Hoffman Books

Everybody has their own style and mine tends to be late. This planner has helped me stay on task that no other planner seems have done, and it makes me laugh while doing it. It's based on a weekly schedule, which is about all I can handle. On one column, it has short term and long term goals and then the weekly layout on the right. If you haven't found something that worked for you, maybe this will.

I liked how the planner is really only one page per week. I normally have these planners flipped over to where it's current. The complimentary page are nice too, it's pretty funny when someone thinks you're reading about 'Love Handles' and flip it over to see it's just a to do list.

Very cute and simple, might even work for people who don't like planners but need planners.

I love these planners. The extra choices for to do lists are awesome. Only down sides are that size is awkward for using on the go & no place to store papers. I always cut & staple in oversized envelopes in front & back covers to hold odd & end papers to deal with.

I love the Procrastinator's SOS Planner! This is my 2nd year ordering one and it is by far the best planner I've owned. For every week there is a page full of amusing and helpful information and a page to write down your schedule. The best feature of this planner is the weekly To-Do list that has the categories "Gotta do this week", "Should have done long ago", "Waiting for inspiration", "Trying to Delegate", "Holding out for Pressure", and "Hoping it goes away". With the weekly to-do list it really helps me stay organized and on top of things. I'm almost not a procrastinator anymore thanks to this planner. If you need help staying organized and want a bit more humor in your life then I highly recommend the Procrastinator's SOS Planner:2008 Desk Calender.

Now I have my copy of the Procrastinator's SOS 2008 Planner, I have the perfect excuse to put off everything I need to do! There is so much in here that is fun to read and way more interesting than actually getting things done! Just kidding! I especially love the weekly sections such as "If not now ... whenever" and "Hoping it goes away."

I adored The Thread that Binds the Bones, even if it wasn't as polished as it might have been. I liked The Silent Strength of Stones, which seemed a little darker and more introspective. But I LOVED this one. It had all the polish that her first Chapel Hollow novel lacked, and a lot of the darker, more introspective aspects of her second. Her writing gets tighter and better with each installment. Somehow I just like the characters and the premise of Chapel Hollow better than her other series.

This book was pretty good but it was not nearly as good as "The Threads That Bind the Bones". "Threads" was a book that propelled a new author onto my list of collected authors. I thought it was a fantastic book. "Spirits" is about Jamie, a minor character in "Threads", as she goes off to college. The story really feels as if it could have been fleshed out a whole lot more. I was disappointed in this book, especially since it takes us back into the world of Chapel Hollow. I have enjoyed this 'world' better than the other series that Nina has written about and I have been wanting her to take me back there ever since "Silent Strength of Stones". It is a good read, I was just expecting more.

Nina Kiriki Hoffman is back to what she does best in 'spirits that walk in shadow".She beguiles us with her simplicity and enchantes us with her world that is only a step away from where we are now. The magic is the glue but the characters draw us in.Kim who starts out without the magical spark and Jaimie, whom we have met in a past Hoffman book ,who is trying to control the magic she has.Starting University and sharing a room together the girls havr to face lossing all magic and being helped by a family snake.Well presented and easy to read this book fits in well with Hofman's other work.

A sequel to THE THREAD THAT BINDS THE BONES, this book is long overdue but well worth the wait.

Jaimie Locke is a marvelous character that brings the magic into this magical tale, while the other point of view character is her room-mate Kim, who brings the drama. Like the first reviewer commented, the book's only flaw is that it ended all too soon.

If you like contemporary tales of magic, this book is for you.
If you like well-developed characters and plots, this book is for you.
Heck, if you can read, this book is for you.

I, for one, cannot wait for Nina's next Chapel Hollow story. They're always a treat.

Jaime Locke was a minor character in The Thread That Binds The Bones, but Spirits is more like a direct sequel to the short story 'Exact Change,' which appeared in the 2 Hoffman anthologies Common Threads and Courting Disasters and also in Weird Tales #299. In that story Jaime starts to question the morality she's being taught by her magic teacher and starts to try to figure out her own destiny and how she wants to use her magical powers. In 'Exact Change,' Jaime is an elementary school kid; now she is an adult, shortly after The Thread That Binds The Bones, and decides to go to college in the Outside, away from her magical family, and see how she does.

