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Welcome to Double Act, a book about twins that do the same things but have different attitudes. The characters are Ruby and Garnet, the twins. They do everyting together and want to go to boarding school but only one twin got in!

I liked the book because I could visualize what is going on and it has some pictures. There is some action, but I don;t think it is supposed to have much action. I like this book because a lot of people can connect to it. I can copnnect because I get mad at my brother like Ruby gets mad at Garnet.

I recommend this book to all twins because the book is about twins. I think that twins would connect to this book the most.

Double Act is a great book about 2 inseparable twins, their dad, their mom, their gran, and their mean stepmother, Rose.
It is sort of short but is very much worth reading if you like sad books.

The author of this book is Jacueline wilson.This book is about two twins named Ruby and Garnet that have probloms in there life. Some probloms they fix and some they dont.There dad also has a new girlfriend named Rose and she brings even more afliction into the family.

What i liked about the book was that the story was told by the twins. I think that if the story was told by the authors point of view it would be very tiresome. I think it was great that both of the twins got to write in the book because its fastidious to know somthing from two point of view.

I would rate this book a little under ok because it wasnt such an exciting book.I think this book should be for 5th graders cause its boring for older people.

You wanna know why this book is so great? Well, you'll just have to read it - but I will tell you a little bit.

This book you are about to order (maybe) Is about identical twins with totally different personalities. Ruby is outgoing and playful, while Garnet is quiet and shy. When their mother dies and gets replaced by frizzy dizzy Rose, they have to team up and stand up against the family.

You're still wondering why this book is so good right? Well, the reason why I rated this book 5 stars is because it is so organized and if you read it, it'll hook you, making you want to read more, more, more: until you finish and complain that there is no sequel to it.

Jacqueline Wilson fans, welcome the amazing: DOUBLE ACT!!!

Welcome to Double Act by Jacqueline Wilson. This book is about 2 girls that are twins. Their names are Ruby and Garnet. They really don't like their Dad's new girlfriend. Their real mother died when they were little. Now their whole life is ruined when Rose comes in. If you want to find out more, just buy the book, you'll love it!

I liked this book because I remebered my old friends when reading it. They don't like their stepmother either. They are aleays crying because they want their mother back.

I would like to recommend this book to my friends and to all the girls that like reading about twins. I bet that when you get this book you won't want to put it down.

I still haven't received this book yet. I've tried to contact the seller on two occasions and haven't received a reply yet. I will keep it on my not to buy from list.

Can't help but agree with all the five star comments that go before me, but my particular rave about this book is the section on making pages of a book from a single piece of paper simply by using the different techniques explained for cutting and folding. Bookmaking origami!

I'm making a book with boards and a leather cover; I used LaPlantz's mitered corners method (Figs. 36 - 39, pp. 39-40), and they look great! I'm sold, she's my mitering guru. Thanks!

This book tells in words of one syllable how to make actual books - none of the glossy 'altered-art books' here, this one is the nuts and bolts. It explains all the jargon of book-making in clear and concise language.

Detailed instructions accompanied by drawings on the same page of each stitch to be taken to bind a book, stitch varieties, binding paperbacks into custom hardbacks, creating 3 dimensional art work in book form plus invaluable pragmatic advice such as the safe relative distance from hole to edge and hole to hole, depending on size of book and binding type, as well as how many pages becomes too cumbersome to open or view with a particular technique.

Multiple suggestions follow each demonstration for expanding the technique shown, or varying the format to satisfy one's own preferences and prejudices. Ms. LaPlantz specifies infinitesmally small steps which make following the directions exceptionally easy. And she progresses from standard codex (covers and a spine) to remarkably artful constructions all the while being encouraging, enthusiastic and clear. She does not make extensive use of commoditized products other than printer paper for the book text pages, and recommends simple tools for beginning (needle, thread, cardboard, glue, paste, scissors) as well as explaining how to make one's own binding frame from an old hardback book.

Unhappily, her subseqent Art and Craft of Handmade Books was not as well edited as Cover to Cover, as you can see from her website which lists pages of corrections to the printed edition as well as including material edited out which was necessary for clarity, continuity and simplicity of instruction. She even includes bonus materials, photos, techniques not in Art and Craft of Handmade Books.

Cover to Cover is excellent, like having a mentor at one's side with years of experience guiding one's acquisitiion of binding skills.

Highly recommended.

Stark nearly unrelenting Dickens tale of businessman par excellence. Dombey exemplifies the "modern" man of business whose devotion to work and denial of self are so starkly modern to render the ironic quotes superfluous. Dombey, and son, and daughter, and wives first and second, pay dearly for this misdirected devotion until very near the very-nearly bitter end of the 900+ page novel (published serially in the original).

