Spanish Books Books

If you love mangas and love a story that gives you every emotion a story can give you, then this is the book for you. The main part of the story is comedy but it does have a lot of other emotions to it and there are a lot of plot eliments that will keep you wanting to read. I don't want to give anything away so I wont, you'll just have to read it. ^_^

I own this series in Japanese, and it is a wonderful read! It has all the important elements of a good shoujo manga: it is romantic, twisted, with a shoujo (in the traditional meaning of the word) involved in finding a new family and love triangles galore. It is just a very fun read, no matter the language!

As an American whose undergrad studies revolved around European subjects, I am still quite ignorant of Japanese customs/cultures/naming conventions and so on. This book confuses me in a few different ways: 1, as another reviewer pointed out, several of the characters look nearly identical, and I had to go back and reread several portions to figure out who was whom. 2, the variations on naming are awkward to me. Tohru is variously referred to as Tohru, Tohru-san, Tohru-chan, Tohru-kun, Honda-san, sometimes even Kyoko-san, which is her mother's name. This isn't so bad, because Tohru is always Tohru no matter what is on the end of it, but for example Hatori is sometimes Ha'ri and sometimes Haa-san and this happens with all the characters who have more than 2 syllables in their names.

There are some weird cultural things drawn in here that I don't understand: a sketch of Tohru's mom in middle school, and she's wearing what looks like a surgical mask? (She was not a doctor.) One of Tohru's friends is referred to as a Yankee, but I can only assume this has a different meaning in Japan. Her name is Arisa Uotani-san (sometimes Uo-chan, which really threw me!) and that is definitely not an American name. So, here I am confused again.

Please forgive my ramblings but once I get started, it's hard to stop! I'll be continuing with Fruits Basket.

I think that the storyline is so nice and is definitely worth reading. I prefer reading it in Nihongo though. All in all the story is very enjoyable and it has a good balance of darkness and drama against lightheartedness and comedy. Ga suki furuuts basuketto!

Tohru Honda's adventures really get going in the second volume of "Fruits Basket," where the upbeat teen moves into the Sohma household. Natsuki Takaya's storytelling is stronger and steadier in these chapters, since she's introduced the main characters and can now get going on the plot.

Tohru is moving into her newly furnished room, and her pals (wave-reading goth Saki and toughgrrl Hana) decide to stay over to make sure that the guys will take care of their cheerful friend. And when New Year's rolls around, Kyo and Yuki find themselves wondering what to do -- go to the main house with the other family, or stay with Tohru?

And at the school, the students are planning a cultural festival, and Tohru encounters two other Sohmas -- the chilly doctor Hatori, and the effusive half-German Momiji, who is instantly pals with Tohru. But Tohru learns of a different side to the zodiac members' lives, when she hears about Hatori's tragic past.

The first volume of "Fruits Basket" was all about introducing the characters and getting them into the same house. And in the second volume, Takaya gets to flesh out the cast with new characters and new storylines, and hints about the more sinister aspects of the Sohma family's curse, and the family head Akito.

The storylines in general are darker here, especially the harrowing flashbacks of Hatori's love affair with his ex-fiancee, and the bitterly chilly way that it fell apart. But Takaya also sprinkles it with happier moments, such as the naughty novels, the preparations for the cultural festival ("She brought an IRON PIPE to school!"), and poor Yuki having to wear a dress, much to the delight of his crazed fangirls.

There are also some new dimensions shown in Tohru here. Sure, she's always cheerful and pleasant, but Takaya hints that she is actually quite lonely now, despite the presence of her friends. But the zodiac members also get some development -- including Tohru's whole talk with Kyo about the "umeboshi" on people's backs.

The second volume of "Fruits Basket" is even better than the first, and introduces the mix of tragedy and comedy that Takaya is so good at. And it will only get better.

Once you get past the strange layout (described in other sections), this is a great edition of Henry V. It is easy and fun to read and offers valuable insights (not just for students either). Well worth a flutter.

