It was a pretty good book. It made me realize what life was like back in dickens' time. The industrial revolution was going on... It started off pretty slow than got exciting as I read on. I encourage young readers to think about reading this book.

Hard Times depicts the lives of ordinary people during the industrial revolution in England. Dickens brings several characters to life and weaves an interesting story about their interactions with each other. Most of these characters are poor and they live in a pollution ridden town where the economy is based on coal production. Dickens's description of their lives is excellent. The only reason for the four stars is that one or two secret matters are alluded to near the beginning, but they are never revealed, leaving the reader a little disappointed. Overall, Hard Times is very good book.

Hard times lyrically explains life in the early 1800's while captivating its readers and showing that hard times hits people of all eras, decades, and even surpasses those of 1800's to the 1990's. However, what is most intriguing is the fact that Charles Dickens in some aspects suggest that sometimes hard times are circumstances that we subject ourselves and others to and whether is under ones own volition or under false pretenses. Hard Times is indeed a knowledgeable novel that teaches a lesson and shows one of many Dickens attributes. This review is from Merci McKinley who is 16 years old from Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland.

This book is written by Brits, so the perspective is a "how to" from a relatively cold climate, and the advice is a bit skewed. If you live in a mediterranean climate and are new to gardening, I don't think this would be the best advice book (check a regional book). The mediterranean gardens used for inspiration are the wild, hilly areas of France, Spain and Italy--not the quaint domesticated gardens in homes and villas along the sea. On the plus side, there is good information on how to prepare the soil for planting a mediterranean garden, which plants will likely succeed, and how to get the look they've described. I enjoyed the details about how specific plants survive in a drought-tolerant climate. There are "weekend project" ideas (i.e., creating mosaic pots and tables) that may or may not appeal to the reader. This is the kind of book I'd rather get from the library, than purchase, as the information I found helpful was minimal.

As a beginning gardener with a large garden to plan, I've found this book to be a wonderful inspiration and a good gardening resource. My idea of low-maintenance is NO maintenance, and that's pretty much the idea behind this book (although the soil preparation required can be quite extensive). I return to this book whenever I need to be reminded that a garden can be beautiful without being rigidly planned.

The only weakness is that the plant lists include only true Mediterranean plants, rather than including other plants (for example, plants native to Southern California) that meet the criteria for drought-resistance and low-maintenance.

If your idea of gardening is low-maintenance, informal and full of creativity, this is the book for you. I own many gardening books but must say that this is one that has given me lots of great and useful ideas to try out. Last year we adapted a suggestion from the book and painted pieces of broken terracotta pots in vivid colors and patterns. We then used those pieces in our gravel path, mixed with colored glass marbles and beach glass. It looked great - almost better than the original! There are also lots of useful practical tips on planting, propagating and over-wintering, as well as pictures of how a flower bed develops over the course of a season - very hands-on, ideal especially for someone who doesn't feel overly confident with gardening... Very good buy!

I keep and breed gerbils for snake food, but the breeders are also my pets. This book is an excellent guide to keeping the gerbils happy and healthy. I learned what and what not to feed, why woods and plastics are not good in the cage unless intended as a chew toy [plastic is bad], and how to handle them. Great guide, and I recommend it to all potential gerbil owners!

This book is a must if you plan on keeping gerbils!

This book is exactly what my sister and I have been looking for. We read other books, but they weren't specific on how to care for gerbils, just the same-old-same-old clean it often routine. We love the book; it made our gerbil caring so much easier and fun!!!

I found this book somewhat disappointing. It lacked content, and neglected a lot of the WHYs in a blended family. I left this book feeling unfulfilled. However, _Keys to Successful Step-Mothering_ does contain some good content on coping skills and would be a good read for the busy mom or stepmother. This book is a good companion to other, more in depth, step parenting books, but I found it doesn't stand well on its own.

This fairly brief book doesn't spend a lot of time on the philosophy of stepmothering, but instead, gets right to the practical, nitty-gritty information that the reader can use immediately. The real-life stepmom stories that appear on almost every page are both enlightening and inspiring, spoken directly from the heart.

