There is certainly no shortage of books about reading. Perhaps it's inevitable in this self-referential era, that we end up reading about reading. Most of these works, however, fail to express the joy that their authors feel on reading great works.

Pennac's book succeeds where many fail because it is entirely devoid of sanctimony. His thoughts on reading are presented as an answer to the question "How do we get a child to love reading." His thoughts are clear, well-reasoned, and passionately held, in a way that makes the reader think, "Me, too!"

If you love reading and want to pass on the feeling, this is a great book for a starter.

To those who know Daniel Pennac, it's only fitting ! He's the best contemporary french novelist. And "better than life" is another great great book, highly funny and witty... and also highly moving. To those who love genius, cleverness and emotion... this book is for you !!!

Thank goodness this book has been reprinted. My copy of the original, then entitled 'Reads Like a Novel', has been through so many pairs of hands that it's falling apart. But I suppose that would be a suitable state for a book that's all about the gift of reading. And re-reading. Which is fortunate, because this is very much a book to return to with relish.

I'm usually jaded enough not to use the word 'inspiring', but this book is inspiring in the most benign and down-to-earth way. Amazon should show its legendary business sense and give a copy of this book away with every order. 'Better Than Life' so ignites, or re-ignites, the thirst for the printed word that every copy read would account for ten more novels bought.

Not least of the book's strengths is its ability to speak to all audiences, to the experienced or to the child, and hold them spellbound with stories from the past, stories about stories, and stories about how we use and absorb stories. But it's a remarkably tolerant book, more about curiosoty than commentary, written with flair, simplicity and a contagious good spirit.

The original title was far more suitable because, aside from everything else, the book also does 'read like a novel'. It's funny too. I haven't gone into the specifics of the book because I wouldn't want to spoil the effects of its charm, but I can't recommended it enough; I've foisted this book on friends and now I'm trying to do the same to strangers.

This is a great book, detailed concise. It is wonderful from a Historical standpoint and for someone wanting simply to know the where and why of chickens. It is not light reading but it is the best fact filled book out there, most chicken books are too "ditzy". This is not the case here.Fact filled and entertaining, could use a few pictures but excellent just the same.

From egg to poult to hen to rooster to featherbed and deepfreeze, from the ancient Egyptians to neo-feudal Southeast Asia to the iconographic Petaluma chicken ranch to the modern industialized chicken culture, this book covers everything you could ever need, want or just happen upon with respect to the chicken---except for one thing: it totally ignores the Chicken MacNugget!! Nonetheless (or perhaps because of this), it is not just a manual for the chicken fancier, the cockfight afficionado or the backyard farmer. It is truly an examplary product of a "LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION", and deserving of much wider appreciation than it has received to date. Page Smith, a well-known popular historian, co-taught an interdisciplinary seminar with a biologist named Charles Daniel entitiled "The Chicken" for undergraduates at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the early 1970's. No doubt some initially perceived the course title as a joke, but they were wrong. Somewhere along the line, someone injected some intellectual rigor and real insight into the course syllabus. With the aid of their teachers, the students performed a tour de force of research, covering every facet of the chicken from cultural, historical, religious, biological, agricultural and even epistemological points of view. The professors took the student work and fashioned it into a book that is a classic in every sense of the word. "THE CHICKEN BOOK" is a beautifully written minor masterpiece of historic arcana, zoological detail, small-scale poultry management, veterinary medicine, cultural anthropology, blood-sport historiography and culinary arts. Long out of print and hard to find, the book well deserves this new edition. Whether or not you have a specific interest in chickens, this is well worth reading. As an example of what an active intelligence can do with a relatively commonplace and mundane topic, this book was way ahead of its time!!

