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This Arnold Lobel classic should be a fixture on every child's bookshelf. Owl is a gentle soul with whom children can identify, even as they laugh at Owl's silly responses to mundane events in the world around him. Humor ensues when Owl goes too far in anthropomorphizing (tytomorphizing?) winter and the moon, and when he mistakes his own feet for scary bumps under the bed. These stories are a natural for bedtime on a cold winter night, cuddled up under the blankets just before drifting off to sleep.

I originally purchased this book when my children were young, and it was nearly worn out from the numerous readings. My children loved the "bumps" and I always used the "tear water tea" to remind my kids when everything seemed to be going wrong in their world. It is a great little book for children...and some of us adults as well.

My 2 1/2 yr old daughter loves Lobel books and when I moved "up" from the ones in the Easy Fiction area of the library to the Easy - Reader ones I was very pleased as was she. Very short, simple stories with a very clever and imaginative storyline. Like Mousesoup and Mousetails, the stories are just simply good reading stories that my daughter loves hearing over and over and I dont tire of reading.

This book is marvelous. All the stories in this book are so charming, innocent and beautiful. I dont believe my own eyes. Now, all the illustrations are also absolutely wonderful. They are incomparables. As I said, I dont believe my own eyes, because in today's book market (dominated by emptiness, futility and commercial [...]), it is like a glass of pure water in the desert. More, it is a miracle! I read it every night to my children, and cannot put it down myself. I am sad on only one point: I cannot give it 6 stars. Please, buy this beautiful little book to your children. It is a wonderful gift they wont forget. One of these few wonderful souvenirs we all love so much to remember from our childhood.

My son's teacher recommended that he read a lot over the summer to keep up his reading skills. We found this and similar books which are really a delight for him to read...the format as a "chapter book" for young readers allows him some challenge yet we can complete a story in one short sitting. The book's humor keeps him interested and anxious to read the next short story to see what Owl is up to next. I recommend this and any Arnold Lobel books for your young readers. Other favorites are the "Frog and Toad" series, also by A. Lobel.

A classic, if you can find it. If you have one, don't let it out of your sight. A master course on channel theory that is a must have for forensic professionals.

Sell the Nordic Trak on ebay and buy this book.

Jim Hoerricks
http://forensicphotoshop.blogspot.com
Author of Forensic Photoshop - a comprehensive imaging workflow for forensic professionals

I'm a student learning Photoshop and I must say this is one of the best Photoshop books I have ever come across. The authors explain every aspect in a detailed and engaging way. In other books, I may read a chapter and understand how to do something but I often ask why it's done that way. Photoshop Channel Chops gives thorough explanations on many different channel operation methods that makes sense and leaves me wanting to read

Wow! The authors really know their stuff! There is so much information in this book it's scary. This book is a must-read for anyone who takes Photoshop seriously. Sure, it was written years ago when Photoshop was at version 4, and sure the writing gets a bit corny at times, but it is still a "killer app" among Photoshop books.

If you aspire to be a hardcore Photoshop user, this book is probably the one you want above all others. It's not a step-by-step tutorial, a mere reference book, or a book that leads you through the tools and various functions of the software. Instead it discusses the fundamental concepts you need to know to use Photoshop to its fullest. Some statements in the book are outdated, but fortunately, they are usually statements of opinion and occur only in a few places. Most of the book is still applicable since Photoshop today still has channels, alpha channels, paths, layers, and calculations. This book hasn't been updated since it was written in 1998, but it really doesn't need to be. It's not about how to use particular tools and new features. It's about how to think with Photoshop. And it's deep enough to read over and over for reference. I would encourage even beginner Photoshop users to read this book if they are really committed, especially if they want to learn about compositing. By the end of this book, you'll be able to understand how Photoshop does what it does, and why it is such a powerful program.

I hate the books that only talk about particular special effects and how to achieve them, without telling you why it should be done that way. With Photoshop, you want to be in control. This book allows to be in control. It will explain exactly what's going on behind the scenes. After reading this book, I felt like being a Photoshop guru. It was nice.

