Audio Books

This different view of the Vietnam War is filled with adventure, the danger, and the hardwork on the part of a young soldier and a German Shepard. The author's method of telling the story from two points of view adds to the knowledge of the war experience. What a surprise to learn that the dogs were not brought home again after their time in Vietnam! Luckily Cracker's fate was positively different.

This is book for children. I should have known this because Kadohata has written several children's books (Newberry Award on some of them) and the story line is appropriate for children, not deep enough for adults. The happy ending, although I'm not sure it could have happened that way considering the rules that the military enforced at that time (Vietnam War), could only be appropriate for children.

The rules have changed since this book was written, though, and I wonder if the change of rules would have made for any kind of story compelling enough to write a book about.

For a kid that has dyslexia this was a wonderful buy. He is beginning to love to read again... And this book helped.

I got this book for my 11 year old after he requested it at a book fair where they wanted 5.40 more for it and was thrilled to find it less here. Although, when I got it I figured it was a kids book, I found that after picking it up out of curiousity I enjoyed it too. The switching between the soldier and the dog thoughts are very smooth and the portrayal of a soldier and his relationship with a K9 I felt was pretty much dead-on. I like that they portrayed an era of history with a story but still stuck to reality. Happy Reading!

Cracker is a terrific story about one of the unsung heroes of the Vietnam War, namely the K9's. It's great the way the author has written from both the soldier and the dog's point of view. It's also great to see that war dogs are finally getting some attention. This book also introduces the Vietnam War to a new generation of kids. The war and the dogs that saved so many lives should never be forgotten. Anyone interested in another war dog historical fiction--this time a World War II real war dog hero should try Chips a Hometown Hero. Chips: A Hometown Hero Both of these books are great for any dog lover's collection!

Hart has crafted a great story here. The plot is tight, and of course the characters are believable. In this book Annie struggles to free her beloved Max as he's being framed for the murder of a beautiful young woman. She is dealing with a truly crafty and cold-blooded murderer, but she does not hesitate to put herself in harm's way if it will get her to the truth. Ms. Hart builds up the suspense throughout the book right up until the end when he is finally caught. It is easy to see why Caroline Hart has won so many awards. She is truly gifted. I really do enjoy this series.

This is Carolyn Hart's 17th mystery in the Death on Demand series alone. She can't turn them out fast enough for me. I loved it, all the way through.

I had only two problems with the book: (1)I really relate to Max Darling -- what loving husband wouldn't? -- and he is incapacitated and powerless virtually the entire book. (2)For more than a hundred pages I believed I knew the identity of the murderer; I was wrong.

What a fine read. And when is No. 18 coming out?

I feel this may be the death knell of my love for the Death on Demand series. The previous book was disappointing as well. The "Max-in-peril" plot has been used twice before. And in those cases, Annie did not react like she did in this one. She was too serious, intense, morose. Not that I can't sympathize, but I guess my point is, the whole book was too serious, dark, etc. I like the lighter, funnier books Carolyn Hart used to do. I want Laurel being zany; Emma being intimidating; Henny channeling fictional detectives. And where's Miss Dora? I love her! Hasn't been in a book in ages. Plus, there weren't enough suspects in this one. It was pretty easy to narrow down 'who-dun-it'. I still give 3 stars cause Carolyn Hart is great, but I hope she returns to form in the next books.

Dead Days of Summer
Carolyn Hart

If you like murder mysteries or the author Sue Grafton, you will love Carolyn Hart's Dead Days of Summer. The book is one is a long series called Death on Demand. I have no idea where this book fits into the whole picture, but I never once felt that I was left out of the loop because I had not read any of the others. The book does not have a strong Christian base, but it does speak of the Lord, church, belief, and faith. There is even a character who quotes scripture. As a Christian you would not feel weird, or wrong reading this book.

The story opens up on the slow side, and introduces you to a lot of characters right off the bat. This is definitely one that you have to pay attention to from page one or you could get lost in the mix of all the mayhem.

Annie Darling is the main character. The story revolves around her and her husband Max. Annie is the owner of a mystery book store called Death on Demand. Max is a private detective, but cannot call himself one because of the laws of the island that they live on. Broward Rock is the name of the island that they live on. It is one of the islands off of South Carolina.

Annie and Max had lunch together and are walking back to their offices, Annie insists that Max go to the office today and maybe someone will come in. Annie goes to her bookstore and immediately picks up where she left off on planning Max's surprise birthday party. Her mother-in-law Laurel is helping with the planning. It is almost close of business time when Max calls and says that he has a client and will be home later and call if it is going to be real late.

The client that hires Max is a beautiful woman who says that she is looking for her brother who disappeared the previous year. She shows Max pictures of him, and a note that states that he is seen most nights at a place called Dooley's Mine, which is a sleazy bar, that not many people would be caught dead at. They plan to meet there later that evening to scope the place out and see if he is there.

