English Books

i think this book give all the chinese accent english learner.
a possibleites to the correct english accent training.

thanks the author ,and the editor.

Better get the second edition, it's muuuuuch cheaper!

Excellent book and worth at least ten times of its regular price. Whoever studies the book will learn a lot from it.

I am so glad to give myself this book with the audio cassette. It is very informative. It trains me while listening to the tapes. I recommend that people who buys the book gets the tape too. It won't be effective without it. Believe me it is worth your money.Buy for yourself or for someone you love.

American Accent Training is really an amazing porgram! I love it! I will use it as the textbook in our English Club for advanced-level class! And by the way, the English Club is in National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I strongly recommend this program to everyone learning American English!

Anger, Acknowledgement, and Acceptance (Blatant Honesty) is a wonderful book. I have not been able to put it down. I constantly go back to the book and re-read because it makes one think (I keep it close at hand). A few days after the World Trade Center tragedy on September 11th, as I was reading the book, I read the page titled "Culture's Destroyer". It has helped me to cope with the pain of what happened. The book is wonderful! A must read for everyone.

THE BOOK ANGER, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE: BLATANT HONESTY BY E.T. DAVIS IS JUST THAT, THE WINDS OF CHANGE. WE OPEN AAABH IN THE MIDDLE OF ANGER, OPEN HOSTILITY AND DOWNRIGHT EVIL FEELINGS. IT SHOWS A SPIRIT OF NOT TRUSTING, OF BEING DOWNTRODDEN AND BEATEN QUITE OFTEN. IT SHOWS A SPIRIT OF NOT TAKING ANY MORE, THE ESSENCE OF TRUE ANGER OVER LIFE AND HOW IT HAS BEEN DEALT OUT. AS WE GO ON WE SEE THE CHANGING OF THE SPIRIT. THE WINDS BEGINNING TO TURN AS A SHIP SLOWLY TURNS IN THE OCEAN. NOT A FAST NECK BREAK TURN, BUT A SLOW STEADY TURN AND A CHANGE OF DIRECTION OR THE WINDS OF CHANGE. MR. DAVIS MAY BE TALKING OF HIMSELF, HOWEVER, EACH AND EVERYONE OF US WHO HAVE READ THIS BOOK CAN ATTEST TO AT LEAST ONE VERSE IN THIS BOOK. KUDOES TO MR. DAVIS FOR OPENING HIS WORLD TO US. TO SHARE THE SPIRITS AND FEELINGS WE ALL HAVE HAD AT ONE TIME OR ANTOHER IN OUR OWN LIVES. TO SHARE HIS WINDS OF CHANGE.

People's lives were changed in so many ways because of what was referred to as the "Apartheid Regine" in South Africa. Yet all over the world people experienced such otrocities, but to place them into words as beautifully and touching as the author is no easy mission.

I was one of the first people to receive a copy of this book. Some I could identify with. With tears in my eyes, because of the hurt bestowed upon all South Africans and the "coloured" folk worldwide, not realizing how demoralizing it was, yet that made us a stronger people. I could not think that a man such as this could have such tenderness in his words.

EVERY poem is unique in it's own right. I will even go to the lenght of saying they are powerful and heart wrenching. To me, the book makes one realize that we are not alone. Oppression is something that so many of us face. Alll over the world people are discriminated against. "Step Into Our World" is the very first poem in this compilation. I suggest this poem be read by those who have not "walked a mile in our shoes".

I am from a world where I was discriminated against. A world where I am too white to be black, but too black to be white. I am what is considered in South Africa as "coloured", a limbo in society.

This book will be a hit with many, if not all, South Africans, as still today not all whites know the extent of humiliation and embarassment, hurt and emotional pain they bestowed upon us. Some will blissfully remain ignorant.

This book comes from a person whom seems like a tough and rugged man. Yet, he is a gentle giant; am man not afraid to express emotions. He is a man whom has truly "Touched My Soul".

In just a few pages, one must see the world as the media does not portray. Even in the midst of calamity, beauty is found in the author's portrayal of life.

Wonderfully expression of emotions. The author has invited us into his world, mind, heart and soul. Very thought provoking. I was deeply moved with each poem. This is truly a must read again and again,...you are brillant and I thank you so much for this collection of poems.

I sometimes try to decide which is my favourite Isak Dinesen book and always after a lengthy quandary settle on "Seven Gothic Tales". These long stories, constructed with the most unassuming virtuosity, leave behind the same feeling of mingled enchantment, wisdom and sadness as reading Shakespeare or her countryman Hans Christian Andersen.

