On-the-tape

I loved this book. I actually thought it was better than the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books. This book is quite uplifting. It is trully a great read!

This is an awesome book to read anytime and anywhere! Full of a variety of types of stories such as ; uplifting , inspiring , teaching and so much more! This is the type of book most kids , teens and even adults would love to read! Stories that we can relate to in life and that we can enjoy. These stories are garunteed to make any one with a heart (which is everyone) laugh , cry and smile. After reading a few of these stories you will have a whole new positive veiw on life.
I highly recommend you buy this book and I hope you enjoy it! ^_^

Great stories in this book! The stories deal with EVERYTHING a teenager goes thru and then some.

For teens that aren't usually big time readers, this book is great. Short stories that hold their interest....and keep their interest. Maybe they will go on to read more often? :)

Tae Bo will change your life. It certainly has changed mine. I am in better shape at nearly 40 than any time in my life. I find Billy inspirational and totally balanced in his advice (This is from a physician who is fed up of the rubbish out there!)
He is humble despite his outstanding life achievements. Why don't you find out how he has made the Tae Bo videos number one in the world; you have nothing to lose but your flab!

When I bought my Tae-Bo videos, I loved the workout but I knew I had some troubles with my form. I had trouble keeping by balance and one of the kicks would lead to a sore hip. I knew I must be doing something wrong. When I bought this book, I had expected the book to be about Tae Bo success stories. I didn't really know that it went through each of the moves step by step, explaining how to position your body and how to tighten your muscles. I was so glad that the book explained things. I definitely feel like I get so much more out of Tae Bo now that I'm sure I do it correctly.

I picked up this book because I just started doing a Tae Bo like workout at my gym. Though I have been a compulsive exerciser for years (biking, running, blading and lifting), this workout has reached all kinds of muscles and skills that I hadn't used before. The first time I did a kick boxing workout, I did an 1 1/2 class -- it was the best workout I'd had in years. There's something very satisfying and empowering about the punching and picking. For women especially, I think it's a great workout for the mind and body. This book is very helpful because it outlines how to do every move with the proper form. Even though I had been doing the movements, I didn't have the time to study how to do them better. Now I feel much more confident. Plus, I enjoyed the story of Billy himself -- no self pity here: he was one of fifteen kids, but felt very loved and appreciated in his own family. This man is an inspiration on many fronts. As a fitness book, this is very high quality. He also has a healthy attitude about eating and dieting - refreshing for an exercise book. The sections on warm up and stretching are also very well done.

Once more our beloved Zen master and amazing poet does it again in yet another spiritual masterpiece, guiding us all towards a more meaningful and joyful life. I actually may very well believe that this particular text is the very finest you will ever read on this much debated topic: Love. In Buddhism there is a teaching known as The Four Immeasurable Minds. They are love, compassion, joy, and equanimity. The root and source of love is in all human beings, and it is our responsibility to realize this and cultivate love as the way of our very lives.

He starts with beneficial practices here on just how to do that seemingly arduous task; how to listen to others with patience, how to accept and love yourself, and ultimately how in a sense "rewrite your karma." Thich covers issues like anger and jealousy, which of course cause ourselves and countless others innumerable amounts of stress and trouble. As with some of his other works where he advises we create, for instance, our own sutra -Thich likewise develops 4 original mantras in a chapter here intended to develop a loving relationship with all that is through a program of awareness, respect for ourselves and others, nurturing, and perhaps most importantly communication.

It's with practice suggestions and the like which Thay provides here that make this work a landmark in his teaching career. Just when you think you've reaped all which Thich Nhat Hanh has to offer you, a book like this comes along to refresh your expert mind back to a baby. After all, a baby's mind is open to most anything, it has nothing to do but learn. And so is our practice. Learning, cultivation, hardship. To sum up, practice is our life.

Teachings on Love may be that book you are looking for in times of Great Doubt which reminds you of the potential of your practice, thus renewing your Great Belief. This work is a testament to the wonderful teachings this modern master always seems to deliver. I can't actually recommend this one enough. Enjoy it.