"Recession Storming" is a must-read for anyone interested in the state of our individual and corporate economy and the very real concept of recession that's particularly relevant today. The book is easily accessible for the layperson and fascinating for the professional. Chockfull of interesting information, "Recession Storming" offers good value for the price.

Nearly all the recession advice applies to marketing in all times. It is not just during a recession that you need to be agressively thinking about how to position and price products. A good book to have and review periodically to inspire your thinking about new approaches.

Rupert Hart's new book is really a practical, survival guide for modern businesses at times such as these (is there anyone out there who really still thinks that we are NOT in a recession, besides our President?). Hart gives step-by-step strategies, with plenty of real examples. If you own a business, you owe it to yourself to have this book!

Rupert Hart's short book is an antidote for the paralysis and inaction that seems to grip companies in the face of recession. Rather than resigning themselves to their fate, Hart argues that recesssion is exactly the time to take the market by storm. After all, if your competitors pull in their horns, then that leaves their customers open to your advances.

The book's style is immediate and reminiscent of Tom Peters, although nothing like as weighty as his tomes. It draws upon Peters' style of making points by means of selected case studies and, indeed, uses many of the same companies, like Gillette and Xerox. If there is a criticism, it is that many of those stories are now 30+ years old and standard fare in any undergraduate marketing course. There seem to be fewer examples from the new economy, which is surprising given Hart's business backgound.

Hart breaks the problems down into small bite-sized chunks and offers creative ways forward for each of the preceived difficulties. Many of these are counter-intuitive, following his main thesis that you need to storm your way out of recession. I found one or two of these possibly ethically dubious, such as his suggestion on p65 that companies should raise their prices (especially for price-insensitive customers) in order to maximise profits, and then simply blame inflation. Setting aside any objections that gouging regular customers is not great business practice, or that raising prices increases inflation, lying about your intentions can never be a good thing in my view. Perhaps I'm simply old fashioned. In any case, Hart is only offering suggestions, not prescriotive dogma.

He makes some interesting points about how forecasters "feel they have an obligation to demonstrate a very positive viewpoint, because confidence has an important effect on business. When people feel that the economy is going to stagnate or stay in the doldrums, they have a fair chance of being right since it is their investment decision which cause it to be so" (p10) He then offers strategies which help business owners take advantage of a downturn in market conditions, such as by offering credit to customers when it is hard to obtain on the open market.

While this book is unlikely to appear as an MBA textbook any time soon (I hold an MBA, so I've read my fair share) because of its breezy and superficial style, it should be a firm favourite among consultants and business owners, who will find his simple recipes both appealing and compelling. It is a resource book crammed with innovative ideas and managers can pick the ones that suit their particular needs without needing to buy into an all embracing strategic vision.

It's an easy read, but one which could have significant impact on a wide range of businesses. Recommended.

As the owner of a real estate franchise and a financial advisory firm, I am in markets down 40% on last year, so I understand first hand just what being in a recession is like.

Rupert Hart is right when he says it is more like feeling becalmed than being in a storm. In those circumstances, its all to easy to hunker down, succumb to torpor and hope things will get better. I know.

For business owners and managers who realise that to survive and thrive in a recession, you actually need to TAKE ACTION, Rupert Hart's book will appeal because it is packed full of ideas to improve revenues from existing clients and to price intelligently to raise margins.

I went through the book systematically making checklists of Rupert Hart's ideas that I can implement in my 2 businesses. The long To Do lists I made testify to its usefullness. Now I'm moving into execution mode.

This book is easy to read, with short paragraphs and useful case-studies. Its overall tone is positive and inspiring.

This is an excellent novel about the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857. The focus of the story is the siege of the British Civil Service enclave at Krishanpur (historically this was the siege of Lucknow). A group of Sepoy soldiers was given new rifle cartridges that were wrapped in greased paper, and the paper was removed by biting it off with one's teeth. The word spread was that this grease was animal grease, which was an insult to religion. The sepoys mutinied, killed their superior British officers, and started marauding across India.