The book covers many issues, ranging from second weddings to money to the ex-wife. The "Tips for Merging New Families" aren't new, but it can help sometimes to take a very basic look at how you're approaching your role. There are also several helpful chapters on discipline.

The "Stepchild's Point of View" chapter is helpful, too, and and full of insight straight from the kids. The book also touches on holidays, vacations, stepsiblings and more. While it doesn't spend a lot of time on any one topic, the broad range it covers provides some quick guidance for the new or inexperienced stepmom.

The "Survival Tactics" are up to-the-point and a good reminder of how we're responsible for our own behavior and feelings. You'll probably also learn something from the questions and answers at the end of the book.

This is great resource for stepmothers. It has many helpful suggestions about dealing with blended families in healthy ways and the importance of keeping your marriage a priority. It dispels myths about stepparenting and encourages stepmoms to set expectations at a realistic level.

Don't waste you money. I thought I could become a more powerful seducer. But I did not learn anything new! We ALL know that chocolate and alchol are aphrodisiacs. I gave this book a 2 because the artwork and layout saved it! Beautiful pictures of herbs, and things, but if you want to learn to seduce, look some place else.

I bought this book a few months ago and have since used quite a few of the spells and recipes in there. I especially love the Love Salad recipe. I make this salad and enjoy it's potency often. I have had several of my friends and coworkers comment on the aroma of it and asking me what it is whenever I eat it and they have all agreed that it is one of the best smelling (and the ones who have tried it themselves) and tasting salads they have ever tried. I had a friend of mine look through it themselves and use the Bed of Roses spell in there for her and her spouse and it completely helped to bring them closer together. He had not ever really opened up to her much prior and after she did it, he starting opening up to her more and they have become closer since. I myself have made the Chypre perfumed oil in there and have enjoyed it's sensual scent, I've even had others comment on it and they love it when I tell them where I got it from. I continue to try many of the other spells and recipes in this book and love every moment of putting my energy in to doing so. I really recomend this book for anyone looking for one that gives you a variety of "Love" ideas to try out or work on. It's one of the best books for this that I have ever found!!! =)

The reviewer who gave this book 2 stars complained that it had taught him nothing new. So he already had the ancient Chinese recipe for Horny Goatweed wine? I was greatly impressed at the wealth of unusual information available in this book, particularly with regard to traditional aphrodisiacs (the ones that haven't been made illegal at least), their preparation and uses. It even has a useful list of suppliers in the back. I found the book witty, knowing, touching and inspiring. I even discovered a herbal cure for dry and itchy skin that really worked! I plan to roadtest some of the most intriguing love philters as soon as I have found a worthy lovemate - which, with the help of this book, I suspect won't be too long.

This book tells about acquiring a snake, caring for a snake, and some simple instructions for breeding snakes. The snakes in this book are mostly ratsnakes, garters&ribbons, and pythons. Perfect for those starting out, but no detail for any particular species. Still, it is a great book, especially for those who are inexperienced with the common diseases, mites, etc...

For someone who knows next to nothing about how to care for snakes, this is an OK book, as it covers most common beginner species. However, if you have an experince, you've heard it all before, and shouldn't spend your money (put it towards a snake instead).

An excellent book with information on most snake species + information on setting up terrariums and different health problems you may encounter.

I've read better, to say the least. It's not that I am a negative person, or that I'm having a bad day. It's just that this book could have been a "tad" better. It merely touched down on topics, if even that. Carol O'Conner would tell you a few things to do, and not tell you exactly how or why you were supposed to do these. The book was more filled with pictures and blank space than it was with any useful information. Sadly, I have read worst, that is why I gave it a 2. It didn't help that it was written by Archie Bunker, either.

This is another step by step book similar to the Assertiveness one by Dena Michelli. I found it a very helpful book particularly after a recent promotion. I took basic psychology in college, but this very short book (96 pages or so) presents all the basics in a way that makes sense for a work situation. I am going to buy a copy for my younger sister who is just starting work.

