If you have to choose the story among the Christmas stories I think you should have Ch.Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" among your finalists and many of us might find it as the final choice. Some characters of the story even expand the spheres of Christmas; in the first place we will probably mention Ebenezer Scrooge, who has inspired e.g. Walt Disney quite a lot. It might be that his feathered equivalent, even more prosperous than the (finally) good Ebenezer,is today better known than Dickens' original. One more reason to read the book! Among the rest I'll only mention "Tiny Tim", who has lent his name at least to a tasty species of minitomatoes. The author mixes cunningly facts concerning the social contrasts in 19th century England, rich owners and poor workers, with fictitious ghosts. The latter allow him to move in time, these moves are more related to personal and moral matters than to possible changes in the social frames. The social frames of the story are as well international as English, and they cover - mostly and luckily in a more lenient form - all the ages. The darkest time of the year might make it easier to believe in ghosts or at least accept easier the ones who do so? We can follow how Mr Scrooge's opinions about the members of his staff change, he realizes that he has got some duties towards the people working for him, not just rights to use their skills and time. A kind person is easy to deal with all the year around, one of the wonders of the Yule Tide is that quite a lot of the naughty ones start to behave themselves rather humanly, too. Stories like "A Christmas Carol" might not just bring the reader the right Christmas feeling, but also make some people to change their attitudes - at best not just till Boxing Day Eve but till the next Christmas!

Well, I finally read it (instead of just watching it on the TV screen).

This is what you can call a simple idea, well told. A lonely, bitter old gaffer needs redemption, and thus is visited by three spirits who wish to give him a push in the right direction. You have then a ghost story, a timeslip adventure, and the slow defrosting of old Scrooge's soul. There are certain additions in the more famous filmed versions that help tweak the bare essentials as laid down by Dickens, but really, all the emotional impact and plot development necessary to make it believable that Scrooge is redeemable--and worth redeeming--is brilliantly cozied into place by the great novelist.

The scenes that choke me up the most are in the book; they may not be your favourites. I react very strongly to our very first look at the young Scrooge, sitting alone at school, emotionally abandoned by his father, waiting for his sister to come tell him there may be a happy Christmas. Then there are the various Cratchit scenes, but it is not so much Tiny Tim's appearances or absence that get to me--it's Bob Cratchit's dedication to his ailing son, and his various bits of small talk that either reveal how much he really listens to Tim, or else hide the pain Cratchit is feeling after we witness the family coming to grips with an empty place at the table. Scrooge as Tim's saviour is grandly set up, if only Scrooge can remember the little boy he once was, and start empathizing with the world once again. I especially like all Scrooge's minor epiphanies along his mystical journey; he stops a few times and realizes when he has said the wrong thing to Cratchit, having belittled Bob's low wages and position in life, and only later realizing that he is the miser with his bootheel on Cratchit's back. Plus, he must confront his opposite in business, Fezziwig, who treated his workers so wonderfully, and he watches as true love slips through his fingers again.

It all makes up the perfect Christmas tale, and if anyone can find happiness after having true love slip through his fingers many years ago, surprisingly, it's Scrooge. With the help of several supporting players borrowed from the horror arena, and put to splendid use here.

Charles Dickens writes this story in such detail that you almost believe you have just enjoyed Christmas dinner at the Cratchits home. The characters have so much depth. The made for t.v. or movie screen renditions do not truly depict what Ebenezer Scrooge witnesses with the three spirits that causes such a change in his outlook on life. Such as Scrooge's emotions being quickened by the past heartache in his childhood; seeing how his bad choices caused the hardening of his heart and how deeply it cost him in the end; seeing what could have been his to enjoy and then thinking it could still be his with the Spirit of Christmas Present only to find out the future does not hold any love or joy for him by the Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come and instead his actions leave him robbed at death and no one left to grieve for him. Read the book to hear how this story was really written. Even if you have seen every Christmas Carol movie every made, the book will offer so many gold nuggets that you will think you are hearing it for the very first time. Pictures are beautifully detailed throughout the book. Excellent!!!

