E-Books Books

I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this. All I knew what that I knew nothing about radio. This little comic has changed that however. With its easy to read format and great illustrations I was able to understand the fundamentals of radio production in about an hour. I'm not going to be producing any award winning series anytime soon but I will be able to mumble an 'affirmative' grunt here and there should the topic ever arise in a conversation. Overall, it was worth the money. I gave it a 4 star rating rather than a 5 only because I wish there was more of it. If you want to know the absolute basics of production then buy it.

Jessica Abel and Ira Glass have done an admirable job of explaining the basics of what it takes to do radio reportage and story telling in a novel format, mainly that of a comic. Inexpensive, easy to read and even easier to understand, the book gave me a clearer idea of what it talks to engage in this field and how to do it properly. While it is by no means a substitute for hands-on or field experience, I was able to glean enough from this to know that I would like to do this full time!

The team at "This American Life" tell stories as well as anyone in the media. This book was recommended to me during a seminar on multimedia storytelling for photographers, so its value is not limited to those who only want to do radio. It's a comic book, but not shallow. Anything but. Ira Glass and his team at Chicago Public Radio go through how a particular week's show, Do-Gooders, was produced as well as basic tip for anyone wanting to do documentary audio work. This is a little gem.

Having read "Radio", I can say it is packed with information not only on the production, but on how to tell a story. My son is a natural conversationalist, I asked him how does he put together his stories. He said he didn't know and I suggested wouldn't it be cool to understand how the dynamics/mechanics of storytelling work. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "I dunno". He works for me in the summer and I told him I would pay him to read this book in lieu of working. He liked that idea. He read the story in about an hour. Now he has the rhyme to the reason. This comic is a great read and should be required for any collegiate types.

To anyone who has ever listened to This American Life and thought "I have a good story to tell", this is the book to read. "Thank you!" to Ira Glass for sharing his knowledge on how to write for radio. This book is easy to read and fun. So if you have a dream of hearing your story on NPR, get this book!

Unfortunately, it took a catastrophic event like September 11th to bring home the reality of terrorist attacks to most of us. For Paul Blais, he and his family have been dealing with it since June 25, 1996. Paul's son was in the barracks at Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia when a terrorist bomb killed 19 American servicemen. At first he thought his son was among the 19. Days later he found out that his son survived, but had suffered a traumatic brain injury. While the rest of the world got caught up in the next big news story, Paul and his family entered a foreign world trying to understand the magnitude of so many unknowns associated with TBI.

So many of us are guilty of losing interest in a news event a few days after the news hype has died down. We hear a number associated with the deceased and wounded and give little thought to the decimated lives of the victims, or their families. After reading this book, I will never again hear of a terrorist attack without shedding tears for survivors, deceased, and their families. Terrorism is such a cowardly act!

Paul has created a well-written, poignant account of his only son. This is an honest, thought provoking and indredibly moving story of a young man's will to survive and a father's love for his son. I can guarantee that readers will be as engrossed in this story as I was. It was impossible to put this book down.

It is easy for me to highly recommend this book. My best wishes go out to the entire Blais family. They personify what the American Spirit is all about.

Paul Blais's world was plunged into traumatic turmoil when his son Paul became a victim of the June 25, 1996 Khobar Towers tragedy in Saudi Arabia. Had it not been for the fact that young Paul had left his room and the video game he and a fellow Air Force friend were playing to visit a nearby rest room, he would have been killed instantly, as was his pal.

Young Blais lay in a coma for a time, and his father, due to the inability of Air Force personnel to properly identify him, for a time believed he had been killed in the terrorist bombing. When the elder Blais attended a memorial service for the Khobar Towers victims he was able to empathize as a parent who,until young Paul was finally identified, believed that he too had been deprived of a son.

A notable element of this compelling account is the manner in which the author, despite trauma and sorrow, is able to put his emotions behind him and focus on the issue at hand, providing young Paul with all the love and support necessary to surmount a tragedy and helped propel him toward recovery. Paul was a young man with a penchant for vigorous athletic activity and a preference for water sports. As a result, starting from scratch, learning to walk and talk anew, at one point propels young Paul into suicidal depression. The unwavering support of a loving father, his mother Maria, Paul's ex-wife, along with two supportive step parents, help turn things dramatically around. The elder Paul is delighted to participate in his son's graduation from flight school.

