E Books

Ms. Ramin's book is a fun, informative and sometimes scary ride down memory lane. One part scientific research and another part a personal quest of what was happening to her, she does a fine job of balancing the two in an easy to read style. It helped me to understand certain aspects of aging. Well worth reading for some peace of mind.

This book is an extremely entertaining and informative look at how our brains function and what we can do to keep them doing so. I've bought numerous copies and given them to various 50+-something friends, all of whom have enjoyed the book as much as I did. Highly recommended.

This is a fascinating book by a fabulous writer, who has put her finger on a hot button topic for all of us approaching that age when sometimes obvious answers don't come quite as quickly and car keys become elusive objects.
I found the anecdotal and scientific passages illuminating, and felt some (cold!) comfort from the fact that so many of my 45-50+ peers are experiencing similar memory stops n' starts. My friends and family and I have definitely started to heed the book's practical advice given on how to boost and maintain memory efficiency. I would heartily recommend this timely publication to all those in the big group that it addresses, IF you can remember to buy it the next time you're on Amazon or in a bookstore! Write "buy" on a post-it note and stick it on your computer or in your wallet!
R.Sherman, Los Angeles

Being my self in the middle of the described problem, I have to congratulate the author for the analisis and proposed, if not solutions, as least means to support the disease, both by the subject and relatives of the subject. Luis Abenza

Carved in Sand has graced my "Top 10 List of Books to Read" and the stack on my nightstand for the past several months.
This past weekend, it made its way into my hands and I can't put it down! Solidly planted into my "fifty-something" years, my thoughts turn toward aging in the best of health and with dignity.
Memory loss and the inability to focus a big concern that hovers over many of us.
Your book is a gift.
One I plan to give to sisters, cousins & friends.
Jackie R.

This book is broken down into 70-something wonderful pearls of wisdom and advice-some practical, some nurturing, and some just pointing out where we can appreciate the "now". I would recommend this book for anyone, especially if you have a shorter attention span (each chapter is 2-3 pages), or if you're short on time (you can read a chapter at a stoplight or in line). Excellent insight and wisdom!

A friend of mine gave me "Creating a Charmed Life" last year and told me that she used it to read a chapter at a time to her staff at work. I found myself reading each chapter or essay in a similar manner and enjoyed it very much. So this Christmas I bought two copies to give to friends with the same advice. It has a calming effect in the harried life.

I spotted this book when I was going through a particularly difficult period in my life. (I read the book and truly felt inspired to make changes and to become more accepting of myself and others. I refer to the book all the time-it's like my own little pocket guide to life. Yes, I bleieve in God and have faith but I'll admit, I waiver. I grew up in a house where my mother did not have the skills or confidence in herself to be able to enjoy her own life or teach her daughters to enjoy theirs. If I am lucky enough to have children I will make sure I teach them these principles. Thank you, Victoria Moran for helping me wake up and enjoy life.

I have read this book and loved every chapter!....and I am purchasing a dozen, one for every female on my Christmas list, friends, neices, mother-in-law, setp-mom, etc..... I feel relieved that I am not the only female who feels this way. I especially like Chapters 8, 12, 31, 44....all of them ! This is the book you will read over and over again !!!! Thank you Victoria !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Debbie

This can be useful: to keep this book on your shelf and open it to a fun suggestion at random. It lists ways to treat yourself as a way of reminding yourself to be good to yourself at regular intervals.

But it may only work if you're a very girlie kind of gal: this is something I don't usually notice unless it's very pronounced as it is here. The author's idea of a good time is to dress up with hat and gloves and call all her best girlfriends and go out for a traditional English tea and then to get pampered at the neighborhood spa. I myself would find that a total ordeal!

So, even though she has some good insights, she and I don't have much in common, and this book struck me as more outer-oriented and materialistic than her Lit From Within book, which I would recommend, and which concentrates on inner peace.

I really enjoyed the characters! They were so believable. Their language was hip without being forced; their situations and reactions felt legitimate. It was well done. One reviewer mentioned there was too much sex. I'm on the fence with that one. On one hand I enjoy erotic romances and steamy, explicit sex scenes can be fun. On the other hand, this was not an erotic romance and all the "turgid peaks" and "rigid manhoods" got a little tiresome. Still this book is highly recommended for its great characters and interesting plot.

this book is a good book, if you can get past all of the sex!

