In fact I find Baldwin's writing style pulls you in more than Jay McInerney. What this book lacks(in contrast to McInerney) is social commentary- I can't truly elaborate on that without spoiling a number of significant plot points. I do highly recommend this book, with one caveat- if you don't relate to people with compulsive behaviors (who doesn't) the main character of Tom Reasons will disgust you. I love him. I look forward to Baldwin's next book. NOTE: The McInerney comment isn't meant as a put down, I like Baldwin better.

Balling The Jack is the most energetic novel I've read in a long, long time. Baldwin writes in a hip, edgy style that propels the reader forward, making it a fast, fun read. However, its quick pacing doesn't mean that Baldwin doesn't have some important things to say. Balling The Jack (which is slang for risking everything all at once) shows a guy who finds life too safe today and has to go out looking for thrills. He finds it in gambling, and this -- of course -- leads to trouble. There's a definite theme of risk and renewal (Risk and reward, baby. Risk and reward.) that shows there is more to Baldwin's writing than showing a guy night on the town. It's about finding something to believe in during an age of cash machines and less and less human contact. All in all, Balling The Jack is a book for everyone. Men will identify with Tom, and women will find him charming -- even if they don't admit it.

Balling the Jack is a great story and a real page-turner. The characters, especially the main character Tom Reasons and his loyal and fun-loving buddies, are people you wish were your friends. Tom's adventures as a dart-playing gambler with a conscience make for a great read. Highly recommended

a good read, but can be confusing for kids. It takes a while to comprehend all of the Shakespearian langauge, but is very interesting. It is boring at parts.

The Winter's Tale is a lot of things: heart-breaking, exhilerating, funny, beautiful, romantic, profound, etc. Yeah, it's all here. This is one of the bard's best plays, and I can't believe they don't teach this in schools. Of course, the ones they teach are excellent, but I can see high school kids enjoying this one a lot more than some of those others (Othello, King Lear).

The story is, of course, brilliant. King Leontes goes into a jealous rage at the beginning against his wife Hermione. Leontes is very mistaken in his actions, and the result is tragic. Shakespeare picks the story back up sixteen years later with the children, and the story works to a really, really surprising end of bittersweet redemption.

This is one of Shakespeare's bests. The first half is a penetrating and devestating, but the second half shows a capacity for salvation from the depths of despair. Also, this being Shakespeare, the blank verse is gorgeous and the characters are well drawn, and the ending is a surprise unparalleled in the rest of his plays. The Winter's Tale is a truly profound and entertaining read.

The Winter's Tale contains some of the most technically difficult solutions to telling a story that have ever appeared in a play. If you think you know all about how a play must be constructed, read The Winter's Tale. It will greatly expand your mind.

The play opens near the end of a long visit by Polixenes, the king of Bohemia, to the court of his childhood friend, Leontes, the king of Sicily. Leontes wants his friend to stay one more day. His friend declines. Leontes prevails upon his wife, Hermione, to persuade Polixenes. Hermione does her husband's bidding, having been silent before then. Rather than be pleased that she has succeeded, Leontes goes into a jealous rage in which he doubts her faithfulness. As his jealousy grows, he takes actions to defend his misconceptions of his "abused" honor that in fact abuse all those who have loved him. Unable to control himself, Leontes continues to pursue his folly even when evidence grows that he is wrong. To his great regret, these impulsive acts cost him dearly.

Three particular aspects of the play deserve special mention. The first is the way that Shakespeare ties together actions set 16 years apart in time. Although that sounds like crossing the Grand Canyon in a motorcycle jump, Shakespeare pulls off the jump rather well so that it is not so big a leap. The second is that Shakespeare captures entirely different moods from hilarious good humor to deep depression and remorse closely adjacent to one another. As a result, the audience is able to experience many more emotions than normally are evoked in a single play. Third, the play's final scene is as remarkable a bit of writing as you can imagine. Read it, and marvel!

After you finish reading this play, think about where your own loss of temper has had bad consequences. How can you give yourself time to get under control before acting rashly? How can you learn to be more open to positive interpretations of events, rather than dark and disturbing ones?