"Teachings on Love" helps water those seeds of love in your heart. Here one of the parts I liked the most:

"Look into the eyes of your beloved and ask deeply, "Who are you, my love, who has come to me and taken my suffering as your suffering, my happiness as your happiness, my life and death as your life and death? Who are you whose self has become my self? Why aren't you a dewdrop, a butterfly, a bird, a pine tree? Ask with your whole body and mind. Later, you will have to ask the person who causes you the most suffering the same questions...To understand, you have to become one with your beloved, and also one with your so-called enemy. You have to worry about what they worry about, suffer their suffering, appreciate what they appreciate. You and the object of your love cannot be two. They are as much you as you are yourself...See and listen with the whole of your being. If you are fully present, the rain of the Dharma will water the deepest seeds in your store consciousness, and tomorrow, while you are washing the dishes or looking at the blue sky, that seed will spring forth, and love and understanding will appear as a beautiful flower."

Beautiful isn't it? Now I must go, I need to begin my practice...

I should read this book sooner and it would have saved my relationship with Lily Susanto the lady I love so dearly. I still love her very much till this day. This book I suggest ever one gave it a good look even if they are not buddhist. It also deals with family as well, A great book.. It touch my 'soul' and I shed tears and my heart ache knowing that I should read it sooner.

In order of publication, this is the 5th book in the Richard Sharpe series , but the 11th in a "timeline". As such , the author Bernard Cornwell has smoothed out his writing style to give Sharpe a lot more depth of character and a three dimensional aspect lacking in some of the earlier adventures.

In addition to Richard Sharpe ,Major Hogan , Wellington , and Patrick Harper , there are many interesting new characters introduced--La Marquesa (Helena) , Lord Jack Spears , "El Mirador" , and of course a vile villian , Colonel Laroux. All of these characters are artfully blended to achieve an exciting military adventure in which our hero Sharpe is gravely wounded ,and is rescued by his friend Patrick Harper. After being nursed back to health , Sharpe seeks his vengance against the man who wounded him.

The plot of this story involves a possible comprimise of the intelligence network of Major Michael Hogan and the possible exposure of his top agent , the mysterious El Mirador. Colonel Laroux , sent by Napoleon Bonaparte himself to destroy El Mirador , proves to be a ruthless enemy devoid of any honor. To reveal any more than this would indeed compromise the book's enjoyment for the reader , so I'll stop right here.

This volume seems to have it all--excitement,intrigue,romance,and of course the inevitable battle action! Of the 11 volumes I have read in timeline order , this one is right at the top of "my list" along with "Sharpe's Tiger" and "Sharpe's Triumph" for sheer entertainment value and excitement! Five stars and highly recommended.

I have been reading the Sharpe series "mostly in order". Sharpe's Sword, to my taste, was the best so far. Cornwell had really matured as a writer by this time. I would not have expected a description of a near-fatal wound and its effects on a character we absolutely KNOW is going to survive to be so riveting and stirring. As always, Cornwell's closing historical note is like dessert after a fine meal, or perhaps more correctly like the moment where a magician steps back to reveal his secrets -- and you're left more in awe than ever, wondering, "How does he do it?"

I keep lists of the 20 to 40 books I read each year (anal, eh?), and this is the first in years I've given a full 5 stars. (I even forgive Mr. Cornwell now for the only regrettable book in the series so far, "Sharpe's Battle".) Highly recommended.

Why did I like this book?
*Excellent adventure
*Thrilling intrigue
*Exciting military strategies
*Extraordinary camaraderie
*Vicious villains

I don't know pick one...I enjoyed Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe's Sword". The year is 1812, the location is Salamanca Spain. It is here that General Wellington must battle the French forces for the Western portion of the peninsula. Wellington's goal is to defeat the French, Sharpe's goal is to survive and be with his men. Captain Sharpe finds himself surrounded by spies and treachery, friends become enemies and enemies become friends. Sharpe can only place his trust in his faithful chosen men or in the doughty Major Hogan. Everyone else is suspect. Unlike the other Sharpe books, "Sword" doesn't spend a lot of time with the battles. Sharpe is drawn into a different battle field... the battle field of palace intrigue. Before long Sharpe is sharing the company of the beautiful... and mysterious La Marquesa. He battles the evil Colonel Leroux. Leroux's claim to fame is his usage of torture and cruelty. Along the way Sharpe is shot, lied to and very nearly stabbed by the same sword he covets.

