On-the-tape

This is the personal history of one of those amazing 20th century lives. Made better when read by the author. (For all the Hollywood dirt you've got to hear "Bring On The Empty Horses!")

Prior to reading this book, my only knowledge of David Niven was as an actor in a few films I had seen. 'The Moon's A Balloon' was recommended to the highest level by an old aunt, and I must do likewise to anyone who enjoys superb writing, hugely entertaining and humorous stories, and dry wit of the highest calibre. David's writings are wonderfully descriptive and tinged in places with tragedy lest we forget he was apportioned his share. He led a most extraordinary life, met some of the most famous people from royalty to screen stars, and after reading his memoirs I defy anyone not to be endeared to the man. The book was no doubt initially made popular by David's popularity as an actor, but I guarantee that people who are not acquainted with him will enjoy his memoirs as much as those who are. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, nor adequately elucidate my surprise that it is no longer in print. After reading it I believe you will concur that the world lost a very unique person when David died in 1983. Please do yourself a favour and read this book, you will love it.

This is one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. The stories are hilarious and moving in turn. I never appreciated David Niven much as an actor, but his writing is first-rate.

My idea of heaven includes David Niven at the dinner table. I can't wait to read his other books!

This novel is one of the best I have read. Alex Haley and Stevens express a kind of compassion from a grandmother/mother that no one could do better. It's a very emotional book, and touches everyone that has ever experienced a good book. Once you start it, you can't put it down!

Reading this book is like cozying up with a warm blanket. The authors provide so much detail that you feel like YOUR grandmother is sitting in front of you, recounting the tales. The book spans the decades, from the early 1900s to the late 1970s and throws in a bit of history/current events to place the family's hostory in context. Great book!

This book made you feel apart of it. I loved it! I loved the history, the story, the emotions and how it wove a story of a loving family working their way through life. This is a must read.

In the plethora of books out there written about and containing pictures of Marilyn Monroe, I feel that this collaboration between friend and photographer George Barris and Marilyn herself is truly special, and is as essential to own as _Legend_ by Guiles or the photography books of Bert Stern or Andre de Dienes. In some of the last pictures of her taken before her death, Marilyn is natural and luminescent, appearing happy, calm, and at home in her body.

The text is also highly interesting, containing the words of Marilyn herself as told to Barris. Like her ghost-written _My Story_, this book contains the fragments of Marilyn's life she saw fit to share at that time, and therefore captures her public mindset during the summer before her death more than anything I've read. For example: "When I was a small child, my fondest memories were being around my mother and her friends. It made me feel like we were one big happy family." And even sadder: "As far as I'm concerned, the happiest time of my life is now. There's a future, and I can't wait to get to it. It should be interesting." Barris' conclusion is that Monroe did not commit suicide, and reading her statements contained in this book, it's easy to see why. A beautiful representation of a beautiful woman (inside and out).

George Barris, a very wonderful man and wonderful friend to Marilyn, had collaborated with Marilyn to make this book, which they had discussed for some time prior to her death. So here is Marilyn, at her very best, in one of the best settings for Marilyn to be photographed - the beach. Very early on in her career, many photos were taken of Marilyn at the very same beach by Andre deDienes, and they, too are fabulous photos. Something about Marilyn and the beach bring out the very best in her. She appears at ease, belonging to the ocean as her vibrance shines through. At this point in Marilyn's life, only a few weeks prior to her death, Marilyn appeared very fit, happy, healthy and ready to move on in her career. Sadly, that was not to be. But here with this book, we are shown the true Marilyn, young Norma Jeane still there, posing not only for Barris, but for us. This is a beautiful book with pictures that have quite affectionately been named "The Last Photo Shoot," as it was. And the very last picture of Marilyn, wrapped tightly in her Mexican sweater, blowing us a kiss goodbye is a wonderful reminder of her beauty and sensuality.

I think It's a great book with spectacular photos. Every MM fan have to buy it! Ciao

This mystery is wonderful, whether you are a new Stout fan or an old afficionado. Since the other reviewers have discussed the plot, I won't delve into it much. Basically, a man, Leonard Dykes, has written a story and everyone who reads it (he, the woman at the publishing house, and the typist) is killed. The father of the woman from the publishing house, Joan Wellman, hires Wolfe because he is not satisfied with the police's efforts. The rest of the story is fairly formulaic for the Stout series: Wolfe is arrogant, sticks to his schedule, and never leaves the Brownstone. Archie is sarcastic, lures the women, and is a 1940s man-about-town.

