What a wonderful book! I live with chronic pain and this book just touched my heart and soul. I would highly recommend reading this if you suffer from chronic pain or have someone close to you in that situation.

It's written from a personal perspective. She knows what she's talking about. The author is very honest and tells you exactly how she feels, and what she is going through. I have to say, I found myself mirrored over and over again.
The author really validates and understands what you're going through and the emotions that come along with suffering daily. She also gives many practical and spiritual ideas on how to cope, living with chronic pain.

I'm only half way through and I can say it's one of the best books I've ever read!

Thank you

Most concordances let you trace an English word through the Bible. But, is it really the same word? Is ``infirmity'' astheneo (weakness) or nesos (sickness) in this verse? Both Youngs and Strongs give you the Hebrew or Greek word. However, Youngs gives you all the translations of the ``original'' word, so that you can trace just that word. One English word may actually be several different Hebrew or Greek words. Likewise, one Hebrew or Greek word may actually be translated by several English words. Straighten it all out with Youngs, without having to become a language scholar.

After previewing a LOT of Bibles to give to our church confirmation class, we chose this one because of its layout, "sidelights" (fun bits of background trivia about the passages that were new to many of our adults), and its devotional sidebars. Most of the devotionals offered in the other youth Bibles we previewed get very preachy, offering easy answers for tough questions, and taking an editorial stance that betrays the prejudices of its editors. This Bible, by contrast, offers less pat answers; it raises questions, clarifies confusing issues, and refers back to other passages. The contemporary scenarios they offer (which all the youth study Bibles do) are less simplistic. This allows the Bible to speak for itself, and invites the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As an adult, I prefer the NRSV or NIV translations, but I first read the Bible with a modern English tranlsation, and as those go, this one is good. And our number one priority is that the kids read it. Bottom line: Our youth reviewers loved it. And the kids from LAST year's confirmation class asked if we could order copies for them!

I recieved this bible for Christmas when I was 12 years old. It is wonderfuld--so easy to read and understand. One of the things I really like about it is the modern day, real life situations and stories that are included throughout the bible. They make biblical ideas seem real. My dad has even used my bible in a bible study. My younger brother will get his very own bible this Christmas and he wants one just like mine.

I saw Aliens in the theaters when it first came out in the summer of 1986, and it hasn't lost any of its bite since then. James Cameron's ambitious sequel is very different in its overall tone compared to Alien. Here we get a thrilling action film that still retains the gothic horror that Ridley Scott so vividly created in Alien.

Sigourney Weaver got an Oscar nomination for her reprisal as Ellen Ripley. She gives the character a wonderful sense of strength, compassion and depth. Her great supporting cast includes Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henrikson, Bill Paxton and young Carrie Henn as Newt. The music score by James Horner is among his best, as he captures the the suspense and action sequences perfectly.

The special effects and production design are first rate. Stan Winston slightly changed the look of the Alien creature, but his Alien Queen is a amazing work of art. The film recaptures the eerie and claustiphobic settings, this time within a ravaged colony complex that is teeming with an Alien hive. James Cameron who also wrote the story, stayed true to the original material yet created a thrilling action film that has heart to it (Ripley and Newt's relationship)

This Special Edition includes scenes that were left out of the original theatrical release. I have no problems what so ever with the added scenes. The pace of the film starts off slowly (it always did) and continues to build up as the film reaches its thrilling climax. All of the restored scenes do add something to the storyline. This DVD edition looks and sound awesome and is filled with extras. Aliens is a classic in its own right.

Before TITANIC, before TERMINATOR 2, and before THE ABYSS, James Cameron made what is the ne plus ultra of his action-film output, ALIENS. Many of us wondered what on earth could a sequel to ALIEN ever be like. Ridley Scott's mesmerizingly terrifying Gothic thriller in space seemed as if it couldn't be matched. And indeed, wisely, Cameron found the way to do it by avoiding the horror-movie aspect, and instead fashioning one of the finest pieces of filmmaking in the action genre. ALIENS is a war movie of almost unstoppable velocity. This new DVD version includes the 20 minutes or so of footage that 20th Century Fox demanded be removed to keep down the theatrical running time. The new footage (previously available only on the boxed-set laserdisc) forestalls the action elements, yet provides very clear motivation for the character of Ripley to embrace the discovery of the lone little girl on the "alien" planet. This footage stretches the introductory sequences to about 45 minutes, but once the story is set up, the action set pieces begin coming in gangbusters style for the remaining two-thirds of the picture.

