Shopping Books

I read this book for a second time after Richard Russo's "Empire Falls" brought it to mind. Although it lacks the epic sweep of Russo's novel, "Whisper My Names" shares a similar setting (small town New England), eccentric and often comical characters, and a narrative informed by American realist traditions.

Hebert perfectly conveys the small-town rivalries, petty grievances, and endearing foibles that afflict the fictional town of Darby, New Hampshire, where two of his previous novels were set. The source of the town's current problems is a proposed shopping mall that (to some) promises new jobs and revenue and (to others) threatens the area's rustic way of life. The novel's characters are motivated by greed, principles, politics, and pretensions--and some of them just don't care. All in all, Darby is a microcosm of American life.

At the center of it all is Chance, a journalist covering the story while seeking the identity of his real father and pursuing Soapy, a young girl whose parentage is equally unclear. But the most memorable character is perhaps Ike Jordan, a churlish fraud and petty criminal from the wrong side of the tracks who has pretensions of becoming one of the town's leaders.

It's a shame this book is out of print. I can only hope that the University Press of New England, which has reprinted Hebert's first two Darby novels, will see its way to adding this book to its list.

This book is a must for out of town shoppers in New York City. It helps organize where to shop and includes a map where the stores are located. Since you have to depend on public transportation, it is difficult to get around and "shop" until you drop. The book includes stores listed by neighborhoods, addresses, and phone numbers. I called many stores before I arrived in the city and checked for availability of items that I wanted to purchase. My move was made easier by using this guide to see which stores were located in New York so that I could "preview" at home what I wanted to buy there.

Michael Crichton does it again with another brilliant book covering fictional scientific story elements. I am a huge fan of Michael Crichton work and he continues to satisfy his intelligent base of fans with another page turning book. I read this entire piece over the holiday weekend and I was consumed from the first chapter. Michael has a rare gift in developing stories that move and characters that evolve; creating a wonderful mix of science, fiction, and entertainment.

Crichton does a fabulous job of portraying how our human ignorance can lead us down a path of no turning back. How much do we really know about how computer technology works? What explains the strange anomolies that appear in computer code? "Prey" shows us just one hypothetical example of what could happen. It also makes you wonder how long before science fiction turns into science.

First I want to apologize with the readers of this review because of my English knowledge. My native language is Spanish, so you may find some mistakes here. (It will be great if someone wants to send me a comment with the mistakes for me to know)

About the book: Is not to short, however all the action take place in a few days. Maybe that's why I felt like I was seeing a slow motion movie.

The book is written as if the author were the protagonist of the action and, more often than not, he gives you a few paragraph about some technical details, what is great to let you know that all that happens may be possible in the real world, but sometimes feels like out of place. For example the protagonist is in a dangerous situation, and in that moment he takes time to gives us a long thought about how the wild animals behave and the reasons for that behavior.

At the end all the credible theories finish with a revelation worth of a bad science fiction story.

I had to make a pause in the reading about the middle of the book (because I was boring) and then after a while, start reading again to know how everything ends.

For the third straight book from Michael Crichton that I've been disappointed. He really needs to re-read his earlier novels to capture that magic again.

This book was predictable and the characters were so flaw that it was hard to root for them instead you rooted against them. It reminded me a lot of a book I just finished, Mount Dragon, but that one was a lot better. I've been a fan of Crichton for a long time and hopes he get his act together.

To sum it up, this was plain awful and if you need a good Crichton fix, read Congo, Jurassic Park, or Sphere. Maybe next time, the real Michael Crichton will stand up.

Prey is set mainly in the Nevada desert. At a research lab, an experiment with limited intelligence, nano technology, has gone wrong. Some of the nano particles have escaped into the atmosphere, and are starting to learn, adapt and multiply outside of the laboratory environment. As they become more intelligent, they start to become a threat to the scientists
inside their facility.

I found this book slow moving at first. We are introduced to the main character, Jack Forman, an unemployed IT expert, and his family. His wife works at the research lab, in the desert, but the first part of the book deals mainly with Jack, and the increasingly strange behaviour of his wife. I suppose this is good from the character building point of view.

