As an actor, I fell completely in love with Zoyka's Apartment. Bulgakov has an amazing capacity for imagery. The characters are vivid and enthralling. His sense of comedy remains unsurpassed by the writers of today. I highly recommend this hysterically ludicrous play to any fan of Bulgakov. You may also enjoy reading anything by Kurt Vonnegut, his work runs along the same lines as Bulgakov's.

Before I bought this book I did not realize that the movie Goodfellas coincided with this book. I am not a huge fan of reading books, but I do like to read one once in a while. I enjoyed this book a lot. Most of the chapters were great. I found difficult to put the book down most of the time. The life of Henry Hill is pretty interesting. Most people look at the mob in the eyes of the Godfather movies. This shows that life in the mob is not always that great for the members and their families. Give this book a read its worth it!

The outsider's nonchalance of chief narrator Henry Hill and Nicholas Pileggi's highly restrained hand in helping him relate his story has resulted in a book which shuns any sense of melodrama and emotional attachment. Instead, we get a highly intelligent, insightful, and funny look at Mafia life, stuffed with fascinating details.

As befits his reporter background, Pileggi stays at a distance. Unlike its offspring movie GoodFellas, where director Martin Scorsese effortlessly blended the smart-aleck text of the book (incorporating it into the film as probably the best voice-over ever written and performed) with elements of suspense, poetry, sensuality, visual comedy, and energy. In Pileggi's book, it's all cerebral. Hill's magnetic personality and storytelling talents make this book an addictive read. Pileggi also flaunts a real editorial talent, skipping out of Hill's first-person account and delving into journalistic mode at the most suitable moments, giving background where necessary, and stepping back to let the reader make the moral judgments as s/he sees fit.

Different from, but the equal of, GoodFellas. I'd take the opposite stance from other people by saying that it's probably better to see the film first; the emotional investment Scorsese weaves into the story offers a rich contrast to the book's neutral tone. And reversing the process will also facilitate the viewer/reader in seeing through the outdated accusation of "This didn't really happen" when watching the film.

Pileggi's gripping narrative gives an inside view of life in the New York crime syndicate. Ex-mobster Henry Hill describes his 25-year career as a hijacker, arsonist, and thief. Hill and his associates operated via a combination of bribes, intimidation, crooked cops, and greedy businessmen eager for stolen merchandise (swag). Lest readers be misinformed, Hill's associates (if not Hill) murdered not just renegade mobsters, but ordinary citizens who got in the way. This book both glamorizes and attacks the swaggering, fast-money Mafia lifestyle. Hill entered FBI witness protection in 1980 after his bust for narcotics distribution left him a marked man for having violated syndicate rules against drug trafficking. Director Martin Scorsese turned this book into the superb 1990 movie "Goodfellows." Pileggi followed with "Casino," another fine narrative (and Scorsese movie) that investigates Midwest mob influence in Las Vegas. "Wiseguy" is a very absorbing and informative read.

Adrian Mole is your average teenager. He's so average that it's hilarious to read how well Sue Townsend has been able to write his diary entries you'd almost believe he was a real human being. He has normal problems and normal anxieties. He wakes up in the morning not wanting to get out of bed and he goes up to the mirror and complains about his zits. His parents are hardly bothered with him and his best friend has everything he doesn't have-a loving family, richness and popularity. Unfortunately, his best friend has something else that Adrian really does want-Pandora...Adrian's crush and also Adrian's best friend's girlfriend. And yet all through this Adrian keeps wishes and hopes and especially those little dreams that as time goes by doesn't seem to have much of a possibility. This book displays his daily living in an honest and humorous sense of view that mixes very well with reality. For it is not only witty, it is very touching.
I recommend this book to people of all ages. I first read this book when I was 10 but at the time we were told that the content was not suitable. When I actually read it though it didn't actually seem too bad. And now at 14 and 3/4 I can still read it and find it amazingly funny. And many of the adults who have read this book seem to comment it as a very relaxing book that relives them of a LOT of stress. And seeing as this book as THREE others following after it, you'll certainly not regret having to finish the book for you'll be in for twice more fun in the next book.

