Let's face it, if you've made it through the first two volumes, then, in the words of Van Morrison, it's too late to stop now. There will be those parts where you want to wring Marcel's neck (both the author's and the protagonist's), but then, you already know that. No one sees the way that Proust sees.

In this volume Proust's narrator at last penetrates to the salon of Mme de Guermantes, the apex of Parisian society. If you've read Swann's Way and Within a Budding Grove, then you realize that this achievement is far more exciting than any summary can convey. Here Proust also develops the narrator's friendships with Saint-Loup and Albertine, presents us with one of the most beautifully written death scenes in Western literature, dissects the salon culture, and introduces an unforgettable ...mentor. This may sound irrelevant to life in the 2000s, but, as always, Proust's artistry captures the timeless human reality running through the daily details.

"In search of lost time" continues with Marcel's return to Paris after vacation in Balbec, to the new family house. The neighbor is the Duchess of Guermantes with whom Marcel falls in love in a platonic and purely imaginary way. He gets desperate to be admitted into the Duchess's social circle, and so he takes advantage of his new friednship with Saint-Loup, who belongs in that circle. Marcel goes to visit him at the town where he's in military service, and on his return, he is admitted to the salon of the Marquise de Villeparisis, a first step to his goal. What follows is a treatise, a bittersweet one, on the aristocratic world of Paris, in times of the scandal provoked by the Dreyfus Affair. Proust admirably portraits the hypocrisy, hollowness and cruelty of the aristocratic world, as well as the main character's affection for his grandmother, his friendship with Saint-Loup, the spiritual desolation of the age, and his disenchantment with aristocrats. So continues the greatest saga of memory and emotions, one of the best books ever written.

I totally agree with that one review, it doesn't matter how old you are if you love guinea pigs, or just pets in general you must read this book! I wanted the book for Christmas, I love guinea pigs and I'm 26 years old. The cover is too precious! I just had to have it! This story introduces to people to what wonderful pets guinea pigs really are. This is a wonderful story about friends who have a passion for guinea pigs. I highly reccomend this story for any age. Kristy-guinea pig owner for almost 20 years!

Animal ark books are amazingly brilliant. Although I've only read one I'm eager to read more. When I bought this book my mum thought I was too old for it, she said it was for younger children but I think not matter how old or young you may be if you love animals you'll love animal ark books!

Guinea pig gang is absolutely amazing,at least that's what I think. I love animals and this book was just the thing for me to read at the poolside on holiday or in my bed in fact,anywhere. I totally loved that's why I deciced to review it for my school essay it was so brilliant! I just want to say the author did a wonderful job,well done! It definately deserved the 5 stars I gave it!

Its is purported that Martin Luther King carried this book with him at all times, and upon reading these pages one can see immdiately that this book isn't just a tome of Christianity, but rather a blueprint for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. But in a larger sense this book is a guide for transcending the heartache and humiliation of modern life and renewing one's vision of a spirited public and personal life.

This book is a classic which deserves to be named that. It is one great look at the heart of a decent and kind man, who personally, I believe, saw the heart and mind of God, and wrote accordingly. In this book, we will not find the harsh and intolerant God of the conservative establishment, but the real and kind God of the New Testament. Here we find a Jesus who wants to talk to us, hug us and be our best friend. Yet, this Jesus also wants to defend the poor and at-risk. This is a radical look at a radical man and, to me, savior, Jesus Christ.

Howard Thurman, book regarding Jesus and the Disinherited, gave a spirtual informative opinion about the downtrodden condition of any race of people regardless of color. The true existence of Christ should be viewed only as a subject matter instead of an object.

My three year old daughter Serena loves this book, we've read it and our two other Mr.Putter and Tabby books every night since we got it. she always laughs at mTabby's pink whiskers. This series of books is fun to learn to read from and a frolic for everyone.

My children, ages three and five, adore Mr. Puuter and Tabby, and I believe this is Ms. Rylant's funniest rendition of their adventures so far. When the box arrived, I read the book alone because I couldn't stand to wait. Ms. Rylant uses a nice collection of short and medium-length words for beginning readers, and the story rollicks along. Mr. Howard's illustrations capture the subjects' expressions beautifully. We checked these books out of the library so often that we finally ordered some to keep.

My kids, ages 3 and 6, loved this book! We were all laughing out loud not only at the premise of the story, but at the illustrations, too. My 6-year-old giggled all the way through the book looking at the expressions on Tabby's face.

Cynthia Rylant has a unique talent for pulling on our heartstrings and tickling our funny bones.

Scullard takes a rather unique approach to Roman history, stopping before the Gracchi and thus avoiding the increasingly confused history of the nation just as it is unarguable moving from city-state status. As always, Scullard's work is well researched but not the best presented for the undergraduate audience. A good text if the instructor is able and willing to explain things to students.

