B Books

I fell in love with Rucker's work after reading Spaceland, and Frek and the Elixir proved to be yet another science and literary masterpiece. Rucker makes the most complex aspects of science obtainable to the average reader who has a bit of imagination. Rucker is a pure creative genius. Frek and the Elixir is a wonderful tale that I would highly recommend to any reader who enjoys imaginative stories that offer a bit of science education at the same time.

Here is a rather delightful novel from Rudy Rucker. Frek and the Elixir is set more or less at the next millennium -- to be exact, in 3003. Hundreds of years before, NuBioCom destroyed the remaining natural species on Earth, and replaced them with a very few genetically engineered variants. They even destroyed the records of the genetic code of the natural species. Now, in 3003, Houses are grown from trees, the only pets are dogs, much of the food comes from anyfruit trees, and in many other ways it is clear that species diversity is rare. Frek Huggins is a 12-year-old boy living with his mother and his two sisters. He resents the fact that his father, Carb, left for the asteroids several years before. His life is nominally fairly pleasant but he doesn't quite fit in.

Then a flying saucer shows up, looking, it appears, for Frek. Frek is suddenly the object of the not-entirely-friendly attentions of the "counselors" of Gov, the worm-like alien that controls his city. He finds a saucer under his bed, and inside it is an alien cuttlefish, who assures him he will save the world and find the elixir that will restore the natural species to Earth. But Gov's representatives are not happy, and soon Frek is fleeing, at first into the dangerous Grulloo woods, home to many unusual kritters such as the Grulloo, intelligent people consisting of only a head, a tail, and two arms. Frek and a Grulloo make their way to Stun City to free the captured saucer and kill Gov -- but that doesn't work quite as expected. Soon they are off on a trip around the Galaxy, and indeed to different "branes". The situation is a lot more complicated than expected. Frek is to act as agent for a group of aliens who want to control the broadcasting of human experience to eager alien "viewers" -- but that broadcasting might also include mind control. And there are other aliens interested in controlling the same rights. Moreover, Frek meets his father, in the company of his new girlfriend and her daughter Renata. Naturally, sparks fly between Frek and Renata. So things continue, with visits to a number of alien milieus, some really fun and wacky SFnal ideas, and with Frek always keeping in mind not only the saving of the Earth's ecosystem, and the freeing of humans from potential mind control, but the restoring of his family.

I don't think I've really captured the fun of this novel very well. Rucker has long been known as an ideas man, and he doesn't disappoint here, with a couple of nicely portrayed alien species, some interesting mathematical and physical notions, and lots of clever biological ideas. The plot is not quite as successful, though it is fun to follow -- still, Frek's powers grow alarmingly as the novel continues, and the ultimate resolution, though emotionally satisfying, isn't fully convincing. The novel, with its 12-year-old protagonist, has a rather YA feel to it, though distinctly in the "YA to please adults" mode -- that is, I think it's a novel that will wow teen readers, but it's also quite fun for adults. I liked it, at any rate!

This book is simply one of the best science fiction titles to be written. The main character is young, true, but this is soon forgotten in the complex, intriguing, and yes, allegorical storyline. The book is Rucker's denoucement of monoculture, a perfect statement for our day and age. The innovation in this book is spectacular; no old reused ideas here. I strongly recommend this book.

A joyful, picaresque novel full of mind-blowing concepts from veteran mathematician-cyberpunk-sci-fi writer guru, Rudy Rucker.

It's 3003. Earth is a true nano-biotech Eden. Or is it? Well, families live in comfy house trees, food comes from the anyfruit tree, friendly dogs can talk to their masters but...

...there are only 256 highly-tweaked species created by the powerful NuBioCom corporation who also destroyed the Earth's original biodiversity in 2666...

Sure the families might have a happy time inside their house tree but the Gov is trying hard to keep them in line. (Gov - government - giant media-controlling brain-washing worms, now that invention won't need a 1000 years to be accomplished on this planet.)

Also there is the small problem of alien species determined to turn humankind into a massive reality TV show, each human monitored and more or less tele-controlled by an alien "player" to spice up the aliens' own boring lives.