If Charles Shultz's saying "Happiness isn't funny" is true, then this book by definition qualifies as hilarious. Adrian Mole isn't just a teenager with typical adolescent angst; he's smack dab in the middle of Thatcher's Britain, on the wrong side of the tracks.

His parents are on the skids, he has neither dress sense, social grace, looks, intelligence, nor wit, but believes himself to be intellectual and artistically gifted.

Menaced and robbed by skinheads at school on a daily basis, pining for a middle-class girl on the fast-track to the upper class he'd so desperately want to join... he is the absolute metaphor for a latter 20th century England that is no longer on the cutting edge of anything, and, like a teenager realising subconsciously he has no future, dealing with the reality that it will never live up to its past glory or future expectations.

Savagely skewering the class system, granola-crunching intellectuals, adolescence, Thatcherism, and life in the Midlands, Sue Townsend has executed a real stroke of brilliance in making Mole so clueless. As the moron he is, he cannot filter nor embellish the truth that goes on around him, but reports it through his own naive eyes. This lets us see, for example, that his best friend is less than sane with a serious identity crisis, without the psychobabble.

These are dark, brutal books and could easily be rewritten as black tragedies... much of the humor comes from a sense of "Dei gratia sum quod sum." Yet they are funnier still for being so. If you are British or British-ex-pat or in a British-inspired country like Canada or Australia, you WILL see people you know in these characters.

This really is essential reading.

Long before Bridget Jones was popular, Adrian Mole's diary was making people laugh the world over.

I read the first Adrian Mole book when I was in high school...seven or eight times. I have now read all of the Adrian Mole books & when I finished the Cappucino Years, I have to say, I was a little weepy.

I gave this book to my now fiancee last Christmas & got him hooked on the series as well. It is hard to resist the bumbling lovable character of Adrian Mole.

He touches the nerd in us all.

After devouring but savoring One Hundred Years of Solitude, I needed to read another work by Marquez--frankly, I immediately pushed everything else to the side of my desk and began Love in the Time of Cholera. Marquez writes in a rare, rich style, one that moves the reader slowly, for each sentence is an individual piece of beauty. When you come across a book that makes you ultimately sad for completing it, you'll know Love in the Time of Cholera. The espescially descriptive diction is enticing enough to overwhelm you, to lead you to reread Love in the Time of Cholera immediately after its final, enchanting paragraph.

A description of Love in the Time of Cholera is an impossible task, so I hope you will read the first five, ten, or three-hundred pages to understand this aesthetic baptism.

The story is much like a fairy tale based around the decision of an elegantly beautiful woman to turn down a painfully romantic poet to marry a doctor. The married couple's inner life is surrounded by wealth in a luxurious mansion, the continuing beauty from trips to Paris, and the few quarrels that almost break their relationship. Their marriage lasts through the turn of the 20th century and its technological changes--until the husband's untimely death leaves behind a widow. Surviving the surrounding destruction and awaiting his love, the poet returns.

As I read this book, the first thing that struck me was how beautifully Marquez transitioned from one idea to another. The book starts at the present time, where Fermina Daza's husband, Dr. Juvenal Urbino, has just died. Florentino Ariza has been in love with her for his entire life, so he confesses his love for her the moment he gets her alone on the day of her late husband's burial. From this scene, we cut back to their childhoods, where we see the origins of their love affair. We skip around in time to answer the question, ``What brought us to where we are?"

Marquez's point, it seems to me, is that one needs to know a whole life (I think Salman Rushdie wrote something like, ``To understand me, you must swallow a world") in order to understand any particular event within it. Lives are lived forwards but understood backwards - and in Marquez's world, they're understood sideways and upside-down. He shakes out the pockets of his characters to understand where they've come from.

The problem is that each character is living inside of his or her own little world. As ordinary people, we fundamentally can't get inside our acquaintances' worlds; as an author, Marquez can. So he ambles around through his characters' minds, poking and prodding to see what makes them tick. It's a beautiful technique, and Marquez handles the transitions between characters' minds with more finesse than I've ever seen out of an omnipotent narrator.

He also handles the transitions between time periods beautifully. As part of his story's structure, it's necessary for him at every juncture to step back and ask again, ``What brought us here?" So often he has to stop in the middle of a story and jump back a few years. Once he's done jumping back, he returns to the present. Once he's done with that story, he jumps ahead to where the previous juncture left him. And so forth. In the hands of a less capable author, this would seem jarring and irritating. In Marquez's hands, it's gripping: we can't wait to see how the present resolves itself.