The author was Karen Blixen, a coffee-planter in Kenya who wrote the wonderful "Out of Africa", (which has little in common with the movie.) But as Isak Dinesen, she moved through an imaginary but meticulously evoked late-18th century Europe, where the paradoxes of love and fate, innocence and disillusion, order and dream, are played out gracefully and remorselessly.

Where did she get her stories from? I feel as if I never had to read them, as if I have always known them. Artificial and stylised yet almost unbearably true, they linger like music and burn like ice.
I envy anyone who has yet to read them.

dinesen/blixen was a true, living Scheherazade. this is an astounding collection of stories within stories within stories within stories. beautifully, elegantly written and set in various european locales, starring wonderfully alive characters straight out of fairytales, dreams and myth. these are strange, magical narratives (novellas, to be a stickler) with a modern sensibility. brimming with metaphors that will make you pause. kind of a cross between e.t.a. hoffman and a.s. byatt. definitely going to read more of her stuff.

This is a demanding work of seven multilayered and esoteric stories in this, Dinesen's first book.

We know of Dinesen more commonly by way of Meryl Streep, who played Dinesen, or the Baroness Karen Blixen, in "Out of Africa." But the woman we find here as the author of these stories is no easily-understood, Hollywood character. Her stories within stories are rich in symbolism, imagination, and a "long ago and far away" feeling that is carefully, carefully, controlled by the author. Dinesen wrote some of these tales in Africa, and finished others along with ordering the book back home in Denmark, after her farm had failed. She wrote, interestingly, in English (and did her own translations back into Danish later on). Many books follow this one, including LAST TALES and, of course, OUT OF AFRICA. Dinesen, while the heroic, strong, individualist of Streep's portrayal, is also kind of strange, introspective, and fabulously bizarre. She uses her stories' plot lines as a means, one feels, to work out her life philosophies, reshape and recast ideas and symbolic imagery, and impart creative insights. After getting to about the fourth or fifth story, one can see that she uses the same imagery repeatedly and even the same turns of phrase.

I have read this volume at least once before, and wanted to go through it again knowing just that much more literature and biblical references. (It helps to be well read in the classics when reading Dinesen.) Anything is up for her use, and if you don't see it, something will be lost to you as you interpret the stories and what they meant, or even, what happened. She loves Shakespeare (OUT OF AFRICA was written in five sections, after the five-act structure of Shakespearian drama), and Don Giovanni, she has interesting ideas about femininity and independent women, and symbolizes these issues with women who are doll-like, women who seem as if they can fly, women who are witches in some way or another, etc. She likes to toy with the mind of God, as well, having characters pronounce his proclivities, likes and dislikes, etc., quite often. I found these to be some of the most interesting passages, after some of the gender-defining ones, that is. (She chose her pseudonym, "Isak," as it is Hebrew for "He who laughs" and she definitely plays with many ideas here, many humorously.)

Of the seven tales (The Old Chevalier, The Roads Round Pisa, The Monkey, The Supper at Elsinore, The Dreamers, The Poet, and The Deluge at Norderney), The Roads Round Pisa is my favorite, and I have studied it for a graduate class. In the book, a mistake is the central event, and we learn of it only at the end. Our main character, Count Augustus Von Schimmelmann, is writing a letter to a friend, when a carriage accident occurs in front of him. An old woman, who seemed at first to him to be a man, is injured and asks that he go and seek out her granddaughter so that she may forgive her for an estrangement before she dies, as she believes she will do shortly. Augustus sets out for Pisa and in an inn meets a young man, with whom he engages in an interesting conversation. Soon, however, he finds out that this man is a woman, and whereas before he had been asking "him" for help in finding his way into the city, now he offers her his assistance as a gentleman. Their subsequent conversation holds a particularly compelling passage I have never forgotten. In it, Dinesen explicates a concept of women's differences, physically, psychologically and societally, from men through the artful use of the host and guest metaphor.

This passage is a key to the story's mood when toward the end the mistake around which the characters swirl is revealed. But the passage is also an interesting philosophical and societal analogy that provokes thought and discussion. This is, then, quintessential Dinesen.

The other stories deal with identity and loss (The Dreamers), a ghost who is allowed to rise up from hell whenever the sound between Denmark and Sweden freezes over (Supper at Elsinore), the mirage of lost love (The Old Chevalier), poetry and power (The Poet), the societal roles of women (The Monkey), and identity (The Deluge at Norderney), but these are very brief and basic categorizations. One could safely say that all the stories deal with many of the others' main themes. The book as a whole is an excellent study of the power of fiction to suggest and manipulate, with beautiful, evocative writing and deep and stirring underlying meanings. I recommend it.

These are strangely compelling stories, all of which evoke a sense of mystery and poetry. Floods and monkeys, skulls and puppet shows, vie with each other and figure here in short works that are too realistic for fables but too bizarre to be mistaken for reality.

