidia, no por su contenido sino por la prolífica producción y nivel de ventas. Lastima que la vida le juegue una mala pasada, pero eso es algo que no contare aquí y que tendrán que descubrir los lectores que se embarquen en esta obra de Llosa que no los defraudara y los hará volver a buscar mas libros del autor Mis respetos a un buen autor y compañero de armas en la enseñanza.

Luis Mendez

I am shocked to find the great many people who are unaware of Mussollinni's ill-fated pursuit of glory in the east. His broken dreams left many Italian families orphaned and widowed. This well written account of the brutality of combat on the Eastern front is a fine addition to any WW2 eastern front library. It is well written and fascinating.

Mario Rigoni Stern was barely twenty-one - and already a battle veteran - at the time of the hallucinatory World War II disaster searchingly described in this book. In July 1942, the Italian forces in Russia totaled 230,000 men. They included three divisions of Alpini troops, specially trained for winter warfare; the author of this book belonged to one of these, the Tridentina. In December, the troops began retreating, entirely on foot, with no supplies, at a temperature of 30-40 degrees below zero. Many of the troops, overcome by exhaustion, broke away from the column; others were cut off and captured by the Russians, others lost in the steppes. In the end, about 90,000 were missing or dead, about 45,000 frostbitten and wounded." "This narrative, together with his novel The Story of Tonle and several other works, paints a broad fresco of Italy's history in this century, chronicling social and political change so radical and profound that it has touched even those in such secluded provincial communities as that which Rigoni Stern has so masterfully described.

I've heard many times that rigoni Stern's "Sergeant in the Snow"is one of the best memoirs on eastern front,however,very unfortunately this book has long been out of stock in most book stores.At first time I purchsed this book, I was bit dismayed by its size-it's just little more than 100 pages .but shortly after I started reading the book. I can't stop reading it..Not only Rigoni Stern's honest and realistic potrayal of the war but also the beauty of each sentence which is so powerful that it constantly conjures up images of snow,trench, soldiers who had completely normal lives before war ..love,homesick,girls,friends,comradeship,bravity..and a young master sergeant whose humanity and will for life shines and finally prevails all unbearable physical and mental exhaution.
another attraction is that although Rigoni had already been a seasoned veteran by the time his Division became a part of unfortunate Italian 8th Army .he didn't lose his sanity and love for people.(he is very symphathetic to poor Russian people and even his enemy ..) Unlike Guy Sayer , Rigoni Stern doesn't intend to invoke sensationalism by describing death ,multilated bodies, and combat ,but the book conveyed sense of desperation and symphathy for those who lost during the retreat and break out .
The book will be particulary helpful to understand solders of often unfairly labelled Italian 8th army in Russia.

Falsetto's guide to Kubrick is as Dante's to the Inferno: that is, DIVINE. Never mind the price, this book is worth it! Easy to read, scene breakdowns ( sometimes shot-by-shot ), and narrative patterns. Read another review for what they're like, I won't waste time trying to recite something too perfect to recite:
This is the DEFINATIVE Kubrick book. It offers descriptions from The Killing to Eyes Wide Shut, and it does a good job. Thank you God for Stanley Kubrick, and thank you God for Mario Falsetto
for telling about him!

Falsetto blends thoughtful, intellectual critques of Kubrick's work focusing on his editing choices and the tension between subjective and objective storytelling. It is by far the first comprehensive analysis of Eyes Wide Shut to be included in a book on Kubrick's style. Falsetto's discourse illuminates previous themes that never occurred to me such as the fact that the narrator in Barry Lyndon probably represents the eighteenth century aristocratic viewpoint, and therefore is not really an objective storyteller at all. Falsetto's articulate analysis of Kubrick's narrative themes are completely engrossing and fascinating without ever getting lost in technical jargon. His analysis is particularly right on when discussing such an underappreciated work such as Full Metal Jacket. He argues that Kubrick was aiming for hyperrealism, and that many of the scenes seem very surreal thus penetrating the heart of what war is about. I highly recommend this thoughtful and well thought out book to anyone interested in a fresh look at one of the greatest filmmakers who ever lived.