There are two differnt things about this story: one good, one bad. First, the bad: Stout doesn't explain the alibi of the murderer. The killer says there is one, and Wolfe starts to dispute it, but Cramer stops him. Therefore, we never find out how the killer contrived the alibi. This may not bother some, but for me, it's frustrating. As for the good, Archie's (perhaps) ultimate love interest is found in this book, in the form of a plump, older, married woman. Don't worry: Archie does nothing wrong, but he sure does think about it...

Bottom line: Well up to Stout's usual standards, with extra interest. The flaw, though, keeps it from being five stars.

Written with such a mastery over words and phrases, that it's really hard not to like it. I've read almost every Nero Wolfe novel and while this one is not my absolute favorite, it has several scenarios that I find among the most memorable. The first being the 'scam' that Wolfe and Goodwin contrive to attempt to lure the murderer to the sister of one of the people who've read the book - this is expertly handled and quite thorough. The second is (I'm obviously not going in order :P) the 'group interrogation' with the dozen or so secretaries. But there's alot of little nuances throughout the novel that are professional touches that make it seem almost as if the characters are real and that you're reading a piece of history. Stout's almost tedious attention to detail is more fuller appreciated the more you read it, or better yet listen to the audiobook (read by Michael Prichard).

I loved just about everything about this book. A wistful, infatuated Archie, an exasperated/exasperating Wolfe, police who are (as Wolfe himself would say) good enough at what they do but always a step or two behind, and an action-packed yet heartbreaking mystery. So often books of this genre use murder merely as a catalyst for action. By introducing the victims' families and giving them voice, Rex Stout makes us view the murders in terms of the very real pain they cause those who are left behind. But don't get me wrong -- this book is not a downer. It's bright and clever and, as always, the Wolfe/Goodwin exchanges brought me many a smile.

This set of three novellas grouped into a book is a strange and haunting work whose effect lingers long. The stage is Earth far in the future, but an Earth whose pride and will have been shattered by terrible reverses. Silverberg paints a picture of the aftermath of human hubris, whereby pride and technological prowess carried to an extreme have led to the destruction of the continents of North and South America and ultimately to a "bankrupt" earth being placed in celestial "receivership". Beaten down and dispirited, humanity has been splintered in to a number of profession-specific guilds in a reversion to feudal times, with loyalty to guild superceding all other loyalties. The story is told through the experiences of a "Watcher" who has devoted his life to scanning the heavens for the approach of a long anticipated punitive invasion from a planet mortally wronged by human hubris. The book tells of the aftermath of the fateful invasion, resistance to which is rendered impossible by humanity's own divisions, let alone its reversion to a technological stone age. We follow the Watcher as, post-invasion, he seeks a new life and ultimately redemption. The topography is familiar and yet different as Silverberg plays on the names of well known cities (the holy cities of Roum and Jorslem, the romance of Perris in the nighttime). In majestic metaphor, the Watcher, after having his life's vocation rendered meaningless, delves deep into the past for lessons and finally seeks a new redemption, literally and figuratively, in a new united vision of love, tolerance and humanity. A book that is strange, troubling and yet inspiring.

I am happy to say that this is the greatest book for science fiction lovers anywhere!! Silverberg has yet again astounded me with this awesome tale. Anyone who can read should read this book. :)

The ability to fly like a bird is one of man's oldest dreams. In the far future, when man has risen to giddy heights of technological accomplishments and due to insufferable pride has fallen back again, where Guilds segment man into carefully disparate work and life styles, the Guild of the Flyers is the only one devoted to pure esthetic enjoyment. A product of gene tinkering during man's great Second Cycle, the flyers can fly only at night, with wings so delicate even the pressure of sunlight is too much for them.

