Atlantic Monthly Books

The little book is adorable, and there's an average of one recipe per 2 pages. The author gives good descriptions of the recipes. There are no pictures, though, so I give it a 4-star. I've tried a few of the recipes, which turned out fine.

There are plenty of cookie books... and this one is worth having. Simply put: the recipies are of high quality and provide consistently good results. From straightforward drop cookies to bars to shaped and rolled. Rich, chocolaty cookies to light, meltaway drops made with confectioners sugar. Something for every taste and occasion.

This was an inspirational book about sailing around the atlantic. After reading this book it helped me to make some critical decisions about the trip.

Special interest books tend to be expensive; this must be a factor of short print runs and big production costs.
Yet, the price is still high for what is a fairly slim paperback.

The book describes the single-handed Atlantic crossings of a clearly excellent yachtsman.
His first crossing was made in a 22 foot Hurley, that takes courage and skill. His later crossing was undertaken in a Dockrell 27.
These are both sturdy British boats, though; a company in Dartmoor, England made the Dockrell, an American owned that company.

British mariners tend to make the crossing in smaller and less equipped vessels but ones that are very sturdy. The Hurley has not even standing headroom.

Therefore, this book is all about the real nitty gritty of the passage.
Don't expect to find details on how to fix your a/c or watermaker.
This is a book that is slim but has, it seemed to me, all the essentials of what it takes to make the passage. Added to this the book is something of an adventure, it describes the voyages and in doing so we are taken along.

All in all a worthy book and worth the price.

Absolutely one of the best books I have read in a long time. I believe that Leif Enger is the finest american author the come on the scene since Steinbeck - even better!! His book SO YOUNG,BRAVE ,AND HANDSOME is another triumph. I anxiously await for another book by Mr. Enger.

Leif Enger weaves the English language into a tapestry of exquisite phrasing, imagery, suspense, action, and emotion. I loved every page and the ending made an impact that was positively spiritual. Enger's style blends humor, vision, and insight into crisp storytelling. Remember, this is FICTION! Grab a copy of Peace like a River and luxuriate in this wonderful, amazing novel!

I very much liked the story, the style in which it was written and the choice of words used in the text. Having grown up in the upper mid-west during the 1950's, I could identify with the story and the setting. I thought it was a great read and have shared the book with others.

The prose is so beautiful and the poetry the daughter writes is wonderful. That one author could write the prose and the poetry too is amazing! Each character has a distinct voice which is not true in so many stories. I loved this book.

Not a bad page in this book. I first found myself marking pages, then marking passages, and, finally, typing out my favorite lines. He's got that many. I've never done that before. This is an inspiring, gifted, unusual read. Great mix of spiritual, supernatural, and down-to-earth goodness. You won't be disappointed.

This is an important book that every thinking person should read. It will never be a musical.

This book is long on illustrating a make-believe world that the author desires, and short on facts.
Very short on facts.......

The author manages to insults virtually every racial and geographic group - except for his own, of course.

Honestly, save your money, this book is a waste of time!

An excellent argument that we are at or approaching the peak oil production plateau, and speculates on the drastic future we may expect. Well done. Provokes a lot of thought about how one should adapt to eventually intolerable circumstances!

I bought this book so that I could relate to a friend who is using it like his bible and guide for his future. I found it to be poorly organized and a long and rambling discourse on the evils and eventual failure of fossil fuels, nuclear energy, the food supply, and an eventual return to living in the stone age in our lifetimes. He passes opinion off as fact to build his case.

Mine's for sale used!

I had read the Rolling Stone article, and I was positively stoked to begin this book. During the first half, I was fascinated, but then, I am neither a geologist nor an engineer.

I was even willing to overlook Kunstler, in the early pages, defending fellow prophets of doom Thomas Malthus and Paul Erlich, and claiming that they were right after all, despite the fact that the predictions of either man never came to pass.

Then, during the second half of the book, Kunstler started discussing things I actually know quite a bit about, to wit, human disease and history. Oh, Holy Cats, how incorrect his facts were. In the words of another reviewer, he gets it Just Plain Wrong.

For example, he says that historians don't really know what the cause of WWI was. Huh. I guess the Army War College and every 20th Century History department need to talk to Kunstler, so they can be properly informed of their ignorance. Yeah, WWI's causes are complex, but just because Kunstler doesn't know what they are doesn't mean that nobody else does either.

