This is the book that will turn your sex life around. With it's tips on how to please both a man and a woman, I think may couples would find this book very easy to read together and fun too.

This is called horror. I wouldn't call it horror in the least; and I wouldn't say that it's plotted very well; but the premise is extremely intriguing philosophically and morally speaking.

I was intrigued by the cover of the book. "This might be something my son (age 11) would like..." I thought. The brief write-up on the back cover seemed interesting enough. It was used, and it was a buck. "What the heck?" Right? I'm still unsure.

I could tell immediately from the prologue that this was going to be unlike any other book I've ever read. And, most surely not anything for my son to read! I certainly had mixed feelings before even getting to the first chapter in the first part. I was rather repulsed by the basic content and storyline of the book. And yet, I found it difficult to put down - sort of a morbid curiosity, if you will. Obviously, that could be considered a thumbs up for Michael Green - keeping the attention of the reader.

In all honesty, I think I'll try to find "The Jimjams" at my local library or used book store simply because of Green's incredible descriptive ability. Not only that, there were some things in the book (whether they're fact or fiction doesn't matter) that really can make you wonder. For example, the discussion (monologue really) about how there are certain things on Earth for which "there's nothing else remotely like it around... [and] can easily survive in deep space." This guy definitely has a knack for words.

For the most part the "characters" (the evil Uncles and whatnot) were difficult to keep separate. They pretty much seemed one in the same. However, that wasn't my real "problem" with the book. My main beef about it is that there didn't seem to be a real ending to it. I was certainly left hanging on this one. It's as if the book simply weren't finished. Loose ends everywhere! There darn well better be a second part to this somewhere, 'cause I want to know: "Where's the end?!"

Also, I debated with myself whether to give the review 2 or 3 stars. I'm only going with three because of the Green's ability to induce such intense mental images.

The author acknowledges and then seems to immediately forget that a society-wide ethos of equality is not even remotely attainable. Clearly a class state exists that enforces the subordination of the working class to capitalist owners as well as other inequalities. Also, the extant rhetoric of equal opportunity merely reinforces the inequality of starting points.

The author discusses a hypothetical meritorious equality that is based on the common humanity of all and a recognition of the equality of most contributions to society that then should result in near equality of reward. A democratic state would have to be a major player in maintaining this equality by, for example, being the employer of last resort for any who desired to work.

The author is unconvincing in attempting to describe the New Deal order with the rise of industrial unions as the forerunner to his strong equal opportunity society. That era of accommodation proved to be short-lived. Now capital has reasserted itself and the rhetoric of the free market is ascendent. Consideration of equality and social justice is not part of the politics of resentment and greed.

The book is somewhat dissatisfying because its difficult to get a handle on the propspects for equality and what it would entail using present day reality as a starting point. Are we talking remade men here? The author seems to lurch back and forth across the line of feasibility or even the current existence of equality. As a mostly theoretical book on equality no effort is made to compare an equality society with, say, an existing social democratic society. Its just hard to get a good feel for the substance and significance of this book.

I used this book for a paper I wrote in law school. It's pretty decent. I think some essays were better than others. If you want to collect as many writings about gays and lesbians of color as possible, you should get this. Also, an emerging issue is gay senior citizens. This book has some good articles at looking at them. THere are better anthologies out there, but this one is still decent.

I think that there should be new subcategory for novels that are simply brimming with several plot devices -- the 'chock-full' category. "The Ghost and Mrs. Wenthaven" would fit right in into this category, as it can boast of possessing a subplot that deals with an abandoned baby that may have been fathered by a Wenthaven male (but which one?); a subplot dealing with a ghost of a dead pirate; a family feud between the Brooks-Wenthavens and the Duggans; a budding romance between a pair of star-crossed lovers; and the main plot that deals with the relationship between the widowed Cassie Wenthaven and her brother-in-law, the care-for-nothing gambler, Dylan Wenthaven. This is a well written and rather enjoyable novel, which I enjoyed very much. However there was one glaring omission that was never raised or dealt with. And that was the fact that marriage between Dylan and Cassie would not have been permissible (it was actually illegal, as a man could not marry his sister-in-law). Of course there probably were ways around such a law, but I really wondered that Maria Greene never raised the issue. It was a little disconcerting reading about (and liking) the blossoming romance between Cassie and Dylan, and never have them discuss the fact that it would take some ecclesiastical maneuvering for them to marry. This little 'flaw' kept distracting me form enjoying the novel completely, which was a shame, because this really was a first rate read.

When Cassie Wenthaven's gambling mad husband died, leaving nothing but debts behind him, she was rescued by her husband's grandfather, who allowed her to live at a depilated estate of Fairweather, rent free. Now however, the old man is dead, and he has bequeathed the estate to his other grandson, Dylan. It is expected that Cassie will, of course, leave the estate as soon as possible. But Cassie has nowhere to go (She had also invited two almost destitute spinster sisters to live with her. Where could the old women go, if they are all evicted from Fairweather?) Cassie has come up with a plan: to get Dylan (whom she remembers as being a younger copy of her feckless husband) to hire her as his steward, and to allow her to care for the estate, as he carries on with his dissolute way of life in London. Will Dylan be agreeable to such a plan?