Gothic surrealism might be the best way to describe the tone achieved by the author, whose real name was Karen Blixen (made familiar to modern audiences by the film "Out of Africa"). This is a reissue of a volume that first appeared in 1934.

Borrowing the author's phrase, each story is "like an echo in the engulfing darkness." Atmospheric and brooding, these tales are part Poe and part Brothers Grimm. Exotic in characterization as well as setting, we are introduced to a polyglot collection of virgin nuns and wandering n'er do wells, who cling to rooftops and journey on rhino-horn laden dhows.

Escape from the ordinary world is promised and delivered, but somehow, the people in these stories also remind us of people we know and situations that might not be as straightforward as we have assumed. A scarf may not be a scarf. The wind may be more than the wind. A scarf blown in the wind recalls to one character the memory of a little white snake -- madness is hinted at, at every turn.

They are seven distinctive tales. Yet, the evocation of place, the depiction of eccentricity, the precariousness of life, suffuse them all. They are magnetic and memorable. Even so, some readers may find the tales a bit too weird for their tastes.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

Why isn't I. Dinesen's work more widely known and accepted in the modernist pantheon? Her reputation seems to have settled into that of oddball literary personality and vehicle for Meryl Streep, however the work itself would have eluded me, despite a decent education in high school and university (for example, I was given Hesse and Camus to read in 10th grade, why not Isak?)had I not been attracted to this title in a dusty library. The work is about as anti-Hollywood as I could possibly imagine. Perhaps the answer is, she is not really a modernist but some sort of high baroque romanticist belonging more in the 19th century world of German prose; the "layering of stories" effect, especially in "Roads to Pisa", reads like she is channeling the world of Jan Potocki, enigmatic author of "The Saragossa Manuscript," who like Casanova moved in that incredible world of the international bohemian intellectual elite that Rexroth describes so well somewhere in one of his essays; that world of post-chaises and midnight rendezvous and military officers with seemingly endless resources of money, brains, education and cunning ... in fact "Saragossa" and Casanova's "Memoirs" were the books that came to my mind as I read her...reading this stuff is like eating a chocolate eclair with a brain more powerful than yours will ever be...why aren't there writers like this anymore? Was it all only a dream?

I'm not sure what the publishers were thinking when they chose a picture of a white horse and a cowboy as the cover illustration for this great poem about the ninth-century Anglo-Saxon king, Alfred the Great. It sets the wrong mood for the story.

Anne Perry, the enormously popular writer of historical fiction, just recommended this ballad by G. K. Chesterton as one of five must read tales of historical fiction. (See the Wall Street Journal's online Opinion Page for April 21, 2007 in an article entitled "Past Tense.") Here's part of what she said:

"This is the story of the English King Alfred's desperate stand against invading Danes in 878. England is conquered, and Alfred is a fugitive when he sees a vision of the Virgin Mary that bids him call together the remnants of his people for a final battle. "The Ballad of the White Horse" is an epic poem of courage, passion and unsurpassable beauty."

If you'd like to read other tales and poems by Chesterton, you might want to get "The Ballad of the White Horse" as part of a collection of his poetry that I edited for not much more money. It's called G. K. Chesterton's Early Poetry and has "The Ballad of the White Horse," along with two other books of Chesterton poetry under one cover. That means you'll also get his best humorous poetry, "Greybeards at Play." No less a writer than George Orwell ranked Chesterton as one of the three best writers of funny poetry in twentieth century England. The poems are a riot of the ridiculous and are accompanied with equally funny sketches he did.

And although Anne Perry and I have the same last name, as far as I know we're not related. Her's is a pen name. Mine is a real name. I guess I'm not creative enough to invent a name for myself.

G. K. Chesterton's Early Poetry: Greybeards At Play, The Wild Knight And Other Poems, The Ballad Of The White Horse

Mr. Chesterton has a masterful skill with the pen; _Orthodoxy_ and _The Napoleon of Notting Hill_ are wonderful books--but _The Ballad of the White Horse_ is heartbreaking in its power, beauty, and nobility. With a stunning use of alliteration, rhythm, and imagery, Mr. Chesterton teaches the reader about true hearts, true faith, and true sacrifice. I have bought a few copies of this book to give as gifts to friends, and I eagerly recommend it to anyone who will listen. This book is a must-have for any individual interested in expanding their knowledge of great poetry!

Out of the thousand or so books I have read in my life, if I were to put the Bible aside (since the Bible speaks with a special authority to believers and cannot really be compared to other books), I have read no more than five or six books that I would call truly great. That means there are only five or six books I would rate at five stars. This is one. Yes, it is that good.