Max never calls and Annie freaks out. She goes to Max's place of business and finds and intruder. She then calls the police. Nothing is making sense, and just as a precaution a missing persons is released, just on a hunch because there is not enough evidence to go on. Annie calls all of their friends and they all start looking for Max. The friends that she calls are a mystery writer, and ex-military woman, an ex-editor, an ex-reporter, an actress, a newspaper man, and others.

The next morning they find a woman who has been murdered, and Max's car just outside the cabin that she has been murdered in. They don't find Max though. Annie knows from gut instinct that this is the person who hired Max. When they don't find Max, the search is on even harder. One of the friends Emma, who is the author, hires a great attorney for them, since it now looks like Max is wanted for murder.

Later on the same day that they find the dead woman, they find Max. He wakes up, confused, sick, and covered in blood. When the police find him they take him into custody for the murder of Vanessa Taylor, who is the woman that they found dead in the cabin. Max has never heard of Vanessa Taylor, and cannot remember anything that has happened. The police chief ends up having to put Max under arrest for the murder of the woman. While he is in the cell, Annie enters the jail and they talk. She vows to find who set him up, and get to the bottom of all of this mess.

Annie, her mother-in-law and her friends do just that. The majority of the book is them sleuthing around and getting information. They follow leads and end up unraveling the whole set up. Max is freed and life goes on as usual.

The book on the whole is good. It takes a long time for the story to develop and get into the action. If you are into meat and grit from page one this one will leave you wanting. If you have patience and don't mind a long build up and climax, then this is the book for you. Ms. Hart has wonderful characters and many of them. She also finds a way to keep them all tied to the story, even if it is just a sentence in the middle of the book. That is a definite gift, and I am glad that she does not leave the reader wondering what happened to so and so even if they were a minor character. Not a bad read at all, life as usual...until the next Death on Demand book.

Max Darling, a murderer? Annie Darling knows there isn't a chance Max is a murderer, but all of the evidence is stacked against him. After all, his car is found with the murder weapon inside and Max himself was covered in blood with no memory as to what had happened. Annie is willing to do whatever it takes to clear Max's name, even if it means putting herself in harm's way. Will Annie and her friends clear Max's name or will Max forever be branded as an adulterous murderer?

DEAD DAYS OF SUMMER is Carolyn Hart's 17th book in the series, but it is my first foray into her world. Needless to say, it will not be the last Carolyn Hart book I read! Ms. Hart draws even a new reader to the series into her vastly entertaining world, populated by the most colorful characters. Annie and Max have a variety of quirky friends and Ms. Hart makes the most of each individual's unique skills in this clever mystery. In fact, the characters are the true heart of this tale as the mystery itself is fairly easy to figure out. It is the characters who keep the reader turning the pages. After all, who knows what crazy plan this group will come up with next in their quest to clear Max's name?

Carolyn Hart does a beautiful job at establishing the community on Broward's Rock, South Carolina. Not only are the inhabitants vividly portrayed, but one gets a real sense of the layout of the island. Generally, the further a series progresses, the harder it is for new readers to jump in the midst of the storyline as the characters and settings are fairly well established. Instead, Carolyn Hart easily welcomes new readers into her Death on Demand series with DEAD DAYS OF SUMMER. Count me in as a new fan!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I got this for my husband for his birthday because he lived for 5 years in Africa as a child and his father used to hunt big game, so he loves reading books like this, and he said this one was an outstanding read.

Reading books by authors like Capstick is a very good alternative to reading fiction. When you are reading fiction, however scary, thrilling and realistic it may be, at the back of your mind you know that it is fiction. Some of it may not even be plausible. When you are reading true adventure, it is then that you can realise the closeness of death to life, you can identify with the characters more closely, and you can feel their fear of something as primeval and primitive as claws, fangs and horns. You can also feel their elation at escaping injury.
This book is not meant only for hunters and any one reading it will learn something new on practically every second page.On the whole I did not like it as much as much as "death in the long grass". Still, the book has its chilling moments. It also has its share of dark humor. The author does not defend hunting and "cropping" of elephants as much as he does in death in the long grass.
Halfway through the chapter on leopards, I lost touch with what the author was trying to say.