I did enjoy this book, and there were some really moving stories and some funny stories, but i didn't find it too terribly filling. Honestly, i personally can't say i'd recommend it. The problem i had with it is that it lacks substance. The stories, while are mostly very nice, do not even attempt (for the most part) to tell the Gospel. And (too) many of the stories had themes that were doctrinally and biblically unsound. I am critical only because it is named "Chicken soup for the CHRISTIAN soul." As a book, it does not bring forth a world view that is terribly Christian. I believe a more apt title would have been "Chicken soup for the God-believing soul." Some may not see a difference, but it's definately there...

"Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!" James 2:19 (NLT)

I think a MUCH better book is Joni Earickson Tada's "When God Weeps." That book is also quite moving, but it also contains much Godly wisdom, and makes a conscious effort to show what the bible says about life and death and suffering.

I love your book and i recommend it to anyone who is devoted to Christ and loves to read inspirational stories about things from the Bible.

I am still reading this but, it has been just as fun to read as all the others I have read. The short stories are good for me and my hectic schedule and short attention span(I am 25 years old and getting better on the attention part). If I need a little laugh, I go to the funny part,and, every section has a different type of short stories in it. Of course, some will make you feel like crying or touch your soul, some will make you giggle or maybe even burst out laughing if you have had the same experience. The "Family Circus" cartoons are light-hearted ways to look at important things as well. You gotta buy this book!

Is the author campaigning to have all his friends write glowing reviews of this book? The basic "Best Bread Ever" recipe for a baguette works quite well, and so does the pizza and a few others. But the further you get from these basic recipes, the more disastrous the results. Van Over claims that his "Basic Pullman Loaf" will "win you kudos from anyone lucky enough to taste it." What a joke...I tried that recipe 5 times and each time ended up with 2 8-inch long doorstops. And I've been baking for years and generally know what I'm doing in the kitchen. Sorry, Charlie, the problem is with you...test all of your recipes, not just the first few in the book.

If you've never baked a loaf of bread or if you are an avid baker, this is the book for you. Charlie Van Over's "The Best Bread Book Ever" will teach you a bread baking technique that will add pleasure and taste to all your efforts. The use of a food processor as a kneading tool is not new, but his specific method is. Based on long years of experience, Van Over has developed such a precise process, you can only succeed. You will get bread that is more tasty, dough that is friendly to work with, and raves from your eating audience. I have tried numbers of baguette recipes, including the one I learned at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and his outstrips them all. The pizza dough is perfect (better than just best!); because he provides instructions from start to finish, you can serve up a pizza that will make you pause before ever ordering out again. The book includes a wide range of recipes, including a lovely feta and herb focaccia, a rich, delicious brioche with variations, and several sourdough breads. (Unlike some intimidating starter recipes, his is both simple and effective.) Happily, your own favorites are adaptable to his technique. Importantly, his writing style gives you the eerie and pleasant feeling that he is right by your side as you measure the ingredients, pulse the food processor, shape the dough, and slide it onto the baking stone. Bake and eat...you'll have a great time with Charlie!

Three reasons to get this book:

- Technique

- Information

- Recipes

TECHNIQUE Technique is what got me: I've been baking breads at home for years. It's fun, the results are pleasing and well-received by friends and guests. But making bread at home has always been time consuming for me because of the lack of a professional mixer. This point is worth discussing here: If you want to knead bread without working hard and without making a mess, you need a professional mixer. Some home mixers or even hand mixers come with dough hooks, but don't be deceived: Very few home mixers are powerful enough to knead bread dough, and those that are are very expensive. There is no ordinary garden veriety cheap mixer that can knead bread dough. Period. Trust me on this one, and you won't burn your mixer's motor and burn your money as well. So you either knead dough by hand, which is time consuming and hard work, or you get this [rather inexpensive] book and learn the technique of using your ordinary food processor to do the job. Food processors work differently from mixers, and even a cheap food processor is powerful enough to knead bread dough using the technique described in the book. I should know -- I bought my food processor over 8 years ago for about US$40 in a supermaket... It's old and it's so weak that a fresh carrot could make it stick and halt. But I've been making batches and batches of great bread dough with it and so far it's been great.

