N Books

Amazon asked me to review this book, which is funny, considering I still haven't received the copy I ordered more than a month ago! If you really want this book, you might try getting it elsewhere.

I found this book to be a wonderful book that takes you into the world of a passenger on the Titanic and his journey through the disaster. It was a wonderful book with great illustrations that really helped my students look into the events of the Titanic.

I liked the story because when Polar was lost he was reunited with his owner at the end of the story. The person that read me the story said that this story was true because the granddaughter of Polar's owner found this story in her attic and wrote a book about it.

the name of this book is polar the titanic bear.It was a very,very good book. IT IS A TRUE STORY.I is about a stuffed bear that is "alive" and has a very good connection with his master.His master's family was a very rich family,so they traveled alot.The two were on the titanic,& this book has real pictures of the titanic & his family.(masters family)

This book has much to offer, for young readers and for adults. It is a wonderful glimpse into history, told from the perspective of a Steiff polar bear, who is very much a part of the life of young Douglas Spedden. His family's travels and his young life unfold in a beautiful text that is illustrated with sensitive illustrations and historical photographs. The Speddens traveled on the ill-fated Titanic. The incredible drama of that event unfolds in the most personal narrative. The magnficent beauty of the ship is conveyed as the family enjoys its commodious luxury. The drama of its sinking is compelling as well as touching in the describtion of the heartbreaking separation of Polar from young Douglas. This is how a young child would remember such an event. Fortunately, Polar is found and reunited with his friend.

The story behind the story is as wondeful as the book itself. Leighton H. Coleman III found this wonderful manuscript in his grandfather's barn. It was written by his cousin, Daisy Spedden. How brilliant of a mother to convert a traumatizing event into a story for her little boy! Her tender insight, the wonder of discovery and the perfect blending of history and narrative--ocean liners, wonderful bears--all of these components make this a perfect children's book that is both educational and entertaining (for parents, too!). I have given scores of copies to my friends with children and to my many adult friends who are fascinated by ocean liners and the Titanic. The book is well-crafted with much to offer.

Cute adventure/mystery featuring the watchmaker turned amateur sleuth mouse, Hermux Tantamoq. Very lively story with plenty of action, suspense, and humor. This would be a great read-aloud. Although obviously the second book in the series, it wasn't too difficult to jump right in and follow Hermux on his adventures. I didn't feel like I was missing too much by not reading the first one yet. Recommended.

This was a cool book about the watch fixing mouse, Hermux Tantamoq! It is the second in a series about him, but it's just as good as the first book(which doesn't happen very much)and I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It all starts when Mirrin Stentrill, puts on an artshow in the museum. When Mirrin was blind, she saw many visions and so when she recovered from her blindness, she decides to paint pictures of what she saw when she was blind. But it turns out that the pictures she paints are cats- a word no one likes to use in the city of mice and rodents. Then along comes Birch Tentintrotter, an old chipmunk, a friend of Hermux's father. He tells a secret to Hermux; a secret no one knows about, and about a map he had found in a library years ago. Birch believes that cats really did exist. To prove that, Hermux, Birch, and their friend, Linka Perflinger, set off on a journey to the Kingdom of Cats. On their journey, Hermux and his friends uncover the evidence that cats once had mice as slaves. Now, Hermux doesn't know if he's doing the right thing to find the whole truth about them.
Michael Hoeye describes all his characters and the scene very carefully and really well. I like the way he gives a personality to a character and he sticks with it. He doesn't mix Hermux and Mirrin's personality together. It's just Hermux. And it's just Mirrin.
I really enjoyed this book because of the great journey that Hermux and his friends went on. It was so exciting and I really loved how Michael Hoeye made me want to keep reading more and more!