Originally published in 1983, this book describes big game hunting in Africa. After a brief introduction, each subsequent chapter contains details and anecdotes about hunting each of the Big Five game animals of Africa (Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, and Lion). In particular, this book is largely about the dangers of hunting each of the Big Five. All I can say is that being a safari guide/hunter must be an incredible life. I purchased this after reading Hemingway's `Green Hills of Africa' and Robert Ruark's `Robert Ruark's Africa' and was not disappointed. There isn't really a single narrative through this book, it is written in a more of a conversational style, almost as if you are sitting with Capstick in camp in the evening after a day of hunting and he is recounting various tales, `urban legands', and historical anecdotes about hunting each of the big five over a Scotch whiskey. If you don't know who he was, Peter Capstick was a hunter, guide, and prolific author who passed away in 1996. Capstick writes about a much later era than Ruark or Hemingway, things have clearly changed. There are more people about (farming, grazing animals, etc.), and the game is heavily controlled by the national authorities. Overall this is a very good, if not uniquely outstanding, read. Capstick writes with an easy prose, and the pages just sail by. After working through this book, you're quite likely to get the urge to pack up a few of your shootin' irons and buy an airline ticket to Nairobi (I know I did!). I give it only four stars though as much of the ground covered by Capstick has been well tread by others (e.g. everyone seems to feel the need to give their opinion about which of the big five is the most dangerous). I also liked Ruark's writing style more, and there was something more romantic and dangerous about safari hunting in Ruark's era (this is no fault of PC though) - they really were out in Indian territory. The more modern safari isn't quite so wild. In any case, if you love the outdoors, hunting, and testing your mettle against some of the world most dangerous game (or at least reading about it!), I would highly recommend this book. A little different than hunting white-tailed deer!

Many other reviewers have characterized "Death in the Dark Continent" very, very well. It is a bit more graphic than Capstick's earlier "Death in the Long Grass", but not much.
But you definitely do NOT have to be a hunter to thoroughly enjoy Capstick. I think, though, there are a lot of non-hunters who simply haven't discovered how good Capstick really is at "grabbing you, making you sweat blood, and not releasing you until you've died three times, passed Elvis and Hoffa twice, and are coming around for heart attack number 4. Capstick is not just " a hunter with a typewriter". He is Hannibal Lecter mixed with Edgar Allen Poe and Stephen King multiplied by Norman Bates and home-schooled by JAWS. If you thought Amityville and Elm Street were scary, you were wrong. Peter Capstick will show you Scary in "Death in the Dark Continent". If you thought "The Pit and the Pendulum" was mind-wrecking, you were wrong. "Mind-wrecking" starts on page 152 of Death in the Silent Places. Read it early in the day.

If you havent read Capstick, you are missing out on a treat. Not only are his stories, graphic, exciting and compelling, his style of writing is nothing short of superb. Genuinly exciting, and often laugh out loud funny, all of his books are fantastic. When talking about the turn of the century past-time of "galloping lions" (described as "dangerous as typhoid") he writes:" THe elements recquired for the monotony breaking past time were a fast horse, a good rifle, a few lions and not much concern about the future".

Not for the faint of heart, there is a number of gory stories about the fatal encouters that people have, and some well placed warnings about taking any dangerous animal lightly.

A lot like his first book, "death in the long grass" Capstick writes about individual animals- with a chapter on the "big five", Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard ( the best chapter in the book- beatifully written) and Lion. As before he relates his own experinces, plus encouters as described by his friends.

I would recommend Death in the LOng Grass as a first Capstick book, but this is still most highly recommended.

I was given a copy of this book many years ago..it sat on a shelf for a number of years before one day I picked it up and started to read it. It is one book both men and women should read. I have given it as gifts at least 60 times and just recently purchased 3 more for gifts. It truly hits the soul...if you want to do something for "yourself"...read it!! You won't be sorry.

It's a great description of the Spritual Cure.... but we never analyze what was wrong in the first place... it's a type of Narcissism which in her case comes into conflict with her religious values and forced her to develop her spritual walk as a cure.

And it's a good cure, often overlooked because we neglect to name the Beast thats at the core.So the spiritual cure goes untried.

"Everyday Sacred; A Woman's Journey Home" by Sue Bender is a book about the author's spiritual journey while living amidst the Amish. Bender highlights that each day, and the 'everyday' within each day is sacred. There are many opportunities to experience sacred encounters in one's life, by focusing on appreciation of simplicity and the little things in life such as enjoying a warm cup of tea or noticing the beauty of flowers in your garden. All in all 'Everyday Sacred' offers clarity, optimism and hope amidst our modern world that is all too often hectic and stressful. What I enjoyed most about 'Everyday Sacred' is that reading the book really did take me on an experiental journey into the sacred; most remarkable! Congratulations Sue Bender on writing such an inspiring and successful book.

If you like 'Everyday Sacred' then you'll love NEXUS by Deborah Morrison and Arvind Singh, a successful, new age debut novel, an absorbing guide to the dazzling universe of spirituality in terms of life's joys and sorrows. NEXUS enriches our understanding of heart-centered, soulful living, enlightenment and compassion. All over the planet people of all faiths and backgrounds are suddenly experiencing an intense attraction for the wisdom and knowledge of NEXUS, a book that has already achieved top 100 status on several bestsellers lists! Nexus: A Neo Novel

After witnessing the recent horror (school massacre) inflicted upon the Amish community, "Everyday Sacred" is a timely reminder that they and the human spirit will endure.