Beautifully, intelligently designed, photographed and edited, ALIENS mixes suspense, terror, and full-throttle action in a supremely confident and entertaining manner. The DVD's picture is intensely sharp, and the 5.1 digital surround howls with power. The movie has never looked or sounded this good on home video. For thrills and chills, it's a one-of-kind experience.

James Cameron has never been my cup of tea. Sure, he's flashy and no one has a better grasp of special effects and how they add to a picture. But can this master of eye-candy surpass Ridley Scott? Absolutley. Different then the original, Cameron's film relies more on action then suspense, creating a film that doesn't shock so much as jolt the viewer. Edited at a break-neck speed and featuring spectacular (and i mean SPECTACULAR) special effects, ALIENS manages to blend the science-fiction film with the traditional shoot-em-up with such ease and skill that the pace never drags a bit... and the audience never gets a chance to breath. Sigourney Weaver reprises her role as Ripley, the sole survivor of the doomed Nostromo, playing her tough and stern, commanding and haunted, a deadly force to be reckoned with when provoked. Her impressive performance gained her an Oscar nod. The rest of the cast sparkles as well with Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Al Matthews, and Jenette Goldstein as members of the gung-ho and tough-as-nails marine corps sent to investiagte the disappearence of an entire colony on the distant planet LV-426. But the film, in my opinion, belongs to Lance Henriksen in the role of Bishop, the soft-spoken android. And to Cameron, whose mastery of scene and spectacle help ALIENS acheive a kind of perfection in it's own right.

Nelson DeMille is a brilliant writer. "The Charm School" was the only one of his books I hadn't had a chance to read yet, and I'm really glad I ordered a copy recently.

This is by far the best spy novel I have ever read. Like the other reviewers, I got hooked by that book immediately and have neglected basically everything in the four days that it took me to read these 600 pages.

I do not think that it should have been shorter as Nelson DeMille's detailed descriptions of what it was like behind the Iron Curtain makes this book such a special treat. This is so much better than all of Tom Clancy's novels combined! Mr. DeMille not only writes in excellent and witty prose but knows how to create breathless tension.

There is a lot of John Corey (Plum Island, The Lion's Game) in this book's broken hero Sam Hollis. Even though the end of the novel is a bit over-the-top, I was sad to turn the last page yesterday.

Great stuff!

This book is outstanding! I couldn't put it down. The storyline is great, the writing fast-paced, the dialogue believable, and the narrative literally takes you to Moscow. You will feel the arctic chill of the 1980s Cold War when you read The Charm School! This was head and shoulders above the other Demille book I've read, The General's Daughter (no, I didn't see the movie). THIS is the book they should make into a movie! I have only two minor criticisms: the relationship between Lisa and Hollis seemed a bit stilted and non-convincing at times. Also, I think Lisa's character devolved a bit towards the end of the book -- she became a little too clingy and maudlin, not at all the strong, interesting type she started out as. (though this may have been deliberate on Demille's part to illustrate the psychological toll events had on her). In any case, these things in no way detract from the overall quality of the book. READ IT!

This book is absolutely amazing. It is the second book I have read by Demille, and is by far one of the stories I will most recommend to my friends. It is a fantastic page-turner that truly captures the heart and soul of the Russian people and the differences between their perspectives and American attitudes toward life. All of the characters are amazingly believable; the plot also comes across as being extensively researched.

Demille's world of espionage and foreign service comes to life in a manner tha most authors cannot match: this was our world during the Cold War. Mrs. Ivanova's Charm School did not exist that we know of, but the reality of national security policies are exemplified in this fictional account.

After my own experiences in Russia, I highly recommend that you read this book even if your interests only slightly bend in this direction. It is a novel you will want to display on your own shelves to be discussed with friends and family!

To be honest with all you gentle readers, I don't much admire War novels, nor do I stand by the title of my review. Generally, I believe War is truly Hell.