I live in a small, um, somewhat rustic village not far from Sacramento, California. In the sixties, there came to the town, so the local lore goes, artisans, who tended to live somewhat communally. They ultimately brought chickens to live with them, also communally. When the sixties were over, and the artisans moved on to state jobs and law school, the chickens remained. And were fruitful. And multiplied. And multiply still, as well as serving as mobile speed bumps, tourist attractions, points of political controversy (Chased and attacked chickens, particularly adults, especially roosters, have been known to retaliate in kind, to people who treat them fowlly: actions are afoot to collect ((nap?)) the current chickens and replace them with non-aggressive breeds ((Hey, it's California, after all))),and t-shirt and advertising icons. All in all, it's an idyllic little place that resembles nothing so much as say, the set for Murder She Wrote, if you happened to toss in some palm trees and some chickens along with the pines in the town square. Think Norman Rockwell. Think Norman Rockwell on nitrous oxide. It's a place where nobody sleeps very late, where nobody really has to go hungry, and where approximately every other resident is a chicken.

But I've lived there for a while, so I know these things. Paige Smith's book was out of print for a long while (But now thanks to U of Georgia P, the folks who brought back William Hedgepeth's The Hog Book--there's a pattern here), but now you can read and know these things as well.

The chickens will be grateful.

I read Cub in the Cupboard for a project in the Library at Waukazoo Elementary. I thought it was good because it was an Animal story. I think boys and girls aged 8 years old would enjoy this book. This story is about a Fox cub who is a orphan if you like foxes then you will want to read this book.

Mandy and James find a mother fox and her cubs, but only one cub is still alive. The others have died since the mother fox was caught in a trap. Mandy and James have to raise the cub and it's mother and then set them free in the wild.

james and mandy were rideing there bikes when mandy herd an animal in pain.they soon found it was a fox in a trap, the fox had cubs early because of the trap. 3 died 1 lived each only about 1 hour old.who set this alful trap? is there another one? will this person set more? and will the fox and cub live... ...or die???

This is a wonderful story for kids, and adults, about low riders, a subject that is often misunderstood and maligned. Not much is availibale for children on the topic, especially told from their point of view. DANIEL'S RIDE is about much more than Hector's promise of his cool car to his little brother Daniel. It's about hopes and dreams and relationships, all of which lead to the story's broad appeal. Every year I buy a least one book for a friend in Arizona who is a reading specialist working in a bilingual setting. This book has been the biggest hit yet! Her students in Tucson love it and can't get enough of it. Perry and his illustrator Lee Ballard have a real hit here!

Daniel eagerly awaits a promised ride in his older brother Hector '63 Impala convertible “complete with spider hydraulics and gold wire wheels.” Together they celebrate the first weekend of summer vacation. They turn up the volume on their music and cruise, transforming the Impala into “a funky barrio carnival ride.” They join the cool cars cruising the beech before visiting the cousin. When the ride is over, Hector promise the car to Daniel if he finishes high school and plans to go to college.

Author Michael Perry brings his street-savvy writing style to children’s books in DANIEL’S RIDE. With the lyricism gained with his musical background, and an intense understanding of what motivates children, Perry creates a fun, hotrodding tale of sun, brothers and cars certain to delight young readers. Crisp, believable, readable dialog combine lends the story vibrant energy and promise. Very highly recommended.

Daniel's Ride is an exellent book for children. I should know because I am a child. I think this is a good book because people usually don't write about lowriders or books for kids who are bilingual. This book has both of those subjects.

Blue Moose is an excellent short book for kids to learn on. I first read it at the age of 12, when I was reading quite well, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I haven't met any other Blue Moose fans other than my friends and myself, and that disappoints me.This book should definitely be reprinted. I am not a tame moose!!!

THIS BOOK MUST BE REPRITED! I remember having a teacher read this book to my class and it was really funny. Who would ever dream up about a blue moose who does the things that he does except Pinkwater. We need more books like this one! I would love to have a copy of this book and of THE BLUE MOOSE RETURNS. Everyone should read this book.

Someone before mentioned the line "I AM NOT A TAME MOOSE!" I, too, am prone to saying that--it's got to be my favorite line. My mom read this story to me many, many, many times when I was little. Now I'm 19, and I still make her read it to me. Everybody should read this book!

A wonderful introduction to bodhisattva practice and history. Rev. Leighton explores the historical manifestations of the bodhisattvas, but always returns to examples accessable to the western reader (this western reader, anyhow!) and brings the focus to the ways we can learn from the bodhisattvas, not just revere them from afar.

When I initially started reading this book, I felt it had potential. Simply by describing the archetypes, it reminds us of the principles of an ethical life - that we all seem to completely forget in daily life.