Frek Huggins (a modern Frodo Baggins?), a twelve-year-old kid becomes humankind's unlikely hero and only hope after a few clashes with Gov, NuBioCom and a dozen different alien species.

Frek has no choice but to navigate the whole universe, visit different galaxies, enjoy or suffer the physics of different dimensions while fighting for his own sanity, his life and his friends and family. Can he also be the one who finds the Elixir, the DNA blueprints of all the lost biodiversity of planet Earth? Will he also free humankind from government, corporate and alien influence?

This post-modern odyssey sounds like a recipe for big time disaster (a few Hollywood script writers would fry their brains after the first scene) but Rudy Rucker pulls off the impossible with a surprisingly joyful, intense and interesting novel. Other than him it may only be Paul Di Filippo (Fuzzy Dice, anyone?) who can convincingly push his heroes through ten dimensions, hurl them into a sun or have a billion cartoon characters fight the last crusade.

Early in the book the English words and familiar mental images run out - Rudy forged some 80-100 new words to describe as many astonishing concepts regarding life in the 3000s, alien species and the joys and perils of intergalactic or transdimensional travels.

The ever wilder adventures and the thought-provoking ideas jump at the reader with an alarming speed every half page or so. Science, science fiction and a great dose of humane concerns about our future mix with a ripping yarn.

The intended audience (science fiction or science fans) might find it weird to follow a twelve-year-old character through interspecies business dealings, psychedelic space travel or battles against biotech-enhanced monsters, omnipotent aliens and evil governments. Hopefully, twelve-year-old kids, too, will pick this book up and allow it to create another few trillion neural connections in their developing brains.

Perhaps the protagonist could have been older. However, if the child is a metaphor for humankind's lack of knowledge regarding sustainable living, space travel or using and not abusing advanced technology then I suppose we can live with that.

The novel may be a little long or is just the right size at 460 pages. It is hard though rewarding to get through all the high concepts. The joyful, humorous writing does compensate for the effort.

The only negative aspect might be the frequent recaps on the adventures. Every day or so (as the majority of the novel spans the most exciting fortnight in Frek's life) the boy is thinking about the grand adventures he just had and we get a ten sentence summary of the last 40-50 pages. If we spent a whole delightful chapter in that galaxy or among those aliens why do we have to read a review at the end of that adventure. This happens probably 6-8 times in the book and I find it jarring.

Rudy may have wanted to follow a children's tale structure where you have to remind the children what happened just a little while ago. As the audience most probably will be in their twenties, thirties, forties, this may be unnecessary. Don't worry about our attention span, Rudy.

All in all, a very strong, enjoyable novel, hundreds of great new ideas, profound, gripping insight into our own government-, media-, globalisation-controlled lives.

For all aspiring writers and people fascinated by a writing process or a humanist thinker's mind, you can read an additional 145-page PDF document available for free download from Rudy Rucker's website. It is full of detailed notes and deleted scenes, the triumphs and nightmares of the whole novel creation.

Rudy did wrote a few pages on how old his hero should be, he was considering adolescents, teenagers, young adults and even burnt-out adults.

He mentions that he followed a heroic "monomyth" story structure, making sure that chapters reflect various significant parts such as "meeting a temptress" or "atonement with the father". This gives a strong push to the events and we don't get lost in the wonders of these super-weird worlds.

Three (million) cheers for such a brave and ambitious attempt. A true myth for the space age. Kids, please track this book down before the H-P reading fever leaves your veins.

This has got to be one of the most inventive and imaginative novels in recent memory. Rudy Rucker has created an astonishingly creative story by mixing well-drawn comedy and drama with the latest knowledge in biotech, computing, and quantum physics. Not to mention a visual richness that will turn on the inner freakiness of even the most stoic reader. Here we have the adventures of 12 year-old Frek, who lives in the 31st century in a world of forced conformity, and where a megalomaniac biotech corporation has eliminated most of the Earth's life forms, patented the genomes of the few remaining utilitarian species (including humans), and prohibited reproduction except by contract. Meanwhile, several different species of aliens are trying to turn the human race into a giant reality show, via interactive technologies controlled by weird multi-dimensional demigods. In short, Frek is the chosen human negotiator, and decides to bargain for the return of Earth's lost species in a deadly high-stakes production deal, becoming a hero in the process.

