Audio Books

I've worked my way through this entire series now, and while the first dozen or so (this is no. 23) were generally well done -- good, reasonably accurate descriptions of London of the 1880s, pointed contrast between Society's drawing rooms and the miserable existence of the laboring classes, vivid character development of both working cops and the elite -- the last few have shown a definite decline. Thomas Pitt, Inspector and then Superintendent at the Bow Street station, and a both very talented and highly empathic detective, has now been stripped of his position by the Forces of Evil (the entirely fictional and extremely melodramatic "Inner Circle") and dumped in the lap of Special Branch, where he's beginning to learn how to be a secret policeman instead of a public one. The "Seven Dials" area of London is a pretty minor player in this one, too; the author should have called it "Alexandria," because that's where Pitt is sent to gather information on a beautiful and patriotic Egyptian woman living in London who is caught red-handed wheeling a dead bottom through her back garden in a wheelbarrow. Also implicated is a high Foreign Office official, which is how Pitt and his "M"-like boss, Narraway, get involved. If the details of the motive for the murder become public, the government could fall, Egypt could erupt in revolt, and Suez might even be lost. Can't have that, right? The action is low-key, the plot development takes its time, and the reader will enjoy the scenery, both internal and external. At least The Inner Circle manages not to appear this time, and it's fun watching Pitt trying to deal with a totally foreign milieu -- even though Perry could have spent a lot more time painting its details.

I never really liked political anything, even in Anne Perry, but I could not put this one down. I finished it in one day. She did not disappoint me!!!! Thanks Anne

elizabeth cohen

Classic murder mysteries rely heavily for both their effectiveness and their appeal on a "slight of hands," and one of the tricks is a set of characters in whom one can become interested enough to relate to them in some way. Another is to create an ambiance that arrests the attention and keeps it. Anne Perry has a great knack for creating both memorable characters and an interesting stage on which they play out their roles in the story.

Her Seven Dials is an amazing recreation of Victorian England in the earlier days of the queen's reign. The era is young yet, and the political turmoil that will set the stage for World War I and the social changes it brings is just beginning. Some of the older characters can remember the Napoleon wars. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are paradigms of lower middle class life in the period, with their fate in the hands of Thomas's mentor in the Secret Service, Victor Narroway, and their maid servant and her beau, Samuel Tellman, in theirs. The interactions among all of the characters gives as much a feeling for the period as does the mention of hansom cabs, harnesses, and horse manure in the streets. Even the yellow skies and the chocking, smog filled London streets is classic for the era.

Perry's characters are charming and detailed, each a work of art in them selves. The maidservant is spunky, savvy and sensitive, used to the school of hard knocks, and her friend Tellman is gruff, masculine in an "old fashioned" sort of way, and smarts under the unfairness of social inequality and the period's newly arising sense of social empowerment. The stiff, formal society in which Charlotte Pitt grew up and still has family is faced with an erosion of their privileges and with a growing sense that they are on the threshold of major change. They are like dinosaurs waiting for the asteroid to strike them.

All of this sets the background for a puzzling murder of a man who should not really have been where he was at all and certainly not dead. The central characters push forward in an attempt to make sense of the confusing, almost irrational facts. It is this irrationality that is part of the slight of hands. Eventually Pitt must go to Egypt to unravel the mystery by back tracking the murdered man and his alleged murderess.

The venue in Egypt is Alexandria, a city to which I have been about three or four times. The descriptions of Victorian Alexandria might still easily pass for today, although the city today is more Western than Cairo and much more so than Thebes. The description of the rug suq was definitely memorable. The quarrel that leads to a small riot in the book reminded me of the minor violence that occurred among men there and in Cairo in the few days before Sadat was assassinated. Like the brewing sense of political unrest in the book, here too, everyone felt the tension in the air; everyone knew that something was afoot, but no one knew what was about to happen. It was a very tense time, and so was Pitt's Egypt.

I can not for the life of me understand the author's description of malaquia, an Egyptian soup--which I refer to as "frog-pond"--made for special occasions, as "delicious." I found it slimy and green. The latter I could handle, the former I couldn't. The mention of the sound of what seemed like crickets to Pitt, also brings back memories. Actually the sound is not crickets but a similar one made by small frogs in the canals and on the banks of the Nile. It's very restful. All in all, Pitt's trip to Egypt was as memorable for me as for him.

A delightful mystery.

Anne Perry doesn't disappoint in this recorded book. Read well, and easily one for the bookshelf.

Very descriptive and historically accurate. You'll love her vivid pictures of Alexandria. Egypt comes alive. I'm a harsh critic but this work bowled me over.