If you ever see a Beverly Jenkins book on the shelf. Grab it. She teaches history along with a great story. You can never go wrong when you buy Ms. Jenkins' books. She grabs your attention at the beginning and you are thoroughly entertained until the end. Page turner. All of her books are page turners. She is the BEST WOMAN author/writer. I have all of her books.

Jessi Teresa Blake has made her mark in a male dominated arena, literally and figuratively. J.T. is a self-made independent woman, who has not been mesmerized by the many alpha males. She is a sinewy professional sports agent, and her high-profiled clients love her style. So she is a bit taken aback when her radar goes off the Richter scale while she is being assisted on the highway by a ruggedly handsome trucker. She has to corral her emotions, and focus her attention on her safety and her stalled Lexus, because her car has been tampered with. But once her car is taken care of, J.T. will have to deal with her reaction to this stranger.

Reese Anthony is more than a trucker; he's an ex-cop, an attorney, and a partner in his family's multi-million-dollar company. He sees a woman on the side of the road, and being the gentleman he is, stops to assist her. Reese's emotions are having their own tug-of-war, because he recognizes who J.T. is, and up close and personal, she is fine with capital letters. Reese and J.T. do some verbal sparring as they proceed to her destination and Reese lets her believe he is just a trucker. But the ruse is over when days later, he handles business for the football commissioner and meets J.T. again. His investigation forces him to work with an interesting and interested J.T. As they are getting better acquainted, J.T.'s life is threatened. Reese goes into overdrive, he is ready and willing to offer his protection, but what he really wants to do is fill her nights.

DEADLY SEXY kidnaps readers and takes them on the ride of their lives. Coupled with the warmth of a man who knows how to court a woman and the half-hearted struggle of a woman who knows her heart is doomed, readers with enjoy the ride. From embittered competitors to overzealous team owners, Jenkins tightens the suspense. J.T. was first introduced as the sister of Max from Sexy Dangerous and she does her sister proud. DEADLY SEXY also shares vintage family history from some of Jenkins' previous books and introduces a family of men whom I think readers will meet again. I did not want the story to end.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Deadly Sexy by Beverly Jenkins is an exciting read. I wasn't weighed down with a lot of hot sex scenes. There is a good balance of suspense and love in JT Blake and Reese Anthony's lives. Reese is delicious - a man of many talents, considerate, loaded with money as well as handsome. JT is a gorgeous sports agent, a formidable adversary, and financially comfortable as well. JT will fool you with her independent streak. Friends are questionable, trusted ones try to kill the "The Lady Blake," and Reese jets all over the country trying to catch the culprits, all the while keeping an eye on his "lady." The good guys are great and the dogs are dogs. The action is hot and heavy and realistic.

I was moved by the Anthony family's old-fashioned love and support of each other, even in the modern backdrop depicted in the book. Guys (and dolls) will love the football scenarios, so don't shy away guys.

I enjoyed the journey through Deadly Sexy. This is my first Beverly Jenkins book and it's clear that she is a professional. There are no wasted words and the dialogue is excellent. Brava, Ms Jenkins!

Minnie E Miller
An author

This was an awesome book that any Friends lover would love to have in their collection. I loved reading every bit of it and had it read in a few days if that long. Very interesting stuff in there. We have all 10 seasons and watch them quite often. We will never get sick of watching, learning about or hearing about our FRIENDS!!!

This is perfect for any Friends fan. It has interviews, photos, episode guides, summaries, biographies, trivia, and so much more. This book is amazing. I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it because it is just so great. The design is fun, the words are inspiring, and it is all just truly nostalgic. If you really love Friends, then you need this book!

I bought this as a gift for my sister for Christmas...she is OBESSED with the Friends show. The book had tons of great pictures, intervies, and information. I loved the picture on the front cover...all of the Friends stars look so beautiful! Then, on the back cover, it is amusing to see a completely opposite picture, all of hte Friends stars from one of the earlier seasons dressed very casually painting grafitti on a wall :-)

Any Friends fan will find something of interest in this book!

Everybody loves Friends should have this book. It's official book that every Friends should have...

In here you can find pictures, episode guide, cast exits, and others...
It just a really great book...

