The Lonely Planet guides are always an honest,open an informative and this is no different. The book gives you detailed information on walks giving you directions such as "100m to the left of the pier" and so on. I find with details like that it's pretty hard to get lost! There is also general information on travelling in Ireland, places to stay, where to eat, what's worth seeing and places to avoid if you want to be in a less visited area. The only thing I would like to see is a little more information on day walks. Many people want day walks around Killarny and Dingle and from the information in the book I'm not sure how to divide up some of the week long walks in to day hikes for people who don't have a week for walking

For independent walkers planning a trip to Ireland, this portable encyclopaedia is good value. It covers a huge range, from a scenic two-hour stroll to the 122-mile Kerry Way (nine days), from easy walks to some tough mountain circuits. As you would expect from Lonely Planet, the authors are strong on environmental issues and thorough on practical information.

In 424 well-filled pages they cover the whole island of Ireland, both the Republic and Ulster (part of the UK). The secret of easy access is to use their handy 4-page table of walks organised by region. There is a good index and glossary, and even the boxed text and maps are indexed. Each walk is supported by a small-scale contour map (intended for planning purpose only). As a one-stop resource for walking in Ireland, this book is unrivalled.

If Zorba the Greek had been a doctor, then this is the book he would have written! I really liked it.

Dr. Zorba's main point, just like the Greek's, is that there's more to life than simply good cholesterol and a low blood pressure. It's not that these strictly medical points are unimportant, it's just that the other areas in one's world can be just as significant, if not more so, in making life long.....and sweet. Dr. Zorba divides life into five interconnected spheres: physical, mental, kinship/social, spiritual and material (financial and job-related.) In each of these spheres readers are encouraged to find their own personal strengths and weaknesses. The book has a series of fill-in-the-blank charts and lists to help you personalize this information. There is a set of cards in the book's center with which can be used for "Playing the hand you're dealt." The game is to arrange you longevity "boosters" and "busters" into some kind of order, discarding the ones that don't count for your specific genetics and lifestyle, and then to work on the ones that define your own unique longevity "game." It may be a little hokey, but I got a lot of good ideas for myself out of it.

What I really enjoyed about the book, though, were the stories. Just as things would start to get a little dull, the good doctor would tell a little tale about one of his own patients to make the point. I particularly liked the one about "Ralph," whose two-month ride up to Alaska on a Harley did more good for his good health and longevity than all the standard medical advice he'd been given before it. This was true despite the fact that motorcycle riding is "dangerous," if looked at out of context. Although riding a motorcycle may worsen your odds in the strictly physical sphere, it may actually boost your overall life expectancy when the mental, social and even spiritual spheres of the experience are included. In fact, motorcycling your way to a long life has a kind of Zen feeling about it, especially when you include the bike maintenance.

This actually seems relevant, by the way, given the book's unexpected introduction by the Dalai Lama.

Anyway, "The Longevity Code" seems like a well-balanced book, written by a natural storyteller whose advice is backed up by scientific evidence and clarified by examples from his life as an actual family doctor. I was surprised how much I really liked it.

Just under 400 pages the book covers topics like cracking the code and identifying the factors that contribute to or threaten your longevity. FInding your personal longevity prescription and his own guide to the 76 most effective longevity boosters.... . Common sense suggestions that may sound easy but anyone who knows the statistics knows that he makes sense and that sadly too many people dont follow the advise.

He covers issues like getting out of abusive an relationship and a negative job environment and much of what he has in the book has been covered in a vast number of other books and magazines, and even on TV.

But for someone who doesn't read alot of books on making lifestyle changes this is one that will probably have in it, the information that one might need 5-6 other books to cover.

It is a great book for the person who has never made positive lifestyle choices and needs a book that will cover all the bases.

Nathan Levy has brought together some wonderful stories for children of all ages as well as adults to learn to think differently. It is wonderfully put together for everyone of all ages to enjoy. Read it to children as an activity to promote higher problem solving skills!

We used to beg my elementary school teacher to read these to us as a treat. These are so much fun!

The reader is taken for a roller coaster ride across the country as the earth's end seems in sight. This is a wonderful book which will open the readers mind to the frail ,and false sense of securty that we have on this planet. I could not put this book down.

This great book grabbed me within the first few pages, and didn't let go till I finished the last page. Actually, it still has me thinking about it. If you enjoy books like Steven Kings "The Stand", or others such as "Earth Abides", "Andromeda Strain", and those which venture into the arena of humanity facing extinction, you'll enjoy this book.

Intriguing plot aside, it is well written; The dialog between the characters, transitions between scenes, and the story line.

I chose this book for it's science fiction content and worried that the religious aspect might be a bit more pervasive than I would care for. But it all came together in a very exciting and thought provoking manner.

Hmmmm... I think I'll go read it again.

The best thing about this book is that it summarizes all the equations in boxes throughout the book. Therefore you don't have to hunt down the equations you need, unlike with many other statistics books. The book's explanations are clear and to the point, and therefore makes a great desk reference.