It reminds us to ask not what we lack, but to appreciate, daily, what we already have. My favorite quote from the book is: "Don't try for perfection. Trying to be good enough will be plenty."

I am giving it my highest recommendation because it is more than good enough - it is a spell-binding read!

Reginald V. Johnson, Author, "How To Be Happy, Successful And Rich"

This book fell into my lap at a time when I was "most ready" to hear it, so my review may be tainted. It was so inspirational to me, and I absolutely loved the analogies and word pictures that Sue Bender used. I refer to those illustrations in my mind nearly every day. I use this book as my nightstand "go to book" when I need a spiritual pick-me-up. It is beautiful, articulate, and powerful. I have sent copies to nearly everyone I know because I believe anyone and everyone, no matter what your spiritual beliefs are, can benefit from Ms Bender's eloquent writing.

This is such a positive book. If you are struggling with your teen you should learn their language. This book is very rewarding to parents and teens. Love it !!!!

Great resource for parents on how to help your children feel loved and appreciated. Helps to build their self confidence and show them that they are valuable and special. The book has many insights into the teens thoughts and needs at this stage in their lives. I will listen to it over and over.

WOW! Puts a twist on parenting! I love his insights to raising a teen.

Your relationship with your children changes as they grow, and this CD will help you figure out how to adapt your love to your growing child.

As your kids grow, how they want to receive love and affection changes and if you don't change along with them you risk the chance of damaging your relationship with them. This book will help you develop a more meaningful, adult relationship that will bring more joy to both of you. Buy it, read it and pass it around.

What a cute book! My kids love hearing me read FROGGY so they can respond with WHAT! The sounds after Froggy puts on a piece of clothing still makes my children laugh and we've been reading it off and on for over a year. This is a book that parents will enjoy reading also.

I've always loved the Froggy books, so when I had my daughter I was glad to see that there was a board book available in the series. She's 3 months old now and loves to look at the pictures and enjoys all the sound effects that go along with Froggy putting on each item of clothing.

This is our first Froggy book. We bought this book because of all the great reviews. If I had previewed the book at the bookstore, it would probably had stayed at the bookstore. There is probably nothing wrong with the way Froggy's mommy chose to deter Froggy from playing in the snow, but my older son was turned off by her telling Froggy about his underwear and he didn't want to read the book anymore.

His explanation was Froggy's mommy is not very nice because: 1) she embarrassed him by yelling at him in public, 2) my son didn't see the problem with Froggy not wearing underwear (since Froggy probably wasn't wearing underwear in bed or he wouldn't have forgotten, 3) for my son, underwear had no function in keeping warm. I asked my son to suggest some ways to improve the book (as we always do when we find bad books), and he said, "she should help him get dressed and let him play for 10 minutes in the snow. That's what I would like you to do if I were Froggy." Love that child.

The illustrations are quite cute, especially with the rabbit and racoon in the process of making a snow bear in the background. It is nice to see such attention to detail.

It's very very difficult to dislike froggy. Those wide innocent eyes. That wide innocent mouth. He's like Kermit the Frog in picture book form. And though Froggy has been around some ten years plus, he's just as beloved of children today as he has ever been. You want a good read aloud story? Just pick up the nearest Froggy book you can find and start ah-readin'. Like Pavolv's dog, kids are somehow programmed to react to Froggy's setbacks and mistakes with uproarious cued laughter. The best example of this can probably be found in the lovely laughable, "Froggy Gets Dresssed". Arguably the best in the series ("Froggy's First Kiss", has its admirers as well, I should note), the book's a great Intro to Froggydom. And in the wintertime it's an ideal choice for your little ones.

First of all, frogs hibernate in the winter. This is a fact of life. No one disputes this. But this winter is different. Froggy wakes up in his warm toasty bed, takes one look out the window and shrieks with delight, "Snow! Snow!... I want to play in the snow!". Froggy's mother attempts to dissuade her little one from this course of action, pointing out that frogs are not snow-playing creatures. Froggy remains undeterred. He dresses hurriedly and flops outside. Whoops! Froggy seems to have forgotten his pants. So he runs back inside, puts on the missing item and runs outside. Whoops! He's forgotten his shirt and coat. You see where this is going. About the time it becomes clear that Froggy has forgotten his underwear (cue the laughter of underwear obsessed kids everywhere) he's too tired to do anymore playing in snowdrifts. And so, it's back to bed he heads.

