James Buchan is a master at depicting the fractured nature of life and consciousness. Bits and pieces are brought together but never seem to illustrate a complete picture. This book is ostensibly about some back channel negotiations surrounding an Arms control conference. Buchan uses this story to examine one man's mind (an intelligence operative) as he tries to get his mind around European history, his personal history, and his heart. The reason I titled this essay "Get to work" is because the reader must pay attention. A great writer is showing you something so don't take your eyes off the text. Not just a story but a taste from the river that is history and one man's consciousness. A book for grown ups. Thank you.

This book helps in a very simple, practical and gentle way shows why there is pain in our lives and that if we can conquer of egos and truly apply these gems of truth into our daily lives how we can reach our full potential as human beings. He speaks the undeniable truth, no matter what your background is.

I really enjoyed this fascinating book. It tells a lot about golden retrievers and i think it is a great guide to see what type of golden retriever you like

I am an attorney at law in Japan. I treat all the fields but my main job is medical malpractice cases. I became an attorney one and a half years ago and I have few experience of trial.

For me, this book would be a "Bible". This book tells me all the rules which I should follow to be a good trial lawyer. Talk in front of the mirror to know yourself, always think about telling the story, assemble each questions to gain the favourable answers, stop when you got the favourable answer, and so on.

There are many differences in judicial system between Japan and common law areas. For example we do not have jury systems but only professional judges, we have a poor discovery system, average length of civil trial is 1 to 2 years in Japan. Though, most of the Golden Rules mentioned in this book are useful in Japan. And because Japanese Judicial Training Institute didn't teach us these kind of skills and most of the attorneys are not aware of these kind of skills, this book is indispensable for me.

As the author recommends, I will read this book for 2 minutes each day and after that think about it for 8 minutes. Then there would be no reason for me to be afraid of the trial.

If I could make a request, I expect the author to publish the subsequent book which is full of concrete examples. There were some parts which I couldn't understand well because the explanation was abstract.

I should say I would recommend this book to all the attorneys. But I won't. Because if I say so, that means I would increase the rivals. This book is so excellent!

The trouble with Bridge is that it's a complicated game. Unless Bridge is your number one priority in life, you keep forgetting little things that seemed sensible when you read about them two years ago but which have remained unused in your finite memory. Which is good news for authors, because it means there's always a market, even if they're recycling ideas which they only wrote about two years ago.

Bidding books tend to be a waste of effort, unless both you and your partner agree to read the same book. If you learn a new convention and your partner doesn't, it can only do damage to your partnership and scores. Stick to a simple system: Acol or Five-Card Majors. There is no absolute best bidding system. The best bidding system for you is the one that both you and your partner understand.

But bridge play is a different matter. Apart from the matter of who can see each hand, the game is identical to whist, a far older game. In most situations, experts can work out the best play at the table. Guidelines such as '3rd hand plays high' and '2nd hand plays low' still apply in many situations.

This book clearly lays out these guidelines, and gives examples of where they apply and where they don't. The good news is that there aren't too many of these guidelines. But it's left to the reader to understand the specific hand layouts and draw conclusions about the general applicability of the advice.

Like bidding, defence is a partnership activity. This is a great book, and I'll be trying to persuade my partner to read it.

This book is a great resource for parents whether they are new or already have teenagers. Great insights and 'rules' to guide by, Highly recommended!

WOW....POW....BANG.....BOOM. This book is a real page turner. I loved it. Just go out and buy it and have a good time. I am sure this will be a Cohn Brothers motion picture.

This is an American adventure story. It happens on the road, and never stops moving forward. The characters and places come alive and propel the story with their presence and charm.

The Golden Section is a very fascinating topic that is applied in several fields, both mathematical and nonmathematical. Why? Because this number primarily focuses on proportion, both in a physical and numerical context.

Somewhat to my chagrin, the author confines this subject within the realm of mathematics. For I wish that the Golden Section was discussed from a thematic or historical standpoint, such as how or why artists such as Da Vinci used this concept in order to construct or create works of art that were well-proportioned.

Nonetheless, the mathematics is delightfully presented. It is sketchy in some areas but is much easier to follow than several of the 50+-year-old-mathematical works that have not been revised or updated. Fascinatingly, this one topic alone synthesizes or ties in several mathematical disciplines, including: fractals, geometry, topology, number theory, trigonometry, and, strangely enough, probability.

I highly recommend this book. It is neat and concise, and it is a great reference for the mathematician who has been out of practice for a while to brush up on his or her skills.

Since Amazon didn't post an editorial review, here's the description from the back of the book to help you decide if this book is for you: "Nashville -- it's the 'Golden Shores of Heaven' to a country singer and heaven itself is the chance to sing. Eighteen-year-old Mary Curlew landed in Nashville with a fine old Gibson guitar and a fierce amount of ambition. She was going to make it. Perform on the 'Grand Ole Opry.' Sing her heart out. Be a star. But first she had to find somebody who would listen."

I have read a zillion ballet books, and this one is one of my all time favorites. It's about a young female dancer who goes off to shoot a movie, and learns all about herself, dancing, and life in the process. It's a really charming older story, as it was written in the early 1950's. If you like stories that center around ballet, this one is for you. :)