Love first, second, and always!

This book was not the literary version of Top Gun so if you are looking for seat of the pants air combat this is not really the book to read. The author was a navy EA-6 Prowler pilot during the Gulf War. He flew from the U.S.S. Midway. One of the more interesting parts of his story is that he was a new carrier pilot at the start of the conflict, therefore, he had to get accustomed to flying from a carrier during war conditions. The tensest passages in the book deal with his night landings and aerial refuelings. The actual job his aircraft performed in the war, although very valuable, was a bit dull. This was not air to air fighter pilot dogfights.

I was also a little disappointed with his descriptions of what life was like on a carrier during wartime. There were some descriptions, but not enough for me to get a good picture of his time out on the ship. Do not get me wrong, the book was enjoyable and the writing was good. The book did tell the story of the war that most of us would not get to hear given the author was not a fighter pilot glamour jockey. I just wanted a bit more overall details of his group's missions and life on the carrier and skip the love story.

There has got to be a rush that comes from taking off from an aircraft carrier in a jet, being accelerated by a steam catapult and a pair of screaming afterburners to nearly 170 m.p.h. in less than 2 seconds. Nor does it take a Stephen King to imagine the stress involved in trying to get back aboard a carrier on an inky night in a plane low on fuel. Among naval aviators, this is what separates those who can "hack it" from those who cannot. For carrier pilots do not land their planes so much as slam them aboard heaving, yawing ships at sea. So it is that night landings, in which vertigo and optical illusion are routeine and depth perception nonexistent, become "the practice of overcoming the fear of death," writes Lt. (j.g.) Sherman Baldwin, who spent his nugget - maiden - cruise aboard the USS Midway during the Persian Gulf War. If Baldwin's introspection sets "Ironclaw" (the call sign of his squadron) apart from others of its ilk, make no mistake: This is a book about flying. It begins with the author's first night catapult shot aboard the Midway and with great perception describes life for those who come and go on a seaborne aircraft carrier at war

Navy pilot Sherm Baldwin ushers you silently into the cockpit of his Navy Jet Prowler in the Gulf War as he lands and takes off both day and night onto the smallest aircraft carrier in our fleet. You feel all his experiences at first hand, right along with him and his crew. My twelve year old son likes the book as much as I do ("the best book I ever read," he told me) probably in spite of the fact that "Tank" Baldwin courts his wife to be Alice by daily letter from the Gulf War. No surprise to me that the Military Book Club has chosen IRONCLAW as its lead selection this Fall. Give it a try ... the first chapter will have you gripping your seat wondering if can land this damn plane

The title of this book is a little misleading if you are expecting (as I was) to learn about ways to develop your child's intellect and communication skills. Rather, the author takes a broader approach, that you are your child's teacher in all matters of life. Moreover, you best serve your child not by trying to "instruct" them but by giving them the space to develop in their own time and manner, without undue influence from other sources.

As a full-time mother, I found a lot that was thought provoking in this book. It is quite repetitive and tends to feel like a promotion for Rudolph Steiner schooling. At times I found this a bit much. However it is nice to find a book that says that you are doing a good job just by being there for your child. I was also intrigued by the idea that I should be doing less, not more for my son. That children need space to do their own thing and to observe what you do as an adult more than they need you crawling round on the floor with them or taking them to gymbaroo classes.

I take from this book a few ideas of things to try and the reassurance that there are some things that I don't need to worry about. I am sure that I will read it again as my son gets older. It is a very readable book and one that I would recommend to any thoughtful parent.