Even (one might says especially) the "comic relief" characters in this book are strong, direct, and conscious of the faults of Dombey and the world he represents. Dombey himself is unrelievedly unlikable at best, and strongly detestable throughout, with little to be hoped or pitied in his private or public character.

Dickens writes here with a passion that snaps off the page in some of the strongest scenes he ever put to paper.

And yes, as the edition introduction points out, despite the title, this is a mostly domestic novel. But its assumption of the supremacy of "business" in Dombey's life, and the rough-shod journey over (literally) the neighborhoods of London and environments, place this novel in a more modern milieu than most Dickens novels, which might have been set and written anytime after the Middle Ages.

I got what I wanted in timely fashion. I expect that of Amazon purchases.

Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son, published from 1846 to 1848 is, like many of Charles Dickens' novels, a tome. But, since it is over 1,000 pages (or if that is just this copy) we can consider it a true tome. Like War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov or The Count of Monte Cristo.

That's all I have to say since I have never read the book. I am a huge Dickens fan and I would like someday to read this tome.

Dombey and Son is a long novel dealing with Mr. Dombey an affluent merchant who has a family in crisis. Dombey's first
wife dies giving birth to little Paul who dies early in chapter 16 in a moving and symbolic deathbed scene. His daughter Florence is shunned by her father but is loved by Walter Gay a sailor employed by her father's firm. Colorful characters populate the many pages of this classic: Captain Cuttle and Sol Gillis who befriend Florence; the evil Mr. Carker and many others who appear in the lives of the Dombeys.
This novel written in 1846 is more thematic, well plotted and serious than many of Dickens earlier works. Dickens had a cinematic imagination; the tale of Mr. Carker's flight is riveting. While not my favorite of the master's works this is a
great book with great characters and story. Well worth the time
to read it and absorb its lessons regarding pride and the need for love and beauty in the human soul.

I just finished reading this gargantuan tome today after two weeks of diligent reading. It is second only to "David Copperfield" in my opinion. It is easy to be intimidated by a book this size (almost 1000 pages) but you must give this one a try! If you adore books that revolve around family dysfunction, this one is perfect for you. It's got characters you will love to hate and it is replete with genuine mysteries. If you have read "Oliver Twist," you will be glad to know that this story's good characters are a little less flat and boring.

As with Henry Fielding's "Tom Jones," there will be a few lulls here and there. In a story of this magnitude, it is hard to avoid...but there are not many. This is truly an enjoyable read. Be sure to get a copy that contains drawings by "Phiz"-- they really add to the overall story.

J. K. Rowling introduces to us in this fabulous story, the tale of a young boy who is anything but average. You see Harry is a wizard who has been sent to live with his muggle relatives after the death of his parents. His relatives try to thwart his becoming a wizard by any means possible. This causes Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to send Hagrid the game keeper to bring him to Hogwarts and thus begins the magical tale of how a young oppressed boy finds friendships, danger, and a mortal ememy who wants nothing less than his death. This is the fast paced tale of a high-flying sport, Quidditch, potions and spells, and intrigue where things are not what they seem. Highly recommended as the start of a classical series.

Well if you're looking at this product you're probably like me, busy and not the biggest fan of sitting down to read. I've always been a big fan of stories but I could just never find the time to read because of work and when I did I am admittedly an abysmally slow reader. After years of hearing how amazing these books, the Harry Potter series, were and loving every movie immensely it finally dawned on me to see if there was an audio book and there obviously is.

When I first started listening to the series I must admit I was a little turned off because Stephen Fray came across as a little dry and I was beginning to think the audio books weren't going to be much more tolerable than simply reading the books. As new characters are introduced though I was pleased to find that he managed to give most of them a unique personality and even more so that he maintains these personas not just through this single book but all the way to where I am now, The Half Blood Prince. Aside from just their vocal definition Fry also manages to display a diverse range of emotion for each individual character as if there is a separate actor for each character, it's really quite an amazing performance in my opinion. At certain times various audio filters are added for dramatic effect like echo and things of the sort and I guess that's really the only place this audio book comes up short for me is that there really isn't a whole lot to it other than Stephen Fry reading the books. This being my first audio book I can't really compare it to anything but I guess I was expecting at least some music between chapters or maybe some ambient sound effects but I still find the overall experience enjoyable without them.

