Audio Books

This I DARE YOU (MP3 CD) version will NOT PLAY ON A CD PLAYER. IT ONLY PLAYS on a computer.
I was a little disappointed since I purchased it to play in the car and on a portable cd player. It only plays on the computer disk player. I'll have to download it myself to an audio MP3 format. It must have been recorded as a DATA file. The narrator is a little momo-toned and I was very surprised that I zoned out on a self-help type CD. There are 14 chapters that run anywhere from 2 minutes 16 seconds to 26 minutes 14 seconds. Some are short, most are average 5-10 minutes.

My Grandfather owned a First edition of this book and I read it when I was about 13. It is a book that if you apply all that the author dares you too. you cannot help but achieve sucess.

The "I Dare You plan," first published in 1938 for the young and young at heart, is brightly authored by William H. Danforth, founder of the Purina Company. Written in scoutmaster style, this little gem will have you saluting to adventure. It is precise, simple, and uplifting.

"That is the first principle that I want thoroughly to fix in your mind--that life is a four-sided affair--that your daring program is going to lead you into physical adventures, mental adventures, social adventures, spiritual adventures. You have not one, but four lives to live--a four-fold opportunity to grow. A body, a brain, a heart, and a soul--these are our living tools. To use them is not a task. It is a golden opportunity. To find new capacities within you is not robbing you of any pleasure. It is bringing new treasures into every waking hour. It is helping you touch life at all angles, absorb strength from all contacts, pour out power on all fronts." Danforth adds "How dare you have within yourself these four-fold capacities and not use them?"

Like to be riveted into action? This book will do it. You will also feel rather selfish after the first reading (for witholding your dynamite). Go over it again several times. Mine is highlighted at every point (and there are many). I suggest you study I Dare You! along with the vintage movie "Fighting Father Dunne" (1948).

As one of the other reviewers noted, I too read this original book from my father's library when I was [...], in the 50s. Although almost forgotten, when I was writing articles on leadership, I realized this may have been the single most important book I had read...and used throughout life, becoming a leader in every...yes every...organization I belonged to, from high school Senior class President, college fraternity President, Band president(s), VP-Pres. elect of a national association, President of a state-wide organization, to Editor of a writers Quarterly and business owner. Now at 71, and looking back, "I Dare You" is quite possibly the only book necessary for directions in life. It's not about "success" or "money," it's about being your best and being the best FOR everyone around you.

This little book is-for the most part- really great. It moves fast and grips the reader. I felt immediately inspired by it. However, there is one flaw. I have trouble taking the advice of anybody that believes in talking snakes. Practically the whole character building chapter is based on religion. One of the sides of your square is supposed to be labled religion. I think thats an unnecissary addition to the book. You do not need to buy the worlds greatest fairy tail to be successful and happy in your life.

I bought all 3 German Pimsleurs when I moved to Germany a year ago. Within 6 months I was prattling away in Germans and people here didn't believe I didn't speak a word of it before I moved here.

Now I'm dating an Italian and have picked up this first Italian with every intention of going through the series. This is the best way to get a basic grasp of a language. Comfortably, in a way that makes you feel that you can speak and add vocabulary, rather than merely reciting set phrases like a trained monkey.

Would I do this if I was only a tourist? Don't know. My boyfriend is now using my German one (with me translating the commands into Italian from English) and he's thrilled that he's learning to understand and speak German. For me, Italian is my 6th language, but German is his first foreign language. It works. If you follow it, it works. It won't teach you everything, but it will teach you the framework you need for understanding how to parse and manipulate a language you are learning. I spent 5 years with French, 5 years with Russian and 2 years with Arabic in classrooms and NEVER ever felt as comfortable with those languages having only classroom grammar drills. Let's face it, you didn't learn your mother tongue in a grammar book, filling in worksheets. You learned it by people saying things to you and making you interact with them.

Pimsleur is more like teaching a man how to fish than feeding him a fish dinner... it all depends on what you want then, doesn't it?

The bottom line is, when you're trying to use the language in a foreign country, you need to have a a few dozen words and phrases on the tip of your tongue at all times (e.g. dove, abito, che cosa, Quale la strada per Roma etc.) Pimsleur is the best at doing this.

The Pimsleur Method is excellent in that it beats these basic phrases into your head by introducing them to you, making you say it multiple times, then asking you to repeat it again 10 minutes later. You're asked to recall a phrase sometimes when you least expect it--forcing you to truly know your comprehension.

Most language tapes I've used just get too overwhelming--they pack dozens of words and phrases onto an hour cassette. The Pimsleur tapes take the same material and stretch it out over several tapes and build in the repetition exercises. There's an English speaking narrator which is essential when you're getting started. Eventually there's less and less English, but always enough so you know what's going on.

You do need a grammar book to supplement your learning as there is a dearth of written material that I haven't found helpful as other reviewers have mentioned. Often times you hear a word and don't know if it's Che or K--seeing it written was extremely helpful.