Once, he visits the research lab, however, the book starts to get going, and the suspense starts to build, as they realise the enormity of the problem that they have on their hands, and the novel becomes a race against time, to destroy the nano particles. Overall, a fairly good read, with a few twists, reasonably good characterisation, but, also, very 'technical' in places.

This was a good book but it was my least favorite of the series. It is worth reading if you've already started the series.

Becky Bloomwood Brandon has done it again... she really cannot be upfront with anyone when it comes to mishaps, but isnt that why we all love her. This book is very comical, and you will still root for Becky even if you know that she should really let others be privy to important information.
I did find Becky's sister a little on the snobby side (snobby as in attitude not moneywise). I thought Becky tried very hard to make a relationship with her, and the sister was very resistant to this.
In the end, things turn out all right, but Becky's journey to "everything will be fine" will have you laughing. Pick this one up for a funny light read.

I was nervous when I started reading this one due to many of the negative reviews, but I have to say, I was happily surprised! I just became a fan of the Shopaholic series and I just love Becky & Luke! I really didn't think their relationship was given enough attention in this first book, but it picked up from there and I will have to say the reader really gets to get in deep with their relationship in this book. I have to agree with a previous reviewer who compared Becky to Lucy Ricardo - that's exactly who she reminds me of. In Sister, I did not find myself feeling as frustrated with Becky for not owning up sooner. Unlike others, I thought she had grown more in this book. She seemed to own up to her mistakes much quicker (there were just SEVERAL to own up to in this book). I really think this one was my all time fave of the series. I have the next one (Baby) ordered already and can't wait to read it. But I do admit that I'm a little sad that it's the last one. I really hope Sophie Kinsella finds a way to bring us more Luke & Becky!

Another really cute Shopoholic book. It won't win a Pulizer, but it will keep you entertained. It's a funny, light read and the characters are endearing.

This is actually the first book I have read out of the Shopaholic series. Mainly that's because it was the only one my library had.
This book was funny and great for a lighthearted read which is a nice change from the books I usually read.
I only gave this book 3 stars because it was just not one that pulled me in. The main character, Becky, is amusing but reminds me of Amelia Bedilia (from the children's series) because she is such a simpleton! She obviously is blonde and at times it was annoying that she thought so plainly - not taking a hint or thinking more before acting.
I will read the other books in this series since they got better reviews than this one. Maybe this one was the dud of the series!

i read the book because of the title, i'm kind of interested in how we tick, and though i don't think a book would be able to answer this question, attempts amuse me. however. this was not about why we buy, but about how stores position things so that you might want to buy them, a marketers perspective on the retail store if you will. and it was interesting for the most part, but it was only a passing fancy interesting, not a stop what you're doing and read this book interesting. things like who shopped with who was taken into consideration and a hypothesis on how merchandise or where to put the store was given accordingly. pretty much the whole book right there. ok i might be simplifying, but still, this book could've been a lot more, or i was expecting a lot more than what was given, so it was a disappointment i suppose. still, i think it should be read, even if it's only bathroom reading, because there is definitely something to be taken away from the book. nothing ground breaking, but something none the less:P

This book is insightful, intelligent, and provides an invaluable view at the commercial world we live in. Paco Underhill is an amazing writer, the book is an easy & an enjoyable read.

First, as already pointed out in previous reviews, the title is totally misleading.
Second, there is no info you can use and Underhill knows it. "Why We Buy" is just a bunch of stories about how the author's company supposedely solved specific problems of specific clients through primary research.
"Primary research (also called field research) involves the collection of data that does not already exist. This can be through numerous forms, including questionnaires and telephone interviews amongst others." (Wikipedia). If you know anything about research you know you can't safely extrapolate these "discoveries" to your particular case or, in other words, use them as guidelines.
Underhill knows his stories have no value because primary research is what he does for a living. That's what Underhill writes about, i.e. that the only way to solve the problem is through field research in that particular store.
(A small note: yes, primary research is the best way to get the right answer, but also is the most expensive way. You may get the same results at only a fraction of a cost through secondary research.
"Secondary research (also known as desk research) involves the summary, collation and/or synthesis of existing research rather than primary research, where data are collected from, for example, research subjects or experiments." (Wikipedia)

So why was the book written? Hm...let me guess: to promote the author and his company and to exploit gullible uneducated readers.
When you purchase this stuff you pay for something you may not want to read for free. It's like paying $15 to watch an infomercial. Hey, I'm glad I never paid for that kind of enlightenment!