There are probably hundreds of reviews for the books themselves so I'll keep my opinions on the series short and sweet. I believe the thing that I like most about the Harry Potter series is the overall charm of everything and the connection Rawling maintains to both the real world and real life. She really seems to nail human archetypes and the teenage inner dialogue and I can't help but think there are many pieces of her own children in this book. It showcases such an amazing insight as to the way people think and feel that I really can't help but be awe inspired. Like I said though, I'm not a big reader/listener so I imagine there are better books out there but that really doesn't take away from this series' ability to crack a smile on my face at work. I guess my only gripe is that it sometimes appears as if she has some favorite words or a limited vocabulary or perhaps people in England just find these words more common but there is an obtuse overuse of the words incredulous, glower, and one other that I will add in a couple of hours when I remember it. This obviously isn't a big deal but it can make me cringe a little.

Anyways, I work in science and listen to these all day when I don't have to read for work and I'm actually doing lab work and they have improved my enjoyment at work immensely so they come highly recommended by me. Each book is probably about 18-24 hours long off the top of my head so the whole series should take you a while to get through. I hope you enjoy!

Most decidedly curmudgeonly! Yes, that's it. One of the few remaining people on the planet who hadn't read any of the Harry Potter novels and, like Vernon Dursley, my initial reaction to all this wizard and magic rubbish was a very mugglish "stuff and nonsense". I admit it. As I read the first few pages, my initial thoughts were that this was all quite silly. Where had this Harry Potter phenomenon come from and what did everybody see in it?

But then, very quickly actually, JK Rowling, undoubtedly a graduate of Hogwarts herself, began to weave a most hypnotic magical spell and I was hooked. Transported to that child-like garden of delights at Hogwarts - a land of fantasy, witches, warlocks, trolls, spells, potions, charms and, for the readers, total enjoyment and smiles - I fell in love with Harry, Hermione, all of their Gryffindor classmates, and with Dumbledore's paternal wisdom and I cheered wildly as Harry, the team seeker, dove and swooped in quest of the Snitch during their quidditch matches.

There is a benefit, of course, to having waited so long to read my first Harry Potter novel, you know. I've got six to go and now I can pick them up, one after another, just as quickly as I want to with no waiting for years at a time for the next book to be published. Eat your hearts out everyone! I claim membership in the legion of Rowling's happy fans.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

I got the UK adult edition to add to my collection that complements the U.S. version. Unlike the U.S. versions however, all UK editions (for adults and children) do not contain chapter art.

I write this review from not only the viewpoint of a mother but also as an avid reader and new JK Rowling fan. I had bought the American (Scholastic) version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for my then 11 year old child several years ago. I, like many other parents, thought it nothing more than a children's book and did not really have much interest in reading it at that time.
It took 7 books and 5 movies, before I began to realize that maybe there was something to the Harry Potter books then just a children's tale. The 5th movie left me with a lot of unanswered and confusing questions to which my 17 year old replied,"If you want to know who, what, where, and when Mom, you NEED to read the books! I'm not going to tell you ANYTHING else!"
So, I picked up her first book and proceeded to read the rest of the books in a matter of two months. By that time, I found myself addicted. These books literally are quite difficult to put down once you start. So here I am with my OWN Harry Potter book for my own collection.
I find the UK version quite similar to the American version with perhaps a change in a handful of words here and there. I'm not sure why they felt the need to have an American version when the UK version reads perfectly fine.
As it was JK Rowlings first venture, I think there a couple of areas which could have been better developed, but otherwise, I find the Philosopher's Stone a great read for readers of all ages with more emphasis to the teenage to adult population. With it's recurrent dark themes, it's definitely NOT a children's book.
I recommend this book and this entire series to anyone who likes to read about a whole new world that exists in our imagination.

I've read most of Dr. Griffin's books on 9/11 and I'm always amazed at how this brilliant scholar pulls together what you or I could find in newspapers, Web sites and journals into a cohesive argument that the Bush cabal set our nation up for this engineered tragedy. In the days after I began reading this book, I learned that Barry Jennings--a veteran NYC emergency management staffer who spoke out about explosions at World Trade Center 7 while he was in the building and how there were bodies in the lobby before the Twin Towers came down--died mysteriously on August 19, 2008. Jennings was only 53 and there's been neither an obit nor a cause of death. His death wasn't acknowledged until September 19, 2008. Jennings is another 9/11 victim because he told the truth. The truth will set you free. The official 9/11 story is just that: a story concocted by criminals to fool us into accepting their lies. Please, read this book and buy copies for your friends who still call you a "conspiracy theorist" simply because you're able to see the truth.

For those of you unfamiliar with the alternative theories surrounding 9/11, get The New Pearl Harbor and PLEASE read it first. READ IT NOW-PUT WHATEVER YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING ON HOLD. Then pass it along to another, it is that important.

For those familiar with the subject, Griffin has once again done a masterful job of presenting the continuing development of the movement, amending minor mistakes made in the first volume and disclosing even more evidence that has surfaced during the four years since NPH was published. A must-read.