I used Italian I last fall before going to Italy and it worked wonders. I'm on to Italian II now where you get into past tense--which wasn't covered at all in all 30 tapes of Level 1.

Finally, check with your local library if the cost is prohibitive; it's worked well for me.

I just completed Pimsleur Italian I and I'm very pleased with it. I am now beginning Pimsleur Italian II.
The course is not perfect but it is far superior to all of the other audio courses I have tried or examined. As somone familiar with earning theory, I absolutely agree that Pimsleur duplicates the same language acquistion method we use to acquire language as children. I have, however, some suggestions for gaining the most from the course.
1. Get a good dictionary, a verb conjugation book and look up words in the lessons so that you can write them down. Aural learning is great but accompanying visual learning it is even better.
2. After listening to each lesson a few times, write them out, in sequence, on 3x5 cards and use them as "drill flash cards" (I put the English on the front and the Italian on the back and fill each card up with as many phrases as would fit). This is a bit of work but also extremely helpful for forming a Gestalt. My wife and I drill each other using the cards and it is a nice change from the CD's.
3. Since Pimsleur does not systematically or comprehensively offer those specific phrases and nouns that tourists need (e.g., helpful travel phrases, helpful in-hotel phrases and objects like "pillow," "soap," etc.), as you go, put such phrases together on "Extra" 3x5 cards and commit them to memory. This is easy within the context of the Pimsleur method because you will already be learning how to put sentences together--one of Pimsleur's strengths.
4. Each lesson starts with a dialogue. After a few listenings, be sure to write the dialogue down in sequence so that you can read aloud along with the CD. This combination of aural and visual learning greatly enhances your ability to cope with the speed with which the speakers on the CD speak the language. I found at times that ther speed was so confusing it sounded like they were using words that had not yet been introduced or included in the lesson under consideration. However, once I figured out and wrote the dialogue down (using the forward/back buttons on my CD player to re-listen multiple times) it all came very clear and my ear improved dramatically.
5. Don't expect to learn each lesson after two or three listenings. We listen to the lessons at least 10 or 15 times each. We also, for the first few times through a new lesson, hit the pause button after being asked to translate a phrase from English into Italian in order to avoid the pressure resulting from the short space of time they give you to come up with the answer-translation. We found that we could, after a few listenings, dispense with the longer pause as we learned the phrases.
6. Finally, I suggest that you wait until you've learned all the lessons before bothering with the reading practice. You can do the reading at the end because the reading is not connected in any meaningful way to the lesson that precedes it. The reading is useful however, because it helps you to read and pronounce more accurately.
In summary, I'm very pleased with the Pimsleur approach and plan to buy and study Pimsleur II and III.
Incidentally, I called Pimsleur and asked them if they sold an addendum transcript booklet of the disks but was told that such a transcript flew in the face of their theoretical belief about how one should learn a language. While I don't agree, I admire their integrity. They could sell a ton of such transcript booklets if they so chose.

From an Italian teacher's perspective, I highly recommend the Pimsleur series. If you're serious about learning Italian, I do think they're the best. And the reason is because they get you to repeat the phrases over and over and over again. Learning a language takes time, but if you need some essential expressions before your trip, they also offer an Instant Conversation series, which is a lot shorter than this one.

The important thing in learning a language is repetition, and you'll get plenty of it with these CDs, as well as learning correct pronunciation.

Remember the first time you hear a song? It takes time to learn it, doesn't it? Well, imagine learning a song in Italian.. it takes even longer, but with some patience, you too will be singing the language of love!

As far as books go, you may end up using a combination, but I do like the Living Language Beginner's book a lot.

Definitely join a course in your area - there's no better practice than to practice in a group! Perhaps you can ask if a community college has it as a continuing education program - although you won't have big problems with the language in the bigger cities, Italians do appreciate if you know at least a little bit.

If instead, you're planning on visiting Southern Italy, or the countryside, you definitely want to know some Italian (if you want a vacation, and not an adventure, that is!).
I hope this helps! Grazie & arrivederci!
[...]

Pimsleur Italian I is the most effortless language program I've ever encountered. The program introduces new material at such a gradual pace that it's barely perceptible. I was astounded, however, at how much I had learned by the end of the program. Before starting Pimsleur I read a few pages from an Italian grammar book and was completely overwhelmed. After finishing Italian I, I reread the grammar material and, although Pimsleur rarely presents grammatical rules explicitly, I was able to infer them to such a degree that not only did the grammar seem manageable, but it felt more like review.

Leslie has a captivating way of telling this story that teaches the fundementals of prosperity.

Leslie is an author with a great future, a new Og Mandino!

For anyone who has been daunted by some life experience or other, this book is the antidote. It is the power of the human mind here and in a fundamental and easily grasped way. It tells us that if we can change our attitude, which we can, and think positively, we can have what we desire.
The authors approach is so refreshing as to get you up and going immediately. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

The beginning of this book intrigued me so much that it inspired me to read it one sitting at my computer.