The story contains an interesting surprise twist at the end, with the elder Paul being prouder than ever of the progress his son has made. The ultimate triumph demonstrates the results of a solid game plan built around faith and love, two cornerstones Blais emphasizes repeatedly in this moving work.

Blais also focuses on the important element of feeling for others, which he believes enhances human stature on an individual and extended basis. He states with resolute conviction that people throughout the world need to be more aware of and empathize with each other's tragedies, whether the victims of terrorism be in America, the Middle East, Europe or Africa.

"Resurrecting Paul", is a difficult book to read, and an even harder story to comment upon. The book is very well written; it shares a painful, very personal story, and causes all manner of emotional turbulence for readers. It is written by a father about his son, a young man who decided to serve his country, and what happened to him and the balance of their family and friends when Paul became a victim of the single most definitive word of cowardice: Terrorism.

On June 25, 1996 a tanker truck loaded with fuel parked next to a fence in Dhahran Saudi Arabia, specifically in front of Khobar Towers. The invertebrates that drove the truck there, left. The truck exploded, and 19 young men died. The parents of Paul Blais waited 4 days for confirmation their son was dead, only to be told an error was made and he was alive.

Alive in the sense he was in a coma, was unrecognizable from his wounds, was being kept alive via a ventilator and a variety of feeding tubes and catheters, and had sustained a horse shoe sized massive blunt forced trauma to his head causing severe brain damage. Machines breathed for him, tubes fed him, and tubes removed the poisons all our bodies produce, Paul was alive. This young man, still working his way through the second half of his twenties was irrevocably damaged, all his dreams and his career taken from him. To this day despite indictments of over one dozen of these cowards, no one except Paul, his family, and their friends have been punished, have had their lives changed forever.

Paul's father, the author, will take you through a nightmare that is just about unimaginable. He and others around him are subjected to a combination of great care and concern...and hopeless incompetence. One would think that bringing parents to see their son in Germany is something the bureaucrats could manage. They could not, and they did not. One would think that German officials would have the ability to make decisions. They did not. A person should know that their elected officials will be there to help, especially when the incident garners international attention. Some do, and some cannot be bothered.

I expected that The United States Government would place great value on the life of any of her citizens, especially those who place themselves at risk to protect us. It does not. At 27 they discharged this young man from the service; medical retirement with a full pension just over $800 per month. What reaction, other than incredulity and outrage, is a reader of this injustice supposed to feel?

How about rehabilitation facilities for our veterans? One would expect it to be the best, or at least comparable to what civilians have available to them. The facilities they expected the author to place his son in smelled so badly of human waste that standing inside for more than a moment was impossible.

The author gives an extraordinarily balanced account of everyone, and every piece of stupidity his son was faced with. The vast majority of those he dealt with appear to have been excellent and caring people. But in a case such as this, that is not good enough, it is not acceptable. It is not even close.

The author's son Paul has made a recovery that no one thought possible, he is not the person he was, his life is still a shadow of what it once was before the terrorist bomb destroyed his life and ended the lives of 19 others. Paul has come as far as he has because he has an incredible will to fight and the discipline to match. Paul has family and friends who are all heroes, and who, I would venture to say are in large part responsible for helping him fight his way back. Paul is a hero, and everyone who helped him are heroes. The men who died in Saudi Arabia are heroes, and the families and friends they were taken from are all remarkable people in their own ways.

Books like this are rare, always relevant, and particularly so today, as we are on the verge of yet another conflict in The Middle East. More young men and women will come home like Paul, and many will never come home at all. I wish for them to have families like Paul's, who will be there for them when they come home, to help them heal.

I also hope that the politicians who violated the trust of their offices are able to feel shame, and that the next soldiers returning home requiring long-term help are not offered rehabilitation centers that are kennels where you would not choose to board your dog.

I thank Mr. Blais and everyone else for sharing this story, books like this should be required reading, for they are history books, raw and without any romanticism that all too often turns history text books into historically based fiction.