You want alliteration in your picture books? Well brother, you've got alliteration. One of the great draws in "Froggy Gets Dressed" are the sounds made as Froggy dresses. Listen: "So Froggy put on his socks - zoop! Pulled on his boots - zup! Put on his hat - zat! Tied on his scarf - zwit! Tugged on his mittens - zum!". It's twice as much fun to say aloud as it is to read to yourself. But Jonathan London is only half the genius in the Froggy world. Illustrator Frank Remkiewicz deserves just as much credit as well. Froggy is such a likable protagonist that it's hard not to read the book over and over just to watch him as he leaps, hops, dresses, undresses, and generally has a fine ole time. And his mother, though she tells him that frogs sleep in the winter, is mostly amused by his antics. She carries a bemused smile on her face as he runs hither and thither in the snow, donning various articles of clothing. Clever children may even wonder why it is that Froggy HAS all this winter clothing if he tends to sleep during the winter. Such children should be immediately deemed geniuses and given full scholarships to Yale. Ditto adults who say the same thing.

All in all, it's hard to find a better upbeat winter bedtime story than dear old "Froggy Gets Dressed". It's one of those sure-fire hits that the kids will be bound to enjoy. A top notch bit of kiddie fare. Recommended in spades.

Another in the prolific Jonathan London's "Froggy" series, this book about the amphibious one is a recursive story about all the clothes you must wear on a snowy day--and all the clothes you must take off (in the reverse order) when you forget to put some on.

In this Froggy tale, our green hero wakes up with incredible enthusiasm--it's like he was raised on caffeine--and he just CANNOT wait to go out and play in the snow.

"No! No! cried Froggy.
"I'm awake! awake!
I want to go out and play
in the snow."

Straight away, he puts on his socks, boots, hat, scarf, and mittens. London cleverly uses different sound effects for each item (e.g., socks get a "zoop!," and mittens, a "zum!"), and different verbs for each action: A scarf is tied on, boots are pulled. However, just as the excited Froggy is ready to join the other animals in the snow, his mother yells, "Frrrooggyy!" (and that's a direct quote) "Did you forget to put something on?" Froggy discovers that he forgot one important thing--to put on his pants.

That, of course, is an almost certain lock on kids' attention. But first, Froggy has to take off all his clothes (except his socks--they don't get in the way), put on his pants, then put them all his clothes on again. The hasty frog's mood jumps from joyful to exasperated surprise to determined. Subsequently, his mother clues him into noticing that he has forgotten his coat and shirt, and, of course, his underwear. All this putting on and taking off and putting back on tires Froggy out, and he crawls back into bed. The book's basic plot and repetitive scheme will engage most toddlers, and teach them a lot about clothes (they all look so cozy!), sequencing, and word structure. The illustrations, colors, and font are big and bright, and despite all the action, the pages look uncluttered.

(One very minor complaint regards the synchronization of text and illustration. On one of the three pages where Froggy realizes he forget to put something on, he is shown smiling as he prepares a snowball. It's really unfortunate when this sort of editing error occurs, and I've seen such problems [poor continuity is another example] in other books for kids.)

Illustrator Frank Remkiewicz also does wonders with facial and body expressions. Still, I wonder whether somewhat older toddlers and those in early elementary school might feel a little disappointed that Froggy doesn't get to play. It's realistic--a kid or a frog WOULD get tired with all that dressing exercise--but I didn't like that the mom smiles so broadly when Froggy goes back to bed. However, I doubt that the intended audience is going to give a rivet about that.

Durham evokes the wildness of the Plains and West with superb prose, sometimes nearly poetry in its details. Gabriel is a realistic depiction of an impatient, uncertain teenager. The plot line certainly keeps the reader involved, as we are curious to learn what new horror Marshall and Caleb will unleash on the people around them, as well as whether Gabriel and James will escape. But Durham's decision to present certain portions in italic with no names given to the people in them--even after we have been introduced to those people--struck me as striving too much for some mystical effect. I'm not clear on what this style is supposed to achieve and found it more annoying than effective.

The characters a full-bodied and mature. The story is heart-breaking and real to the core. One sympathizes with the protagonists and wishes the antagonists straight to hell. Now that is what I call a good novel. Durham has done a fabulous job...

Good stuff. Don't have anything deep and meaningful to add, but I liked this book and wanted to say so. It pulls you in slowly, so that you might think it's going to be one sort of book and next thing you know you're off on wild ride across the West. Literary and exciting; a western and yet subversive of the genre at the same time. And I thought the twist toward the end was great. Didn't really see it coming, but once sprung it all made sense.

Rarely do I read a book in one sitting, but I felt I had no choice in this one. I wish more books that I picked up held my interest, my imagination, and my heart as well as this one has. The main character, Gabriels, tells us a story of the American West in a unique manner far different than the "typical Western" we know. I highly recommend this book to those who are tired of cliches and formulas. I'm glad I found this little treasure.

Yes, Kansas was and is a Great Plains state, and anyone who first arrives might say, "I can't believe I'm in Kansas."

Kansas is an acquired taste, and Gabriel Lynch, a youngster frresh from the big eastern city of Baltimore, could not quite discover the tastefulness of farm life. Not many teens today could either. But they should read "Gabriel's Story" anyway.