This play is best known for the St. Crispian's Day "Band of Brothers" speech given by King Henry just before the battle at Agincourt. It is a powerful speech that rallies people at all times and everywhere. Sir Lawrence Olivier made a film version in 1944 during WWII and Kenneth Branagh made another as recently as 1989. You can count on there being more versions. Epecially so when computers can help them make spectacular battle scenes (that aren't really in the play) with less expense.

Audiences love this play and they should. There is a lot to like and enjoy. I think upon repeated readings Henry becomes a more equivocal character than he seems at first. And readers of the King Henry IV plays will know him before he became King Henry and know something deeper about his personality.

And of course there is the whole bit about the drive to France being sponsored by the Church to avoid confiscation of property by the Crown. Moreover, there is the slaughtering of the French prisoners, and his treatment of Falstaff (who dies offstage in this play). This isn't revisionist stuff, it is right there in the play, but it is easy to miss the first time you are trying to take in the play.

In any case, this Arden edition is the one to buy and read from. Why? Because it has the most authoritative text, but that is only the beginning. It also shows variants between the early sources. The notes at the bottom of each page of the play are simply fabulous. The editor includes not only helpful notes explaining what might be obscure in the text of the play, he provides sources Shakespeare probably used such as Holinshed and makes for some very interesting study. There are also some helpful notes on how various scenes have been performed over time.

And to make this sound more like an infomercial, you get more! The introduction provides great background material on the play, its sources, and how it has been performed throughout history. After the play, there is a photo reproduction of the first Quarto from 1600 and it is fairly readable. There are also a couple of maps showing the path of the English Army from Harfleur through other towns on its way to Calais and makes clear how they had to pass through Agincourt.

There is also a helpful genealogical table so you can see the confusing claims used by Henry and the French nobility to make their claims. And there is a doubling chart so you can see how theater companies can perform all the roles with fewer actors.

This is a great edition as are all the plays published by the Arden Shakespeare. The amount of work collected in these volumes is stunning and they will enrich your experience of the plays tremendously. I can't recommend them enough.

This play more than any others in the histories glorifies Englishmen and England. His characters in this one are larger than life, but each has their own limitations and flaws. The play covers the time of the Battle of Agincourt when the French King Charles was so sure of victory that he sent a messenger to Henry to ask him to give up and to pay a ransom before the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered five to one, Henry's troops were on foreign soil and riddled with disease. The scenes where Henry dons a disguise and goes out amongst his troops to bolster their confidence are great. The English managed to triumph in this battle where all was stacked against them mostly because of Henry's leadership. This is such a sweeping story that it is hard to condense in a few words, the plot of the play, but it is a wonderful example of Shakespeare's skills as a writer.

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.' What more need I say? Henry V is an imortal classic of western literature. And this edition is complete and accurate. See the film if you want, but be sure to read the words at least once. They are inspiring.

"Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it."

Particularly poignant poetry in these times of pompous presidential sabre rattling and wars based on questionable facts.

This is my first book by Perez-Reverte and I just loved it.
The easy flow of the story keeps you wanting more and more. Very realistic, when you are reading you are not sure whether is the description or real events (if any) it transports the reader to the different scenarios, fascinating, interesting. Also, i need to mention the use of mexican slang by the author made it feel extra real, like if you could hear their voices... BRAVO!
I will definetely would like to read all of his books!
Thank you i really enjoyed this book.

Este libro es muy super bueno. No pude parar de leerlo y ahora que lo termine me quede con las ganas de leer mas. Excelente!

No puedo recordar una novela que disfruté tanto. Lleva un exclente sentido de las dos culturas hispánicas...la de México y de España. La técnica narrativa se fascina y mantiene siempre curioso y entretenido al lector. Pérez-Reverte es un autor de los mejores, y este libro es prueba cierta de sus destrezas.

