I find Cooper's second novel impressive on several levels. AMNESIA enthralled me with its inventive atmosphere of foreboding, its relentlessly strange signifiers, its peculiar mix of street wisdom and arcane erudition. I got distracted toward the end, some of the changes didn't feel right, although the final sprint recovers the momentum. DELIRIUM kept me going all the way through. Playing Prospero, Cooper controls the dazzling word play and the multitude of parallel tales, as his characters struggle toward identity in a contemporary yet gothic, decimated landscape. Since this is an installment in a series it might be too early to call major themes, but this book raises the questions about dynamic levels of prostitution and just what requires redemption. What could possibly be more pertinent to our time? The primary joke here is that a sort of universal evil emanates from a Philip Johnson/van der Rohe-like architect, the consummate whore, strewing his pernicious monoliths across the globe. On the simplest plane there's a chase going on, leading to a classic comeuppance, but Cooper makes it mean much more - he takes his time and he cares about the ghosts which are haunting him here. I like this odd book a lot and look forward its successors.

DELIRIUM is an engrossing, cerebral exploration of the artistic urge to shape a world of order and intricacy. Douglas Cooper juxtaposes a crystalline purity of ideals with archetypal baseness--lust, greed, and murderous desires--in ways that seem both inventive and authentic.

The structure of the novel is beautiful and complex; through meticulous craft Cooper lures and ensnares readers in the story's web with elegance and confidence.

DELIRIUM is a fascinating book. Its plot and structure offer a challenge to intelligent readers who enjoy losing themselves in a highly symbolic, beautifully terrifying world of ideas.

I haven't read a book in years that impressed me this much. (That said, Amnesia -- by the same author -- was beautiful.) Cooper is doing something entirely new here. Critics keep comparing him to Nabokov, but I think he has reinvented the novel -- in Delirium, it's a form that bridges genres: part poetry, part drama, part architecture. A kind of centaur. You have to read this.

I think by the time we finished passing it around, every girl in the music department at my university had read it. This book is well-researched (I'm a musician and only caught a couple slight errors), and written in a delightful, engaging style. Taken for what it is, "Appassionata" is a lot of fun, particularly the characters and the way Jilly Cooper deftly maneuvers them into and out of one anothers' arms. I'd read another book about the Rutminster Symphony Orchestra anytime!

I first discovered the "Rutshire Chronicles" of Jilly Cooper while studying in Scotland. This fifth volume in the series is just as witty, fast-paced, and hilarious as the first four--with all the sex, snobbery, and drama you could ask for. All the best characters from the earlier books make at least cameo appearances (Rupert, Helen, Taggie, Rannaldini, etc.) and the new ones are great as well. Hardly a horse, but the classical music theme is not the slightest bit boring (despite my total lack of enthusiasm for the genre). Jilly Cooper easily buries Danielle Steele and the like... This book can be read by itself, but even though they are hard to get her I recomend getting ahold of the earlier books (Riders, Rivals, Polo, and The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous). As a final note, the whole Marcus sub-plot is great!

This book is excellent! I'm a horse lover and first found Jilly Cooper's "Riders" on a trip to the UK. Since then I've tried to read everything she's written, and I'm seldom disappointed. I know very little about the world of classical music but it didn't matter -- her books are so character-driven that it's them you get wrapped up in, not so much the subject matter. This book gave us a "fix" of our favorite characters from past books, but introduced new characters just as interesting and complex. Other characters on the periphery of previous books (like Flora from "The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous" and Marcus from "Riders") become main characters here, and you have the pleasure of seeing them grow up. You don't need to be a horse fan to love all Jilly's books!

Cooper's previous books have covered different aspects of the demanding task of managing the development and introduction of new industrial products. We heard he was preparing a slim volume suitable for high level general managers, and this is it. Cooper's writing ability guarantees an absorbing read, and his vast amount of practical experience in companies guarantees that you learn how to make the advice really work. My only criticism is that this book needs to be slimmer still for a generalist audience, though it does have key-point boxes running through.

Robert G. Cooper capitalizes on his long hands-on experience to analyze the key elements that make the product development process across industries successful. The key strength of Cooper's book lies in the systematic approach that he adopts in identifying the dos and don'ts of the product development process. Cooper helps readers understand the usage and limitations of that process. Unlike Clayton M. Christensen in The Innovator's Dilemma, Cooper unfortunately does not make a very clear distinction between sustaining and disruptive technologies and their impact on the product development process in his otherwise excellent book.

The value of this book lies in two major aspects. Cooper is a world expert at the product development process, and focuses on the elements needed to make that process successful (rather than just explicating the steps). He does this by pointing our the critical sucess factors. Six of these focus on the process elements that are necessary, and seven more focus on critical elements for execution. However, just as important, Cooper makes use of his vast background in consulting and his knowledge of the workings of many companies, and fills the book with commentary on the usage and limitations of the process, using examples from real companies, and "Key Points for Management. He is one of the few consultants who has developed a process who also teaches the reader how to make it valuable to his own needs.