This coming of age drama by David Anthony Durham has Gabriel run away from his mom and new step-dad to join up with a motley crew of vicious criminals. Gabriel soon learns to cherish a more simple life.

One might say he learned a lesson: Be loyal to your family. They're not as bad as you think.

Larry Rochelle, author of DEATH & DEVOTION: A Palmer Morel Mystery

This is not a bad biography. The facts are there as well as a reasonably complete account of a very complicated part of history. But the people and groups that Marshall dealt with are simplified to the point of caricature. Similarly, matters of grand strategy and the new tactics stemming from technological advance are treated merely as things that Marshall had views on. It's not clear from the book that the author understands anything about war as fought in the mid-20th century above the cartoon level. Of course there were many people; of course things were complicated, and a great deal happened; but in over 700 pages we are entitled to some subtlety and insight, which aren't there. General Marshall, one of the truly great mean, deserves better than this.

George Marshall was arguably the greatest man of what has come to be known as the Greatest Generation. Only George Washington commanded a similar level of veneration and awe from his contemporaries as Marshall. And, like Washington, Marshall was revered mostly for his irreproachable integrity and honor.

In this solid, single volume life of the celebrated Army Chief of Staff, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, Ed Cray captures the essence of a man who was at once Olympian, yet, in a sense, quite common and whose special qualities should have been, in an ideal society, unexceptional. Marshall became a legend by being a world-class manager (one might even say a highly skilled bureaucrat) and earning a reputation for incorruptibility and almost unnatural selflessness. He was a larger-than-life figure who got that way through hard work and honesty, rather than uncommon genius or death-defying battlefield heroics. That has been Marshall's reputation since his lifetime, and Cray's biography generally endorses that image.

But this is no hagiography. As Cray tells the story, Marshall was, in fact, deeply ambitious; the prospect of being passed over for Chief of Staff drove the future five-star general to fits of despair and he fretted over his slow career advancement during the 1920s and 1930s. Moreover, Cray argues that Marshall didn't shy away from using connections and influence to advance his own cause and engaging in self-promotion when necessary, especially early on his career. In one memorable anecdote, Cray writes how a young Marshall literally elbowed his way into the Oval Office to talk President McKinley into giving him a shot at taking the Army Officer's commission test (it worked and Marshall passed). Any notion that Marshall simply worked hard, kept his head down and let the chips fall where they may has to be rejected after reading Cray's biography.

Not surprisingly, Cray devotes a great deal of focus to Marshall's role in the Second World War. He stresses Marshall's unswerving commitment to a few core strategic principles and his epic battles with some of the biggest egos of the 20th century. First, he steadfastly promoted the maximization of industrial production in the US and the careful allocation of resources based the key objectives being sought (much needed amphibious landing craft - LSTs - played an unusually critical role). Second, from the earliest days of the war Marshall maintained a steady focus on a "Europe-first" approach to strategy and a landing in France as the means to winning the war, which brought him into frequent clashes with Admiral King, General MacArthur, overall US public opinion, and, last but not least, Winston Churchill and his penchant for operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the "soft underbelly" of Nazi Germany. Finally, Cray describes Marshall as an unapologetic defender of his commanders in Europe - especially Eisenhower - against the badmouthing and operational encroachment of the British.

Cray eloquently and accurately sums up George Marshall's life this way: "[he] exemplified in his lifetime all that was America's best - its sense of mission, of responsibility, of integrity, even nobility." Indeed. It's a shame that there aren't more like him.

This is a fantastic biography of an incredible leader. Marshall is usually associated with the European Recovery Act and as the Chief of Staff of the Army during World War II. He influenced so much more during his long Army career. A true gentlemen and scholar, his long career and dedication to service is an inspiration for all of us today.

For those of you who like their reviews to be direct and to the point: Ed Cray, a professor of journalism at the University of Southern California, has written the single best one volume life of George C. Marshall. The book is 15 years old and is unlikely to be surpassed for another 15-20 years. It is the kind of book that will still be in print 70 years after its initial publication.

Why? Well, it is well-written and a pleasure to read. More importantly, Cray does an excellent job of giving his readers a character portrait of the great general that brings the man alive. Not an easy thing to do with a subject as taciturn as Marshall. The man that emerges is one of real character. He became a protégé of General of the Armies John J. Pershing only after Marshall stood up to him as an overage captain, yelling at the general telling him he was wrong when Pershing had criticized Marshall's division. As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Marshall was the critical figure in building the military that defeated the axis powers. He selected the commanders, who often went on to greater fame than he enjoyed. He was the leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the war and often had to battle with his naval counterpart Admiral Ernest J. King. In the realm of allied strategy, he faced off against the head of the British Army, Field-Marshal Sir Alan Brooke. In both cases healthy mutual respect kept from making their differences and disputes personal. In running the army during the war, Marshall's administrative style was highly effective and can provide a model for many in other fields to follow. He also suffered. His stepson, who he had done a good deal to raise, was killed in Italy. It says a good deal about the man that he made no effort to protect one his family from dangerous assignments.

