Byrne Books

I totally and completly disagree with the previous review. I think Mari Byrne is an exceptional talent and I believe the series will only get better as it progresses. This book is a all around great story about opening up and trying new things, about love unexpected and embraced. It also offers political intrigue and let's you see into a world where the women are the ones in the dominant positions in politics. I loved this book and I think that Queens Warriors was even better ,and I can't wait for the third book in the series. In one aspect I do somewhat agree with the previous reviewer. If your looking for a book that contains bondage and submission this is not the book for you. If your looking for a book about unconditional love with hotttt hotttt love scenes this is the book for you. I think the characters were great. I totally connected with Stephanie and I could almost feel the brothers love for her, and their desperation for her to accept them for who and what they are. Great Book I give it 4 stars.

A book about a menage a tois with gorgeous twin brothers ought to make your breath come faster and your pulse race...right? Well, not this book.

While the plot itself isn't TOO awful--twin princes from another realm needing a single shared bride to replace the evil and vicious queen currently on the throne--it needs a great deal more characterization and fewer narrative gaps to make it readable. The brothers are almost indisguishable personality-wise and the heroine, while better drawn, is still rather one dimensional.

The sex scenes were also notably amateurish, by an author who obviously has no experience with this sort of thing and less imagination. For example, the author tells you that the twins are into bondage and very kinky sex, and she talks a great deal about all the sex toys they have available in the apartment with them but then only one of the (many) sex scenes that follows features even a tiny bit of bondage.

All in all, there are lots of interesting possibilities here but the bad writing and the lack of follow through on the ideas make for a disappointing read.

Try instead: Binding Krista by Jory Strong.

It is helpful to have a proper textbook of sorts and the cd is ok but there are so many errors in this book it can be really frustrating. The examples often use vocabulary the book has not yet covered. The exercise dialogues on the CD do not always match the book. Even if they are the same as the listening transcripts in the book, the questions are wrong or use different vocabulary in the main text (an example: In a mock job interview the book gives the vocabulary for speaking "unclearly" and "with a heavy accent" but the dialogue itself uses the terms "smoothly" and "softly" and the former is not even in the glossary at the end of the book.)

In one exercise you are supposed to identify the family the speakers are talking about from several pictures but the pictures are wrong (ie a son and daughter instead of two daughters.)The authors frequently ask questions in the exercises about characters who have not yet been mentioned in the book (in a dialogue between Zamaini, Baharom and Davies they ask if "Wong" is married.) I am only in Unit 5 and I have already found errors in English (ie saying "noun" instead of "verb") and possibly in Malay (as in a dialogue which says all the brothers and sisters work already but then says that the youngest brother is 4 years old!!)

Moreover the language in this book seems overly formal, mostly business related and somewhat outdated. (I would assume it is no longer necessary to ask a potential secretary if she knows how to do email, nor is it necessary for most of us to know how to ask that). Teach Yourself Malay does not get to numbers until unit 5 and consistently uses the most formal language rather than what you are likely to hear people say. Thomas Oey's Everyday Malay seems much more accessible and useful although it does not have a CD. There is also a free online web course that covers the very basics with audio clips if you google "Bahasa Malay Course"

It is hard to find a decent Malay language course, in particular with audio, so I opted for this one to be send across the Atlantic to me.

The lessons are very helpful to learn everyday Malay step-by-step and to practice pronunciation. Overall this is a good language course. The reference part of the book (dictionary) on the other hand leaves out many words I feel I should know... so buying a real dictionary in addition to this course is mandatory, if you want to get the most out of it.

There are some good quotes in this book, but there are more that are not. The "Best things anybody ever said," should be changed to "Interesting Quotes."

Example:
~Quote~
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." A. Hitler

I don't see how the above quote from his book is considered "Best things anybody ever said."

He even has some of his own quotes in the book. The book is funny in some ways and serious in other ways. Also, the pages are not numbered.

This is the best book to read to your friends outloud. It is so funny. All the people that are quoted are funny or incredibly proufound. Well worth a read.

Those that can DO - those that can't TEACH.

John Byrne's book on comedy is a joke - a self-described "successful" comedian no UK stand-up fans have ever seen or heard perform thinks he has the right to teach comedy. Byrne has never performed on British TV, you never see his name headlining major comedy clubs, nor on the writing credits of a succesful tv sitcom. Yet he believes he can teach how to be a success at all of these.

And the book's contents? Well if you think you can become a successful comedian using dated techniques like puns and malaprops, good luck to you. But don't expect to be headlining the Comedy Store thanks to anything you'll read in this dated, irrelvant and misleading travesty of a book.

I'm a sucker for just about any "how-to" book written on comedy. I don't purchase all the ones that I find, but the good ones get me to pull the wallet out. I pulled the wallet out for this one! What a great resource for someone interested in comedy writing. There are kinda two books in one in this tome. One part covers the basics of writing comedy, and the other part covers how to make a career as a comedy writer. It also distinguishes comedy writers from comedy performers - the two are not necessarily one and the same. This book is about comedy writing - not comedy performing.

