Do you want to read a book which is romantic ,but not frivolous,thrilling but not exagerated?Then try "Helena" written by Machado De Assis,in my opinion the best Brazilian writer of all times.But beware!The author is very exact, almost cynical, in showing life as it really is,full of lies and deceptions.So reading Machado books is always a very tough exercise because you always fell to be personally examinated and confronted by the author.But this "interactivity",plus the inimitable witness of Machado is what makes the reading a most pleasing experience.In this book which which belongs to the "Romantic" period of Machado De Assis production the author explores his favourite theme:the conflict between what we really are and what we are supposed(by the other people of course) to be.Who is really Helena?We all are Helena because basically we all live in the same contraddiction that she in the end is unable to face anymore.The other point in which Machado excelles is in the analysis of the family life expecially the very special relationship which develops between brother and sister.I suggest to everyone to read this book of Machado and many others.5stars!

So sorry , my english is not very well ... Vale apena ! Quem não leu amará esta linda obra deste fabuloso autor !

I read it a long time ago as a first introduction to Brazilian Classic Literature. It is a light novel with the great elements of the Romantism Era of Literature, and it reflexes very well the society of the last quater of the eighteenth century of the country. Women are a focal point in the novels by Machado de Assis, and recently I read that his wife revised his novels, and even changed the storyline when she saw the heroine suffering too much. Praise for the women of last century that helped their great men be so loved by a culture!

Don't miss this diamond within and don't be mislead by the reading level (Ages 4-8). This is a powerful book which gives the breaking heart permission to get another dog, love another dog, and form relationships with another dog yet still maintain the respect, integrity, and love for the beloved deceased dog. The book reassures the grieving owner that it is alright--nay, the deceased dog wants and encourages the owner left behind to heal, go on with life, and love again. The book assures the owner that the deceased dog is *ALWAYS* there in spirit and will be waiting for the owner at Rainbow Bridge. Oh yes, have some tissue at hand . . .

If you feel that you're alone and that nobody knows how you feel or have possibly been in the same situation... Read this book. As you read, you will feel the healing power of those who have been there.

If you have recently lost a beloved pet and are grieving, don't miss reading this book. You will find understanding among other animals lovers who have experienced the same type of feelings that you are experiencing. It is truly comforting to know that other people love their pets just as you loved yours. A great gift for anyone who has lost their pet.

La última niebla es un libro que te deja pensar, sacar tus propias ideas sobre la trama. Hay una dualidad de realidad muy bien lograda en la cual la niebla te introduce de una a otra realidad. María Luisa es la interpretación máxima del surrealismo, este libro es realmente excelente. Le recomiendo al que lo lea que lea también La amortajada, otra excelente novela de María Luisa Bombal

La última niebla es una de esas novelas que, a pesar de los años transcurridos desde su publicación, sigue impactando a las personas- que no son pocas- que tienen el placer de leerla. Fascinante obra, donde los sueños y la realidad llegan a confundirse como nunca antes se ha hecho.

maria luisa bombal traspaso las barreras que en esa epoca,e incluso hoy, pone la sociedad chilena a lss mujeres, sobre todo a las de la clase alta tradicional.su obra muestra la fuerza y las pasiones que tiene cada mujer, y la eterna busqueda del amor y del sentido de la vida.

This RARE book is a fabulous story for teenage girls...it shows them how an true Godly young woman should behave. Gerty learned how to control her self-centered desires and give of herself. The author give you a story full of mystery, Family and reverance to God. The central focus of the story is showing respect to others just because they need to be shown respect as a loving, caring and respectful way. Gerty, Emily, and the Graham family are wonderful examples how a family aught to act toward one another. We should use this story as an example of how we treat our fellow citizens--not cursing and shooting. This is a marvelous story about self-sacriface, because one person chooses to humble herself and do what is right.

This book is a classic. A friend loaned it to me years ago, after finding it in her attic. I didn't think I'd ever own my own copy, so I was very excited to find it here at Amazon. The story of Gertrude and the amazing people in her life is absolutely wonderful. No sex, no vulgarity, just a good story. The scene where Gertrude learns self-control has personally challenged me to not act like a spoiled brat! I highly recommend this book.