Once in college, she meets her roommate Kim, who has a recent history of depression no meds will help. They find out Kim is a victim of a being called a viri, a sort of vampire that feeds on emotions instead of blood. The pair then encounter a viri who claims Kim's viri is a rogue viri, whom he is chasing, and two cousins of Jaime's who have had a very different magical education and have different attitudes about interacting with normals. These five people from different backgrounds interact, sometimes conflicting with each other, and search for Kim's viri to make it stop feeding on her. I love Nina Kiriki Hoffman's work and wonderful writing style, and found this book very satisfying. Hoffman writes about magic very well, sliding it between the threads of the fabric of everyday life, and often writing about the souls of everyday objects, like trees and (in Past the Size of Dreaming) garbage cans.

A few characters from Hoffman's other novel The Silent Strength of Stones also appear in this book, but it isn't necessary to read that, or The Thread That Binds The Bones, to enjoy Spirits.

It's also an interesting coincidence that both Nina Kiriki Hoffman and PC Hodgell released (very different) books about a character Jaime/Jame going to college in the same year.

Although the previous review was negative calling this collection of E.T.A. Hoffman's stories uninspiring and meaningless, it's worth taking a better look. E.T.A. Hoffman's genius and the Germany he was familiar with. In the mid 19th century, Germany, not yet the German Empire, was a vast and varied society. Intellectuals were educated in the brand name universities (such as Heidelberg) and new waves of thought and politics were emerging such as Karl Marx's Communism. Germany had been the home of great existential philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, the freedom-loving Friderich Von Schiller and later the atheist Friedrich Nietzche. It was the home of many Romantic Era composers and writers - Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, writer Henrich Heine and our own E.T.A. Hoffman. He represented, like many other fiction writers his age, the Romanticism of the 19th century that flowered all over Europe. Germany was mostly famous for its symbolic fantasy and fairy-tales, after all this was also the home of the Grimm Brothers.

Hoffman's short stories were the German equivalent for Gothic fantasy and horror, in a slightly similar style that Edgar Allan Poe wrote in America. There is even a resemblance to early science fiction novellas, though nothing like Jules Verne or H.G. Wells. "The Sandman" and "Councillor Crespel" were feautured and altered in the Jacques Offenbach French opera "Les Contes D'Hoffman" of The Tales Of Hoffman. These supernatural tales dealt with death and romantic despair. In one story, a soprano suffering of consumption is forced to sing to her death by a villainous doctor. Although the stories appear to be strange and foreign to us, it was highly regarded as great literature of science fiction or horror. For its historic value
and for any interested fans of Romantic Era obscure novelists, this is perfect to read. Also, if you want to read the source of inspiration for Offenbach's opera The Tales Of Hoffman.

E.T.A. Hoffmann was in his own way a singular artist of the early nineteenth century. He was a musician, he painted set designs for plays, he wrote novels, stories and novellas. He also had an influence on the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Fyodor Dostoevsky.

I read this collection years ago. I bought it recently because I wanted to read the tales once again, enjoy them and learn from them. Hoffmann is one of the masters of his times and it's a pleasure to reread his works. He is great with atmosphere, his tales are compelling and they linger in the imagination. I love the German novella format he incorporates - longer than a story, shorter than a novel but with the richness of both worlds.

If you love German literature, this and Kleist's collection of stories are great reads.

E. T. A. Hoffmann is perhaps best known to American audiences as the creator of "The Nutcracker"; a story most are familar with due to the numerous stage productions each Christmas season. Hoffmann's contribution to fantasy and literature extends far beyond the Nutcracker though. He posessed an amazing imagination and true talent for spinning a story, exciting a sense of wonder and creating eccentric, memorable characters. This book, "The Tales of Hoffman", offers the reader some of Hoffmann's best, and at the same time, lesser known works. The stories included are:

"Mademoiselle de Scudery", "The Sandman", "The Artushof", "Councillor Krespel", "The Entail", "Doge and Dogaressa" "The Mines at Falun", "The Choosing of the Bride"

I wish I was a Hoffmann scholar, so that I could do justice in this review to these great tales. Suffice it to say, that anyone interested in superbly crafted fantasy, the supernatural interwoven with the romantic, and wonderfully crafted characters - anyone who reads and admires to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and Bram Stoker to name just a few, should read the works of Herr Hoffmann. He is truly one of the finest, and under appreciated, authors of the fantastic.