Falsetto really takes us inside the creative process of the Stanley Kubrick with his book STANLEY KUBRICK: A NARRATIVE AND STYLISTIC ANALYSIS. It is more than just an hommage to the late film master (there are plenty of those out there already), rather, it is a clever and insightful excursion into what makes Kubrick one of the great film artist of all time. The author is tracing the stylistic development of Kubrick's career, through carefully selected examples from some of his powerful films (THE KILLING, PATHS OF GLORY, LOLITA, 2001, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, BARRY LYNDON among others). At the same time, he brillantly analyzes the way Kubrick is telling us story with images and sound, his method for organizing the material into a structured and conceptual cinematic "whole". STANLEY KUBRICK: A NARRATIVE AND STYLISTIC ANALYSIS should be seen as a serious (but nevertheless entertaining) investigation into the heart of Kubrick's work, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who appreciate good comprehensive writing about the master.

My wife and I are restoring a home built in 1908. It is a little past the time period this book refers to, but many of the items like the trim work and mantel pieces are not at all out of place for later homes. As other readers have stressed, the only complaint you will have is when you get through the book and find yourself wanting more projects and tips for traditional woodwork in older homes.

Traditional Woodwork provides weekend woodworkers with projects and ideas that will produce results that are found in 17th and 18th century homes. Mario Rodriguez approach to building these projects makes what would seem to be difficult, very easy to understand and follow. Using clear photographs and easy to read text, projects move along smoothly using inexpensive tools. With a little weekend time, authentic period details can be added to any home new or old. The only thing wrong with this book is it is to short and you will want more.

This is a great reference book if you want to add traditional details to a modern home. I especially liked the chapters on adding built up baseboards and window molding. I first saw the book at my local library and found myself checking it out so often that I decided to buy my own copy. Chapters include adding wide plank flooring, a corner cabinet and building your own mantel.

This is a great guide to a long forgotten SNES game created in 1995. This particular guide is much better than the "official" version, which only gave us long, hard to read maps. This "unofficial guide" provides a lot of detailed screen shots, especially helpful when trying to find certain hidden items. I found it a lot more useful than the Nintendo guide for achieving the 100 point levels needed to unlock the bonus levels. I think that there is a Game Boy Advance version of this game coming soon and if they don't make changes, this will be an excellent guide to the game.

I think that this book will help everyone who wants to know how to play Yoshi's Island; Super MArio World 2

i made to to harry hedgehosgs cave but tont know how to get out of it can you help me with this level

Jose Jalife is one of the few people who feel equally at home with both the experimental and computational aspects of cardiac electrophysiology research. He has been author or co-author of numerous well-cited papers in this area. This book not only gives a very good overview of the present state-of-the-art in cardiac electrophysiology, but also contains a lot of the findings of his group - especially on the role of nonlinear dynamics in cardiac arrhythmias. As such the title is too modest - it is not only the clinician who will benefit from reading the book, but also people involved in computational modeling of the heart. For people coming from outside physiology into this area (e.g., I come from physics), this book will be very helpful in giving them a crash course on the essentials of cardiac electrophysiology. The chapters I found especially relevant were: Chapter 4 ("Propagation through cardiac muscle") which gives a clear account of how ionic currents that move across a specified patch of membrane lead to propagation along the membrane so that the electric signal originated at one site can spread from cell to cell to induce the electrical activation of the entire heart (covers cable equations, "safety factor", anisotropic propagation, 2D and 3D propagation, etc); Chapter 6 ("Rate dependency of discontinuous propagation") which discusses the dynamics and ionic mechanisms of complex patterns of propagation (e.g., Wenckebach periodicity); Chapter 7 ("Basic mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias") which deals with cellular mechanisms of arrhythmias and discusses in detail arrhythmias observed in clinical settings (e.g., ischemia, long QT syndrome, etc); Chapter 8 ("Spiral wave activity: a new lok at the old problem of reentry") which is really the icing on the cake. This is (at present) the only book aimed at the medical community which deals with the topic of spiral waves at such depth - and makes it clear why nonlinear dynamics is relevant to current research in cardiac arrhythmias. All in all it's a book well worth having for one's personal research reference library on cardiac electrophyiology.