Ever since I got Lily, my first cat ever, I've been buying kitten/cat care books and magazines like a madman just so I know that I'm giving the best to my Persian pet. In six months I have accumulated over a dozen books and this is the first time that I found one book with EVERYTHING I REALLY NEEDED to know about cats (care, health, playtime, training, behavior, etc! etc!) without sounding too clinical or boring. The money-saving tips were especially helpful and I'm sure you'll have a blast with the funny anecdotes as well. "277 secrets," they say? I didn't count, but it seemed to me there were more than 277 included in the book!

I have been owned by cats all of my life, currently by five of them. I thought I knew all there was to know about our furball friends, but Paulette Cooper and Paul Noble have managed to dig up many new things for me to ponder. The topic of "How to tell if your cat is hung over" is just one of the valuable pieces of information most people wouldn't think of, especially those who think it's cute to give their pets beer to slurp. Don't do it! If you don't believe me, read the book and find out why you might make your cat sick! I found something new and interesting on every page. The only problem I had reading the book was sharing the book with my husband who wanted to read it first. We both loved this book and will be giving it to our catty friends for Christmas, that's for sure!

I've read this book. It is a small book that is like a large encyclopedia, it contains humor, facts, 800 phone numbers, URL's, and even more. My cat has an annoying habit, from the book I learn that this behavior is just instinctive behavior. If someone were looking for a useful and fun gift for people that are cat-lovers...
I strongly recommend this book. I'll be using it as Xmas presents this year for some of my friends here.

I am sure Mr. Cooper is a very accomplished and knowledeable shooter and writer. However, I found this book to contain mostly issues and items that should be common sense to most people. As one reader of this book suggested in his comments, this is a magazine article with elementary drawings. Most of the criteria listed here should be explained to you at your handgun carry class in addition to the laws and general safety. I am sure to someone who wants to get an intimidating looking coffee table book where a mean looking fella is shooting at them, it's great, but for me, I found this purchase to be a dissapointment.

This does not mean I will pass on other Jeff Cooper books, but I will certainly read ALL of the reviews and try and make a better judgement than what the cover looks like.

The cost of this short pamphlet/booklet is a little high. The knowledge and proven concepts are invaluable...

Mr. Cooper is a true expert on the subject of self-reliance, self-preservation, firearms training and self-defense. This book is a very good primer for practical & realistic self-defense. Buy IT, READ IT, DO IT.

Other reviewers have noted, and criticized, this text for it's common sense principals and it's austere presentation. It is true that there is nothing presented in this book that has not been contemplated by every gun owner or martial artist with at least a room temperature IQ. I myself read this book during my lunch-hour one day and can say that I didn't come away with anything new. But, I think that the critics are missing the point. Mr. Cooper's intention was not to reveal some profound secret, but to provoke though on the topic of self-defense. In this respect the book is very good. After reading this I found myself questioning how prepared I was to defend myself and what I could do to be more attentive in these matters. If this was your intention Mr. Cooper then well done!

All in all a pretty good fantasy novel to read. For everyone who is new to the Realms I would rather have you stumble across a book of the Pool trilogy than any wild faerun pantheon novel, which would phreak anyone out who is not informed about the deities of FR and their history. I do find the characters a trifle superficial though and sometimes it seems more like three kids are on a field trip rather than a real quest. The story is simple to read and some readers may find their intelligence insulted. If you want to read more sophisitcated books I'd suggest starting out with a harper book like Elaine Cunnigham's "Elfshadow".

This was the first book I read in "Forgotten Realms" series. I found it to be an excellent starting point for the reader who believes they may be interested in reading both Science Fiction and Fantastic Fiction

This truly was one of the greats. Being a hard core D&D fan, I've read a lot of Forgotten Realms books, but this one really stands out in my mind. The setting was great, and the characters were wonderful. Ren O' the Blade was a very intresting character, a man of great heroism and strong passions. I liked his episode with his thoughts of Tempest. Shal was great. I liked how she wasn't portrayed as the common image for female mages. Tarl was cool. He was a true champion of his church. I mean, so much crap happened to him early on, but he stayed strong. The villan aspect of the book was wonderful, having one villan clearly defined, and one sliding around in the shadows, manipulating others to meet his own ends. The book had a great balance of action, drama, and character development. All and all, it's a must-read for and D&D fan.