If you are looking for a stylized page turner, ala the Da Vinci Code, then don't waste your time on this book. These tales require a little bit more effort. Hoffmann wrote them almost 200 years ago for a primarily female audience. Many were overwhelmed by his fertile imagination (Goethe thought that Hoffmann was insane). Today's reader, of course, will find them quite tame.

A weird logic reigns in all of these tales. In reading them, you'll gain an insight into that strange train wreck of natural philosophy, occultism and aesthetics known as German Romanticism.

The translations, though uninspired, are adequate. My favorite tale is The Sandman. Stepford Wives?

I fear that I will be vilified for not recommending this book, but honesty requires that I say I found it remarkably unenjoyable. I was given the book as a gift, and was not previously familiar with Hoffmann. Let me say also, that I am not a complete Philistine, and I thought that if this indeed considered a "classic" then there was no reason I shouldn't like it. But the first story, "Mademoiselle de Scudery", described by the translator as Hoffmann's masterpiece, is a total train wreck. The characters are ridiculously artificial and overwrought, though this is I suppose expected in this genre of literature. But worst of all, the story is completely unable to generate any kind of tension. It was infuriating to read a banal account of these events which obviously could have been suspensful.

Some of the other stories are better: I enjoyed "The Sandman" and "The Mines at Falun", but often the other stories are filled with mystical symbols and bizarre events that appear to bear no relationship between with the rest of the story. I'm all for unusual ideas and out of the ordinary happenings, but there is a penchant in these stories for meaninglessness and triviality. Maybe I'm not seeing the 900 pound gorilla in the room, I don't know. But as it stands now, I would not want to pass the gift of these stories on to anyone.

Excellent dictionary. Includes international phonetic alphabet (IPA) transcriptions as well.

This dictionary is derived from a Robert-Collins dictionary. I found its layout/print to be somewhat crowded, and in a cursory usage I found missing words and meanings listed not in the logical order of their roots. Examples: The word "ondoyer" was missing, although "onde" was not, I could not find the word "tire-bouton", and the meaning of "s'abîmer" (to become spoiled or damaged) was cited before the meaning "to plunge to the depths", derived from the noun "abîme" (abyss, gulf or chasm ). I have used many French-English dictionaries. I find this one quite average. The older (1989 edition) and smaller dictionary by Steiner seems to be a better value despite its lesser comprehensiveness, and the larger but still compact Larousse Standard Dictionary (1994) seems far superior in layout and content. Perhaps the publishers believe that this dictionary could find an intermediate niche between the two former dictionaries. I emphasize that these faults were found in a brief examination, but it is a bad sign that out of the very few words looked up, a large fraction (about 30%!) were not satisfactorily defined or organized as to meaning.

This is one of the best concise French-English / English-French dictionaries available. It is small enough to be portable while large enough to be complete. The dictionary lacks a fair bit of culinary and other specialty vocabulary, but I don't expect such minutiae from a dictionary this size. Entries are easy to read, and phrases are not difficult to find. The Webster's New World is my primary foreign language dictionary, and I am rarely disappointed by it.

Although, I am always looking for a better dictionary, I have been very pleased with this one. It rates better than the larousse, which is also a good dictionary. The other dictionaries should not even be consulted...I think the french department at OSU recommends this one. It does matter what dictionary you are using. What I like about this one is that it seems to be equally french and english rather than just an english perspective on French. Therefore it is easier to translate back and forth rather than in just one direction, presumably French to English.

This dictionary offers a comprehensive look into the language like no other of the same price. Not only is the dictionary complete as far as vocabulary goes, but it also offers a multitude of meanings and phrases using the particular word. Beyond that it is complete with full grammatical references of the word AND the standard phonetic spelling (a feature I find particularly useful).

William Hoffman has been publishing since the 1950s. His protagonist, Charles LeBlanc, is the black sheep of a wealthy family who has fled to Montana and now returned to West Virginia to butt heads with the local sheriff among others. This is the third Hoffman novel I've read and I liked the same protagonist in the earlier books. Hoffman's writing style is also strong and spare, what appeals to me.

I just love William Hoffman's work. He writes mysteries that feel real. The plot isn't some intricate conspiracy that has to be unraveled. It's a loose connection of facts that have to be worked and reworked for the protagonist to make progress. One small shred of evidence leads to the next until he builds a case. People lie to him and he sometimes gets distracted, pretty much like the real world.

