Away

This is a scaled down version of the regular Eyewitness NY book.

I have to confess up front. I love these books. I must have a dozen. I really like the Paris book, and the one for Prague, and Stockholm, and South Africa, and .... You get all the detailed material similar to other great travel books plus you get great visuals.

The photos and descriptions and cutaway drawings are excellent and more than make up for any lack of small detail. But there is lots of detail here. The book includes the history of New York City and many details on the art, art galleries, parks, cutaway views of historical buildings, and many other things of interest. That is the good part.

The bad part is why buy this book when there is a much better Eyewitness Travel book on New York for a few extra dollars. The big book is 5 stars. This is an edited and scaled down sibling.

Recommendation: skip this thin 2 star or 3 star book and just buy the regular book which is easily a 5 star book.

Jack in Toronto

DK's guide is a comprehensive, full-color pictorial (it reminds me of a glossy travel brochure) showing you the sights of the city while providing you with a wealth of helpful information. The book covers churches, museums, NYC history, famous buildings, restaurants, and more. There are a ton of photos, maps, and graphics, but the text is most often polished one-line blurbs containing the barest of details. It is a good primer to NYC, though, and for those pressed with time, you may find the top ten lists, and suggested walks extremely useful.

Also check out the City Secrets New York City guide to discover the hidden gems of New York City. It's a great guide for saavy travelers, and NYC residents.

As a major New York City aficionado, who visits the city many times a year, I find this book to be the best I've read. Visually, this guide is amazing. The glossy, clear and beautiful photos throughout the book, make it even more worthy of buying and the maps are also easy to understand. In the beginning of the book, there are almost twenty pages devoted to the history of New York, which is very intriguing. You will find out all kinds of interesting tidbits, like who the first inhabitants of Manhattan were and how much the island was sold for back in 1626.

The rest of the book is divided up into sections based on each area of town and then there is a chapter titled "Travelers' Needs," which includes places to stay, all types of restaurants, shopping and much more. The "Survival Guide" is also extremely helpful with practical information.

A really nice thing about this guide is that it is friendly to foreign visitors, explaining things like how to use a pay phone and the U.S. currency.

If you are planning on going to NYC, the "Eyewitness Travel Guide To New York" is an absolute must-have! Everything you want or need to know about this fabulous city is right in this book.

This book, although it contains the occasional helpful hint, makes the dangerous assumption that the College "Mom" only has an interest in her child's nutrition, laundry, and other areas of the "female domain."

I am apalled that this book, and its companion, was written in the 21st century! In our household, it's Mom who has the tool kit, not dad. Furthermore, it is an outrage to assume that the financial planning is not something that should be jointly managed by both parents.

Don't waste your money. It's trash.

This book is now my gift of choice for high school graduations. It is comprehensive yet simple, practical yet interesting. I have been a homemaker for 25 years and still learned new things from this book. We now use several of the recipes regularly, especially the Orange Banana Sauce for pancakes and the Dump Cake. The hardback version with the vinyl cover and the pockets is well worth the extra cost in convenience, cleanliness, and longevity.

This book has provided me with many affordable, simple, and crowd-pleasing recipies as I learn to cook for my new husband and weekly for a group of fourteen! The medical tips, cleaning information, and measurement guides have saved me a fortune in calls home to mom! This is a wonderful gift for any new bride, with room to add your own favorite recipies in a number of categories.

I've enjoyed reading through the vast variety of responses to this book, and mostly they bring up some interesting points. 'Go Away Big Green Monster' is ostensibly a book that is meant to (and I'm quoting the back of the book here) 'chase away their (kids') nighttime monsters'. All well and good. This doesn't give the book much in the way of plot development or character analysis, but it sure does create one heckuva scary bed time monster. By flipping through the pages the book slowly creates, then disposes with a big green boogie man.

I was a bit amazed at the cut out construction of this tale. It's cleverly done and expertly woven. But as some reviews of this book have pointed out, it's probably a book best written for kids who ALREADY are afraid of big green monsters. If you've a child who's never considered that monsters might be out there with 'a big red mouth with sharp white teeth' this might suddenly inspire them to become afraid for the first time. Sort of the antithesis of what the book is supposed to accomplish. I mean, it's a cute book. No question. Just make certain that you're handing it to a little one that is not innocent in the ways of monsters and monster appearance.