But the story is not about Flyers, or the Watchers who scan the universe with mentally enhancing machines looking for signs of the promised Invaders, nor even about the Dominator's rights to command material wealth and people for their own desires, but rather is almost a paean to what is best about the inner soul of man. Told from the viewpoint of one Watcher as he wanders a recognizable but very changed world from our own, from Roum to Perris to Jorslem, it is a voyage of self-discovery, of a delving into man's long past, while lust, greed, and acts of betrayal form signposts along his path towards redemption. A redemption for not just himself, but for all mankind, when it can recognize that all types of humans, including the most grossly misshapen Changelings as well as the most gorgeous Flyers, are part of man, and are all worthy.

Silverberg populates his world with some very real people. The character of the Watcher, later given the name Tomis by the Rememberers, is finely drawn, that of a man somewhat distanced from the world, an observer, who none the less has to come to grips with the realities of living, and who can find true love if he looks hard enough. The Prince of Roum is immediately recognizable if not very likable. Avluela the Flyer embodies all the traditional traits of the fragile, mysterious, inconstant female until she is revealed to have more depth and strength than is readily apparent.

There is something of a baroque and romantic feel to the style, ornate yet conveying its meaning quite directly. Silverberg went from being something of a wordsmith-for-hire in his early years as a writer to a consummate tale spinner with a near poetic drive to his language, and this work shows that talent. In this work, he reminds me somewhat of Arthur C. Clarke's The City and the Stars, as both works deal with a very far future where mankind that has fallen from great heights, and they both have an aura of the immense pressure of millennia of history pressing on their stories.

Dominating the book is Silverberg's theme, against which his characters play and help illuminate. Normally this theme is gradually, almost imperceptibly developed, but perhaps the very last section of the book develops too much of a missionary fervor, about the only real miscue in this entire work.

With the first section of this book the winner of 1969 Hugo Award, this is a rich read, one to savor for its strangeness and yet its link to the commonplace, finely crafted to make believable the incredible, with emotional power and indelible images.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Frederick Forsyth is an excellent author, and No Comebacks will serve as a fine introduction for readers new to his work. If you're already familiar with Forsyth, this is a collection of short stories similar to The Veteran. The stories in No Comebacks are shorter, usually about 20-30 pages each, ten in all. They are a little more lighthearted than the tone of Forsyth's novels, which are predominantly serious, and most involve an unexpected twist or turn along the way (sometimes saved for the very end). There's a story in here for everyone: a playboy in pursuit of a married woman, a victim of prejudice out for revenge, an answer to a mid-life crisis, a way to handle extortion, a response to a soiled reputation, and a unique way to settle an estate, to name a few. Timeless little episodes that are well-written and delightful to read.

No Comebacks was the first short story collection that introduced me to the dark side of society in a way that felt incredibly real. I was a teenager when I came across an audiobook (read by Frank Muller) from Recorded Books.

I was riveted to these stories of people who--more often than not--get themselves into strange predicaments and have to resort to violence or the like to get out. Often the stories end with a twist on the level of O. Henry (except more dire, of course) where we learn something new about the character(s) that Forsyth had previously held back from us.

I have yet to read any of Forsyth's novels but I keep going back to this collection time and time again, enjoying them as much as the first time (perhaps more now that I am older and can identify with them more).

I've read this book many years back and recently I read it again. "No Comebacks" is a real great book. Every story has its' own impression. Amazingly every story gives one common impression of a real fix, i.e. No Comebacks. There Are Some Days, There are No Snakes.. and of course No Comeback are really very good stories. The beauty of the book is that there are soft crimes & no violence. This is probably one of the best work of Forsyth !

This book contains a lot of Buddism and Buddist dogma. There's nothing wrong with that, if you're interested in Buddism. However, as a book on MEDITATION, I expected to learn about meditation, not Buddism. The subtitle, "A Step-by-step Manual for Buddist Meditation", is more accurate. However, once again, there's little actual information about meditation techniques, and much more about how to meditate from the Buddist perspective. Meaning, that the focus is on the philosophy and not techniques. For instance...

The section entitled, "How to meditate", is 4 pages long. The majority of the book (just over 80 pages!) concerns the "Twenty-one Meditations", which are things to meditate ON - essentially ideas - which are presented as a sequential process of meditative enlightenment. Thus, if you want to learn HOW to meditate, I cannot recommend that you purchase this book.