I found this to be a great book about selling tactics. Written in an easily accessible style with few wasted words. This book gets to the point quickly and provides a roadmap to easily and quickly create a sales handbook that is customized for your business. I created and continue to refine my own sales handbook thanks to this book, and I find it very useful preparation for sales meetings. I handed my sales handbook to someone who didn't really understand what I did, and after reading it she knew exactly how and why. One of the best books on selling tactics that I've read.

I purchased this program and others to review before deciding wich to use in a training program for my salesforce. I personaly enjoyed it, but do not feel it would be as widely excepted as other programs I reviewed. It requires more decipline to stick with it than other programs and I believe this is so because of the delivery or reading of the material. I am glad I listened to it but it did not make the cut for my training material.

Thank you Jerry for a no-non-sense aproach to the "art & science" of selling. I picked up the 4 cassette tape set on "Soft Selling in a Hard World" on Ebay and put the tape set away for 6 months. Unpackaged it the other day and have been kicking myself ever since. Powerful, easy to understand principles and systems, that make selling "fun for me again".

I've always loved people and the interaction I have with them. And I'm a pretty accomplished sales trainer as well. When I listened to Jerry's tapes, he put me "back in sales training school" for which I'm grateful.

Selling isn't rocket-science but it is a science. Do this...get this. The value of preparation comes through in Jerry's presentation. The 90-second close and Mission Statement sections have changed my approach to selling TV advertising, and selling is "really fun again".

Thank you Jerry. With the salespeople I manage, we'll be calling you for your in-depth Executive Training Program with our sales folks.

At first I didn't expect much from this book by Jerry Vass. In his introduction he wrote "This is a perfect book for the bathroom." Talk about 'soft selling.'

Soon you will realize that this book purely about a selling philosophy that is extremely practical. Myths, many of them, are debunked. The development of skills, not mere motivation, is the crux of this book. I especially liked the formula for establishing an effective mission statement. He discusses the various means of soft-probing, using supporting statements, and ultimately assuming the close with an oblique technical question. Every objection falls into one of seven categories which are handled differently. This is a great book. It would have been a super book had it been shorter and not so redundant at times. It would have been a super book had it been shorter and not so redundant at times.


Five Stars

Ray Bradbury is one of the great short story writers. Very few can pack as much emotional punch into so few pages as he can: just read "The Lake" or the haunting "Rocket Man" (which inspired the Elton John song of the same name!) to understand the power of his writing. And while I think most of his novels are mediocre at best (I've never liked "Something Wicked This Way Comes," as much as I admire it for the obvious influence it had on genre writers), I insist that Bradbury should never be forgotten, if simply based on the merit of his short fiction. And this book especially, which collects 100 of his best, should be celebrated.

If you buy this book with the newer Bradbury collection, you will have a fairly comprehensive collection of short stories by the master. This collection is not the best. It has it's share of mediocre stories, but even so the great stories are wonderful. "The Veldt", "The Fog Horn", and "The Jar" are my absolute favorites, but there are more gems scattered about the book.


As others have pointed out, it is a tad bit dated. (One of the stories talks about the year 2003). So if you want more up to date stories the newer volume is better. All in all, some interesting stories, but not essential reading.

It is hard to categorize Ray Bradbury as a writer. To many he is known as a science fiction writer, largely due to "The Martian Chronicles." However, he is much more versatile than that, his stories cover many different themes of life, death and strange things in between.
When I was in high school, my favorite story was "The Veldt", where a couple purchase a high quality virtual reality room for their children. However, rather than experience normal children's playrooms, they prefer constant scenes of an African veldt, complete with lions who hunt and kill their prey. The parents try to put a stop to it, but their children whine until they get to keep the veldt. However, the parents finally decide to stand firm and are going to shut the room off. At this time, the room comes alive and the lions kill and devour their parents. I considered this story so good that I must have read it at least twenty times during afternoon study hall. The imagery that the story conjures up is almost visual, which I find is a characteristic of so many of Bradbury's stories.
He is the best writer I have encountered in putting down words in a simple style that still manages to generate tremendous virtual images in your mind. This book is a collection of his short stories and I have read this book at least three times and most of the stories in it in other collections at least twice. Even after all these readings, they are still wonderful, as the images are different each time. Most stories by other writers keep my attention when I first read them, but I find them boring if I try to read them again. It does not seem that that will ever happen with Bradbury stories, which is why I strongly recommend this book.

What can I say about this collection, except that is essential reading for anyone serious about Science Fiction or Fantasy as a form of literature (that's right I said it-the dreaded "l" word) Bradbury has piled up enough superlatives in his life that I don't think I need to go into them.