Hearing about the mutiny the (tax) Collector in Krishnapur had ramparts built around the British buildings in Krishnapur. Shortly afterwards the Sepoys attacked in waver after wave for a period of several months. Surprisingly author Farrell describes the sufferings of those besieged with a good deal of humor, humor that pricks holes in the pompous beliefs and attitudes of 19th century British colonizers. We bring them progress, a superior civilization, yet they turn on us marvels the Collector. The condescension doesn't stop with the Indians. At one point the Collector speaks to the British women in the enclave, and silently thinks that in reality women are really useless creatures. It is the men of the world that shoulder the responsibility of getting things done. The padre runs around telling everyone that God is punishing them for their sinful behavior. A new school and an old school doctor constantly disagree over medical treatment. In perhaps the funniest scene of the book the old doctor contracts cholera, and instructs his aides to cover him with mustard plasters. The young doctor, who is aware that cholera victims die from dehydration, initiates a saline IV every time the old doc sinks into a coma. The IV brings him around, and he immediately pulls out the IV and insists on getting his mustard plasters, following which he soon sinks back into a coma. Back goes the IV and the doc becomes conscious again. This cycle goes on and on and becomes hysterically funny.

The British thought they were doing wonderful things for the Indians, but the harsh reality of it is they were creating harsh lives for their colonial subjects. The sepoys, for example, were paid near starvation wages. This is an important novel about the misguided philosophy behind imperialism. Perhaps there is a lesson here for us Americans. Should we really be focused on bringing our way of life to other countries?

Chapatis. It is always difficult to start a novel convincingly, but it's a long time since I saw it done better than it is here. The harbinger of the brutal and bloody Indian uprising of 1857 was, in this narrative at least, the secret distribution of chapatis to the intended victims. I have long forgotten what little I may ever have known about these events, and I would actually be delighted to discover that this detail was not an invention of the novelist's but what actually happened.

If paraphrased, the amount of gore and squalor that is detailed here on page after page would seem grotesque and even intolerable. As told by Farrell, it manages to be neither. This was the Victorian era, and the story is a scenario of British Victorians subjected to pressure and strain of near-incredible ferocity. The author does not spare us the specifics, and it will be a long time before I forget the spongy piles of corpses, the sense of near-unbearable heat in which I for one would have had difficulty in even wearing the stuffy formal clothes let alone dancing let alone battling for my very life, the pervasive stench, the outbreak of cholera and the indelible vignette of the lapdog chewing the face off a fallen defender. Even more extraordinary, to me, than the way they keep going is what they don't do and in particular what they think and don't think. There is no real instance of irrational panic whatsoever, and although the Padre for one has clearly gone slightly round the bend, the way this manifests itself is in an obsessional fixation with denouncing Sin and Heresy, and largely with his frantic concern to prove that great Victorian preoccupation The Existence of God from something like Aquinas's Argument from Design.

At the height of the horror, the Collector is still thinking in Victorian vocabulary and expressing himself in subordinate clauses. Staring death in the eye, the young intellectual Fleury is still concerned with his theories, whether in respect of the operation of guns or of the progress of rationalism. The ladies themselves, who might have been expected to be in a state of blind terror, are still weighing up the niceties of how the matrons and widows on the one hand, and the Fallen Woman on the other, are expected to comport themselves. Most amazingly of all, when the cholera first breaks out the two doctors conduct a lengthy and articulate debate on its causes and remedies, keeping the attention not just of each other but of an attentive audience.