The Lamrim is the "Graduated Path to Enlightenment." It is a total map of the Buddhist Path. And it is distilled, without any loss of flavor or potency, into these 21 meditations. I
completed these meditations in 1997. I made more progress than
I ever had in any spiritual or psychological program. So I naturally started to do the meditations for a second 21-days.
I treated my family as myself or better. I felt that life had meaning. I felt part of you, the reader of this review, as well.
That there was a connection to everything else. Then my brother
asked me what program I was doing. I told him that it was the
Lamrim meditations of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. He told me that the
Dali Lama was angry at him for worshipping a protector deity named Dorje Shugden. So I quit. Until now. I did a one month exhaustive investigation of this affair. I have found Geshe Kelsang Gyatso blameless. And the Dali Lama was trying to keep his country intact because a book titled "The Yellow Book" was
dividing it. This book portrayed Dorje Shugden as a hero entity that was protecting Tibet and driving away the Nyingma influences. I am back. And this book is the best. It may not be the best for you. But it is the best for me. The 21 meditations are a concise psychological map for mental health. I have known lamas and swamis who are quite mean-spirited. But how
can you be mean if you are meditating on love? The mind takes the form of whatever it is paying attention to. After you have this book, you will see that the first meditation involves meditating on your Spiritual Guide. Don't be frightened. You can meditate on Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. Or you can meditate on the Dali Lama.
Pick one of them as your Spititual Guide if you don't have a teacher of somekind. The next problem that you might encounter is the meditation on Tranquil Abiding. I just called The NKT
Center in Los Angeles to get an answer. You can achieve tranquil abiding (the ninth stage) at home and in the evenings.
Students have done so. This book is such a tremendous achievement. You will have such great joy. I am sorry that I quit. And I wish you the very best of happiness.

This book is essential for anyone who wishes to quiet his or her mind, reduce stress, and cutivate a peaceful frame of mind. Easy to read, written in plain English, this book provides you with evrything you need to know and is presented to you in a way you can quickly absorb and use immediatly. I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I wasn't a Robert Schuller devotee (nor am I now), but I really liked his autobiography. It's a good book in its own right. I especially liked the retelling of his growing up on a farm, and his and his wife's early days with their "drive-in" church in California. I even went to visit the Crystal Cathedral after I read this because I liked the book so much! (he is a TV preacher who believes in the power of positive thinking)

If Robert Schuller hasn't inspired you yet to think positively and trust in a higher power, this simple story of his life will. If you need proof that God has a plan for each of us, if you've ever questioned your own purpose on earth, if you are stuck in the rut of modern society, read the recollection of the trials and tribulations of the life of this simple, kind man who has done so much for so many. I've been a member of this church for a long time, but reading this story from his birth to the present has given me a new view of the awesome-ness of the mission Dr. Schuller and Arvella Schuller have built. I recommend this not only for viewers or followers of the church or Dr. Schuller, but also for the sceptics. I wonder if reading this man's journey will make you, too, look upon your own purpose and path in a different light. Above all else, I believe this is the motivation Dr. Schuller had for telling his own life story... to renew our own faith in positive thinking, ourselves and our God. Enjoy.

Dr. Schuller has been such an inspiration to me over the years. His sermons and books have encouraged me on numerous occasions. He helps me feed my mind the right substance. I identify with his migration to California from the interior part of the U.S. The way he tells the story is a true inspiration each time I read it. I was in the Crystal Cathedral in 2002 and it was liked standing in my dream. I was there, observing what I had read about and seen on television. In the American mythology, California is still the land of dreams.
Dreams which are given by God are to be pursued, according to Dr. Schuller's teaching. That's logical. His life shows how it's done.

Never Street is an excellent addition to the Amos Walker series. After a client turns missing, Amos must investigate, leading him into the seamy underworld of blackmail and betrayal and one man's obsession with noir film.

While I liked Never Street, I am not a big fan of 'old movies,' which I felt was an underlying theme in this installment. Film Noir is a genre, I think that is much better 'viewed' than read about. Overall, another light, entertaining read with plenty of puns and snappy comebacks, sure to delight fans of the rest of the series.