This book was a surprise. As my mother told me often of a book her mother read to her as a child and longed to have a copy of this book, I used a search company to locate this book. Having found this on the Amazon search I have ordered copies for all my aunts as well as my daughter and nieces. My mother was a very poor child and their books were extremely limited, the last book her mother read to her was "The Lamplighter". Curious and anxious to obtain this book for my mother's birthday, I purchased this book and read it prior to giving it to her. Cummins is an artist in detail. The dialect is intriguing yet still understandable for young adult readers. A piece with love, mystery, suspense - all qualities for a great read. Do yourself a favor, this book is well worth the wait - it brought tears of joy to my mother, myself and aunts. Enjoy!

Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche (1904-1989) compares human life to a fork in the road: "one route ascends to higher realms and freedom; the other descends to lower realms. We have the choice of taking the high road or the low road. To use this precious human life as a support to Dharma practice and liberation is to give it its true meaning" (p. 86). In the Foreward to this 318-page compilation of essential oral and written teachings delivered between 1968 and 1989, The Dalai Lama calls Kalu Rinpoche "a beacon of inspiration" (p. xiii). After becoming an ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk at age thirteen, Kalu Rinpoche completed a three-year lama retreat when he was sixteen (p. xv). He then became a wandering yogi when he was twenty-five, and practiced meditation in Himalayan retreats as a solitary hermit for twelve years (p. xv) before delivering his teachings to the Western world. "We must firmly resolve to use this life well," he observes, "by practicing Dharma enthusiastically during the time that remains in this life, this quick, bright moment, like the sun piercing through the clouds" (p. 88).

What HEART OF THE BUDDHA is to Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, LUMINOUS MIND is to Kalu Rinpoche. That is, LUMINIOUS MIND may be read not only as the essential teachings of Kalu Rinpoche, but as a comprehensive, yet practical introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Kalu Rinpoche demonstrates that "it is experiential knowledge that teaches us to recognize our fundamental nature and liberates us from falling prey to illusions, passions, and thoughts. This awareness grants real happiness in this life, at the time of death, and in future lives up to spiritual enlightenment" (p. 7). He not only encourages us to understand our mind through daily meditation practice, but he teaches us how, because "mind is what we are. It is what experiences happiness and suffering. Mind is what experiences different thoughts and sensations; it is what is subject to pleasant and unpleasant emotions, what experiences desire, aversion, and so forth. A real understanding of the nature of mind is liberating because it disengages us from all illusions and consequently from the source of the suffering, fears and difficulties that make up our daily life" (p. 17).

G. Merritt

This book is a wonderful, authoritative and comprehensive account of the path of Vajrayana Buddhism, as expounded by one of the greatest teachers of the last (20th) century.

I would only add that this book is perhaps not ideal for the complete novice. The teachings are presented in a rather dry, traditional style. People without some previous exposure to Tibetan Buddhist teachings might find the material somewhat confusing. Those interested in a more easily readable introduction to this topic might first try Sogyal Rinpoche's "The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying" or Lama Surya Das' "Awakening The Buddha Within" before returning to this volume.

There are now several books out there which present the teachings of His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche, and many of them are quite good. However, when people ask me to recommend one book, this is the one I tell them to get. This book is very well-organized, and provides a wealth of information about Tibetan Buddhism in general, and Kalu Rinpoche's lineages (Shangpa Kagyu and Karma Kagyu) in particular. The information about the Shangpa lineage is unparalleled. the book is organized so that a beginning student will not be overwhelmed, while long-time practitioners will be rewarded with a wealth of practical instructions. This book was organized by one of Rinpoche's foremost western disciples, Lama Denis Tondrup, and the notes and glossary, which I think he is resonsible for, are invaluable. If you wish to know about the different stages of the Tibetan Buddhist path, or if you feel a connection to Kalu Rinpoche but don't know much about his tradition, I cannot think of a better book to read. This is a book I return to again and again, and I always find just the right advice. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has written, in the forward to this book, that Rinpoche ws a "beacon of inspiration." Reading this book, you will come to see just how radiant that beacon continues to be!