Anyway, this is a book of Ray Bradbury's greatest stories, which means that these are some of the best stories that imaginative literature has to offer. Why not make it a two-fer and get the "Bradbury Stories" collection with it? Both are worthy, think of "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" is the top shelf A-list stuff, and "Bradbury Stories" is the Solid B list collection. Still great, and best of all, no repeat stories in the two collections! The man was so prolific that he could probably fill up a third volume with no repeats as well...

This collection of stories affected my writing. At least one story I've written has been professionally compared to Ray Bradbury's style. While I never sought to mimic him, I believe I was drawn to his stories because of my writing style and childhood daydreams. This collection is a prime example of Bradbury's work. It's inspiring, startling, spooky, and just plain hypnotic.

Even though I first borrowed this collection from my local library, (and having read some of these stories in others collections), I tracked down a used copy to own just so I could pull it down and revisit my favorite people and places.

A must have for any Bradbury fan... novice or cult-like follower.

John Maxwell wrote a timely book on how to plan your life. No detail was left unturned in this book. John helps you define your purpose, where do you want to go, how far can you go, how do you get there from here! Then he helps you see your full potential by asking simple questions: What should you pack for your journey, how to handle detours, are you there yet. He than introduces the concept of helping others get to their dreams in route to your dreams. Is it a family trip, who else should be on the journey, and what should you do along the way! John than beautifully ties a bow on the book by asking what you like best about the trip.

This is a great book for planning the rest of your life. Again, I buy it by the case and give to everyone involved in any type of business! My way of helping others grow as I grow myself. A must read!

A popular leadership speaker and prolific author, John C. Maxwell has a great deal of experience in the process of personal growth, and he communicates it well. This book, published as The Success Journey in 1977, is a useful step-by-step guide to plotting your journey to success, right down to the thoughtful exercises at the end of each chapter. Maxwell does a nice job of mixing the personal and professional sides of success and encouraging you to redefine it. His definition is that success is following your true purpose and living up to your dreams and potential, rather than just accumulating wealth and possessions. The book is quite a fast read - probably because a good portion of it is devoted to quoting others - and its evangelical tone may not appeal to all readers. Maxwell also makes frequent use of catchphrases, which help fill a page but say little. We recommend this book to ambitious individuals looking for guidance on creating and following a workable, actionable life plan.

I am definitely a John Maxwell fan. This man is truly gifted and knows how to communicate so all can understand and benefit.This book was great but even better if read as a sequel. Don't get me wrong this is a stand alone book by itself but I am glad that I first read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The 21 Laws is much more dry and technical while this book is personal in its application. You will better understand the process by first knowing the driving principles.There are several excellent lists that are explained in detail but my favorite is entitled, "How to Take Others for a (Life Changing) Ride. #2 states to , "Limit Who You Take Along". This one explanation alone is worth the book. It should prevent burn out and minimize disappointments.Page 177 has a chart on communication styles and the results. He applies this not only to the business world but to the family unit as well.I particulary like the chapter, What Should I Pack in My Suitcase. This will help me redeem my "downtime" as I travel. This guy is a genius.

The Roadmap to Success is by far the best motivational book I have ever read. It was the first book that I have read by Maxwell, and since then I have read four others. He teaches us a new way to think about success. Clearly stated success is: knowing your purpose, growing to reach your potential, and sowing seeds to help others. It is amazing how much better you perform and how much more you enjoy life when you view success through this framework. If you have been successful so far in your life, this book will help reinforce any doubts you have about your choices and reaffirm the actions you have taken. If you are committed to growth and development then this book is a great start to helping you put aside your fears to get the most out of your life. If you are closed minded, resistant to change and generally a pessimistic person this book is not for you. While those people that continue to make excuses for their failures or the way their life turned out will never succeed, those who have the right mindset and follow Maxwell's advise will surely go far in life and reap the beiefits and joys of success.

The following is what I liked best:

The section on Goals
They MUST be activities that are: written, personal, specific, achievable, measurable, and time sensitive.

The Quotes:
"You can not make any progress when you are facing the wrong way." & the another one by Charles 'Tremendous' Jones who said "The only difference between the person you are today and who you will be in 5 years come from the books you read and the people you associate with."

The Benchmarking idea:
To attain success you should ONLY pick 3 to 5 areas to work on & grow in at one time.

The section on Choices:
In order to make progress it will involve 3 choices: to gain something, to lose something, or to trade something
and when you choose: pick the former rather than latter:
Achievement over affirmation
Excellence over acceptability
Personal growth over pleasure
Future potential over personal gain
Narrow focus over scattered interests
Significance over security

And finally the Laws on Developing others:
Take someone with you: "There is no success without a successor"

Rating: Strong Buy

This series is great and this was another chapter in the ongoing story of Maturin and Aubrey. Their adventures are of another world and provide a great contrast to other books.