I had some problems though, with the author's forays into explaining issues of race, class and discrimination. At many places, where one least expects it, he stigmatizes people who react against discrimination and oppression and seems to think that they should just lighten up and swallow injustice. He seems to especially dislike African American militance but says nothing about the white violence that it is the mirror image of. This is a very dangerous attitude. We all need to speak out, constantly, against oppression and historical injustices, and recognize its toxic effects on all of us. Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. Its a bit insensitive to self righteously judge and condemn other people's pain, hurt and their resultant anger when one hasn't been similarly hurt oneself.

I think perhaps in the next edition, if the author wishes to condemn violence, he should select as a case study white violence - institutional and physical, rather than talking about the reactions of oppressed people to that violence.

Faithful amazon.com patrons know the phenomenon of reading superlative reviews here, reviews that sadly overstate the qualities of the books reviewed. Reading the two reviews below, you might fear this is such a case. They are indeed, superb reviews, accurate, informative, yet rising to the power of poetry. But the reader need not fear; Leighton's book is honored by the reviews but has earned every such honor. And if the reviews rise toward poetry it is because the language of the book inspires them.

I read Leighton's work carefully, wearing both my hats as Buddhist and Buddhist scholar. I take both hats off to him as he has fashioned a book that scholars will learn from and practitioners will deepen with. Non-Buddhists please take note: this would be a marvelous way to begin learning what Mahayana Buddhism is really about. All persons will grow from reading this book, and I hope they do.

Carlotta's Kittens by Phyllis Reynolds Nichols

Read this book. It's a mystery about cats and kittens and tails. This book is about a girl cat who has kittens and her friends from the alley. When she got back with her kittens her friends taught the kittens to do cat stuff, until one of the kittens got kidnapped by a one-eye cat. And some of Carlotta's friends go rescue the kitten by tricking the one eye cat.

I liked this book because it was funny. This book kept making me laugh. When I was reading this book it reminded me of a cat that fell off a tree and landed in my dad's arms.

I think the author wrote this book so that kids should find baby animals a home so they could know some animals are in danger.

Carlotta's Kittens is an awesome book! It's exciting, adventurous, and hilarious! I rented it from the library and once I started reading the first and second chapters, I started loving it! I haven't read the first two books of the "Club Of Mysteries" series, but I still think it is one of the greatest books I've ever read! My favorite characters are Carlotta, Polo, Catnip, and Elvis. I loved all the characters, actually...but anyways, why don't YOU read it? I think you'll love it too!

This, is one of my favorite books. One day in Westport, Connecticut, my aunt Sally offered to buy me and my sister a book. I was having trouble choseing and then, she showed up and gave me a book to look at. After I had read the flap, I knew this was the book for me. I like cats, and adventure. My favorite cat is Elvis because he's a good singer, like me. Also he is black and I'm going to get a male black cat too. I also liked Carlotta and Sugar. I also like Catnip. There was one thing, everyonce in awhile, Scamper was a girl, and then, all of a sudden, a boy. I always thought she made a good discription of Steak Knife. If you like adventure, cats and kittens, get this book.

Kahneman and Tversky's compilation of articles in this book is an outstanding exposition of recent advances in cognitive psychology, especially advances associated with prospect theory. The work presented in this volume is largely responsible for the authors being awarded the Nobel Prize (Tversky died before receiving it).

The text is somewhat dense at parts, being aimed at economists and psychologists with some mathematical familiarity. However, the portions of the book that require much mathematics can safely be bypassed without losing much of the substance of the text. This text is the most credible presentation of an alternative theory to the rational actor theory usually assumed in economics. For example, some of the articles help explain the magnitude of the equity return premium, or help show how people make choices differently in similar situations based simply on the way the situation is presented.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in decision making theory, especially as it relates to consumer behavior. It is a brilliant volume that includes the most important articles by the leading mind in the field.

A definitive text. Choices, Values and Frames is no casual read but is a first class exposition of the basics in this area of cognitive psychology. I read it from the perspective of a healthcare practitioner trying to understand more about why 'risk' judgements seem so variable and subjective. The insights gained from Choices, Values and Frames have already modified my behaviour.