At the time when I was diagnosed with paralysis of the vocal cords, I consulted the leading Ear, Nose and Throat doctors in America, who told me I would never sing again. These leading voice doctors told me that my problem was hopeless. At that time, I had been singing opera for 24 years and was singing as Cantor of one of the leading synagogues in the United States. As a professional singer, I understood quite clearly what Dr. Cooper was writing about in Change Your Voice, Change Your Life. His writing is concise and easily understood. The exercises in this book are simple and easily understood by the layman.

I immediately bought Change Your Voice, Change Your Life because I was very familiar with Dr. Cooper's articles on Vocal Suicide, especially his article, "Vocal Suicide in the Speaking Voice of Singers." This article appeared in the Journal of the National Association of Teachers of Singing of which I am a member. This association, I might add, holds Dr. Cooper in high esteem. I had been following his work for years.

The great Metropolitan Opera Bass, Jerome Hines, had Dr. Cooper write a chapter in his book, "Great Singers on Great Singing," on how Dr. Cooper miraculously saved his voice. After reading Change Your Voice, Change Your Life, I realized what needed to be done. I clearly understood what Dr. Cooper wrote about, but I wanted hands-on therapy. I traveled from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to work personally with Dr. Cooper. I arrived there on a Monday morning and in the short space of three hours of his therapy my problems were corrected. I left that Friday with a voice. That was 15 years ago. I have not had a voice problem since 1985 when I was diagnosed with the problem. Dr. Cooper performed a miracle for me. He changed my voice, and my life!

Richard Allen Opera Singer, Cantor and Rabbi

I am a professor of mathematics at a small community college. I saw Dr. Cooper interviewed about eight years ago shortly after I had undergone an operation to remove polyps on my vocal cords. These caused chronic hoarseness and made it very difficult to lecture. At that time I taught only part time and I considered giving up teaching entirely. After the operation the doctor said something to the effect "take it easy on your voice or you'll be back" but gave no useful suggestions.To make a long story short, I ordered Dr. Cooper's book Change Your Voice, Change Your Life, followed the simple suggestions, and have had no trouble since. My voice became so reliable that when a full time position came open four years ago, I applied for it without hesitation. I got the position and have enjoyed my new career ever since. I also enjoy having a strong, expressive, reliable voice. It is no exaggeration to say that the book did indeed change my life.J.M.Professor of MathematicsCerro Coso Community College

The man who wrote the book Change Your Voice, Change Your Life saved my voice, my career and maybe even my life.After working with Dr. Morton Cooper for just two weeks during the month of August, 1990, I have seen a dramatic improvement in my voice and a major reduction in pain. I noticed improvement with Dr. Cooper within three days after having seen 18 other health-care professionals over a 20-month period. These professionals included ENTs, speech therapists, singing teachers, neurologists, internists, psychiatrists, pain doctors, a masseur and chiropractors, among others.Clearly there are some major problems in America today with vocal rehabilitation. Why is Dr. Cooper the only professional using these methods, which work? No one should have to go through what I went through.I wholeheartedly encourage you to read Dr. Cooper's text as I believe it may be the seminal piece in reforming vocal rehabilitation in the U.S. today and helping vocal abusers.John K. Cameron

I am very disappointed with Dean King's efforts here. Where is this great prodigy of maps that the book seems to promise? Much of the book is taken up with summaries of PO'B's novels. If I want to know what happened in the books I will read them, I don't need to pay 21 American dollars for that. And most of the content that is not summary is written descriptions entitled 'Here and There'. Can Mr. King possibly think his accounts will succeed in enabling we hopeless lubbers to comprehend intricate harbors and locations where the great O'Brian's have not? In the Post Captain chapter, do we find a map of Chaulieu where Aubrey fights the Polychrest until she sinks under him? No we do not. This book should be filled cover to cover with detailed charts and maps. It falls far and sadly short of expectations. I urge anyone not having been duped into purchasing it already to refrain from doing so.

Once in awhile just the right writer comes along for a critical assignment, and this time it is Dean King, accompanied by some other worthy contributors. A globe isn't nearly enough when you're sailing, fighting, surviving and adventuring with Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, and it mattered not to me that King had to wait until there were sufficient chapters in O'Brian's incredible series (one that I look upon as one great, great book with 19 chapters) to form an adequate foundation for Harbors and High Seas, for I read them over and over and King's guide makes the repeat servings even more delightful.

Now as I travel the world in the O'Brian series I know where I am and where I've been -- and often where I'm going. The maps are outstanding (I always thought a map here and there in the novels themselves was called for), and King's narrative takes me ashore in places all over the aquatic world to round out my adventures with my favorite literary characters.

The old pictures from The Naval Chronicle are worthy -- and thoughtful -- additions to the whole fine work.

I guess I'll be reading Aubrey/Maturin books forever, and with Harbors and High Seas right at hand. Too bad the guide had to end with The Commodore but, hey, I'm not complaining. I'm happy for what's here.