Paco Underhill is a MUST read for anyone working in a retail store environment. Brilliant.

This book provides excellent insight into the minds of retail shoppers. I would recommend it to anyone involved in the design, marketing, manufacturing, or business fields...it's pretty interesting even if you don't make a living off of it. Muy bien.

I got this as audio book and it's few of the amazingly written and performed audio book. We listened to this in our commute and travel and kept us tightly intrigued and left us laughing and thinking at the same time. The author has degree in Asthetics and it shows. The story is pretty honest and simple but very well told. I think author manages to create pretty good humor out of everyday life, observations and his thoughts about himself as well as outside world. The voice for reading audio book has emotions, truth, passion and captivating rhythm. The story is simple: The author ends up as a temp after graduation but he has no willingness to succumb to serve as corporate drone or be "useful" in that context. But then Internet train arrives which is hard to resist but only to end up as customer rep. People who wants to know about how Amazon worked in its hey days will find pretty good meat here (author was about first of 300 employees). This might be probably the only book on inside look in Amazon corporate world unlike other companies like Microsoft and Google. While being funny, author doesn't escape to reflect on today's corporate servitude and how these entities strives to keep it alive by taking in as many bodies it can regardless of trivial passions and purpose that they offer.

I guess my interest in this book was to take a look into the heart of a .COM business to see if the people inside actually beleived some of the crap they were trying to sell people outside. What I mean is that this was a "new economy", and that profits were not what it was about. (god knows how many stocks went over $100 without a single profit in sight!)

Well, the glimse into Amazon was from a single guy, who didn't fit in from the start...so it might be a bit slanted.....on the other hand, he admits to "drinking the cool-aid" a bit himself and getting into the culture.

Bottom line....it looks like the .COM people believed in their jive even more than the people who bought $100/share stock off them.....

As for the book, it was an easy read.....and to me gave me a fair bit of insight into that world. (I was working at a computer company who's stock also went through the sky....but we were also making good profits.)

The run-up of the .COM "bubble" was always a mystery to me...and this book does go some part of the way to help me understand it. (but don't look for technical analysis....just the ramblings of the days in this guy's life at Amazon.....his low's, highs, and lows again)

I bought this book, thinking that it would offer some insight into Amazon.com in terms of what it was like to work there during its halcyon days. Touted as a funny memoir, among other things, I was to discover that it was none of what was promised. In fact, the book was painfully difficult to read, as it was very poorly written, decidedly not funny, and offered little insight into what it really was like to work at Amazon. It was totally sophomoric in terms of what it did say.

The author should be thankful that he was not fired by Amazon, as that is what he richly deserved to have happen based upon his own account of what he was like as an employee. He was a total slacker who treated customers with the contempt that he felt that they deserved. He was totally wasteful of the company's resources. He proudly stole supplies in bulk from the company. When toys were given to him for review purposes, he not only did not bother to review them, he then refused to return the toys to Amazon. He may think that all this is hilarious. Unfortunately, I do not. Reading this drivel felt like it took twenty-one dog years.

Moreover, this book was so poorly written, I am surprised that a reputable publisher went ahead with the expense of actually publishing it. Don't waste your time with this drivel. If you want to read a well-written, interesting book about working at Amazon, read "Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot. Com Juggernaut" by James Marcus.

