In deed, this is most definitely a very good study Bible, but as the other Lutheran minister (below me) would surely agree, not everything in it is 100% agreeable. I've found a few things that I don't agree with completely, such as issues on Free Will and Sovereignity. Nothing truly serious (I still also give it 5 stars), but remember to take the notes with a grain of salt. The same goes for any study Bible. :)

It's a wonderful beginners study Bible, but you might want to move onto a New Oxford Annotated Bible later on. (Another good one is the Concordia Self-study Bible. It's suitable for all Lutherans, not just Missouri Synod, and any other non-Catholic Christian as well.) The New Oxford is my all-time favorite, with the Concordia following along (the Concordia is actually a heavily edited edition of the NIV Study Bible).

In deed, this is most definitely a very good study Bible, but as the other Lutheran minister (below me) would surely agree, not everything in it is 100% agreeable. I've found a few things that I don't agree with completely, such as issues on Free Will and Sovereignity. Nothing truly serious (I still also give it 5 stars), but remember to take the notes with a grain of salt. The same goes for any study Bible. :)

It's a wonderful beginners study Bible, but you might want to move onto a New Oxford Annotated Bible later on. (Another good one is the Concordia Self-study Bible. It's suitable for all Lutherans, not just Missouri Synod, and any other non-Catholic Christian as well.) The New Oxford is my all-time favorite, with the Concordia following along (the Concordia is actually a heavily edited edition of the NIV Study Bible).

Indeed, this is most definitely a very good study Bible, but as the other Lutheran minister (2 reviews below me) would surely agree, not everything in it is 100% agreeable. I've found a few things that I don't agree with completely, such as issues on Free Will and Sovereignity. Nothing truly serious (I still also give it 5 stars), but remember to take the notes with a grain of salt. The same goes for any study Bible. :)

It's a wonderful beginners study Bible, but you might want to move onto a New Oxford Annotated Bible later on. (Another good one is the Concordia Self-study Bible. It's suitable for all Lutherans, not just Missouri Synod, and any other non-Catholic Christian as well.) The New Oxford is my all-time favorite, with the Concordia following along (the Concordia is actually a heavily edited edition of the NIV Study Bible).

Tess Gerritsen's latest is a pleaser.
2 years ago, while living in Savannah, Dr. Catherine Cordell barely survived a brutal rape. The serial rapist/murderer known as Andrew Capra, aka 'The Surgeon', had previously raped and killed three other women. His last victim, Dr. Cordell, fought back and killed him.
Now living in Boston and working as a trauma center doctor, Catherine Cordell soon finds out about some recent rapes and murders happening in the Boston area that are very similar to the one's committed by Andrew Capra, the man she killed 2 years ago. This killer starts sending her clues, which causes her to recapture all those hideous moments of the past. She soon finds out that she may be the final target.

Detective Thomas Moore is a rather easygoing guy (with a growing attachment to Cordell) assigned to these recent killings, along with lead detective Rizzoli, who happens to be a women struggling to prove herself to a mostly male police force.

Filled with well-choreographed emergency room action and engrossing scenes of life and death, this novel does not disappoint. It seemed very emotional and personal due to the often-brought up issue of rape. A well-rounded medical thriller.

'Where we go depends on what we know, and what we know depends on where we go'

Recommended

Tess Gerritsen is the master of the medical thriller in the 21st century and The Surgeon proves it. The fact that she herself is a doctor, as well as an author, adds an authenticity to the book that is unparelleled. Very rarely do I read a book that actually scares me but this one did. How can women in Boston get a good night's sleep when there is a lunatic running around surgically removing their uteruses and doing it while they are still alive and tied up?

When Dr. Catherine Cordell arrived in Boston from Savannah two years ago, she thought she had left a nightmare behind her. She had shot and killed a serial killer as he was about to make her his fourth victim. Now it seems that either his ghost has shown up in Boston or there is a copycat on the loose as women are once again being killed and the modus operandi is the same as it was in Savannah -- chloroform/Rohypnol, duct tape and the removal of the woman's womb.