Thanks to King, too, for his lexicon, A Sea of Words. That was the finishing touch for the O'Brian addict that I am -- I want to KNOW what a studding sail is, a snow (for I, like Maturin, thought a "snow" must be a white ship), the mainchains (not "chains" at all), the messenger (definitely not a means by which you might get a message to Garcia) . . .

A tip of the hat and a warm thank you to Dean King and his cohorts: John B. Hattendorf, J. Worth Estes, and mapmakers William Clipson and Adam Merton Cooper.

It is truly wonderful that this incredible series of historical novels has inspired these indispensible accompaniments. There is also the volume edited by A.E. Cunningham, "Patrick O'Brian: Critical Essays and a Bibliography" which belongs on the shelf with every O'Brian fan's collection. These books about O'Brian's books are a further testimony to the greatness of them -- they stood tall on their own, it's only that they're even more robust now.

Doug Briggs

I'm now on book 7 of the Aubrey-Maturin series, and have only had my Companion for the last 2...how much it adds to the joy and the education. The best part of the companion is the maps, with clearly marked routes taken by Lucky Jack's vessels. O'Brian's description of Aubrey passing by Elsinore while Jack describes his role in Hamlet as a young midshipman comes alive with both the map and the picture of Elsinore. As well, eliminating the frustration of trying to determine what is fiction (Grimsholm) from what is not (Admiral Suamarez) greatly adds to the historical learnings.

The only downside to having this companion is the irresistable temptation to read ahead...the plot lines of the first 17 books are all given in general outline. As O'Brian readers know, however, much of the joy is as much in the characterization and writing as in the plot line. So, even if you do look ahead, it in all likelihood only will increase your desire to move on to the next book....I personally can hardly wait to get to Treason's Harbour and the mood that O'Brian will create around historic Malta.

If you love maps, though, and have always used them to add a visual learning dimension and reference to the words, you can't possibly read the books without it.

In closing, I guess I should add the warning that as addictive as these books are, they become even more addictive with the companion.

Beware!

I am a huge Ellroy fan. I have read nearly every one of his books, but this one just didn't cut it. The haphazard approach of putting together his essays on popular culture and hollywood with some short fiction based on a few of his characters from the LA Quartet was too much. I couldn't get focused on any of the fiction, and the long winded diatribes on the vaccuousness of celebrityism in LA (talk about an easy target), together with an endless, hyper-syllabic dissertation on why the O.J. trial was a circus (really?) made me long for the end.

Don't even check it out of the library...

After watching him interviewed on E!, I had to check out his book. If anyone is into Los Angeles' History and crime stories, this book is for you. There also some fiction (that seems so real) in the book about some big 50s and 60s icons such as the Rat Pack and friends. Some of the language is before my times (70s child here), but soon you will be hip with lingo, and calling things "boss".

Dig it dad: James Ellroy is at the top of the heap when it comes to writing crime fiction, because he's not afraid to look at the bottom of the barrel. CRIMEWAVE is another brutal look at Los Angeles in all of it's sordid glory in an era when there was a reason that foot patrolman were called beat cops. From the stark, icy descriptions of malevolent mayhem most of his readers will never see, to his diabolically derived detachment, the demon dog delivers a devastating package with every pulsating page...so put down the crack, jack and pick up your slacks. The demon dog wants to take you down to places that will leave you trembling with trepidation and delirious with desperation.

This book brings to life the fascinating Sheppard case, shedding new light onto the tragic events surrounding the murder of Marilyn Sheppard and the travesty of the criminal justice system in Cleveland, OH. The book provides a systematic and extremely readable examination of the evidence, while capturing the essence of the characters involved and the times in which they lived. Author Cynthia Cooper leaves you in no doubt of the innocence of Dr. Sheppard, the culpability of the Cleveland police, and the identity of the real killer. This is a captivating, well researched and extremely well-written book. This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Mockery Of Justice gives the full story of what really happened 7/4/54 when Dr. Sam Sheppard's pregnant wife Marilyn was bludgeoned to death in their home. Their son, Sam Reese Sheppard co-wrote the book with Cynthia Cooper & they did a terrific job, providing much detailed information and photographs. After reading this you will most likely come away with the realization that Dr. Sheppard really was innocent. The trial transcripts & notes reveal information never before known to the public. A must-have book for fans of true-crime novels.

While this book doesn't prove who really did kill Marilyn Sheppard, it does provide us with enough evidence to believe, beyond a reasonable doubt that, that Dr. Sam Sheppard was truly innocent. Unlike, Fatal Justice, which attempts to "prove" the innocence of Jeffrey MacDonald, Mockery of Justice does provide us with "hard" evidence indicating that someone else was involved--not Sam Sheppard. Whatever your beliefs regarding the case, the book is well-researched, informative and thought-provoking.