General-Average

Ganna Walska, for whom this book is based, was a multifaceted character. She comes to life in this big, juicy historical novel which goes through each of her 6 husbands and starts in her childhood. The author really gets her character, who was, in real life, the creator of a private garden in Santa Barbara, California, called Lotus Land. It's part romance, part historical fiction and a great read.

A mentor gave me this book in 1986. I read it as a new college freshman. I read it again as I prepared for my upcoming wedding in 1989. Now I have some friends--young women about to go to college themselves--who I think can bennefit from this practical book. Author Florence Littauer has inspired me over the years with her wisdom and insight into the little things we, as women, can do to make a difference in others' lives. Many of her words come to mind as I think of how to pursue excellence in my walk with God and in my life, now as a wife and mom. Time to read it again!

The genius of Leslie Buglass was his ability to discuss and write about the most technical of subjects in such a way that even the novice can easily understand it and then quickly wonder why others thought it was so complicated. Prior to the publication of the first edition of this work, no American writer dared attempt a work as ambitious as Marine Insurance and General Average in the United States and no one produced a text which, on the one hand, is easily understood by the student and, on the other hand, considered an invaluable research tool by the professional. When read carefully and thoughtfully, the contents of this book will more than adequatey reward you whether you are embarking on a career in marine insurance or refining the skills you have already developed in this great profession.

This book is very easy reading, with a lot of pictures and charts, and doesn't bore you with pages upon pages on text. It traces the history of the DJIA, showing what was happening in the world when the Dow hit certain benchmarks, and provides a "Readers Digest" version of market trends, biographical profiles, and cycles in the Dow. A great coffee table book.

The Author, Bob Uda, was born and raised in Hawaii for the first 20 years of his life. From his youthful, barefoot days in Hawaii, he has earned four college degrees; worked in the aerospace, defense, and telecommunications industries; and rose to the top echelons of management. Needless to say, he now wears shoes!

This book helped me focus in on the core issues I needed to concentrate on, without me having to read thru filler to get to the helpful info. After reading this book, I have started the exercise and discipline program have have been trying to begin for the last 6 months. Easy to read and great as gift.!!!!!!!!!!

The Average Human is a fantastic novel. It has everything--fascinating characters and a plot that keeps you guessing. You get to see the underbelly of a community and the people who live there. I absolutely LOVED it. Ms Toby-Potter has a way with the English language. I can't wait to read her next novel!!

This novel was amazing. I am not a fan of fiction, but when i started reading Toby-Potter's the Average Human I was completely enthralled by her mastery of language, and character development. It is a rich, dark novel with so many twists, you may feel as if yo uwill lose yourself, but everything comes back full circle. Everything ties itself back together beautifully and one is left with the imagery, the beauty and the tragedy of the town of Loomis. It's incredible that it is only her first novel.

I actually read "The Average Human" after first reading the author's book for adolescents, "Olivia Kidney." The two books are not really similar, but the writer's compelling, literary prose is equally excellent in both. The characters in "The Average Human," who live in rural New York State, are complex and not easily understood. Yet they are compellingly drawn and very memorable. Since I read this book, scenes and phrases from it have revisited me frequently. I will certainly read it a second time. Ellen Toby-Potter (or Ellen Potter, which she uses in the "Olivia Kidney" book) is truly a brilliant writer; I look forward to her next works for both young people and adults.

FB's style in these stories is mainly to set you up with a scene and characters (which he brings to life fairly easily and quickly) and then end the story right on the brink of when something's going to happen.. or not happen.
In many of these stories, the sexual frustration between characters is leaping off the page; just when you think something will break, it gets even more intense. Most of the stories involve a male and female as the main chars.
A handful of stories are written in 2nd person, which is extremely difficult to pull off. FB does an okay job of it, but doesn't convince me.
I enjoyed the collection and will definitely consider other works by him.

These are basically stories about nothing. Not even stories really. More like observations or reports told by a loving correspondent. The author rather skillfully (or sneakily) managed to keep this sottish reader's interest even though I knew the stories weren't going anywhere. Greatness? No. Clever and well told nothingness? You betcha! An opinion: the author has little imagination, but is a very skilled storyteller. I'm not certain whether to be annoyed or impressed.