This book is one of the few books on parenting and early childhood education that is based on the child's true needs. This book truly allowed my inner parenting philosophy to blossom. Other readers should note that this isn't another book on what to do with your child to "make them smarter" or "advance their development", and such conceptual paradigms are actually inappropriate for promoting our children's internal developmental timetables and learning processes. It is also important to note that the foundation of this book is based on Rudolph Steiner's approach to parenting and early childhood education, known as the Waldorf method. My twins are soon approaching toddlerhood and we are researching different educational styles before they reach their preschool years. Even though I am not sure if my husband and I will choose a Waldorf education for our children, I believe the arguments in this book made sense in terms of creative and explorative play being the critical foundations of learning for small children, and that drilling them with academic lessons too soon may be harmful to their ability to truly learn once they reach their school age years in terms of developing critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as giving small children the impression that learning is a chore rather than something that is fun and exciting. As a new parent I was so tempted to fall into the media-based hype of how to make my babies "smarter" or "advance their development" and buy various advertised products that make those claims. I now undestand how miseducated I was on early childhood development and my children's true needs during their first year in spite of the many books and magazine articles I've read. I think that so many parents feel the pressure to feed into that hype because we are made to feel that our competence as parents is based on how much our children fit into our socially conditioned definition of success which involves placing a high value on attributes that will allow one to have power and financial wealth, thus the temptation to mold our children into whiz kids and star athletes when some kids just aren't meant to be whiz kids and star athletes. This book gave me a reference point as a new parent on the kind of learning foundation and home environment I want to provide for my children, and assured me of the benefits of seeing my children as whole people -mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

I read this book 8 years ago. I have read over 50 parenting books since then and this book is still my favorite. This book gives you the sense of stepping back and trusting your instincts and really enjoying your child. Ms. Baldwin gives wonderful resource lists for simple toys, games, beautiful music and additional books. This book gives a wealth of information on practical ideas for creating a harmonious, beautiful life for your child. All parents should read this book.

the Oxford Shakespeare has been touted as 'a new conception' of Shakespeare, but is in fact merely an update of the cumbersome old Arden editions. Like these, 'King John' begins with a 100-page introduction, divided into 'Dates and Sources' (full of what even the editor admits is 'tedious' nit-picking of documentary evidence); 'The Text' (the usual patronising conjecture about misprints in the Folio edition and illiterate copyists); 'A Critical Introduction', giving a conventional, but illuminating guide to the drama, its status as a political play dealing with the thorny problem of royal succession, the contemporary legal ambiguities surrounding inheritance, the patterning of characters, the use of language (by characters as political manoeuvring, by Shakespeare to subvert them); and an account of 'King John' 'In the Theatre', its former popularity in the 18th and 19th century as a spectacular pageant, the play distorted for patriotic purposes, and its subsequent decline, presumably for the same reasons. The text itself is full of stumbling, often unhelpful endnotes - what students surely want are explanations of difficult words and figures, not a history of scholarly pedantry. The edition concludes with textual appendices.
The play itself, as with most of Shakespeare's histories, is verbose, static and often dull. Too many scenes feature characters standing in a rigid tableau debating, with infinite hair-cavilling, issues such as the legitimacy to rule, the conjunction between the monarch's person and the country he rules; the finer points of loyalty. Most of the action takes place off stage, and the two reasons we remember King John (Robin Hood and the Magna Carta) don't feature at all. This doesn't usually matter in Shakespeare, the movement and interest arising from the development of the figurative language; but too often in 'King John', this is more bound up with sterile ideas of politics and history, than actual human truths. Characterisation and motivation are minimal; the conflations of history results in a choppy narrative. There are some startling moments, such as the description of a potential blood wedding, or the account of England's populace 'strangely fantasied/Possessed with rumours, full of idle dreams/Not knowing what they fear, but full of fear'. The decline of the king himself, from self-confident warrior to hallucinating madman, anticipates 'King Lear', while the scene where John's henchman sets out to brand the eyes of the pubescent Pretender, is is full of awful tension.
P.S. Maybe I'm missing something, but could someone tell me why this page on 'King John' has three reviews of 'Timon of Athens'? Is somebody having a laugh?

Timon of Athens has often been thought the work of a madman. Disjointed, polemical, irrational, and downright inelegant, many have thought that Shakespeare (or whosoever it may be) suffered a mental breakdown. This and more surrounds what I believe to be a tragic under-appreciation of this play. This play is NOT the story of a naively generous soul who eventually "faces reality". This is instead the story of a glorious Dionysian self-expender, who, upon realizing the cowardly conservatism of his so-called "peers", runs off to the wilds, to continue expending himself in body and soul. He dies on a curse, the climax of all the "evil wind" he has been sending out, the ultimate self-expension, his ultimate glory. The "tragedy" is the stone cold tablet that lies atop his corpse at the end, and the message of frugality it seems to send out, which is all too easily accepted by fatally declining cultures.