I highly recommend this for everybody to read. It's all there in black and white, thoroughly researched and up to date. We have all been lied to by the government with tons of help from the media. I believe they lie about almost everything but the 'official' accounting of what happened on 9/11 is surely a lie, and a big one at that. This so called 'war on terror' is based on lies. For folks that want the REAL news go to www.infowars.com

It is a fact of life, if you drop a sledge hammer on your big toe, you are going to feel it, unless of course you've had too many beers and the pain is dulled. When you wake up the next morning, you wonder how come you can't walk without pain or at all. Denial seems to be the "new culture" that has grown up around sports viewing, celebrity nonsense, a diminishing industrial base, over extended armies and an arrogance that America is still "king of the hill." Anyone who has read history, about Rome or any other empire, knows the signs of a country in decay. Denial is the fuel that burns up the backbone of any country.
There is no such thing as a conspiracy theory, or fringe radicals, conservatives or liberals. Those are simply tents in which people house themselves, to launch their view of reality in the form of policies or agendas. None of these tents have to do with the truth or cold hard facts. And ignoring cold hard facts is denial. Read David Ray Griffin's books including this one, an updated version of The New Pearl Harbor, in which he brings more facts about 9/11 to light which are inconsistent with the official "facts" presented to us by the media, by government and a host of vested entities not wanting to face facts about who we have become and who we are. Have the courage to get out of your tent, lay down the labels and make up your own mind but only after reviewing the facts Mr. Griffin puts on the table. Then, when you are through reading this book, if you are troubled by the facts he presents,or even disagree with them, do more research, and watch the videos and corroborating evidence easily accessed on Google, until you come up with a picture that matches reality, not the one you want to believe or need to believe. Why? The country you live in depends upon citizens who face facts. If we are in fact a government for, by and of the people, you have a civic responsibility to educate yourself about hard truths. Why? Ultimately the very freedoms you cherish depend upon your involvement and your ability to educate yourself with facts, not belief systems issued from one tent or another. David Ray Griffin, has done his part to educate himself and others. Read his book and educate yourself. Our country depends upon it. If you read it with an open mind, you will see that as Shakespeare wrote, that something "is rotten in the state of Denmark." Why? Because so many of the facts you accept about 9/11 do not match up with facts Griffin presents. To shuck him off ( or anyone else) as a fringe radical or a conspiracy theorist in the name of protecting yourself, does nothing to change the facts. It just means you don't have the courage to face something you may not want to face. As a pilot, I said, at the time, after the second tower was hit, "There is the longest 20 minutes in modern America History." Why? We were under "attack" the official version goes. The north tower had already been hit, where were the fighter planes to shoot down the second jet before it hit the South Tower to protect our citizens from the "attack?" The US military had 20 minutes to get a jet there and to shoot down anything over NYC. Where was it? It is a fair question. An important question. Start there with the same question and you will be surprised that the answer doesn't jibe with the official account of 9/11. This book, in order to educate yourself, is a masterful account of those "other" facts that don't jibe with the official facts. Read it. You may not like what you find, but at least you will be closer to the "facts" of the case.

D.R. Griffin's second book on the 9/11 massacre is a terribly skilled comment on his first version, with some rectifications and some meticulous unraveling of controversial statements, timings and physical processes.
His overall picture stands more firmly than ever `that every dimension of the official account is false beyond reasonable doubt.' Hereafter, a few crucial points:

- the free vertical fall of the 3 WTC towers (of which one was not hit by a plane) makes a rather cynical joke of the NIST report. Controlled demolition is the only plausible explanation.
- the official version of the fact that the airplanes could not be scrambled doesn't stand a close examination of all the timings involved. A stand down order explains everything.
- the Pentagon could not have been hit by a plane, unless all its debris should have evaporated after the impact. A missile attack is more plausible.
- the identity of the hijackers, if any, is extremely obscure. For D.R. Griffin, much of the evidence that there were hijackers on the planes dissipates upon close examination. The planes could have been flown by remote control. See M.H. Gaffey's book `The 9/11 Mystery Plane and the Vanishing of America'.
- the true identity of Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda is anything but clear.
- cell phone calls could not be made from inside the airplanes.
- a close examination of the official 9/11 Commission Report shows that all controversial points were omitted or the subject of biased interpretations.

It all insinuates that all the deadly attacks were an inside job.
But why? They served as an excuse to wage war. D.R. Griffin: 'Members of the Bush-Cheney administration planned prior to 9/11 invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, after which they hoped to attack five other countries. The commission shielded its readers from evidence that this administration include people with an even more murderous ideology.'

In the meantime, the public media continue to be completely gagged. A rather menacing silence is sometimes overshadowing the TV and radio studios and stations.