Mike Daisey's memoir is about his experience working for amazon.com. In the book, he tells about how he got the job, and how he ended up leaving the job. I chose to read this memoir because, it was kind of the only one I could find that seemed even semi-interesting. I probably should have chosen more carefully, because there were a lot of things in the book that I didn't understand very much. In his memoir Mike Daisey tells about his excitement to join amazon, to how it got to be to the point where he couldn't stand it, to moving to a new position, only to leave amazon .com for good.
The book starts with Mike Daisey introducing himself. He explains how he was lazy, and never really did anything with his life. This is relevant later on in the memoir, when he gets hired for amazon, and actually feels like he is working for a living. Anyway, he ends up moving to Seattle, and getting a job at a temping service. He doesn't like his job, so he starts to look for new jobs. While he is between jobs, he moves in with his girlfriend. His search for a job is ongoing until he finds amazon.com. He applies for the job, and after several interviews, he gets the job, and is entered into a four week training period. He is taught about the company, and how to do the job. He ends up coming out of the training period very enthusiastic about the job. At the end of the training period, he and several other are officially offered the job. He accepts, and starts working in the customer services for amazon.
At first the job is okay and he along with all the others turn into amazon believers. He refers to it as a religion, because they all believe that amazon is like the way of the future, and are pretty much obsessed with their jobs. The job soon becomes unbearable for the author, and he finds himself trying to get out. He tries to write reviews for items, but falls behind, and finds himself at square one. He then applies for a different division that is out of customer service, and finds the job to be very appealing. He is pleased with the job until he starts hearing rumors about lay-offs, and is noticing cuts that the company is making. He is using the bathroom when he sees a spreadsheet, and reads it. It had all of the salaries of all the upper level worker, and some of whom he had worked with. The were making millions of dollars, and were idiots who didn't do anything. He found this combination of things disappointing, and ended up leaving the company because of it.
The whole experience is important to the author, because it wasn't a natural experience working for this big company. From my perspective the author felt like the whole company was kind of weird. I think one of the main reasons that he wrote this book is to expose how odd the job experience was. Especially when he says that the amazon thing turns into like a sort of a religion for him, and his co-workers, and that the CEO of the company, named Jeff, is like a god to them. Also how the job kind of takes over their lives, and the spend all their time focusing on the job, and competing with the other employees.
What the author got for the whole experience is kind of like what I mentioned before. He really got exposed to how strange and unnatural the job situations at companies like that are. He saw first hand how easy it was to fall for this whole system that convinced workers to push themselves too much, because they truly believed that they were actually making a difference, and sort of staring a revolution. As far as the title goes, it is referring to how one of the rules or beliefs is in this time system where the amazon employees are working faster, and so they refer to their years like dog years. I interpreted this to mean that the amazonians, as the author called them were working so hard and quickly that they were getting several years' work done in one year. I thought the book was good, but it was over my reading level, and I found it some parts boring, since it was also over my maturity level, and I couldn't relate to some of the things that the author mentioned.

"21 Dog Years" is a satirical account of life as a Amazon.com employee by self-described slacker Mike Daisey, who was recruited though a staffing company in 1998 to work in Customer Service Tier 1 and left the company in a fit of angst in 2000 in spite of enjoying his position in Business Development. The book's audience might be those seeking workplace comedy or those in search of information about Amazon.com's culture. "21 Dog Years" originated as a one man show, so it aims to entertain. At the same time, the book is very much in the tradition of gonzo journalism: insightful but inherently subjective and self-interested. If it is information about Amazon.com you seek, it's a little difficult to know where the hyperbole begins and ends. Mike Daisey's perspicacity is obvious from Chapter 1, where he observes the predicament of Gen Xers in the Baby Boomer economy of the 1990s, and he never hesitates to dwell on his own faults -which are many. He was a bad Customer Service Rep. He loved his company, but hated his job. Daisey seemed more competent and content in his Business Development position, but most of the book is about his experiences in Customer Service, probably because discontent is more compelling than comfort.

As for whether the book is funny, I think it has more moments of insight than comedy. It is informative only if you are interested in how the company philosophy was felt by low-level employees. The book's most obvious fault is that Mike Daisey is a generally unsympathetic personality. Not so much because he is a liar and a crook, but because he is whiny and self-absorbed. Only his intellect makes "21 Dog Years" readable. "Amazonia", written by Amazon.com employee #55 James Marcus, who spent 5 years with the company, is a more informative, literate account. But Marcus seemed to be trying very hard not to offend anyone, leaving readers to glean his opinions between the lines. "21 Dog Years" suffers from the opposite style: It's all about mouthing off, sometimes to the point of sensationalism. People are either going to love this or hate it, but I'm giving "21 Dog Years" 3 1/2 stars because I found the book to be very readable and intermittently insightful.