The book abounds in unforgettable incidents - the smothering cloud of cockchafer beetles, the snowstorm, the slaughter of one rebel contingent with silver forks from the dining-room and marble busts of Socrates and Keats - but what is distinctive and extraordinary about this book is its tone. Its tone is quiet, detached and wry without being aggressively ironic. No heavy lessons are preached (although it's not hard to see which side the author is on when it comes to religion). No particular political standpoint is adopted either, the nearest we get to that being the shoulder-shrugging last paragraph. The whole saga ought to have been a filthy nightmare, but instead the reader feels rather like the onlookers who have come along with picnic lunches to watch the events as if they were watching a game of cricket. It has all been Virgil's `plurima mortis imago' - the omnipresent face of death, and yet it has been a bit of a spectator-sport too. I'm actually rather glad I'm no historian in this instance. I don't know what set off the uprising, and once the relief forces turn up so far as I know things went back to much as they were before. The author offers us no theories or explanations: he just leaves us having witnessed wholesale and insensate slaughter and wondering what it can all have been in aid of.

Its rare to find a book that combines a fascinating story with great character studies and development and meticulously researched history to make a point about our civilizing impulses. It took me a bit of effort to get into it, and then couldn't put it down. The introduction by Pankaj Mistry provides a great synopsis of the themes, and I really enjoyed rereading it after I finished the story.

"The Siege of Krishnapur', the second of J.G. Farrell's now classic works on the British Empire, (see also Troubles (New York Review Books Classics) and The Singapore Grip (New York Review Books Classics)) is a fictionalized account of the Siege of Lucknow during the Great Mutiny of 1857-1858 (aka the Sepoy Rebellion). The mutiny or rebellion, depending on one's point of view, was ultimately defeated by the British and led to the replacement of East India Company rule by direct British governance under the Raj.

Farrell masterfully recreates the insular British upper-class life in India - and the siege only intensifies this insularity. As the siege drags on and on, the inhabitants strive to maintain expected standards of behavior and decorum. Farrell populates his book with interesting characters who debate and dispute morality, religion, progress, and civilization.

Excellent introductions are a hallmark of the New York Review of Books Classics and the introduction to this volume by Pankaj Mishra places the book in historical and cultural context and adds significant value.

Highest Recommendation.

At the climax of this magnificent novel, the book's protagonist, Hopkins, the British civil administrator or Collector of Krishnapur, finds himself trapped in a Union Jack whose flagstaff has been shot down, knocking him to the ground. He recognizes it as the scenario of a persistent nightmare that had been troubling since his small enclave had been put under siege several months before. But it is also a symbol for the entire book.

The initial set-up here is similar to that of the author's TROUBLES: a group of British colonialists crammed together in a decaying building while the threat of native rebellion comes closer. But this is larger in scope, with a bigger cast of characters, grander themes, and a rebellion which is much more than some background disturbance. Unlike the violence in TROUBLES, which is seen at first hand only in the hallucinatory final chapters of the book, this one (the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857) takes center stage about a third of the way into the movel, leading to harrowing scenes of death, starvation, and disease. On the level of a simple war story, these events (based on the siege of Lucknow) make for a stirring story of heroism and courage -- especially where these qualities are unexpected, is in the formerly stuffy Collector who discovers hidden talents for generalship and strategy, and the young poet George Fleury, fresh out from England, who proves to have a strong practical streak and a remarkably cool head.

Also as in TROUBLES, there is a pervasive eroticism to this book, centering around three of the younger woman besieged in the Residency: the debutante Louise, chaste belle of Calcutta balls; Miriam, George's young widowed sister, tired of being assigned to stereotypical female roles, and Lucy, whom everybody knows as a "dishonored woman" although nobody is entirely clear as to the extent or agency of his dishonor. As the siege persists, the courtship conventions of colonial society are turned on their head by proximity and deprivation. There is one almost surreal scene in which Lucy, attacked by a huge cloud of otherwise harmless flying beetles, rips off her clothes and promptly faints, leaving two young men to scrape the insects off her, in the process discovering the differences between a real female body and a marble statue.