There's always a detective willing to go that extra mile to solve a crime and in this case it's Thomas Moore, a cop who is so well respected that he is referred to as Saint Thomas in his precinct. There's a good mix of other supporting characters and just as the serial killer has made Dr. Cordell the center of his focus, so have all the characters in this book. Gerritsen's cast will be jealous and envious and lonely and chauvinistic but they will all pull together to get the job done.

I found myself locking the doors in my home this weekend as I finished reading this book. Gerritsen points out that evil can be so ordinary that people you see on an everyday basis could be thinking of ways to kill you. It's an eerie thought. If I have one complaint about this book, it's the fact that there were some obvious clues sitting right there that the cops were not following up on. At one point, I wanted to take their hand and help them solve the crime. Authors can manipulate their stories any way they please and this reader will gladly be manipulated by Gerritsen as I see her as a primo author in this medical thriller genre.

This was the first book by Tess Gerritsen that I had ever read, and it hooked me into her novels immediately. She is a medical suspense author like no other, and "The Surgeon" is a thoughtfully-woven tale that reveals her artistic skill in creating tension and unrelenting anxiety within the reader.

Dr. Catherine Cordell is the cool-headed surgeon, but she is also a former rape victim. As a string of rapes remarkably similar to her own begin to occur, she is startled. They are happening closeby, and detective Thomas Moore singles her out as the only possible connection. The only difference between Cordell and these new rape victims...she is the only one surviving.

As the story continues, we realize that the killer is now stalking Cordell's movements. Moore becomes her guardian, and later in the story, something more. However, until the killer is found, neither can rest...

The climactic ending leaves you gripping your seat and holding your breath. I salute Ms. Gerritsen for knowing how to formulate the medical thriller with such dexterity, wit, and sincerity.

No review of Only Forward would be complete without mentioning the word "surreal," so I'd just like to get that out of the way up front. But there's a differnece between surreal and wack, and Smith has wack down to a science.

Smith is from Britain, so it's understandable that there might be some British slang in. But making the slang contemporary throws the reader off a bit (since it's ostensibly set in the future, see). On top of that, I was reading an American edition of the book, so many (although not all) of the Britishisms were Americanized. The final result is a book written in partially Americanized contemporary British slang, which leaves no room for doubt as to which side of the 'wack' line this book falls.

Another hallmark of reviews of these sorts of books is the phrase, 'I don't want to give anything away, but...' There's so much going on in this book that it's hard not to. I'll do my best to keep revelations to a minimum, but read no further than this paragraph if you want to stay spoiler-free. The short answer is that this book is great. If you love science fiction, this'll be a keeper.

So, quick and dirty introduction: Stark, the book's narrator, is a sort of a futuristic hard-boiled private eye. He's got contacts everywhere, he's 100% sure of himself at all times, and he seemingly can get any job done no matter how unusual. His speciality, apparently, is finding lost people, which brings us to this story wherein things don't go quite as they'd been planned. Enh, gotta have conflict somewhere, right?

Smith paints an unusual world in this future Earth. Most of the land is covered by The City which is, itself, divided into Neighbourhoods, each of which has its own rules and regulations. But there's nothing normal about these neighbourhoods -- there's Cat, which is apparently run by cats; there's Action, where you can be blown up if you visit for too long; there's Red, which is run by gangs and thugs. C.f. the 'wack' statement I started out this review with. Of course, Stark has contacts everywhere, so the sense of danger is combined with a sense of extreme confidence, and the reader is just swept along, absorbing the events.

Cross that with an unreliable narrator -- an admitted unreliable narrator -- and you end up with a story that's nearly as bizarre as it thinks it is. Obscurity is built up, layer upon layer, until you're not sure what is real and what Stark's just making up, or what Smith is making up, and then you pause and realize that of course Smith is making it all up, so why should we care about Stark anyway and then you take a deep breath and put the book down for a minute and watch TV instead.

I'm a TV addict, what can I say?