You have to have a little respect for someone who can find a way to say the same thing a hundred different times. Oh my goodness, Steel can create great plots but it boggles my mind that her editors let this repetition go unchecked. Of course, I keep buying this stuff because of its pure fluff value. I love chick lit. This audiobook has had me throwing things at my ipod speakers, though.

This was the first book I've read by Danielle Steel, and I must say I'm glad I did. It was a little bit too repeating sometimes, Danielle tells us the same things over and over again, but it's definitely worth reading it anyway. Once I'd got started, it was hard to stop reading it, and I'm a 100 per cent sure that I will remember this story for the rest of my life.

The book is about Isabelle, a warm-hearted and lovely woman who lives an unhappy life in Paris. Her husband seems to hate her, her youngest child, Teddy, is deadly sick and needs her to take care of him and her daughter Sophie is busy living her own life. Isabelle lives for her sick child and has no other choice then to let Gordon, her husband, treat her however he wants to, because she needs him to pay for Teddy's treatment which he'll refuse to do if she'll cause him any trouble. But Isabelle has got one thing she appreciates more then anything else - she has her daily phone calls with Bill.
Bill is also stuck in a loveless marriage and he's afraid to get a divorce, because he thinks that it might hurt his career. He lives in the US, has two daughters and a wife which is constantly unfaithful to him.

Anyhow, Teddy is getting better so Isabelle decides to do something she's never done before - she's going to make a short trip to London to meet Bill there and leave Teddy with his nurses. Everything turns out just fine and they're having a great time, until Bill's limousine gets hit by a bus. Within a few seconds both of them are put in between life and death and now they have to start their long journey back to their old lives. But is it even possible after the things they've experienced together..?

yes, the writer seems to repeat herself a lot in the story. i almost thought there were only two characters after reading the first 100 pages. but then it grew better, and even more appealing towards the last 100 pages. it is a decent novel, and i'm glad i read it. it is not as thought-provoking as the two novels of anita shreve i read, but i certainly enjoyed the reading.

I had never read a Danielle Steel book before, and decided to give her a try, given that she is so popular and has so many books published. I was pretty disappointed. I agree with the other reviewers that the plot is unrealistic; however, if a book is unrealistic but well-written and engaging, I would still like it. I think the biggest problem with this book is the author's excessive repetitiveness. Yes, I get that this character is really cold and unloving---that was already covered 50 pages ago! In addition, character traits could have been better conveyed through situations, rather than simply stating, "so and so was a devoted mother" and repeating this fact again and again and again. These flaws in the author's writing kept me skipping through whole sections of the book. This book did not leave me wanting to read more of Ms. Steel's books. It is an ok book if you like romance and very easy, repetitive reading.

This the first of Daninell's books I read. I learnt that she was the Queen of romance novel since I was a teen. I'm a little disappointed by the book because it's really boring for most of the part. It's like reading an alternative version of Princess Diana's traffic accident. I realize that Daniell likes to repeat herself a lot. There are too many reptitions of descriptions of all kinds. It's also too predictable. To me, everything that Bill did is really cheesy and unreal and his stubborness of rejecting and denying Anabelle after he became paralysed makes me wonder what a tyranny psycho he is that he just wants to inflict pain on the woman who loves him and who has nobody there for her at all. It's really hard to believe any man who acts so unreasonably stubborn on his own version of love and happiness that he can actually be an ideal partner for any woman. Men like that are normally pretty controlling and emotionally abusive. This is the major element in the book that really turns me off. I have to admit that the last part where Anabelle finally convinced Bill to be with her is quite touching. I think Ms. Steel does have her crowds of fans. My boyfriend's mother had been crying all the way thru the book.