After the war, Marshall served as Secretary of State and then later as Secretary of Defense. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for the plan the State Department developed to rebuild Europe after the devastation of the war. He was twice "Time" magazine's "Man of the Year."

Marshall was the first five-star general in U.S. history and that was no accident. In this fine book Cray makes that clear.

I read this book immediately after I finished Douglas Southall Freeman's massive four volume biography "R.E. Lee," and at first, I thought I'd be underwhelmed. How wrong I was.
Cray's book covers all the major moments of Marshall's life. While it probably won't surplant Forrest Pogue's definitive four volume work, it will probably remain the finest one volume distillation.
Marshall's contribution to this nation cannot be overestimated in any way. A key member of Pershing's staff in the First World War, his time with the 15th Infantry in China, helping organize the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression, his ascension to Chief of Staff on the very day Germany attacked Poland and his invaluable contribution in that post over the next six years, his time as Secretary of State in the Truman administration, there is little that Cray didn't cover.

Truman and Eisenhower would have major differences between each other over the years, but their flat out admiration of this man was well warranted.

I stand in awe that this country could produce such a man. We certainly could use more like him.

General of the Army is a solid book. Well written and instructive. Definitely worth the time it takes to read it.

I admit, I was skeptical. I've never believed that tapes or cds of someone droning phrase after phrase actually had any use to someone learning a language, but my friends told me that the Pimsleur Program was different. I'm fluent in German so I checked the first level out of the library. I figured that since its a language I already speak I would be able to tell if it was actually teaching anything worthwhile. I was completely amazed! The pimsleur program doesn't just tell you how to ask where the train station is, it gives you a knowledge of the language that can be expanded on. You're not just mimicing, you know what you're saying. I was so excited about "discovering" Pimsleur that I went out and bought the Norwegian course and am having much success with that!

We've tried 5 other audio language programs for our family, and I took a conversational German class at a community college. I wish I'd found this program before I'd wasted so much money on other programs (and before I lived in Germany for several months!)... In just a few lessons, we are UNDERSTANDING the language better than we ever could have with other programs, are more confident about speaking, and excited about learning more. Everything is introduced in context, making it easy to remember. The program continually builds on what has been learned, so review is built in but not boring. The question and answer format forces one to THINK about what they have learned instead of just repeating phrases without figuring out what each word means and how it should be used. We'd like out children to have mastery of several languages, but with the next language, we won't be floundering trying to find a good program. For spoken language, we'll go straight to Pimsleur!

I already speak more German in FOUR WEEKS than I have been able to speak French in FOUR YEARS of classes using this method.

For the first time, I am actually learning to speak and understand another language (rather than just reading and writing). I thought I was a dunce at languages! Turns out, it was the education system. I recommend getting a few books to supplement what you learn in this method, but I would wait until you begin Pimsleur German II to do this. Get the spoken language down first, and then learn to read and write.

I took German in high school and college, but wanted to brush up on it.

I just completed German I, and I was pleasantly surprised. To achieve spoken competence requires a hugh amount of repetition and drilling to internalize the patterns. But different people have different learning styles; some respond well to reading and practicing grammatical principles and paradigms, others are more ear-oriented. At first, the endless repetition was frustrating; I must have heard "Would you like to drink something with me?" about 40 times. And "Where is Goethe street?" about 30 times. For someone who remembered some of his school German, it was a little much.

The pace picks up in later lessons, and it began to get a little more interesting and challenging as new vocabulary and grammatical structures are added.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience, and I think a pure beginner would do very well with these tapes.

If only they weren't so hideously expensive. Fortunately, my library system carries all 3 levels of the German series, so I'm all set. Before paying for the full set, you might want to pick up the smaller 4-cassette version to see if it suits your learning style.

I have been using this program for about 2 months. After a couple of weeks I kind of forgot to listen to the cds for about 2 weeks or so. I thought I would have to start all over again from the beginning, but I was surprised when I realized that I had remembered everything I learned.

I think the reviewer(s) who gave this program 4 stars instead of 5 only because it didn't cover all of the months of the year and/or days of the week is being a bit unfair. Maybe it is fair if you have had a German course elsewhere and have somewhat of a head start. But seriously, how many of us are there out there that can read and write in a foreign language [at least a bit] feel completely lost listening or at worse trying to converse in that language?

This program is easy and it works! If you only want to learn the grammatical structure and/or expand your vocabulary obviously this program is not for you. If you want to begin [a very good head start] to learn German then you are very well on your way.

These CD's are filled with so much wisdom and insight into married life i felt like i was in the presence of a guru. (particularly with the first speaker.) The advice they give makes a lot of sense, and will save you a lot of heartache, so buying it is soooo worth the investment.