Seriously, though, it's tough to know what to believe, even at the end where Stark pretty much gives the game away. Or, at least, claims to. There's always the undercurrent that there may be something more to the story, but this is a review, not a critical analysis, so I won't go further than that here. That's not to say I haven't been thinking about this, off and on, ever since I finished reading the book.

At the end of the day, all you have to go on is the text of the story, so you have to either believe something or just mark the book down as a waste of time. And it's not even close to being a waste of time. Smith has managed to tell a story where the reader must constantly reassess what has transpired. You read along, assuming one set of facts, and then learn something new which changes what has gone before and you think to yourself, "Ah, now I get it." And then Smith lets another bomb drop later on and you think to yourself, "Oh, now I understand." And so on, and so on. By the end, your disbelief suspenders have been given an incredible workout.

Found this book at a used book store. It's the Britishversion, with the funky black cover, and the only things on it werethe title and the phrase "May we introduce Stark. Oh, and by the way, good luck...." I flipped it open to skim the first couple pages and it hooked me. I was laughing in the store. I had to buy it. It didn't disappoint me. It was a convoluted book, alternately funny, nasty, and tragic, with a cast of characters that constantly surprised me, and a flurry of intriguing new concepts. The one that sticks out most for me was this: "The reason that it seems to take less time to return from a place than it was to get there in the first place, is because the way back is actually shorter".

The second time I read it, the comedy wasn't as sharp, which was fine, because it made the real story, the tragedy, stand out all the more.

I'm not doing this book justice at all. I can't. Buy it, borrow it, do anything to wrap your hands around it. And read it. And read it again. I'm going to.

A couple of years have passed since I read this book, as I was desperate enough to order the British edition after reading a handful of Mr. Smith's short stories in the small presses. Needless to say, I was far from disappointed ... I read ONLY FORWARD in one night, hooked from the very beginning. Aside from the vivid world, the sympathetic and fully realized characters, and the gripping plot, the book contains some accurate observations on the world and its inhabitants, giving it more depth than one would expect from a first novel. Mr. Smith blends science fictional elements with a good mystery story, adding a touch of fantasy here and there to keep things interesting, and it all blends together artfully. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read much more of his work, but the praise for SPARES and ONE OF US is equal to that of his debut, and it's hard to imagine that he doesn't get better with practice. (But if you need reassuring, check out his latest story, "The Book of Irrational Numbers," in the anthology 999.)

Now that ONLY FORWARD is available here in the states, it would be a shame for anyone to miss it. Read it. Be amazed.

I always like to start any review of a technical book with the table of contents, and see no reason to break with that practice here:

I Preliminaries

Introduction - Basic C++ Syntax and Semantics - Understanding the Management Perspective- The Architectural Perspective

II Object-Oriented Design

Object-Oriented Fundamentals - Specification of Observable Behavior - Proper Inheritance - Detecting and Correcting Improper Inheritance - Error Handling Strategies - Testing Strategies

III Language Facilities

References ('&' type) - New and Delete - Inline Functions - Const Correctness - Namespaces - Using Static - Derived Classes - Access Control - Friend Classes and Friend Functions - Constructors and Destructors -Virtual Functions - Initialization Lists - Operator Overloading - Assignment Operators - Templates - Exception Tactics - Types and RTTI - Containers

IV Topics

Mixing and Overloading with Inheritance - The Big Three (destructors, copy constructors, assignment operators) - Using Objects to Prevent Memory Leaks - Wild Pointers and Other Devilish Errors - High-Performance Software - COM and Active X - Transitioning to CORBA - C Language Considerations - Private and Protected Inheritance - Pointers to Member Functions - The Transition to OO and C++

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I don't think there are any great C++ books. A great book would eliminate the need for others, which none that I've seen do. Even if not great, this is a good book, and worth reviewing. The book attempts to be two things: first, a programming style guide, and second, a nuts-and-bolts C++ reference book. (Incidentally, the cover is somewhat misleading: it also trumpets coverage of ActiveX, CORBA, and COM, but the material on them here is very thin - if you need to understand them, look elsewhere).