But don't pass up this book just because you don't intend to be a professional comedy writer. Any writing that is intended for an audience will probably be better received (and enjoyed?) if it includes at least a touch of comedy or humor in it. If you are a consultant who writes books, ebooks, and/or creates and delivers seminars and workshops, then you will do yourself a favor to get this book and study its contents.

If you are a member of Toastmasters and want some insight on how to tackle the Humorous Speech manual, then consider getting this book.

The author has over 20 years experience as a comedy professional and he's written over 40 books. The quality of this book exudes all that experience. It's very informative and well-written. And being a 3rd edition says a lot about the book. It's been around and has been made better with each edition. It was a pleasure to read. 5 stars!

brain death is the most horrible death than other kind of deaths. I pray to god(if god exists really) that never give this kind of death to any one . I saw this book has needful information just be seeing it on web site. buy this and read it , you will know how horrible the brain death is .ok ok

Only! if you know nothing about Acces and want to learn the basics to make a very simple database, Buy it.

This is titled "Gaeilge agus Failte," but the "a" has an long accent in Irish and has been garbled in the Amazon listing, so if you have found your way to this review, congratulations for added effort. This is an softbound oversize workbook with lots of color and 2 CDs, each under an hour with many small recitals, 80-90 each CD. The small sections of the CD lessons are complemented by the many subsections of the ten lessons. Designed for classroom use by adults, the bright pictures and photo captions and cartoon dialogues and song lyrics all make this more reminiscent of a children's set of exercises than a stolid grammatically designed book like Michael O Siadhail's serious, linguistically focused, and West of Ireland Connacht dialect-based "Learning Irish." (Also reviewed by me on Amazon.) Learners resistant to an academic approach to Irish will welcome Byrne's textbook.

It's evidently written for multicultural immigrants to Ireland and perhaps could also benefit classes for adults outside Ireland secondarily, as lessons are scripted with an eye towards flexibility, eliciting learners' comparisons of Irish culture to their native one and their own language to that of Irish, through naturally the medium of one's (second, perhaps) language of English. No glossary, no vocabulary lists, no charts to speak of beyond the rudimentary are found. Big print, easy to read lessons, heavily illustrated and almost relentlessly so, lots of short games and fill-ins and small tasks to complete. Tries to bring in the multiple intelligences so learners can find their strengths. It will be incomplete outside of a classroom and teacher, however, as the key does not unlock all the answers. Lots of the content requires a partner to do and then a teacher to correct.

It's not concerned with an academic foundation as a college-level textbook, even though it's for grown-ups. Instead, it's a gradual introduction to Irish by teacher-led exercises, partnered activities set up to engage learners under supervision, open-ended conversation starters, suggestions for writing and speaking with partners, and song snippets. It'd be used for adult "night classes" or an introductory course taught by a native speaker rather than by a single learner, a college student, or a younger student in an Irish class. This is the first book that I know of in recent times aimed at this informal student in a classroom situation wanting the basics without the bother of relentless drills, learned paradigms, and advanced grammatical terminology. So, realize which "adults" are meant to benefit from G&F.

The CDs prove daunting to navigate, as no chart is given in the book to let you know where Track 57 or 83 or 19 is found in the textbook. You have to go one by one and make your own chart to link the icon of the cassette in the textbook to what track next comes on the tape chronologically. This is a drawback. If a chart had been included with corresponding pagination, the learner or teacher could have been saved a considerable amount of unnecessary effort. The voices are male and female, young and old, funny and curt, and are clearly recorded. Emphasis is on a consistently level spoken delivery rather than dialects, and the "Caighdean" or standard "school" form of Irish appears, as meets the needs of absolute beginners.

It's an attractive book that is designed (like RTE's Turas Teanga, also reviewed by me) to be used with a website. For an independent learner, much of the book does not have an answer key and depends upon interaction with a teacher and fellow learners, so the use may be limited. There's not much in-depth concentration on any one part of each subdivided lesson, but there's plenty of short activities and readings for brief study and reinforcement. It's far less scholarly than the Cois Fharraige West of Ireland Connemara dialect of "Beginning Irish" by O Siadhail, but more accessible than the likes of "Teach Yourself Irish" by Shiels and O Se, which takes on the Munster dialect. Note that G&F is sort of a cross-border, non-regional introduction to Irish meant for anyone, anywhere, so budding linguists may prefer O Siadhail. For less demanding learners needing the basics, this and Rosenstock (see next paragraph) would make a fine pair of tutors. So, despite the drawbacks of the CD organization, given the lack of competition for a lively, standard-based text and CD combination, G&F may prove a passable supplement to other materials. For those outside Ireland or not having had any Irish in school in the past, it will be the choice rather than "Turas Teanga," which expects that you will have had "school Irish" in your youthful past but wish in your more mature years to brush up on it again.