I started with the PBS/BBS series, graduated to the audio tapes and now have read most of the novels. I wholeheartedly endorse the Sharpe series. It's great entertainment.

This book is an excellent overview of menopause but needs further updating in light of the current controversy over Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The author is still all aglow over HRT, and it is heralded within the pages of this book as if it were the end all, be all for menopausal women. While this was the general prevailing medical view, it seems that further research has put its value in question somewhat, and HRT is now at the heart of some heated medical controversy.

Still, if the reader is aware already of this budding medical controversy over HRT, the book does offer some insights into menopause in an informative and fairly concise fashion. This should prove to be especially helpful to the hordes of baby boomer women who are entering this phase of their lives. The book also provides information into holistic, alternative ways of addressing some of the issues attendant in menopausal women. It appears that nature may provide some palliatives that some women may find preferable to the drug-infused approach of some medical practitioners.

Overall, this is an excellent, well-researched book and one that a lay person can read with ease. It provides interesting insights into the emotional, psychological, and medical concerns of peri-menopausal and menopausal women and discusses some of the remedies that are available, if necessary, to ease women through this major life passage. The book has clearly been a labor of love for the author, and she has endeavored, with success, to remove the mystery that has enshrouded menopause for so long.

but I feel better now, and I attribute my new outlook to having read The Silent Passage.

Chapters are short and easy to read. This book deals not only with the technical aspects that most books do, but primarily with particular women's experiences with those various aspects--especially their feelings. This is what is left out of most of the other books. I recommend this book together with a more techinical book. But if you can only buy one book, buy this one instead. The main thing this book left me with was a feeling that instead of menopause being something that will just happen to me, there are a lot of things I can do, in a proactive sense, to manage the menopause. This is the most positive book I have seen on the subject, and helps me decide about all the questions to discuss with my doctor. Without reading this book, instead of being ready with a list of questions for my doctor, I would have passively listened to whatever he said, and thought that was it.

This is a wonderful series. There are several other 'books turned into series' that depict friendship and loyalty but on those occasions, they sometimes fall into dialogue loaded with humorous repartee. The excellent (yet limited) series of Spenser of course is always about friendship and loyalty, although I am certain that Professor Parker would agree that Aubrey and Maturin represent a far more prodigous, complicated effort than Spenser and Hawk.

"The Thirteen Gun Salute" takes the crew of The Diane well, well south into frozen waters, battles typhoons, carries with it political intrigue, but mostly immerses us in the lexicon and morality of 200 years ago. By now all who are but a little familiar with Lucky Jack Aubrey know that it is his friendship with Dr. Maturin and the ensuing conversations that make the series fly . . . well, float. Add to that the close, uncanny description of life on board a sailing ship and the tumult of the time resounding with the French, here Malay Sultans, protestants, Catholics and revolutionaries, and you're in for a great, enjoyable history lesson.

Some criticize O'Brian for being tedious. For the rest of us it is why we are there. It is O'Brian's attention to detail from eating pudding before the rats get it to gunnery practice in the late afternoon that makes it all worthwhile. Highly recommended. Thirteen Guns and Five Stars. Larry Scantlebury