Oh, and as a personal side note, I love the cover. The big green monster stares out at the viewer in a perfect Kilroy-esque appearance (his big ole nose hanging like a blue cucumber over the yellow wall). Any book that references Kilroy is a-okay by me.

My son's preschool teacher told me that my son, who is fascinated by all things scary, was choosing this book every day at preschool, so I bought it to see what it's about. Basically, each cut out page constructs another part of the scary monster's face (big yellow eyes, purple scraggly hair, sharp white teeth, etc.) until the whole face is visible; then, each page deconstructs the face with the order to "go away, big yellow eyes!" "go away, purple scraggly hair!" and ends with "AND DON'T COME BACK....unless I say so." What a wonderful illustration of facing, deconstructing, and controlling your fears!

This book is the ultimate "empowering tool" for giving little ones control over their fears. It first builds a monster, adding a feature or two on each page through the use of cut-out pages. First the two big yellow eyes appear, then the long bluish-greenish nose. By the time you add the big, scary green face, you've got one scary monster.

But don't worry, because once Big Green Monster is all put together, he's taken apart again. "YOU DON'T SCARE ME!" reads the text, "So, GO AWAY..." Page by page and one by one, the scary features disappear as ordered. The book ends with "GO AWAY, Big Green Monster! And DON'T COME BACK! Until I say so."

Wow. If only I'd had this book when that scary clown was in my son's closet. Or when the mysterious cowboy was in his brother's room. Or when that nasty giant was hiding out in my parents' fireplace about thirty years ago.

First and foremost, I do NOT consider myself a reader of mysteries, UNLESS of course, they are written by Harlan Coben. "Fade Away" is a wonderful example of what a writer can do with character development in a book series. With each book, we learn a little more about Myron Bolitar and what makes him tick - and we always like what we learn. This is the third of Coben's "Myron Bolitar" mysteries that I have read and each one just gets better. By now, I have learned to not try to figure out whodunnit before Myron does, because I will fail misrably. Coben tosses you red herrings like you were a performing seal at SeaWorld. And you will gobble each one up, with enthusiasm! Honestly, I resist the urge to read all of the Bolitar novels at once (even tho' I own them all). Coben's books are like Godiva Chocolates. You love them so much you just hate to gulp them down all at once.

When Myron Bolitar, a sports rep and one time first round draft to the NBA, is signed on by the New Jersey Dragons it isn't so that he can make a comeback. In fact, Bolitar has been signed to track down his teammate and former arch-rival Greg Downing. What he doesn't know when he accepts the job is that far from being a simple missing persons case, this becomes a murder hunt. But, who is the victim, who killed her, what is their motive and, why is someone attempting to blackmail not only Greg, and the team but also Myron himself?

Full of twists and turns the third book in Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series is also full of the usual witty dialogue. Although Myron is of course the protagonist in this story numerous appearances are made by other familiar characters, Jessica, Esperanza, Big Cyndi, Myron's parents and of course Win, and it's great to follow what's going on with them. Don't think that you have to have read the earlier Bolitar books to get into this though, it's a great stand alone novel but once you've read it I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to read the rest.

I initially bought this book to pass time on a train journey but still found myself reading it that evening long after I was home and I finished it the following day. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery novel. If you're new to Coben I'd say read these great books and then don't miss his great thriller Tell No One.

Being a fan of this writer for quite sometime needless to say I have enjoyed all of the 'COBEN' books-- that being said, I'd like to add that quite possibly, FADE AWAY might very well be my favorite story however. Loved the whitty dialogue! You should give it a try!

This short novel is about the life and death of Peter Barton, a very successful entreprenour who lived life fully, yet died early at the age of 51 from stomach cancer.
This book is told in alternative chapters by Barton and Laurence Shames, a writer who befriended Barton at the end of Barton's life in order to help him express his feelings and emotions about his impending death.
This small book contains very big ideas. Barton makes you understand how being wealthy doesn't automatically give you the best medical care, and it certainly doesn't protect you against death. He brings home in this very personal way how health and family are the things that are important, and that the end of life is a complicated, individual experience, full of reflection and introspection.
I thought that it was "gutsy" and generous of Barton to want to share his experiences with the world, and one gets the impression from the book that that is the kind of individual he was.
When you finish the book (you can do it easily in a few hours), you are left appreciative of the things that you normally take for granted, and can briefly try to comprehend the concept of living in the moment.
I say briefly because, alas, I think we are hardwired not to be able to live our lives the way Peter Barton did at the end of his life...living in the here and now and giving up the foolish pursuits that drive us daily. I think that is why books like this are important, so that we can read them and get back to what is important, and try to live our lives thinking about these issues and thus be "ready", when we face the end of our own lives.
Recommended, but I think I would have liked a little more information about Barton's illness and treatment although I understand that it was a conscious decision not to include that in the book.

