I found this book disappointing, especially after reading the rave reviews of others. This book tells the story of Harold Wagoner's bike ride from Seattle to New York. While I admire him for the adventure, most of the book is just reporting mileage, temperature,and meals. It is more a log book/journal than a travel story. We see little insight or growth from the author as he makes the trip and when it is offered, it is all Archie Bunker and bumper sticker slogans. By the end of the book, I was ready for the trip to be over.

I gather this book is published through the modern day version of a vanity press. There were some enjoyable moments and the author has writing talent. But jarring typo's, punctuation errors, and spell check errors like using "they're" for "there" reduce the enjoyment. He could have benefitted tremendously from the help of a good editor.

I don't think this book was worth the price.

This book tells the story of a man who rode his bicycle across the northern route of the U.S.,from Seattle to New York City. But it tells more. We are included in reminiscences of the authors early farm life as well as his apprection of nature. His narration takes us with him into headwinds, up incredible grades, and down hills with rewarding tailwinds. What comes out overall is this mans love of like and his country.

I thoroughtly enjoyed reading 28 Days Behind Bars. Wagoner knows how to bring things to life with words. It was as though I were right there with him throughout his tour.

I cannot think of a more superb book to inspire contemplation of ethics, spirituality and values. I was already a fan of Rabbi Joseph Telushkin's writing when a long-time buddy of mine gave me "The Book of Jewish Values" as a gift. Before I even opened it, I knew I had a gem.

Very simply, Rabbi Telushkin's writing is direct, concise, up-to-date and easy to understand. Also ... important! You don't have to be Jewish (I'm not) to appreciate the relevance of the ethical guidelines on which the author elaborates. For each day of the year (excluding the Shabbat) one of a broad range of issues is discussed and highlighted either anecdotally through quotes by other noted Rabbis or supported by reference to important Jewish literature (e.g., the laws of the Torah and Talmud). You probably won't find 300+ issues applicable to your life, but every page is worthwhile reading nevertheless. The most pertinent and/or interesting topics to me were the ones involving relationships, charity, kindness, and speech.

The book's format is suited to every kind of reading habit, so go at whatever pace you like. Each day is comprised of 1-3 pages, with cross-referencing where related discussion appears elsewhere in the book. Also, footnotes can be found on the same page where a reference is cited (I appreciate this) so you don't have to turn to the back of the book to check a source. In the event you do turn to the back, you'll find a decent glossary, bibliography and index.

Whether your intention is to learn or to simply bolster your moral convictions, I give this book my highest recommendation.

This book was excellent. It was easy to read and very helpful both in offering wise advice and parables from the author's life and from the Talmud.

The format of reading one step a day is useful in helping one live a more ethical life; giving up white lies and gossip in a gradual manner makes sure you are less likely to "slip up." Though the book was written in a one-step-a-day format, I read through the whole thing first before going through and trying to improve myself one day at a time.

You need not be Jewish to follow the advice of this book. While the book is angled towards Jews, most of the messages are valuable to anyone.

The inches devoted to Telushkin books on my shelves are growing. Who is the better person? The person who performs a holiday ritual to perfection, or the person who is ethical and helpful. Which is the better "personal ad"? One that lists that the suitor has a DDS or JD degree, or one that states that the person is a 'mensch'? A co-worker used to correct me if I said, "I have time to kill." He said, "make time to live." Or when a flight was delayed, rather than be irritated, he thought, "oh, more time to read or meet someone." He tipped the chambermaid big even though they never met. Jewish Values are similar. We need to seek not to be annoyed, but to empathize, to connect with our neighbors, to heal, to help, and to praise. This insightful book of 313 teachings reminded me of our greater purpose; and its daily 2 page format made it easy to assimilate the information and advice and attempt to apply it in everyday life.