As a programming style guide, it is rather a mixed bag. Its main weakness is a tendency towards salesmanship - that is, the authors are trying to sell you something and are therefore quite aggressive in discussing the merits of their wares and tend to be silent when discussing the weaknesses of them. A particular problem I could point out is the use of C++ in DLLs. If you follow the style guide in this book, and try to put your code into DLL's, you will find that you have some very serious versioning problems, problems the advice in this book was instrumental in creating but useless in alleviating. This doesn't mean that the advice isn't generally good, but there are issues here that the authors are not as frank as they should be in discussing. (I don't know why propaganda of this sort is so common in C++ books, but it is. I've never seen one without it.)

Whatever it may be as a style guide, as a nuts and bolts problem solving book this is really very good. C++ is a large language - it is by far the largest, most complex language ever to find wide use, and there it contains many pitfalls. This book's great strength is in identifying many of these problem areas, and providing solutions to them. The discussion of object construction, copying, and destruction, alone, for example would make this book worth owning. The coverage is not, however, complete. Reader knowledge of language basics is assumed, and some advanced topics, such as multiple inheritance, are not covered. Because of this, you will not find this a good book for learning C++, nor should it be the only C++ book you own.

That said, of all the C++ books I own, this is the one that most often contained the easiest to find, clearest, and best answer to the problems that I actually had when using (as opposed to learning) the language. The answers were generally easiest to find because of the extensive table of contents (it averages about one entry per page) and very complete index. In addition to being easy to find, the answers were also clearly written. There is a lot of sample code in this book, and it is generally very good code for teaching its points. The authors also clearly understand their stuff, and I did not find any of the dreadful this-is-too-technical-for-the-reader hand-waving that so often mars computer industry books. Finally, in addition to being clearly written, the answers were also usually the most complete and thorough I found among the C++ books I own - the problems the book addressed, it addressed very well.

In summary, until and unless that great C++ book is ever written - and I'm not holding my breath - this is a book that almost any C++ developer would do well to have, limits and all.

I find this book to be a great reference. Anytime I want the answer to an obscure question I look it up in my C++ FAQ's book. Not only does it have the answer I am looking for, but also a lot of advice and cross references to other related questions, answers, and advice. You will find in depth discussions of strange language issues such as placement new, calling destructers without deleting an object, having a default implementation for a pure virtual function, making a function pointer that points to a non-static class member function, and all kinds of other advanced topics not covered in your average C++ book. I am willing to bet most experienced C++ programmers don't know about many of these issues. Of course, all the basics are covered as well. You can learn just about everything about C++ by reading this book from cover to cover.

This is the first book I pick up when I need an answer.

The entire book is a series of FAQs, organized extremely well. Each topic has its own chapter. Within a chapter, the questions progress from general to specific, often in the same order that they pop into my mind. Each question is followed by a cut-to-the-chase 1-sentence answer, followed by a more detailed explanation. Finding your question in the book is facilitated by a table of contents that lists each FAQ, and a detailed index.

I also like the editorializing. ("Arrays are evil.") One reason I find C++ baffling is that there are so many ways to do something. The authors pick a way and tell you why it is better than the alternatives. That's information I can use.

As a bonus, there's a chapter on understanding management's perspective. For example, when you're trying to convince management to adopt the object-oriented paradigm, "Show why it's relevant... don't use the 'it will keep the developers happy' approach ... most managers think that they are the people who need to be kept happy ...".

Incidentally, when I find the time, I plan to systematically read the book start to finish, just to fill in gaps in my knowledge. It is entertaining enough that I'm actually looking forward to it.

After purchasing the Phish Companion only last night, I found myself lost in it for many hours, jumping from setlist to show review, losing myself in moments of reflection on the shows I've been to and was so fortunate to experience.

As Mike has said, "I always liked a good bar chart." (See phish.net FAQ) This book is chock full of useful information not only about setlist openers and closers, comprehensive information (compiled by ZZYZX) on individual tours, a complete "Every Time Played" in addition to multiple essays, interviews, reviews of shows and venues.