I have never read any author who could make the English language sing the way Chesterton does in this poem -- for over a hundred pages. In contrast to contemporary "poets" whose "poems" consist of a bunch of strange words scattered apparently at random on a page, whose meaning, if there is one, is far beyond obscurity, Chesterton had apparently unlimited ability to create rhyme and alliteration, and then he bound it all tightly in the sing-song ballad style that carries it all swiftly along. The words of this poem are glorious to hear, and really, this book should be read aloud, so that one might hear the music of the words.

And few have ever been able to match the way Chesterton paints pictures with words. I will quote one passage, and hope it is not to long, to illustrate this. The scene here is Alfred's army making one final charge against the Danish camp:

Then bursting all and blasting
Came Christendom like death,
Kicked of such catapults of will,
The staves shiver, the barrels spill,
The waggons waver and crash and kill
The waggoners beneath.

Barriers go backward, banners rend,
Great shields groan like a gong,
Horses like horns of nightmare
Neigh horribly and long.

Horses ramp and rock and boil
And break their golden reins,
And slide on carnage clamorously,
Down where the bitter blood doth lie,
Where Ogier went on foot to die
In the old way of the Danes.

It would be hard to imagine anyone anyone describing such a violent scene in so few words any better than Chesterton does in that passage. And this passage is but one of dozens of glorious word-pictures that Chesterton's poetry paints in this book.

Beyond its magnificent use of the English language, this book also contains much philosophical insight -- insight that, although first published in 1911, is directly and clearly applicable today. Chesterton expresses very clearly the way that Christianity has formed the heart of Western culture over the ages, and the way that Christian faith -- which seems all about self-denial and thus sadness -- leads to unconquerable joy.

The book, of course, is not perfect; no work of literature can be. There are places where it gets a bit too preachy for my taste. But the book's flaws are few and minor, while its good points are many and glorious.

How good is this book? I have read it at least 50 times in my life, and I still enjoy reading it. In my opinion it is one of the truly greatest works written in the English language. It is one of the few books I have read that truly deserves five stars.

I had read some of Chesterton's fictional books, most of which contain poems which he has written, and I very much enjoyed his poems, so I decided to get a book of his poetry. This too I really enjoyed, so I decided to get another book of his poetry, this time it was The Ballad of the White Horse, and this book simply blew away all of the rest of Chesterton's poems. In fact, it simply blows away most poems by anyone. I have read Dante's Divine Comedy, Milton' Paradise Lost, Eliot's Wasteland, Chaucer's Canturbury Tales, etc., but I can honestly say that I enjoyed this epic far more than any of them. I am not saying that it is a better written poem or that it should be ranked above these classics, but I am saying that it is much more exciting to read than the others. Somehow Chesterton makes his poem involving: you are drawn into it and cannot put the book down until you have finished the chapter. He wrote it in such a way that the verses beg to be read quickly, and as I read I found myself reading faster and faster, until I was stumbling over the words and had to slow down again. Chesterton, like no other poet whom I know of, paints a picture of glory, honor, bravery, and captures the true spirit of an idealized Medieval War. The poem resounds with the drums of doom, the cries of angels, the hordes of invading barbarians and great deeds of heroes of old. If I were to recommend owning one epic poem, this would be the one.

Overall grade: A+

HEEBIE-JEEBIE HULLABALOO is top-of-the-line Simpsons! The presentation is high-quality with an embossed cover and bright, clear graphics inside. You won't be disappointed!

This book was as told it would come and was brand new. There was not one little mark on it. I would order from this user again.

This comic book was pretty good with another humerous approach to to the Simpsons comic saga. Stories include
1. Sideshow Blob-Sideshow Bob is turned into a giant phlem.
2. The Exorsister-Lisa possessed by the spirit of Madonna.
3. The Immigration of the Body Snatchers-Pod people take over and Homer tries to convince them they are here and not crazy.
4. Call me Homer-Famly history of Homer eating blubber in the tale of Ishmael.
5. Bart People-Bart turns into a cat.
6. Little Shop of Homers-Killer Homer plant.
Pretty good book overall.

I think this book was really funny. I really liked Homer Simpson's Halloween Carols. He is my favorite cartoon character. I guess the funniest part is, when the Simpsons were watching Kent Brockman talking about a plant that eats donuts, and Homer said "Mmmm... Donuts." That was pretty funny. Another funny scene was when everyone in Springfield found out this was just a comic book, and they didn't really exist. Homer said "If I don't exist, can I still eat donuts?" That one cracked me up. I guess, now, you can see why I like Homer Simpson so much.

For those of you who are fans of the hit television show "The Simpsons", you are probably well acquainted with the legendary "Treehouse of Horror" episodes that have become a Halloween tradition. These episodes have proven to be such a seasonal favorite that Groening and the gang have decided to dish out even more tales of terror in "Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror: Heebie-Jeebie Hullabaloo".