Remnick's frank, insightful analysis of the Soviet Union's final days filled me with inspiration and sadness. I'm inspired by the inhuman perseverance of the Russian and Soviet bloc people and saddened by the intense and lethal persecution of millions at the hands of their so-called leaders. Remnick shows a society led by decades of fear - citizens who feared persecution and leaders who feared the loss of power. The author flows easily from dissecting the Communist party and power brokers of Soviet society to eating cabbage with Siberian miners who don't expect to live past 35 to intense discussions with the Russian intelligentsia who fought the system quietly and desperately. It is a long book and at times I found myself needing a Russian history reference guide. But Remnick is not writing a history filled with facts and statistics. It is all about the people. Lenin's Tomb should be read by any journalist who feels the urge to go beyond 8 graphs. Truly wonderful.

It's hard to imagine there was any dissention from the Pulitzer committee over "Lenin's Tomb". This book excellently combines top-notch journalism and fine, precise, descriptive writing for an increbidly enjoyable and informative read. Considering how most such "good for you" books are long slogs about as exciting as bran, "Lenin's Tomb" was a surprising pleasure.

I came to this book with minimal knowledge of Russia in general, let alone the Soviet transition, and disliking what I had encountered of Russia's culture and people. "Lenin's Tomb" manages to explain the basics to ignorant laypeople like myself without condescending or dragging through too much history. What you need to understand what was happening, Remnick provides, no more and no less.

"Lenin's Tomb" proved an eye opener about the Soviet experience, but it also reflects on the larger ramifications of Communist autocracy. So many of the explorations of the Soviet erosion of society and culture gave me a sense of Deja Vu compared with China, only China has perhaps been less scathed by the shorter span of its bureaucratic red terror. Also, while "Lenin's Tomb" did not make me like Russia or Russians any more, it did present the context of how and why people can be a certain way, so that I now hold it against them less.

"Lenin's Tomb" is almost novelesque in its readability, a page-turner and easily beach or plane fare. I doff my hat to Remnick's ability to carve dense political stuff into an involving, compelling narrative. Perhaps Russia scholars would find points to criticize, but from a journalistic perspective, "Lenin's Tomb" is the book all of us wish we could write.

David Remnick in "Lenin's Tomb" writes a fascinating book on the demise of the Soviet Union. Remnick manages to convey the views of the liberals who want to democratize the country and the neo-Stalinist conservatives who want to turn the clock back to the repression of life under Stalin.

The author has little sympathy for Mikhail Gorbachev who once he launched "perestroika" could not make the final commitment to democracy and republicanism and remained trapped in the dying and corrupt Communist Party. Yet, Gorbachev's half-hearted attempts at reform nearly ended in a disasterous rigt-wing coup. Only, the incompetence of the plotters and will of the people not to turn back to a corrupt failed system prevented the USSR in falling back into despotism.

Because of "glasnost and perestroika" Remnick was able to obtain candid views from everyone he interviewed during his stay in the Soviet Union. Miners, dissident and even communist party apparatchiks spoke freely about the good and bad of Russia. Nearly, 50 years after his death, Stalin's shadow still hovered over everything and everyone in the nation. Liberals such as Andrei Sakharov wanted the government and the party to fully acknowledge the heinous attrocities of mass murder and imprisonments committed during Stalin's reign, Khrukhschev made a tentative start at 20th party congress in denouncing Stalin but failed to follow through with real reform. During the Brezhnev years the country lurched backwards thast by the time Gorbachev came to power the Soviet Union was totally morally, politically and economically bankrupt.

Remnick also does a fine job showing the first hesitant steps toward capitalism yet evenn today 10 years after the Soviet Union collapsed Russia still refuses to make the fundamental changes to bring a market economy fully to fruition. Under the Communists there was "equity in poverty" today in Russia you see the extremes of rich and poor. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the demise of the Soviet Union, but it needs an update to encompass the last decade.

This book was about a girl named Abby Hayes. She doesn't feel as good as her two perfect sisters and her genius brother. She feels left out and wishes she could change. Her many struggles make her a stonger person each day. She collects calanders and loves to write. She also wants to be a professional soccer player, but everyone is telling her different ways to play while she wants to learn on her own. It is very hard for her and she wants everyone to leave her alone. In her diary you can find out how everything goes in her new fifth grade year as she comes upon new challenges.