One of the most interesting tidbits I found was a multi-region area chart showing the rise and fall of "I am H2" within the Mike's Groove. Really neat stuff.

This book is truly a taper/trader's almanac with the most complete setlists available for every show the band has played with circulation and scarcity guides to match.

I can't say enough about it, this book is a must for any phan. Kudos to the Mockingbird Foundation for producing a book worthy of the hype which preceeded it!

PS. It's complete through 10.7 Shoreline!

All I can really say about this book is WOW! By far the most informative book ever assembled for any band. It has song histories, timelines, setlists, reviews, interviews, and enough statistics to please everyone, mathematicians included. Almost too much to handle all at once...

I had purchased this book originally when I was getting into tape trading. I needed reliable setlists, basically. What I got with the Phish Companion was reliable setlists. And information about every single show, too. And reviews. And an invaluable taper's guide. And on and on and on....I'm sure there's more things I'm forgetting about, but it's just that great and jam packed with info. I can literally pick up the book anytime and read for hours and find something new every time ( also great bathroom reading... ).

I really don't know how this book could be improved on. I suppose if ( or when, hopefully! ) Phish comes off their hiatus and starts touring again, the book will have to be updated. But as far a complete and comprehensive guide to all Phish activity up to 10-7-00, this is THE book to buy. And hey, it's for a good cause too. Now get out and see some shows!

As an editor, contributor, and proud founder of the Mockingbird Foundation's _Phish Companion_, I am obviously a biased party. But I don't think you'll find a better, more accurate, or more comprehensive book on Phish anywhere. All proceeds will benefit charities that support music education for children - no contributor will receive any compensation for their writings.

The book contains tons of new setlists and stories that have never been seen by fans. It is also chock full of statistics, reviews, song histories, and informative side chapters that will inform the newest and oldest fan alike.

For more information on both the book and our upcoming tribute album, check out the Foundation's website.....

I listen to Dr. Drew and Adam's radio show all the time. Every now and then, as they are dealing with a caller's problem, they make a point or impart some common sense that makes me think, "YES! They're exactly right. I wish EVERYBODY could have heard that last piece of advice!"

The Dr. Drew and Adam Book is a comprehensive collection of all those priceless nuggets of advice that I wish EVERYBODY could hear. Therefore, I think EVERYBODY should buy this book. It's content is served up in the "Complete Idiot's Guide To..." style, so even a fourteen year old with Attention-Deficit Disorder won't be able to put it down. There's lots of interesting sidebars, input from celebrities who have been guests on their show, etc.

This book is like Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus... only it's funnier, shorter, more practical, more hip, is about more than just relationships, and just better. The government should buy this book by the millions and make it required reading for all high school freshmen. Adults (especially parents) will love it, too. And it's cheap!

This book is as close as you will find to a handbook for modern life. Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla answer questions about relationships, sex, drugs, mental health and life in general in an entertaining, insightful way. The book is written clearly and organized by topic which makes it an easy read and a useful reference.

Dr. Drew and Adam are an unlikely pair who share an original chemistry. Dr. Drew, a board-certified physician and addiction medicine specialist, provides easy-to-understand, authoritative information on a variety of topics critical to every human. Adam Carolla, a radio personality, comedian, actor and former construction worker, provides the wit, charm and humor that make even the hard answers easy to swallow.

Learn what Adam believes a cat can teach men about handling women. Hear Dr. Drew separate the myths from the truths about sexuality. Read Adam's rules about who should be banned from having sex. Listen to Dr. Drew's advice on abuse, drug use, STDs and many, many more topics.

This is a great book for parents to use to initiate discussions with their kids about these difficult topics. If you can't bring yourself to talk to your kid, at least let Dr. Drew and Adam do it. They bring a sense of moral conscience and responsibility back to relationships.