He aquí la historia de Teresa Mendoza Chávez, una mujer que tras la muerte de su amante se ve envuelta en una escalada de violencia, intrigas, uniones y traiciones a conciencia, una gran empresa, una inmensa fortuna y una grandisima soledad y miedo que casi siempre viene asociado al poder y el narcotráfico.
Una novela muy bien escrita en la que la vida de Teresa se desgrana poco a poco- muchas veces en forma de testimonios - a través de personas que la conocieron de una forma u otra y se completa con los pocos diálogos y las muchas reflexiones de la o las Teresas que se desdoblan en la trama; la mujer, la amante, la amiga, la compañera, la empresaria o simplemente la "narca" que compite con todas ellas por la supremacia.

Te compenetras demasiado en la cultura narco-mejicana. Viven al borde de la muerte en todo momento, impresionante. La historia es como una en un millon. Si vale la pena leerlo y recomendarlo.

Great product to learn or review spanish quickly. My daughter decided to give it a try too. She had taken 3 years of French ;however, she enjoyed this approach much better. With the posted flash cards and seals we all learned some spanish without even trying.

This product works well, slowly letting it the language sink into. It works words into your workbook readings, and encourages you to do your excercises. You really do have to have a good ten minutes dedicated to doing just that. I've had the cd on while doing housework or driving and without my full concentration it just doesn't work as well (this is kind of a 'no duh' statement, but thought I would emphasize it because I have trouble sitting still for ten minutes and repeating back to a cd, distractions keep creeping in like 'man, my mesa is dusty').

I am so impressed with Spanish in 10 Minutes a Day. I am just beginning to learn Spanish and am taking classes at my place of work. The book and CD's have been very helpful. I like that the book has the Spanish word, the pronunciation and what it means in English. I also like, the different accents of the speakers on the CD's. I have recommended this to several people in my class.

While the book is excellent (and was required for a conversational class I was taking at our local college), one definitely cannot learn the language from "scratch" in just 10 minutes a day. I subsequently ordered the companion DVD which has helped immeasurably with the pronunciation. Wish I had that from the beginning. I highly recommend the combination.

My husband and I purchased this CD along with 2 copies of the book to use in the conversational Spanish class we took before traveling to Mexico. I highly recommend that they be purchased together, as they complement each other well. This product is really geared for people preparing to travel to a Spanish-speaking country and it covers all the "survival" situations you might expect to find yourself in -- restaurants, the Post Office, traveling by train or bus, etc. The CD uses native Spanish speakers from several different places who have somewhat different accents, which is helpful in learning what to expect people to actually sound like. I use the CDs in the car and it's a great way to use my commute time for something productive. They present the material at a reasonable pace with enough repetition to be effective but not so much that it gets boring.
The book has flash cards and sticky labels that now adorn lots of common objects around our house. It seemed like a bit of a hokey idea at first, but it's really helpful to see "el lavabo" every time I go to the sink -- that sort of thing.
I recommend this product wholeheartedly. I had almost no knowledge of Spanish when I started with this a couple of months ago and now feel like I can communicate, at least on a very basic level.

Having purchased The Three Musketeers and The Man in The Iron Mask I realised that there were three intermediate novels pulling the story together.Twenty Years After, The Vicomte De Bragelonne and Louise de La Valliere bring the complete story of the musketeers into focus. To gain the most from these stories they need to be read as virtually one book in five large chapters.

After writing The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years after, Dumas wrote a third installment to the trilogy. It is probably the most controvercial book in the trilogy, as can be revealed by reading many of the reviews. For starters, it's LONG: over 200 chapters. As a result, the English-speaking world has split it into three books: The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valiere and The Man in the Iron Mask (the most famous volume). The length is certainly a problem, in fact is it THE major flaw in the conclusion of the trilogy. Dumas is never terse or concise, but in this three-part book, he produces an monolith. This was largely due to him overcomitting himself and having to write this much for financial reasons. However, while this is a major setback, the three books still have elements of great, almost sublime Dumas left in them, which can be extracted if approached in the right way.

The final installment of the trilogy represents the dear old Athos, d'Artagnan, Porthos and Aramis maturing and growing old. The trilogy thus moves from more active and straightforward swashbuckling to a more complex and sombre picture. Like the previous book Twenty Years After, it is not completely clear as to who's in the right and who isn't, only this time it is more so. Like the previous book, age has placed the former Musketeers in a somewhat divided situation, this time involving many a clandestine dealing of state and international level. Finally, in this three-part saga, we are introduced to a huge number of characters while our Four at times take a back seat for several hundred pages. This has been criticised as well, but has a point.