This entry in the Aubrey-Maturin seagoing saga was probably my least favorite that I've read so far in this series. My quibble was with the novel's plot, which was pretty thin and derivative of other action novels and movies. And Diana Villiers, Dr. Maturin's love, is starting to remind of the character of Irenee in The Forsythe Saga. Everyone is always talking about how fascinating she is, but darned if I can see why. On the plus side, as always O'Brian serves up amazing historical details and makes Jack and Stephen witty and real. And the on-going story of their lives advances to a very eye-opening and surprising ending. So you can bet I'll look forward to the next installment of this series.

The focus is on Stephen Maturin in this seventh installment of the Aubrey-Maturin series, which, though it isn't the best or most exciting of the first seven books, is still a ripping good read. Returning to England following their escapades in North America, Aubrey and Maturin try to settle into life at home -- Jack with his family and Stephen with his scientific pursuits -- but their pasts catch up with them, compelling them to join forces for a spur-of-the-moment mission to the Baltic. Will they succeed? Will they overcome the old problems that dog them? And just who is the surgeon's mate? Read this tale of spying, diplomacy, and (of course!) naval combat to find out.

Patrick O'Brian's scope of imagination is staggering. We are now into the seventh book in his series, and Captain "Lucky Jack" Aubrey and surgeon/naturalist/spy Stephen Maturin continue to find themselves in realistic-yet-dire circumstances of a personal, military, and intelligence nature. Through it all, these two characters never seem like invincible juggernauts, but instead very human, very capable men living by the best their wits and luck can offer.

At the outset of the novel, Aubrey and Maturin need to flee the New World for the old, but find themselves hard-pressed to do so. Thanks to Dr. Maturin's single-handed destruction of French spy networks in Boston (including a wee bit of murder), a wealthy intelligence figure hires ships to track down the fleeing Maturin. The result is a thrilling chase off Nova Scotia and the nearby waters - while I prefer Aubrey's sinking of the Dutch 74 the Waakzamheid in "Desolation Island," this chase is one of the most thrilling in the series so far.

And the joys of this novel don't stop there. O'Brian once again finds various ways to inject humor into his novel. Dr. Maturin hits a personal and professional high (as a naturalist) when he gets the chance to address a body of learned scientists in Paris . . . only to bungle the presentation horribly. Aubrey allows himself to be seduced by a wanton woman while celebrating his escape from the jail in Boston, and is confronted with news of the natural biological result of such a transgression. Maturin and Aubrey are accompanied on many of their adventures in "SM" by the Swedish captain Jagiello, a supremely attractive young man, and Aubrey finds himself at a loss as to why the women fall all over themselves for this young buck when they could have a sailor "with the handsomest set of whiskers in the fleet." There are joys in this novel that you just don't find in most swashbuckling thrillers.

But at its heart, "SM" is an adventure yarn, and O'Brian does not disappoint. In a story that sweeps from the New World to Paris to Denmark to the infamous Temple Prison back in France, Aubrey and Maturin find themselves thrown from one pan into another fire. And God bless them for it!

Confession time. THE SURGEON'S MATE is the fifth book in the "Aubrey/Maturin Series" of seafaring novels that I have completed; however, it is the seventh book in the logical series order. Having subscribed to receive the entire series, I began reading the books in the order that they arrived, assuming that the publisher would send them in proper sequence. Such turns out not to have been the case, and some of my discontent with other volumes I have reviewed derived from the fact that I had missed some events because of reading the books out of order. Allow my experience to stand as evidence that, for maximum enjoyment and even comprehension, these books should be approached in their logical sequence.

I have now edited those earlier reviews to correct any misstatements as to the books' places in the sequence of novels and have removed comments pertaining to missing events that actually were addressed in preceding volumes. Nonetheless, I find that my overall assessments of the books remain unaltered. I feel that Richard Russ (Patrick O'Brian's real name) is essentially a "three star" author. When he writes of naval engagements aboard men-of-war, sloops, frigates, and the other fighting ships whose maneuvering capabilities are largely at the whim of the prevailing winds, he is a most engaging author. However, when he delves into the interpersonal relationships of his characters, he is less successful in engaging his readers.