The greatest book i ever read but because im poor i could never buy it. Please, i am using this computer at the library. I saw the book at the bookstore and loved it. Please have pity on a poor boy. If you can spare a book copy please send it to 11314 Hollowstone dr. North Bethesda Md 20852 to William Gutterman

P.S. I live with my aunt and my mom died in a car crash. I never knew my dad.

Marshall McLuhan introduces us to the world of the media through history and how these media have dominated our life for centuries, from the very beginning of humanity. It explains how the invention of the phonetic alphabet has completely linearly structured our western mind, a structuring that was then amplified by the invention of the printing press. But then he jumps to THE invention that changed all that : electricity, that is still changing all that by making the old principle of linearity obsolete since electricity is founded on the principle of simultaneity. He demonstrates how today controling the flow of information is the only way to control the world. This is both illuminating and frightening. We may wonder if the Internet is not introducing a new principle : the come-back of intelligence, of intelligent analysis of data by the human brain because we finally can bring together and confront several sources and several analytical tools at the same time. The book was written before the Internet. If this is true, then there is hope. But it explains why a society, why so many people resist any new medium : it endangers their fragile equilibrium by expanding one or several of their senses, by disturbing their sense ratios, hence by giving them a feeling of amputation against which they protect themselves by rejecting the novelty. Only artists and creative minds are able to assume the new medium and even see beyond it and capture its potentialities.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Although we're just beginning to realize it, the world that Marshall McLuhan foresaw is beginning to take place. When you hear that an insurance company or ad agency is not primarily in the business of producing ads or insurance, but of "putting people in touch" or "communicating," that rhetoric was stolen straight from Mr. McLuhan. Likewise the (slightly misunderstood but still relevant) cliche "global village," was coined back in 1964 when UNDERSTANDING MEDIA first appeared.

Most academic books are about ten percent new. Inovative ones are about 20 percent new. McLuhan claimed his was about 40 percent new, which is what makes is such a rough read. It isn't his prose style, which is charming and felicitous. But when introducing a new discipline, there must needs be enough bridges left to the old ones (in this case sociology, history, rhetoric, etc.) that redundancy occurs. That explains why you'll see some repetition in this book, as well as what appears to be disorganiztion. This leads some reader/critics to assume that UNDERSTANDING MEDIA is simply sloppy and poorly edited but far from it: it's a powerful, almost radical way to restructure our view of American (and hence the world's) society.

For what it's worth, I was a communications major in college (UVA 1977) with several McLuhan papers to my credit. charess@ync.net

Since the advent of civilization, humans have been evolving themselves through technology: foot into wheel, skin into clothing, teeth into weapons, and finally, our nervous system into electric information. It is this electric nervous system that now makes us so nervous about modern life. Like Dylan's Mr. Jones, we know something's going on, we just don't know what it is. McLuhan gives us clue-in, hear.

In his third book, McLuhan reviews the evolutionary extension of humans, and notes the impact that they have had, and the toll they take on consciousness. He asserts that this evolutionary progression, now manifested in the extensions of electricity, has placed our nervous system around the world. (The instantaneous, electric information carried inside by the nerves, is now externalized.) This is "media," and it impacts our perception of reality (what a concept,) and that to be forewarned of its impact is to be forearmed.

McLuhan is still "far-out man." Written in 1964, this book is more insightful and current than any present media pundit's prognostication. Hear in our lessons on how to surf the electronic wave into the shore light of the next millenium. But be advised, once you read McLuhan, you will never be able to ignore the media's massage again.

This review of the book Pollyanna may be affected by the fact that it's being written by a boy, but let me say first that I enjoyed the Disney film version with Hayley Mills. I just didn't like the book as much. It's really nothing more than your average "irrepresible orphan turns everything upside-down" story, and like most of them, it's filled with cliches and is blatantly unrealistic, not to mention cloyingly cute. I could not stand the character of Pollyanna; she spent too much time chatting her mouth off and misinterpreting every cold act of her aunt's as an expression of love to really make an impression on me with her "glad game." While the characters are somewhat interesting, they're all stereotypes: the cold, unloving mother figure (in this case an aunt), the kind doctor who spends too much time with his patients to blot out an unhappy personal life, the embittered millionaire with a secret, the hypochondriac, grumpy invalid. It's so easy to notice these stereotypes that it makes everything so much less real than it already is. The movie was different in that it was completely believeable, thanks to the talented cast and the calm, subtle playing of Hayley Mills, who actually made a difference and had an obvious, BELIEVEABLE effect on the town without drowning us in cuteness. Get the movie; forget the book.