Hullabaloo is a collection of comics and sketches that cleverly capture the humor and style of the Simpsons Halloween specials. Much like the television version, the main stories in Hullabaloo are parodies of famous horror films. The first story in the book is a parody of the classic horror film "The Blob". In the sketch, Simpsons character Sideshow Bob takes an experimental treatment that transforms him into "Sideshow Blob". Seizing the opportunity to take revenge on his nemesis Bart, Sideshow Blob squeezes out of prison and wreaks havoc on Springfield.

After Springfield is saved from "Sideshow Blob", they barely have time to recover before Lisa becomes possessed by the evil spirit of Madonna in "The Exorsister", a combo-parody of the infamous "Exorcist" and the even more infamous Madonna. The book continues with additional parodies of films such as "Little Shop of Horrors", "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers", and "Cat People".

In between the main features of the book are a plethora of comics, guides, and stories hosted by and featuring an assortment of Springfield characters. One of these guides features everyone's favorite slack-jawed yokel, Cletus Del Roy. Cletus presents to us "A Yokels Guide to Halloween" which teaches us how to celebrate Halloween like "Edgar Allan" Poe white trash. Another extra features Bart's "Guide to Low-Budget Costumes" which shows you how to cheaply transform yourself into horrid monsters such as "Vaselino, The Thing That Wouldn't Dry". You'll also find the story of "Elijah Dunn and the One-Armed Nun", Evil Dr. Burn's "Goodtime Servant Factory", "Springfield in Hell", and much, much more.

Hullabaloo is colorful, fun, entertaining, and just in time for Halloween. The comical cast breathes sarcasm and humor into favorite horror classics. If you are a fan of the Simpsons and Halloween, then this book will not disappoint you.

This is a lovely book, fantastic illustrations and a wonderful theme throughout. "Where are you going bear, please wait for me". Follow the bear and the boy through different places real and imagined. Suitable for 12 months - 3 year olds.

After reading it a few times to my son, I was surprised to hear him reciting the rhyme text back to me. We enjoy reading it together. The text is very simple but is perfect for a toddler. We learn names of different fruits, vegetables, and animals, as well as different ways of traveling. As all the Barefoot books he has, he loves it.

this book has vivid color. when you read to your kid. they love it too.

The illustrations are absolutely fantastic! they are beyond vivid its truly a feast for the eyes!
The story is simple and cause the illustrations are so perfectly done for a toddler it's very self-explanatory, Bear is traveling through the entire story on different means of transportation he goes to an island on a boat, to the market on bike, to a grand ball in a carriage and through the story the little boy is trying to keep up with bear but he just keeps missing "the boat" so to say. It's a very fun rhyming journey to introduce to little ones! This is our favorite of Stella Blackstone's Bear series its by far her best book!

We recently got this book out of our public library and I must say that it is a big hit with all of us. We (my son, my husband, and I) absolutely love the pictures and the text. I think this is a wonderful book that will get lots of mileage.

This book was a supplemental text for my Graduate level Critical Theory class, and I thank my prof for that every time I open it up. Barry's writing is incredibly accessible -- even inviting, and,at times, humorous. He breaks down most of the major theorists' important and influential works into their key points (which are often buried under obtuse and circular language in the works themselves) and (briefly) applies them to well-known pieces of literature to show how theory is "done". Even for those of us who are "into" theory, writers like Derrida, Spivak, and Lacan can be intimidating; Barry helps the reader get beyond that and deep into the core of critical theory. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to broaden their understanding of literary theory, and I definitely recommend it new students who find themselves overwhelmed or intimidated by theory.

Peter Barry's BEGINNING THEORY introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory is lucid, engaging, and challenging, and would make an ideal classroom text; but it's also a good one for those individuals like me who have been out of school for some time and are a little curious about how the reading and study of literature has changed over the past few decades. The book's thirteen chapters cover traditional criticism (liberal humanism); structuralism; post-structuralism and deconstruction; postmodernism; psychoanalytic criticism; feminist criticism; lesbian/gay criticism; Marxist criticism; new historicism and cultural materialism; postcolonial criticism; stylistics; narratology; and ecocriticism (the latter being the new kid on the block and usually not included in comparable Theory Introductions). Barry may not be the last word on all these subjects, but I felt he's a good starting point for just about anyone. He advocates reading carefully a few of the most pivotal texts on the subjects covered (rather than reading as broadly as possible); he succinctly summarizes each theory's tenets and practices in easy-to-absorb lists; he encourages readers to apply the theories in some way in "Stop and Think" exercises; and he provides annotated select reading lists for each chapter. This is a book I expect I'll be returning to time and again as I try to read some of the primary texts Barry recommends.