The only weakness of the text is that it assumes that the reader has reasonable literacy in manipulating abstract mathematical concepts. More exposition would have been appreciated here. However, even if one does not understand the more 'mathematical' sections the book as a whole is still an engaging exposition of how humans process decisions under risk and uncertainty.

A 'must read' for anybody seriously interested in, but unfamiliar with, this area of cognitive psychology

Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky have spent their whole lives developing an alternative to the "rational actor" model of human decision-making, the standard of traditional economic theory and the decision sciences. Their ideas were received rather well from the start, but in recent years, their alternative, which we can fairly call "behavioral economics" has virtually displaced traditional decision theory as an active research area.

People often think of the Kahneman-Tversky behaviorists as "bomb-throwers" in the sense that they appear to love to destroy traditional concepts of rationality rather that put constructive models in their place. This collection, which consists of 42 very high quality essays by the leading lights of the field, shows clearly that this is not the case. Prospect theory, loss aversion, framing effets, status quo effect, and the like are carefully modeled in this book. I came away quite impressed.

It is a shame that Amos Tversky never lived to see the light of day of this fine volume. It is certainly a vigorous vindication of his lifetime research agenda.

Everyone who plays 1. e4 but does not enjoy the white side of the open Sicilians searches out alternatives to play such as the Grand Prix Attack, the c3, or the Closed Sicilian. Each system has its own strengths, and drawbacks, and the problem with playing the Closed Sicilian is that while white has a fairly clear plan, black's plan in the main lines is also fairly straightforward. This book is quite helpful, because it goes beyond "what is the main idea" into "how will one actually play a game against best play". The problem with coverage of the Closed Sicilian in most works is that the author tends to give a line or two against each of the major black systems, but little analysis is done of multiple white alternative lines. King's book excels in going further than the usual Closed Sicilian book, by offering detailed chapters on move 6 alternatives for white other than the "main line". I like that, in addition to playing the "main line for white" set forth, King also shows how to play less favored lines which nonetheless offer white the chance to maintain initiative with somewhat quieter play. The text is based on playing through games in the variations, but unlike some books, King does not just throw a game at us as if to say "so there", but rather provides detailed thematic commentary. I am a lesser player of low 1700s USCF, and I found the commentary entirely useful. I am not sure it would be as useful for, say a 1300, but I still recommend this book to any player who wants a system against the Sicilian but has never been able to get the bang from the Closed Sicilian that, say, Spassky did .

This is a well written book on the Closed Sicilian. The only problen is that this opening "causes black relatively few problems" (Nunn's Chess Openings) and if black knows his theory he can equalize easily in most lines. This is the reason this opening has not been played very much at high levels recently. That said, this an excellent book for black (and white, too, i guess) to learn the theory of the Closed Sicilian. The most straight forward and overtly dangerous line in the Closed Sicilian is easy drawn if one memorizes a single game: Spassky-Hjartarson, European Club Cup 1991. This game is the third game in the book and covers the best way to play against the 10.e5? pseudo pawn sacrifice. The Closed Siclian is not the most critical line against the sicliian by any means, but it doesn't require memorizing a ton of theory, so it may be helpful for someone with very little time. If you want build the best repetoire possible, learn the Open Siclian, c3 Sicilian, or at least the Bb5 Sicilian. A book that my help you learn the Open Siclian is John Nunn and Joe Gallager's Beating the Sicilian 3. It gives good variations of the Open Sicilian for white. Amazon does not have it, but I have seen it at other sites. But this book if you just want something to play against the Siclian or if you want to be able to play against the Closed Sicilian as black.

In addition to an in depth coverage of newer ideas in the Closed Sicilian (it omits some games with old plans and produces newer plans in those lines), this book has an interesting version of the Closed Sicilian with c3 instead of Nc3 that is in my opinion worth the book. It also has some advice between the lines that are highly instructive. I made a career out of playing the Closed Sicilian in the ICC and gained about 200pts while winning a losing and learning how important prophylaxis was in wing attacks. For anyone who wants to develop thier chess. IT also gives you a good system to play vs. the English, though this is not explicitly done for the reader.