Abby Hayes feels alone and different in her perfect family. Her mother and father both have really hard jobs that Abby doesn't understnd, her 6 year-old brother is a genius, and her "Super Sibs" are twins who always fight and are exact opposites: one's athletic, one's academicly top of her class. And she is a "frizzy red-haired nobody." She strongly believs she is adopted.
As the book flashes back in and out of Abby's journal you learn that she loves to write, her best friends are Jessica and Natalie, she HATES Brianna and Bethany, who are best friends and big pests. You also find that Abby desperatly wants to become a soccer star so she can be in the "Hayes Book Of World Records." Plus her super sib Eva (the athletic one) has never played soccer. Will Abby make it through as a soccer champ? You'll just have to read to find out! ;)

I would give the book The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes #1 five stars. My favorite part in the book is when Abby writes in her diary and talks about her life. In her diary she says that she wants to be a soccer player and how her brother is a genius. Anne Mazer the author of the book is a very good writer. She makes the story interesting. When she talks about the characters she makes it sound like they are real people. I love to read her books and I hope you will to.

It's been said that a book that has to be self-published shouldn't be published at all. Real publishers obviously knew this when they read the manuscript for The Other Side of Thirty. The author is as stubborn as she is opinionated and got this one to market on her own. Maybe that's admirable, but there's a lot to be said for realizing when you don't have anything original to say.

The Other Side of Thirty is one 30-something's opinions on body image, career, hobbies, finances, etc. In other words, her shopping list of the controllable items in one's life, except of course, finding a man. She laments wanting to feel wanted in a post-feminist world. Ani asks, is a woman a true feminist if she needs a man to make her feel complete? She answers that and a hundred other questions, all unilaterally in "the world as i see it" journal-style format. There's not a real story here to distract the reader, no characters with challenging viewpoints, no situations to toss her much-cherished opinions into the crucible of real life. There's only one email boyfriend whose messages we read, and of course, he doesn't challenge her or say anything the least bit unsupportive. He is the model boyfriend, asking all the right questions and having all the right responses.

Education, career, relationships with friends, hobbies, etc. can be controlled to some extent in our lives. But when it comes to that most intimate and revealing of relationships, a love bond with the opposite sex, there are many factors we can't control. That's what bothers Ani, but I don't think she realizes it. She's done everything else right (hasn't she?) and yet at 30+, she still doesn't have a man.

Most women will agree with a lot of Ani's remarks and observations. I found many things I agreed with and have been through, too, but so what? Sometimes we need to approach old problems with new attitudes to find solutions. This book offers no new perspective on things. For the still-single-after-30-woman, there is a phase of reflection most women go through. Maybe she'll get over it when she hits 40. Thank God I did.

Finally!!! A book about being single that doesn't wallow like a pig in mud in self-pity!!! This book enters unchartered waters when it comes to single life - no more feeling sorry for yourself and feeling like you must have a man to make your life complete!!! I only wish this book had come out sooner so I could have used it ....If you are single, this should be your new "manual" to teach you how to live a wonderfully fulfilling life BY YOURSELF and to accept who you are - with or without a mate. If you don't love yourself how can you expect anyone else to love you?

If you, like me, are tired of reading novels that portray single women as witless bimbos whose only goals in life are to walk down the aisle then this is a must read for you. I am grateful to the author for giving us readers a fresh glimpse into the world of the INTELLIGENT and TOTALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT single woman. It's about time!

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Thakor's revealing, thought-provoking comments which related not only to the challenges of a single woman and her journey towards greater self-confidence and self-worth but the challenges virtually any woman faces. She is extremely open which makes her story all the more appealing and which I related to in many ways. I found myself stopping while I was reading to really think about what she was discussing and what I could learn from hear experiences and how it applied to my specific situations. It was also a fun book to read, had a great flow, and was very modern particularly given the e-mail exchanges.
A Must-Read!