But last Winter, in the grips of a bout of quasi-depression-for-teens following a move to the most FLAT province in Canada, I truly thought I was in Hell. An e-mail friend suggested Catch-22 to use up edgy cabin-fever time. Now, let it be known that my attention span for most novels dwindles quickly, especially if the book is slow to pick up. While significantly slower to get 'into' than most of the writing I chase, Catch-22 sucked me in, like Alice down the rabbit hole. It is sharply funny, engaging, and chock full of delightful characters. The main character is a thinker; a young man disheartened by war and his own mortality. His name is Yossarian, and since reading this novel, he has stood out in my mind as being one of the most...sculpted... characters in the history of literature.

Put simply, this book is a satire about World War 2. Coming from a kid sickened by the very idea of war, I can say that this book is worth whatever bills you have to fork over for it. It's not about war, per se, but more about the human condition. In addition, it made me laugh a few times, something that only a few other works of fiction have ever been successful in accomplishing. I finished this book feeling oddly... renewed. If you're looking for something 'new' (or, so old it's new) and engaging, I heartily recommend 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller.

In modern day, relatively few people read books which are written by contemporary authors, never mind authors from fifty years ago , but some books just stand out even to people who only have a minor knowledge of classic American literature. Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is one such novel. Set toward the end of World War II, the book follows a very vague plot line with a strange way of representing time but uses abundant, rich, and sometimes a little dark humor to weave an enthralling tale about the bombardier Yossarian and his struggle against reality, particularly the fact that he has to fly in a plane (with people whom he has never even met before shooting at him) just because he is told to.
The book is well written and it draws you (the reader) in by really relating you to the myriad characters and their unique quirks. There is little historical accuracy in this book and some things are so wrong that its downright funny, for example Milo Minderbinder's mess hall syndicate (M&M) which, run by a lowly mess officer, trades with countries and organizations all over the world (including Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia) turning a prophet using confusing tangles of twisted logic and the magic slogan "everyone has a share." The humor is by far the book's most prominent strength but the writing is a close second. The astoundingly detailed and descriptive prose makes the funny parts all the more zany and the heavy, semi-depressing parts so vivid and powerful that they are extremely moving at times. This combined with Heller's sharp wit and snappy 50's slang make this book an immensely entertaining read and certainly an example of a great American novel of merit.

Who is more dangerous to your sense of self-preservation, the enemy soldier who wants to kill you, or the superior officer who orders you into hostile fire? Joseph Heller took everything that is wrong and insane about war and bureaucracy and turned it loose onto the pages of CATCH-22.

Time does not progress in a linear fashion is this book. Characters that are furious when the minimum number of bomb-missions to be flown is raised to sixty are later appalled when it is raised to thirty. The pilots and crew are trapped in an endless circle of logic, time and red tape. Yossarian's attempts to preserve his life end with him exactly in the same place that he was before. Everything is structured so that escape is completely impossible. All the regulations and requirements keep looping around back upon themselves leaving Yoassarian with no options left.

The strange and bizarre characters that Heller created are really what give the book its teeth. Virtually every character has constructed a routine for himself (since this is set in the male-dominated military camps of WWII, just about all of the major characters are men) that distances him from the actual war effort. The leaders bury themselves into the deep sands of regulation and order, and grapple with tough problems like paperwork, the military hierarchy and organizing parades. The soldiers spend their time drinking, having sex with Italian prostitutes, getting into bar-fights or trying to get rich. What is interesting is that almost none of the characters even mention the opposing side in the war. CATCH-22's war is not about bravery or heroics, it is about selfishness and greed and insanity.

I disagree with those reviewers who have said that the order of the book appears random, as if Heller had written the book in a straightforward fashion and then merely shuffled the chapters around. With the book written in this way, we see the development of certain characters within their own bubble of time, freed from the distractions that other characters and their unrelated subplots would bring. It allows Heller to bring specific themes to the foreground when they are needed or let them sit in the background when they are not.

This is a really excellent book and I highly recommend it. I rate it at five stars because I honestly cannot find any fault with it. The book moves effortlessly from hilarity to tragedy while pausing only briefly to look at how the individual deals with the horror of war. Everything in this book is absolutely and hilariously absurd. One of Yossarian's friends, Milo, owns so many supplies and controls so much of the market that he is able to buy eggs at seven cents each, sell them at five cents and still run a handsome profit. A computer with a sense of humour decides to promote a man to major based purely on the fact that his last name (and his middle and first names) are the same word as the position.