Thanks to Rucker's knowledge of advanced science and the wildest future possibilities of technology, this novel benefits from a setting and characters quite unlike most sci-fi. The story is overflowing with crazy but strangely possible biotech and interactive technologies, while Rucker has also turned up the creativity meter with loads of inventively bizarre and truly "alien" aliens (I especially liked the wisecracking Orpolese and the droll Unipuskers). Rucker has also envisioned a completely mindboggling method of space travel called yunching, which is based on actual currently-known concepts from superstring theory. In a few places, Rucker lets the plotline slip while breathlessly inventing pile upon pile of future phenomena, but this is a novel that is as relentlessly fascinating as it is fun and empathetic. There are even good themes of friendship and family lurking beneath the wild and wooly sci-fi wonderments. This novel is highly recommended for any reader looking for something both really new and really different. [~doomsdayer520~]

This is just one of these books that puts you in a good mood! it's fun to read, ammusing, and light. if u liked the movie i'm sure you'd love this book! i sure did!

I am a totally devoted Cluless fan! I own the movie, buy the books, watch ever show but I must say that this is the best book they've got. It has a good plot and two major settings, more than one problem (as usual this includes a "Cher/Boyfriend" thing) and totally clueless characters. I loved the way Cher and Dionne take their spa troubles and make it the best. My absolute favourite part is how the two settings tie into one another! This book is soooooooo worth reading! It's funny and cool. If you decide not to take a chance and read it you have no idea what your missing. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

What happens when Cher and Dionne go on a three day camping trip? Cher and Dionne are the prettiest, most popular and richest girls at school. Everyone looks up to them, but when Cher and Dionne are away a new girl, Marriah, comes to their school. Not only is Marriah rich and beautiful, but her brother is a famous TV-star. Friend or Faux is written by H.B. Gilmour. He has written other books about Cher and her friends. They all take a look at teenage life in sunny Beverly Hills.

The best part about H.B. Gilmour`s books are the characters. Cher is a sixteen year old girl living in Beverly Hills, California. When she was a baby her mom died, so it is only Cher and her dad. Cher`s dad is a famous lawyer. Her best friend, Dionne and she are never apart. They are always shopping, talking on their cellular phones or driving in Cher`s Jeep. There are other charaters in this book, but Cher and Dionne are my favorite. Every since kindergarten, they have been together. When Marriah comes to Cher`s school, Cher is glad she has Dionne. When their other friends are ignoring them, Cher and Dionne stick together. In the end, everything works out fine. To find out what happens, you should definitely read this book. Pick up a copy of Friend or Faux today!

Okay, I have the movie, 1,000s of fuzzy pens (and other fuzzy things), I watch every show, and I read every book, BUT I think this one makes it to the gallery of "funny books". I especially like it when Cher and Dee make their cabin an estate instead of an out-house! Even for stylin' Beverly Hills girls Cher and Dee really pull it off at that awful so called "spa"! In short, I LOVE THIS BOOK!

What happens when Cher and Dionne go on a three day camping trip? Cher and Dionne are the prettiest, most popular and richest girls at school. Everyone looks up to them, but when Cher and Dionne are away a new girl, Marriah, comes to their school. Not only is Marriah rich and beautiful, but her brother is a famous TV-star. Friend or Faux is written by H.B. Gilmour. He has written other books about Cher and her friends. They all take a look at teenage life in sunny Beverly Hills.

The best part about H.B. Gilmour`s books are the characters. Cher is a sixteen year old girl living in Beverly Hills, California. When she was a baby her mom died, so it is only Cher and her dad. Cher`s dad is a famous lawyer. Her best friend, Dionne and she are never apart. They are always shopping, talking on their cellular phones or driving in Cher`s Jeep. There are other charaters in this book, but Cher and Dionne are my favorite. Every since kindergarten, they have been together. When Marriah comes to Cher`s school, Cher is glad she has Dionne. When their other friends are ignoring them, Cher and Dionne stick together. In the end, everything works out fine. To find out what happens, you should definitely read this book. Pick up a copy of Friend or Faux today!