The one sole downside to this text is its price. $90 is a bit steep for this small light weight volume.

Levy and Lemeshow's text provides practitioners with precise formulas and terrific insights into alternative sampling methods. The exercises at the end of the chapters are particularly useful.

This is a real page turner. The reader's interest is captured from the first chapter and held throughout the book with the twists and turns of the action. The story is well-plotted with believable well-defined characters. The descriptions of the locales are true to life. The various psychological sessions are realistic and revealing.

I was glued to the pages,resented having to close it before finishing so I stayed up all night. It was worth it. Well defined characters, vivid descriptions make this a terrific, well plotted book. I especially appreciated the psychotherapy sessions which appear authentic.

This is one of my favourite Internet Detective Books, and I've read up to #8. The plot was extremely well put together. The only thing wrong with it was, Mitch didn't go to a theme park! Poor old Mitch, he gets left out too much! Next time, Mr. Coleman, give Mitch some excitement. The only book he does anything good in is "Speed Surf". By the way, Josh is my favourite character, not Mitch. I just want to see justice served!

This book was great! This is how it starts: AN OPEN LETTER TO PLANET EXCITEMENT CORPORATION And so vacation time begins. During the next few weeks, many people will visit your attractions througout the world. THEY WILL BE IN GREAT DANGER.... Icarus

That's the blackmail threat. Is it a hoax? Or will famous theme-park rides really start to become death traps? As they head off on their theme-park vacation, Josh Allan, Tamsyn Smith, and Rob Zanelli hope it's a hoax. But a frightening incident proves it's not. With the help of their friends on the Net, the must find the unknown blackmailer-before someone gets killed....Oh, yeah. Tom and Josh meet each other. It's a long story as Josh said in the book. Also, is this the end of Internet Detectives? This series is really short then! There are only 5 books in it! I hope there will be more books. Because usually in the back, it tells what the next book will be about. But this time they didn't....They also put in the back cover: Surf all the titles in INTERNET DETECTIVES for more cybermysteries! But they usually put the next title....

I've read a lot about Frank Sinatra and found "Rat Pack Confidential" a welcome addition to the shelf of books about the great man's life. Levy gives us five biographies, a history of Vegas, a look at the web that connected Frank, the Kennedys and the Mob, and page after page of breezy prose and eye-popping detail. A lot of the stuff is familiar, perhaps (he addresses this in an afterward), but his take on the Rat Pack and their place in our pop culture history is fresh and convincing. And I, for one, had never read so much in one place about Joey Bishop! I can't imagine how somebody could find it trite or poorly-done. It's a pretty darn good book.

I picked up 'Rat Pack Confidential' in the airport, looking for a way to kill time on a couple of upcoming flights. This book filled those needs and more. It's a very compelling read...a finely crafted and expertly researched work on the makings - and subsequent unmakings - of the Rat Pack.

There are excellent portraits of the main protagonsists - Sinatra, Davis Jr., Martin, Lawford and Bishop - and Shawn Levy draws a vivd portrait of Las Vegas at the beginning of the 60s. Levy's research brings up five distinct personalities...despite the perceptions of 'clanishness' that the public held about the Rat Pack, these were each very unique individuals.

Levy weaves together a series of threads to make up the core of the book, and one month after finishing it, there are three that linger in my mind...

1. Sinatra's 'using' of Peter Lawford as an inroad to JFK. [Sinatra derisely referred to Lawford as 'the brother-in-Lawford.'] Once Lawford was of no use to him anymore, Sinatra discarded him & Lawford never really fully recovered.

2. Sinatra's desperate attempts to curry favor with JFK, and the Kennedy Administation's efforts to keep him (and the Rat Pack) at arm's length.

3. Marilyn Monroe - caught in a downward spiral, her eerie presence haunts the latter-half of the book as powerful men use (and abuse) her.

I went into this book expecting a breezy show-biz-type read and was very pleasantly surprised about the serious matter of much of the material: the development of Las Vegas; Presidential politics; Mafia intrigue; and lives destroyed by excess. Great stuff.

I read this book after seeing the HBO movie 'The Rat Pack'. The characters in the movie fascinated me, and, knowing little about Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, or Joey, I decided to read this book. It was a wise decision. Levy's writing style, while not particularly original, was fitting, and reflected the hip, laid back attitude of his subjects. Of course the parts about Sinatra were good, Dean Martin seems to be as big of a mystery to Levy as he was to everyone else, and Sammy Davis Jr. comes off as he probably should have: the most talented entertainer in a group of talented entertainers. As for the minor members, Peter Lawford is just pathetic, and seems to use and get used by everyone, and Joey Bishop, an overlooked character in the movie, is the glue that holds them all together. This is a wonderful book the truly captures the personality of a bygone era.

Steven Levy's "Insanely Great" features the birth and triumph of the Macintosh personal computer. Levy approaches the history of Apple's Mac by using his own personal experience with the company. He also explains the story by explaining the many people who had contributed to the success of the the Mac. For people who want to know an easy to read story of the birth of the Mac this book is the book to read.