Two other continuing weaknesses in Russ' writing are his heavy use of now-archaic seafaring terminology that often clouds the meaning of the passage and his frustrating lack of time transitions. The first problem could have been alleviated by judicious use of explanatory footnotes. The latter could have been corrected by use of transitional commentary. As it is, however, in one sentence, the captain may call for one of his officers, and in the very next sentence he is speaking to that officer. It is as though a time warp has occurred and the officer has materialized next to his captain at the very moment he is called for. This annoying truncation of time appears in each of the five volumes I have read thus far, and I fear it is a weakness to which the author is blind and may well continue throughout the series.

By itself, THE SURGEON'S MATE, while subject to the general criticisms I have mentioned, is, by and large, readable and engaging. Is Russ/O'Brian improving as he writes additional volumes, or am I becoming accustomed to his style and more accepting of it? In either event, I found this volume a much faster and more intriguing read than some of the others I have already encountered. The single most perplexing thing about this book is its title. There is no focus on any "surgeon's mate" whatsoever, and where Russ/O'Brian found his inspiration for the title remains a murky mystery! (Some reviewers have identified the title as referring to the character of Dr. Stephen Maturin; however, he has hitherto been described as being much more than a naval surgeon, being a skilled physician while a naval surgeon was essentially limited to chopping off shattered limbs. If this is indeed Russ/O'Brian's intent, then his choice of title essentially demotes Maturin from his former position, which is not, I think, the author's intent.)

If, gentle reader, you are determined to read the entire Aubrey-Maturin series of novels, you will certainly not want to miss this one. However, you will perhaps enjoy it most if you have read the preceding six volumes first. On the other hand, if one is interested in merely sampling Russ/O'Brian's work, this would not be a bad example to choose, although I would still suggest reading at least the first work, MASTER AND COMMANDER, before delving into any of the succeeding books, including this one.

An unbelievable yet true story that kept me engaged, too engaged for my wife on our cruise! I highly recommend for vacation reading.

What a pageturner!!!! I was very afraid for Mr. Rick Cowan throughout this whole book. Man, what guts!!! Why isn't this guy being heralded all over the place like Joe Pistone? No disrespect to Pistone but he infiltrated a fractured and disorganized crime family(Bonnano). Cowan got in with the class of the mob, the Genovese and Gambino families. I could not put this book down. I always heard that New Yorkers were being fleeced by the "garbage gangsters" but I never fully understood how. Or why couldn't our government stop it? This book breaks it down. This one is in my top 10. Fantastic!!!!

I'm of two minds on this book. The history of the mob's control of the trash and paper recycling industries in and around NYC are fascinating. But a great deal of the book consists of verbatim transcripts from wires worn by Cowan in his interminable dealings with the mob, many of which are repetitive. Only for the real lovers of mob stories.

Cowan's book is a riveting account of an undercover NYPD's officer infiltration of one of New York's most powerful Mafia families.

Much like a similiar work "Donnie Brasco", Cowan keeps the reader in perpetual suspense as the detective narrowly escapes detection from the Mob and exposure from his own colleagues.

He also provides a detailed and penetrating view of the Byzantine mechanics and day to day grind of the mob controlled "garbage business"

This book is one of the most successful at describing what life is actually like for low and mid level mafiasio.

Over the course of the past few years, my love of reading books about the mafia went dormant. When I arrived upon a copy of "Takedown" in a used book store, my interest was revitalized. The story in "Takedown" is unbelievable not because it is untrue, but because it is unbelievable how many times Rick Cowan avoided certain death. Though it is unbelievable at times, it is a true story.

By chance, Rick Cowan was in the right palce at the right time. This young detective made the mafia believe he was a cousin in a garbage hauling family. Through this false pretense, he was able to infiltrate the Gambino Fanily to its highest level. Such a task was thought to be out of reach to the NYPD. The stories Cowan tells of his interactions with the mafia have a level of authenticity to them. You can almost hear the stereotypical accents being spoken as you read. I question whether some of the stories were exaggerated to make the book a more exciting read. Surely any man faced with some of these circumstances would crack or slip.

Cowan even discusses the strain three years uncover put on his family. This is an aspect of the investigation that receives little attention in similar books. I also enjoyed the epilogue in which Cowan discusses whether he felt remorse for "ratting out" the friends he made in three years.

Reading a book about the real life mafia is much more exciting than any movie or TV show available. While there certainly must be some fabrications present in the book, none were so glaring to take away from the story. I would recommend this book to any person with an interest organized crime.

I liked ballet shoes so since this was the sequil I wanted to read it and was disapointed. It's not as funny and there's not as many crazy adventures as the first. It also has lots of flaws that the first didn't have. But read the third shoe book called dancing shoes way better than even the first one!

I think Theater Shoes is a great book fo kids intrested in acting,dancing or singing.This book had three strong charcters intrested in diffrent areas of theater so it was easy to find a charcter I could relate to.I would suggest this book for girls ages 9 to 14.