Among the least performed of all the Shakespeare plays, is probably the most disturbing. In the beginning, Timon is (not to put too fine a point on it) stupidly philanthropic; in the end he is equally misanthropic. When Timon is on top of the world, we have the cynical Apemantus to be our voice and let him know what a fool he is. In the last two acts, we simply wish (I do, at least) that our hero would stop complaining and let us "pass and stay not here," as he would have all men do in his epitaph.

But a recording is to be judged on its performances, not so much on its text. The Arkangel series, now in its last laps toward completion before (I am told) it is all redone on CDs, has every reason to be proud of its "Timon of Athens," thanks to its strong and intelligent readings. The opening scenes of artisans and poets building up the play's themes of wheel-of-fortune and gratitude/ingratitude are almost intelligible without a text open before you. Alan Howard, whom I saw in New York long ago as Henry V and as the main character in "Good," has that kind of friendly voice that is so well suited to the extravagant Timon in the open acts that we feel all the more for him when his false friends deny him in his need.

The snarling voice of Norman Rodway's Apemantus is a perfect counterpoint, and he casts out his invective in those early scenes with a hint of humor. However, when Timon becomes the misanthrope, his voice darkens and coarsens; and it is very hard to tell it from Apemantus' in their overly-long exchange of curses in 4:3. If the actor playing Alcibiades (Damian Lewis) sounds far too young for the role, that is a minor quibble--and perhaps the director wanted him to sound like a young Timon.

The incidental music sounds sufficiently Greek but too modern; still, Ingratitude knows no particular time period. A superior production of a much flawed play and a very welcome addition to any collection of recorded drama, especially since the old Decca set is long out of print and Harper audio does not yet have a "Timon" in their series.

I have journaled almost as long as I could write, and I have had my copy of this book for probably ten years, and I still come back to it over and over for insight and inspiration. Not just a journaling book, it's a book for growing as a human being. I can't recommend it highly enough

My copy of this book is dog-eared and worn, highlighted in pink and feathered with little yellow stickies. I recommend it as one of the best introductory journal writing books around. The format is unique. On the left hand page there are quotes, poems and insights. On the right hand page is the actual book, which combines literary, spiritual and psychological insights. I've been journaling for almost 10 years now and I still go back to this book for more inspiration.

This book is a classic!! We are using it in a Master's program to help teachers become better reflective practitioners. There is such a wealth of material to help anyone become more aware of their inner voice, to listen to inner truth. The meditations, which are available on tape, are an added bonus. If you journal or want to start journaling, you need to buy this book and use it as a reference.

Fop Flop In the most elegant apparel Nothing but worm silks In the finest golden thread And superior king red velvet sashes

You'd think I would have known better? I couldn't blame them who wouldn't? cut air with scissors while sewing their needles into invisible cloth for the very low price of..... silk a loom golden thread a full bag of coins Oh those Villain Scoundrels! Now, I know not to buy such vestments with rather large investments Oh what a bratty gnatty I was For I thought I was cool but truly a fool Why emperor you look rather bare, that's quite rare! I was in such a pursuit For only a birthday suit I must admit now Me, My very own self yes indeed, your emperor himself have become a stupid and incompetent dandy All for the Imaginary Image! and now I live happily ever after, no more garb well, that is until the next apparel discovery (Now if you'll excuse me there's a clothier waiting at my door who says he's created the latest design in Pajama attire)

Generally, I do not care for audio books; many of the readers speak in a dull voice that rapidly drives me either away from the story or to sleep. However, there are a few exceptions; this is one.

Understand, that this is not the normal audio book; this edtion has a large cast of actors who collaborated to produce this item as a fund raiser for Starbright.

The result is an ensemble piece that is witty and charming. Part of the fun for me, was guessing who was reading before looking at the cast list included in the box.