In terms of this specific volume (The Vicomte de Bragelonne), it is the most historical one, as initially d'Artagnan and Athos are brought out of retirement, united in their royalist causes. After completing an adventure reminiscent of their former, more "action-packed" years, the intrigue of the newly-ascended Louis XIV begins. It is here that we can see Dumas as painting a brilliantly detailed picture of what he sees as France moving towards a more centralised, efficient yet pedestrian autocracy from Richeleu to Mazarin to Louis XIV. For the first time, d'Artagnan finds himself serving (and appreciated by) the king, however, the novel asks the question of whether this is at all a good thing. In the power-struggles of the court, we see the irony that the "detractors" of progress are often more honourable than its supporters.

If you only expect more action involving the Four, then don't bother reading this at all. However, if you persevere, you will get to see sublime glimpses of what a long way the Musketeers of old have come (for better or worse), what they think about the entire society they live in and what Dumas thinks. As well as some of the old-fashioned-style adventure. I think that the fact that this is obscured by an overly-drawn-out style, while annoying, does not detract from this being an honourable conclusion to the trilogy.

If you are reading this review, you have probably already read the Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. You are wondering if it is worth it to continue with the series. If you decide to go on, you have three more 600+ page novels ahead of you. That is a lot of time and energy.

If you are foremost into the swashbuckling aspect of the Musketeer stories, I would not go forward. The Musketeers are now in their late 50's. They are still vital characters but they are no longer young men looking for any excuse to duel with the Cardinal's Guard. From this point on, there is a lot less sword play and campaigning. The focus of the story moves to the intrigues of Louis XIV court.

I am continuing with the series because I like the characters. I want to find out what happens to the four friends. In this novel, D'Artagnan and Athos are the principal characters. Aramis and Porthos do not show up for the first few hundred pages. Dumas has kept me entertained for the first two thousand pages of this saga and I am counting on him to keep me entertained for the next 1500 pages.

This book is part one of a three part series, the next two being the Louise de la Valliere, and the final being the more well known Man in the Iron Mask. I understand this was originally one HUGE book, but is now more commonly broken up into these three books.

This book starts about ten years from where Twenty Years After (Oxford World's Classics) ended. Although the book is titled the Vicomte de Bragelonne (who is the son of Athos), we don't see much of him except for the first and last parts of the book. The rest is filled with the adventures of D'Artagnan and Athos while they separately scheme (unbeknownst to the other) to aid Charles II of England to claim his throne. LOL, D'Artagnan's scheme in regards to General Monk. Aramis and Porthos are up to something mysterious and make only the briefest of appearances. The rest of the novel is filled with the mysteries and intrigues of the French court, and ends with the marriage of Henrietta (Charles II's sister) to Louis XIV's younger brother, Phillip.

If you loved the musketeers, history and intrique it is well worth your time to spend on these books.

Before I begin reviewing this book I'd like to comment on it's place in the total D'Artagnan Romances. The D'Artagnan romances are a trilogy started with the Three Musketeers, followed by Twenty Years After. The last of these stories is broken up into three volumes which are The Vicomte De Bragelonne (part 1), Louise de la Valliere (part 2), The Man in the Iron Mask (part 3). If you are like me and reading library copies you may even find The Vicomte De Bragelonne broken up into four volumes either all titled The Vicomte De Bragelonne, or titled the same as the three volumes with Ten Years Later added as the first volume of the story. With that being said, on to the review...

This story take place around ten years after the events of Twenty Years After. We find Luis XIV now king, but hardly so sense Mazarin holds all the power. D'Artagnan is still a Musketeer, but is losing faith as what he had earned in the previous book has been taken away from him. Seeing that his friends have prospered out side of the Kings service, while he has made no progress, and being dissapointed with the useless king who allows himself to be overshadowed by Mazarin, he leaves the king's service with a bold plan to make his fortune. This leads to a reunion with an old friend, and one of the best of a series of adventures that takes place in this, the last of the Musketeer series.