Hoffman has brought back Charley LeBlanc, the flawed but fascinating main character from his Hammett Award winning Tidewater Blood. Charley is a former Viet Nam vet and convict. He definitely has flaws but to me that's what makes him fascinating. I think the best mysteries are the ones where the detective isn't a cop.

Hoffman clearly knows the mountains of West Virginia. Whether it's his vivid description of the land and wildlife, his depictions of the people who inhabit the abandoned coal mine towns or the history of the region, you'll feel you've been there when you finish the book.

One cannot dispute the writing skills of William Hoffman; he has a stunning sense of character, place and time. Unfortunately, his laconic, laid back style hinders the suspense in this novel. Charley's back (from "Tidewater Blood"), and his character is not one of my favorites. Although he was done wrong in the first book by his own family, his retreat into a fantasy, anchorite's world only makes him irritating. His desire to leave the world behind, live in the wild and avoid people may be idealistic but still unrealistic, too. He's hooked up with Blackie, a woman with a criminal record, and his relationship with her forms a strong foundation for what drives a lot of the story. The mystery surrounding the mysterious death of Aunt Jessie takes a back seat to Charley's own obstinance and lack of perception. His sudden act of infidelity only shows how shallow he can be, and his decision to keep it from Blackie leads to the inevitable dissolution of their relationship. It doesn't take long to figure out the culprits in this one.
Although not an exceptional book, Hoffman's skills make it one worth reading; let's hope he picks up the pace in future novels.

Charley LeBlanc comes from a rich and powerful Tidewater, Virginia family, but that doesn't mean he had an easy life. His father was a drunken abusive person so Charley left home to join the army and served in Vietnam. He was dishonorably discharged and did hard time in Leavenworth. He finally has his act together living with his lover Mildred "Blackie' Spurlock in an isolated area of Montana.

He and Blackie return to Cliffside in Shawnee County, West Virginia to check up on Aunt Jessie Arbuckle, a woman who befriended him when many others turned their backs on him. He arrives to find Aunt Jessie dead and Esmeralda, a homeless woman who depended on the charity of Shawnee County to feed and clothe her, charged with her murder. Charley knows through the ties that bind him to Esmeralda that the wrong person is locked away and he intends to find the real perpetrator.

William Hoffman uses words to convey colorful images in the mind's eye so that the reader senses the environment that the flawed protagonist struggles to adapt to so he can have a peaceful life. Charley is an anti-hero who makes very serious mistakes but is likable because of the tenderness he shows to those few people that he cares about. The story line is beautiful in its simplicity but the author writes about complex people who are put in difficult situations and that makes this novel a fabulous read.

Harriet Klausner

This is my first book by William Hoffman and I almost did not read it. But I started and when I read his first paragraph, it was written so well that I read on. You could actually feel as if you could see what he was describing. I had not read such in colorful and in-depth narrative on the scenery for quite a while.

This book is centered on a Vietnam veteran called Charley LeBlanc who is from a very prominent family. Yet we learn right away that he is the black sheep of the family and has a tough girlfriend he calls Blackie who lost an eye in a bar fight. They both have a criminal background and this helps to form their strong relationship with one another. They live in isolation in Montana when they decide to go visit Aunt Jessie Arbuckle in West Virginia. Though everyone calls her Aunt she is of no relation to anyone in the book. And when they arrive they find here dead under mysteries circumstances.

A wild hermit named Esmeralda has been taken into custody because of this suspected murder. The authorities allude both that she is a suspect and also that they have taken her into custody for her own safety. Charley decides he has to do all he can for this poor woman and look into this murder that no one seems to want to talk about. The path he follows takes us on a slightly twisting path. The authors writing conjures up such vivid images that you read on. This is a good book to check out from your library.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is about many confused lovers. One loves another and another loves another. It is also about love at first sight. This is only because a fairy put spell on people to make this happen. But, I must say that A Midsummer Night's Dream is really a good movie.