This book so effected me as a child, to this day, many many years later the phrase, "If you look for the good, you will find it" still serves as a valuable reminder for how we can effect our realitiy with our personal perspectives. This little girl, Pollyanna, teaches other children how to play the glad game in a wonderful and engaging story. Too few children today, know how to recognize or be happy. They haven't learned the "glass is half full" thinking. This book is a great spiritual guide, without trying to be one. Please read it and discuss it with your child. You'll both be happier. Thanks.

Have you ever been dropped into a house where you feel invisiable? Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter is a tender heartwarming story about a girl and her aunt's relationship. Eleanor H. Porter has touched many souls with this heartwarming and loving story.

This heartwarming story is about the relationship and concern of an aunt and her niece. They both try to accept that there's someone important and new in their lives.

Meet Pollyanna, and her aunt Polly, they both live in Vermont. Pollyanna and her aunt devolp trustcin each other after facing many obsticles.

Eleanor H. Porter brought in very discriptive detail. She changed font and size when she expressed what each of the character did, said,see and thought. Eleanor H.Porter is a very talented author. She convinces the reader with her expressive chapter endings.

You will find this story irrestible if you love stories that have characters who devolp many relationships. Adults and kids who have read this book will say its hard to put down. Don't miss this wonderful oppertuinty to see how this very good relationship begins, devolps and ends.

I gave this book to my mother and grandmother, and that has proven to be one of the best things I ever could have done. This book has questions in it like, "One of my most memorable toys was . . ." and "These people were my best friends in my middle years. . ." The book has specific questions for three different periods in life, and all of the questions are revealing. Not only have I learned a lot about my mother and grandmother, but they have learned about themselves. This book makes a thoughtful gift, and I plan to buy several more for Christmas presents. My only complaint about the book is its writing spaces. The lines are too wide, leaving little room to write in detail. Still, I've not found another book of equal quality or depth. A gem!

This book asks excellent questions relating to several different periods of a person's life. Most of them are generic enough that they can be commented on, providing insight to whomever ends up reading the final version. This is not a book which can be completed quickly - many of the questions relate to "middle age" with grandkids, etc. (things I have yet to experience). However I believe once it is done (even in partial form) it will be something nice I can leave behind for my children and maybe grandchildren to read and gain insight into my life.

I never could have written so much about my life without his journaling book. The prompts give just the right amount of direction, while still being flexible for different kinds and ages of people. It pulled out lots of memories: what I liked doing after school as a kid, what my parents' politics were, special friendships and mentors, movies and music at different times in my life, my first car, pet stories. And it made me think: what I am proud of doing, what I regret not exploring, wishes, traits I hope to be remembered for. These are just examples, the book covers a lot of ground. I promise you will find lots that will get your pen going! It's fun to do and satisfying to have it all down now.

I have trouble reading classic literature. I am an avid reader and I want to enjoy the classics, but just find it difficult to understand the meaning in some of the writing.

This, however, was a pleasant surprise. Although written in the early 1700s, the story itself was fairly easy to follow. Even towards the end, I began to see the underlying theme of the satire that Swift has been praised for in this work.

Being someone who reads primarily science fiction and fantasy novels, I thought this might be an opportunity to culture myself while also enjoying a good story. I was correct in my thinking. Even if you can't pick up on the satire, there is still a good classic fantasy story.