I recommend G&F for an independent learner in conjunction with Gabriel Rosenstock's lively, also culturally oriented rather than linguistically focused, "Beginner's Irish" CD and book. Unlike G&F, BI is meant for an individual learner outside the classroom wanting to understand the history, background, and current relevance of Irish. It lacks exercises but shares with G&F a relaxed approach for the total beginner; it is less structured and more eclectic in its dialogues, examples, and presentation, as befits a poet's authorship of a language primer! Like G&F-- which is after all more organized as it's under the auspices of Gael-Linn and the Linguistics Institute of Ireland, BI emphasizes in small snippets the context within which Irish is used and can be seen all about the Hiberno-English dialect and the sights and sounds of Ireland itself for the learner. Although both BI and G&F aim at an Irish resident, they can be used, for listening and reading and enjoyment, by solo learners anywhere. (I have also reviewed Rosenstock on Amazon.)

The CDs are not given their own pocket in the book but came cellophane taped to the inside rear cover, so the tape has to be torn off the paperback to open the CDs! Poor design once again; the lack of attention given the CDs in their physical placement and their danger of getting lost when separated from the book, as with the earlier problem of tracking where the CD corresponds to the lessons, shows that the audio portion suffered even as the written segment of the book holds promise for the learner of this ancient and ever-popular language and the culture which even a cursory knowledge of Gaeilge will help you to unlock and enjoy much more.

Laura Paquet's latest Regency-era offering is a nice, no surprises read about two people who are seemingly opposite in nature, and who yet turn out to be soul mates. It is a pleasant, well written novel, the charm of which lies in how both the hero and heroine learn to like and appreciate each other, and how, the heroine especially, changes (slightly) for the better.

Lady Cassandra Blythe is feeling a bit restless. Feted as an "incomparable" for the past few years, mixing with the same people (and avoiding the same people), and having come no nearer to finding her ideal mate, has left her feeling a bit jaded. The truth, though, is that Lady Cassandra has a distinct partiality for Mr. Peregrine Russell, except that while the gentleman enjoys her company and seeks her out constantly, he seems in no hurry to be married! So perhaps the unlooked for visit by her brother-in-law by marriage, Lord Benjamin Rowland, the Earl of Winchfield, should provide some amusement? Benjamin has been estranged from his sister, Elinor (and Cassandra's sister-in-law), ever since Elinor eloped in order to marry Richard Blythe. And Benjamin has been slow to bend the breach between them. Now, however, Benjamin has decided to marry, and hopes that Elinor will help him find a meek, biddable wife. For Benjamin is of a scholarly bent, and would like to spend all his time at his estate in the country, studying, rather squiring some demanding beauty about town. Elinor is aghast! She wants her brother to marry for love; but Cassandra, who despises the earl for all the pain he has cost Elinor privately believes that a meek, biddable wife is exactly what he deserves and is determined to help him find such a mate. That is until she begins to get to know Benjamin and realises that there is more to the man that meets the eye. Slowly she begins to rethink some of the things she has long taken for granted, and even her feelings for the earl. Could the bookish, quiet and stiff Benjamin embody all those qualities in a husband she has been looking for? But does he think the same way of her? And what of the other ladies she has been throwing at Benjamin ever since he arrived in town?

If you're looking for a nice, uncomplicated read with no surprises, then you will enjoy "The Incomparable Cassandra." The book was well written, nicely paced and unfolded at a smooth and brisk pace. Focusing both on how Cassandra's character changes a little and the developing attraction between the two principals, "The Incomparable Cassandra" was an enjoyable read mostly because both Cassandra and Benjamin were easy to like. For while Cassandra is a bit superficial, she's not all that bad and is very good and loyal to her friends. So that, when through Benjamin's influence, she learns a little kindness, one feels good about the potential match between the two. Benjamin, apparently has already had his epiphany before the book starts, and fully cognizant about the wrong he has done his sister and her husband, so that we don't really see his character change all that much -- he's a nice but reserved gentleman when we first meet him, and he's still a nice but reserved gentleman at the book's close. So that while "The Incomparable Cassandra" is not a very complex book, it still makes for a nice 3 1/2 star read.

There is some good information in here, but it is far too long to be required reading for my management teams. The pertinent messages are too hard to pick out of the unabridged version.

"JEMMA- Barmaid, society's darling, social reformer, spy, and the notorious Madame X. Jemma was all these women. And more...

Jemma's tale is an extraordinary adventure sprawling with life and overflowing with richly realized characters. Her adoring stepmother, Phoebe, and Phoebe's cruel and lustful husband, Amos. Milly, the devoted servant who would do anything to preserve Jemma's happiness. The dashingly handsome Englishman, Garth Winters, who, overnight, transformed Jemma from a girl to a woman. And England's most eligible bachelor, Lord Peter Ramsdale.

Lord Ramsdale wed her, made her the reigning queen of Mayfair society, but could not give Jemma the love she so desperately needed. Until the night Jemma discoverd his terrible secret- and changed her life forever..."
__________

This book contains it all; multiple rapes, whippings, beatings, whorehouses, you name it. It's a classic 'bodice ripper' though it lacks romance and probably shouldn't be called romance. It's very strange and violent...but I recommend it!