Peter Barton showed us what a life well lived looks like and serves as an inspiration to us all. Even in death, he was living his best life. I highly recommend this book and Optimal Thinking: How to be your best self, a superlative book which shows you how to bring your best self to every situation and make the absolute most of life.

I first learned of Peter Barton's death in the quarterly alumni news letter that I receive from the Loomis School.I ordered the book when I saw mention of it. I was several years behind Peter, but knew him since it was not a large school.He was an athletic and confident senior, as I remember him, and oddly after all these years I can still recall his face.The book details his life with candor,and I enjoyed reading his story; and I was saddened to learn of his death from a carcinoma.I thought the book was well worth the time. There are a few denigrating reviews in this list at Amazon, but I think they miss the point. He may have been fortunate, or lucky, in many ways, but he appreciated that- many of us do not.I do indeed recommend this book.

Gone-Away Lake is about a girl named Portia Blake who goes with her brother Foster to visit their cousin Julian in the country. Every summer they go to Julian and Aunt Hilda and Uncle Jake's house. Portia and Julian always go exploring outdoors. This summer is even more exciting because Julian's family moved into a new house and so they have a new place to explore. On their first day Portia and Julian discover a big rock with a mysterious message written in Latin on it. They keep walking and get lost. They come to a swamp that is choked with reeds and on the other side of it is a ghost town! Or is it really abandoned? They find out that two people live there - Mrs. Minnehaha Cheever and Mr. Pindar Payton. Why are they living all alone on this swamp? To find out why they are there and the history of the swamp, you should read this book that is very good.

I read this book as a child and fell in love with it. The characters--cousins Portia and Julian-- are introduced to eccentric older people when they discover 'Gone Away Lake' and learn to love and revere them for their wisdom and humor. The eccentric older people--Aunt Minnehaha and Uncle Pindar--treat the cousins and their friends like real people not like children.

There is real magic in finding a place that has long since been forgotten, and then learning to appreciate its present beauty while learning about its history. Like another reviewer, I have never ceased to want to move to 'Gone Away Lake'. Somehow, I was fortunate enough, too, to have a copy of the sequel (many years old).

READ IT! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!

I really enjoyed this book because it is like a fairy tale but a little more realistic. When Portia and Julian cross the swamp its almost like going back in time and the people they meet are from that other time. I would recommend it to people of all ages who enjoy fantasies about the characters.

I enjoyed this travel essay very much. The descriptions of places and cultures were so well written and inciteful that I imagined I was part of the experience. I would recommend this book to anyone curious about the outside world but can't manage either the time or funds to travel.

After 30 years of fulfilling travel and discovery in virtually every conceivable part of the world (and not a few inconceivable), I thought I had thoroughly outgrown the 'travel book'. The few remaining draws in that genre, for me, are the original classics: Thesiger, Newby, etc. Much of the rest seems to rehash established themes and hackneyed observations. At the insistence of a friend, though, I picked up this gem -- Away From My Desk -- and found it genuinely difficult to put down.

This is a thoroughly entertaining, witty and nicely-paced book, written by someone obviously enjoying the hell out of his travels. Theirs is the sabbatical of a lifetime, and Mr. Haffar's easy and intimate style takes you along for a memorable ride. Beyond the journey, the author's wide-ranging interests and remarkable knowledge - spanning art, history, geology, economics, and opera to mention a few - take you on a trip of a different kind: a compendious yet fascinating tour of our world, including some of the most thoroughly misunderstood places and peoples.

I still dip into this book almost daily for a refreshing perspective or, perhaps more truthfully, for one of Mr. Haffar's reliably hilarious remarks. Highly recommended.

I've read many travelogs but none quite like this one. Most of the time I was amused and amazed by Haffar's witty and informative account. Occasionally, I was mildly shocked by the graphic and perhaps too honest descriptions of certain places and people. Great read!