Ultimately this is a very sad story, so a lot of the other reviewers' comments about the book's Latin heat don't fit well with me. In the end, the only reason we can understand all the people in this book is that Marquez can freely jump amongst them. As ordinary people, we don't have that luxury. What's more, we can *see* that the characters can't get inside each others' heads: Florentino Ariza keeps chasing his impossible dream even when we know that he's going about it all wrong. We're powerless to stop him. In the end, I find this book heartbreaking.

There are many good reasons to read this book. Among them: read it for the style, read it for the plot, or read it for what it tells you about the walls that exist between all humans. You won't be disappointed.

Arguably Marquez's best work. Many feel, "One Hundred Years Of Solitude" was, but I think that was before "Love In The Time of Cholera" was written. This book reads like a lyrical Shakespearian dream. It tastes like sweet wine and flows like poetry read to a lover on a hot sultry day under the shade of a 100 year old oak. It's a story of the unrequited love of a man who's desire for a woman will either kill him or save him. No one could possibly have written it with as much passion, drama, and sensitivity as Marquez. The closest an English writer comes to "One hundred Years" is D. H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover" had Lawrence been a hot blooded Latin, but Englishmen just don't have the blood for it. This is a must read for those who consider themselves well read or aspire to be. Nothing sounds as intimate, inspiring, cerebral, or cool at a social gathering as an excerpt from this book.

I definitely recommend this book to all kids who love plays and musicals. This book is very well written but may have some words that younger children may not understand. One of the things I didn't like about the book was that the story line went to slow. By that I mean the plot was dragged out when it didn't have to be. This book is about an opera house that is said to be haunted by a phantom. But the owners do not believe this story and disregard it. But then strange things start to happen. They start getting letters from the phantom that threaten the lives of people in the opera. He does this because he only wants Christine (one of the main characters) to sing the solo parts of the opera. He wants Christine all for himself so he starts giving her singing lessons. The another man comes into Christine's life and everything is turned upside down. I'll be polite not to give you the end to this book but it is a very exciting book that will always keep you on the edge of your seat.

Take one beautiful, mysterious and talented soprano opera singer, add two bold opera house owners, a dashing, confused, in-love young man in searh for the opera singer's heart, and one tortured, genius, masked man, and you've got one great book. This book is not merely a book, but a haunting story of horror and love. The noted opera singer, Christine, has been taking secret opera lessons from her adoring Angel of Music, who loves her enough to kill an opera and its audience. Christine also has another admirer, Raoul, who would do anything for her, including save her from the dread Opera Ghost who kills everyone who stands in his way, with the help of the Persian who is owed a favor by the Phantom. As we read on, we find that Erik, The Phantom of the Opera, the Angel of Music, and the Opera Ghost (a.k.a. O.G.) are one, and indeed a terrifying collaboration. Christine refuses to marry Erik, so she, the persian and Raoul are in fatal danger. For years upon reading the haunting story, I can't get it out of my head. I love it. The opera is one to see also. This book will enthral a captivated audience, I quite assure you.

The discriptive language pulls you into the book, into the Paris Opera House, into the backstage shadows. It forces images upon you of the churchyard, of the spectacular opera performances, of the cellars, of Christine and of the Phantom... Never a dull moment. Suspenceful nights in box 5 and throughout the opera house. Read this and just try not to fall madly in love with the Angel of Music and his dark allure.
Get the cover of the blue staircase without the illustrations. The illustrations aren't as good as you own imagination.

There is a new band of translators who are trying to capture the feel of original cadence and language by applying the cadence and language of modern English. Strict translation is sacrificed for readability; this, in turn, is mitigated by plenty of clear notes and commentary. Elio Zappulla's new iambic pentameter, unrhymed verse translation of "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri succeeds as such a translation. It is a joy to read. Dante's 14th century masterpiece, one of the first major works to be written in the vernacular (of Italy), is appropriately translated into the ordinary and occassionally coarse words of English. The result is anything but ordinary; sometimes reaching the extraordinary clarity afforded by the verse (over the prose). If you enjoyed Rober Fagles' translation of Homer's "Odyssey" or Everett Fox's translation of "The Five Books of Moses", then you will breeze through Zappulla's "Inferno". I hope that Zappulla is already preparing translations of "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso".