For, despite the bloodshed, Farrell's characteristic tone of comedy is present here too, but now his targets are as much institutional as personal: the hypocracies of colonialism, trivia of class and culture, and Victorian attitudes towards faith and science. As we meet the cast of characters, we find many different points of view: the Padre who believes that the rebellion is God's punishment for sin, the cynical Magistrate who is a confirmed atheist, the Opium Agent who believes only in profit, rival doctors from older and newer schools of thinking, bluff soldiers who do not think much at all but who can yet be excellent at their jobs, the aesthete Fleury whose first reaction to being under fire is to assemble phrases for an epic poem, and the Collector, who believes in progress, but attempts to strike a balance between all points of view. And to a remarkable extent, the author also manages to retain that balance. The siege is a crucible in which every kind of received attitude may be tested, and for the most part found wanting. But Farrell is never preachy or polemical; he does not make everything subservient to a single point of view, even the anti-colonial one. His great gift is to keep you thinking, even as you turn the pages with bated breath. A brilliant achievement!

Don't buy this book for your PR department. Buy it for your attorneys.

Levick bridges the gap between the need for an organization to speak publicly during a crisis and its legal department's desire to keep the corporate yap locked tight. An attorney himself, Levick understands perception trumps fact, and that at crisis time the real battle won't happen in a court of law; it's already happening in the court of public opinion.

Filled with insights and strategies for short-circuiting a media assault from newspapers still in print to online bloggers, "Stop the Presses" is a must-read for those who think they know crisis communications.

Levick also explains the critical need for advance preparation, on-going media awareness and outside legal and communications counsel in a crisis, three steps lacking in too many organizations.

A clear winner.

Dennis Dean
The Dean Group

It's rare that a book can serve as an "insurance policy," but Stop The Presses comes as close as any I have read. Nobody relishes the idea of a crisis situation befalling them or their business--but crises do strike--and by definition, they are unexpected. If a company's management has read, or even browsed those neat little gray "So Don't Forget" boxes at the end of each chapter of Stop The Presses, it will have taken the first step on the road to preparedness.

Ricard Levick and Larry Smith make this sometimes frightening topic eminently readable, and fill the pages with useful, do's, don't and "don't forgets." Their experience is evident all through the book. No book is a substitute for the right advisers and advice, but this one covers many of the crises and legal/regulatory troubles with just enough explanation to start readers on the path to the right kind of actions.

As I stated at the start: it isn't quite an insurance policy, but for $30, it might just save your reputation or your company. And that's probably the best $30 you could spend. Buy it; read it; and hope you never need it. You'll sleep better at night.

After having devoured this book, I can highly recommend reading it.

It is easy to read and offers lots of very practical advice on how to master or even prevent crisis. Richard and Larry have apparently broad experience in helping troubled companies in times of difficulties; and they share their knowledge with a good portion of humor, many real world references and examples, and very helpful appendixes.

Their emphasis on "prevention" made it clear to me how important it is for nearly every company's "survival" to anticipate the potential for crisis and to set up early the required structures. I liked in particular the reminder - or wake up call for many of us - on how important it is to become part of the blog community.

This book should be bed side lecture for everybody who manages communication on behalf of any size and type of company, in particular outside counsel, members of legal and PR departments. It is a great 1x1 on crisis management but also offers lots of depth.

I immediately thought of British Airways' management who should have read this book before opening Heathrow's new terminal and entering into disaster. They would most probably be better off today!

Stop the Presses (2nd Ed.) is a reference book, but it can only be considered a primer for anyone needing to respond to crisis and litigation. I especially like appendix. Most readers will find them helpful.

Reading this book was a great learning experience. It is full of valuable information and "tips" on how to deal with situations that can be a PR or image challenge to an organization. It is easy reading with great stories and examples to support the points that the authors are making.

I would recommend this book to anyone in a management role.

I have met Jeffrey Zeldman at WebBuilder 2002 in Las Vegas and he gave me a copy of this book. Although the audience of the book is "traditional" designers and my background is more of a technical one, I still found it extremely useful.

Zeldman writes in a very light tone, which makes reading the book very easy and enjoyable.

This book gives a good overview of Web Design till 2001.
People who are interested in where the web is coming from will like this book. If your are looking for how web design is done today anno 2005 I would like to recommend Jeffrey Zeldman book "Designing with web standards".