I am a very active 40ish woman with some physical problems, particularly a contracted hip muscle. I can't walk much without pain, so I swim laps and do other exercises. Convinced that core strengthening would help me, I bought this book. Brill outlines the benefits of PT (physical therapy) from an anatomic and physiologic perspective, which I appreciated because I am changing my career to medicine. The exercises themselves are sound and helpful. I wish she had suggested more modifications for different physical problems; I also wish she sold a VHS or DVD version. She does give some bad advice about pain in a place or two, where she assures the reader "it will get better as you practice," when in fact some things, like sacral spine stiffness, are serious warnings to be attended. Nonetheless, her advice and the program itself are excellent and helpful. I imagine if I continue it (I have only been doing it for a week) I could write an entirely different review, telling of its benefits to me. I hope to do so. I also hope the book helps you.

I was very pleased with the content of this book. I've spent quite a bit of hard-earned money on fitness books and videos that boast of amazing results.

I've tried it all: weights, yoga, pilates, & various forms of cardio workouts, but haven't been able to stay consistant due to time constraints. As a busy women, I usually don't have time to spend on hour plus videos and books with long, complicated instructions. Before this book, I was racking my brain trying to incorporate yoga, pilates, and strength training. I just became stressed out instead.

The Core program mixes some yoga & pilates with strength work, so I experience well being in addition to toned muscles. I also walk regularly, go for a spin on my bike/inline skates, and do some extra yoga. I find this combination fits easily into my schedule; I don't have to stress about when to do it.

In short, I would suggest this book to anyone. Also, for those readers who find Peggy Brill's explanations complicated, I recommend taking a look at Pilates Body by Brooke Siler. Lots of people LOVE this book, but I found it very time consuming; I've owned it for two years and haven't used it much for this reason. Peggy Brill's Core Program is much easier to comprehend, & the participant can't become injured (I think that if someone wants to learn pilates, a certified instructor is the only way to go!)

I started the Core Program four days ago and started feeling results after the first session. I already feel better aligned and much stronger. I can feel muscles forming too. The only "complaint" I have is the amount of reading prior to the exercises but realize the importance of the information. I can't wait to get past the first three weeks so that I can start on the next level. This book is wonderful and very timely for me. I am very glad I purchased it.

When a young boy (the story doesn't give him a name) decides to swap for a friend's goldfish, he finds that his father is the ultimate bargaining chip--after all, hasn't everyone always wanted to own one? The boy's father is such a hot item, in fact, that the neighborhood kids pass him back and forth, making one deal after another. Eventually, the mother sends the boy and his little sister to recover their father ("The very idea," she says), and they follow the swapping trail, redistributing the trade items as they go.

"The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish" is a brilliantly illustrated adventure map that navigates the relative values and the strange economy of childhood. Neil Gaiman's lively text is written with that special children's logic and fresh humor found in classics like "Winnie-the-Pooh" and "Peter Pan," and the rich texture of Dave McKean's images--vivid line drawings and colorful montages--gives the story a look that is unique in children's literature. This book occupies a special place in my library with a very few picture books, like "Old Turtle" and "Little Hobbin," that I could never part with.

I'm sure I'm not the first reviewer here to say that I love this book as much as any kid ever could. Great story, great writing, exceptional artwork by the inimitable dave mckean. If you don't fall in love with this book, then I'd be willing to wager that you never had a childhood.

By any means necessary, no matter how old you are, read this book; even if you have to swap your favoritest family member for a copy. (I've heard Amazon does in fact accept this kind of bartering system)

Take Neil Gaiman, put him in a room together with Dave McKean. What do you get? Wonders. This dream-team has worked many times before and has produced some of the best Sandman comics in the bunch.

Although it is presented as a book for those who are still children at heart and offers a moral which should not be overlooked, it spins a wondrous yarn about a boy and his friends, and mocks the sixdegrees theory in its undertow...

Gaiman's words are beautiful and McKean's art is fantastic. You can read this book over and over again and never tire of it, or just leaf through the pages and marvel at the pictures, which are a great source of amusement for children who are yet to be able to read on their own.

(I only wonder how come I never though about it doing this when I was 10...)