Terrorism shows our species at its ugliest, and the stories should cause anger and even rage. This book will also cause tour throat to tighten and your eyes to fill, whether you are a parent or not, regardless of your political affiliation, regardless of your place of birth or your manner of worship.

Terrorists live outside of society, outside of religion: Christian, Muslim, any other you care to name. They are outlaws wherever they are and should be treated with the same lack of concern they show their victims. We do much better than that, however, for we are a nation, and mostly a world of law and justice, and these cowards will eventually find that out...and that is why their kind will never win.

This book is breathtakingly powerful. A most amazing journey into human nature, greif, and hope. This family was thrusted into an exhausting unthinkable heart wrenching challenge.

Paul is an immensely gifted writer. He is profoundly open about all of his relationships including his ex-wife. Paul bares his soul with such rich insight, humility, and grace.

Since 9/11/01, Americans have looked at their world with eyes and hearts that have a greater understanding of tragedy. But that was not the first time Americans have been attacked. Pre-dating 9/11 by several years was was a cowardly attack on patriots, housed on what they thought was friendly soil. In 1996, American servicemen died in Khobar Towers, Dharan, Saudi Arabia. And many of those who lived are still fighting battles to reclaim lives so swiftly snatched away. P.E. Blais writes of one such survivor, his only son, Paul.

I had to read this book twice, over a long period of time. The author is so skilled, and writes with such searing realism, that I could not bear to read it all at once. Perhaps I'm just a pansy, or maybe those horrifying scenes of 9/11 were still too fresh in my mind. Resurrecting Paul might not have borne such impact if written by a lesser writer, but Mr. Blais is anything but mediocre. His pain and denial, his raging at this unkind fate that killed so many young men and almost took his son was burned indelibly into every page.

Resurrection does not come easily or soon. Young Paul's dreams are shattered, and at first no one believes he can survive, let alone overcome the obstacles he faces. Each hard won accomplishment is documented in vivid detail. His responses to physical and mental failings no young man should have to face are intensely personal and documented honestly by his father.

Surrounded by loyal friends and supportive family, Paul fights, fears, lashes out, falls, crawls, and stumbles his way to some semblance of his former life. He has written his own book about the incident in Dharan and the aftermath. I have not read Tragedy to Triumph, but if his work is anywhere near the calibre of his father's, it will be well worth reading.

I enthusiastically recommend Resurrecting Paul to those who appreciate good writing and emotions that draw the reader in. As far as I'm concerned, this book falls under the category of must have must read.

Celtic prayers from the community on the isle of Iona are a joy. Following ancient prayer models the authors bring life to an old art form and shepard the mystery of Celtic pray into the 21st centuary. A great work for contempation or simple model for daily prayer.

I have other books by this author but this one is my favorite. I love the Celtic prayers. And this is more than just prayers but can be used for devotions at the beginning and end of the day. There are prayers and opportunities to read scriptures and to insert your own prayers of thanksgiving. There is also an invitation to be silent and listen to God.

Excellent resource. This is the best book of Celtic prayer that I have ever used.

This little book is a wonderful guide for those who already have a daily prayer resource or, for those who want something new and refreshing. It covers the basics: thanksgiving, intercession, confession, silence and even makes a space for daily scripture readings. In that very special Celtic way "Celtic Prayers from Iona" seeks to bring us into a daily relationship with all created order.

I've been trying to get into the habit of daily prayer, but find the standard daily offices too long, too oriented toward group use, and too bound by times of day for someone on a modern and/or unstable schedule - I don't know anyone for whom praying concerning the end of the day at early evening is really appropriate. This book was recommended to me by my spiritual advisor, and provides a liturgically grounded daily office that fits far better for me - the prayers are short without being incomplete, and work well even for someone who typically prays alone at 9am and midnight (or even noon and 2am). The language of the prayers is quite beautiful, and partakes in the Celtic tradition of having an emphasis on the goodness and beauty of *this* world; it's very grounded in actual life. I particularly like the use of the beautiful psalm 139 throughout the week, as it happens to be my favorite. I'm a high-church Episcopalian, but I don't see any reason this book would be unsuitable for Roman Catholics or low-church Episcopalians.