The "Basic Cardiac Electrophysiology for the Clinician" book is a very affordable book, packed with information about all of the components of electrocardiology and electrophysiology. It is obviously a best buy for anyone needing information on electrophysiology.

Excellent review that comes from the authorities of EP who wrote Electrophysiology from cell to bedside. a great book for the clinician

Mario Benedetti, a Uruguayan writer, is well known in South America and Mexico. This is one of his rare collections available in English. This story collection presents a perspective not often used by US writers: that underlying paranoia, cycnicism, fatalism that anyone who has lived through the dictators and hyperinflation and tragic history of South America and Central America is well acquainted with. With recent events, many who have never had to live in fear are now faced with the kinds of dark powers that many others in our world have known for years. Notwithstanding the darker tone and sadness he evokes, the writing is superb and highly recommended.

"Benedetti is Uruguay's most important current writer."--Multicultural Review

"This superb collection...brings together tales of urban romance and political strife from the beloved Uruguayan writer. The fictions, most only a few pages long, are masterful in form, at once succinct and evocative. Many of the early tales...are reminiscent of Kafka-though with none of the weighty mood. Benedetti's language is light and playful..., full of humorous generosity to the reader." --Review of Contemporary Fiction

"What remains...is the singular and surprising nature of Benedetti's stories." --The New York Times Book Review

Uruguayan author Mario Benedetti, one of the most prolific and respected Latin American writers, is little known in the U.S.A. Of 50 years worth of fiction, plays and essays, the two novels published here are long out of print. This collection of 27 short stories should go a long way to bringing him the larger English-speaking audience he so merits.

Benedetti's early work (1940s and 50s) was rooted in and reflective of the middle class milieu of Montevideo. Like all successful regionalists, his keen eye and ear for local ideosyncracy could be bitingly on- target, while transcending the specific to express universal themes. The upheavals of the 1960s added a political focus that was sharpened when he was exiled (and his work banned) as a result of Uruguay's 1973 coup. His writings on political repression and on expatriate life display the same combination of dry irony and warm compassion as his earlier work; while themes change, there is a continuity of artistic vision.

Having enjoyed Benedetti in Spanish, I can recommend this collection. It offers a good cross-section, ranging from 1949 to 1987. I paid particular attention to translation on three of my favorites: "The Budget," a wickedly funny sendup of stultified bureaucracy; "Requiem Over Tea," a beautiful, sad story as told by a 13 year old; "Just Kidding," the chilling tale of a joke gone awry in the era of wiretaps and detention. Throughout, the author's original rythms, his strong sense of narrative voice, and distinctive use of vernacular came across very well.

There are many philosophical dictionaries on the market, but only one with the wit, scientific insight, and philosophical acuity of Mario Bunge's. Unburdened by peripheral terms from theology or forgotten philosophies, and uncluttered by entries on individual authors, Bunge seems to hold the exotic views that philosophy, a) like science, should be a living discipline which sloughs off its dead matter, leaving it behind for antiquarians to fuss over; and b) should be about reality and ideas, especially ideas about reality, not about trying to decipher, much less deconstruct, what some oddly famous person with a defective prose style might have meant to say about them. One might regret this dictionary's lack of almost any historical or etymological explanations, were it not for the fact that such information is the strength of many other easily available reference works. The net result is that this is a compact, engaging work which doubles as a modern philosophical treatise in microminiature. You will not, for example, find in it terms such as "eschatological", but you will find crystal-clear and interesting entries on "test", "technology, philosophy of", "praxiology", "tychism", "inverse problem", "mereology", "universal grammar", and "background of a research field". Some particularly valuable entries of medium or longer length include those on "mind-body problem", "mathematics, philosophy of", "linguistics", "atomism", and a series of entries beginning with "system". Others of a different sort include "charlacanism", "dadaism, philosophical", and "H". Some of the more acidly humorous remarks are buried though: the hilput, the unit measure of philosophical fickleness, is only mentioned in the entry for the latter, and not actually defined on its own.