This is a great book for the very young who are just starting to read. The text has repetitive elements which makes it great for a child's sense of accomplishment. They continue to learn new words in each new spread, while also repeating some of the words that they have just learned in the previous spread! The text is fun to say out loud, too. The text describes the illustrations well, and the illustrations always have a little something extra to share about the story in them. You can find new little details in the artwork with each reading. Last but not least, the artwork is absolutely adorable - the illustrations are very funny, sweet and cute!! These characters are full of expression and charm. You can't help but enjoy this book - it will see a lot of repeated use with children who are just learning to read!!

A very cute book, beautifully illustrated. The author has a great sense of style and her illustrations are lush, but simple (sounds like quite a contradiction!).

"Ghost Eats It All!," by Janee Trasler, is a great example of pure Halloween fun. Aimed at the toddler set, "Ghost Eats It All!," features a greedy ghost and a quiet, resentful, hungry Frankenstein.

Ghost eats ice cream, an egg, an apple, pizza, candy, and cake in front of Frankenstein. Frankenstein becomes more and more hungry and more and more angry at Ghost's insensitivity, so he finally takes action, scaring Ghost away.

It's a simple tale, but toddlers will love looking at Frankenstein's facial expressions as he becomes increasingly upset by Ghost's selfish consumption of all the sweets. Perfect read-aloud fun for the 1-5 year-old crowd. Happy Halloween!

Intended for the very young, this book can be made enjoyable for the entire family by reading it aloud.
It's simple, cute but funny while delivering the message to share your food with your friends or else there could be consequences!

My son is 18 months old and loves books, so I picked this up for him at work.
It immediately became his favorite book. :)
The illustrations are adorable (I love poor ghost stuck outside the window) and the story is the perfect length for squirmy toddlers.
He looks at it by himself and yells "BOO!" when he gets to the page where monster scares ghost into sharing.
Cutest. Thing. Ever.

I am an avid Ghosthunters fan (TAPS on SciFi). I purchased this book hoping it would give me specifics about paranormal investigations/haunted locations in Illinois. The book is interesting in that it provides several locations that are reputed to be haunted. However, it is more disappointing in that the book offers no evidence of any investigations or "hunts". In every site story that I have read so far, I see a lot of the word "maybe" and or "perhaps". The author has clearly visited the sites, but has not had any personal experiences himself to build on -- he merely repeats stories he has heard from locals.

I would like to have seen something more from this book -- but it does still make me curious.

I decided to try this book, as I seem to have almost every other book written about ghosts in the Chicagoland area. What I most enjoyed about this book, is that John lives in Ohio. So he was a visitor to our state, while researching stories for his book. It was very well written, with pictures he provided. I enjoyed his writing so much, that his book on Ohio ghosts is in my wish list and I purchased his recommendation on the Indiana ghosts. I also appreciated that he contacted other ghost hunters and referenced them in his book.

This is a fine book about ghosts. What is most important about the author's book is its straight-ahead, honest approach to the topic. His comments and thoughts on ghosts, and their locale, is refreshingly enjoyable. The writing is concise and entertaining. This is an excellent reference on Illinois ghosts. John Kachuba is a first rate writer with a keen sense of the macabre, and he knows how to write about the paranormal!

John Kachuba is really good at telling

the places that he visited. Each story is

fasinating and he gives some interesting history

on the haunted places


~SkUrVy

I decided to purchase this book on a whim and I was pleasantly surprised. Most paranormal location books offer little more than brief historical overviews of each location and then the associated ghost story. In "Ghosthunting Illinois," Kachuba takes a more hands-on approach in that he's visited the locations personally. His book offers some historical information, the associated ghost stories, and interviews with people associated with the location (owners, tenants, parishoners, etc.). Beyond that, he also describes his trek through these locations by expressing how he felt, what he saw, etc. An even more compelling reason to purchase this book is the fact that it's very well written which stands to reason considering the author is a "creative writing" professor. Additionally, the book holds your interest and the chapters are short so it's a great "quick chapter before bed" type of book.