As a literature professor, I have a professional responsibility to know about literary theory. And let's face it: it's a pretty scary and complex subject, feared by many and mastered by few. In fifteen years in the business, I have read many books about lit crit and literary theory, and Peter Barry's book is BY FAR the best. It is, indeed, "only" an introduction to the subject, rather than an advanced study, but it is brilliantly clear, and blessedly jargon-free.

Barry writes as though his readers are new to the subject, but bright and curious. And he delivers the goods! This is the book I refer to when in doubt, and the book I encourage my graduate students to purchase. I would recommend anyone who is pursuing graduate study in the humanities to own and carefully read this book. If you read this one carefully, you won't need any of the other intro-to-lit-crit books on the market, which simply don't measure up.

Whenever a college student takes that required first course in critical theory, that student ought to realize that this course is admittedly dense in both content and style, and as a consequence should have access to supplemental readings. Peter Barry with his BEGINNING THEORY is one of three such useful texts. Lois Tyson and Charles Bressler are the other two noteworthy introductory tomes. What is helpful in Barry is his initial chapter on "Theory before `theory'--liberal humanism." Most other critical texts scant the reader on the state of criticism as it existed before Jacques Derrida took the podium in 1966 and shook up the academic world by suggesting that the neat and tidy world of the liberal humanists was founded on a heavy-handed patriarchy that took for granted a spectrum of Western-based assumptions that had stood unchallenged since Plato. These liberal humanists have been on the run since then and Barry succinctly summarizes and analyzes who the major players were in this seismic eruption.

Barry structures his analyses of each school with a general historical overview of that school's paradigmatic assumptions. He includes what critics of that school generally think about as they ponder how to relate the intricacies of that school to specified literary texts. This listing is more useful than the uninitiated might think since when it comes time for the novice critic to make that transcendental leap from the abstruseness that is theory to the concrete reality that is text that neophyte must understand a plethora of assumptions that all too often get lost in the French translation but are clarified in Barry's capable hands. One example will do. Jacques Lacan is notorious for being dense and just plain hard to understand, but when Barry connects the denseness that is Lacan to the clarity that is Poe in his "The Purloined Letter," the various stages of self that seem muddled in the former now stand etched in clear relief by the latter.

One minor note: Barry closes his text with considerations of Stylistics, Narratology, and Ecocriticism, none of which have yet hit the mainstream as accepted modes of literary discourse. Still, for the eager undergraduate or the uneasy graduate student, Barry belongs on the same shelf that also houses Lois Tyson and Charles Bressler.

Wow. I bought this book when I was in college, but I never got around to reading it until this past week. I am absolutely amazed by how good it is, and I wish I had read it earlier.

If I had read this before going to college, I swear I would have aced all my English courses. Why am I so confident that this book would help me? Well, basically, this book gives you something like twenty different approaches to reading literature. After finishing the book, you will be more attuned to what you are reading. You should be able to say to yourself, "well, a stylistic critic would approach this book X way, while a postcolonial critic would approach this book Y way." Imagine your professor's astonishment when you hand in your first essay and the title of it is: "A Lacanian Approach to Jane Eyre." Provided you are able to follow Barry's model for what Lacanian critics do, and you make some decent Lacan-influenced points, you are almost guaranteed to receive an "A."

Of course, many potential readers of this book are out-of-college and, like me, will never get those college literature courses back. This book has utility for us also. It is great because it can give us new angles from which to explore books we have read before. I'm tempted to re-read Hamlet now that I understand the Freudian interpretaton of the play. I want to go back and decide for myself whether the Freudian interpretation is tenable.

Some posters have criticized this book for not probing deep enough. What rubbish! The title of the book is "Beginning Theory." Its intended audience is either people who are new to literary theory, or people who have not been able to make sense of the bombastic critical essays they have been assigned for class. The book serves its purpose extraordinarily well. It is clear, it is to the point, it provides excellent summaries of the major critical theories, and it even provides lists of suggested reading for people who want to read more about the various theories. In short, it is everything you need to get started learning about literary theory. It is a tremendous work, easily one of the best books I have ever read by an English professor. Thank you for writing such a cogent and lucid introductory work to this difficult subject, Professor Barry!

I got this because our toddler Bibles were just not wordy enough for my 5 and 3 year olds. This is a good introduction to the actual Bible written so they can relate. My boys are just not old enough to understand a lot of what is in my Bible version and this is a good book to get them ready. We still use my version for memorization, this is just in story form only.

This is a wonderful Bible for kids. The illustrations are beautiful. My five year old looks forward to me reading from it every night.

This bible is great for older kids, my girls are enjoying reading it on their own and learning about new stories.