Theater Shoes is a wonderful story with an attention grabbing plot, a lovely setting, and a well thought out conflict and resolution. This is, now, one of my favorite books and I really enjoyed it.
Throughout this story, there is a great plot. In this book, Sorrel, Mark, and Holly's parents die. They are forced to live with their grandmother, a bitter, but famous, english actress. She puts the children through a Childrens Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. Almost everyone in their family, before the children, had been a famous in the arts. Their grandmother was determined to keep the family tradition. At first all three children hated the academy. They thought that all of the teachers were too harsh and too serious. Then, after getting used to it, the academy "grew" on to them. Each of the three children discover something about themself at the academy. Sorrel, the eldest, discovers that she is a real actress. She can be very dramatic and play roles quite well. Mark finds out that he is a really fabulous singer. Little Holly can do a lot. She charms almost everyone at the academy with her adorable ways of doing things.
There is a lovely setting in this book. It takes place in England! I have always wanted to go to England, and by the way Noel Streatfeild, the author, describes it in the book, it seems so beautiful. It is in such detail and it is so easy to put an image in your mind.
The conflict / resolution in the story, almost stated in the second paragraph, is the children are forced to go to an academy, by their bitter grandmother, that they have no interest in. But in the end, it all pans out. Each child learns something different about themselves and are now striving to learn more. They end up loving the academy and treating it like their home. It means more to them now, than just pleasing their grandmother. Do you think that all of the hard work the children put into learning will result to something? Read this wonderful book and you will find out quickly.
In conclusion, this book was really great! I think that one reason why I liked it so much was because I can really relate to it. I love to do musical theater, and I think that reading about something that I really enjoy helped me understand the text better than it was already described. You don't have to love musical theatre to enjoy this book, but I think that it really helped. This book was enchanting and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!

I started the Shoe books a few years ago. The first one was absolutley stupendous and cute. This one is amazing too.

Although each book is its own story, they are all linked with an amazing writing quality and performance.

This one is the story of Holly, Sorrel and Mark, whose grandfather, who supports them, just died -- so they go and live with their grandmother who puts them in an Academy for Stage Training and Dancing. It starts out rough but they learn to like, and even love it.

The overall story is really sweet a precious, which still warms my heart to this day.

This book is about three children named Sorrel, Mark and Holly. When their grandfather dies and they are sent to live with their maternal grandmother, and former famous actress. They are sent to the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training so that they can carry the family's stage tradition. Holly is very good at dancing, Mark at singing and Sorrel at acting. The grandmother is very distant and cold, yet the children find love in their nanny and other family members. Meanwhile, they must put up with their talented, bratty cousin.
The story is wonderfully told and once again, the characters are completely lovable. Kids and adults will love this story, especially Shoes fans.

Look no further. This is the Reason book to own. I'm looking forward to a Reason 3.0 version!

This book is the most well written, documented, and friendly instruction manual I have ever read.

Firstly, its entirely clear that the author is a professional user of Reason, knows heaps about the program and how to maximize its potential, as well as suggests ways for taking it out of the norm.

Secondly, the tone of the author is friendly and fun. You get the feeling this book was written by your big brother or best friend giving you the details. The text is clear, simple, and accurate. The author conveys information without loosing your interest or overwhelming you with dry tech speak.

I have used Reason for 2 years and am a Reason 3.0 user, but still refer to this book often. It covers so much about the core of the program that you will quickly be able to learn the new devices in 3.0 as you will have a fantastic foundation and understanding of the application. The book explains all the devices in 2.0 (including the functions of knobs, sliders, buttons, synthesis models, loops, envelopes, etc), CV/Gating, Sequencing, ReWire, use with other major audio applications, useful tips/tricks, and plenty of links to helpful user websites. It also has numerous quick and easy "how to" tutorials, that are clearly documented step by step and with pictures.

Very well done. I am grateful for how quickly I was able to ramp up on Reason due 90% to this book. Honestly, this should be the standard for instructional texts.

No, you can't RECORD with Reason. But there are countless ways to use files that you have recorded with other, very simple or even free applications (how about your Sony Minidisk recorder hooked up to a decent mike? talk about light years ahead of what we had available way back when); files that you have downloaded, files that you have gotten off of records or CD's or even TV, in Reason (shame!). It can be as simple as having the drum machine play a sound file from anywhere on your computer, with a surprising amount of control of, for example, sample start-and then you move on to the more powerful samplers... And then this will provide you with many different ways to control and distort, filter, and manipulate those files that are so easy to trigger or otherwise get inside Reason. Because that is what Reason does, it gives you a studio full of tools-synths, samplers, mixers, and the many sound sculpting modifiers to create, twist, and control your sounds.