George Harvey Bone has a complicated mental disorder: he has schizophrenia, in which he has a split personality, which comes over him at unexpected times. George is deeply involved with the "Hangover Square" set of Earl's Court, London, where he's in love with the beautiful but dangerous Netta Longdon, who treats him despicably. Her whole set, George included, spend their days in idle dissipation, drinking and carousing all the time, as Europe teeters on the brink of the Second World War. But George has one mission: to kill Netta and her friend Peter.

What's so wonderful about this book is that Patrick Hamilton gets into George's head wonderfully, and he transitions back and forth between George's "moods" easily. Every time that George slides into his second personality, he finds himself forgetting his mission. The tension in this thriller (a word I ate to use because it conjures to my mind commercial fiction) arises from this: will he or won't he commit murder? Therefore, the ending of this book came as a complete, shocking surprise to me. Its easy to see why so many authors envy Hamilton's writing ability; this novel is a nearly perfect expose of lower-class London at the end of the 1930s and the effect of mental instability on one's actions. The travesty about this book is that it's poorly edited.

Hangover Square is centered around a group of young Brits drinking their way through 1939. It has a plot that slowly builds and eventually serves to expose the motives of all those involved. It recalls the tone created around drink in The Sun Also Rises but with deeper character development (and as far as drinking goes- these guys are right there with that infamous group).

At its core is the book's main character, George Harvey Bone. George is obsessed with Netta Longdon for reasons that, I must admit, are completely unclear to me as she is one of the coldest and calculating women imaginable. A true femme fetale, really. She keeps punishing George and the poor sap just keeps coming back for more. In the midst of all this George has bouts with schizophrenia and 'moods' that severely hamper him and ultimately cause him to plot his revenge on everyone that he perceives as ever having wronged him.

Lots of novels have been written around drink with young drunks at their core, but nothing I've read has gone quite this deep into the allures of inebriation. However what really elevates Hangover Square is the manner in which the subtle charms and peaceful bliss of sobriety are unearthed. One character sums it up by wondering if the hangover and the night before occurred in reverse chronology, would we even drink in the first place ? This inner calm of sobriety might be best exemplified by George's golf outing. It is an afternoon that proves to be both his escape from his mates and a confidence builder to be rewarded later by an 'in crowd', that opposed to his clique, actually possess some redeeming qualities. For the time being, he is validated.

I found Hangover Square in an odd way. I read a scathing review of a new novel by the book critic of The Atlantic wherein he blasted the new release that everyone else was raving about. His blanket negativity, in some weird way, fascinated me. So I looked into the guy and saw that he pretty much hated EVERYTHING. The web is a wonderful thing, so I took it on myself to find something- anything, that this critic found acceptable. Eventually I found something that he actually liked and it was Hangover Square, so I thought I'd read it. I am grateful that I did.

The journey is the reward here. 'Literary thriller' is an overused term, but here it is a very accurate description as plot, characterization and a life outlook all combine brilliantly. Patrick Hamilton's writing style is a direct one and a pleasure to read. The book grabbed me from the beginning. It covers all the bases and contains some wonderfully euphoric passages, but know that in the end it is a sad tale with a sad ending.

A great book - read it.

Patrick Hamilton's 1941 novel, Hangover Square, is confirmation that hangovers form the foundation of alcoholism. Palliation of symptoms is only a drink away. The main character, George Harvey Bone leads the reader into a world of drink-inflicted physical illness, and we understand it as a way of life for all the important characters. But, George has an additional illness, schizophrenia, that creates another world available only to him and to the reader. Hamilton's writing is seductive, and the reader accepts and wants to enter this second dimension. We want George to go beyond the hangover and "click" into his special psychotic state. It is in this state that George achieves a peace he cannot get any other way, safe from the chaos of hangover square and his obsession with Netta. Safety, however, is governed by evil, and readers are confronted with the peace of their own evil desires.

Hangover Square is a novel of physical and mental sickness that shows parallels with the so-called normal lives of readers. Hamilton's wonderful insight into the human comedy/tragedy makes this novel come to life even though, on the surface, readers do not feel that they have much in common with the characters. This insightful style is evident in another Hamilton novel, The Slaves of Solitude (1947). I predict that when readers enter George's two worlds, they will discover that they are only one drink and one click away from illness and madness.