There is a new band of translators who are trying to capture the feel of original cadence and language by applying the cadence and language of modern English. Strict translation is sacrificed for readability; this, in turn, is mitigated by plenty of clear notes and commentary. Elio Zappulla's new iambic pentameter, unrhymed verse translation of "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri succeeds as such a translation. It is a joy to read. Dante's 14th century masterpiece, one of the first major works to be written in the vernacular (of Italy), is appropriately translated into the ordinary and occassionally coarse words of English. The result is anything but ordinary; sometimes reaching the extraordinary clarity afforded by the verse (over the prose). If you enjoyed Rober Fagles' translation of Homer's "Odyssey" or Everett Fox's translation of "The Five Books of Moses", then you will breeze through Zappulla's "Inferno". I hope that Zappulla is already preparing translations of "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other notes: The book is pleasantly typeset. The paintings by Gregory Gillespie are, unfortunately, an unnecessary distraction. I found the diagrams in a Carlyle-Okey-Wicksteed translation much more illuminating.

Dante's Inferno, the best of the three books of the Divine Comedy, is a revelation. The imagery is powerful, the language wonderful, it description of damnation almost terrifying. It is one of the most vivid religious books ever written, on par with Paradise Lost. Dante does not just recite catholic cannon, however. He has many contemporary references to Italian politics (a subject I knew little about before reading the Divine comedy), to church politics, to classical works such as Homer and Herodotus. To read it is to see the world in the middle ages, long before the reformation. Do not be intimidated by the prospect of reading a 14th century epic poem. After the first page, the style will become familiar and you will revel in the intricate detail of Dante's underworld.

As for this particular edition, it is excellent. Ciardi gives a very good translation and, unlike other translators, preserves Dante's occasional scatalogical references and profanity. In addition, there are several useful maps of the Inferno as well as copious, informative (and necessary) endnotes at the finish of each Canto. The only way the edition could be better is if the notes were at the bottom of the page, but the Cantos are short enough that flipping to the end to read the endnotes is not the finger-breaking maneuver you might find in other editions.

I initially approached this book with a great deal of trepidation. I had never read Dostoyevsky, and was concerned that I would get bogged down in some lengthy, mind-numbingly boring, nineteenth-century treatise on the bestial nature of man or something. I am happy to report this is not the case. Instead, and to my delight, it is a smoothly flowing and fascinating story of a young man who succumbs to the most base desire, and the impact this has both psychologically and otherwise on himself and those around him.

To be sure, the book seems wordy in places, but I suspect this has to do with the translation. And what translator in his right mind would be bold enough to edit the great Dostoyevsky? But this is a very minor problem.

What we get with Dostoyevsky is dramatic tension, detailed and believable human characters, and brilliant insight into human nature. Early in the novel our hero meets and has a lengthy conversation with Marmeladov, a drunkard. This conversation is never uninteresting and ultimately becomes pathetic and heartbreaking, but I kept wondering why so much time was spent on it. As I got deeper into the book, I understood why this conversation was so important, and realized that I was in the hands of a master storyteller. This is also indicative of the way in which the story reveals itself. Nothing is hurried. These people speak the way we actually speak to one another in real life, and more importantly, Dostoyevsky is able to flesh out his characters into whole, three-dimensional human beings.

And what a diverse group of characters! Each is fleshed out, each is marvelously complex. Razujmikhin, the talkative, gregarious, good-hearted, insecure and destitute student; Sonia, the tragic child-prostitute, with a sense of rightness in the world; Petrovich, the self-important, self-made man, completely out of touch with his own humanity; Dunia, the honorable, wronged sister: we feel like we know these people because we've met people like them. They fit within our understanding of the way human beings are.