Since this parable quotes Wallace Wattles's Science of Getting Rich throughout, I took it to be a parable of The Science of Getting Rich. Just like The Secret, it certainly covers Thinking in the Certain Way. But Thinking in the Certain Way is only part of the process. You must also Act in the Certain Way by giving more use value than cash value and more than filling your present place.

So, I was disappointed that the book didn't cover these crucial points in the Science of Getting Rich. But it was still an entertaining read, nonetheless.

The Jackrabbit Factor is a book for the ages; it is truly phenomenal. I found myself laughing out loud as I realized that the "sacks" along the road containing sandwiches, half-eaten sandwiches and timecards were unsuitable and unsatisfying employment - working for someone else. This analogy and other analogies Leslie Householder uses are very clever and makes one take a hard, long, serious look at their life as it is now and what they vision for the future. This book changed my life and I am now diligently working, in concert with God to build the life of my dreams - one in which I am earning multiple streams of income. Lessons Learned: While Looking for Love in All the Wrong Faces

I received a free ecopy version of this book on Wednesday from the JackRabbit Factor site. It was so great, I read the entire thing in one sitting. For me, this is what it did:

It took the principals I have been learning for 14 years and put it all together. What I had in front of me were puzzle pieces that fit together and worked on their own, but colletively would be like dynamite.

That's what this book is: dynamite!

I presume that the book is different, as the ebook is under 100 pages. I'll be buying it to check out the difference. During the course of my reading, I had too many "Aha!" moments to tell you about.

The reviews on this page are not exaggerated by any means. It is truly a wonderful book.

-Raquel

I recently did a make-over party and handed these out as favors. Thought this would get the kids off to a good start on their summer reading program. The kids loved them and the story is very thought provoking. Shows kindness to others.

My kids have all Judy Moody and Stink books. They love them, and I know for the fact that they help kids who struggle with reading in 3rd grade. They are easy to read and have a good story, are funny and appealing to that age group. A must have!

This book was good. My favorite part was when she hits the teacher's elbow. That made me laugh!

judy moody always wants to be in the news paper or on tv. judys cat won the pet contest and she finnaly was in the news paper.she was happy after all of that.when judy got home she looked in the news paper.she said thats a get picture of me and my cat.

i liked this book because stink was funny by selling moon dust.

the thing i dont like this book was judy always wined.

I thought this book was a bomb! You have got to read this book. If you are a Judy Moody fan and you read this book you will like it very much.The main thing that happens is Judy Moody is trying to get famous.

I read a lot of books in my life but no jokes, this the funniest book i ever read. wow. this petit nicola is awesome. I recomend that u have a little french background so u can easily understand it. I love it. Every body that speaks french should get one

book arrived 5 days earlier than expected. book is very cute and simple. good for children who speak french or french students.

This is one of a series that I have found helpful in bettering my spelling, sentence structure, and overall confidence in the French language. Reading French goes a very long way to establishing and maintaining grammatic skills, and reinforces the many diverse ways that a new language differs from one's native tongue. I have no real teacher, and am grateful for resources like this that are keeping me moving forward.

It would be hard to overstate the charm of these wonderful stories. Like many others, I picked up this book to help with my project of trying to teach myself French. Not only does it serve that purpose, but it is so engaging that it has held me on course when the inherent difficulty of the language and some cross-cultural exasperation has tempted me to chuck the whole project. No way could I ever write this little dude and his copains out of my life.

Although hilarious, the Nicolas stories also touch you in a much deeper place. He is a little boy full of life and good humor, but he and his friends are also filled with every possible anxiety about growing up and finding their manly places in the world. They are charmingly obsessed with their status and their dignity.

One of my favorite stories is "Louisette," which recounts the visit of a young girl who comes with her mother for tea. Nicolas is pouty from the beginning as his mother dresses him up, in his view, like a clown. And maman assures him that if he doesn't show that he is well raised, he will have an affair with her!

Although Nicolas is always filled with explanations that burst forth in run-on sentences, this traumatic visit brings him close to tears more than once. In Nicolas's world, not crying is one of the main imperatives. Another is assuming a male's naturally dominant [irony] and superior role over young girls, who, after all, cry all the time.

Louisette starts off telling Nicolas that he looks like a monkey and things go downhill from there. She is so much more quick-witted, not to mention athletic, that she repeatedly leaps ahead and distracts him just when he is deciding whether to give her a punch in the nose or to pull her hair. And it is Louisette who is landing all the successful coups on Nicolas. Meanwhile, Louisette is always batting her eyelashes at the mamans and impressing them with what an adorable innocent she is!

As with the "Louisette" story of a young boy having to deal with a very formidable young girl who does not fit into his template defining his superior place in the world, all these stories are filled with such very real anxieties of male childhood. Let me say again, though, they are very, very funny! You love this kid.