I simply do not, cannot and will not understand how anyone can do anything but love A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare is Shakespeare, and after reading or enacting this play, any foolish mortal can see why he has stuck around for so long, inspiring, haunting and getting raucous laughs and sighs out of many completely different generations. The language is beatiful, and for anyone who is mistaken, Shakespeare is not old English. He is not middle English. That's right, he's an older kind of modern English, and after you get into his rythym, it is not hard to comprehend in the least. Shakespeare is a magic that picks you up and mercifully and marvously refuses to let go of you. Shakespeare is a passion which swirls around in so many different ways, just to jump up behind you to startle and surprise you when you thought you got him down. Shakespeare is the genius who knows more than anyone about the human character, and what he does not know he revels in the mystery of not knowing. In a Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare is at his witty, sophisticated, passionate, knowing and romantic best, and anyone who has a heart which beats must read or see it for their own good.

I simply do not, cannot and will not understand how anyone can do anything but love A Midsummer Night's Dream. Shakespeare is Shakespeare, and after reading or enacting this play, any foolish mortal can see why he has stuck around for so long, inspiring, haunting and getting raucous laughs and sighs out of many completely different generations. The language is beatiful, and for anyone who is mistaken, Shakespeare is not old English. He is not middle English. That's right, he's an older kind of modern English, and after you get into his rythym, it is not hard to comprehend in the least. Shakespeare is a magic that picks you up and mercifully and marvously refuses to let go of you. Shakespeare is a passion which swirls around in so many different ways, just to jump up behind you to startle and surprise you when you thought you got him down. Shakespeare is the genius who knows more than anyone about the human character, and what he does not know he revels in the mystery of not knowing. In a Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare is at his witty, sophisticated, passionate, knowing and romantic best, and anyone who has a heart which beats must read or see it for their own good.

A mid Summer NIght's dream is a great Shakespearian comedy, but the plot was kind of cunfusing.

I had to read this book for school and at first was totally lost. But, after I understood the book more I really liked it. I haven't read any more shakespere but after that book I plan to.

The first time you read the Autobiagraphy of Abbie Hoffman you will find it laugh out loud funny. The second time you read it you will start to notice how much of the advertising around us is based upon premises found in this book.

The "monkey warfare" techniques outlined in this book have become a near manifesto for viral marketers and those involved in marketing from an "outside the box" perspective. The third and forth reads will start to uncover not only how to create images that support your premise but how to disseminate those messages through the "free media" in order to expand your marketing budget 3 fold while gaining goodwill, acceptance and understanding for your cause.

While on the surface a great read about a great American the fact of the matter is that in both his Autobiography and "Revolution for the hell of it" Abbie teaches the methods behind his madness and shows the reader how to be a more effective communicator on all levels.

Sometimes humor is stronger than chains, and new ideas are always better communicated with a smile than a smack.

After seeing 'Steal this movie', I had no choice but to learn more about this incredibly crazy man. This book is amazing...it made me laugh out loud, think, ponder the idea of getting out there and causing a ruckus in the name of freedom. His writing flows...like old friends reminicing about their life changing experiences. What an insane, beautiful man. I can only hope that there will be more like him to come...our country needs a good jousting in the ribs!

I came of age in the late 80s and the first time I heard of Abbie Hoffman was in a Rolling Stone article on the 20th anniversary of Woodstock. According to David Fricke, Hoffman was clubbed with a guitar by the Who's Pete Townshed after the former took the mike during the lenthty "Tommy" medley and spouted some obscenities in the crowd, saying that Woodstock was a "bunch of s--t while John Sinclair rots in prison." I next encountered this character when I read about the Chicago 7 trials, when Hoffman and his co-defendants made a mockery of the trial (and what gleeful mockery it was!) and the judge who was handling that controversial case.

This book reveals much about who this sixties firebrand was, what drove him to do what he did, how the US government responded to sixties radicals like him (with hammer and tongs), and why he would eventually choose the life of an outlaw. Sadly, it also provides some valuable insights on why Hoffman would eventually take his own life. To his credit at least, he never became what he hated, something that cannot be said for the rest of his generation.

All I can say is my ABBIE HOFFMAN book collection continues to grow since I first read THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ABBIE HOFFMAN. I can only wonder what ABBIE would be doing in todays times if he was still with us. Once you read this book, I will gurantee you will see the UNITED STATES of AMERICA as the two sided nation that it truly is. (PIG NATION) Damn ABBIE could come up with the greatest of catch phrases, and did he ever leave many for the world to think about. This book will suck you in and keep you reading till the end. And I bet you'll make time to read it many more times again. I cannot think of anyone who I would truly call an amazing person as I do ABBIE HOFFMAN. The book collection and movies about ABBIE will wake you, shake you, and encourage all those who read that we as individuals allow the injustices to rain upon us. But ABBIE leaves you with the power to want to stand up and grab your soapbox and head to the nearest corner. Awesome stuff! Enjoy the book and get ready to get pumped up as you read..