And this book does a fantastic job of showing you these tools, in a very carefully thought out order and depth. Like another reviewer said, you would have to be a serious power user indeed not to get many good ideas from this book; and like yet another reviewer said, people that write textbooks should look at this one and see just how well it can be done. It will take you from a novice to synthesizers to an expert on Reason and computer synthesis music creation, giving history and background to help you learn about the many music synthesis tools. It is filled with tutorials, how-to's, and tips and tricks that even go beyond Reason sometimes. You could take a tutorial and change it as you follow along and create it and have a complete Reason song of your own easily. I also thought it gave a summarily good introduction into the powerful usage of the Control Voltage interface from ages past (one of Reason's most powerful tools in it's bag of tricks-one that ties everything together like you have never been able to do with so many different devices), with tips and tricks there, too. There are a lot of toys available in Reason, but once you get past a certain not-too-difficult level, it is actually a very intuitive and very fun to use interface; and this book is definitely filled with this same infectious enthusiasm for that rack o' modules and wires. It is an extraordinarily good book for beginner to expert.

You should see my copy of this book, it is nearly destroyed from so much usage, carrying it about wherever I go and constantly going back to it for reference.

As a side note, I think the Acrobat Reader Operation Manual supplied with Reason is also excellent. It's just what it should be-precise and to the point-it's an Operation Manual, after all. If you take the time to practise and apply what you read, it will give you the background to know what you are doing (as much as is possible-sometimes when you have so much going on in a patch it would be hard for anyone to say how you got there-and that can be fun, too) and what every control does. This book will do the same and take you farther with much more help.

Before I read this book I had Reason installed on my computer and I didn't use it very often because the interface wasn't straightforward for a beginning user like myself to understand how to operate it beyond basic operations. This book is an excellent source to learn how to use Reason 2 or 2.5. It contains practical, hands-on tutorials, explanations of the knobs and interfaces, and helpful tips. This is a must have if you want to become proficient in Reason!

This book contained a great amount of information. To use as reference or to learn from over all a great buy.

It helped me along in using C.V. Gates ect. and offers lots of other great information.

A must for any user of reason

P.S. Any one that made comments to recording audio in to Reason ha ha ha

Get Cubase or some other Program that will run rewire.
Think before the mouth opens. . . . know what I mean Mate

Thank you to Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser

I read this book to my students. But before I had read it myself, I shared it with my students. It was very emotional for me. (I have a cousin listed on the wall. His son was born about 4 months after he died. I could see my uncle walking his grandson there.) The book was a beautiful, moving tribute to all those who have given their lives in Vietnam.

Being a "baby boomer" from the Vietnam era, I think this book will help explain to my grandchildren about Grandpa and his war time. It is beautifully illustrated and tender. I wish I'd had this book when I went to see the Wall with an 8th-grade girl who made an etching of her Grandpa's name. It may not mean as much to anyone who hasn't been touched directly by the Vietnam war, but it touched my heart.

The Wall by Eve Bunting is an incredible story of remembering. It all starts when a little boy and his father visit the Vietnam War Memorial. The father, who wishes to find the name and remember the good times with him, takes a piece of paper and and pencil and traces the name off of the wall. The little boy, who just wishes his grandfather was there with him, sadly watches another little boy and his grandpa on a walk. This book about rememberance will make you sad until the very end. Eve Bunting does a great job setting the mood at the Vietnam War Memorial. I give this book a thumbs up and believe it's the best children's book ever. Read The Wall by Eve Bunting to find out what happens in the end.

Loosing a relative can be tough, especially if your close to them, or too young to ever experience or meet them. All you can do is wonder. The book The Wall by: Eve Bunting, is aobut a dad and his son that go and visit the Vietnam War Memorial in memory of the dad's father, or the son's grandfather that died in the Vietnam War. Eve Bunting describes what happens there from a child's point of view. It is very realistic, and makes you feel like you are really there.
This book not only teaches little kid's lessons, but is good for even adults. IT really took me back and made me think. It made me think of how valuable our lives really are, and when we die, who is really affected by it. Also, it taught me that loosing someone you love doesn't always have to be sad, especially if they have died fighting for what they believe in. So, if somebody you know died, think of the positive side. Reading this book may take you back, and let you think of why they were so special.