Some critics have referred to the Aubrey/Maturin books as one long novel united not only by their historical setting but also by the central plot element of the Aubrey/Maturin friendship. Having read these fine books over a period of several years, I decided to evaluate their cumulative integrity by reading them consecutively in order of publication over a period of a few weeks. This turned out to be a rewarding enterprise. For readers unfamiliar with these books, they describe the experiences of a Royal Navy officer and his close friend and traveling companion, a naval surgeon. The experiences cover a broad swath of the Napoleonic Wars and virtually the whole globe.
Rereading all the books confirmed that O'Brian is a superb writer and that his ability to evoke the past is outstanding. O'Brian has numerous gifts as a writer. He is the master of the long, careful description, and the short, telling episode. His ability to construct ingenious but creditable plots is first-rate, probably because he based much of the action of his books on actual events. For example, some of the episodes of Jack Aubrey's career are based on the life of the famous frigate captain, Lord Cochrane. O'Brian excels also in his depiction of characters. His ability to develop psychologically creditable characters through a combination of dialogue, comments by other characters, and description is tremendous. O'Brien's interest in psychology went well beyond normal character development, some books contain excellent case studies of anxiety, depression, and mania.
Reading O'Brien gives vivid view of the early 19th century. The historian Bernard Bailyn, writing of colonial America, stated once that the 18th century world was not only pre-industrial but also pre-humanitarian (paraphrase). This is true as well for the early 19th century depicted by O'Brien. The casual and invariable presence of violence, brutality, and death is a theme running through all the books. The constant threats to life are the product not only of natural forces beyond human control, particularly the weather and disease, but also of relative human indifference to suffering. There is nothing particularly romantic about the world O'Brien describes but it also a certain grim grandeur. O'Brien also shows the somewhat transitional nature of the early 19th century. The British Navy and its vessals were the apogee of what could be achieved by pre-industrial technology. This is true both of the technology itself and the social organization needed to produce and use the massive sailing vessals. Aubrey's navy is an organization reflecting its society; an order based on deference, rigid hierarchy, primitive notions of honor, favoritism, and very, very corrupt. At the same time, it was one of the largest and most effective bureaucracies in human history to that time. The nature of service exacted great penalities for failure in a particularly environment, and great success was rewarded greatly. In some ways, it was a ruthless meritocracy whose structure and success anticipates the great expansion of government power and capacity seen in the rest of the 19th century.
O'Brian is also the great writer about male friendship. There are important female characters in these books but since most of the action takes place at sea, male characters predominate. The friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the central armature of the books and is a brilliant creation. The position of women in these books is ambiguous. There are sympathetic characters, notably Aubrey's long suffering wife. Other women figures, notably Maturin's wife, leave a less positive impression. On board ship, women tend to have a disruptive, even malign influence.
How did O'Brian manage to sustain his achievement over 20 books? Beyond his technical abilities as a writer and the instrinsic interest of the subject, O'Brien made a series of very intelligent choices. He has not one but two major protagonists. The contrasting but equally interesting figures of Aubrey and Maturin allowed O'Brien to a particularly rich opportunity to expose different facets of character development and to vary plots carefully. This is quite difficult and I'm not aware of any other writer who has been able to accomplish such sustained development of two major protagonists for such a prolonged period. O'Brian's use of his historical setting is very creative. The scenes and events in the books literally span the whole globe as Aubrey and Maturin encounter numerous cultures and societies. The naval setting allowed him also to introduce numerous new and interesting characters. O'Brian was able to make his stories attractive to many audiences. Several of these stories can be enjoyed as psychological novels, as adventure stories, as suspense novels, and even one as a legal thriller. O'Brian was also a very funny writer, successful at both broad, low humor, and sophisticated wit. Finally, O'Brian made efforts to link some of the books together. While a number are complete in themselves, others form components of extended, multi-book narratives. Desolation Island, Fortune of War, and The Surgeon's Mate are one such grouping. Treason's Harbor, The Far Side of the World, and The Reverse of the Medal are another. The Letter of Marque and the ensuing 4 books, centered around a circumnavigation, are another.
Though the average quality of the books is remarkably high, some are better than others. I suspect that different readers will have different favorites. I personally prefer some of the books with greater psychological elements. The first book, Master and Commander, is one of my favorites. The last 2 or 3, while good, are not as strong as earlier books. I suspect O'Brian's stream of invention was beginning to diminish. All can be read profitably as stand alone works though there is definitely something to be gained by reading in consecutive order.

One thing about the adventures of Capt. Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin: they're rich and strange, and none in the entire 20-book series is richer or stranger than this #13. After a false start, Aubrey and Maturin voyage to the island of Pulo Prabang in the East Indies, with intrigues, sea fights, cyclones, espionage, madness, and strange creatures abounding. My favorite episode occurs when Maturin takes a break from lethal political maneuvers against French agents to climb the 10,000 steps to the Buddhist shrine in the island's interior, and meets the orangutans who inhabit the area. Weird? You have no idea. . . But it's terrific fun, especially when the round-the-world voyage continues in the three books that follow, THE NUTMEG OF CONSOLATION, THE TRUELOVE (aka CLARISSA OAKES), and THE WINE-DARK SEA. Great, strange adventures, written in graceful 18th-century style prose with a ton of humor, wit, and insight.