If you don't have it, don't say yourself as FRIENDS fans..... :-)

I like the Series even more after i lookes into the Book and read it.
Lots of Pictures and Information.
A friend who i purchased the book as Present also looks the Series again with the book in the hands and find always new things, that i never realized before (and he saw friends over 8 times!)

recommendable.

I highly recommend this book as a source of intuition for econometrics. As a Ph.D. student working on my own research I find this book very helpful when I want a quick and easy explanation. This book is also good for clarifying some basic concepts that never got adequate explanations in my econometrics courses. I only wish that this book had a little more coverage on limited dependent variable models.

Not many scientists can write but Peter Kennedy is NOT one of them. He presents the mathematical and statistical information in clear, concise language. A wonderful AND informative read!!

It's a great book. The author uses easy language and makes the reader udertand the econometric analysis more clearly.

The product arrived in a timely manner and I have no complaints. I would use this seller for future transactions.

This is the fourth edition of a very popular text for an introductory graduate level course in econometrics. Although designed for econometricians and economics majors, the book has a lot to offer the statistician (time series analyst). There is good coverage of both the classical econometric models and the classical ARIMA time series models. The difference, as Kennedy points out, is that most univariate statistical time series models use only the past history to model and forecast the future while the econometric models emphasize the inclusion of economic predictor variables and not the past history.
However, in recent years, and partly because in fair-fight forecasting competitions the Box-Jenkins time series methods have done better than the econometric models, the econometricians are beginning to incorporate the Box-Jenkins approach in their models. As Kennedy points out,the new theory of multivariate ARIMA models is providing the econometricians with a methodology that is similar to their simultaneous equation models.

One nice feature of the book is that it treats classical linear regression theory early, highlights the key assumptions and then provides specific chapters that cover how to deal with the violations of the assumptions taken one by one.

The book is clear, up-to-date and has an excellent bibliography. It introduces the structural econometric time series approach along with multivariate Box-Jenkins methodolgy. Advanced topics such as dealing with roots on the unit circle in Box-Jenkins models and cointegration are covered. Also robust estimation procedures are discussed. It even introduces bootstrap methodology and the Bayesian approach to inference.

There is some coverage and some warnings about neural networks. Models for count data, duration, linear structural equations and instrumental variables are all presented in an introductory way.

Emphasis is placed early on the concept of sampling distributions for estimators. A clear understanding of sampling distributions is essential to understanding classical frequentist statistical approaches. Much confusion can arise when these concepts are glossed over.

This delightful story made me laugh out look and took me back to my days of living in the country and trying to find things to fill up my day. It also reminded me of stories I've heard from my mom of growing up on a farm where you milk your own cows and fresh cream isn't a luxury!

The look into a 4year olds thought process was amusing and so spot on! I was sorry that it wasn't a longer story - I wanted to read more!

It's amazing how descriptive and exciting this story is. A very funny look at life on a farm in the last years of World War II. The beginning in the pig pen is brilliant, and I could never write anything that funny. Great excerpt, and I can't wait to get my hands on the full version!

The writing is clear and descriptive and gives you a good picture of the characters right from the start. The well-crafted stories of Janie's life are compelling and fun to read. I would love to read the rest of this book!

Jimson Weed is a heartwarming and engaging story of a young girl struggling to find her place in both her family and in the world. Set against a backdrop of the rural midwest and told from the point of view of young Janie, I immediately found myself transported with the sights, sounds, and mores of times past.

Ms McCarty weaves this wonderful tale with surety, imagination, and deftness. Her writing style draws the reader in and befriends them. I sincerely hope Jimson Weed moves forward in the competition. It deserves it.

"Jimson Weed" is the work of an exceptional writer with a huge recall for hilarious details. The ability to set up a scene and place us there, letting us be a captive part of the surroundings, is what talented writers are made of. How refreshing it is to read this tale. June McCarty is a talented, funny, and enchanting voice.

This is the most revolutionary business book of the last twenty years! Not since Tom Peters masterpiece, "In Search of Excellance" has a book captured a message so profond, yet so simple. This book can change the course of American business and re-establish our country's confidance in corporate America. Timely, Powerful, Necessary!!!