After a seven year absence, tough guy Detroit private detective Amos Walker returned in 1997 with "Never Street." I'm a huge fan of P.I. fiction, and Walker is one of the best around. He doesn't work the streets of Detroit so much as he INHABITS them. "Never Street" is longer and more complex than any Walker story up until that time as Amos tries to find a missing video producer and noir film buff who appears to be acting out his fantasy of sisappearing into one of his movies. For any fan of classic film noir, this is a MUST read. As a mystery, it reads reasonably well, although is not nearly as good as the best of the Walker series (novels such as "Sugartown" and "The Glass Highway"). Walker novels suffer a bit from too little reliance on supporting characters. Reappearing cops John Alderdyce and Mary Ann Thaler make a brief turn here, but only in the background of the story. Walker does have a rare romance this time out, and that helps give the story a bit of a lift.

Overall, fans of Amos Walker should enjoy this entry in the series. His is a welcome return.

If, for some reason, you must read books that are well written, with tough talking, wise-cracking, good intentioned, interesting, likeable private eyes who live in the atmospheric pages of a master crime writer, then you must read this book. Great fun for lovers of the hard-boiled genre. Read all of Estelman's Amos Walker series and you'll be have something to measure all the rest by.

This reads like eloquent fiction, but is in truth the story of Tracy's father. He doesn't say which character his father is, and he doesn't insert himself into the story. But what a wonderful, heart-bending story it is. At all times the sadness of the situation is eclipsed by the bravery and courage of people without hope; people who do the best they can, and it is more than enough. For any of us who will grow old, which is most of us, this is a must read.

"For most of those long-lived, ailing people, Linda Manor represented all the permanence that life still had to offer. It was their home for the duration, their last place on earth." Thus writes Tracy Kidder in "Old Friends", an account of life in Linda Manor, a Massachussets old folk's home. It would be a useful exercise to watch a day's television and see how many elderly people are featured. The old are increasingly invisible in our society.

Once respect for one's elders was a maxim in most cultures. Now all has changed in the consumer capitalist west; with a prevalent worship of a narrowly-defined sense of "youth" - physically slim, impulsive, impatient; and the traditional virtues of the elderly - experience, deliberation, rumination - are derided in that accurate barometer of the spirit of the times, advertising. In medical training, there is an unspoken but clear bias against the elderly; students are advised to ensure that the stereotypically scatty little old lady sticks to matters of strict clinical relevance.

The notion that we have anything to learn from the elderly has disappeared from most contemporary culture. The elderly are a nuisance, a problem to be medicated and managed and forgotten. Kidder's book - unsentimental and heartbreaking, a clear-eyed portrait full of dignity and beauty and humour - is a counterblast to the cult of youth and the pathologising of old age. Increasingly we, as young people, live lives surrounded by people of our own age only - the decline of large families mean that we are less likely to have infant siblings or indeed much older siblings, while the large extended family gathering is increasingly dwindling.

The blurb on the back of "Old Friends" begins:"What's wrong with Tracy Kidder? A robust man, even a youthful one, a father fit and healthy, with years of life ahead of him: why did he voluntarily enter an old people's home?" One might fear a self-fixated meditation on the authors own concerns; but Kidder is an absent presence in the book; he gives his elderly cast the stage. The focus is mainly on Lou, a serene, wise ninety year old Philadelphian; and his roommate Joe, a tempermental impatient seventy-two year old who chafes at existence in the home after an active life. Kidder presumably had an extraordinary degree of access; not merely physical but also emotional. We are taken into the rooms of the dying, the deepest fears of those who will shortly join their ranks, the sadness and guilt of relatives. We see the power structure of the nursing home, a relatively enlightened one where nevertheless elderly people with enormous professional and administrative experience are made - with the best intentions - to feel like children.

We learn from the elderly in this book; and the elderly learn from each other. The gruff taciturn Joe is gently coached by Lou into telling his wife he loves her. Joe and Lou coach the staff of Linda Manor in tact and sensitivity- for example the hearty "Did you have a bowel movement today?" is replaced by the less intrusive"Did you or didn't you?" The full emotional range is here; love, ambition, anger, jealousy, pride; life in its most distilled, pure form - life facing

Ever since reading Tracy Kidder's "Soul of a new Machine" years ago, I've admired his ability to get you inside the lives, minds and hearts of the people he chronicles. Old Friends is Tracy's best yet. You will finish this book feeling like you really truly understand what it is like to live in a nursing home.