How easy/difficult is this book for a student of French. My feeling is that previous reviews have made it seem a little easier than it is. There are definitely difficult bits such as when Nicolas is playing cowboys and describes all the various cowboy accoutrements that he and his friends have hung on themselves. Often, too, sentences are very run-on, mimicking Nicolas's overflowing emotions and self-justifications. And the mannerisms of his speech are realistic and more difficult than the dry dialogue of textbooks. But this is worth a little difficulty - I just want to caution against expecting a child's book to be extremely easy. It is manageable, but not in the first few weeks of studying French.

I also have a two-CD set of these stories read in French which I ordered from Amazon.fr. The CD set is a dramatic reading and it is an absolute delight. But it is considerably more difficult than the book. Those run-on sentences are read in rapid bursts, as intended. The reading wonderfully captures the charm of the book but definitely does not make it any easier.

My only exasperation with the Nicolas books is that I can not share them with my English-only friends. They touched me so much and made me laugh so hard. I hope I have inspired someone here.

I use Le petit Nicolas in my French classes. The book is divided into short chapters that students enjoy. The syntax can be challenging, but it also prepares them for more authentic literature in French 4. I highly recommend this book (and others in the Nicolas collection) to students, teachers, and French-lovers looking for a funny read.

This, the second volume of an awesome collective work, catalogues in rich detail the events and achievements of ancient Greece. But more than that, it tells the story about how the events unfold and gives insight into how science and philosophy came into being for the first time in civilization. For a long time, I had only a very scattered understanding of the ancient Greek world. This work gives me a much clearer view of the whole picture. There were a few sections where I did get stuck on the details - in the enumeration of people, places, and events - but it wasn't very often and it was probably due more to a lack of imagination on my part.

In trying to make a overly short synopsis, the book can be viewed as divided into three parts covering three different eras in Greek civilization. The first part delves into indefinite origins that can be traced back to the culture of ancient Crete, then the Mycenaean civilization, the Achaeans and the Homeric epic of Troy - which the archeologist Schliemann found actually existed in Asia Minor - and then the Dorian invasion. The second part concerns the Persian War and the coming of age of the city-states including Athens, it's friends and foes; and also the great advances in art, literature, science, philosophy and law as well as the decline that results mainly from the Peloponnesian War. The third part concerns the decay of mainland Greece but the diffusion of it's great culture to most of the known world through especially the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Vital to the development of Greek culture was the city-state, which grew in mainland Greece after the Dorian invasion (1100-950BC), and spread across the Aegean to the many islands and far-off shores of the Mediterranean. The city-states were separated and protected by mountainous terrain, which made it difficult to assert centralized control. They were linked principally by the waterways of the Aegean, and this linkage stimulated trade and preserved a common heritage, despite the many squabbles and wars. It was the burgeoning of trade and the opportunity for people to interact with others of different cultures that helped shake some of the ingrained beliefs and traditions and stimulate the inquiring mind. The Greeks were also freed to question supernatural explanations of the universe - and therefore develop science and philosophy - because they did not have a powerful priestly class, and thus were not so readily subject to persecution for the shattering of old myths. They were really quite ingenious in an age that had a very narrow view of the world. For example, Eratrosthenes made calculations concerning the curvature of the earth and computed the circumference of the earth to be very close to what we know it today.

One of the remarkable facts of the Golden Age of Periclean Athens (but not uncommon in those days) is that of the total population of Attica, some 315,000 peope, something like 115,000 were slaves. Of that difference consider, too, the number of woman, who were not participants in the political process. With that kind of distribution - more than half were not eligible - democracy had to be tenuous and fragile at best. For much of the history of the Greek city-states, there was this back-and-forth struggle between an obligarchy, the very richest and the aristocratic, and free citizens, who managed from time to time to rise above menial labor and assert themselves. During the time of Pericles, somehow a significant number of free citizens became active participants in government, signifying the dawning of a democratic process. But it did not last for long.

This is the second of the multi-volume work by the Durant's. It is as good as the first (and not wanting to give anything away, chuckle), they only get better and better. The author's prose is almost as wonderful as the actual historical work. The author apparently spent fifty years in writing these books and it certainly was worth the effort. He, and his wife, make history come alive. Now granted, I am a history buff and simply cannot get enough of it. I realize that not all share my love for the subject, but I truely feel that the entire work should be required reading in our schools. Not only are they superior to any and all text I am familiar with, they are truely a joy to read. This particular volume gave me much more insight to the ancient Greeks, their culture, art and philosophy than any work I have read, thereby giving me a much better understanding to our own culture, etc. It's just me, I know, but an added joy to this work was prowling used book stores and finding these things one by one to add to my collection. Highly recommend these books.

My set of Durants The Story of Civilization was purchased at a garage sale. Poor fools, they did not know what they were selling. Their loss is my gain. Volume Two, however, was missing, a situation that was remedied when I wandered into a used bookstore and there, on a shelf was Volume Two- The Life of Greece calling my name. I immediately forked out eight bucks and headed down to the local coffee house and began a fascinating and enjoyable read.

Having read through Volume 5, The Age of Faith, this has to be the best volume thus far- I could hardly put it down. To be sure there are areas that one has to plow through, that is to be expected of a work of this scope; but Durant has filled my world with the genius, history and drama of ancient Greece.