If you are careful with the water and learn to add it gradually, you can actually eliminate measurements: You keep adding water gradually until the ball of dough is formed. If you go over a bit, just add a spoon of flour to try out the batch. It's quick, it's painless, and you can have perfect bread dough in under 1 minute (!). I think that no professional home or restaurant-class mixer can do that.

Once you get the hang of using a food processor to knead dough perfectly in under a minute, you will be more willing to experiment with bread making at home. It just won't be that big of a chore anymore.

INFORMATION The Best Bread Ever is not just a bunch of recipes for making bread. It will teach you all you need to know about the process of bread making: What fours to use, how much salt, what temperature is best, how to proof your bread, etc. There is no guesswork, there is no "feel" that takes forever to develop. Just read the introductory chapter and you'll know everything you need.

RECIPES The Best Bread Ever is filled with recipes. Most are great. I found some of the Middle Eastern recipes a bit off, but that's a minor point. From baguettes to Brioche to Pizza, the book is filled with great recipes and great ideas you can follow and/or improvise on.

But the bulk of my enthusiasm is reserved for the dough making technique. It's simply ingenious. I cannot over-emphasise the difference it will make in your bread making experience: Take the hardest, nastiest, messiest part of making bread and tame it completely, into a trivial process that takes just under a minute, and you will be free to enjoy the more creative aspects of making bread.

This book is a great book for teachers. I learned a lot through it. And I know you will too.

As an elementary teacher and college math methods instructor, I have found this book to be an excellent resource for teaching children math in an engaging, meaningful way. The author includes lots of examples of useful activities for all areas of mathematics. A book I'll use over and over in the years to come...

Tightly written allegory with enough adventure to keep even junior high boys interested, yet enough detail and imagery for adults. The book was absorbing and challenging; delightful to read without talking down to the reader! I'm planning on using it to teach my 7-9 graders how to analyze, interpret, etc.

The book The Shining Sword never gets old. Its combination of good characters, exciting plot, and griping action make it a simply good book. But the aplication for the Christian life is amazing and cannot be forgoten. The book is and has been a help in many times of need. Based soley on the Bible and strong Christian teaching, the book can help Christians walk after God, and non-believers find the King who loves them so. It explains Jesus and the powers of evil beautifuly and easy to understand. Yes, so may say its a kids book, and it might be aimed for them in writing style, but, much like the Chronicals of Narnia, it is very aplicaple for the adult Christian.

A few years ago this book permitted me to go reliably from
theoretical linear algebra to practical large-scale numerical
computations, using also LAPACK. I think this is its place:
from the university course level to the practical side.
On the other hand, one cannot really say it is as readable
as, say, Numerical Recipes: it has a quite terse style.

Once you have a grounding in matrix analysis and linear algebra this book makes a good reference. His explanations tend to be terse (even exceptionally so)- more suited for reminding someone who already knows how the algorithm works or was derived and simply can't remember the details. It lost a star as I've found some annoying typos (for example, in the pseudocode for the GMRES algorithm).

This book should be placed alongside "Principles of Mathematical Analysis" by Walter Rudin and "Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces" by Paul Halmos as a classic text, one which students/professionals of mathematics will use for years to come. A solid book covering computational matrix theory. I myself used it as a tool to bridge the gap between my formal training in Mathematics and my serious interest in computers. Reader should have some knowledge of basic linear algebra(ie understanding of vector spaces, L2 norms, etc..) before attempting this book. Excercises could be better. A good purchase for those with a more than passing interest.

Offering no less than a summary of the history of human thought, from the beginning to today (or at least 1992). Sometimes van Doren stretches himself a bit too far on a point, but for the most part I think he is very solid in what he posits, and backs it all up very well. Do not let this be your only history of knowledge book, however (and, obviously, that advice rings true for any subject - never stick with just one book or author). But, for the person who is interested in this topic, but does not feel the need to do a master's degree on it, "History of Knowledge" is just what you need.

This book should be used as a text book. It is clear, easy to read and full of information. Extremely entertaining and flows from chapter to chapter. Opening up questions and answering others, this book is one of the best general history books I have ever read. Mr Van Doren has done an outstanding job of condensing and presenting a general history of knowledge with much knowledge and ability. I noted that while I was reading this book in the summer of 1996 at sidewalk cafes, that on more than one occasion, people walking by would stop and tell me how much they enjoyed the book.