My only complaint is that there are no prayers for Sunday - to leave out Sunday morning on the expectation that the reader will attend church instead is reasonable enough, but it would be nice to have something for Sunday evenings.

Great Book, I am on the road alot and it is a must have during my travels. Cant wait for the next book?

For all your frustrated drivers out there, help is on the way. So hang up the phone with your shrink and start cancelling all those anger management courses. Laughter is the best remedy. And you'll get plenty of chuckles out this pocket-sized handbook!

This book is very funny and a must have!!! I love the characters that are featured in the book as well. This is going to make a great stocking stuffer during Holiday time!!!

This is definately a book that everyone should have because it a great party starter and brings up great conversation. Its the type of book that you show to a friend and watch them read it from beginning to end. This book is a "MUST HAVE" for those who drive in traffic everyday. It will also make a great gift.

Very funny book with great illustrations, good enough to read over and over again.

If you run fewer than 30 miles a week, have never uttered the words "my coach" or "my physiotherapist," have never won more than a goodie bag at a 10k... in short, if you are a committed, non-elite, non-professional runner, this book is a must.

This is not to say that professionals won't benefit - they will. But for those of us who don't receive regular training-level medical attention, the great value of this book lies in its ability to clearly distinguish nagging pains that you can often home-treat from those that - even from the first twinge - signal something more serious. Add it to your running library.

If you are a runner for nontrivial amount of time, you are very likely to experience some sort of injury already. I did. And I hope I could have bought and read this book before I started running.

The book covers many common forms of injuries experienced by runners, and gives several treatments you can practice in home. Even if you do see a doctor later, the book is an excellent introduction to what happens to your injury so you can coordinate with your doctor in a more helpful way.

The book is written in a very plain and easy to follow way which is a big plus for non-medical background person like me.

I recommend this book to any runner. If you just start running or plan to run, buy and read this book. You won't regret it and could avoid many possible painful results.

I am only a recreational runner, but this book certainly applied to me as well as the active competitor. It hleps you understand when you should see a health care practitioner, or when you might be able to alter a factor of your regimen to solve some of your own problems. Even in the event that you must see a physician, the book helps you understand the type of information you should share with your provider to be a partner in your own treatment...not to mention how to be a good consumer of healthcare. One aspect I found irritating was the authors several references to his days in Medical school. With DPM after his name, I would think he went through the rigors of a school of Podiatry rather than Medical school. It's just a semantic, but irritates me.

I find that this book has been very helpful in my running and triathlon training. The first few chapters are very good, replete with some basic theory about running and remaining injury free.
The second third of the book is very informative regarding injuries and their treatment.
The last part of the book has great stretching exercises, and good information about how to stay injury free.
My only criticism of the book is based on a comment that my physical therapist had. I've recently had big problems with sprained ankles in both feet and receive physical therapy from a PT specializing in runners. I discussed the book and the chapter on ankles with her and she mentioned that the chapter only describes the author's success and that for every successful treatment outcome, there are lots of not-so-total successes. It would be helpful to understand both.
But overall, a worthy book to buy and read and re-read as the need arises.

Not only did this book manage to supply the info I needed in enough detail to be meaningful, particularly with the case studies, it was actually an entertaining page-turner. The author had such a human voice and managed to entirely avoid the tone of smarmy condescension that seems to be rampant in books of this sort. I was particularly won over by his willingness to even poke fun at himself as a case study. I certainly came away with a new respect for the field of podiatry in sports medicine.

Thank you so much - the book arrived in fantastic condition and I enjoyed it very much.

--Beth :)

In this entry of the popular Rina/Peter Decker series, Kellerman assures us of more Jewish history and customs as the victims in this one are of the Jewish faith. This time the double-edged mystery sends Peter and Rina to Israel to track down the sons of a wealthy diamond magnate and his wife. Did the boys kill their parents? Add to this, the search for a friend of Rina's from New York, who comes to California for a visit with her three children and then mysteriously vanishes as well---to Israel. Add a cool ice queen named Kate Milligan, a shady partner named Shaul Gold, add a few other nasties and Kellerman sends her heroes off into a labyrinthine plot.
Kellerman's a good writer and as she progresses, she tries to focus more on plot and suspense, and not so much on Rina's faith. It does seem surprising though that she manages to slight other religious beliefs while sanctifying her own? Hopefully, as she progresses she'll take some clues from her husband Jonathan and write more substantial works.