D.R. Griffin incriminates nobody. All he wants is a new and independent investigation to discover the truth.

This book with its perfect index and bibliography is a must read for all those interested in the 9/11 massacre and for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

This isn't my favorite of all of Shakespeare's stuff. First of all, Mercutio is the best character, and he dies too soon. Second, I didn't really like Romeo and Juliet enough to care a lot when they died.
As for all the metaphors and allusions packed in, that's always interesting. I think people start Shakespeare with this play, because it's not as difficult as the other tragedies, which I suppose is a good idea. After this, go to Macbeth (the best!).

This tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespear's best known plays. It shows how pride and grudges can cause tragedies so it is better to let a problem go than hold a grudge.

This story starts out with Romeo and his cousins walking around in the market place when all of a sudden Juliets cousins come by. They argue over a bit thumb and start to brawl. One of Romeo's cousins die and Tibalt dies as well.

Then there is a party in which Romeo decides to invade. He meets Juliet and falls in love with her. She ends up falling in love with him too but their love can't happen because of their families feud against one another. They decide to flee because she was going to be wed with someone else.

Juliet comes up with a plan that never reaches Romeo's ear. The plan was that she would take a poison that would put her in a deep sleep where it appears that she is dead. Romeo shows up and sees a stiff body of her loved one and he takes his own life with a poison bottle. Juliet wakes up and sees her lover dead so she takes her life away with a dagger. The priest shows up alon with the enemy families. They see what happened and decided not to have a problem between them anymore.

This is a simple summarry of the great play of Romeo and Juliet. It is a tragedy that something horrible has to happen in order for the families to figure out that their fight was unecessary.
This is a great play that everyone should know and should have the moral of this story in their minds when they have grudges.

Romeo and Juliet does not read as well as some other plays such as Hamlet. It must be seen to be fully enjoyed. Nevertheless, I would reccomend this edition of the play. It is dirt cheap, for the amount of content you recieve, it is well worth the money. I reccomended it, however I strongly suggest you watch the play first before reading it. I believe that only after you watch the play will you fully appreciate it.

I am very conflicted in my feelings about this play; there are very powerful reasons to rate it highly, and also very powerful reasons to rate it poorly. There are, really, NO reasons for rating it mediocre, and yet that's what I wind up doing, only because that is the balance between the great and the terrible.

On the down side, BECAUSE this story has the reputation it has as THE prototypical love story, I truly despise it because it is responsible for an incredible amount of grief in the world over the last 400 years or so. Who can count how many young lovers have come to grief because they unquestioningly accept the idiotic presumtion that this story is predicated upon, that two people who literally don't know a thing about one another, not even their names, can make eye contact across a room and fall in love? Not simply feel attraction or interest, but truly fall in love? Love so powerful that they will die rather than live without one another? Yet this story has so permeated the culture that it is almost universally accepted that this is what love is like, and even people who have never read this play or seen it performed have been influenced by this idiocy to the point of trying to live their lives as though this were truly what love is like. As the main promulgator of such misinformation about the nature of love, this book is guilty of causing more pain in the world than many war criminals.

And yet...blast it all, it's BEAUTIFULLY written. The language is fluid and musical even by Shakespeare's standards. Even though it is a tragedy, it is told with a trace of wry humor, as Shakespeare manages in only his very best work. I can understand why it has the reputation it has; the plot (once one accepts the ludicrous premise it is built upon) follows plausibly. If one ignores the damage that the play has done to the world's concept of what constitutes love, and rates it merely on its literary merits, it is clearly a 5-star effort, even when compared only to other Shakespearean plays.

Unfortunately, that's what makes it so dangerous.

This is Shakespeare as it should be... no extraneous notes, no unnecessary stage directions, nothing but the text. If you are looking for anything that explains character, language, theme, etc. don't look here, as Shakespeare never wrote any of that. This is purely the text as-is.

As a theatre professor, I would rather have my students work with a text like this rather than one littered with useless commentary and biased notations. If you don't understand a term or reference, use the Oxford English Dictionary rather than the limp and limited notes available in many editions.

Includes photos from multiple productions. Eye-friendly type-face. Plenty of room for notes. Useful suggestions for classroom involvement.

What can I say? I love Shakespeare! Cliff's Complete is fabulous for those of us in a new love affair with Shakespeare. Commentary and side notes along the way make it very understandable. Kenneth Branaugh's film and BBC audio books lend subtle interpretation which is very helpful as well.