He also claims that global warming will accelerate the spread of diseases that were previously confined to a specific geopgraphic area, which is probably true. However, we have already seen diseases migrate a good deal because of the volume and speed with which humans jet around the globe on a daily basis. Kunstler ignores the profound upside to this, being that, for the vast majority of us who are not immunocompromised, this challenges and boosts our immune systems.

Or how 'bout when he says that the 1918 flu jumped directly from birds to humans, without the usual influenza pit stop in pigs. If that's the case, why was the 1918 flu first noticed on a Kansas pig farm? Or when he claims that we still don't know why the 1918 flu proved fatal to so many young adults- uh, yeah we do. Because of cytokine storms, which turn your own immune sysstem against you- the stronger the immune system, the worse you're affected.

The worst offender, however, is when he claims that HIV (which he incorrectly calls AIDS) is on it's way toward mutating from a blood born pathogen into one that's carried on air. Give me a break. I have had five years of schooling training me to be an HIV educator, and I have never heard or read anything remotely like this from an even somewhat reputable source. Why did he make this claim of HIV, and not, say, hepititis B (another sexually transmitted blood born pathogen), which infects 1.7 billion more people than HIV does? Because "AIDS" sounds scarier, that's why.

All this JPW stuff in the second half of the book makes me doubt the veracity of the first half, and that was only reinforced when I made it to the very end and read Kunstler's racist rant against Mexicans and African Americans. He had already skewered every subset of white people that were remotely different from him, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I've checked "The End of Oil" out of the library, so we'll see how the first half of "The Long Emergency" holds up, fact wise. But if you're really interested in reading an Apocalypse Story, I'd suggest picking up Stephen King's "The Stand".

This is without a doubt the best non-fiction book I have ever read. The plot, the characters and the writing were all brilliant. A truly exhilirating thrill ride. I couldn't put the book down - in fact, I missed my bus stop reading the book.

When I finished, I felt that I had lost my close friends, and that my life had just gotten a little less exciting.

If you want a thrilling, titilating, over-the top book that never lets up in terms of entertainment, than this is the book for you.

If there were six, seven or even eight stars, I would award those to this book too.

In a word - Awesome!

"Charlie Wilson's War" is a Cold War thriller with the extra attraction that it really happened. It tells the behind-the-scenes story of Texan congressman Charlie Wilson, a hard-drinking, hard-loving, Commie-hating bad boy who nearly singlehandedly (as far as the book tells us) dragged the CIA and the US government into supporting the Afghan mujahidin against invading Soviet forces. Charlie gets top billing, but shares much of the limelight with two other men. Gust Avrakatos is a CIA man whose rough upbringing and wild ways, while effective, rub many of his Ivy League colleagues the wrong way. There's also Mike Vickers, the young Green Beret whose battlefield savvy and weapons mastery help him to design a winning strategy for the previously forlorn Afghan rebels. These three use bullying, money and rule breaking to cut a swath through the bureaucratic inertia that allowed the Soviets the upper hand. There are also fascinating details about the contributions of Pakistan's General Zia and Israeli arms designers to the complex negotiations to fund and supply the rebels. The story of the development of the Stinger anti-aircraft weapon was also told in loving detail. And let's not forget Charlie's Angels (the Texas beauties staffing his office) or his jumpsuit-wearing paramours, including one belly dancing Texas girl.

There's plenty to cheer about in the adventures of these rather bloodthirsty heroes. They saw in the Afghans a means to "kill Russians" and weaken the Soviet Empire. Their "think outside the box" mentality is hard to resist, especially when it succeeds, as it often does. Author Crile seems to be on the side of the angels of history as he dismisses the ill-informed and slapdash efforts of the White House and Ollie North to supply the Nicaraguan Contras with weapons bought with cash obtained from trading weapons to the Iranians. But there's a bit that is disquieting about the book as well as it alludes to other efforts to kill Commies that didn't turn out so well. For every rogue effort like Wilson's that worked, there seemed to be many that either didn't or that put America on the side of quite ugly "freedom fighters". The book may persuade you that America needs it covert forces, free enough to be innovative, but restrained enough to work for the national interest.

But for an engaging story, with larger-than-life characters and real-life global stakes, it's hard to beat "Charlie Wilson's War."