This volume brings back the great four musketeers, all of whom have gone their seperate ways. This volume is dominated by the charaters of D'Artagnan and Athos. A fine begining to a wonderful but long story.

Review continued with Louise de la Valliere...

This book was a gift from a friend. It is one of the best gifts I've ever received and I will read it over and over again through the years. Great spiritual insight. This is a good devotional for someone who is grieving the loss of a spouse too.

I have used this book for quiet times for years and I recently purchased another one to use because my old one wore out. It really helped me apply how important praise to God is to spiritual growth.

I am not one given to tossing superlatives about or embellishing my correspondence with capitals. For this book, I gladly will make an exception. This is, by far, the BEST devotional book that I have EVER read. I received it as a gift a few years ago. I've used it almost continuously since and bought several copies to give to friends, who have, likewise, praised it with as much warmth.

It puts the Christian squarely in the right place, praising God and recognizing his sovereignty in every situation and over every person. Each day's devotional is in the form of a prayer, obviously drawn directly from scripture, and includes scripture references (in order) for each paragraph. Every few days there is a supplemental reading that enhances the truths given over the past few days.

Whatever my situation, circumstance or emotion, this book has never failed to provide me with the proper perspective. It provides comfort when I'm afraid, hope when I despair, confirmation when I rejoice, deepening my love and trust in my wonderful Lord, focusing my attention and love on Him and assuring me of His love for me.

It's compact size makes it completely portable; it fits in my purse or my desk drawer. Yet, the print is not cramped; there is no eyestrain.

A wonderful book.

I received this wonderful book as a gift. It's a treasure of truth from God's Word. It has not only been instructive and stimulating, but very touching as it sensitively probes the importance of praise and how it affects our lives. A must read for all who seek to deepen their relationship with God.

I was given this book as a gift and it has been an amazing tool to take me to the Father. I can't tell you how many times what is written for a certain day lines up with something going on in my life. I've had it for a few years and given many as gifts to friends.

What I like about this produce is that the verbs are in alphabetical order. What's missing to make it a good purchase is that there is no color distinction or size variation between the main verb and its conjugations. Also, the print could be larger considering the size of the book. I would have been happy to pay a bit more to have it be more user friendly.

river runner girl

This is an awesome book. The verbs are conjugated in all tenses. The verbs are in alphabetical order and defined at the top of each page. It includes examples of how to use the verb at the bottom of the page. Each verb tense is explained (in an easy to understandable way)at the beginning of the book. It also includes a mini verb quiz.
I am going to minor in spanish and am excited to use this book. It's just helpful to have all the tenses organized in one book instead of trying to search for them. I highly recommend this book and hope this review was helpful.

I love this book, over 500 verbs fully conjugated. The help in my learning Spanish has been invaluable.

This book was recommended to me by my Spanish Teacher and it is a really good resource to use while learning Spanish or just to use for reference. I recommend the 555 Fully Conjugated Verbs to all interested in Spanish.

in addition to the advantages that others have pointed out, such as the examples provided, there is another plus which I don't think anyone else has mentioned. The book gives examples not only of the verb in use, but also of nouns and vocab that are related to the verb in question. So for example, for the word 'Anadir' (which means 'to add'), the book gives sample sentences containing the phrase 'por anadidura' (in addition:') and the noun 'anadido' (addition). These supporting phrases and vocab are every bit as important as learning to conjugate the root verb itself, and I have yet to find a verb book that does this in its sample sentences.