Inspirational, funny, moving. A time machine to a place called the 60's. This will open eyes and minds, give new awareness. Not for the shallow or ignorant.

The box is so beautiful that I have it as part of my house decor

Edward Hoffman has created a wonderful exploration of the Hebrew language for us. His Hebrew Stamp Kit with an excellent hand book on The Hebrew Alphabet is a pleasure to use and have. I've found the kit helpful and accurate. It comes in a little wooden box with all the letters in rubber secured on a wooden block and a small ink pad with a book that tells you about every letter.

It has become my first venture into the Hebrew language. Hebrew is one of the oldest and earliest forms of language still in active use today. My sister Ephrat (Turqiz) who lives in Israel gave me my first lessons on Hebrew when she wrote my name in the Hebrew language. But it also helps having a Jewish mother who can help you along.

Hoffman goes into detail as his layout for each letter is nicely designed on almost every page of the small booklet. He not only gives you an excellent illustration on the shape of each letter but also backs that up with good historical information that makes learning the language new and exciting. I'm sure you will find this kit a lovely addition to your exploration of the Hebrew language. Check out my review on the Moleskine large sketch book...The two items work great together. Remember you only get in life what you put into it. Smile...today's a great day to learn Hebrew and use your stamp pad.

Your Servant,

Deremiah, *CPE

Nice set, except it is missing five 'final' letters - including the final mem. Makes it impossible to stamp the word "shalom". Of course, the box is sealed and it's not until you open it that you realize what is missing..and by then the money is spent.

This kit is so wonderful in so many ways.
Comes with a really nice booklet with ideas on how to use the kit for meditation. But the stamps can be used to create stationary, arts and crafts, and greeting cards as well.

very high quality, great packaging, a wonderful tool for Sunday school teachers, Kabbalah students, or just for someone who wants to learn the Hebrew letters.

I've used these stamps to help document my trip to Israel. I created a scrapbook with all the pictures and other paper souveniers and this stamp kit was the perfect way to add hebrew text to my pages.

The stamps are a nice quality and the box stores and saves them perfectly.

Also, during this time I was in the process of learning hebrew, these stamps were a great tool to help me memorize the letters and learn their meaning.

The answer: a population of arrogant leaders willing to manipulate and ignorant masses willing to work hard for their nation's greater glory. This is the essential point of this book as applied to the USA. N. V. Hoffman has a son serving in Iraq, and this might have something to do with his authorship of this book. Regardless of the author's reasons for writing this work; it is still worth reading. The book describes the mentality of Americans, and how it compares with the mentality of others, and shows how history, geography, and just plain luck, can explain the differences between them. The comparison points to Americans as too confident, too ignorant, and too arrogant for the good of ourselves, and the rest of the world. Specifically it makes us susceptible to lies generated by those in charge; those occupying the White House and their favorite friends and lobbies. The author uses the leadup to the Iraq invasion of 2003 to illustrate his point.

The book is a quick read; though quite opinionated in many respects. I agree with many of the author's conclusions and arguments, I just believe the tone could have been more objective.

I was looking for something interesting to read this summer and saw this one in the current affairs section of my bookstore. I picked it up and have been enjoying it tremendously. Von Hoffman is so funny and so correct in his analysis of the present sickness which inflicts American society. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for truth, justice and the (real promise of the) American way.

This is one person's look at life in present-day America. The author feels that America is inside a 3000-mile wide terrarium, cut off from the rest of the world. This would explain that by the time of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the difference in world view between America and the rest of the world grew to the size of the hole in the ozone layer over the South Pole.

During the Nazi era, the Big Lie was simple and repeated over and over again until it became the equivalent of inescapable sound. For whatever reason, George Bush was not a good liar. He and his advisers made the mistake of elaborating, retracting and adding on to the reasons for attacking Iraq. The rest of the world must have been laughing when the Bush Administration came up with one more reason for invasion. The American people believed them, as they generally do when their government and television tell them something. Another rule to keeping things simple is to not offer any evidence, so there can be no refutation. The supposed warehouses full of evidence turned out to be nothing.