Charlie Wilson's War may be one-sided, but it's still a very interesting read, especially in these post-9/11 days. Years before the words Taliban and al Qaeda were in everyday use, or for that matter, even familiar to most Americans, the CIA was waging a secret war in Afghanistan.
Having grown up in the tail end of the Cold War, the threat of the USSR never really gripped me the way it did the generations prior to me. We laughed at the comical "Duck and Cover" commercials when we watched them in history class, but my parents spoke of the real terror they felt at the time. In reading Charlie Wilson's War, I had a glimpse into the mindset of that time period, when we were willing to be friends with anyone who was willing to oppose the Communist Threat. Hindsight being what it is, we of course recognize that Charlie Wilson helped arm the same group that would later assist in horrendous attacks on the United States and kill American men and women in armed conflict with weapons purchased by their tax payer dollars. The implications in the book are astounding and make you wonder about the actions that government takes on our behalf. Second and third order effects were clearly not considered.
I don't chastise Charlie Wilson for not recognizing the future of the Taliban - no one else did, and we woke up when a clear day in NYC was blotted out. This book provides at least a part of the background necessary to begin to ask ourselves why and how we live in the world as it is today.
Forget the politics of it, and focus on how seemingly small decisions have huge impact, and you'll probably begin to look at the decisions made by Congress and the Government with a slightly more critical eye to what they mean for the future.
The movie is highly entertaining, and the book reads very quickly, so even if you don't read more into it, it's an entertaining endeavor.

I ordered this book upon the strong recommendation of two of my best - and brightest - friends. They said that it is a "must" read. Due to illness, I have not actually read it, but I can tell everyone that if my two friends think so highly of it, it must be a 6-Star read! I can't wait to dig into it and, because of those who recommended it to me, I assure you that the book should be on your list.

Bob K.
Litchfield, CT

Unreliable story of the CIA involvement in the Afghan War. Lots of insight of the secret in and out of our clandestine service. Interesting read but at the same time lots of grandstanding by the author toward the subject of the book which sometime seem a bit hard to believe. Recommended reading for anyone who is a history buff and would like to expand his/her detailed knowledge of the downfall of Communism and the last military action of the cold war. Don't bother to compare the movie; like most of the time, is the book according to Hollywood re writers. The movie is definitely not worth the money unless you receive it as a gift.

The truth in the streets of Sunderland was probably not far off the in-depth descriptions, but I could not finish this novel. The first few chapters grabbed me, but as the characters became more intwined with one another, the plausibility decreased to the point that I found myself skimming. Gustine was such a pathetic creature, perhaps the most admirable. The others were far from human and the story became so twisted that it lacked credibility. The historical background for old England and the potteries was my favorite part.

Very much in the spirit of classic Victorian novels of the down-trodden, "The Dress-Lodger" explores the darker side of the Industrial Revolution by giving it the face of Gustine, the potter-by-day and streetwalker by night. Wonderfully written, the writer holds back nothing in describing the desparate resignation (or is that resigned desparation?) of Gustine's plight, and that of her melodramatically handicapped child. And that is perhaps where things began to go awry for me. About half-way through the book, the plot absconded with the characters, bearing them off into pecular plot twists and turns that seemed to bear little relation to the beautifully drawn sections in the first half. As the hero, Dr. Chiver is particularly difficult not only to like, but to believe is a real as his behavior becomes increasing outlandish. Still, worth reading, if only for the well-crafted descriptions.

The main characters in this fine historic novel have totally different backgrounds. Set in the 19th century in England plagued by cholera. An interesting developments of characters and human qualities takes place. Most sympathy is for the young prostitute who takes care for her son and others. She shows more empathy and wisdom of human life than the docter with his passion for medicine.

Like a patchwork quilt, Holman takes bits of seemingly disparate lives and threads them together into a tapestry where nothing is as it appears. The device of the third person narrator reminds me a little of the movie "Moulin Rouge"; a story within a story, or the book as a theater. There is always one story line that cycles around to the next. I'm willing to give a lot of lattitude to the plot if I'm enjoying the ride, and while that was usually true, there were also parts where the writing was just tedious, or lines of action that seemed to almost crescendo but then fizzle. Still, I certainly enjoyed it enough to keep going. I mean, where else are you going to find a character who is a ferret named Mike, on the same level of importance as his human counterparts?

I could not wrap my head around this book. The writing was just strange. It was like the author was trying to put me into the story. It was written in the present tense which I found to just be annoying. I couldn't concentrate on the story because of it.

Too annoying to continue with it. It wasn't worth it. one and 1/2 stars.