What made this book so fascinating is that, over and over again, Durant brought us into the lives of these men. We are not merely dealing with historical figures, but real people who lived, made love, made war, wrote masterpieces and who could act with courage, fall to cowardice or just make stupid mistakes. By far my favorite chapter was The Suicide of Greece. It told how a great civilization could fall. The story of Alcibiades was absolutely riveting. Both a brilliant leader and a scoundrel, he pushed Athens towards destruction by his fraternity style pranks that doomed his invasion of Sicily contributing significantly to the downfall of Athens as a power.

Consistent with all his volumes, Durant again shows us the cycle of civilization. He shows us again that the life of thought endangers every civilization that it adores. He writes:

As civilization develops, as customs, institutions, laws, and morals more and more restrict the operation of natural impulses, action gives way to thought, achievement to imagination, directness to subtlety, expression to concealment, cruelty to sympathy, belief to doubt the unity of character common to animal and primitive men passes away; behavior becomes fragmentary and hesitant, conscious and calculating; the willingness to fight subsides into a disposition to infinite argument. Few nations have been able to reach intellectual refinement and esthetic sensitivity without sacrificing so much in virility and unity that their wealth presents an irresitble temptation to impecunious barbarians. Around every Rome hover the Gauls; around ever Athens some Macedon.

I hope that Durant has not just written our epitaph as a great nation.

Durant paints a fascinating portrait of Greek life and culture as well as the history of a country that provided a foundation for modern thought and politics in the modern world. Highly recommend for history buffs as well as serious students.

Authors Dr. Will & Ariel Durant have compiled the history of ancient Greece in this, the second volume of The Story of Civilization.

At over >700 pages in length, the Durants launch into great detail about: The mysterious lost civilization of the island of Crete, land of the Minotaur and the labyrinth. The violent society of Homer's Iliad. The rise of classical Greece; a society of traders and navigators, explorers and colonists, soliders, sailors, and settlers. The origins of democracy and the political legacy to the Western world. The heroic battles against the Persians. The golden age of Athens. Backgrounds of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the birth of the Academy, and of course....Alexander the Great! Plus much more including plates and maps.

As with all of the volumes of The Story of Civilization, these books were written to stand alone and most likely will be read by the more serious students of history, however, they are composed and written to be understood by the layperson as well. In short, these books are for everyone! I rate it at five stars as the Durant's Magnum Opus!

I wrote a review of TILT A WHIRL last year and gave it five stars, and I was anxiously awaiting the new Ceepak mystery with the same anticipation which, as a kid, I used to reserve for the opening of the baseball season, or going back to the boardwalk. So I dove right into MAD MOUSE with an eager enthusiasm.

It's very good, all right, but to say it's better than the first book is just plain wrong. The plot of the book seems, well, I won't say stolen, but certainly it's "reminiscent" of the teen thriller I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER by Lois Duncan, or everyone's seen the movie version and its sequels. You're reading along, and all of a sudden every scene in MAD MOUSE seems familiar, as one by one all the kids who knew each other when they were 16 get targeted. It just seemed forced to me that all of them are still close enough years later so that the killer could find them partying it up at the beach one night, in the book's opening scenes.

And also I can't figure out, waasn't our boy Danny Boyle dating Becca in the last book? And since this one picks up immediately after the end of TILT A WHIRL, when did he ditch her and start mooning over Katie, Becca's best friend? And since Chris G. is great at making his men characters come alive, and yet he doesn't seem real great at writing women, why make the switch since both of them seem sort of interchangeable?

And talk about a ludicrously over-the-top accomplice!

That said, Grabenstein's a terrific writer, his picture of the Jersey shore is a complex, hard-hitting one, and the interplay between Danny and his guru John Ceepak is outstanding, the best of its kind of genre fiction. Just give them something to detect next time.

Simply put: Mad Mouse did not disappoint!!! I can only add to all the other reviews in my gushing praise of the second installment of John Ceepak and Danny Boyle's adventures at the Jersey Shore!! To the author (who I can't seem to reach by email)--cannot wait for the further adventures of the two above characters and am also looking forward to Slay Ride, your next serial....Thank you, thank you and again---keep up with the terrific writing, plot lines and most of all the giggles that just keep happening!!! Susan

Summer Cop Danny Boyle and his friends have made a tradition of celebrating National Toasted Marshmallow Day. For the last ten years, they have gotten together every year on a beach in their town of Sea Haven, New Jersey to toast marshmallows, drink beer, and hang out.

This year, things turn serious when someone tags them with paintballs. One of the paintballs hits Becca's eye, turning a yearly tradition into a serious night.

Sea Haven is planning a huge bash for Labor Day. Naturally, this incident doesn't sit well with everyone in the business community whose survival during the next nine months rests on the huge business they expect this one weekend of the summer. Danny and his partner, John Ceepak, are assigned the case; with the implication that Danny's application to be a full time cop is riding on a quick solution.