This is a must read for everyone. The illogic will delight you, the humour will tickle you, and the reality of it all will scare the hell out of you.

Note: The Everyman's Library edition contains a new introduction by Malcolm Bradbury, a timeline for notable events in the period during which the book is set and the preface that Heller himself wrote for the 1994 re-issue. If you are planning on buying this book, I recommend getting the Everyman's Library edition, as the added features are quite worth it. Plus, it comes with one of those built-in cloth bookmarks that are so handy.

(I had to write a book report on The Girl Who Owned a City, so here it is below):

A plague sweeps the world killing people age 13 and over. Now Lisa, 10 years old and her little brother Toddy-boy, 5 years old, must survive with little food and by fending off violent gangs. Lisa forms a militia containing all the kids that live on Grand Avenue. They prepare defenses and get ready to face some tough gangs.

I know this report isent much of anything but its a basic summary. I read this book when i was 7. I lovd it, it took me only about a week to read, and i dont think i will ever forget the plot or characters, ever. This book is probably better, in my opinion, than the 4 Harry Potter Books. (I cant wait till the movie ^.6) I totally recomend this book from grade 3+. You might think i am crazy, but this is a really creative imaginitive novel. THe violence in the story, hmm... Well it was hard to picture the violence in you mind, boy would i hate to be the chidester gang leader... owwww!

When everyone over 12 dies, 10-year-old Lisa and her brother Todd are thrust into a world with no adults. Lisa is very resourceful, and finds many places to get food. However, there is a gang that is determined to steal everything she has from her. So she organizes a militia of Grand Avenue (her street) and they start learning how to defend themselves. When Grand Avenue fails, Lisa finds another location that would be like a fortress. They start a city there, and soon the population is over 500. But when the same gang is able to conquer Glenbard, Lisa has to find a way to get it back. This is an excellent story. I got it in July and have read it about twelve times. I never get tired of it. It's exciting, although scary, to think about what would happen if a plauge really happened, and we children had to survive. This book is a great read.

I picked this book up from my school library one day, an old worn out book. I read it all at once, than, to my dissapointement, found that the last 18 pages of the book were missing! so I bought this book and read it again.

It's about Lisa, a 10 year old girl. She's got a brother a little brother Todd. One day this virus goes around and kills everyone 12 and up. So only the kid's are left,( no electricity, no nada) and they've got to protect themselves because gangs of children were forming. So Lisa formed a town of the children of her street called Grandville. Ever wondered what it would be like to drive a car. We'll just pretend the adults arn't here for a moment. Well, now imagine a ten year old doing it. Scary Now imagine a 5 year old doing it. But that was exactlt what Lisa and her brother did. And when Grandville was attacked by a gang, the kids moved into the old highschool and turn it into a fortress. From all over thae place kids come, and soon over 800 kids live there. But there are still gangs.

I've long been a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) , and hoped that this book would bring the same type of irreverent humor to print. Sadly, it only partially succeeds-largely in part due to the fact that nearly every film (or television show) mentioned in this collection has been critically lambasted already, and most of them have been the target of stand-up comedians and late night talk shows to boot.

That's not to say the critiques aren't amusing, or that Nelson's references and concepts aren't clever-they are. But there's no escaping the feeling that you've heard many of the jokes before, especially if you regularly peruse sites like The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), where everybody gets to take a shot.

However, like a good number of non-Scientologists, I'd still like to see what Nelson could do with Battlefield Earth and its ilk. Just not in print. Perhaps an unholy alliance is in order. Some thoughtful film executive could increase revenues from the DVD market by, say, ten percent by simply adding a MST3K commentary track to your movie. Think about it-if your movie tanked at the box office, and the critics hated it, you really have very little to lose (pride notwithstanding) by shelling out the extra hundred grand or so to pay Nelson et. al. to do what they're probably going to do anyway. Or, if that's throwing good money after bad, I'll do it for a tenth that.

Mike Nelson's iron standard for Hollywood productions: how well does this compare to the epitome of American film, ROAD HOUSE?

The answer is usually, "Not too well." There are a lot of bad movies out there -- not just low-budget stinkers, but the big-budget "must see" pictures that pander to the lowest common denominator, and hold their audience in utter contempt.