I thought Bloom had many interesting things to say about the interdependence of life but unfortunately the bulk of his historical interpretations are terribly superficial. Much of the book feels like you've tuned in to CNN or Fox for a mindless analysis of world affairs where Cuban communism or Islamic fundamentalism emerge for no other reason than to obtain power. That works if you forget about Batiste or Mossadegh, but many of us see world affairs quite differently, where third world radicalism is the spawn of western imperialism. Whatever your opinions about these kinds of things may be, I would highly recommend comparing the quality of Bloom's scholarship with any of Noam Chomsky's work. For some that may be a loaded statement, but there is no denying that the evidence presented to back up important assertions are simply incomparable; Bloom provides virtually nothing except interpretations as references whereas Chomsky makes serious attempts to provide first hand accounts. In Bloom's case, shining the lens of the superorganism on world history seems to be a much less effective tool of interpretation then applying concepts from critical theory and economics, despite the fact that they should be equivalent.

This book provides a fascinating perspective on history and current society.

If you are looking for a strictly academic work, this is probably not for you. Instead, this book looks at parallels between trends and processes in various parts of the world, and in various parts of history. If you are looking for brilliant insights and a unique perspective, strongly consider this book.

This is one of those books that once you read it, you simply change. My views of life, the way that I go day to day are different because now I have an understanding that wasnt there. Exceptional book, 20 Stars!

This will take everything you learned in school and put it together in a grand explanation. I found this book on a trip to Florida and couldn't put it down the rest of the trip. You will not be disappointed.

The general themes and ideas presented in this book are interesting: That we are all part of a competitive social superorganism driven by memetic transmission. However, I find his understanding of certain concepts (e.g. stress, religion, philosophy) to be extremely limited.

So while I found the book to be thought provoking, it was hard to overlook the cherry-picking of factual "evidence" and limited understanding of important concepts (see above).

I have seen the movie over and over and love it each time. It was great to read the actual events that happen and note what Hollywood produced. If you liked the movie the book is a must!

Generally the type of book you'd read as a school assignment. Very period - in 50's, I think. Sad story of life as the child of a single mom who marries someone she thinks would be adequate father, even though she knew he wouldn't be a good husband. Not so! Somewhat happy ending....recommend reading if you love to read well-written stories, but definately a downer!

The memoir is intriguing. Any male who reads this can, at some point, relate to the follies, plunders, and disappointments Wolff encounters during his adolescence. It is explicit and candid making for an interesting read.

I'm about 2/3rds through this, and I find it entirely absorbing. Wolff's writing talent is not in using fancy words or complex forms...just one sentence after another of perfectly pitched prose that feels entirely true and believable. He gains the reader's trust and empathy early on and never loses them, even though, in my case, I wasn't much interested in the details of his somewhat sordid and pathetic early years. I keep asking myself this holds my attention, while most memoirs by people I have a lot more in common with don't. (Not to sound like a snob, but guns, dogs, smoking, drinking, etc. have never been my thing.) I think the reason is that his writing seems entirely transparent, plus you care about him. postscript: I've finished it now and towards the end I was increasingly pained by how f**ked up a person Wolff is--or was. It's troubling and yet the writing is still transparent. You might say he gives us a God's eye view: if there is a force that knows everything and can look at all our failings, faults and mistakes with simultaneous compassion and dispassion, then I think such a Being would write up Wolff's early life in the way he himself wrote it. You get a feeling that there is no self-judging or constrictions and nothing to hide: just the truth, the all too human truth.

A great true story (almost) about Mr.Wolffs childhood. Robert DeNiro did an excellent job as the step-Father in this movie. This is typical of a Father figure who has no self esteem and picks at every little thing that goes wrong. It is never his fault always someone else. Toby has a tough time with growing up without a father and being carted around the country by his Mother who has no roots to tie on to. I see a lot of teenage problems in this movie that are played out and done extremely well. Take the time to watch this movie, you will not be sorry.

I was excited about reading this book, since historical fiction is my very favorite genre. And the Civil War, where the book begins, is a special favorite of mine. I was engrossed for the first 100 or so pages, but then began to tire of the author's overly long descriptions of trivial items. By the time the story reached the second generation (Jamie), the excessive 'wordiness' became almost intolerable, and boredom set in. But I slogged on, determined to finish the book - even though I had no idea where it was headed. When the third generation arrived (Foster), the pace mercifully picked up a bit, though it was determination, not pleasure, that kept me reading.

Despite being predisposed to like this book, I did not. I endured it. It tells a great story, with wonderful, moving insights, and the writing is often gorgeous. It could have packed a huge wallop had it not been such a trial to read; I could not sustain any emotional involvement with the characters in the face of such verbosity. It's overwritten, a frustrating and tedious read. And that's a shame, given how great the story line is.