I was ready for anything with this book. I love the idea of Mia Farrow's unconventional lifestyle and her eccentricity but that does not a great writer make. However, I was really happily surprised at her lovely writing style. She is a natural talent. Her writing voice is clear and elegant and does justice to her very interesting life. I, of course, was interested in the Woody Allen scandal, but that is only a small part of what this book has to offer. Wonderful read.

I am a lover of memoirs, and this is the best one I've read in a long time. Mia's candor is praiseworthy, and I found this to be a very important book with meaningful themes. Mia is a tender woman with a tender heart, and I can't find it within myself to be overly critical of her or of her naivete with regard to relationships with men. I think she knows what her emotional abandon caused her, and caused her children. Still, she is an amazing woman with a generous heart. Others may be critical of her "obsession" with children, but I thank God for people like Mia who dare to love the "unloveable" children of the world --- children who have been tossed away without a care or a thought.

The story of Mia's marriage to Frank Sinatra, Andre Previn, and her long-term relationship with Woody Allen comprises most of the book. Through these relationships, she comes to terms with her own vulnerability, neediness and deep desire for intimacy. I don't think she's very different from a lot of women; different, perhaps, in how she chooses to go about attaining meaning in relationships. And certainly she is more passive than many women would have been in certain circumstances. At points during the book, I found myself angry with her for not just up and walking out, calling the police, getting a restraining order --- SOMETHING!! Instead, the lines I read were something to the effect of, "he wouldn't leave. I kept asking him, but he wouldn't leave, so I just let it go." Even after she was suspicious of Woody's (possible sexual) behavior toward their adopted daughter, Dylan, she was actually OVERJOYED when Woody encouraged her to adopt another girl, seen only in the photos of a boy she was trying to adopt!! I couldn't believe it...I thought she'd really flipped at that point. But throughout the book, I am reminded just how human Ms. Farrow is, and I am reminded of the humanity in us all --- the stupidity we knowingly walk in because it temporarily satisfies something in us, the deep desire for intimacy and love we itch and crave and long for, the desire to hope for good, hope for absolute good in people. We have all fallen in similar ways, I'm sure, perhaps, though, with different consequenses. Unfortunately, Ms. Farrow's children had to pay the ultimate price for her lack of sound judgement. Unlike other memoirs I've read, she does, however, take responsibility for her wrong doing, and I appreciated that. She and her children have suffered greatly, have experienced a terrible loss, from which they may never fully recover. I do wonder about Soon-yi, though. If she was young and naive when Woody first persuaded her, why did she continue? Did she not appreciate the devastation and pain her relationship with Woody caused her mother and all of her brothers and sisters? Perhaps these questions and others may never be answered -- not for the reader, and possibly not for Ms. Farrow and her family. Still, the book is more than worth the time. An excellent read.

Mia Farrow's life has been full of challenges, children, and celebrities, yet she has come through it all as open, caring, and strong as she could possibly be. If you want to read her account of the whole Woody Allen / Soon-Yi / Dylan Farrow affair, read this book. If you have ever seen any of the movies she or either of her parents have been in, read this book. If you have children, read this book. If you find any joy in life, read this book to reaffirm that there are a few simply magnificent and good people in this world.

Jessica and Liz are entering their senior year and though the earthquake is over their school is about to be shooken up by the arrival of the new students from El Carro High who's school was demolished by the quake.
We have Melissa over here looking at Will with an adoring eye while the other watches Jessica with a snake like venom.
Jessica is oblivious though to the girl's obsessive glare. She's to busy stalking handsome El Carro student Will out as her prey.
Elizabeth meanwhile is obsessing over a guy in her Creative writing class.
Surly Conner dresses like he got his clothes out of a garbage can-and his attitude reeks like one. What girl couldn't resist a boy who spits and snarls like a caged animal (swoon-not!)
How Elizabeth could be physically attracted to this jerk is beyond me. Stephen King couldn't have created a scarier character!
In this book Jessica and Elizabeth get themselves in jams that can't be fixed by having perfectly glossed lips and a perfect smile-can they survive Senior Year?
Find out what happens when J&E's school gets turned upside down by the newcomer's!

This series isn't my favorite. I prefer SVU but too pass time I might read a few more then the five I've read but there are many books ahead on that list and this series seems to get too bogged down in situations that take forever to get resolved. It may be more realistic but I prefer the sugar frosting world of Sweet Valley High Junior year where there's a lot more action and it's not so grim as this series.