I had been looking for such a book! Easy to read with wonderful recipes. I used to work out before I let myself go. My health has improved since I got a hold of this book. My eating habits have certainly gotten better. Now, if I could only stop smoking.

My girl fiend, Susan, who works in a Fitness Studio,bought this book for me. She had insisted that I try to drop a few pounds before I signed up for Aerobics. Well, I dropped about 10 pounds in the shortest time using the tips given in the book and now I am not just dieting, but also working out. I hope to make fitness a new way of life as explained in the book. Please, girls,if you are out of shape, get ahold of this book - it will change your life.

I would recommend this book to any one who is serious about getting rid of unwanted, unsightly flab. I bought a copy for my wife who is following the instructions in the book. She is glad and so am I. It is a common sense book with no unusual tips you find in other books.

Okay so you're bored. Now what? Check out Keva and Clea's book to get some ideas on turning oh-hums into a-has! These ultra-hip chicks used to run Foxy magazine, but now they're just having fun on their own. Read about George (their dog), guitar chords to learn and stickers to make. Their book, which really looks like a cool bound zine) gives you pointers of fun stuff to do every day of the year - from funky crafts to things to ponder. (...)

by Molly Conway, 15
Teen Editor
....

I must admit it took me a lot longer than it should have to write this review. One of the main reasons is simple: the book kept disappearing. My friends enjoyed this book just as much as I did, and I heard, "Can I borrow it just for one day?" and "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot it!" more times than I would care to count. But the book's journey is certainly a tribute to just how fabulous it is. It went from Rebecca the super-vegan, to Ruchi the Hindu dance queen, to Andrew the master cartoonist, to Darryl the sports guru, to Lauren the punk princess. The book had the same effect on all sorts of people. No one can read it and not smile, or at least come out of it a little happier than before.

This is the daybook for Aquarians or for other time-impaired people. It gives you something fun to add to your daily agenda. The ideas range from deceptively simple, like pretending you're a Spice Girl; to crafty, like making a glitzy tampon case; to silly, like tying a yellow ribbon around an old oak tree. Even the title is cool! Hey Day! The Super-Amazing Funk-da-Crazing Ultra-Glazing Day Book: Things to Do, Make, and Ponder Every Day of the Year, by Super Clea and Keva Marie.

It certainly keeps its promise of being the craziest, weirdest, and most thoroughly enjoyable daybook you will ever encounter. It's a definite must for any crazy chick who's open to new ideas or for a not-so-crazy chick who wants to be a bit sillier. A great de-stresser for homework swamped friends and sisters, too.

Copyright 2002, Blue Jean Media, Inc.

...the book kept disappearing. My friends enjoyed this book just as much as I did, and I heard, "Can I borrow it just for one day?" and "Oh, I'm sorry I forgot it!" more times than I would care to count. But the book's journey is certainly a tribute to just how fabulous it is. It went from Rebecca the super-vegan, to Ruchi the Hindu dance queen, to Andrew the master cartoonist, to Darryl the sports guru, to Lauren the punk princess. The book had the same effect on all sorts of people. No one can read it and not smile, or at least come out of it a little happier than before.

This is the daybook for Aquarians or for other time-impaired people. It gives you something fun to add to your daily agenda. The ideas range from deceptively simple, like pretending you're a Spice Girl; to crafty, like making a glitzy tampon case; to silly, like tying a yellow ribbon around an old oak tree. Even the title is cool! Hey Day! The Super-Amazing Funk-da-Crazing Ultra-Glazing Day Book: Things to Do, Make, and Ponder Every Day of the Year, by Super Clea and Keva Marie.

It certainly keeps its promise of being the craziest, weirdest, and most thoroughly enjoyable daybook you will ever encounter. It's a definite must for any crazy chick who's open to new ideas or for a not-so-crazy chick who wants to be a bit sillier. A great de-stresser for homework swamped friends and sisters, too. ...

I bought this book due to the HBO documentary of the same name. Although I was not born yet, I believe this book is important in educating those of us too young to know the real history of the problems in the Middle East.