I had trouble putting down this book from the very start -- it's a real page turner with a well-plotted mystery -- two of them actually -- keeping you going. The mysteries involve a family who has disappeared out of the blue -- he's a California diamond dealer, so perhaps this was part of a theft -- and a woman and children who arrive unexpectedly for a visit with Detective Decker and his family -- her husband is also a diamond dealer in a Chasidic community in New York. As Decker goes about trying to solve the disappearance of the California family, odd things begin happening with the New York family who are visiting -- they also disappear. Is there a connection?

The mystery takes Decker and wife Rina to Israel, a major diamond cutting/dealing country.

I learned a lot about diamonds and Israel reading this book, and for the most part really enjoyed it. The dialogue was more natural than in some Kellerman books I've read. But -- her pro-Jewish, anti-everything else sentiment was present in this book again, this time in an anti-Moslem bias. Why are metal boxes on door frames considered good religious practice but painting a doorway blue (as Moslems do) treated as superstitious? It seems to me that the customs of Orthodoxy Judaism are unusual enough that Kellerman should be more tolerant and openminded about the practices of other faiths.

Peter Decker and his wife Rina are enjoying family life with her sons and their new baby daughter when Rina's old friend Honey Klein asks to come visit. Rina is surprised because they hasn't been in close contact with Honey in recent years, but she agrees to the visit. Meanwhile Peter works with his partner Marge on a case involving an entire family who have suddenly vanished. The husband is a diamond dealer, and there are many motives for a possible murder, most of them having to do with money. Coincidentally, after Honey comes to the Lazarus home, her husband, also a diamond dealer, is mysteriously killed. Peter's quest for the truth in these matters eventually takes him and Rina to Israel where they pursue missing persons from both of these cases. As usual, author Kellerman weaves interesting facts about the orthodox Jewish religion as well as Peter and Rina's evolving family life. The trip to Israel adds an extra dimension to the story, and the total package is very satisfying for a mystery reader.

In my book 'Sanctuary' is one of the best in the Peter Decker/ Rina Lazarus series. The story revolves around the missing husband of Rina's friend. The search takes Rina and Peter to Israel where we are treated to a fascinating tour of the West Bank and the diamond trade in Israel. What makes this entry so important today is the portrayal of the continuing conflict and violence that shapes Israel's future and her people. It is a pleasure to read a book that is both thoughtful and fun to read.

My only other suggestion if you are new to Faye Kellerman is to start at the beginning with 'Ritual Bath' to see the relationship between Rina and Peter unfold. Then read all her books in the order in which they were written. Its a great series.

Frank Peretti is one of the best authors on the face of this Earth. This book, The Secret of the Desert Stone, displays that talent. He perfectly captures the greatness, and soverigntiy of God in a creative way. Once again, I totally admire the Coopers maturity as Christians, and their complete trust in the Father.

I'm a big Cooper Kids fan (and my name is Cooper, too). This book, Secret of the Desert Stone, is one-of-a-kind. As far as plots and settings and storylines in general go, this one's OK or above average, but nothing fantastic. In fact, if that was all I was looking at, I would rate it three stars. But the reason I rated it five was because breaches the most important thing in a person's life in a totally innovative and oh-so incredible way. The Coopers crash-land in the territory of a savage tribe in Africa while trying to discover the secret of a phenomal stone in an African dictatorship. But what they discover among the people is breath-taking. This book has a POWERFUL spiritual message (and don't get me wrong. It's NOT TOTALLY BORING....just not as action-packed as the other ones. A plain and simple fact meant to inform, not to dissuade). If you're reading the Cooper Kids, READ THIS BOOK. It will be a story you won't forget.