One of the best books I have read in a long long time. Wow. What a story teller! What a writer. Here'a couple of lines: "the sotted sex-wraithed stain of youth." Or "His hands worked up and down the ivory and ebony keys like a lover finally at home." Or. "workers were imbecilic, misshapen, enormities of oddity..."

It is a wonderful experience to read a work of fiction that is this well written.

The first part of the book was interesting and moved along. The second generation section came out of nowhere as far as the character Jaime was concerned. The leap of imagination to make his character believable was too great. The 3rd generation pulled the threads together but rambled along too long.

Had hoped for an exploration of the black/white relationship in Vermont post Civil War. Our book group was unanimous in wondering where the editor was in the process.

Jeffrey Lent has the outline of a masterpiece, with well thought out characters and a compelling story line that addresses slavery, sex and family conflict. But I found to story to drag in many places with overly long descriptions of seemingly trivial elements. Lent gives little help in seeing what is going on inside the character's heads, but gives endless descriptions of their work and physical surroundings. Although the novel is characterized as a "romance" by some reviewers, it is certainly not a love story.

The story follows three generations of an interracial family, starting at the end if the civil war and continuing through prohibition. The three generations are confronted with issues of race but the first two generations respond with avoidance, by retreating from life and family.

I read this book with a book club and most members did not finish reading the book and did not plan to finish reading it, finding that it was not worth the effort. The general consensus was that it was boring and far too long.

Although the book's a propaganda piece of O'Rourke's Libertarian views, it's a lot of fun to read and gives some insights into the life in places where one will hardly even travel to.

PJ O'Rourkes books crack me up. But you still can learn from them. This book is a funny, but true, perspective on various economies. Not from a real scientific perspective, but rather "the Man on the Street".

Barring none, this is the place for a novice P.J. O'Rourke reader to start. He has been in a slight slump as of late, but he is at his peak here. I loaned my first copy to someone who never returned it. If I lose this copy, I would buy it again.

This is O'Rourke's essay on economics, in it he analyzes why some societies work economically and why some do not, regardless of geography or access to natural resources. It has often been said that to be funny you first have to be smart. Here O'Rourke demonstrates that he knows more than a little about free market economics. He posesses keen powers of observation and an even sharper wit. His innate intelligence comes through.

How much funnier would he be had he not burned out all those brain cells in the '60s? It's not likely he could be! This one is hard to top.

P.J. O'Rourke manages to dizzy his audience with a tautological series of stories, comparsions, and self-defacement and then nauseatingly spews empty paragraphs. Don't know what a tautology is? Read this book, you'll figure it out.

An author either takes pride in his ignorance or banks on his authority. O'Rourke attempts to do both, the former almost always shining through the latter. Coming away, you'll feel like you learned something. Of course you did! It just took him 10 angles, 5 anecdotes, and 8 less-than-appropriate similes to convey a Macro 101 principle. If you want a good laugh, read this book. If you want someone who knows what they're talking about, keep looking

Smug rich people and their propagandists don't make me laugh, no matter how cute they think they are.
Regarding why some countries are poor and others rich, it's not complicated. The rich nations have been imposing disastrous neoliberal economic policies upon the poor nations that concentrate wealth, destroy local economies, and decimate labor and environmental protections.
Generations of invasions and colonialism haven't helped matters either.
Moreover, those people who work for economic justice are often oppressed by the state forces the rich countries arm and train. For example, the U.S.-backed Colombian forces and paramilitaries kill a couple hundred union activists each year. Subtle Voices: Cries from Colombia and The Profits Of Extermination: How U.S. Corporate Power is Destroying Colombia

O'Rourke does what the rest of the corporatists do, they co-opt the brand "conservative" while they divert their audiences from the realities of geopolitics.
For some actual understanding of economics, I'd recommend When Corporations Rule the World andThe Corporation.

"The money hunger grows on what it feeds. So everyone is compelled to take part in the wild goose chase, and the hunger for possession gets an ever stronger hold of man. It becomes the most important part of life; every thought is on money, all the energies are bent on getting rich, and presently the thirst for wealth becomes a mania, a madness that possesses those who have and those who have not.
Existence has become an unreasoning, wild dance around the golden calf, a mad worship of God Mammon. In that dance and in that worship man has sacrificed all his finer qualities of heart and soul - kindness and justice, honor and manhood, compassion and sympathy with his fellowman. Each for himself and devil take the hindmost. Is it any wonder that in this mad money chase are developed the worst traits of man - greed, envy, hatred, and the basest passions? Man grows corrupt and evil; he becomes mean and unjust; he resorts to deceit, theft, and murder."
-Alexander Berkman