When Dylan first sees his inheritance, he is dismayed. The house is falling apart, and the grounds could do with a lot of cutting and pruning. But he hasn't got the money to repair the estate. Surely the best course would be to sell Fairweather. But then he meets Cassie, and something about her makes him want to prove himself worthy of her esteem. But how is he to prove himself worthy of his new responsibilities (and of Cassie)? Add to that the complication of a baby left mysteriously at their doorstep (a baby with Wenthaven features and the family rattle), the sudden flare up of a centuries old family feud between the Wenthavens and the Duggans, sudden ghostly hauntings, and Dylan's friend's doomed romance with Duggan's daughter, and Dylan's life seems to have suddenly grown a lot more complicated then he can deal with! Will he be able to untangle all these knots and still manage to persuade Cassie to put her trust in him?

What I liked most about this novel, was that in spite of the myriad of subplots, Maria Greene never lost sight of the main storyline -- the romance between Cassie and Dylan. And I liked that she managed to project both characters points of view equally. We see not only the effort that Dylan makes to prove that he is capable of change, as well as his disappointment that Cassie will not trust in him more; and we also see things from Cassie's perspective -- her reluctance to trust another glib and charming man who is addicted to gambling. Though, I do wish that a little more of Cassie's life with Dylan's brother had been described, and how she came to marry him. This novel could have been a rather somber read full of angst, esp since both Cassie and Dylan have quite a few issues and a lot of pain to work through. But Ms Greene handled all of this in a light and deft manner, without trivialsing anything. And I thought that that was a rather masterful touch.

I like this book quite a bit. It was a lighthearted and fun read, and I rather enjoyed the romance that developed between Cassie and Dylan. But that entire probability as to whether or not Cassie and Dylan would have been allowed to marry (so easily anyway) really nagged at me. And I really wished that Maria Dylan had addressed that issue.

Gifts of Fortune is a book that revolves around Ryan Fortune and the gifts that he gives to people that are important to him. Each person is important to Ryan for different reasons.
THE HOLIDAY HEIR introduces us to Nico Tan-efi the King of Imarco. Nico saved Ryan from financial disaster, and in return Ryan gives Nico a ring that has the Double Crown inlay. Ryan swears that the ring holds the magical power to make true love survive. Nico can only hope that the mystical power is true and helps him win back his one true love. ... In THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE we are introduced to Jessamine Mitchell and Sebastian Quentin. Ryan feels the need to thank these two people for pulling him out of a burning car and saving his life. Ryan knows that they are both orphans and decides to give them a very expensive house to share. Ryan secretly hopes that the house brings these two strangers together. I was a bit disappointed with the abrupt ending of this story. In MAGGIE'S MIRACLE we finally meet the doctor that saved Ryan's life when somone tried to kill him with poison. Dr. Maggie Taylor never gave up on saving Ryan and in return he gives her two million dollars to help her fund he own research lab. Maggie's sister has a rare blood disorder and with Ryan's money she can afford to open her own research lab. Maggie also hires the best research doctor available, Dr. Elliott Sandwell. Sparks fly when these two get together. I have to admit that I liked Nico's story the best because there was a family connection between him and the Fortunes. The other two stories were okay, but other than Ryan being the one to give them their "gifts" they had no other connection to the Fortune books. I am eager to get back to the Fortune clan with the next book in the series...

Since I was just getting into GIS at my work place at a government agency, I was curious when I saw this book from Amazon's search engine. It has many fascinating accounts of various widely diverse applications of GIS systems being used all over the world to solve previously intractable problems. Anything from mapping mine fields in the Balkans to coordinating ride services for seniors in Portland. While the stories themselves are quite interesting, the writing style and quality is a bit uneven between the 15 or so stories. My only other complaint is that it uses a liberal amount of white space and fluffy fillers (i.e., big font quotes, etc.) to make the book seem longer than it really is. I'm not quite sure it's really worth the price for what you get, but it is a good idea book for what GIS could possibly be used for.

This is a pretty fair assortment of critical studies of Graham Greene, covering a number of decades and many of his works. However, the editor could have endeavored to include more types of critical approaches and points-of-view in these selections. This is an extremely traditional text.

Graham Greene had no tolerance for film versions of his novels, and he particularly hated American-produced movies of his work. One of his least favorite was THE QUIET AMERICAN, in which he feuded with director Joe Mankiewicz for the remainder of their lives. Now a new book recounts the movie's filming in Vietnam and the conflicts with the author. See A THINKER'S DAMN: AUDIE MURPHY, VIETNAM, AND THE MAKING OF THE QUIET AMERICAN by William Russo. It's a great inside peek at movie making and Graham Greene.