Having just purchased a Mac G-4 for my son for his graphics work, I wanted to learn to use it as well. All my previous experience being with Windows I was a little nervous as to how long it would take to get working familiar with the OS system, which turned out to be no time at all thanks to this book. It gets right to the topic, lots of pictures of the screens you are using, lets you know when there is more than one way to do something, lets you know where it the book parts of the same topic are gone over in different detail. You can skip around in the book to find what you want without losing any continuity, or do like I did and just start at the begining. The information is presented straightforward and easy to understand. I could not have asked for a better teaching book.

I recently bought my first Mac and after many years as a Windows programmer and an Amiga enthusiast before that. Suddenly I was a newbie again. This book helped me get over that very quickly. It's a fast way to get going. The author breaks up each aspect the OS into one or two page bites with enumerated instructions, making it easy to digest and even find things in a hurry. If you determine you are reading some aspect of the OS you already understand, the layout makes it easy to skip to the next part. She also includes lots of tips that add to the basics.

There are LOTS of screens shots; usually 3 to 4 per page. The prices is right and they don't include a CD-ROM which so many computer books do. That only inflates the price and rarely adds anything of value.

You may have recently purchased a shiny new Blueberry iMac, and -- if you're like me -- discovered that the much praised Mac OS graphical user interface is not quite as intuitive as legend has it. As a Windows user for many years -- I was stumped by the lack of maximizing windows, right-clicks and Explorers. The information is often difficult to find in the Mac help files, and the iMac comes with very little documentation. THIS BOOK makes it all clear very, very quickly. Like all the books in this excellent series, every step is fully illustrated and completely explained. I am using my iMac now in ways I didn't even dream I could.

Al principio, este libro me pareció difícil de seguir, y hasta un poco aburrido. Mi primera impresión es que el autor se iba por la tangente que daba gusto. Pero seguí leyendo y al poco me di cuenta de que de tangentes nada. Este libro es como un gran concierto de pensamientos, los cuales todos se centran en un punto común. Esas tangencias o periferias están diseñadas con tal habilidad que complementan la historia sin parecer superfluas: Ruibérriz, Celia/Victoria, el Único, todos caracteres bien perfilados, con mucho color, y las citas entremezcladas en el texto, las escenas de películas, todos contribuyendo a realzar una trama ya de por sí apasionante. El protagonista se debate entre decisiones tomadas y asumidas, y sus diálogos consigo mismo son de lo mejor que he leido en la literatura española en mucho tiempo.

El final es imprevisible. Cuando ya pensaba que sabía por dónde iban los tiros, en el último momento me llevé una sorpresa. Qué irónica puede ser la vida, qué carcajadas se pega a nuestra costa (o en este caso a costa de Deán).

Las notas adicionales (otra sorpresa que no descubrí hasta el final) son muy interesantes, y si ya por entonces me cabía alguna duda del pedazo de escritor que es Javier Marías, ahí se me borraron por completo. Esta novela es para no perdérsela.

I have read four novels by Marías so far, all of them are great, but this one is the best by far. I wouldn't call it a "mystery/thriller", it is a novel about decisions one's takes and it's implications, about unevitable things and about death. The technique is impressive, recurring phrases that seem trivial at first and make more sense every time they are mentioned. Shakespeare's quotes applied to the situations. If you would read only one book by Marías, read this one.

The book is a magnificent piece of literature, an outstanding sample of the combination of styles and rhythms that makes of Marias one of the best current Spanish writers. Although frequently criticised in Spanish literary cliques, the very particular sense of humour and recurring style of Marias is captivating. Having a kind of film noir story background, Marias creates a set of curiously charming characters that develop through a catching story line. Special mention to a superb scene that features the king of Spain, Juan Carlos I, unfortunately not at the reach of non-Spaniard readers. Do not miss it, especially if you can read the original Spanish prose.