MEGACHEESE is rolling on the floor funny. From the predictability of chick flicks, to the mindlessness of action thrillers, to the imbecility of Hollywood spectaculars (let me get this straight, the aliens are capable of interstellar flight, have observed us for years, but they never figured out to get Norton anti-virus?), Mike Nelson skewers inept and contempuous actors, directors, producers, screen writers, and movie execs.

Particularly funny now are the comments on DVD special editions and director's cuts on video -- did we really need a food-u-mentary on how the catering was done for LOST IN SPACE/

Being the person that always reads books months after their new I bought the book that one of my favorite comedians decided to publish. At this time I found out it was a June 2000 release and I bought it in May of 2001. Anyway I decided to read it anyway even though I was behind the times (sort of). To someone that has never seen or even heard of Mystery Science Theater 3000, the humor could be misunderstood. But for those who are accustomed to the show, like myself, just imagine yourself sitting next to Crow and Servo ripping on the major crapitude that invades our country every year. Some movies I hated I still hated after this book and some that I did like (Twister, Adam Sandler movies) I began to hate with sincerity! The fact that I read it in one sitting was a god sign that I was hooked to the book and though it wasn't exactly like the beloved show I watched for 10 years on TV, it feels like a tiny installment of Mike Nelson humor in a world where he doesn't have much to do but watch cheesy movies....the worst he could find. From being a mass reader of Home Theater magazine in which Nelson used to write for, I noticed a few of the chapters re-published from the monthly magazine release but mixed in with the original work its still funny. Nelson possesses that smart-allec kind of humor that can be off-putting to some but outrageous to the masses. I recomend this book to the people that know Mike Nelson because they will appreciate the humor and the common disrespect for the below average film strips that come to our theaters every year and for those who have never heard of Mystery Science Theater 3000 or Mike Nelson because it will open these types of people to a new form of comedy or at least a more mature version from an expert where others have faltered in trying to deliver.

I think this is my favorite DeMille. However, the first time I tried to read it, I didn't make it past page 100 and people to whom I have since recommended this book have expressed complaint that the middle third is quite tedious. Most of these same folks prefer "Charm School" or even "The General's Daughter". Yet you are reading these reviews because you either are already a Demille fan or are looking for a story about this geographical area. If so, try this one. As I understand it, Demille has captured the modern nuances of the latter all to well, possibly to discomfort. More importantly to me, he captured some of the discomfort of modern romance as well. The sexual, versus the sensual, nature of his yarn hit far to close to home, but with Demille's often brilliant panache of humor, I identified with his cynical character less depressingly so. In fact, he all but became my hero. Besides, I am sure many a 'Sopranos' fan will be as seduced by the more typical Mafioso characters. Hey, if you read this far you might as well take the plunge, because like 'Fitz' you will ultimately be drawn in, happily, enjoying the ride.

This book is summed up best by those reviews which dub it "The Great Gatsby meets The Godfather". It is, first and foremost, a detailed and well-researched tale of two disparate worlds which collide when Mafia Don Frank Bellarosa moves next door to WASP Wall Street lawyer John Sutter on the ultra-upper class North Shore of Long Island - the "Gold Coast". As a lawyer, I can tell you that DeMille, who apparently is not a lawyer, gets the legal stuff right - moreso than most lawyer-turned-authors writing these days. And he gets the mob stuff just as accurately. But best of all, it's written with an incredible sense of humor. For example, Sutter's wife's kinky lovemaking antics wiil make you laugh out loud. And if that's not enough, there's a HUGE surprise ending. Hats off to Mr. DeMille for writing an absolutely perfect novel.

The Gold Coast was a fabulous, unparalleled novel about the complexities of relationships and the joy and sorrow that comes with them. I personally have always been interested in the Mafia, and what Demille has done with this book cannot even be matched by my favorite movie "The Godfather."
Throughout the story and even now I cannot decide who I like better, John Sutter or Frank Bellarosa. Sutter kept me laughing the entire time from the very first page, yet Bellarosa kept me captivated with his cool, yet evil personality as well as his motives. I highly recommend this book to people who want something more than a simple story with lots of explosions and killing and little room for imagination. Definitely not a book for people who don't like reading into the characters on their own.
However, if you're looking for a dynamite story that has absolutely everything! Love, hate, friendship, betrayal, and great sex, purchase the Gold Coast!