After searching high and low for a textbook sized bible made for 1st thru 3rd graders I stumbled across this and have to say I'm very pleased. It's about the size of a standard math textbook. Each chapter has the biblical reference for easy comparison, unlike some Bible story books. It stays in order just as in the Bible, and includes a Lands of the Bible map, an extensive index, and a small glossary at the back. The list price on the back is $23.99, so the price at Amazon is very good. My 1st grader is reading on her own, and finds this to be much more challenging than the simpler Bible story books she has owned in the past. I highly recommend this book for 6-9 year olds. After that age, you will want to get your child a real, non-annotated bible.

when buying children's books, i am always concerned about illustration-something they will always remember and have a fond memory. my son is very interested in these beautiful pictures and is excited to turn the page. the stories are accurate to the HOLY BIBLE and are written for a child's understanding.

Ms. French's characters, especially Natasha and Striker, seem to gallop in from wherever they are and whisk us away with them. From the first moments, I felt pulled into the drama, from the rock concerts to the chase scenes, and as if the characters were now part of my life. I couldn't put the book down, carrying it everywhere, until the final scenes. Natasha is so real and gritty, with her cursing, and then she could segue so completely into the romantic heroine when she and Striker had their "makeup sex". These two would seem completely wrong for each other, constantly fighting over control issues...until you get to those aforementioned love matches!

And I love the mother and grandmother characters...they explain a lot about why Natasha is so independent, fierce and yet deeply romantic.

The story itself is full of suspense and the action kept my heart pounding.

So many unanswered questions, too...so, of course, there must be another Bodyguard book on the horizon! Will Striker tame Natasha, or will she rein him in?

Wonderful story and wonderful characters! Many kudos, Ms French!

I'm truly a fan of Christy French. Each book I read is fresh, new and very entertaining. Her characters are delightful and full of life. I was not sure if she could keep the characters interesting time after time. But she is a master at weaving a story and creating new storylines that intrigue the reader and make one feel as if they know the characters personally. This one is guaranteed to take the reader on a ride of humor, mystery and romance. Add the personal touch of Ms. French's compassion and you have a winner. I cannot wait for the next adventure that she creates in this series. I highly recommend this one!

Occasionally when reading an action thriller I will come across a steamy love scene, obviously thrown in to keep the attention of some male readers. By contrast, this latest edition of the Bodyguard series has an adventure story included with the remarkably hot love scenes between our heroine, Natasha, and her lover/competitor/hero/antagonist and fellow bodyguard Jonce Striker. Natasha Chamberlain is a protection specialist hired by rising young rock star Giki to protect her from some anonymous internet threats. Giki has all the issues you might expect would come from too much money and fame at a young age, and a few you might not, such as an addiction to donuts and chocolate. (I was able to relate to this portion of the character.) Natasha does a fine job protecting Giki from dangerous others and even from herself. The author, in turn, does a fine job disguising the true nature of the threat from the readers untill the very end.

But throughout the novel I felt the "real" story was about bodyguards Natasha and Striker. Passionately in love with each other, the two are also highly competitive in every sense of the term. This is hardly a case of opposites attracting. Natasha is, in many ways, the mirror image of Jonce Striker and when she is not head over heels in love with him she can be dangerous to his physical and mental health. Having "caught" Striker in a compromising situation, she once announces to him, "I thought you were my life mate. I thought you were the one meant for me. I had such plans for us. ... Now the only history we're gonna have is me holding a doll that looks an awful lot like you and sticking pins in it you sorry...." A hot scene nonetheless follows, as do more misunderstandings and mutual threats against each other. Natasha is nothing if not feisty, physical, and independent, qualities mirrored by Striker who, while loving her more than anyone else, also offers to kick her --- and at one point carries her away kicking and screaming.

The dynamic tension between Striker and Chamberlain almost overshadows a great thriller story; almost but not quite. Indeed, that very tension ultimately ties the story together as both Giki and Chamberlain's relationship are saved simultaneously. Sub plots involving Natasha's friends and Striker's employees Pit and Bigun, and the paparazzi Lumpy are all handled nicely as well. In all, the story keeps your interest from beginning to end.

On the whole, I enjoyed the story as I read it aloud to myself and my wife while camping in a tent. She agreed it was good, but protested vigorously the scene in which Natasha's "no" meant "yes." Guys assume that is often the case but I am not about to test the theory. That is better left for alpha males in romance novels. There were a couple loose ends that I wish had been tied up better. Without spoiling the plot, I will only say that I think the real villain got off way too easy and I hope future novels will resolve any long term relationship prospects for rock star Giki.