Dostoyevsky also displays great insight into human nature. Svidrigailov, for example, talks of his wife as liking to be offended. "We all like to be offended," he says, "but she in particular loved to be offended." It suddenly struck me how true this is. It gives us a chance to act indignantly, to lash out at our enemies, to gain favor with our allies. I don't believe I've ever seen this thought expressed in literature before. In fact, it never occurred to me in real life! Petrovich, Dunia's suitor, not only expects to be loved, but because of his money, and her destitution, he expects to be adored! To be worshipped! He intentionally sought out a woman from whome he expected to get this, and is comletely flummoxed when she rejects him. His is an unusual character, but completely realized.

There is so much more to talk about: the character of Raskolnikov, which is meticulously and carefully revealed; the sense of isolation which descends on him after committing his crime; the cat and mouse game played on him by the police detective. I could go on and on. I haven't even mentioned the historical and social context in which this takes place. Suffice to say this is a very rich book.

Do not expect it to be a rip-roaring page turner. Sit down, relax, take your time, and savor it. It will be a very rewarding experience. And thank you SL, for recommending it.

Like many writers of his era, Dostoyevsky uses a lot of prose and little dialogue, which makes reading the book a bit of a plodding chore.

However, the story is anything but boring: Raskilnov, a poor student, comes up with the philosophy that killing an old female pawnbroker will actually be good for the world because she cheats people and is otherwise useless. It's premeditated --- he even counts exactly how many steps it takes from his place to her door.

The book also recounts the following few days when Raskilnov's mother and sister come to visit and he has to play his 'family role' i.e. "I'm a good son and brother when I'm not killing old women." In addition, he is involved with a family consisting of a dying mother, a father, 3 young sons and an 18-year-old daughter who must go into prostitution to support them.

So what happens to all of these characters in pre-Revolutionary Russia? What will be Raskilnov's punishment? Does he actually think he was right to kill? The answers unfold as you read this gem from the world of Russian literature -- so renown you feel like you really achieved something when you read it!

This novel stands out as one of the finest pieces of actual literature I have read. Top 5 at least.

First, let me pay tribute to "Everyman's Library Series". They make very handsome novels, complete with soft cream pages, and a built in fabric book mark. They all come in moroon, and add a certain pinache to any book collection. Best of all, they are well priced.

As for Crime and Punishment. I was very impressed. More often than not, I read the classics, and wonder how it is they have become classics. For Dostoevsky, there can be no doubt. And Crime and Punishment is his best known effort. Not his best though. C&P is the exploration of the world that it's hero/villain Raskolnikov occupies. He takes it apon himself to murder a particularly vile pawnbroker(thus making him a villain) under the guise of the highest moral resposibility. Well, no plan is perfect, and most of the book is an involved psycological examination of it's main character, the ways he tries to justify his crime to himself, and the people around him who have no idea what the hell is going on. Dostoevsky creates living breathing people that you care about in this tale. It's simple premise gives way to an incredibly complex story. The dialogues bewtween Raskolnikov, and Porfiry( the ever suspicious investigator) are wonderful. And then theres the clever and sneaky Svidrigailov, whom I found rather amusing at times. To me the book was very suspenseful. never knowing if or when young Raskolnikov would confess, or continue to hide in uncertainty due to the circumstancial evidence that linked him to the crime. SO many times I wanted to read to the end to find out. But I didn't, and neither should you. There's just so much depth to this book, I have no doubt it will recieve a return read. Perhaps in another 10 years I will read it, and get even more out of it. That's how all great books are. Highest recommendation.

A simple five-star rating does not fully capture the quality of this book. I recommend The Pathfinder as the sole resource for anybody who is chosing a first career, career change, or any life event that requires a deep understanding of one's core interests and goals in life.

I have always felt that people who offer the best advice are those who are able to frame the right questions. Nicholas Lore has mastered this art. The Pathfinder enables the reader to discover his/her most hidden desires and provides a guide to identify a career that incorporates each of these desires.

Reading the Pathfinder (and completing ALL of the Inquiries) I was able to isolate the core elements of all my childhood dreams and identify a career that incorporated each of these elements. Within four months I was able to secure a my dream job. As a bonus, the career I chose provided me with a 40% pay raise (not to mention equity in the company).

I highly recommend this book to anybody who is tired of being controlled by their circumstances and truly seeks fulfillment from their work.