Twelfth Night or What You Will is the story of a brother and sister, twins, who are shipwrecked and each assume the other sibling has died. Viola, the sister, takes on her brother's appearance in order to serve the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. Disguised as a man, Viola falls in love with Orsino, but Orsino is in love with the countess Olivia and sends Viola in his stead to woo Olivia for himself. This is Shakespearean comedy, so naturally, Olivia falls in love with Viola, believing her to be a man. More confusion ensues when Viola's twin brother Sebastian enters the action of the play and is mistaken for the man his sister has been pretending to be.

Twelfth Night is an amusing, if somewhat formulaic, comedy that is both endearing at times and disturbing at others. It leaves the reading wondering what to think. More than likely, this is exactly what Mr. Shakespeare intended.

The Cambridge School Shakespeare edition of Twelfth Night is obviously geared towards students, particularly theater and drama students as opposed to literature students. The text of the play is shown on one page while the previous, facing page describes the action of the play in addition to suggesting exercises to ascertain how each particular section could be played. My favorite part about this edition is the inclusion of all the photos, especially the photos showing how different productions handled the same scene. Personally, I prefer more in depth discussion about Shakespeare's plays than this edition offers, but it is probably ideal for a high school student or theater student studying Shakespeare.

Many of you probably recall this play as the one Shakespeare began to write at the end of "Shakespeare In Love." As far as this movie goes, Shakespeare was to write something where love triumphed rather than failing as it did in "Romeo and Juliet." This comedy is often hailed as the best, but there are reasons I can not place it on the same level as "The Comedy of Errors," "The Merchant of Venice," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "As You Like It," or others.

We meet Orsino the Duke who is love with Olivia. But Olivia chooses to avoid men. (She never quite got over the death of her brother and father.) We also meet Viola. She has survived a shipwreck but fears her brother Sebastian has died in the wreck. Fearful of being raped, she disguises herself as a man, and enters Orsino's service under the alias Cesario.

Shakespeare then introduces us to characters of a subplot. (Maria, Toby, and Andrew) They are planning a practical joke on Malvolio. Moving on, Orsino asks Viola/Cesario to woo Olivia for him. This is of course hard for her, since she loves the Duke, but she proceeds. To add to her problems, Olivia falls in love with her!

Later, we see that Viola's brother Sebastian has survived and we meet Antonio. Antonio is wanted in the area for theft, but his touching loyalty will not allow him to abandon Sebastian. There is a comical scene where Orsino has a man to man talk with Viola/Cesario.

Now here we come to a part I have a problem with. Maria, Andrew, and Toby plan an over the top practical joke on Malvolio. I find this to be beneath the comedy that is caused by human misunderstanding such as in "The Comedy of Errors."

Moving on, Toby pretends to want to try to stop a fight between Andrew and Viola/Cesario but keeps prompting the fight as well. Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian and saves her. But I have another problem here. Viola watches Antonio get arrested after he saved her, and she allows him to be taken to prison. Certainly she was close enough to the Duke to ask for this man who had been helpful to be released. (And she knows she was mistaken for her brother Sebastian!)

Eventually the errors of the day are sorted out when Sebastian comes on the screen married to Olivia. And Shakespeare allows us to infer that Antonio will not be punished. And of course Malvolio comes on stage screaming for revenge over what he feels he has suffered.

It is a good play with intertwined plots, comedy, and enough tragic elements to make it real. But there are some flaws that prevent me from placing this on the same level as "As You Like It," "Merchant of Venice," "Comedy of Errors," and some others.

Last semester, I took a course on comedic drama in which the class read numerous classics of the genre. Twelfth Night was, in my opinion, pretty easily the best work that we read. While it's not necessarily Shakespeare's own best work, it is one of the true masterpieces of comedic literature, a work of surprising humor and depth.

The romantic plot is absurd, though of course, satisfying. In true comedic fashion, the play takes place is something of a fantasy world, with the laws of the world suspended. There is a chance for something divine to happen here, a chance for human masks to be torn away and for authentic connection to be made. Of course, something like that is what happens. Comedy (particularly that produced by the fool) pierces through the false barriers the people have build and allows for them to create for themselves a new life.

I think that's why I like the play so much. The farcical plot and the clever wordplay are delightful, but it's really that there is a subtle wisdom in this play that draws me irresistibly toward it. I think that you can read and reread Twelfth Night and always come away with a sense of something genuine.

The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search: The Proven Program Used by the Worlds Leading Career Services CompanyThe author is not only highly knowledgeable about what is entailed in an effective job search, he knows how to write clearly, simply and in an interesting, even entertaining, fashion. I would rate this as one of the top books I have ever read on the subject. Mr. Pierson lays out a logical and structured approach that could not be simpler to follow. The book is concise and an easy read while covering every essential element of the challenging job search process. And equally importantly, he offers not only every step to take. along with how and why to use it, but the encouragement that you will succeed if you just go about it intelligently and diligently.