I loved this book! It gives readers a breather in the series, since the most of the books have dangerous situations. This book is not so dangerous until the end, but it is soooo interesting to see the simalarities between the idea's of the people they meet and Christianity. It starts when Dr. Cooper and his kids investigate the apearance of a large, perfectly rectangle stone in a mountain pass. The tribe they meet behind it is very friendly to them. During their stay with the them they discover the tribe is expecting water to come from the stone to help them grow crops, although the army on the other side is terrified of it. Dr. Cooper's family also dicover the people have a religion very similar to Christianity, with some of the same stories that some from the Bible. In the end, the stone saves them all. This is such an interesting book, it was a thrill for me to read.

This book is a great book for all ages. I am currently 17 and I love it. It is a wonderful testimony of what you can do with faith in God.

Dr. Jacob Cooper, Biblical archaeologist, and his two young teen-aged children, Jay and Lila, accompany their father to a small country in Africa after being summoned by Brent Anderson, a missionary to Africa, and two solemn costume-wearing Africans.

Thus begins a very unlikely adventure for the Cooper trio. In Togwana, they meet Dr. Jennifer Henderson, an African-American geologist from Stanford University, who has also been summoned. They face the new dictator Idi Nkromo, a cruel, heavy-fisted ruler. The problem facing these newcomers is the Stone of Togwana, not a stone of nature, not a man-made stone, but a mountain-size creation blocking the range between two actual mountains. What is more, it appears overnight, fully there. The Togwanians call it a baloa-kota, a curse, a plague. The dictator has called a man of archaelogy and spirit and a woman of science to disappear the stone, because the dictator plans to perish the people beyond--the Motasas, stereotypical bone-wearing, spear-chunking Africans.

This new "mountain" measures three miles wide and two miles high. Once they begin to measure and test it, all manner of supernatural things begin to occur. The small group flies to the top in a small aircraft to examine the Stone there. When a monstrous snowstorm threathens to annihilate them, they fly off but strong currents force them to land on the cannibal side among the Motasas. Whereas Togwanians on the other side fear this surreal structure, the Motasas recognize it for what it is: a sign from God.

Let it be said that this is just the beginning of a seemingly parallel world in which a Christ-like personage figures into their mythos and religion. The snake bites them to make them do bad. Coincidentally or not, the villagers have built their houses on stone foundations made of the same red rock as this new mountain. They believe that God will send them water through this mountain so their village will survive and flourish. There are many other direct references to events in the Bible.

Frank Peretti is a popular Christian writer, who weaves stories of faith tested by trial and tribulations. In this series of young adult Christian novels featuring the Cooper trio, Christian values and codes are at the core. Even in their troubling early teens, Jay and Lila remain children of faith, as reflected through their behavior.

This little story is a quiet victory of faith, demonstrated by the Coopers and the Motasas, a seemingly most unlikely people to follow God, which is the point--God can touch all peoples. The novel is a nice read to confirm a young Christian's faith and a reminder of the great working powers of God in all places and in all people. Indeed, God works in mysterious ways to bring about good. But then, you will have to read the book to find out what this Stone brings.

I bought this book a long time ago and it still is my favorite one pertaining to its subject. It's filled with information and gorgeous photography. Various species of sharks are clearly identified, described, and portrayed, and facts are given about diving locales around the world as well. I've always loved rays and no other book has told me as much about them as this one. The chapters on rays are wonderful and very beautifully illustrated. This book is highly interesting and impressive. I recommend it.

I just bought this book and I love it. It has a lot of very interesting imformation. It gives a great over view of sharks and rays, it tells you the basics of everything you would ever want to know about these magnificent animals. It also gives you tips on how to encounter them and how to act around them in their habitats. The photographs in this book are fantastic. It has hundreds of great color pictures. This book is very well written and very interesting. I am really enjoying this book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of sharks and rays.

The Nature Company's Guide to sharks and rays is a well written introduction to this group of truly wonderful creatures. It is not the best book, but if you have an interest it should be in your library. It will be especially useful to the teen reader or marine naturalist/hobbyist. The photography and illustrations are beautiful and informative. The write ups on individual species, while not all inclusive to any particular group or geographic area are great. They cover some little known but fascinating animals. My only complaint is that it's a little TO visual, it tends to rely on the graphic to make points over the text and is a little short on newer science. But this may be a plus for the new student of marine biology. If you or an friend has an interest in fishes in general or elasmobranchs in particular you want this book.