This is absolutely not the one-stop philosophical dictionary to buy 24 hours before a final exam in philosophy 101- at least if you want to pass the course, and forget all about it ever after. Nor is it a specialized dictionary most likely to appeal to mathematicians or logicians, although there are several very useful entries on e.g. various logical topics of philosophical interest. It is though a great read and a great reference, stylistically more like Bierce or Johnson or Fowler than Webster. Beginners should be aware though, that while mostly very readable, there are some technical entries. While this really is a philosophical dictionary, it is a very unique one, and should be considered, and appreciated, as a philosophical work on its own.

Mario Bunge s Dictionary is terrific. It is a comprehensive, informative dictionary and it offers an idiosyncratic outlook. Bunge is a rationalist of the old school: a polymath, a systematizer, and a scientific philosopher; and he is reasonable, humorous, and competent. He is a phenomenon. Examples: Mereology is useful for those who happen to have bumped into the word and for experts: he introduces it and its place in ontology in 10 lines plus 3 cross-references. Bunge explains Free Logic and why is redundant and erroneous. This invites careful exposition; the curious may seek it in the first volumes of Bunge s Treatise . Situational Logic is less happy: Bunge says, no such thing . This is wonderfully Laconic and amusing, but insufficient; it could be, were some cross reference inserted, say, to the excellent item Praxiology . Even Sawdust Philosophy , not a term that readers will look up, is enlightening and has nice cross-references. Bunge s discussion of Quotes combines sense and humor with usefulness. So are Eclecticism , Exactification , God , Science , and Schrödinger s Cat and so on. An author of over 50 serious books in diverse fields, Bunge understandably boasts tremendously broad knowledge. Famous as a student of logic and mathematics, of ontology and epistemology, and of the natural science, he should be better known for his knowledge of and insights into the social sciences; the Dictionary should help. Bunge s familiarity with new intellectual trends and his jeers at trendy humbug are as terrific as ever. He is as appreciative of achievements as dismissive of the rest: Tell me how many psuedosciences you buy, and I ll tell you what your philosophy of science is worth ( pseudoscience ). He buys only one: the idea that all psychoses are physical. Still, his emergentism renders his biologism a middle ground between the more popular views and as such he should count as ally of all who are not duped by extremism: Consistency is vital, but it is useless when reached at the excessive use of Dot Dot Dot . Great fun and great value.

This book fills a much needed gap in the philosophical literature. It is a small dictionary of philosophical terms focusing on those relevant to the philosophy of science. It contains some humourous entries which actually make reading it rather than using it merely as a reference possible. (HINT: Look up "H", or "Dasein")

I recently purchased "A Little Light Reading" through a local bookstore. I enjoyed this book very much. I found the stories engrossing and clever (quite a few have a surprise ending), the puns were delightful and the poetry also was very well done. I work full time and therefore do not have a great deal of time to devote to recrational reading, so I appreciate the fact that the stories in this collection are short - most can be read at one sitting. All in all, I think this is a wonderful book.

I have found Mario Farina's book A Little Light Reading to be very enjoyable. The stories were just the right length so I could read them in one sitting. The stories he presents in this book are very suspenseful. You never know what is going to happen next. Mario's poems are an excellent addition to his book. Some are romantic and made me reflect on my own life experiences. Mario's puns are very humorous. I find it amazing how he thought up all of the puns he presents. In conclusion, Mario Farina's book is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read! I hope to see more books by Mario in the future.

I knew I would like this book when I saw the poem on the back. On the front of the book there is a picture of a little light reading a book. On the back of the book the poem mentions seeing a little light perched on a chair reading a book; thus, the title, A Little Light Reading. This book contains a lot of very short stories and each has a surprise ending which left me thinking. There is a story, for example, of a woman who is 99 years old but looks only twenty-five. The "why" of this is facinating. There are a lot of very humorous puns and poems that are very touching. I would recommend this book for anybody who does not have a lot of time for reading; for example, on the subway, and wants to get in and out of something short. This book is ideal for that.