Orville takes a complex and slippery process and makes it straightforward. As someone who has also worked in outplacement for a number of years, the Pierson method offers helpful advice in how to prepare for your search, how to implement it, and how to know how it's going. Chapters are easy to read and follow. If you're in transition or know someone who is out of work, this is the book for you.

Pierson's book offers a well laided out and systematic approach to job searching. This book is especially helpful for those individuals looking for a step-by-step plan that they can follow easily and that will keep them dedicated to the job search.

Orville's book provides new insigts and creative strategies for finding meaningful work. The "Pierson Method" is intelligent and presented in a manner that gave me a terrific new paradigm which provides structure and a means to measure my progress with tangible results that I control. I loved it! Five Stars!!

Orville Pierson tells it like it really is! The job search process is hard work. A common complaint that my clients have is they find it difficult to stay organized, stay focused and maintain some semblence of structure in their daily job search activities. The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search provides a framework and methodology that gives my clients a sense of control during what can be an overwhelming process. Each client of mine receives a copy of this book - it is a must read!

The book I read was Girls in Love it is about three girls who are best friends and are very close with each other. And with the entire drama goings on in Ellie's life she needs her best friends in the whole world Nadine and Magda. Ellie one of the three girls is obsessed with her weight she says she is fat and doesn't like the way she looks. Nadine is the kind of gothic one so everyone tells her. And there is Magda the pretty one who loves to show of her legs. Well in this book Ellie desperately wants a boyfriend and as Nadine and Magda show of their boyfriends or flirtations during the summer. Well Ellie also met a boy named Dan who is a nerdy guy who she only likes him as a friend. But he likes her as more than a friend. So Ellie passes him as her boyfriend but gives him the characteristics of a cute boy she is crushing on. And then Dan is writing letters to her that is the way they communicate. He tells her how he feels about her so that kin of messes up the plan of her saying he was her boyfriend. Also after each chapter there is a list and the list has nine things that happened to her or that she is planning to do like one of the most important one to her to get a boyfriend. This book is an awesome book because it is so true because at Ellie's age we girls worry about our weight the way we look when we a really cute guy.

Girls in Love is the first book in the Girls Quartet. This book is about Ellie, a girl starting the ninth grade in London. She is all ready to start ninth grade with her two best friends, Magda and Nadine. Right before school starts, like always, her family takes a trip to the cabin in Wales. And surprisingly, Ellie finds a guy, Dan, that like liked her. Only Bad part, Ellie doesn't really want him for a boyfriend for many reasons. A nickname like Dopey Dan, isn't really what she wanted. When she gets home, she discovers that Nadine has a boyfriend! A tall dark and handsome one, that surprisingly looks like he would go for Magda and not Nadine. And suddenly, everything in Ellie's life turns in to misery. She's lying to her friends, She is getting tacky love letters from Dan, Her dad and Anna ( her step mom) are always arguing, Eggs (her brother) is being annoying as usual, she misses her mom and she wishes she was thinner and could fit into something great. One night, at a party, trouble starts with Ellie, and no one could save her. Her rescuer come! Oh my its dopey Dan!

Girls in love is an awesome book! Its basically a diary of what happens daily in Ellie's life when everything happens so fast. I really enjoyed this book because every girl can relate to either Magda, Nadine and Ellie. I love how this book was written because at the end of each chapter, Ellie makes a list of something new about her, like her role models, he favorite partys etc. Also, since Ellie was from London, she used different words than what we use so I really liked being able to see how people in London talk, I recommend this book for teenage girls because younger girls might not get most on the content, and guys would most likely loose interest because it's a girls life so I think most girls could really get into the book. Sometimes it seems like your reading a page of you life!

Have you ever had to deal with friend problems, guy problems, family problems, jealousy, lies, imperfection, and all the other obstacles of growing up? If you have then your not alone!
Ellie Allard is 14 years old and has never had a proper boyfriend. Her best friends Magda and Nadine, are pretty, popular, and are always braggging about their latest boyfriends. Its never bothered her before, but this year she decides to do something about it. She tries going on a diet, getting a glamorous new haircut, and buying a more sophistacated wardrobe but still the only guy she can attract is a nerdy, goofy kid named Dan. Dan lives a few hours away and is always sending Ellie these dorky love letters. At first Ellie just gets annoyed, but then she decides to pretend that Dan is her boyfriend to impress Magda and Nadine, but the Dan she pretends is her boyfriend is nothing like the real Dan at all because the pretend Dan is tall, athletic, nice, cute, and funny. So what would happen if Magda and Nadene found out? Would they not want to be her friend anymore? This book should be read by teenage girls everywhere. I could totally relate to Girls in Love. It was almost like the author was writing about my friends and me in certain parts of the book. Once I started Girls in Love I could not put it down, and I'm sure you would do the same.