They think they are on the right track when another attack happens. Again, Danny and a friend are the target. Only this time, the paintballs are followed by a bullet.

I'm not normally a thriller fan, but I just couldn't pass up the setting of a resort town. I loved the first one, and enjoyed this one even more. The plot starts quickly. It seems to be moving along fine, but when the second attack comes, things pick up into high gear and the pace never slows down. Since Danny is our narrator, this gives us more of a stake in the outcome, and I must admit to cheating ahead to see who lived until the end.

The only real drawback to the story involves Ceepak. Ceepak lives by a code. Actually, I like his code and respect the character because of it. However, it is mentioned so often I got tired of hearing about it. A few mentions to establish the character were fine, but it should have been dropped by the second half of the story.

Still, this is a minor complaint in an otherwise outstanding story. Give yourself plenty of time to read it because you will be hooked.

If you like a good, quick paced, murder mystery peppered with humor, "Mad Mouse" is the mystery for you. Set in a normally quiet seaside town on the Jersey Shore, policemen Ceepak and Boyle track a sniper taking pot shots at people right before the big Labor Day weekend. Grabenstein uses descriptions sparingly, giving just enough backstory to allow the reader the opportunity of filling in some character details and ambience on their own... much the way horror writer Stephen King provides just enough detail for you to scare yourself silly. Even with two murders in one summer, I want to live in Sea Haven. Great story line and surprise ending.

Grabenstein is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I only wish he could write his stories faster.

In the beach town of Sea Haven, the town council is getting ready for the big Labor Day celebration, a guaranteed money maker for the town. They want everything to go smoothly and all the summer visitors to have the time of their life. Nothing can mess this up..........or can it?
When a paintball incident appears to cause a disturbing injury to Danny Boyle's friend during a beach outing, the town fathers want the incident hushed up. When it is discovered that not only paintballs were being fired, but bullets too, the demand to clear it all up and take care of any loose ends is made perfectly clear.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to be possible as repeat incidents occur.
Our heroes enter the picture, John Ceepak, an Iraq war vet who lives by a strict code of honor and Danny Boyle, a care-free guy who lives by the seat of his pants, are partnered in the police force and delve into the case looking for answers, but all they seem to get are more questions. Suddenly it seems that maybe Danny and his friends are in the crosshairs of some deranged individual but the motive for the attacks remains elusive, as does the shooter.
The story is a wild ride, fast paced with unexpected twists and turns that are put together with a deft hand!! Chris Grabenstein is a truly skilled author, creating dialogue that is both clever and sidesplittingly funny!! His characters are witty and entertaining. His story line is unexpected and captivating!!! His cast of characters, while witty and clever, range the gamut from serious cop, care-free kid, mail order brides,goth kids, beach bums to stereotypical town fathers and wealthy overbearing parents. Chris Grabenstein raises the bar to a new standard with Mad Mouse!!

This morning, lying on my back, motionless and spreadeagled on the bed in the midst of a series of cataclysmic orgasms I found a small corner of my brain which remained capable of coherent thought hazily mulling over how a $30 CD could have taken an apparently flagging and almost moribund libido (I'm getting on in life) and bring it to the condition where I can now readily call up a practically unlimited sequence of orgasmic events of a kind and intensity I never knew existed.

It was last August when I purchased Jack's audio CD and I've been practicing his Key Sound protocol since then. Although I had some surprising and encouraging success in my first few days of KS practice I had no illusions that I'd arrived at the full potential of the experience because from all accounts considerable investment in training one's body might be required to fully develop the skill. This has turned out to be true for me. But progress has been sustained and each day still brings forth new and surprising events.

I can now start a session at practically any time and easily and quickly get into a sequence of orgasms of a level of intensity which far exceeds anything that I've experienced before in a long life of sexual experimentation and adventuring. Additionally, the orgasms' peaks are interspersed by involuntary surges of what Jack calls "echoes" which render, for me, feelings of ecstatic and unearthly bodily sensations many of which leave me utterly stupefied for a minute or two. The great thing is because ejaculation does not occur there is little expediture of physical energy involved and it is possible for me to effortlessly sustain a session for as long as time permits. The other day I finished an extreme three-hour session feeling as fresh as a daisy and ready to pick up where I left off, at any time.

Jack's CD is well presented and easy to follow. But, as he points out, don't assume that that this skill can be achieved without dedicated practice. However, that was no problem for me because the fun and excitement started from day two and is still getting better each day.

It's hard for me to believe what an unexpected and incredible enhancement the KSMMO has brought to my life. For $30! - It's a giveaway! The CD is now in a picture frame on the wall.

Regarding Jack's Key Sound, I never encountered any need to "roar" it out loud and I don't think that Jack says that it's necessary to do so. In fact, in my early days of practice I would use a quiet breathy version of the sound which was entirely adequate for me. Currently I seem to have progressed beyond the the Key Sound and rarely need to use it. Criticism of the KS protocol as an essentially noisy operation seems to me to be entirely misguided. Like conventional intercourse, you can make it as quiet or as screamingly noisy as you feel inclined to do.