David LeVine is the pretend interviewer for this series of CDs, which is to say it seems obvious that he has taken some recorded seminars and other recordings and spliced in questions which the sources then sort of seem like they might be answering. Ignoring this phony interview format, which only occasionally intrudes, these CDs contain some really useful information from the perspective of some conservative rabbis and other conservative Jews. As a Christian it was very interesting to have some excellent ideas stressed coming from a perspective from a different religious culture, and my thinking has definitely enhanced as a result of hearing these CDs. I have a book by one of the sources, but audio CDs are so much better than books for thinking about this sort of information, at least for me. I paid more than the Amazon price at a web site by the same name as the book because I didn't know it was available up here, but decided that the price would be worth it if it had good information, given the cost of getting into or maintaining a bad relationship or marriage.

There are several topics. One is 10 Ways to Marry the Wrong Person. It is not useful for those who are having trouble getting the wrong person to marry them, but rather 10 things to be aware of so that you don't get into a marriage that will not work. And it is not a checklist, but a set of well articulated insights. If this CD set helps keep you from just one disastrous marriage or helps you get into a good marriage it will have paid for itself (duh!).

Two quick ideas from the CDs: Don't marry potential; many think their partner will change, and they will--for the worse. Find someone you want to give to, because love is about giving.

I am very happy I got it the Get the Ring CD series and I would highly recommend this set to anyone who is dating or contemplating marriage.

Are you tired of the dating game and looking forward to form a meaningful relationship that will last for a lifetime with someone special? The Get the Ring audio program was designed by David LaVine to arm the listener with key dating and relationship concepts of Traditional Judaism. Traditional Jews have been reported to have the lowest divorce rate of any cultural group in the Western World and David LaVine wanted to know why and how could that knowledge help him find and keep the love of his life. At first he thought that Traditional Judaism does not allow for divorce, but was surprised that not only that Traditional Judaism allows for divorce, it actually requires it when the two partners cannot resolve the rift that separates them. After finding out Traditional Judaism's secrets to successful dating and marriage, he married the love of his life.

This audio series presents the findings of his search by having seven of Traditional Judaism's most dynamic religious and relationship councilors expound on Traditional Judaism's approach to finding and keeping a life partner. The fascinating, attention demanding, and sometimes, humorous lectures in this series are eye opening as the information shared in them is radical in comparison to modern dating norms. With an open ear, a willing heart, and girded with the information, you can find that special person, bring a budding relationship to full bloom or make an already great relationship better. Whether you are single or married, this series will be certain to bring more meaning to your current or future relationship.

I listened to the whole series and am very impressed with it. It gives clear definitions of what we need to look for in a mate. What areas we can not compromise on. What areas are less vital.

It offers suggestions for how to be in the right relationship and it also talks about making ourself into the person we would want to marry. A person who is looking to give is the person most ready for marriage. So many of us look at marriage as a give and take and this can hurt marriages a lot.

It offers some very traditional advice that include not touching before marriage which may be going a bit far for most. But most importantly it gives solid guidelines for what to be and what to look for in order to really have a great chance of a truly successful marriage. May GOD bless all of you with just that since you deserve it.

This CD series is very good and very comprehensive and I strongly agree with the other reviews. Rather than repeat, I would like to highlight some things that could make the series more effective:

1. Stress WHY premarital sex and living together outside of marriage is so BAD for a relationship (like the kiss of death). They do get into this, but not enough. The availability of these things outside of marriage is probably one of the biggest reasons for delayed marriage, broken relationships (among other problems of course), and probably the biggest reason for loss of respect of women. They do talk about why holding off and delayed gratification is so good for a relationship (yes, they say a few things), but more benefits need to be stressed. A whole subsection should be devoted to this topic and geared specifically for both young people AND ADULTS.

2. Finding a mate who displays all of the most important character traits, has the same goals and values in life, is attractive to you, has a personality you can deal with, etc, all the right combination of things is increasingly difficult to find. What do you do when you can find some but not all? move on to the next? compromise some things? This is where I still run into question marks.

3. Stress that it takes two to tango. In other words, if one person uses this approach to evaulate a potential life partner, it works well only if the OTHER party agrees that this is the best approach (like not seeing each other too much, letting the man pursue. I've been trying very hard to incorporate these methods (and others derived from the RULES, wisdom from the Bible and parents) since my mid 20s, but I've found that the men often don't understand that this is a way to increase (not necessarily gaurantee) the possibility for a successful relationship. This approach may come off as rigid to some who we women have spoiled with too much availability.

Most importantly I think this series makes you think not only about the qualities you would like in a mate, but it also makes you look inside yourself. This is key. YOU MUST develop the character traits and values yourself that you hope to find in someone else. From this series you also may be inspired to do some research of your own into the psychological differences between men and women, and the importance of character.