During my 14 years as a business attorney I have seen clients rise and fall, succeed and fail - and one thing always stands out. The most successful clients are not threatened by the competition, have loyal employees and love what they do. I have read this book 3 times and it has helped me in reshaping my practice. Now, I give it to clients, especially those who have backed themselves into a corner and need the rest of the world to get out and succeed. Contact Sport lays it out clearly and the value system it presents works. As a business woman, I'm not crazy about the macho sports paradigm though. Not everyone does sports ball guys!

At first blush, Tom Richardson and Gus Viduarreta's book seems only to tell you things you already knew. I built a large computer-consulting firm (600+ employees) using many of the same principles described in the first chapters of the book. My first reaction was "Why do I need this book?" After reading it through to the end my feelings changed drastically: "Why didn't I have this book ten years ago?"
What Vidaurreta and Richardson do so well is provide an effective framework for organizing and harvesting a company's relationship management techniques - techniques that we all tend to use, but only in a haphazard and slipshod fashion. The book, in a practical "what to do on Monday morning" fashion, outlines how, with a little thinking and organization, you can vastly increase return on the relationship management techniques that you may already have in place. It then goes on to point out techniques you probably never thought of...
In my opinion a lotta bang for very little buck!!

I guess I'm one of the fortunate ones. I had the opportunity to work with Tom and Gus for a few years back when they first birthed Systems Consulting Group. I spent quite a bit of time with Gus and noticed from day one that he had an uncanny way with people. So I paid close attention and began to soak up all I could. I'm not wired like Gus is motivationally, nor am I gifted with his charismatic personality. I'm a software consultant, I'm still thrilled with the technical side of IT, and that's where I want to remain...but the competition is getting more and more fierce.

I recently discovered that Gus and Tom had written, "Business is a Contact Sport" so I rushed to Amazon[.com] and purchased it...more from curiosity than anything else. What I never would have realized had I not read the book was just how much I had gleaned from my time with them. I've actually been using many of their principles for more than a dozen years and greatly benefiting from them. I've had numerous long-termed engagements as I watched people with more expertise and more years of experience than myself being laid off. I've been able to cultivated relationships with key individuals at many of the clients I've worked at and have frequently been able to leverage these relationships into longer term or repeat engagements. Along the way I've always tried to help people in every way I could, even when I knew there would be no chance for reciprocation.

Maybe you're like me, you're not CEO material (or CRO for that matter) and you don't have the desire to IPO new companies, you're happy with your career but want a edge at being able to land the longer term or more lucrative job assignments. This new book is not just for the top executives, it's for the average person like myself who just wants a leg up in this new economy.

By the way, my wife and I attended the first Christmas party that SCG gave back in 1988, the one that cost 10% of that year's profits. They didn't have to invite me, they knew I'd never be a large source of income for the business, but they cultivated the relationship anyway. Relationships truly are circular aren't they...here I am fourteen years later giving a rave review on their book!

Of course you don't have to buy the book to benefit from their knowledge, you could begin your career under their tutelage like I did!

Kurt Sligh
Software Consultant

Tom Richardson and Augusto Vidaurreta, the founders of the Systems Consulting Group, have had tremendous success since the late 1980's using some of the obvious techniques necessary in business that we all know are important, but sometimes forget to practice. For the seasoned business professional BUSINESS IS A CONTACT SPORT easily defines and labels terms for the principals we know are important for us to succeed, but didn't know how to organize them to teach them to new entrants into the business world. Business leaders should read and develop a cheat sheet of the 12 principals and post it as a reminder of what we need to be doing each day. BUSINESS AS A CONTACT SPORT has been tested and passed with high grades from some of our best business schools. RAM, Relationship Asset Management and CRO, Chief Relationship Officer will become a standard in the evolving business world. Managers need to arms their sales staff with this book as well as department heads and HR personnel.