Scullard's work has been and continues to remain the single best introductory text book to Roman history. I have used this book at the Graduate and undergraduate level, and even chosen to use it in my own classes. Scullard makes the subject learnable at all levels and using a clear thematic scheme aids even the novice reader. I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring to gain a good foundation of Roman history.

This is one of the first books I read on Roman history. This along with Scullard's other book that covers from the Gracchi to Nero make a great pair that covers the entire Roman Republic plus the first few emperors. The book is pretty easy to read, and the author has provided an extensive bibliography and series of endnotes for the reader who wants more. I high recommend this book to anyone interested in Roman history.

Well were should I begin.... 1st of all I thought this book was ok becasue some of the symbols were a little mis-drawn but on the most part It explained how to hold the flute using the right fingerings. As a beginer I found it helpfull to buy the 2000 Methoid Flute book becasue the cd in the book is very help full, but that book needs this one to fill in were it assumes you already know. The author is very good in explaining though and gives alot of detail. I tought my self so I dont know how it will work for somone that is taking lessons.

I got this book because of the great reviews and I wasn't disappointed. I can't believe I'm actually playing the flute! I think it's a great beginners book which moves at the right pace and has a good solid introduction. It took me about 3 weeks to reach the end of the book and play 95% of the pieces most of which are popular so you'll know if you're playing wrong or not.. There are pieces like "Greensleeves" (my fave), "Swan Lake", a lot of classical pieces whose melodies I knew already but not their titles.
I'm now trying to look for a second book to continue with.

I bought this book when I decided to teach myself to play the flute. It does a great job of introducing the reader to the basics of how to assemble it, clean it, and get a sound out of it, gradually moving through the basics of flute playing. It even introduces beginners to some of the cool tricks (whistle tones and playing more than one note at once) that advanced flutists know, but can be fun for beginners to play around with as well. Whether you intend to advance to "serious" music, or just play in your living room for fun, this book is a terrific starting place. This book would also be a good reference for a middle-school flutist with a band director who is a trumpet player who hardly knows diddly about woodwinds.

It has all the basics, so it's a good introduction to music notation. For those who forgot some things about reading music, this a good reference book to keep in your house. I strongly recommend this book.

Though there is no substitute for one-on-one teaching, this book gives a very good introduction to the fundamentals of learning to read music. It has very thorough explanations on musical notation and offers many useful activities to build one's skill.

Upon finishing this book and its exercises, you will not have learned to play an instrument. What you will have gained is an understanding of how to read the notes and symbols on sheet music, which will be extremely beneficial to your musical development.

If you want to quickly learn to read music and have a clear idea of every kind of musical sign, this book is REALLY helpful.

Another pretty cool Two of a Kind novelette.Mary-Kate and Ashley are planning a party each,for the same night.Now the competition is on as to who will recieve the most guests!

Mary-Kate plans a suprise party for her best friend Amanda on the same night Ashley plans a suprise party for her best friend Jennifer. Even though Mary-Kate and Ashley are twin sisters, they have totally different personalities so major arguments arise, not only with each other but with their best friends. I'd have to say this is the best book in the whole series that I've read so far because these kinds of problems are what everyday kids would probably have.

Mary-Kate and Ashley are in big trouble. Mary-Kate planned a surprise party for her friend which is great, but unfortunately Ashley planned a surprise party for her best friend the same night at their house. They came for the biggest surprise. A great book!

A friend gave me a copy of Madigan. I must say that had I seen it in the book store I wouldn't have bought it. It is what I'm told they call a Trade Paperback. I like the smaller paperbacks so I can keep them with me to read when I feel like it. But who looks a gift horse in the mouth? It was free. Normally I read a book a little at a time. Maybe taking two weeks to finish it. I read the first page of Madigan and had to read the second and before I knew it the sun came out and I'd read the whole thing through! Talk about a book that should be made in to a movie!!!!!!! This it it!!!!! I still think it would sell better in a smaller version, but what do I know about the book market? What I do know is that I have never picked up a book and read it from cover to cover before. To say I liked the book is an understatement. I loved it. When I looked for more books from R howard Trembly I was disappointed to find none. Is he still writing? I surely hope so.

My husband turned me on to Louis L'Amour books some years ago and I have been an avid reader of westerns for some years now. But unfortunately, many of them have the same worn out theme: stranger rides into town, finds beautiful woman (a widow) about to lose her ranch to some unscrupulous banker, big rancher, or outlaws. The widow is totally at a loss to help herself in any way. Come on! If women were as helpless as most western writers make them out to be, the Indians would have kicked our butts out of the west and kept us out! It wasn't just the men that did all the work! The stranger feels sorry for her and wanting nothing more than to help this helpless widow regain what belongs to her, does so in the next two hundred pages.

Still, I keep reading, hoping to find something new and exciting in a western, but to my dismay very seldom do until I was fortunate enough to see the book, Madigan, by R. Howard Trembly. I was, to say the least, surprised to read a western with a new and fresh plot that held me spellbound while I savored each new twist and turn. I loved it!!! And the women are strong and in control of their lives for the most part. I would also like to say that this is a story that just when you think you know what is about to happen, it doesn't. Mr. Trembly must, if married, drive his poor wife mad trying to figure out what he's thinking at any one time. I even find myslef thinking what would Lewana do in certain situations. I do hope there is going to be a series with Madigan as the central figure. I'll buy them all!