I teach Consumer Marketing and love social science interpretations of 'real world' behavior. Hence I picked up "Call to the Mall" with personal and professional excitement. Overall, I was disappointed. On the plus side, there are some wonderful examples of behavior that we all do or have seen. However, the is sadly little data to back these up for being more than informed opinions of the author or his companions. He has a company that does this, he must have access to great descriptive stats that would increases both the richness and credibility of his observations. The breezy style makes the book fun and easy to read but I found Mr. Underhill strong personal bias toward urban (especially NYC)shopping repeatedly annoying. I have lived in 8 states in both urban (including Manhattan) and suburban settings and the urban (even NYC) shopping isn't all glorious and the mall shopping all tacky, although you might think so after this book. It reminded me of my students in NYC who had so little breadth of experience that they thought all the world wished it could be like NYC. Finally, the walk-through-the-mall structure of the book emphasizes its lack of themes or theses. Not clear what you take-away about understanding shopping behavior, other than Mr. Underhill's opinion that malls are tacky, out-dated and not well designed (very possibly true but not supported by evidence other than his observations). While I understand that he is not an academic, he is a world-renowned expert on descriptive shopping behavior so I was looking for more richness of analysis and insight beyond the examples.

"Call Of The Mall" follows on from the most fascinating, entertaining and useful retail research book ever written, "Why We Buy. The Science of Shopping" which is a must read for everyone involved with retail.

"Call Of The Mall" is also easy to read, though it has far more of Paco Underhill's opinions and far less actual research to back up his conclusions. It examines how Americans use the mall, what it means, why it works when it does and why it often doesn't work at all well.

I have the feeling with this book that Paco Underhill has been reading too much of his publicity and now believes he is a witty, entertaining writer. So, in some ways it's a bit of a let down. However, for anyone involved in a management role within shopping centres it's still a `must read'.

I had to read this book for a consumer-behavior class. The subject matter is so interesting and full of unique little insights about our consumer culture, but Underhill gives only a cursory analysis; in reality, most of the book seems to be a mechanism for name-dropping clients and touting the glorious magic that is...Paco Underhill.

Underhill's writing style is flippant and annoying, but having said that, it is a quick and easy read and a good intro to anyone interested in the topic.

"The Call of the Mall" is a book that is sure to please the "minority" of Americans who do not favor the big box/stripmall/fashion mall culture of mainstream America. I am among that growing group of people seeking more sustainable, more humane geographical models of existing and getting along with one another. As an introduction to this notion, "Call of the Mall" is indeed "engaging" as another reviewed described it. However, it does not really address the underlying WHYS of the physical structure of modern America, nor does it propose realistic solutions.

Underhill meanders through the mall voicing his observations aloud. It feels like an informal tour, but his knowledge of shoppers and retailers is based on the indepth study that has consumed his adult life.
Along the way, he entertains us with descriptions of avid women shoppers, men's discomfort in the mall setting and how teens and seniors interact with malls. The reader gains new insight into his/her own behavior while shopping and in the way the stores lure the buyer.
He touches on international malls, as well as the typical American mall. He exposes their flaws, suggests changes, and praises what works.
I kept feeling that there must be more to tell, as the effect is of a behind-the-scenes, but not all-the-secrets tour.

I was quite amazed to find such a good read. A while back I read "The Corporation". This present book describes the strand from the corporate world that deals with weddings. They also have become a racket, and Rebecca Mead has the lowdown.

The group of people that created "bridezillas" and "monsters-in-law" is the group of people that--when they get together to tally up the profits--make fun of, and ridicule them. The world of weddings has gone whack! More than ever young women (and men) are emphasizing the wedding in place of the marriage (guess which one of them lasts a lifetime). When did meaning in such a deep relationship become so shallow?

Mead writes in a clear, open style. She brings you to the scene, and lays it out for you. She writes in a "no nonsense" fashion, and is able to be with people easily, and garner information from them easily. It is a must read for every mother with college-aged children. I gave my copy (upon reading it) to such a mother. Dads should read it as well, to get to know what is happening in the world of wedding preparation.

The best information is in the first two-thirds of the book, but the whole work should be read, especially Mead's afterword. The work is an eye-opener, revealing how everyone is out to make a buck (actually lots of them) on the modern bride. It is amazing how we are kept from this truth, and I am grateful to Rebecca Mead for telling it all.