Christopher is an only child of two parents that constantly bicker, and every night, Christopher travels to other worlds for great adventures. He has a cool uncle Ralph that seems the understand him. Soon, Christopher is meeting a young man named Tacroy in the other worlds and running "experiments" for his uncle, smuggling magical supplies back to his own world. Christopher, it is discovered, has nine lives and his so magically powerful that he is destined to become the next Chrestomanci. He befriends a similar powerful young person, a Goddess, in another world. Slowly and without realizing it, Christopher falls into darkness, becoming an angry, unkind, and disagreeable child that is breaking the laws of magic. Christopher must determine who is good and who is just trying to use him. My favorite character is Tacroy, who is quite ambiguous, and yet is sort of Christopher's Sirius Black, as the only one who can identify with him as a spirit traveler and understands him. The book itself is just another beautifully written, incredibly clever and imaginative and magical work from Diana Wynne Jones. The images and so vivid and so brilliant. Grade: A-

I read this book many years ago, and did not even realize that it was part of a series until recently. I bought the other books in the series, and was expecting the other books to be similar to this writing style. While the other three books in the series are good stories and entertaining reading, it is "The Lives of Christopher Chant" that is the best of the series. This book has more depth and humor than the other books in the series. I devoured this book in one setting, because of the wonderful imagery and use of dry humor and wit. I actually don't think that you need to read the books in the series in order; besides the first two in the series, these books really don't have much in common with each other, besides the Chrestomanci character. Each book is a wonderful book in its own right. However, it is this book that gives the best background of the world in which Chrestomanci lives. Highly recommended, especially if you like J.K. Rowling - this book is the most similar to Rowling's style.

This an incredibly lovely book that I have read a million times; and each time has been just as enjoyable as the last.
This book is the second in the Chrestomanci Quartet, and is my favorite of the four. The story is about a boy named Christopher Chant who discovers that he has magical powers, and, in due time, a truly amazing and exciting life ahead of him. Buy this book! I assure you that you won't regret it;~)

Diana Wynne Jones tells the backstory of everyone's favorite enchanter, Chrestomanci, in "The Lives of Christopher Chant". Chrestomanci turned the sterotype of old, sagely wizards upside down in the first Chrestomanci book with his dapper attitude and humorous qualities. However, I'll be frank; I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed "Charmed Life". The story was very slow in places and the ending was very rushed. But, Jones still won me over with her delightful characters, quirky magic, and adept talent at writing meaningful and thoughtful fantasy.

Christopher Chant starts out as a normal boy who doesn't quite understand everything that's going on around him. Christopher never even bothered to tell people, ecspecially his feuding parents and nannies, about his dreams and the worlds he visits in them. But one day, Christopher's new nanny discovers all of the objects Christopher brings back from his dreams, and informs Christopher's Uncle Ralph, a charming enchanter, about them. It turns out that Christopher is a spirit traveler, or a person who visits the twelve related worlds in their dreams. Uncle Ralph soon recruits Christopher for many "experiments" where Christopher must bring him back various goods from the related worlds, and Christopher is only too happy to oblige.

On these experiments, Christopher soon loses many lives at such an obvious rate that he realizes he has nine lives and is a powerful enchanter, even though Christopher can barely manage the simplest of spells. Christopher is soon sent to live in Chrestomanci Castle for training, and he hates it. He would much rather play cricket than become the next Chrestomanci, but everything changes when Christoper realizes that his "perfect" uncle is really an inter-world illegal smuggler, and Christopher so happens to be his partner-in-crime even though he didn't know what he was doing in the first place.

The story is told with Jones' usual quirky prose and humor. Many readers who read the first book will smile as the story goes on and many of Chrestomanci's background is cleverly explained. Christopher as a character is skillyfully progressed from a naive and somewhat cold child to an aware and powerful enchanter. However, the story, as much as I would like to deny it, does suffer some problems. The beginning is a very long drawl, as well as the middle, and nothing interesting happens till Christopher finally arrives at Chrestomanci castle. From there to the ending its a smooth ride. Unfortunately, it appears that Jones didn't know what to do with her ending as its very quick and jumbled. For the last fifty pages, everything is unusally described and very confusing. I just wish that the story had ended with a strong conclusion rather than the sentence "that is really all, except for a letter that arrived for Christopher from Japan soon after New Year ..."

Even though the ending was a jumbled mess, we're still talking about Diana Wynne Jones here, and her brilliant writing and humorous details makes even a very weakly plotted book enjoyable. While I did not enjoy "The Lives of Christopher Chant" as much as I enjoyed the first book, readers everywhere are sure to enjoy how Chrestomanci went from a timid boy into a powerful enchanter.