Criminally unknown and unheralded stateside, this book ranks alongside Julian MacLaren-Ross' "Of Love & Hunger" as a 20th century classic and, on the evidence currently cluttering up the bookshops and Oprah's club, will probably remain an unchallenged classic throughout the 21st century.

Set on the eve of WWII, "Hangover Square" is the story of a seriously disturbed man, George Harvey Bone, who's fallen in with a bad crowd. Bone is a solitary gloomy man who lives in a hotel in Earl's Court, London. He has no family--except for an elderly aunt in Hunstanton. George doesn't work--instead he lives off of a modest nest egg and spends his days and nights hanging around a small-time actress, Netta, and her set of male admirers. George is obsessed with Netta, and although he originally impressed her with his ready ability to stand for rounds of drinks, now he's relegated to the status of lowly 'hanger-on.' He is one of "the class of men who desired her, who sought her favours, and to whom she intended to give no favours." He's tolerated--barely--for his money alone.

George is subject to 'moods.' When exposed to an unbearable level of emotional distress, his damaged personality copes by mental escape. He hears a "click" in his head, and then he 'wakes' up with another personality. Whereas George is normally quiet, gentle, and unassuming, his other secret self is cunning and violent. George is aware he 'blacks out' but has no memory of exactly what he does. Once he hears the 'click' he emerges into his other, fractured self, and he's momentarily confused until he finds his bearings: "it was as though he had dived into a swimming-bath and hit his head on the bottom, and was floating about, bewildered and inaudible to himself in hushed green depths."

Netta and her unpleasant friends constantly humiliate George, and in retaliation, during one of his moods, he plots her murder. Netta is blissfully unaware of this, and treats George abominably--using him to bolster her non-existent career. The novel tracks George's existence as he pathetically hopes for a crumb of attention from Netta and also records the episodes in which he flips from one personality to another. Patrick Hamilton's novel is atmospheric and tense as the story reveals George's boozy social world in the grimy smoke filled pubs of London. Netta is a fascinatingly bad yet strikingly beautiful character--a woman who is "sinisterly, devoid of all those qualities which her face and body externally proclaimed her to have--pensiveness, grace, warmth." "Hangover Square" is a gripping story of one man's descent into madness, and the act he deems necessary to gain escape from the unbearable torture of loving a woman who has no conscience. If you like the novels of Patrick Mcgrath, then you'll enjoy "Hangover Square" and its sad, lonely and ultimately complex protagonist. And if this Patrick Hamilton novel grabs your attention, I'd also recommend the DVD "The Charmer" which is based on Hamilton's novel "Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse"--displacedhuman

Gene Zion's Harry books are all classics, including this one. I greatly appreciate clever stories for young children. The illustrations are good as well. Books like this should make every child a reader.

I read and loved all of the Harry books when I was a child. Harry is a delightful character- he's cute, full of personality, usually well-intentioned, and prone to getting into ridiculous situations. The illustrations are adorable, too. These books still make me laugh when I come across them as an adult! I'd recommend them for any child, whether they love reading or hate it.

There is something about continuing the tradition of reading the Harry Books to my grandchildren. They enjoy knowing that 'daddy' read these books when he was their age.

The "Harry" series by Zion and Graham remain monumental fixed images in the memories of my youth. I teach rhetoric in a Japanese university and stumbled upon these books in the children's reading section of our school's library. My seven-year-old daughter had fished "Harry by the Sea" out of one of the shelves and brought it to me. What a stroke of serendipity! In seeing the cover, I was immediately taken back to my youth. Wow! The story of Harry invited me so often to its pages that I can still remember all of the details. These books represent a brilliant blend of narrative and illustration. Graham's ability to capture the level of expression on the faces of the characters in pastels is amazing. Zion's introduction to simple, compound and complex sentences is a perfect primer for young readers. In their ability to arrest a young reader's attention, these works are easily on the level of Seuss's.

Harry gets into another of his adventures, this time turning into a seaweed monster at the beach. The illustrations are delightful and it's a fun read.