Still, I wish that she had offered a chapter on types of marriage preparation. Although these deal with marriage more than the wedding, they are offered before the wedding.

I got this book after my own wedding. This book cannot help you plan a wedding or even save money on your wedding it does give you a first hand look at the wedding industry. This book will only appeal to people (primarily women) who have already gone through the process of planning a wedding. I personally would reccomend this book for any new bride looking to learn about wedding industry. This book is best read AFTER you wedding.

One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding
My husband & I first heard this woman on the Dennis Praeger show. This book is an absolute necessity for a parent to read, as well as the bride & groom. Contains historical, sociological aspects of a huge industry, that is not altogether altruistic when it comes to having your precious daughter given in marriage. I highly, highly recommend this book.
Barbie Perkins
San Antonio, Tx.

As someone who provides a wedding-related service as a second source of income, I'll point out that many of us do so because we love weddings and don't mind working at them for less than we could earn doing other things. Sure, weddings can be expensive and some couples spend more than they can really afford, but that's up to them as free adults. The author's book appears to be one-sided and has angered many in the wedding industry who are trying their best to be helpful to customers. I'd like to see the author come help run my business for a week and then decide whether I'm part of some conspiracy to part couples from their money.

Next to coal mining and waitressing, one of the more under valued jobs in our society is that of the intrepid, well-informed skeptic, whose role in life is to question that which the rest of us have accepted without full examination. In her new book "One Perfect Day," New Yorker writer Rebecca Mead dares to question our sense of proportion when it comes to how we marry and what it costs us. Her thin but effective book is less an expose, than a sharply written consumer digest of the people and the practices behind that "one perfect day," when bride and groom are encouraged to surrender their financial and emotional sobriety to a $161-billion a year industry. Ms. Mead has done her homework, and offers it up in entertaining bite-size portions that will supply the reader with plenty of cocktail party conversation. While one reviewer found the book "too cynical" for her taste, I believe the author wishes to be more of a consumer advocate than a romance deflator. When she briefly shares the details of her own wedding day, she does so like any bride who's happy to show you the photos. A good read from one of our most observant writers.

Why write a book about Amazon when all the info is on the website, you all ask? It's simple: to provide a hard-copy ready reference, and this book COVERS IT ALL. Everything dealing with both sides (buyer/seller) is here. Also is excellent for those new to the online-shopping experience. A crucial book, and a top-floor volume in the Dummies series.

I should have read this book first and avoided alot of problems THANK-YOU ILS.jess

IT says in the title this book is by "Mara Friedman and mara friedman" but do not be mislead, this is only one person so you get a biased point of view throughout the book. It's basically next to useless: you can't order things from the book, you can't start your own competing website. It doesn't even tell you how.

The "Dummies" series has really fallen down. The last good one they wrote was "Post-It Notes for Dummies" which provided a much-needed rarely-explored analyses of the history of the Post-it, misconceptions on the Post-it (they are not ALL yellow, believe it or not) and multiple uses for the Post-it. One time this model on the catwalk was totally covered in Post-its like she was wearing a Post-it dress. It was very cool.

In summary if you don't like leaving notes lying around DO NOT buy Post-Its and do not bother buying the Post-It book. Unless you want to start your own competing post-it company or something.

Amazon seems to have a lot of zombies wandering around. So many people jumping around screaming at one another about subjects they know nothing about. People that think Modest Mouse is the next Beatles, then of course everyone raving about Al Gore's new movie. The puppets dance and the crowd cheers for more as their marionette strings bob up and down. They scream when you question their intelligence and they cry when you make them realize that the Da Vinci code, and broke Back Mountain are fictional tales and not some kind of in your face "movement". What they need is a primer to help better guide the strings with. This book is a tool that they can use for that!!!

ok so i've never read this book, but if you need a book to navigate amazon.com, then you should just give me your money instead. I mean, I know it's hard to type a word and press enter, and then press buy; i think the real difficulty of amazon.com is how the author managed to write XXX pages about navigating amazon.com. Having said that, it almost makes me want to buy this book, so I'm changing my 1 Star to 2.