Ever since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, America has believed that it is a "city on a hill," a feeling of "we are right and you are wrong." Since Providence has chosen America to work through human history, anyone already occupying the continent could justifiably be removed or killed.

The first lines of the National Anthem contain the roots of flagolatry, or excessive reverence for the national symbol. Democracies are always right, America is a democracy, so America is always right. Since America is the best democracy, it is more right than the others. Inside the terrarium called America, Arabs don't exist and nobody has heard of them. Arabs are considered non-people with a non-claim to nothing. Americans go on and on about being the greatest country in the world with an almost neurotic need for praise from outside the biosphere. Americans also have rabbit ears for criticism from outside, but the voice of reason just bounces off the glass.

This is a Wow of a book. I'm not sure if I have ever read a book quite like this. It's rare when an American can look at this country the way foreigners (probably) do. It is very highly recommended.

No punches pulled in this excellent little book of essays that deals with who we are as Americans, and how we got that way. Loaded with sardonic wit and acerbic criticism, this book is less concerned with the hoax aspect of life of America than it is about the closed-off nature of the bubble that we are seemingly content to live in. According to von Hoffman, we live in a biosphere against which reason and objectivity tend to bounce off. Although the book is quite naturally critical of the current Bush administration, this particilar president is almost incidental to the overall theme. The chapters on how Americans view Arabs and Muslims are among the most interesting in the book. Reminiscent of Gore Vidal's most recent work concerning the current political climate, von Hoffman's book is an excellent read that is both informative and entertaining.

Satirical and barbed, a distinguished read by the New York Observer columnist and author of several books. Hoax stands out to be a controversial pick as the Author hits on the Bush Administration for its diversionary tactics for invading Iraq.

He begins his book with a quote from former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser: "The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves." The Author's son is currently in Iraq in the United States Army to whom the book is dedicated. Due to his temper tantrums, the author was fired many times by editors and TV Executives and he even lost the Pulitzer prize. Hoax is the hot stepper in the best selling list of post Iraq War Books. Von Hoffman criticizes the Bush Administration and this may hurt the blind patriotic faith of Americans who believes that its government does little wrong than many others. In the beginning chapter `The Big Lie' Von Hoffman speaks of the super rich and power image of America and reveals how the American people have been gulled into cheering for a gigantic hoax by the Bush administration. "It happened because America has manufactured its own reality. A dome has slipped over the country, turning the nation into a unique biosphere, which causes Americans to see, hear, and interpret every event and each happenstance as no other people do. Poisoned by recycled, un-refreshed air, Americans think differently." The Bush Administration invaded Iraq with the terrorism threat hanging on as the world watched over with make belief feel that Saddam is the present `Hitler' and Osama Bin Laden lured in the oblivion. Von Hoffman confirms Saddam as the butcher of Baghdad and was a ruthless dictator responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iranians, during the Iran-Iraq war, Kurds, and the random butchering of Iraqis whom he suspected as enemies of the Baath regime. Von Hoffman says that America's mission to curb the Islamic world and bring terrorism to its knees has proven unsuccessful inspite of its so-called victories over Afghanistan and Iraq. The US Government reputation shatters in the eyes of International community and even Tony Blair, the British PM's political future hangs in the balance. Von Hoffman says, "US coalition is busy converting Iraq into a "free world, "Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda still remain at large" and this is so very true and raise questions to Bush Administration. American vision gets blurred as citizens get trapped into white lies and belief `We are right, you are wrong'. A saying goes `you can fool some people some time but you can't fool all people all the time' and perfectly this applies to Bush Administration and the US. Blunt, bold and outspoken, Von Hoffman the Author/journalist is well informed and has presented a Book that sure is a great Pick and if you have been reading M.J.Akbar's Bylines, you will definitely find similar thoughts to many topics covered up in the Hoax.

-ilaxi

In Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt, Mable and Gar Hoffman draw upon their years of experience to craft a superb compendium of more than homemade ice cream and frozen yogurt recipes. These recipes range from rich ice creams, frozen yogurts, and sherbets, to sorbets, sauces, and frozen desserts that can be made at home with any ice-cream maker, or just by using the kitchen freezer. From Heavenly Chocolate Sherbet, Lemon Cheesecake Ice Cream, and Apricot-Honey Frozen Yogurt, to Mango Sorbet, Green Chowder Frappe, and Pineapple Pops, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt will quickly prove to be a family favorite addition to any kitchen cookbook collection!