We bought this book as a Christmas gift for our 12 year old daughter who is fascinated with sharks. What a gem!!! We keep it on the coffee table now as a reference book. Every time an undersea show comes on, someone grabs the book to look up whatever they discuss. This book is full of great information and incredible photographs. Anyone interested in the ocean MUST get this book. We are all certified scuba divers and it is especially valuable to us for identifications, habitats and habits of sharks and rays, and general information which we need to know when siting one of these marvelous creatures!!

What an excellent, well organized reference source for anyone interested in sharks, and especially for scuba divers looking for a good identification book.

Of all the shark books I've reviewed, this one tops my list and is recommended to readers of my web site.

This is my first Cioran -- a friend recommended him 16 years ago (!) and I finally got around to it -- well worth the wait. Like any great literature, it "says things we've been thinking" but just haven't been able to enunciate. I *am* very glad that I have thoroughly perused Plato, the Presocratics, Epicureans/Stoics/Cynics before reading this book -- that really added the depth I needed to fully appreciate "A Short History of Decay." For me, this is a book for a "mature" person, it would have gone over my head as a teen/college student (but maybe not for all).

For some, this is their favorite collection of Cioran's writings; it certainly is the most intense of his earlier writings (see my review of his later writings like "Anathemas and Admirations"). These short essays/aphorisms by a master of metaphor (a metaphorician?) contain poetic pyrotechnics that leave permanent afterimages on the psyche.

It may be necessary to do the reading around the nihilistic skepticisms (non-being, futility, annihilation, melancholy, insomnia) and access this amazing imagination that is a metaphor generator second to none. These aphorisms are some of the most intense in the history of the aphorism; a tonic and disturbing lucidity emerges in the reading.

This writing is not quite literary criticism, not quite philosophy (anti-philosophy Cioran would have it). Cioran is a big fan of Taoism and Diogenes the Cynic (the essays "Disintoxication" and "The Celestial Dog"); there is also some dabbling with the religious subject of The Saints and their "perversities" (not sure what that infatuation is about!).

Anyway, here are some quotes to prime the pump:

"Life is possible only by the deficencies of our imagination and our memory"

"Taoism surpasses all the mind has conceived by way of attachment"

"Profundity is independent of knowledge"

"The authenticity of an existence consists in its own ruin"

"Internal wealth results from conflicts sustained within oneself"

"It is because we are all imposters that we endure each other"

All in all, a good place to start with EM Cioran if you're thinking of giving him a shot. His command of language will certainly amaze.

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

Cioran became a famous young writer in Romania, but left Romania for France in 1937 and made Paris his home. This was the first book he published in French, under the title PRECIS DE DECOMPOSITION. It won the Prix de Rivarol for the best French book by a non-French author, and for decades it was the book that overshadowed everything else he published. If a reader wants to know Cioran, this book cannot be ignored. It introduces almost all of the themes he would make his own--suicide, insomnia, solitude, the importance of sickness, repugnance for professional philosophy--and it is the longest book he ever published in French. Richard Howard, the notable translator of many great French authors, has devoted his talents to translating all of Cioran's French books, and has done his typically splendid job. The translation is complete, utterly reliable, and catches all the sneer and boil of Cioran's own style.

Despite its title, this not a history. It is a series of very short essays, a few paragraphs each, on associated topics, most of which deal with his deep skepticism about God and man. Cioran spent years writing and rewriting the book and in later years complained that it was overwritten. I think the elder Cioran was correct in his assessment of the younger Cioran. It remains a book worth careful reading because the young Cioran pushed himself so hard, both in his thinking and in his attention to style.

This book is so beautiful, that's why it could be dangerous. I mean, Sartre could have written about the same, but without the feeling, not "like a burst of blood" like Fante wrote about the true sense of writing. Sartre is boring. Cioran is beautiful, is dangeraous, he can utterly destroy your will to live.

So be cautios... this book is one of the best thing I've ever read (besides T. S. Eliot or Shakespaeare).