The field of leadership is vast and much inaccessible writing has been published on the subject. As a practitioner who has recently been promoted into a leadership position but has been given very little guidance about how to tackle this 'art', I found Carol's book of enormous value. It helped me think through my own leadership strategy and embark on my new role with confidence and enthusiasm. I would recommend this book to anyone in a similar situation - or to those who seem to be getting it wrong persistently - and there are many!

I don't know much about St. Thomas, so I don't know if Robert Barron has adequately summarized him. But I like what he has to say. It's good stuff, and very worthwhile reading. It puts the (allegedly) dry theology of St. Thomas in a very practical and helpful light. (Again, if it's all true. Fr. Barron doesn't cite St. Thomas enough to give me confidence that his interpretation is accurate.)

If Fr. Barron's perspective on St. Thomas is correct, this volume could serve to ameliorate the concerns of many Protestants about Catholicism, since the vision of God and man that this doctor of the church (St. Thomas, not Barron) sets forth seems to smooth the thorny path to reconciliation.

Having said that, I have one major criticism. Fr. Barron has fallen into the unfortunate modern idea of alternating between masculine and feminine pronouns -- even in reference to God. Reading this volume is not unlike having a sharp stick leap out of the page and poke you in the eye every other paragraph or so. It's horribly annoying, completely unneccessary, and mars and otherwise interesting and useful book.

Shame on you, Fr. Barron.

In this helpful little book, Barron saves Thomas from the dry treatments his theology often receives in the secondary literature. To be sure, Barron is less interested in interpreting Thomas as a historical figure, and more concerned to show the relevance of Thomas for Christians today. In fact, Barron may often go too far in taking Thomas out of his medieval context. For example, Barron emphasizes the centrality of Christ for Thomas's theology (something rarely argued). While this is in a sense true, more textual argument is required to establish this point for scholars who are accustomed to seeing Thomas as more interested in philosophy than Christian theology. Barron may too quickly make Thomas a dialogue-partner with 20th century theology. All this said, the book remains a joy to read and a helpful introduction to Thomas for those teaching undergraduates or seminary students. After all, Thomas's dry writing is meant to do nothing less than lead the reader into the wonder at the center of the Christian life, which is most profoundly revealed in Christ. I must personally thank Barron for helping me remember this as I wade through Thomas's often less-than-exciting texts.

The great achievement of Robert Barron's little book on the Angelic Doctor is that he points the reader to the spiritual quest that lies at the heart of Aquinas' seemingly arid intellectual inquiry.

For too long, the scholastics in general and Aquinas in particular have been accused of overintellectualizing about the mysteries of faith. An overemphasis on reason is presented as squelching our embrace of the mysteries of faith. On the contrary, as Barron argues, the scholastic effort to find theological precision was an effort to clear away the stumbling blocks to faith that our false notions of God can present. Whether we mean to or not, we do have concrete ideas about the mystery of God. To the extent that our ideas are mistaken, our faith can never lead us to the heart of the True Mystery we seek. Aquinas' project was to clear away the dead-ends our unexamined reason produces for us, so that we can find our way to the abyss of God.

Barron has the great gift of making Aquinas' theology come alive for the lay reader. For anyone seeking the great adventure of coming to know God better both through reason and faith, I recommend this book most highly.

The author sees Hamlet in a completely different light than I do - I disagreed with just about every statement he made. If you want a definitive analysis of Hamlet, I recommend J. Dover Wilson's "What Happens in Hamlet"

corum is amazing. truly outstanding insight into shakespeare

This book presents Hamlet as Shakespeare's Everest, and Corum is your experienced serpa. I used this book to teach Hamlet to 9th graders and to expand my personal understanding of the play. The peak of the play is a crucial plea against tortured youth turing to violence; Corum's work is essential for your journey.

I left my book at school and have to do a paper using 5 words from it... AHH!!! NOT a good thing... but I'll make it (somehow...). The book really is good, though. I'm not big on learning vocab, but it makes it really easy to learn.

This is a great book that helps you to build up your vocabulary for the exam. These vocabulary words are essential and useful. You will not regret it! IT REALLY HELPS!