Jorge Isaacs (Cauca, 1837-1895) es el autor de la excepcional María (1867). María dista de ser una novela interpretada de un modo unívoco y siempre aprobatorio. La crítica le mezquina de ordinario lo que el público lector de lengua castellana le ha brindado, casi desde la primera hora, hasta convertirla en una de las obras más leídas y con mayor número de ediciones en la literatura de nuestra lengua.

Es, de las novelas decimonónicas, la historia de amor funesto más sugestiva, sentida y llena de signficado. La novela narra los amores de dos jóvenes adolescentes que dan contenida vida a su primer amor . . . . El encantamiento sensual o la vehemencia de la pasión juvenil es sublimada en objetos o manifestaciones diversas del amor por el otro --flores, guedejas, pañuelos, anillos--; objetos que sellan una promesa, pagan una culpa o compensan un agravio. Una sensualidad delicada y real se manifiesta en roce de casualidad, presiones tiernas, besos, visión sorpresiva de la desnudez de hombros, manos o pies, que son objeto de maravilla constante.

This is a beautiful 19th century novel, a classic of Latin American literature. It's about the story of a young Jewish Colombian woman (Jorge Isaacs was Jewish) and the love of her life, a young man she grows up with. It's set in the Andean region of Colombia with beautifully depicted imagery of the natural settings, and the customs of the times. It is both tragic and inspiring, and there is a good reason why it's a classic. It's characters, the scenery, and the haunting ending are very memorable.

The book is a great example of a expresident setting the tone for his country. A nice example of the romanticism period

The beautiful photograph on the front cover showing my favorite flower, the Bleeding Heart, virtually guaranteed that I'd be taking this home with me. I was not disappointed! This is my favorite gardening book of a pretty extensive collection. It is large and so filled with gorgeous photographs that it almost qualifies as a "coffee table book" except for the fact that it is also chock full of very smart and useful information about organic gardening plus well written inspirational tid-bits from Maria Rodale's personal gardening life history. It is divided up into seasonal sections and is a very effective spring fever reliever. I love to dream over the photographs and gardening suggestions when everything is dormant under a blanket of snow. Maria writes as though she is talking to a friend, sharing charming anecdotes, her favorite tools, cherished recipes. Her garden is a lovely, inviting place where the whole ecosystem is respected including the so-called "pests." Do you want to know what to feed a hummingbird? Maria tells you. How about ten ways to eat a tomato? Yum. Maria's there for you. As she says, "Life takes creative thinking. Practice in your garden." I find that after a few minutes with this book my own creativity blossoms. The genuine passionate love for gardening and the green world that is between these pages when combined with all the useful practical ideas and philosophical encouragement makes for a real treat.

The Maria Rodale's Organic Gardening:Your Seasonal Companion to Creating a Beautiful and Delicioius Garden is breathtakingly beautiful. Organized by seasons, bursting with information,techniques for gardening and with a bonus of old family recipies, it is a book that will be referred to often. Maria's conversonational form of writing makes the book fun and easy to read. $24.50 is a very reasonable price for so much knowledge.

As a budding organic gardener this was an excellent book that not only kindled my interest in the subject but was also incredibly educational. They layout of the book by seasons makes for a fun read. Ms. Rodale gives excellent tips (and great recipes!) for each season. The interviews are fun to read, and include some very interesting personalities.

If you are an organic gardener, buy this book! If you are not, buy this book anyway, it may turn you into one.

My only complaint (and it's not aimed at this book in particular) is that most authors of gardening books forget about those of us in the dreaded near-arctic zones. Short growing seasons and long winters can be a pain! :)

The first grade classes at our school read MARIA's COMET then went on a field trip to a planetarium. This book really enriched the factual part of the lesson, and helped the students think about all the people in the past who have looked up at the stars in wonder and curiosity. Highly recommended!

I got this book for my daughter, who loves to look at the stars. It's inspiring to read about a girl who pursued her dream of being a scientist at a time when such careers weren't open to women.

This is the kind of book I wish I'd read as a child. The art makes you think you are back in time, and the story reminds me of how important childhood dreams can be.