I made a special trip to a local bookstore to check this one out in person. Of all the books that are available, this one was my favorite because of two things: the recipes and nutritional information. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being impossible/ridiculous), the ease of recipes probably ranged between 7-9, which means that they are mostly do-able and not too difficult. What won me over was the fact that the revised version of this book (published either in 2003 or 2004, even though it's out on the shelves already) has the added bonus of including nutritional count of EACH recipe, so you'll know the amount of fat/calories/carbohyrdates/sugar, etc. per serving of ice cream by the recipe (unless you substitute ingredients, then you're on your own). This was such an unexpected treat! Also, I noticed that some of the recipes that included eggs had suggested heating the egg briefly (sorry, I don't recall the exact details), but this beats worrying about raw eggs that could lead to Salmonella. Finally, besides the many great recipes, the book includes some great, glossy, yummy-looking pictures (including the cover picture that's also found inside with the recipe), PLUS the author keeps in mind that some people will actually use this book for an ice-cream making machine...so she gives directions accordingly! I'm giving this to a friend for a Christmas present, along with the Cuisinart 1.5 quart Ice Cream Maker, and I wanted to make sure the recipe book would meet three needs: include easy recipes that can be used in an ice cream maker (yep), count nutritional information (yep), and be simple (yes, mostly--have to hunt for some of the ingredients, possibly). Plus, we're both health-conscious and on a low-car eating plan, so we'll substitute Splenda (sub. sugar) in the mixes, which seems easy. I was torn between buying this book, "Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream Book" (also good, but diffuicult on a low-carb diet), and "The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks & More"...but the latter had no nutritional information and only seemed to add one or two things to set recipes and call them "new" recipes, which felt like a rip-off--considering the promised "500 recipes" title. SO, I do recommend this book, as I believe it meets many needs beyond satisfying the taste buds. I can't wait until we try out all the recipes!

A very helpful and informative book, especially for newcomers to ice cream making. Lots of photos. Covers various techniques for freezing ice cream, explains the 'how & why' of various ingredients, and includes a ton of recipes from basics like strawberry and vanilla to exotics such as Italian green pepper frappe. My familiy has yet to try one of their recipes that we did not like.

I bought this ice cream cookbook based on the 2 review previous to mine and wanting an ice cream cookbook that my daughter didn't have. Once I received it I compared it to my daughters 2 ice cream cookbooks by Williams Sonoma's collection and the other from Ben & Jerry's. I preferred theirs over this one. The recipe 'Favorite Peach Ice Cream', I've made better with a recipe from another ice cream cookbook. But I'll try another recipe and maybe I'll love that recipe and end up likeing this book after all.

This book contains a vast and varied collection of ice cream recipes. It begins with a brief introduction into the science of ice cream making, covering terms, ingredients, and types of ice cream makers. Next comes loads of recipes, roughly organized into chapters as follows: vanillas, chocolates, berries, citrus, orchard fruits, tropical fruits, melons, vegetables, and nuts and candies. Also included are recipes and instructions for frozen pies, cakes, and soda fountain creations. Each chapter includes numerous possibilities, from full cream, to frozen yogurt, to no-fat sorbet options. Just to make sure the ice cream hobby doesn't add too many inches to your waistline, following each recipe is a nutritional chart, showing calories, carbohydrate, fat, and cholesterol content per serving (yes, sometimes it can be a bummer, but better warned than sorry).

I like the variety of recipes in the book because if you don't have the ingredients to make ice cream one way, you can probably find an alternative using just the stuff you have on hand. Also, if fat or cholesterol is a concern for members of your family, the nutritional charts can help you select recipes that everyone can eat (or help you avoid no-nos). I found myself a little frustrated, however, with the small differences in ingredients and methods from recipe to recipe. I soon found myself taking notes and trying to abstract from the lot a short list of general recipes to work from so that I could free myself from having to slavishly follow each individual recipe. In doing so, I noted that most of the recipes contained here seem to follow one of 3 general approaches (compare to the Ben & Jerry's ice cream book, in which they also use 3 basic recipes, but these 3 basic recipes are laid out for readers explicitly in the beginning of the book). Most of the recipes in the book call for eggs; fortunately, the Hoffmans provide instructions for cooking the eggs to ensure that they will not introduce salmonella into the ice cream.