Mog

I am kicking myself since last night. Reason: I bought this cd from amazon 2 years ago. I listened for about 30 minutes. The key sound was too weird and I thought the author was some looney guy (sorry Jack). Then I rechecked all reviews and found that all good reviewers had only one review that for this cd. It helped plant further doubts about this multiple orgasm technique and I threw the cd away.

Yesterday while going through my old cds I came across the MMO cd again. For the heck of it, I listed to it completely. Yesterday evening I lay on my bed and applied the key sound technique. On every sexual energy spike or when I was breathing heavily, I would grasp that moment, do a belly breath and use the key sound. Then on I used the key sound after every 4 - 5 breaths. 30 minutes later my entire body was tingling intensely for about 10 - 20 minutes. It was a very pleasurable feeling. I immediately wrote to Jack and asked him about questions I had. Jack replied immediately and this morning I tried the key sound technique with my girlfriend. Sure enough in about 20 - 25 minutes of using the key sound, I had not ejaculated and instead the intense tingling sensation intensified, but this time I kept going on and sure enough I arrived at the orgasmic point - only this time it was internal. The shocking thing was the orgasmic emotional point (the point of physical ejaculation) lasted not for the traditional/usual 1 millisecond but continued for minutes. The beautiful millisecond which men crave for, which happed at the point of ejaculation actually stayed for 10 - 15 minutes. A state of the highest emotional bliss I have ever experienced.

After a year of trying pc muscle the barbara keesling way or the Mantek Chia way, I had reached nowhere. once or twice I had a slight experience of tingling when I had used the mantek chia's teachings of moving the sexual energy through the microcosmic orbit, but it is beyond an average person's power to control the pc muscle so as not to ejaculate.

Jack Johnston key sound though sounds weird is but the one easy way to multiple orgasms. Just to clarify - Multiple orgasms are not physical ejaculations but whole body orgasms happening in succession.

Two years ago I thought this key sound was so foolish. Since last evening I've realized it was just me who was for not having given this new technique a chance.

In this age of tantra and other things, there is no reason why you and your partner should feel odd about trying this new technique. I am simply blown away by how simple the path to MMO has been made by this key sound technique.

Jack Johnson's MMO audio cd really expands oneself beyond the physical sexual pleasure. The MMO audio CD is not limited to use by men, but also women as well. I am a very satisfied customer and would recommend this easy-to-use audio CD for any man-woman and even couples. This audio CD enhances the sexual pleasure!!
Lynn Sinner

I don't know about this product... I admit I haven't seen or heard it!

I might have been interested, but when I examined customer reviews I encounter 18 fantastic raveing reviews, almost all written by individuals with no other product reviews! (odd coincidence???)
Then I also noticed that all these reviews were stylistically similar enough that if I was a college English teacher I would suspect at most two or three different authors!

I know that you may believe in your product, but customer reviews are written by CUSTOMERS, otherwise they are misrepresentations, even if their content is factual.

I ordered Jack Johnston's seminar from Amazon.com a couple of months ago and I am already having amazing and life changing results!

This training will take you thru the gate to "dry orgasms" with no ejaculation!(just the orgasm!) This allows you to have many wonderful orgasms in one session! You simply follow the KSMO protocol and the rewards you can reap are out of this world!

Best investment I have ever made in myself!

The seminar disk also allows you to access the members web site, where there is a wealth of resources: real life-changing stories, informative articles, live chat sessions and a wonderful, positive atmosphere where everyone helps each other to achieve their own desired goals. (It has been a kind of on-line family here, actually???)

This is a "must have" for anyone wanting to explore their own sexuality and the exciting world of sexual possibilities...

Later, Hlaser99

P.S. It works as well for men, women or couples!

This book by Thomas Merton is a marvelous exploration of what it is to be human and the fundamental problems of disconnection from the depths of Being. More practically, it addresses the solution to our isolation in a direct, loving and compassionate way. Thomas Merton is clearly one who has traveled the path to his deepest self and has much to share about his journey.

Thomas Merton is a mystic who has spent a lot of time in silence and deep contemplation. He had a grasp of contemporary issues facing the modern person and he has a way of using language that is simple, but touches the heart.

Although Merton was a Catholic Christian mystic, his message is universal. He illuminates the mystic's path and shares the fruit of his explorations through writing in a way that is accessible and powerful. Somehow, between the lines it is obvious that his experience has been profound and he translates this into terms that help the reader to find meaning.

This book will be especially appealing to Catholics and Christians. The tone is understanding and gentle, although it is packaged in a way that is most digestible to fellow Catholics. On the other hand, there are so many gems that are applicable to the human condition that it will be a valuable read by people of any faith.

Thomas Merton wrote a lot of books and this is one of his best for lay people. New Seeds of Contemplation is also very thought provoking and could be considered a companion volume. It also goes a bit deeper into some of the more existential and metaphysical aspects of living, but not in an esoteric way.