The Wall
by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Ronald Himler

You should read this book because it's great and it's about someone you will remember and someone you love! The main Characters are the Dad, son, and an old man from war, and grandpa. Dad and his son are trying to find grandpa's name on the wall. The wall is in Washington D.C. They can't find their grandpa's name even though they keep looking up and down.
Dad and his son find grandpa's name! what do you think his name is? The book tells you a note and tells you where the wall is and it is in Washington D.C. it also tells you why the wall was made.
By reading this book you can learn to Keep doing your best, keep looking for what you want, and don't give up. Keep looking for what you love too! What do you love to find that you love so much? What I love to find is my family and my things I love. So if you love to find your family then read this book!!!!!!!!!!


By Tanashia C

In "Windows of the Soul" Mr. Gire Takes you to places where you have always known God was, but opens your eyes to realy "see" God. It is a poetic journey that touched my soul and allowed me to experience God in a whole new way. I would highly recommend this book to the new believer as well as the person who has walked with God many years, neither will be dissapointed.

I purchased this book off the shelf as its artistic references in the description attracted me to it. I soon discovered the value of Mr. Gire's wisdom, compassion, and his own personal knowledge of an intimate relationship with God that evolved through his own personal experiences. This book came at a time in my own life when, a few months earlier, I had suffered a sudden tragedy that resulted in the death of my husband of 11 years. This book, and its quiet reflective nature, brought me peace during many sleepless nights. I found the thoughtful wisdom inspiring, and appreciated his knowledge of literature and history. I have purchased several of his books since, and have been blessed by each one.

In 1998 I reveiwed this book by writing the following:
Ken Gire is one of the most expressive writers of our day. His words paint a picture of our soul. Words that are simple, yet profound. Gire shows us how we can experience God through different avenues that intersect our daily lives. Don't be surprised by the tears that come to your eyes, they are tears from God showing you an area of your life that may need to be explored, understood or enjoyed. This is a book that you will continually want to come back to again and again.

I continue to read this book and find it as refreshing as the first time.

I disagree with the review from Hooterville. Ken Gire is very sound theologically and his work reflects this. Ken encourages us to look for new ways in which we can discover God. There is nothing mystical about discovering new ways for one to grow in their love for God and in their love for people.

I think it's obvious there's nothing wrong with observing our world and the happenings within it and speculating what God's perspective might be. And there's nothing wrong with contemplating a piece of art, literature, music, or film and recognizing in it symbolic correspondence to transcendent truth as revealed in Scripture. And author Ken Gire does this well. If he had left it at that, I probably would be as enthusiastic about this book as the next reader.

However, in "Windows of the Soul," Gire goes a step further and teaches that such endeavors are actually communications from God, "moments of revelation." The book is Gire's attempt at giving Christians insight into how to perceive such "revelations." Gire goes as far as to imply that such "revelations" possess an importance equal to that of the Bible, even referring to them as "God's word." Gire implies that Biblical revelation sometimes fails to satisfy our spiritual longings because, through it, "we are fed the experience of others. But they are not OUR experiences. I can read a psalm about David crying out from a cave in the wilderness, and I should read that psalm, but it is not MY psalm. It is not my psalm because it is not my cave, not my wilderness, and not my tears." Thus, Gire feels a need for a new category of revelation.

I sense Gire is well intentioned, but I believe, in this respect, he's teaching a form of mysticism, not Christianity. [Webster: "mysticism - the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience (as intuition or insight)"] And while I recognize that the defense of these ideas isn't the primary intent of his book, the theological extrapolations Gire offers are tragically sloppy and at times involve the assignment of new, unorthodox meanings to Biblical accounts and terminology.

Some might suggest that Gire's paradigm is just an elaboration on the concept of "general revelation," the Biblically supported idea that the world implicitly communicates certain things about God and His nature. However, the variety of channels described in "Windows," as well as the content of the messages Gire speculates they deliver, far surpass the traditional understanding of the nature and role of general revelation. (And Gire writes as if he's aware that what he's proposing is unconventional.)

READER BEWARE : I believe it is accurate to say that Ken Gire is advocating a theology and discipline not taught in Scripture.

When it comes time to contemplate the "furniture" of life and apply Biblical teachings to what you observe and experience, "Windows of the Soul" does document some good exploration in that regard. However, when it comes time to hear God speak, don't let anyone convince you God's revealed Word in Scripture is insufficient for the task.

For my more thorough critique, see: HotFudgeSunday.com/WindowsOfTheSoul

I recently read Windows to the Soul and found it a refreshing read. There are seldom times in life where you actually check up from the daily grind and hear God speaking. Mr. Gire writes in a refreshing manner that recalls to mind memories of your own while conveying the simple truth that God speaks to us through many ways. I would recommed this book to anyone who struggles with understanding their purpose in life and hearing God speak.