I'm an avid cook and, while I no longer subscribe to "Cooks Illustrated" magazine, I respect editor Christopher Kimball and his expert "Cook's Illustrated" kitchen crew and have had good luck, more or less, with their recipes which, if followed exactly, are virtually foolproof. I also never fail to learn something from their informative kitchen commentary. All in all, Kimball's recipes and advice are beneficial to both novice and experienced cooks.

That having been I have to point out that taste is, of course, subjective. For instance, I've found, from trying a number of Kimball's recipes, that he is a salt-a-holic. I prefer to cook with little or no salt, as I find the taste harsh and unpleasant, and if I followed Kimbell's recipes exactly I'd be drowning in the stuff. I prefer pepper and tend to double or triple the often meager amounts Kimbell calls for in his recipes (usually he calls for four or fives times more salt than pepper, and I almost reverse that ratio). But, if your taste is the same as Kimball's when it comes to a particular food, his well-researched and thoroughly-tested recipes will be amazing!

I must also warn cooks that Kimball's cookbooks are books not necessarily made for cooking (odd, isn't it?). They are standard-bound hardcover editions that rarely lie flat (the latest, "The Best Recipe," is a little better than the others) and the index is dreadful--a fairly major gripe when you consider how important an index is to a cookbook when, say, you quickly want to find a recipe for "Chicken Soup" and you can't even decipher where the "Cs" start! There may be six or seven pages under the tiny heading "entrees," five of which may start with "chicken," leading you to believe you're in the "Cs" when you're actually in the "Es." It's very confusing. Many other people have recommended putting dictionary like letter headers (for example "CHI-CLA") at the top of each index page and, after trying it, I have to say I highly recommend this method.

All of Kimball's "Cook's Illustrated" cookbooks follow the same basic format: a long-winded, but often interesting, discourse on how Kimball views the "perfect" version of whatever it is he's showing you how to cook, including a lengthy explanation of variations he has tried, followed by his "Master Recipe" for the food, including common variations. In "The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles," Kimball covers everything from homemade pasta (surprisingly, he doesn't stress it's necessity, saying dried pasta is almost as good and a whole lot easier) to every type of sauce and other topping--Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, etc.--imaginable.

Usually my biggest problem with Kimball cookbooks is this: If you have one, you have them all. He lifts whole passages and recipes and uses them in multiple books. "The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook," and the "Cook's Bible," for instance, have at least 50 identical recipes, not to mention verbatim introductions to each section and cookware recommendations repeated word-for-word. "The Best Recipe" features ALL of the recipes (as far as I can tell) from the "Cook's Bible," with the same commentary, which is, in turn, lifted in whole chunks from past issues of "Cooks Illustrated." I'm sure this saves Mr. Kimball a great deal of time when compiling his cookbooks but it leaves little reason to own more than one edition of his work. The "Pasta and Noodle" cookbook though, is an exception to this rule. While it does contain exact repeats from other books, it also adds a wealth of new recipes and information, making it more than worth your while for anyone who cooks pasta regularly. There is literally a lifetime worth of pasta recipes in this small book!

Comprised of more than 400 diverse and easy-to-follow recipes, techniques and kitchen tips, The Complete Book Of Pasta And Noodles offers clear, concise, step-by-step instructions that make even the most exotic recipes easily accessible to the most novice kitchen cook. Beginning with "A Guide to Pasta and Noodles", The Complete Book Of Pasta And Noodles covers every conceivable aspect of pasta and noodle dish preparation. From sauces to lasagne, from ravioli to couscous, from spatzle to soba, The Complete Book Of Pasta And Noodles is a definitive and highly recommended culinary cookbook and guide that will enhance any aspiring chef's abilities to serve delicious, nutritious, noodle and pasta based cuisines.

This has simple but really good recipies for sauces that can be made while the water is boiling along with instructions and how-tos for sophisticated recipies and techniques. I liked the approach of explaining why particular methods work or are preferred by the author rather than just being told to do it. If I could have only two cookbooks, it would be this and Joy of Cooking. I received this book as a gift along with a pasta machine, but people compliment me on even the simplest sauces with bought pasta. They really go crazy over the homemade stuff!