Even though some of the content in this book is outdated (such is the nature of a book based on the internet, which evolves daily), it is still a mainstay in my collection. I would recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested in web design.

Jefferey Zeldman teaches basic, foundation building principles that you will use almost daily during your tenure as a web designer. If your looking for a book to hold you by the hand and teach you how to perform specific actions with step by step coding, this isn't your book. Instead, it touches upon ideas and methods. Zeldman covers topics from designing good navigation to fundamental steps in working with a potential client.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It would have received a perfect score if it wasn't for some outdated material. Purchase this book, it should be a part of any collection.

A thorough, comprehensive and usable book for people trying to migrate from traditional media into the (sometimes) scary world of new media.

Jeffrey Zeldman's unique voice permeates the entire book, holds your hand, and gently guides you through the ups & downs of working with the web. His examples are concise and to the point, his writing style (as always) humorous and friendly, and, most importantly, you get the feeling that he truly loves this medium, and would like nothing more than being able to help another person discover just what the fuss is all about.

Should be on the shelf of every designer - no matter what your level of experience is.

This book opened my eyes to issues such as accesibilty, css and xhtml, I now have a site that is fast to load and easy to update. I found this book to be an easy read,[ I am neither a graphic designer nor a trained web designer] I really like Zeldman's writng style and will use some of his points in my classes web design for photographers. The mix of code and ideas was great and for once I just read the book rather than being tempted into turning on my computer and starting work.

This book really helps you uncover yourself to reveal your inner beauty. People all around you will seem more peaceful. You will be able to be responsive instead of reactive. It is the most uplifting feeling in the world.

I have just finished this book for the third time and decided to buy it (I had borrowed it from my local library at first). I wanted to keep it close at hand so I could read it whenever i needed support in transforming from using my survival behaviors to living from more of my essence. The real life stories make it a personal read and the authors' descriptions of both our "cracked identies" belief systems and our compensating behaviors are both non-judging and clearly stated. Their understanding of the journey from "cracked" to whole seems to come from a universal belief that we humans can and do want to transform old traumas rather than believe in the enculturated view that we are discardable, unloveable victims, living largely unmanageable, tight,fake lives. The authors use very easy to read and remember descriptions of the common "cracked" identities that we all hold and of the compensating behaviors we have taken on to hide these "inherent defects". It is their belief, and now mine after reading their book, that these beliefs can be transformed if we are willing to plumb the depths of the unconscious to identify the identies and their voices that run us. Their "techniques" are simple and straight forward, requiring little more than a commitment to living from the essence of who we are, not from the overlay of beliefs that were thrust upon us in the formative times of childhood. This was not just another "self-help" book; it was a warm and inspiring piece of writing, that is both practical and inspirational. It distinquishes with fine discernment the difference between the vulnerable, whole-hearted way of relating from our essence and living from the tight, practiced, forced, defended facade we all have taken on to protect ourselves from feeling that we are "defective" no matter what.
I highly recommend this book to anyone... those just beginning the exploration of who they are down under all the compensating, survival behavior or those well along in their quest for living from essential self. elisabet skyhawk

My last relationship was the most beautiful gift I have ever received. It scared me to death and turned me into a little child. I got dumped, and started reading.

I just finished this book, and I must say that I have identified so much about myself that contributed to the demise of this relationship. I am taking steps to heal my cracked identities and reconnect with my essential self.

I am even starting to detach from the outcome of my relationship status. I was dumped with the possibility of reconnecting at a later time. This possibility was the initial spark to my journey inward, but it is that journey that is becoming it's own reward.

Read it and internalize it! I also recommend anything by Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks (authors of the foreword). I did a training with Katie, and she is amazing!

This book was recommended by James Flaherty, author of Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others Coaching : Evoking Excellence in Others as well as founder of New Ventures West, the Professional Coaching School I attended. And now I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to deepen their relationship to self and others. I have shared the book with coaching clients as well as friends and family. One of the comments I hear over and over is how people want to read it over and over to really incorporate what they have read into their lives.