The book is about the 1972 Olympic hostage crisis, where most of the Israeli delegation were taken hostage and subsequently killed by a Palestinian group calling themselves Black September (named so because of a battle in which many Palestians were killed by Israeli's in September 1967).

Mr. Reeves has done an excellent job in researching this book, to the point that one is amazed at the almost keystone cop-like appoach made by many German officials in dealing with this problem. Obviously, they (the Germans) were facing an uphill battle dealing with a fanatical terrorist group, all in front of a worldwide audience expecting to watch sporting events pitting country against country. This said, the mistakes are many and made by many different people. In the book, there are the "hawks" and there are the "doves", then there are the Israeli's on foriegn soil trying to get their countrymen safely back home. Mr. Reeves does a great job on the background of the terrorists, giving the personal reasons for (but not justifying) the actions that they took. Great detail is given to the debacle at the airport where everyone was killed. Many questions are raised about what went down there, such as why none of the snipers were given walkie talkies to communicate with one another allowing them to discern who was going to take down who? It was this situation geon awry that made the Germans create GSG-9, their counter-terrorism unit. Mr. Reeves also touched on Operation "Wrath of God". the Isreali revenge mission to assassinate surviving members of the group. This part of the book is just as fascinating and reads like a novel. It shows the resolve of the Isreali's to seek revenge on those who did them wrong. They had there own problems though when they assassinated a suspected member of Black September, who turned out to be an innocent waiter.

All in all, the book is not "enjoyable" but is an important piece of history. ... I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Middle East conflict and/or terrorism.

One Day in September is a fascinating and well researched book about the events surrounding the 1972 Munich Olympics takeover and subsequent massacre of members of the Israeli Olympics team by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.

The book provides extraordinary details of events leading up to and during the takeover, the negotiations to free the hostages, the events at the airport in which all of the Israeli hostages and many of the terrorists were killed, and the aftermath; including the "Operation Wrath of God" (the Israeli retaliation), the cover-up of mistakes and miscues made by the German government and police, and the thoughts of survivors on all sides in retrospect. There is also a chapter dedicated to providing a short but comprehensive history on what led to the current problems in the Middle East - an excellent lesson for someone like myself who is a novice in this department.

This is one of the most interesting books I've ever read. I had a hard time putting it down once I started reading it. It is a must read for those who have an interest in history, and/or have their own personal memories of the Olympic games of Munich, 1972.

I bought this book due to the HBO documentary of the same name. Although I was not born yet, I believe this book is important in educating those of us too young to know the real history of the problems in the Middle East.

The book is about the 1972 Olympic hostage crisis, where most of the Israeli delegation were taken hostage and subsequently killed by a Palestinian group calling themselves Black September (named so because of a battle in which many Palestians were killed by Israeli's in September 1967).

Mr. Reeves has done an excellent job in researching this book, to the point that one is amazed at the almost keystone cop-like appoach made by many German officials in dealing with this problem. Obviously, they (the Germans) were facing an uphill battle dealing with a fanatical terrorist group, all in front of a worldwide audience expecting to watch sporting events pitting country against country. This said, the mistakes are many and made by many different people. In the book, there are the "hawks" and there are the "doves", then there are the Israeli's on foriegn soil trying to get their countrymen safely back home. Mr. Reeves does a great job on the background of the terrorists, giving the personal reasons for (but not justifying) the actions that they took. Great detail is given to the debacle at the airport where everyone was killed. Many questions are raised about what went down there, such as why none of the snipers were given walkie talkies to communicate with one another allowing them to discern who was going to take down who? It was this situation geon awry that made the Germans create GSG-9, their counter-terrorism unit. Mr. Reeves also touched on Operation "Wrath of God". the Isreali revenge mission to assassinate surviving members of the group. This part of the book is just as fascinating and reads like a novel. It shows the resolve of the Isreali's to seek revenge on those who did them wrong. They had there own problems though when they assassinated a suspected member of Black September, who turned out to be an innocent waiter.

All in all, the book is not "enjoyable" but is an important piece of history. One has to think of the irony that Jews would again be hostages on German soil not half a century after the Holocaust. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Middle East conflict and/or terrorism.