He makes fun of all "modern" ideas, all idealism... he teach us the blessing of not to believe in anything.

A great book.

PD: If you read it in frech you can find the beauty of the sentences, the rithym, everything... if you read it aloud it sounds beautiful.

A constant bedside book for me. It dissects our decadence with surgical precision. Its prose is more relevant and brilliant than many surrealist texts to which it invites comparison. The radical questions Cioran sets before the reader makes the book quite disturbing as it often hits the reader who is brutally honest with himself very close to dead-on bullseye. It's one of the most illuminating books of the eschaton as revealed in the immediacy of our lives, as we stand precariously balanced looking direct into the abyss and its depths of nothingness. The reader must harden his heart to withstand the abyss looking back at him straight through the eyes, into the deepest recesses of his own non-being. But then, the reader is reminded by the book's lucidity and made steady through its intransigence as it perforates the existential night with light as dense and permanent as the stars seen from the vantage point of a world steeped in pitch black. Our world.

While this slight volume can't hold a candle to something like Will Friedwald's comprehensive analysis of Sinatra's recorded career, it's quick and handy. Moreover, while the authors' selections will inevitably produce disagreements, their choices are unlikely to provoke incredulity (no "My Way," or recommendations from the "Duets" albums). And when there are multiple versions of the same tune, which is more often than not the case, the authors give helpful rankings of the best choices. But just to give you an idea of how necessarily inadequate a collection limited to 101 recordings is, Sinatra's absolutely sublime, definitive Reprise recording of "I Hadn't Anyone Til You" is not mentioned. Still, I find myself making more use of this book than any other about Old Blue.

The music of Frank Sinatra is timeless and though the title contains the words "the 101 Best Recordings", you may find that it is just a starting point and find your own 101 favorites. You have over 1000 songs to choose from so your picks are bound to be different than the authors. The book lays out 101 excellent songs, gives information to listeners (date recorded, album it can be found on, arranger, etc.) and tells the background of the song and sometimes an anecdote about when it was recorded. The book is not only for longtime fans of Sinatra's work (though they will be more familiar with all the names, etc.). If your Sinatra cd collection extends to one cd of his greatest hits, then this book can help you figure out where to go next. The stories and anecdotes may not mean much but you can figure out if you want to explore Frank's Columbia, Capitol, or Reprise years. For the experienced Sinatra listener, the book is excellent for starting debate with fellow Sinatra fans or perhaps rediscovering a gem you've forgotten or never really listened to before. Obviously, it is not a biography so don't expect stories about Frank the man, just Frank the singer. My only complaint is that I wish they gave more detail to the songs. I realize they had 101 songs to review, but I wanted more background about the recording session and Frank's opinions and views of the songs. However, there are other books for that.

Sinatra's approach to lyrical interpretation and his unique sense of tempo is what set him appart from the rest. Sinatra 101 is an excellent compliment to any Sinatra record collection. Too bad there is not a CD Box set of all the songs listed in the book so that readers could read along as they listen to the master at work. As a vocalist and student of Sinatra's sound, I have greatly benefited from Sinatra 101. Sinatra 101 has expanded my knowledge of the music and provides an excellent reference source which I have used to educate audiences during live performances. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED READING FOR ANY SINATRA FAN.

How do you pick the 101 greatest Sinatra recordings? The authors certainly came up with arguably the definitive list,and presented it in a most enjoyable read.Another reviewer wished there was a CD boxed set to accompany the book. I did the next best thing. I have an extensive Sinatra collection and I happen to have all the 101 songs(the correct versions). I bought some high quality cassettes and simply went through my CDs and tapes and put together the audio to the book..three 90 minute and one 60 minute tape covered the 101 songs.Needless to say, it was a labor of love putting these songs in order and is fascinating to read the descriptions and history of the songs as they are playing.

While the popularity of the Sinatra persona will rise and fall as fashions change, the music is timeless. "Sinatra 101'' spotlights the songs and the stories behind them. In concise, to-the-point language, the authors, Ed O'Brien and Robert Wilson, offer the sort of critical insights that will send you rushing back to the songs themselves, giving you the chance to fall in love with the music all over again. What more can you ask?