Although this book is anything but action-heavy and drags a bit at some points, it is Hijuelos' prose that kept me reading. Therefore, if you are someone who needs action and plot to hold your interest in a story then this book is probably not the best for you. As for myself, I enjoyed it because beautifully poetic prose like Hijuelos' leaps off the page at me and keeps me amazed.

From the moment I opened up this novel I could just experience the warm tropic breezes of a free pre-revolutionary Cuba. The main character, Israel Levis as well as Rita Valladares, are very real Cuban characters that only an author with a rich Cuban background could achieve on paper. Oscar Hijuelos truly has "composed" a "beautiful Cuban symphony" of his own as he muses through the different stages of the life of Israel Levis and those people that were important to him.

As he incorporates true great cuban composers (Moises Simons, Ernesto Lecuona, etc) into the very descriptive vignettes in the story lines you can almost sway to the Bolero and Rumba beat and hear the melodious voices of famous cuban singers as María Teresa Vera, Rita Montaner, Blanquita Amaro y Amelita Vargas; Also Israel is a prototype of Ernesto Lecuona with all his famous musical compositions in boleros, zarzuelas and danzas as he travels with his own band and is acclaimed throughout Europe and the Americas!

The story has its poignant moments as well, specially the pre WWII Parisian epoch, the take over of France by the Nazi's and the horrible concentration camps! His return to Havana 1947 and his encounter with a normal life he had left so many years before... Yet, at the end, Hijuelos truly weaves in a powerful and beautiful portrayal of the main character's last days. I was deeply moved to tears while reading those last ten pages of the novel - Oscar Hijuelos, thank you for such a magnificent novel!

The writing in this novel about the musical career of a Cuban composer is itself lyrical. The narrative is prose that aspires to be, and is, both poetry and music. The phrasing and the flow of the syntax is melodious as the composer's experience, because of his name, in a Nazi concentration camp runs counterpoint to the theme. And "Rosas Puras", his most famous and enduring composition, reappears faithfully as a leitmotif throughout the narrative. El Gordito, Israel Levis, and his close relationships with Rita Valladares (singer), Manny Cortez (composer)and his family are full of tender and touching moments. He is simply a man on a quest to find the beauty of life, the music hidden just beneath its surface and awaiting his discovery of its simple melodies. His devotion to his music can be a demanding mistress whom he has no choice but to love with pure devotion and ultimately proves to be his salvation. Hijuelos reinforces his stature as one of America's most supremely talented writers in this sensuously rich and sonorous novel. The close of the book holds moments of heartbreaking tenderness without sentimentality. A Simple Habana Melody is original, germinal, mesmerizing and sung in a distinctive, if not unique, lyrical voice that could only be proffered by a truly gifted writer of the stature of Oscar Hijeulos.

The book is set in Tuscauny, where an English family is renting a home. Odd things happen, water disappears, and then someone dies. The mother, Molly Partiger, becomes obsesses with getting to the heart of these mysteries, and with meeting her mysterious landlord. It is a particular pleasure to see Mortimer's love of Shakespeare come through in Molly's Falstaff of a father, and the Hamlet-like play-within-a-play which gives Molly the final clue to the murder. Interwoven with the plot is an homage to Piero della Francesca (although it has been written that Mortimer gets everything wrong about Piero's Flagellation). The book ends with typical Mortimer poigniancy. Summer's Lease is light in the way that a Tom Stoppard play is light -- an intelligent guilty pleasure.

this book is fantastic. the masterpiece theatre production was awesome too. i would like to buy a copy of the video if anyone has one. this is definitely worth reading - and watching too!