"Oops!" The dragon spews fire all over Christopher and "There goes another life!" The Lives of Christopher Chant is a book about a nine-lived boy named Christopher. Every night he dreams he gets out of bed, walks around the corner of the fireplace in his room, and slips into a dreary world called "The Place Between." While conducting experiments there Christopher loses some of his nine lives.

Strong things about this book are that the story line moves along quickly, so your interest stays captive. You'll also appreciate how Dianne Wynne Jones's story line is unique. No other author has ever written anything like her "Place Between!" Her strong characters really pull the story together. Take "The Christomancy" (The Magic Governor) for instance. It seems like he was always a strict and stern man born to be "The Christomancy." However, he actually started out like Christopher, angry and bewildered.

More details would improve The Lives of Christopher Chant. Having additional information would make it easier to visualize Asheth's Temple, and why The Living Asheth (the girl who acts as a channel for the god Asheth's power) wanted to get away. More explanation about why silver stops Christopher from working magic would be helpful. Was it Christopher's dad's fault that silver stops him operating magic?

Rush out and buy The Lives of Christopher Chant, it's a page turner! The story line is new and interesting. It is a magic book, and you can never tell what's going to happen! I hope you don't lose your nine lives as quickly as Christopher Chant!

A great book that describes how to create customers for life, with "enlightened hospitality", creating an outstanding customer experience, based on a dialog with the customer. As he puts it "picking up the rocks" (to find the info) and "connecting the dots", a process that could and should be copied for every business.

His passion for food comes across the written page, its contagious.
I'm not a wine drinker but his passion made me want to give it a try.

I never been to one of his restaurants but I now see a trip to New York to visit his restaurants.

Highly recommended not only for restaurateurs, but for every business that has contact with customers.

This is one of the best books I have ever read on the hospitality business. Given that it is the industry that I am in, I probably found it more entertaining and insightful than many may who are NOT in the industry. Either way, a great read.

I was about to leave for vacation, and was looking for a beach read. Danny Meyer had been generous enough to supply an endorsement for my book, The Art of Client Service, so the least I could do was buy his book.

I am very glad I did.

Setting the Table certainly is a book on how to provide superior hospitality to customers, but it's more than that: it's the best book I've read on what it means to provide service to clients in ANY business. Its candor, humility, and generosity of spirit are reflected in all the lessons Danny learned, applied, and now recounts as he grew to be a leader.

My only quibble, and it is a small one, is that the book lacks an index. I assume this was a conscious decision on Danny's part, possibly because he does not view Setting the Table as a "how to" guide. But the reality is, the book is loaded with practical advice on how to build and sustain enduring client relationships. An index would help readers refer to lessons that inspired or motivated them.

My one regret is that I failed to include Setting the Table in my book's annotated bibliography of the 20 titles advertising people should read. I will, however, add it to the Art of Client Service website. And most important of all, I will recommend the book to all my advertising industry colleagues.

Love it, love it, love it. Finally an empowering business book for those of us who don't believe you have to be a soulless, emotionally retarded cheeseball prick to succeed in the business world. Danny Meyer's financial results give ample validity to his approach, so while you can still get rich the "traditional" way, his experience supports the fact that you can also get rich AND make the world a better place. Gets a little blah towards the end, but all of my stars, underlines and dogears throughout the beginning and middle parts more than make up for that. Others will do a better job of dissecting and analyzing the book in detail, so that's it for me. If you're tired of getting the beat-down for having the gall to have "feelings" at work, you'll love this book.

Danny Meyer's "Setting the Table" is a very enjoyable and informative read. It's a nice combination of things: there's the interesting story of how Meyer got his start and grew his business, one restaurant at a time; and then there are the lessons he passes on from the running of his organization. Most impressively, Meyer penned this himself...not a ghostwriter or "with" to be found on the cover.

There are heaps of good lessons in here that are applicable in every walk of life. The other reviewers do a good job spelling out some examples. My favorite is making sure you get to write "the last, great chapter." In Meyer's world, not only do you solve a problem, you look to put a memorable and unique close to the event. Meyer references some wonderful instances.

Danny Meyer's success in the nation's toughest market is no fluke. The evidence of his hard, well-thought-out work abounds in "Setting the Table."

For some time now I've had a fascination with the F-105 Thunderchief and the men who went Downtown during the Vietnam war. To further my knowledge on the aircraft and the men who flew her I picked up When Thunder Rolled.