But impressed as I was by the story, I was yet more impressed with the author, who donates all procedes from her novel to helping homeless dogs, cats, and other animals. Our society brutalizes such creatures by killing them in large numbers. The (mostly) government agencies that do these disgusting acts wash their hands of it (one suspects rather like Lady MacBeth--they never really relieve their guilt) by blaming the population at large for not spaying and neutering their animals. There is something to that complaint, but not enough to justify the wanton destruction of animals in our society. No kill shelters deserve your support and animal rescues, I know from personal experience, make fine pets. (Two such animals are on my shoulder now.) So by all means read the book if you like action, adventure, and hot romance. And if you don't, find another way to support the author and her cause. Part of being human is caring for those who sometimes cannot care for themselves and the bodyguard, Natasha, exemplifies this element of humanity to the fullest. So does the author.

Natasha Chamberlain is a "protection specialist". You and I would call her a "bodyguard". She works for her boyfriend, Jonce Striker (a very studly man's man) who harbours less than well-hidden doubts about Natasha's abilities to take care of herself let alone her client, Giki, the English rock star who's currently touring the southern US. It's not a big surprise to discover that when we're talking rock, we're also talking sex and romance, drugs, aggravatingly relentless paparazzi, shoplifting, stalking, short days and late nights, a recklessly self-indulgent lifestyle, domineering management, uncontrollable fans and, oh yeah, a little more sex.

To make a comparison that will give you the flavour of Ms French's novel, readers will definitely notice similarities between Natasha Chamberlain and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum - hilarious comedic moments, a fierce hair-trigger temper contrasted with a warmly, feminine ability to forgive, clever repartee, a certain angst and self-doubt combined with a fierce determination to succeed against all odds, a less than completely fulfilled sex life driven by a very hearty and entirely healthy libido, and, of course, an ability to attract trouble more quickly than a magnet pulls in iron filings.

But, for my money, French's Bodyguard series outdoes Stephanie Plum because, however she's achieved it, her characters are more real, somehow more grounded in reality and the mystery is also quite well done.

Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended light escapist reading. I'll look forward to going back now and reading the first two in the series.

Paul Weiss

The Bodyguard and The Rock Star was my introduction to The Bodyguard series by Christy Tillery French. Apparently, this is the third book detailing the thrilling cases of bodyguard Natasha Chamberlain. Let me tell you, I am running out immediately to obtain the first two installments. The Bodyguard and the Rock Star is a fun-filled, action-packed, red-hot read. It was the perfect start to my summer, and I plan to spend more of my time with Natasha and her adventures.

Ms. French has light, easy style. The characters are very well developed and three dimensional; they feel real, familiar, and immediately comfortable, as if they have been your friends for years. Character emotions run the gamut, and all ring true, from the tantrums of the spoiled yet loveable rock star, to the concern and dedication of the smart, tough as nails bodyguard with a heart of gold and very human foibles, and on to the wild worry and fear of the passionate, handsome, super sexy fiancé. The pacing is supersonic; you are hooked from the first lines, and find you can't put the book down. The action, twists, and surprises continue until the very last word...and then some.

This book is a clever, unusual, and down right funny combination of detective mystery, chick lit, and romance. I found the story and the characters delightful, fun, and very entertaining, and I am certain that you will, too. I wait with breathless anticipation for Book Four.

This book is great. For anyone curious about Judaism, It is informative and easy to navigate.

The written records of spoken traditions of the Jewish past gives enlightenment to present understanding of the wisdom of those who have gone before. The book is not a factual account of history but that of the thoughts of the past and some beliefs that have developed into what we believe today.

This is a truly great event, not just a book. Now, anyone can get in touch with their ancestors. Curious kinds of people will be fascinated by this publication. The main themes of philosophy are all inside this book that is a legend in its own write. But - more than philosophy - there is so much heart in here it is hard to imagine.
outzens zen.

This is a beautiful work of scholarship and literature. It is for those with spiritual/religious interests, especially Jewish, but not only Jewish. It presents the colorful and evocative stories of these ancient writings, without the theology or the commandments. Anyone who cares about myth and legend would find it deeply rewarding, I think. It is a touching and triumphant labor of love by the scholar who translated it into English.

Bialik and Ravnitsky monumental editing work selected the aggadic or story portion of the Gemara, and organized them in accordance with themes. They succeed in making the Gemara come alive for many who would otherwise not know it. Their work came at a transition time when many Jews were leaving Traditional learning. Essentially Bialik had a program for educating Jews in the sources, in the Tradition so that they would be fully part of despite there not having learned in the Yeshiva world.
This English translation should widen the circle of those who study and learn this work. I would add that there is another English translation of parts of this work. It is done by my late teacher and friend Rabbi Chaim Pearl whose retelling of legends of the sages is unmatched in its clarity and insight.