What I appreciate about this book is that it is as much about self understanding as it is about understanding our most intimate relationships, perhaps even more so. In our many attempts to change others, it is only when we finally commit to looking deeply within ourselves that we begin to see the world in a new way. Undefended LoveUndefended Love is very clear about this distinction between the work of the self and the work of the relationship.

The other thing I appreciate about this book is the distinction between our essence and the personality we have all been building since we were little ones. This built personality is what the authors Psaris and Lyons refer to as the defended self. Instead of searching outside ourselves for the fulfilling relationships we desire, we must instead look inside and begin to uncover our true essence.

The perspective presented in this book has been invaluable not only in my coaching work, but in my own personal life. You definitely want to read this book if you want a deeply fulfilling relationship for the long haul!

First there was the wheel, Jesus, the Buddha, the printing press, the automobile, the plane - and Sigmund Freud. Then came in all of the transitional ideas, philosophies, and psychologies about human behavior and human relationships - from Jung to Wilbur, and so on.

Enter Jett and Marlena!

While acknowledging that many of the above-noted psychologies have been useful to the world in their own way, I've found that Jett and Marlena have demonstrated a phenomenally deep, hands-on ability to articulate what it means in this day and age to truly love oneself and others unconditionally. Not only that, they're able to offer an appropriate paradigm shift for our times and the appropriate tools to empower readers to create healthier and more intimate relationships.

If deep intimacy is what you long for, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Up in the Old Hotel is a masterpiece. I've read it so many times (it is my ultimate desert island book) and have yet to tire of it. The essays (and the few short stories that are included) are timeless, generous works of genius. Joseph Mitchell captures his odd and wonderful subjects as richly realized individuals, and appreciates the smallest of beautiful, dark and humorous nuances. His vision is presented so humbly and offhandedly, yet with absolute precision and so much respect. You truly feel a part of the experience. I'm not sure there is anyone who could write better. All of the essays are amazing, but my favorites are Mr. Hunter's Grave, The Old House at Home, Mazie, and Up in the Old Hotel. The short stories in Section II of the first book are heart wrenching. This book also makes a really great gift.

Are you going to visit "the City"? Have you been to NYC (and loved it)? Up in the Old Hotel was written before most of us were born but still delivers the savory secrets of this great metropolis. Characters abound who could only exist in NY. Meet them before you go. And be sure to eat a slice of Ray's pizza on Sixth Ave. and 11th Street!

This writing puts you right into a time and a place and makes it real.. This is one of the most charming collection of writings I have read so far.. Joseph mitchell's characters of New york are so endearing.. From irish saloon keepers to gypsys to stubborn old men who swear by their diet.. this is great story-telling.. this is the legend of new york..the legends of the real people and eccentrics who inhabit its streets..

Well, there is, in the form of several stories of fact and fiction that center around the Fulton Fish Market, and just about all of them are enjoyable. I'll say one thing. If, after reading Up In The Old Hotel, you don't know how to trawl for fish then you didn't really read this book. All in all, over 700 pages of unique character studies. Mitchell seemed to find someone interesting where no one else cared to look. I fully intend to buy more Mitchell.

Whenever I can't think of something to read, I pick up Up in the Old Hotel and read a story or two out of it. I've probably read it 4-5 times and never get tired of it. It captures a lost era of American life that is what I think of when I imagine America in its finest light. Reminiscent of Tortilla Flats and other Steinbeck and even On the Road in a way - a gentler time in our history.

At first I wasn't sure what to expect from a "historical Christian fiction" book, but once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down! I can't wait to pick up the next one. This book really does have it all.

A beautiful story, wonderfully written and a pleasure to read. You won't be able to put it down!

Elisa Lindheim is young, beautiful, and gifted. The oldest child of retired Luftwaffe officer Theo Lindheim has grown up in Berlin, enjoying the privileges of her father's heroic World War I reputation and of his financial success as owner of Lindheim's Department Store. The shadows cast by Hitler's rise to power are darkening her life, though, in 1936. Estranged from her lifelong love and former fiance who's chosen to give her up on orders from his military superiors, Elisa lives in her Gentile mother's native Vienna and calls herself Elisa Linder. She plays in the opera house's first violin section, and - like so many other Jewish or part-Jewish Germans and Austrians - refuses to believe that things will continue to get worse. Any day now, the German military will have had enough of the mad paper hanger; and after that, life will be normal again.