Life saving information is in this very well written book. I learned smokers can develop bladder cancer besides the norm such as heart disease. Get this book if you are past 40 and/or avoid seeing a doctor for checkups. There are many easy to read articles in this book which you may feel too embrassed to discuss with your doctor.

This book is packed with information on men's health. It covers everything from diet and exercise, through men's maladies (prostate, bladder and problems of the genitals). It covers everything in an easy-to-understand manner that includes many charts and diagrams. In particular I appreciated the section on exercise and stretching, and have revamped my exercise regimen based on this book. I am glad I got this book, and recommend it to all men.

My husband I found this book to be very informative. The material was presented in a lucid and engaging fashion. We found the chapters on diet, exercise, and prostate especially helpful.

This is an excellent medical reference book for men. The information is very well organized into three separate parts: 1) what makes men different, 2) what makes men healthy, and 3) men's main diseases, how to prevent them, test for them, and treat them. The book is quite long at 470 pages. But, it reads easily. And, it makes for an excellent medical reference to go back to when you want specific scientific information on various men's health topics.

The best part about the book is that it is based on extensive medical studies. The advice provided is the result of statistically significant conclusions derived from these studies. Thus, the objectivity, integrity, and intelligence derived from this book is so much greater than from any of the medical authors positioning themselves as the current diet or health care guru.

The book confirms the value of EFV. The ultimately healthy lifestyle consists of a lot of Exercise with a diet that includes lots of Fruits and Vegetables. These three factors (exercise, fruits, vegetables) appear to be universal protectors against all age related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Similarly, the high risk factors regardless of the health risk considered seemed to be always the same, including: smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, lots of saturated fats and trans fats in the diet.

The book has a ton of information besides the self-evident basics mentioned above. There are lots of tables, graphs, and summaries that make the information easy to retrieve. These include info on BMI, PSA test levels, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, recommended frequencies of screening tests, recommended dosage and toxic levels of vitamins and minerals, Glycemic index, life expectancy charts, and lots more interesting stuff.

With the medical knowledge derived from this book, you will be in a far better position to take care of your health and initiate a mutually productive dialogue with your general practitioners and specialists. The World is getting increasingly complex. Technology and science evolve rapidly. Nowhere does this increasing complexity have a greater impact than on healthcare. This book will help you understand your health, risk factors, relevant testing, and cures to be considered.

As we age, we will invariably be faced with some challenging options and decisions. This book is a great road map to help us out along the way. If you are well informed, it takes a lot of anxiety out of the equation. That takes care of a major health risk already [stress and anxiety]. This book is good for you!

Along the same line of excellent health related information, I also strongly recommend another great book from Harvard Health Publications: "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy" by Walter C. Willett. It is the best book on diet and nutrition I have ever read. And, that is also because it is based on scientific studies, and not on subjective opinions from egocentric blowhards.

I got the book to restore peace to my health club workouts. As my friends have turned 50, many have been asking "Dr. Joel" about prostate cancer. I'd be glad to answer, but it's not exactly my end of the body, since I'm a dentist. I read the two chapters on prostate cancer, but then I went back to read the rest of the book. I don't want to be an instant expert, but I now have a quick answer to all of the questions: read The Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health for yourself. It's really an excellent book.

Ironically, I picked this book up at the bargin bin in a St. Petersburg, Russia. Starting out in Oklahoma, it shows the progression from state college football, to OCS, through Ranger and Airborne training to the jungles of Vietnam. Two brothers, taking different paths through the Army.

The horrors of the Vietnam War come to life in this novel. You identify with the characters, and almost feel like you are with them. Being in the Army, this book scares me. What if it was me there? Could I be so courageous? Would I survive? It scares me to think about it.

I have read them all from Clancy to Brown and LtCol.(Ret) Scott is by far one of the best military writers to date. My father served in Vietnam and after he came back my mom said he was never the same and I always wondered what it was like, why men like my father and Col Scott, why they went when they were called knowing they might not return and those that did would be forever altered. I joined the infantry at 17 to see for myself and after serving in Panama and Somalia I understand. Col. Scott says it best in the books with way he connects you to the characters you come to realize they did it for the men to their left and their right, not so much for America, but the men who represent America. Sad to know that he won't be writing anymore books but the four vietnam books he wrote are some of the greatest military fiction ever written and in my opinion should be required reading for all young soldiers and leaders.