So many books are filled with lousy, hothouse prose, so many are overwritten or underwritten, or have no ideas other than the ideas you might hear on any newscast on MSNBC. Even books that get a lot of press seem sort of mundane and off-the-rack when compared with Barthelme's. He sees the world we live in from an odd angle, seems to like the really plain stuff that's always going on around us, and in his hands it tends to take on a magical glow. How he does it I don't quite know. Maybe it's just good writing, maybe it's the particular ideas that he elects to write about, maybe it's finding the slightly miraculous in the utterly ordinary. Anyway, it's a pleasure to read stories that have a different slant. I like the story where the meat slides down the counter, and the one where they go to the Home Depot, and the one where the girl writes her number on his arm, and the one where the big strange guy gets to drive the car. I like the crazy story about the runaway girl in the back and the story called Ed Works in which almost nothing happens. These characters have a realness about them that so much fiction misses--the people are just going though their lives and stuff is happening to them and they're reacting and sometimes it gets out of hand or there's a big moment that's really lovely and they don't miss the moment, but they don't make a religion out of it either. And best of all, these stories don't preach. That's rare these days.

Thoroughly enjoyable and more than just slightly humorous, Rothchild takes Finance 101 and compresses it into "a year in the life of...". The text gives an uninitiated investor a chance to read about the mistakes, which are only too easy to make, before actually making them. While Rothchild does not actually give any advice on what one should do (as opposed to the advice on what to avoid), I'd highly recommend this book as a method of sparing ones self the pain these lessons help you avoid.

This book was first published in 1988, after the 1987 crash. The wisdom and essence of the book is still as valuable now in 2002. It is entertaining as well as educational. The author went out of his way to describe his experience or experiments in various areas of investing, giving knowledge and first hand information on how the investment world runs from different perspectives. The author took a year to study investing and invest with his real money, with the assignment of writing this book about it at the end. As a result, his investment decisions and variety and frequency of his investment may be atypical of an average investor. However, his description of the phychology of an average investor is quite accurate.

Rothchild writes with a very negative or should I say sarcastic perspective. But his sarcasm is very well directed. I think this book has tremendous value for an investor that has been around the block once or twice and is looking for more insight to market mechanics. Some areas of great insight covered:

Selling newsletters or get rich schemes.

The Stockbroker (1 notch above a used car salesman).

Insights to the mechanics of stock prices.

Sell side - buy side analyst relationships and the Fund Manager.

This book belongs in your collection AFTER you have the basics down and have some experience to understand what Rothchild is really talking about.

Suzanne Brockmann brings the life of Navy SEALs into sharp focus with her mini-series Tall, Dark and Dangerous. This is the fourth book in the series and it is excellent. The characters, especially Lt. Harlan "Cowboy" Jones and Melody Evans, are completely realistic, they could be living next door to you or me, and I feel like I could visit Appleton and navigate my way around. The book is a page turner, there is no doubt about it. The emotion throughout this book is strong and compelling. I felt like I was there watching the sparring and the loving between Mel and Cowboy. It was definetely worth the wait and I can't wait to get Harvard's Education in October.

First Joe Cat, Blue, then Frisco, and now Cowboy. These guys are great and the women they fall in love with are equal to the task to love them.

This was a fun light read from start to finish. Cowboy and his team are on a resuce mission. One of the people they rescue is Melody. Melody puts her life literally in Cowboy's hands. What they both can't explain nor expected was the instant attraction they both felt. After the rescue is complete these to act on their mutal attraction neither realizing that this is not the end but the beginning for both of them.

The character's were great and although at times Melody did get on my nerve's with her reluctance to even take the time to get to know Cowboy (one of her reason's for not marrying him was because she did not "know" him outside of the bedroom) eventually these two people come to an understanding not only about themselves but their individual place in the world. Sounds cheesey I know but still that's how it turned out. The whole team is present in this book so you get to visit with old friends as well getting to know other secondary characters. This is a fast paced read I;n sure you'll enjoy!

I enjoyed this tale of a Navy Seal and the hostage he rescued but found it lacking in depth and intensity.

The storyline itself was engaging...Cowboy enters an embassy under attack by rebel forces to rescue 3 hostages and falls in love with Melody, the hostage he is assigned to. The first part of the book flies by as they evade enemy forces and escape. From there on, things slow down a little bit as Cowboy and Melody deal with her pregnancy and Cowboy tries to convince her to marry him. It ends rather nicely, but the book left me wanting more... I felt like the characters were never really fully developed.

"Cowboy" Harlan Jones is a great character... he's smart, dedicated and has a quirky sense of humor that makes him endearing. Melody, however, seems too one-dimensional. I wish Suzanne Brockmann would have spent more time on her character. "Harvard", Cowboy's partner, was actually the most interesting character in the book. I'm looking forward to reading his story.

Having said all that, my primary purpose for reading is to be entertained and enjoy a little escapism. This book definitely provided that for me and I enjoyed reading it.