Author Nicholas Lore understands very well that changing careers is a normal part of life. He guides the reader with humor and a great deal of good information using a method that is well aligned with the leading edge in the Career Development field. Readers of all ages and backgrounds will relate to the commonsense approach to finding a path to your lifework that is a true reflection of one's own core values, interests, aptitudes and personality.

I use the Pathfinder as the main resource for Career Exploration classes. There are a myriad of exercises and hands on assignments that students love. It brings a level of fun to the classroom environment that some of the other Career Development texts fall short in. I think most students benefit from the practical test and explanation of the Myers Briggs personality indicator and how it relates to the career decision making process. It makes for lively discussions and is something that has a definate application outside the career realm as well.

I recommend the Pathfinder to every student of life who wants to make well informed career decisions. This is a value packed resource during these relatively lean times.

I found the The Pathfinder by Nicolas Lore to be an excellent career navigational guidebook. It assisted me in an examination of past career decisions and helped me to chart a course for the future. It has been and still is a source of inspiration that has helped me to fully acknowledge and understand the enormous commitment which is our working life. To waste away with a less than satisfying livelihood is by extension a wasted life. This might not necessarily be profound, or original, but to me it was poignant and deeply personal. The beauty of this book is that it seemed to speak directly to me. It highlighted a whole host of social and personality dynamics that are what we call the "workplace."

In The Pathfinder the myth that the working world is a fixed model is effectively de-bunked. The Pathfinder seeks to help individuals discover vocations that suit their unique personality and aptitudes. By reacquainting myself with my own unique nature I became able to shape and design a working vision. This is not a book about how to write a perfect resume or the do's and don'ts of performing in job interviews. It is a self analysis compendium that suggests clearly to trust your own gut instincts. Other books like Lou Marinoff's "Plato not Prozac" better describe the importance of "meaning" in work but the essence of The Pathfinder is it encourages individuals and people like myself to try and move beyond detrimental social criteria when making critical life decisions. Decisions that all too often are influenced by parents, peers, trends, status and pre prescribed cultural conventions. This shift in "conventional wisdom" probably differs from person to person but for me was nothing less than a liberating experience. Sometimes the exercises and inquiries in this book proved frustrating but ultimatley I realized their intention was like brain storming and that they were producing conditions for creative thought if not the creative thoughts themselves. I read this book at least three times and with each reading my own personal focus became clearer and clearer and I gained energy from its perspective.

If I can make one suggestion to readers of this book it would be this: don't read this book while in the throws of a 60 hour work week. Take this book on vacation, or better yet, take a reading vacation. You might just come back thinking the notion of work and vacation could be one and the same.

This was a pleasant book to read, though the entire story was quite predictable. From the moment the Landon begins describing Jamie....well, most readers will know that this "bad boy" will soon lose his heart to the "good girl." I don't want to say anything about the ending, so as not to spoil it, but most readers will see it coming. This novel lacks any tension or mystery. We know what will happen -- the pleasure lies in watching it unfold.


The story is spiritual with a Christian message. This is the first Nicholas Sparks book that I've read, so I don't know if all his novels are oriented towards religion. I was expecting a love story, but the emphasis on church and religion surprised me. I think the book will probably be most meaningful to Christians. As a Jewish person, I found it somewhat unreal. The "bad" characters were revealed to be quite harmless and good at heart. The "good" characters were beyond human good - Jamie is described as angelic, and so she is.


It is a sweet book, though. And I read it quickly, in one day. It is not at all suggestive or sexual, and is appropriate reading for all ages.

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks was intriguing and inspirational. This book gave the reader a true insight to each character, especially the protagonist, a teenage boy who is trying to find himself. Sparks is a talented writer who displays many literary techniques. The author used first person narrative, in which the story was told from a teenage boy's perspective. As a reader, you grew through the experiences and commentary of the narrator. Spark's writing style is very detailed and it delivers a very direct message. His writing is not very complex or challenging, however, he has the ability to completely capture the attention of a reader. Spark's is a very deep individual. It is as if he has captured the meaning of falling in love and loving those people for who they truly are. He uses a great deal of narrative commentary, allowing the reader to gain and to grow from the characters' thoughts. He also uses allusions to the bible towards the end of the novel. There are many passages in the book from Psalms and Proverbs. These allusions challenge the reader to focus on what the character is thinking and experiencing. Sparks delivered many inspirational themes throughout the novel. There was a definite theme of love, and also a theme of the ability to learn to look beyond what society has stereotyped a person to be. A young teenage couple falls in love and the boy overcomes the fact that he is falling for a reverend's daughter who has been stereotyped as a "goody goody nerd." This book is a definite page-turner, which will bring a tear to the reader's eye and give him or her a whole new perspective of what it means to fall in love.