Insanely Great by Steven Levy is about the history of the best personal computer company out there, Apple--how it came to be, what were its obstacles and its triumphs, and how it changed the world and the way people think. Levy sometimes gets lost in the details, making one confused about the importance of what he talks about. Also he used the phrase "dent in the universe" one too many times. However, his book reveals much about Apple, and he often points out its mistakes. This does not make the book boring, which would happen if he only praised the company. Also his writing style is very easy to read, he does not overdo it with advanced vocabulary. And finally the book further expanded my love for Apple, and their product, the Macintosh computer. I recomend this book to any Apple fan, or simply to anyone that is curious about the company. Long live Apple!

1) This book clears up a myth about the Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) debacle: In the TLC documentary "Revenge of the Nerds" and in the recently-aired TNT original movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley", it is implied that the Xerox researchers were anxious to have their GUI receive exposure in the world of personal computers and were frustrated by the Xerox executives' lack of interest. Levy contradicts this: according to his account the PARC people were "true" scientists, a lot more interested in theory than application and somewhat disdainful of unleashing their ideas on the masses (a notable exception, according to Levy, being Larry Tesler who later joined Apple.) He portrays PARC as something of an ivory tower of computer science academics who were unconcerned with any public reception of their ideas, rather than as a nascent software developer that was swindled of its "props" by the indifference of Xerox and the acquisitiveness of the Macintosh team. As I have not read any of the other books about Apple and the famed PARC heist, I don't know whether Levy's assertions have been confirmed by any other writers.

2) Another issue which is related to the above is the popular belief that the developers of the Mac OS owed everything to the work of the PARC people. Levy challenges this, siting several specific instances in which the Mac developers (notably Bill Atkinson and his "QuickDraw") completely invented solutions to problems in the interface that had been poorly or not at all dealth with by PARC. While Levy admits that the Mac team were indeed standing on the shoulders of giants (more than just PARC, too), he is also quick to point out that their creation was no mere heist, but a thoughtful and sometimes brilliant reworking and utilization of a pre-existing paradigm.

3) One of my few problems with "Insanely Great" is that it falls into the same rhetorical trap as many other writings about Apple and Mac: namely, that the Mac's loyal following is based on an affinity to the company's culture and philosophy rather than its technology; the terms "cult" and "religion" are bandied about liberally. This is a misconception. Loyalty to the Mac results from its ease of use: its intuitive interface is far superior to anything that has been made available in the consumer marketplace in the history of personal computing. I would be a Mac loyalist even if their corporate culture was one of xenophobia and conservatism: a good product is a good product, period.

Dr. Mercola gives his readers worthwhile health explanations and advice but his diet plan is too restrictive and time-consuming to easily follow. Instead, I recommend Going Against the Grain: How Reducing and Avoiding Grains Can Revitalize Your Health by Melissa Diane Smith. It is easier to understand and its diets and recipes are simple, tasty and a breeze to follow. I'm an avid reader of health books and both of these books cover important information for health maintenance. But Ms. Smith's book, Going Against the Grain, deals with a much broader range of health problems associated with grains and is the book I believe people would prefer.

As a regular visitor to Dr. Mercola's website for some time, I eagerly awaited the arrival of his book. While Dr. Mercola's big-picture objective -- weaning the average American off of poisonous food, poisoning medical doctors, and a poisoned environment -- is noble, his small-picture book renders an easy, common-sense diet too complex to follow.

In Mercola's defense, neither the writer, Levy, nor Dutton editors did much to clarify and communicate his vision. The writing is stilted and humorless, the organization an afterthought. Readers will balk at the confusion between Phases and Food Plans. Inconsistencies abound: Foods allowed on one page are nowhere to be found on another. For example, oranges are allowed on the 8-meal Booster Start-up plan on page 68; yet, inexplicably, the same list (lots of duplication in this book) eliminates oranges on page 106. Without explanation, the plan itself is reduced to six meals on page 136.

With better editing and organization, and fewer contradictory menus, the entire tome could have been reduced to half its size, with twice the clarity. It's a prime example of how too much information -- right down to how to cut one's bacon! -- can spoil a vital health education.

If you can find a way to get past the book's choking design flaws, please do: The good doctor's prescription for real health is both impassioned and well-documented, eclipsing all other "diets" out there, past or present.

Finally a new wrinkle on the 'high-protein' lo-carb diet which I know works so well.
This book is written in a friendly style and tells the truth. There are 3 good eating plans and recipes and dozens of helpful tips. I learned a lot and I've tried a lot of diets. I will have to embrace some of the ideas a little gradually, but the really exciting news is that EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) is included. I'd never heard of this. Here is a tool that can be used in conjunction with the diet to get at the emotional causes that made us fat and keeps us fat. Diagrams and drawings show us how to use this wonderful technique to quickly and easily eliminate the causes, allowing us to get on with getting back in great shape.
Thank you Dr. Mercola for the best news I've had in a long, long time.