Overview
When Thunder Rolled is a pilots view of the F-105 and the missions he flew during the Vietnam War. In this book our Fighter Pilot (I mean this a complement to Mr. Rasimus. I believe it would be a greater honor to call him a Fighter Pilot than by his retired rank, read the book if you want to understand why) gives us a view of the F-105 from training thru his time in Thailand flying missions in North Vietnam.

The Good
Wow! What a book. Mr. Rasimus pulls no punches. In all of the books I've read dealing with a persons own experiences in war I've found very few that are as candid about being scared. Mr. Rasimus tells us about how his initial debate is if he should fly combat mission or not and then flies a couple. I have to think that the fear Mr. Rasimus talks about is more common than many other books would have you believe.

I also loved how Mr. Rasimus mentions the maintenance men who took care of the Thud he borrowed (sorry, everyone knows that a fighter is owned by the crew chief, pilots just borrow it). This is something kind of rare and nice to see.

The description of the environment is great. Referencing stealing hubcaps for what it took to be a fighter pilot over there was sheer genius! Between the use of vernaculars and a simple honest approach, one is able to visualize and feel something of what he was experiencing. I also loved the way Mr. Rasimus takes us thru the base and the missions. From premission briefings thru the return. Interestingly there isn't a lot of focus on the post mission time at the Club.

The Bad
The only one I can readily think of is that the book ended. I loved the story telling. It flows so nicely. The real shame is that we know that our fighter pilot went on to fly F-4's in the Linebacker timeframe. I'd have loved it if this would have been brought together to hear the differences in the aircraft and how the war was fought.

Rating Wise
5 Stars! This is the best personal account I've read from an aviator. A solid read and is a must read by anyone interested in knowing about F-105's, the Vietnam airwar, or about a pilots view of combat.

This is the best book along with Jack Broughten's "Thud Ridge" that I have read concerning the Air War in the North, especially as it relates to F105's.If I were to write a book on this subject, this is what I would have written.

Whilst putting you very much in the cockpit Mr Rasimus has at the same time managed to produce a thoughtful, insightful, and instructive book that gives an excellent view of the experiences, feelings and thoughts of what it meant to be a fighter pilot in the early years of the Vietnam war. Highly recommended.

What a great book! I agree that this is the best of the F-105 books about combat during Rolling Thunder. Such detail! Ras explains everything so well and puts it in words that non-pilots can understand. He even takes you on R&R to a Bangkok niteclub to get a "massage" ;-) The difference between a fighter-pilot and a pilot of fighters is explained. I was at Takhli, the other F-105 base in Thailand, and I remember the Wild Weasel/Iron Hand "F" models. The initial group was sent in and shot down. Then another batch was sent in and shot down. I believe there were five or six airplanes in each group. During that initial period, the crewmembers of F-105F (Weasels)were virtually assured of death or capture. What a slaughter.
I loved the noise of that beautiful bird when afterburner with water injection kicked in. Not to mention the noise when a pilot returned after his 100th mission and went "supersonic" right on the deck. Awesome!!!! Also described in the book was the practice of burning off fuel with the speed brakes open and the afterburner on. I saw this on another 100 mission bird going low and slow with the "finger" extended in a pass just above the runway. This book brings back memories of that. In the meantime, back in the "world" (US)Hippies were coming on the scene. It was a shock to me and many others returning. And, by the way, so much for the "domino theory" - Thailand is still there.

As a story of courage and combat flying this book sits near the top of the list. Daily missions into the heart of a well defended N Vietnam, flying against targets selected in DC by those with no combat flying experience, training in tactics of successful air campaigns, appreciation for those who did and with the even greater corruption of a lack of commitment.

Somehow Rasimus and his fellow pilots keep getting up after sleepless nights, getting the brief and launching missions into North Vietnam. It is sad to hear of the lives lost dumping bombs on "suspected truck parks" and other secondary targets.

The author was one of those for whom successful completion of 100 missions over N Vietnam was improbable. One wonders how our nation produces those with the skill and courage to fly these missions day after day. Add to the burden the knowledge that far too often the missions were flown against insignificant targets while truly valuable targets were off limits.

The author was blessed with the skills of a fighter pilot and the writing skills normally associated with those sedentary pursuits of a writing career.

Highly recommended.