Of course that's not what happens during the year that follows. As Theo Lindheim moves to get his family to safety, but fails to get himself out of Germany successfully, history in the making catches up with Elisa and forces her to make choices she never imagined anyone might have to face.

This is that rare book, a "faith based" novel that's worth any reader's attention. Well researched and well written, VIENNA PRELUDE moves along at a steady clip and then races to a suitably tense climax. The authors understand what far too many writers (especially of faith based fiction) don't "get" at all: that characters' actions must flow from who they are, not from what the book's chosen theme requires them to do. While the coincidences that keep parting and reuniting Elisa and American journalist John Murphy become strained from overuse, somewhere in the tale's second half, and a few of the characters' lines of dialog sound more like a sermon than an individual's words in conversation, the overall effect is just what it should be. The reader quickly becomes invested in knowing what will happen to Elisa and the others, and the triumph of their faith is all the more real because of the struggles that living it costs them. I expect to read more in this series, and that's the best compliment one can pay to any author.

Bodie is an excellent writer. She makes the past come alive; she makes history have heart and soul, she gives facts and events faces, names and personalities. She has the ability to transport me in time and I love traveling with her.

I just purchased this series because after 10 years, 3 more books have been added to the series. So I just read Vienna Prelude again for probably the 4th time. It is as great as it was the 1st time. The story is beautiful, you fall in love with the characters. You really have to read the Zion Chronicles and the Zion Legacy which continues the saga!

I absolutely loved this book - I blew through it in two days, which is a really rare occurrence for me.

This book was full of insightful and valuable lessons, in the form of entertaining and inspiring stories about 8 businesses that, through the techniques explained in this book, have become leaders in their otherwise mundane or unglamorous industries.

I have made this book required reading for everyone working in my company, and will be buying additional copies as we hire more employees. A truly worthwhile read, and unlike many books of this kind, it completely avoids being pedantic.

I will be looking forward to Fenn's latest book!

This was a very informative book using real life businesses and their successes and struggles

Are you a small business owner? This book is for you! Donna Fenn captures the spirit of small business ownership and the entrepreneurial energy that it takes to compete in today's market. The non-traditional business examples (bicycles, socks, ice cream, grocery stores and more), will give you great ideas to kick start or re-energize your small business. Highly recommended!!!

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring book, one of the few of its kind not marred by the author's huge ego, bad writing, or unfounded claims.

Because the profiled businesses are not in glamorous fields, their creativity is easy to see and quantify. I also enjoyed the way each chapter highlighted a different strategy.

It's a brilliant piece of work by an outstanding author. A must-read!

I really like the concept behind ALPHA DOGS: HOW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS CAN BECOME A LEADER OF THE PACK by Donna Fenn. So how is the concept different than any other book? Fenn combines the strategies she is promoting with small business profiles of companies that exemplify those very strategies.

For example, chapter three "Convert Your Employees Into True Believers" profiles the Dorothy Lane Grocery Company of Ohio. Penn outlines a brief history of the company and how they came about adopting the employee training process that has made them so successful. Penn outlines the entire process from hiring to orientation to continuous training and learning to what they call intrapreneurship. The profile concludes with the companies community involvement and how they keep their employees involved as well.

Each chapter ends with two to four pages of tips from the profile company on how to implement the discussed strategies and processes. In other words, this book doesn't just talk the talk, it walks the walks with actual working examples to follow or emulate. The mix of companies also enhances interest. There's literally something here every company can relate to.

There's also a great deal of really good back matter here. Each chapter's sources are listed for further study. Fenn is a contributing editor of Inc magazine. Those familiar with her articles have come to expect from her, exactly the kind of information this book delivers.