Leonard B. Scott writes another excellent book probably relating much of his own personal experience in Viet Nam. Again he sets up his main characters detailing what they left behind only to have everything they knew and understood here in the U.S. tested and in many instances left in some far off jungle in Viet Nam. Mr. Scott, though he was an officer, describes Army life among the enlisted troops with great clarity and understanding. He may be a Mustang (enlisted later becoming an

officer) whatever, I have enjoyed reading all of his Viet Nam Era Army books and would rate this one just as good as The Expendables. The vocabulary he uses is of that era and adds in his effort to recreate life back in the late 1960's. A Must Read if you like Scott's writings.

The way that Scott writes the story to the hill is extravagant. Not only do you see the one side perspective from the Brothers you also get to see it from the Vietnamese side. As one knows you need to know the two sides of the coin in order to get the real truth. This book like SCott's others is truly something else.

Absolutely transforming truths presented in a loving and inspiring manner. Thank you for this book!

Pastor Richards' messages always go beyond "what does the Bible mean?" to "what does the Bible mean for my life today?" This is why his teachings are so practical, embracing the whole man--the body, mind and spirit. His mission is to change the way the world sees God, and he has done that for me. God is no longer a taskmaster that can not be pleased; I now see that God completely delights in me and this confidence in the love of God is revolutionary. I highly recommend any of Dr. Richard's books, along with his Heart Physics 30 day meditation program. I have met him in person, and he is very real and genuine and imperfect! It is very refreshing.

There is so much I can say about this awesome book, but I'll just stick to the basics. This is one of the books that has really transformed my life. I was so impacted by it I decided to do a teaching on it. This book is a must READ!!!

Most people have no idea of how many judgements they have made over their life time that keep them in bondage. This book will expose the way you think and the significance you placed on actions of other people that really were not about you in the first place. This book is excellent material for a small group book study.

This book is great. If everyone dealt with people as this book suggests it would be quite a different world. We can do it one person at a time!

This is a wonderful book, and if you haven't spent any time in a dharma center, you will feel as though you had. I loved how Dr Snow's realization shone through. You can learn a lot from this book, and it so fun & easy to read.

I picked up this book with wonder. I am a writer who lived in a California Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center, and was the Cook. South of Dorje Ling, and thus somewhat different - yet I was profoundly moved by her eloquent portrait of what could have been my own experience. Despite the unusual reason for my personal resonance with the story, I believe that even people who are not former Meditation Center cooks will find this book wonderful reading. The story is quite entertaining, and the dharma is presented in an elegant, unassuming, and egoless style, that is incredibly readable.

What a fun and insightful book. While the theme of cooking runs through the book, the lessons are much deeper than recipes. Highly recommended!

Congenially written by Kimberley Snow, (a resident of a Tibetan Buddhist community for six years and who served the center as head cook), In Buddha's Kitchen: Cooking, Being Cooked, And Other Adventures In A Meditation Center is a wry memoir of both physical and spiritual work, and which showcases the those transcendent values of meditation which can be found in mundane tasks and the simple joys of everyday life. A delight to read, In Buddha's Kitchen is enthusiastically recommended to students of Buddhist philosophy and practice as being deeply spiritual and embracing the crucial importance of compassion, love, and joy in even the most menial of life's duties.

I really enjoyed this book about the author's experiences cooking in a Buddhist Monastery in Northern California. Several chapters are real gems: Jizo Ceremony, Impermanence, A Cup of Tea and On Having A Teacher. She makes good use of her early experiences as a chef to contrast with the new attitude of mindfulness and silence.

Even though I give it five stars I still walked away from the table hungry for a little more.

I would have liked to read a deeper treatment of transforming the five poisons into the five wisdoms, something intriguing that was only mentioned in passing.

How can you write a whole book about cooking in a Buddhist kitchen and not include a single recipe? The Author does mention at one point that she is working on a cookbook. I'd love to read that as a companion volume to this great book on practical application of Buddhist ideas to daily life.