This book provides a very broad description of the events in our history that have influenced our understanding of the world -- from the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans through the middle ages, on to modern times and further on to a potential future. I most enjoyed how it dealt with the key concepts of each age in a quick, easy-to-read style. There's not a lot of detail, but very broad scope. It also organizes our history very well so the reader gets a strong sense of the chronological order of discoveries and thought. It will point the interested reader in directions for further reading.

This is a great lightweight book on Darwin's life and the development of the idea of evolution. Though it would be a shame to stop an exploration of natural selection here, it's a great starting point because it provides the context in which Darwin's thoughts came to be. It also discusses objections and criticisms of natural selection, how it has been misunderstood and abused, and how Darwin himself treated problematic aspects of the theory. I don't know that the illustrations and such are very revealing or useful, but they definitely make the book easy and fun to read, though the last few pages become more text-based. Overall, it's a well executed introduction to a very influential and oft misinterpreted person. But though this book is for beginners, please don't stay one... go and read "Origin of Species."

This lively, clever, humorous little book IS accurate -- "scientifically correct," in the words of Dr. Tim M. Berra of Ohio State University (author of "Evolution and the Myth of Creationism," 1990, Stanford University Press). I agree with him that it would be a great gift for students to give to their parents to help them understand evolution. The illustrations, many of which are worth a thousand words, are at once engaging, informative, and great fun. Solid history and science in superlative format.

An illustrated narrative tells, all too briefly, the story of Darwin the man and his revolutionary discovery of how the living world came to be. Thanks to its amusing, but informative, cartoon style exegesis, this little gem is a uniquely powerful antidote to creationist propaganda in the classroom. The best introduction to Darwin and his ideas you're likely to see.

not gonna do back flips for a math book

I am a college student and the math book that was at the bookstore was $100.00. I went onto amazon.com and found the same book in new condition (looked like)for $56.00. I was kind of weary about ordering on-line for the first time but was pleasently surprised. This was a great first experience and plan on ording all my books through amazon.com.

"Ideas" is the key here as we have calculators, computers, and what not to do any real number crunching or comparing. This book carries you from zero to the edges of most any mathematical discipline. The information in the margins ties the theories back to reality. At the appropriate locations in the margin are postage stamps from around the works are shown commemorating the individual mathematicians and scientists relating to the subject being studied. There is a section in the book with the answers to all the odd questions.

More mindless dribble from a writer whom Amway helped make thousands of dollars by writing a book that is required reading for all new distributors. To give you a hint, Amway is now on the web under the name of to hide who they are; a website where you can purchase toilet paper . Nowhere does the writer talk about the hundreds of lawsuits that have been filed against Amway, that most of the money in Amway is through the sale of books and tapes created by organizations independent of Amway, or the thousands of people deceived every year. Don't waste your money on this book: instead read False Profits by Fitzpatrick.

I really never liked Amway. Of course, I never really knew anything specific about Amway or the founders of that organization...until I started reading about them in business journals and the Dunn and Bradstreet report of stability. The business community greatly respects the founders of Amway. They give away millions every year to charities. They help their community and society in general. The best thing is, this book is designed to show you what they did to get to where they are.

This title presents an overview of the philosophy of the founders of one of the largest privately owned companies in the US and the world. They are successful people who explain how one might be a success as well.

I've also noticed that most of the negative reviews for this title do not address the content of this title. Whereas, those who enjoyed it comment on the content. Interesting, wouldn't you say?

The book is written clearly while maintaining the focus on encouragement and reaching one's goals.

Good read even if you aren't saving money with Amway. They have a sister company called Quixtar. Very similar philosophy and quality products. Quixtar was founded in 1999 and is also privately owned. This philosophy works!

Well another great book by Paul Conn. People think sometimes Mr.Conn is a distributor but he is not and never has been one! He is though a great Dean of student's at Liberty University. For those who think there is no MONEY in the business has never experienced what I have. Im also an Independent Business Owner and if I wasn't making good profit like some people say! I would have QUIT long ago!!!!!!!