In the book GIRLS IN LOVE it shows how the main character, Ellie, deals with all the problems that a fourteen year old girl goes through, boys being one of those main problems. She never let it get to her but when she finds out her two best friends, Magda and Nadine, have boyfriends she gets jealous. Ellie met a nerdy boy named Dan on vacation and he started writing her love letters. Ellie never wrote back until she got herself into a big mess. She told Magda and Nadine that she had a boyfriend too. She showed them all the letters he wrote to her and explained what he looked like, and how they couldn't meet him because he lived a few hours away. But the Dan she described wasn't the real Dan, it was a tall gorgeous athletic boy she saw walking to school everyday, the real Dan was short with glasses, your typical nerd. She knew she had to tell her best friends the truth about Dan, but would they hate her and make fun of her and tell everyone else how she was childish enough to make up a boy friend?
I thought this was and excellent book. I usually have to force myself to pick up a book but I couldn't put this book down. And I'm guessing any teenage girl would do the same. This book has many funny parts that made me laugh outloud, and some parts that made me feel like I was in the story, it was so exciting!

The story shows how the narrator, Ellie, a fourteen year old girl, deals with her fashion-model-skinny stepmother, her annoying but lovable little brother called Eggs, her two best friends, Magda and Nadine, and her nerdy pen pal/boyfriend, Dan.

The book was funny, and well-written. I haven't read the other books in the series, but I think I will. I would recommend Girls in Love for mainly girls aged 11-15.

If you've finished the series, I would suggest the Georgia Nicolson series, by Louise Rennison. Those books are longer, and most Jaquieline Wilson fans will definately enjoy them.

The first of five or six Special-X books that are among the best thriller/slasher/horron stories ever. The rest of the Special-X books are hit and miss, but all of them through Primal Scream are great. Headhunter just scratches the surface, although its one of Slade's best still.

Wow.

'Headhunter' was a sick, sick, and REALLY twisted book...and I liked it.

Without sounding like a complete snob and professing that I knew whodunnit the whole time, I did have suspicions, ideas, and theories for quite a long time about not who the killer was, but why. The Big Revelation had lost almost all of its steam by the time it came around, but it was still a good twist. The book really dragged a bit in its middle (not in any kind of obvious way, but it just felt "distracted"), when too much focus was cast on too many characters and what at the time seemed like very left-field theories being tossed around by the main characters. But, things really picked up again towards the end, and it had a pretty thrilling climax.

All in all, I was impressed, and will someday read the next book in the "Special X" series, 'Ghoul' (but I'm not in any big hurry). Then again, writers (usually...at least often) get better with the more they write, so maybe the future Slade books cut out (ha-ha!) the fat a bit more and go for the throat (ba-dum, tsh...terrible, I know).

This was mighty tough going. After slogging through this dreadful book I hope I can help others avoid making the same mistake.

It seems incredible that this was written by a team of three authors, mostly because you'd think at least one of them would have had some kind of ear for human speech. The dialogue here is completely artificial, even making allowance for the 20-plus years since publication.

The characters may "jump off the page" but only because they are so artificially calculated to be memorable. Any jumping these characters do is just another stunt to get attention; none are at all believable.

The murder mystery was a yawner. Perhaps the gruesome details were startling in the days before "Millennium", "CSI" and the other homicide investigation shows, but not anymore.

Beyond the laughable dialogue and characters and the lackluster story, this book is mostly memorable for the authorial preaching about women's equality, the horrors of private gun ownership, and the evil of men in general and American men in particular.

Tough sledding all the way here. Avoid at all cost.

The first in Michael Slade's masterful Special X series is a roller-coaster ride from the first page to the last.

Headhunter is a novel ahead of it's time. Before the general public knew what "criminal profiling" was, Slade was introducing his readers to deranged inner working of the psychotic mind, and how a modern police force hunts those psychos down. Because of this Headhunter is still a relevant and entertaining read even twenty years later.

Agatha Christie would be proud of the twists and turns that leads to the un-guessable conclusion. De Sade would cringe at the horrific details along the way...

Michael Slade worked his magic and created a masterpiece with Headhunter. Thankfully, he continues to do so with all of his Special X books.

This is simply the best fiction novel I have ever read. I usually tend to stick to non-fiction and history, but this book blew me away. It is so complex and visual in its presentation. The story is interesting and well paced. The characters leap off the pages. The ending is absolutely incredible. I have always wanted to see a movie made of this one, and wonder why one hasn't been done yet. But, I also get afraid that Hollywood would only make a mess out of this masterpiece.