Other folks feel that this isn't for children; I don't know as I don't have children, but I found that my "inner child" was highly entertained for 40 minutes with this tape.

If you are a fan of one or more of the actors in this edition or like puns (there are many here!), then you will probably like the Starbright edtion of the Emporer's New Clothes.

I had been given 2 of these books from a friend and I decided to see if there were anymore. My son loves this book. He's now working on reading the adult side. It's a great idea to have a page each, 1 for the adult and 1 for the child. We have several of these books now and I see my son sitting down and reading them on his own.

Classic Griffin. If you've read the other two series, you can expect what the book is like. Regardless, I didn't put it down once I started reading it.

This book gets into the development of the OSS and does not pay as much attention to the military as did many of his other books. All the characters return from the first book and there are some interesting developments. Griffin also gets deeper into the characters and how they relate to one another. The book is mostly cloak-and-dagger OSS stuff with a few other plot developments thrown in. Not much shooting or violence, but there is a lot of drinking, money and sex -- as is common in many of his books.

This book is a much better read than Volume 1 ot the series. Griffin is getting better at exploring the evil that men do for good causes. The depiction of WW II England and the politics of the Free French forces were fascinating. I'll look forward to his next book.

I always look forward to a new book from WEB Griffin even as in this case, it isn't new. I have everything Mr. Griffin has written that I've been able to get my hands on since a friend turned me on to these fine stories several years ago. As with most of the books I enjoy, the main problem with them is that I have to wait so long for the next in whatever series the author has turned to this time. Please keep up the good work.

This book is one of the finest pieces of literature I have read. Baldwin makes his characters come alive in a truly profound way exposing the underlying motivations for their actions. It made me look introspectively at the way in which I treat others and the reasons for my actions. A book not to be read with a light heart. The 400+ pages will fly by.

I'm reviewing the audio version of this novel after having read the unabridged version. Like the reader from Detroit, I was puzzled by some aspects of the audio abridgement (notably the conclusion), but unlike that reader I didn't think it detracted seriously from the flavor of what remained. I had doubts about whether an introspective writer like Baldwin could be a candidate for an audio book, but Howard Rollins made the text come alive. We can only be sorry he didn't record more of Baldwin's books, for Rollins' voice reveals the depth of his understanding of Baldwin's characters and emotions. There's a reason a book is considered a classic, and Rollins makes clear why this book has endured. Perhaps some listeners will be motivated by this recording to seek out and read Baldwin's other novels; if so, treasures await them.

I can only echo the praise of several other of the reviewers here. This has always been my favorite of all Baldwin's novels, one that literally saved my life at the time I first read it. My deep empathy with the pain the characters were undergoing (so like what I myself was feeling at the time) and the gratitude I felt for the fact that they were SO eloquent in being able to verbalize that pain made this book an indelible a part of my life. In the years since my first exposure to it, I have read and re-read it innumerable times and it never fails to have a profound effect on me. As close to Dostoyevsky as any American novel has ever come, in my opinion. No distancing irony -- it's a book that believes deeply and asks you to feel deeply (the ultimate crime, it seems, in these post-modern times when you're never supposed to be caught actually CARING about anything). There's no way I could recommend it highly enough.

Michael Thomas Ford doesn't always hit the mark with me, but when he does he's terrific. He writes with a wonderful sense for the language. I've even read some of his essays aloud to friends just because they make their best effect when heard...and we sat around laughing ourselves sick. A couple of the single essays are in themselves worth the price of the whole book. I recommend it.

Michael Thomas Ford's take on gay life are so dead on that the humor is undenibly real. I laughed for days after reading this book. And it is the type of book that you will always remember with a certain fondness for its great humor. I can't wait to read other work by Michael Thomas Ford as well!

I picked up the book because Alec Baldwin doesn't love me, either. Now I've found a soul-mate in Michael Thomas Ford. The book touched me in so many ways. I found myself agreeing with most of his take on the world. Finally, I thought, a gay man who doesn't like showtunes and likes Shawn Colvin. The stories are very funny, but each is bittersweet which, to me, is the best kind of humor - more than slapstick, it makes you think.