It took me less than a weekend to read this book...and it was a very busy weekend. Somehow, I couldn't put it down. The story of Jamie Sullivan, the awkward daughter of a widowed Baptist minister in the 1950s, and Landon Carter, the popular son of a US Congressman, is absolutely incredible.

They begin as absolute opposites...she's the shy, sweet girl who everyone makes fun of in school. He's the guy everyone wants to be friends with. They end up having the leading parts in the Christmas play, and their friendship begins to evolve. It turns into love, but then a heartbreaking discovery may split them forever.

This is a walk everyone should take, but be prepared with plenty of tissues.

Nicholas Sparks did an excellent job describing the settings and happenings of the book. I'd never read a book by him before, but now I'm contemplating checking out some of his other books.

If you are looking for tragedy and a dark bloody drama then I recommend Macbeth with no reservations whatsoever. On a scale of 1-5, I fell this book deserves a 4.5. Written by the greatest literary figure of all time, Shakespeare mesmorizes the reader with suspense and irony. The Scottish Thane Macbeth is approachd by three witches who attempt and succeed at paying with his head. They tell him he will become king, which he does, alog with the aide of his ambitious wife. Macbeth's honor and integrity is destroyed with the deceit and murders he commits. As the novel progresses, Macbeth's conscience tortures him and makes him weak minded. Clearly the saying "what goes around comes around," is put to use since Macbeth's doom was similar to how he acquired his status of kingship. He kills Duncan, the king of Scottland and chops the head off the Thane of Cawdor, therefore the Thane of Fife, Macduff, does the same thing to him. I feel anyone who decides to read this extraordinary book will not be disatisfied and find himself to become an audience to Shakespearean tragedies.

Noble Macbeth and the story of his decay due to the seduction of the forces of darkness - I liked it. The play sets off with an impressing scene, the chant of the three witches, a perfect use of language, I dare say. It takes only about a page and I knew it by memory after two times reading. We used to quote it during the breaks, and actually still do so sometimes. "When shall we three meet again...and so forth. After this promising start the language gets quite hard (I'm not any native form Enland, the US or any other english speaking part of this planet). One can follow the action though and every five or six pages there's a reward for your patience, at least for anybody who likes the power Shakespeare's language is able to display in their good or best moments: "Have we eaten on the insane root?" and the likes. Of course there's also the famous "It is a tale, told by an idiot...". It's for these moments, where Williams knew how to transfere a feeling of one of his caracteres into the realm of a universal significance, that I enjoyed the play...

Shakespeare's shortest and bloodiest tragedy, MACBETH is also possibly the most serious. Macbeth is a warrior who has just had his greatest victory, but his own "vaulting ambition," the spectral promises of the three weird sisters, and the spurring on of his wife drive him to a treason and miserable destruction for which he himself is completely responsible. The ominous imagery of the fog that hovers over the first scene of the play symbolizes the entire setting of the play. Shakespeare's repeated contrasts of such concepts as fair and foul, light and darkness, bravery and cowardice, cut us to the quick at every turn. MACBETH forces us to question "what is natural?" "what is honor?" and "Is life really 'a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing?'" Few plays have ever illustrated the torments of Guilt (especially how it deprives one of Sleep) so vividly and stirringly.

I have read this play curiously as a child, excitedly as a teenager, passionately as a college student, and lovingly as a graduate student and adult. Like all of Shakespeare's writing, it is still as fresh, and foreboding, and marvelous as ever. As a play it is first meant to be heard (cf. Hamlet says "we shall hear a play"), secondarily to be seen (which it must be), but, ah, the rich rewards of reading it at one's own pace are hard to surpass. Shakespeare is far more than just an entertainer: he is the supreme artist of the English language. The Arden edition of MACBETH is an excellent scholarly presentation, offering a bounty of helpful notes and information for both the serious and casual reader.