I read this book because I saw the Masterpiece Theatre production on TV in the early nineties and fell in love with the characters and the story. This is the type of detective mystery novel where one can truly relate to the detective as she is an average person with a highly developed sense of curiosity. While I shared Molly's intense curiosity about her absent landlord and her outrage at the so called "water racket", I would not have gone as far as she did to satisfy that curiosity. Molly is rather reckless (if not stupid) towards the end and doesn't realize the consequences of her actions until too late - and even then chalks it up to coincidence. All in all the book is a quick and delightful read that will have you longing to travel to those Tuscan hills. I wish Masterpiece Theatre would rerun the film or make it available on video. You've got to see the film. The cast was so well chosen and the locations are beautiful, especially the terrace on La Felicita.

After a couple of false starts I finished this book, and found the historical perspective, as well as many of the characters enjoyable. Although I do not share the academic pedigrees enjoyed by the Thoenes, I felt there were certain inaccuracies in parts of the story. Although this took away from my own enjoyment of the account, it is quite possible that the fault is mine.

Everything, even a book review, is in a different cast since September 11. What hits this half-masted heart is the sole motivation of Peter Wallich, one of the Jewish defenders of beseiged Jerusalem...he only wants a place for children to grow up free. Truly, now baptized with fire, we can understand how the Israeli Jews felt...at least, we can understand the bewilderment of hatred.

On a technical side...knowing how the Thoenes operate, I wonder just how many people they drilled for "the story." I am stunned at the details, and as one reviewer put it, wonder where the line is drawn between fact and fiction. I do know that the Thoenes spent four months on a barge in Paris researching "Twilight of Courage." They asked elderly Parisians this question: "Where were you the day France fell?" The stories in that book were true. Makes me extremely curious about this new series.

Who did they talk to this time? What did they ask? Someday I'd like to wrest the info out of them...maybe torture it out of them, they way they torture ME when the NEXT BOOK is not INSTANTLY in my hand. I'd display Mallowcups on a silver tray inches from their little faces...

Well, I am their SLAVE and must read the next book NOW lest I perish. The Thoenes once again show that they can turn out book after book and still hit it dead on. Memorable characters, breathless action, scenes that make me bawl and scenes that make me Yee Ha. All in all, you feel like you walk away with something in your pocket when the book is done.

Good job, guys. I'd share Mallowcups with you.

I am amazed at how the author can make the action unfold before your eyes and hold your suspense, and then slow everything down and cause you to wait and be still with the characters as they take time to learn from their past. I could feel their anxiousness when they had to slow down. Maybe I just get into it too much, or maybe that's what a really good book does. All I know is that I didn't want to put it down!

There are no words to describe this wonderful and moving novel. Yes, it maybe a bit outdated, but the charatcer of Tim has so much heart and goodness in him, that most readers will wish he was real so they could take him home.
Tim is a somewhat mentally handicapped 25 year old (think Forrest Gump). He lives with his mother, father and sister and basically just works and lives a simple life. He lives this simple life because that is what everybody thinks he is limited to. Until Mary comes along....
Mary is a 40 something spinster, who likes order and no confusion. She lives in her own simple life also till Tim enters it. At first it looks like an employee to employer and then mother to son, then friend to friend. It becomes so much more complicated as their feelings grow into something more. But many things are against them, the age difference, their lifestyles and most importantly, Tim's mental capacity.
Through Tim's outlook on life, Mary comes out of her shell and finally enjoys what is around her. She helps Tim feel important and learn so much more then he was ever able to understand.
This story becomes so much more than an enduring love between a man and a woman. We see two lost soul who equal each other in so many ways.
The only thing missing is a much longer book, or even a sequel to see how Mary and Tim have succeeded.
So beautiful and poignant!!

As a person who adores both Harry Potter and Salman Rushdie, this is one of my all-time favorite books. I have read this book at least 8 times in the past few years, and I have lent it to many a friend and loved one. The story is engrossing, the characters are complex and endearing, and McCullough's writing is magical. As a writer and an editor, this is a story I appreciate every time I read it.

Colleen McCulloch has written many books but I consider this, a very early work, to be her finest. It is a simple story of unconventional love, beautifully told. The characters are very strongly drawn, and it is easy to identify with the feelings of Mary Horton as she comes to grips with her love for a young man so totally unlike her. It is a topic which could so easily have led to a different and tasteless result - instead it is a truly lovely book.