If you have an interest in Christian Mysticism in general, I also highly recommend Practical Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill. This is a great short introduction to Western Mysticism delivered in a very poetical style and that is geared to the average person looking for meaning in their lives.

This book was an amazing read for me the first time through. I have since read again and it continues to reveal insights into my life and relationship with God and to others. Thomas Merton is amazingly timeless and contemporary throughout. These are not abstract views of spirituality, but real and meaningful looks at a life of faith in the world, our world, today. Merton looks truthflly at how we relate to God and to each other in a world that is filled with noise and distractions. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who is honestly seeking to deepen their own interior spiritual life. Merton is a man of our times, understanding the depths and treasures of faith as well as the pitfalls of our humanity. This book will help you to believe that goodness is very possible and that being a spiritual person is possible while living in the world. Merton shows that the religious life is not just for priests, monks and nuns, which is very compatible with the John Paul II vision that all lives lived in faith can be a vocation.

This hardcover is very nice as it is linen bound with a gold ribbon marker. Chapters are broken up into numbered segments, making it possible to read a little each day and to find favorite sections.

"No Man is an Island" is a spiritually moving set of essays--or meditations, rather--that address many issues but ultimately center on our relationship with God, with each other, and with ourselves. Having read only a little of Merton, I found this book somewhat more straightforward and prosaic compared to a later work of his, "The New Man", and he gets a tad dogmatic in spots (well, he is ordained, so he has a license to do so, fair enough)--I was reminded of some of the more trenchant passages in "The Seven Storey Mountain" before he'd mellowed out a bit. And yet Merton's characteristic mix of simplicity and profundity, his fine-tuned mystic's sense of paradox, and his ability to take Catholic teachings and breathe new life into them are all here in full; indeed, in many ways this book would serve very well as a Catholic Monastic statement of what life's all about, spoken in Merton's gentle conversational tones at once calm and serious, critical of the shallow aspects of modernity while articulated in a manner that speaks eloquently to modern people. I have no doubt that this book should appeal to readers who profess Christianity as their religion, but I also think that many non-Christians (such as myself) will find much here that is inspiring and spiritually enlightening.

Every adjective title used to describe this book in the reviews so far i have found to be true.

"The truth i must love in my brother is God Himself, living in Him."
excerpt from this book (Thomas Merton "No Man is an Island"

Reading just that line is enough to contemplate for some while.

I found i had to read small sectionsm and re read to gain fuller meaning
because some concepts are difficult to grapple with, but grapple with them.
I will re read this book many times over throughout my life. It strikes richly at the core of Catholic teaching, its value universal for everyone.
Its a celebration of God and his creatures, it affirms the truth of His love as His gift living in us, for us also to share, for it is not ours to keep selfishly.

While this is certainly not one of my favorite Thomas Merton works, I do find that its format and style facilitate a prayerful experience.

With its individual sections of thought, this book is great to read in parts. I found it wonderfully useful in sections read before community prayer in the chapel. It might be good for someone looking for spiritual reading but who does not have a lot of time to spare.

I like this short and to the point book, told over in a form of storytelling instead of an advise book, the fable characters are Jed and Terri and they are trying to succeed at business and life. During the course of the book we meet with different advisors they use including a guy they call "tremendous" who is the real Charlie "tremendous" Jones. They take his advise along with many other "real" advisors and put together quite an impressive read.

The CEO's of this country are implementing the ideas of this book, and you can too (servant leadership etc). Its cutting edge and common sense.

A highly thought provoking book, and something we all need to gain more knowledge about no matter what. I know you will enjoy and be engaged in this book.One Man's Love Story - A Near-Death Experience

Ken and Don are master story tellers and great communicators to business audiences. They have a history of teaching successful ideas. This book is like a private session with the real pros.

Mr. Blanchard is a master story teller in regards to business. This little book will consume less than two hours. The lessons revealed can take an entire career to discover on your own.

Jud and Terri have a dream. Jud learns early on that the best source of information about success is given to us through quality relationships. He pays close attention to the successful people that he meets in his life. Jud and his wife, Terri start their dream business and begin to feel their dreams coming to fruition. Then life delivers its personal and professional twist and turns. Things start to go awry. Through their relationships they recieve fabulous advise and finally achieve a successful reality beyond their greatest ambitions.

If you are looking for a quick and powerful set of standards for your career and your business, OME is another sure fire best-seller from Ken Blanchard.

Don't wait, buy it today. It's great Kindlized too!

Comments are always welcome.

The One-Minute Entrepreneur engages you in the story while it enlightens you about the journey. That is, with the typical business book, you're hoping up to pick up a few gems to run your business more effectively, reap better results, or ratchet up your career a few notches. But here, you find yourself actually rooting for the hero--and hoping that he makes the best personal decisions as well as business decisions. Bingo--for you and the hero. Hutson and Blanchard give solid business principles here, plus guidelines for acting with personal integrity and building relationships through networking.

Good balance between story and principles. Highly recommended.