R. Howard Trembly's "Madigan" is one of the Best Books Iv'e read in years! The story is "Riviting" and full of action! the Characters are well thought out, The story line is Historicaly correct, and the suspense is "On the Edge of your seat"! It should be a Movie! I hope we havn't seen the last of Madigan! Yer Pard!...

I remember being really taken with this book when I read it as a kid, so I found a used copy to read to my kids. We make a big deal of Hanukkah so that Jewish kids don't feel gypped compared to everyone else, but hardly anyone really knows the story of Hanukkah in all its graphic detail. We should not shrink from telling our kids this story, and Fast's book is the only popular book I know that does it. The kids will not only have a better appreciation of the meaning of this holiday, but will also have a better appreciation of current events.

This review is dedicated to all the sons and daughters of Israel who have fell in defence of that remarkable land.
This wonderful book is essential for any Jew who wants to learn about his or her roots, any Christian who wants to learn more about the Judaic roots of his or her faith, and anyone else who wants to learn about the soul of the Jewish people.]
This is the story of the Maccabees- 5 glorious brothers who lead the rebellion by the Jewish people of Judea, against the cruel tyranny of that land's Greek and Syrian occupiers.
It is particularly relevant today, when the Jewish State is fighting for its life against cruel and ungodly forces that have decided that the Jewish people are no longer entitled to their homeland, and that Israel must disappear.
"We where slave in Egypt - and we will never forget that we where slaves in Egypt. So it must have been then, in the long ago, when our people, twelve tribes of them, sick with wandering and longing for rest, came out of the desert and saw the wooded hills and fertile valleys of Palestine'.
Once more the Jews have returned from their homeland, this time after two thousand years of persecution, and soon the lion will be awaken in the souls of the Jewish people to protect their land, from those who would kill their children and take it way, as the Maccabees did so with the Greek and Syrian invaders.
We read how a pretty eight year old girl, Deborah, the daughter of the schoolmaster Lebel is brutally murdered on the orders of the Greek warden of Judea, Apelles, and we are reminded of the slaughter of Jewish children by Arab terrorists, who much of the world, today support. It is these many incidents of cruelty and the desecration of the Jewish peoples' holy places that leads the peace loving people of Judea to become fierce warriors who's message to the world is: "We have extracted the price of freedom, which is always counted in blood, even as Moses did, and Joshua and Gideon too. From here on, we will not ask forgiveness, only for strength, for strength."

In a chillingly familiar parallel the attitude of those who support Palestinian terror,we read of the edict by the Greek King Antiochus, that to kill a Jew is no longer a crime but a virtue".

We learn how the peaceful Hebrew people, a people who ask nothing more than to determine their own future, in their own homeland, are forced to become warlike and to avenge the blood of its children: "They will pay -for every lick of flame, for every drop of blood, for every hurt."
There is always a message of hope: 'Simon a free people cannot be conquered - for us it is always the beginning, always the beginning."
It is this hope enshrined in the depiction of the beauty of the land of Israel, the only homeland of the Jewish people, and the beauty of it's children living in peace:
"Never was Israel like this before in all it's time, for the children played without fear, laughing as they ran through the grass, and splashed in streams. On the hillsides, the white lambs bleated for their mothers, and between the rocks pink and white flowers grew. Nowhere was there a break in the terraces; layer upon layer, they climbed the slopes, and the crop was a good thing to see, so rich and verdant. Who could see such things and deny that this was the land of milk and honey, blessed and thrice blessed".

"My Glorious Brothers" was once given my by a friend, about
30 years ago. He told me it was among his favorite books. I
soon found out why. Written in a beautiful, almost poetic
style, Howard Fast (a great and prolific writer) presents the
story of the Maccabees. These were the heroes of the amazing
Jewish Revolt against the mightiest world power at that time --
the Syrian-Greek Empire. From the small village of Modin, a
father and his five sons organize a rebellion to free ancient
Israel from its cruel occupiers. It is a thrilling account,
written from the perspective of Simon -- one of the five sons.
Fighting perhaps the first "guerilla war" in human history,
the Maccabees lead their nation of farmers and scholars against
the greatest organized fighting force in the world. It is a
thrilling and inspiring story of the few against the many; the
weak against the mighty. Their triumphs and sorrows are told
in one of the most moving books I have ever read. The Holiday
called Hanukah, celebrated by Jews the world over, commemorates
this incredible story.
Over the last 30 years I somehow lost this wonderful book,
and have spent years looking for another copy. I finally found
a used copy on Amazon, and paid a small ransom for it, gladly.
I am re-reading this story and will pass this book to my son.
It is truly one of the most treasured possesions in my life.