Essentially, the book details the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, who by several misfortunes, visits remote and unheard of lands. In each, Gulliver spends enough time to understand the language and culture of each of these land's inhabitants. He also details the difference in culture of his native England to the highest rulers of the visted nations. In his writing of these differences, he is able to show his dislike with the system of government of England. He does this by simply stating how things are in England and then uses the reaction of the strangers as outsiders looking in, showing their lack of respect for what Gulliver describes.

I found it very interesting to see that even as early as the 1700s there was a general dislike of government as well as lawyers.

I would recommend this book to anyone who reads the fantasy genre. Obviously, it's not an epic saga like so many most fantasy readers enjoy, but it's a nice break. I would also recommend this to high school students who are asked to pick a classic piece for a book report. It reads relatively quick and isn't as difficult to read as some of the others that I've tried to read.

Lemuel Gulliver is a surgeon/ship¨ˆs captain who embarks on several intriguing adventures. His first endeavor takes him to Lilliput, where all inhabitants are six inches tall, but resemble normal humans in every other respect. His next voyage lands him on Brobdingnag, where a grown man is sixty feet tall, and even the shortest dwarf stands thirty feet tall. On his third trip, he travels to several locations, including a floating island. During Gulliver¨ˆs final voyage, he is abandoned by his mutinous crew on the island of the Houyhnhnms, which are extremely intelligent horses. No evil or concept of lying exists among these creatures. The island is also inhabited by Yahoos, savage, irrational human-like creatures who are kept as pets by the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver wishes to spend the rest of his life on this peaceful island, but he is banished and forced to return to England.
I really enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to people 14 or older. Since the novel was written in the 1700¡¯s, the words, grammar and usage are a little confusing. The reader also must have prior knowledge of 18th-century politics to get a full image of what Swift is trying to convey. At some points, the author goes into detail about nautical terms and happenings, and that tends to drag. Overall, the book is well-written, slightly humorous, if not a little confusing.

It's amazing how our perspective changes as we age. What we thought was important as children may now seem completely insignificant, replaced by entirely new priorities, priorities children wouldn't even understand. At the same time, things we used to take for granted, like having dinner on the table, being taken care of when we're ill, or getting toys fixed when they are broken, have become items on adult worry lists.

Your perspective on literature can change, too. Reading a story for a second time can give you a completely different view of it. "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, which I enjoyed as a sort of an adventure story when I was a kid, now reads as a harsh criticism of society in general and the institution of slavery in particular.

The same thing is true of "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. The first thing I realized upon opening the cover of this book as a college student was that I probably had never really read it before.

I knew the basic plot of Lemuel Gulliver's first two voyages to Lilliput and Brobdingnag, home of the tiny and giant people, respectively, but he had two other voyages of which I was not even aware: to a land of philosophers who are so lost in thought they can't see the simplest practical details, Laputa, and to a land ruled by wise and gentle horses or Houyhnhnms and peopled by wild, beastly human-like creatures called Yahoos.

While this book has become famous and even beloved by children, Jonathan Swift was certainly not trying to write a children's book.

Swift was well known for his sharp, biting wit, and his bitter criticism of 18th century England and all her ills. This is the man who, to point out how ridiculous English prejudices had become, wrote "A Modest Proposal" which suggested that the Irish raise their children as cattle, to be eaten as meat, and thereby solve the problems of poverty and starvation faced in that country. As horrible as that proposal is, it was only an extension of the kinds of solutions being proposed at the time.

So, although "Gulliver's Travels" is entertaining, entertainment was not Swift's primary purpose. Swift used this tale of a guillable traveler exploring strange lands to point out some of the inane and ridiculous elements of his own society.

For example, in describing the government of Lilliput, Swift explains that officials are selected based on how well they can play two games, Rope-Dancing and Leaping and Creeping. These two games required great skill in balance, entertained the watching public, and placed the politicians in rather ridiculous positions, perhaps not so differently from elections of leaders in the 18th century and even in modern times.

Give this book a look again, or for the first time. Even in cases in which the exact object of Swift's satire has been forgotten, his sweeping social commentary still rings true. Sometimes it really does seem that we are all a bunch of Yahoos.