I bought this book one day at barnes and noble, and i have to say i thought it was excellent! But, once I read it, I have to say, that I just couldn't wait for the next one. I then read 13 in 5 days, and I am not what would be called anywhere near a reader. I then finished the last two, and have the read the series twice. I think the way that Jessica loses everything is sad, but adds a lot of....flavor to the story. I mean, she has always been Ms. Popularity, but does that last? And then Elizabeth, with the whole I am in love with Conner, but he is a total jerk thing. Man, that is totally true. For those of yall that have totally fallen or had a crush on a guy, most of the time they are the guys that are obnoxious. Anyway, so that added like tons of fun into the story. So, then, Conner knows he likes Elizabeth, but, he doesn't want to become the b-word (boyfriend) You know the total guys can not commit thing. But, can he help himself. That added so much energy into the story, that I had to finish it in less that half a day. I couldn't put it down, and neither will you. It is a total knockout book. So, read it!

Okay here it is in a nutshell. El Carro High got smashed in the quake so they join SVH. Liz meets an obnoxious jerk and starts to crush on him. Meanwhile Jessica meets this "awesome" guy Will Simmons and they seeem perfect for eachother. To bad he has the worst girlfriend in the history of ever. Melissa finds out about the two of them and goes into psychotic-frenzy mode. Overall an awesome book.

This busy mother who struggles to complete a book managed to finished this compelling expose in 3 days. Rose does a superb job at writing with a style that engages the reader while offering the facts of the matter with the documentation to substantiate his findings. After alerting us to the problems in some seminaries today, the author exposes the whole truth and shares with us a few current seminary success stories. The providential timing of the release of this book in the midst of a great crisis is confirmation that the continued purging of the Catholic Church is essential to carry out Her evangelical mission - to draw people to the heart of Jesus.

The current crisis in the Catholic Church as portrayed by the media obscures the real issues, this book present what is one of the real issues at the heart of the current crisis - the corruption of the seminary from vocation directors, to the culture at seminary, to the content of teaching. P>This well researched book by Michael Rose documents the abuses that have spawned the current crisis (although researched and written before the outbreak of the current crisis).

The focus of this book is about how men who express a desire to live a manly total self-sacrificial life of priestly celibacy are persecuted by heterodox agendas be they feminist, homosexual or what have you. The greatest role model for the priesthood is John Paul II. Read 'A Witness to Hope' or get the video to learn who this man really is. His witness to the mystical connection he has to Christ is inspiring and calls forth vocations sleeping dormant. The only tragedy is that the best example of manly sacrifice is so far from the daily contact of seminarians, instead they have gay mentors who try to seduce them and convince them of 'theologies' that amount to rebellion against the faith . . . and who is the inspiration of rebellion? The dark one, satan.

How could it be that men who profess a commitment to the Catholic Church, Her teachings and the leadership of the Pope are deemed ill-suited to priestly life?

The Gate-Keepers are corrupt. This book documents the evidence.

In an informative and well-written book, Michael Rose has given what is, to date, the best reasons for the present priesthood crisis.

The author claims that the reason we have a shortage of priests (at least, in many dioceses) is because for many years qualified candidates in those dioceses have been turned away. He claims that those who hold true to the authentic magisterial teachings of Holy Mother Church are, in those places, rejected in favor of men who oppose Her, especially in teachings concerning homosexuality, celibacy, an all-male priesthood, divorce, and contraception. This predictably has resulted in scandals, heterodox teachings from the pulpit, and less reverence in our houses of worship and in our liturgies.

He further claims that the reason qualified candidates are rejected is because those who would want to overthrow Holy Mother Church have made their way into powerful positions in many (but certainly not all) dioceses and seminaries, including many bishops. These people have in turn become "gatekeepers"; filtering out the qualified candidates and welcoming the unqualified. The stories that some of his interviewees tell about what goes on in heterodox seminaries are incredible.

The author has hit the nail right on the head with this book. It does not take a genius to see that the overall quality of our priests has gone down significantly in the last 30 or so years, and that the quality of the liturgy and the reverence shown by the faithful has gone down with it (but make no mistake - there are still plenty of faithful, reverent Catholics out there, and faithful priests and bishops who maintain loyalty to Rome; they are just getting fewer and further between).

And the answer the author proposes to this crisis is just so obvious; any faithful Catholic could tell you. More orthodox Catholicism, NOT LESS! We do not need to trash Vatican II; that council did not encourage disobedience and irreverence - rather, it reaffirmed them.

An excellent book - five stars easily.