Initially, I bought the Praying for Purpose book to infuse my daily quiet time (plus it was on sale). I was enjoying Praying for Purpose so much that I decided to take the advice at the front of the book and read Pathway to Purpose as the foundational book. Significant time elapsed between my buying the book and actually reading it--mainly because the longer chapters were daunting when combined with my hectic schedule. Nevertheless, I knew I need to really delve into it because I am at a watershed period in my life. Well, once I began reading I was drawn into the contents. I was particularly struck by the author's relation of her own story. She writes with strategic candor--sharing vignettes of her life with precise relativity to the principle being shared. I was not able to fully relate to the first 2 chapters but I appreciated their advance wisdom. I am still working my way through both books because ever so often I stumble on something that takes me a few days to "soak in." Nevertheless, I've enjoyed Pathway to Purpose so much, I bought copies for each of my Women's Ministry Coucil members. I would totally recommend it!!!!!

I found this easy to listen to but not of much help to any pathway to purpose for me. It was interesting and did get some ideas from listening to it.

This book is excellent for doing exactly what the title predicts. It has certainly been a pathway to God's purpose for my life. I am slowly discovering the passions that God has placed in my heart and connecting them with, what else but, His purpose for my life.
Carole

This book is one of the most significant books I've read in awhile in regard to helping me honestly evaluated God's place in my life and my own motivations for serving Him and relating to others. This book makes me feel like I want to sit with the author and discuss at length the concepts she brings forth in her book. Ms Brazelton must be an awesome mentor.

If you are wondering about your purpose or or ust plodding along day to day, this is for you!!!!!

Un libro para todos el año, aproveche ahora que se viene el mes de diciembre NAVIDAD, sacará muy buenas recetas y riquisimas... SE LES ANTOJARA.

Es un libro impecable, ya que nos muestra diversas recetas para todo momento.... se los recomiendo.

la vida, y fui feliz!
AHORA LO USA MI ESPOSA Y SOY DOBLEMENTE FELIZ !!!
Y a veces, invitamos a comer a mama... que adora a mi esposa y goza con mi felicidad !

Y AL SERVIR CUALQUIERA DE ESTOS PLATILLOS SABROSISIMOS.. TU FAMILIA CELEBRA:
A la vida
Y a tenerte en casa !

Porque la reditúo cada rato! Y mi mujer hace comidas maravillosas con este recetario !

A wildly creative/artistic romp through Cuban Miami's Calle Ocho festival in Little Havana. Feisty, strong Cubanita tumbadora player's drum sounds leap off the pages. Your children (and you)will fall in love with Chavi and want to start speaking Spanish, drumming, and dancing merengue! Tender, heart-felt bilingual story (written in Spanish and English) about a drummer girl who shows the world that unlike what her teacher, family and barrio friends think, Cuban girls CAN and SHOULD be able to play tumbadoras!

A must buy for kids who love fun stories that inspires them to think critically, create, and perform. For Latino/Cuban book collectors, parents who want to teach their children Spanish or English, libraries, teachers of ESL, music teachers, performance art teachers, and for anyone interested in Latino cultures, particularly the Miami Cuban working-class culture.

FUNTASTIC!

Finally, a book about two dynamic Latino girl characters. The determination of Chavi, against all odds, to play the congas in the Little Havana Calle Ocho Festival will have you rooting for her. You can practically feel, smell and touch everything in her barrio; this is due to the vibrant, lively writing and the wild colorful artwork. Your kids will love Chavi and view her as a little barrio heroine.

Mayra Dole's character, Chavi, is a touching, vibrant, young female character you will want to introduce to your children. In fact, Chavi is so "touching" that she can't keep her hands from tap-tap-tapping everything that she comes in contact with. Chavi is a drummer in a culture where girls are not supposed to drum. Despite the strong forces trying to stop her, Chavi perseveres and lives out her dream. This book will give you a taste of Miami and its unique blends of cultures. Beautifully illustrated and written in both Spanish and English, this is a story that will most certainly...touch you.

Rhythmic as a conga beat. Highly entertaining, motivates critical thinking, strong/fun girl characters, jam-packed with Cuban culture, and my 2nd grade class loves it! 10 stars! A++

Cuban-American Chavi has such character and spunk. Your children will fall in love with her conga sounds/passion for perseverance/spunky attitude/and the cartoon-like, wild illustrations. A must buy for anyone interested in exposing children to ethnic cultures set in US communities/barrios and Spanish & English language.