Hermux Tantamoq, a distinguished mouse who lives in the heavily populated city of Pinchester, is sailing through life day in and day out, in his watchmaking shop, until one day, an old, weather worn chipmunk missing an ear stops by, says his name is Birch Tentintrotter, and he would like to speak to Mr. Tantamoq seinor. Hermux's father had passed away five months ago, and no friend of his from college would look like that old wreck!
Meanwhile, Hermux's friend Mirrin Stentril's first art show is causing tremendous uproar. She's been painting CATS!!! Everyone (the hamsters, mice, ferrets, squirrels etc.) knows they're not real, right? Well Hermux, Birch and aviatrix Linka Perflinger are out to prove those art critics wrong!
Michael Hoeye combines detail, vocabulary and suspense in this stunning sequel to Time Stops For No Mouse, proving never to overlook history, even if you are afraid.

Watchmaker-extraordinaire and resident cheese lover, Hermux Tantamoq, is in for the surprise of his life, when his good friend, Mirrin Stentrill, reveals the scandalous work being featured in her new art show: cats! After all, mice don't want to hear about cats, even if they never actually existed, and the entire town of Pinchester is up in arms over the showing. Then a long lost stranger known as Birch Tentintrotter, a chipmunk, visits Hermux and lets him in on a very important secret: cats DID exist, and Birch has the facts to prove it. So, on a split second decision, Birch, Hermux, and he lovely aviatrix, Linka Perflinger, set out to the desert to find the lost Kingdom of Cats. While there, Hermux learns many new things about the history of mice, things different than what he was taught as a child, and he begins wondering whether it is really necessary to bring these truths forward.

As a fan of the first Hermux Tantamoq novel, TIME STOPS FOR NO MOUSE, I knew that I had to check out Michael Hoeye's latest contribution to the series, THE SANDS OF TIME, and I was not at all disappointed. Young Hermux is as adorable as ever, in his quest to find out about the lost civilization known as cats; and his sidekicks, both new and old, are perfect. The wonderful story that has been crafted will delight readers of all ages, and keep them begging for more Tantamoq. A must have!

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

I am an engaged home cook who happened to read a review of this cookbook and then come upon it in a NYC bookstore. I promptly bought it, and it remains, ten years later (?) -- maybe longer -- my favorite cookbook. Excellent, easy to follow recipes with always satisfying results. Just enough other commentary to keep one engaged, along with the overall idea that one ingredient can inform every meal. Buy it -- it's a winner!

Great travel writing, great food writing, great photographs. I never tire of reading this cookbook. The authors stories are endlessly entertaining. We cook a lot from this book, Rice Congee, and Thai Fried Rice are 2 of the standby meals my family never grows tired of.

This was one of those cookbooks that I glanced through at the bookstore, liked it, put down and then went on my way yet it never left my mind. I've found when I do that I might as well buy the thing the next time around. So I did and I was not disappointed.

As others have said its part cookbook, part travelouge organized by geography. I found this to be an interesting combination. I bought the thing for the reciepies but find myself enjoying the travelouges while search through it for my next meal. I don't know, it just seems like you get more out of the dish that way.

At the beginning of the book it tells a good chunk about history, cultivation, physiology and processing of rice. This was quite informative. Things like the advantages and disadvantages of hulled vs unhulled rice and rinsing rice before cooking. No perfect solution, just valuable information based on your needs.

The receipies are of course the meat of the book. When I first opened it up I figured it would be 300 ways to prepare rice or something like that. Far from it. Many (say half or more) of the dishes are not rice dishes at all but meals or snacks that you would eat with rice. So while it does have some rice specific dishes its really more of a cookbook that samples dishes from around the world. A good chunk of them are winners, far higher hit rate than I see in most cookbooks.

The receipeis themselves tend to be easy to moderate in complexity. Having its international focus does call for some ingredients that you just wont find at your local chain grocery store. There are some good mail order sources in the back for some of the more shelf stable items. For items that need to be fresh they often suggest substitutes.

Its a great book, I really recommend it and its on my short list of go to books when I ask myself "What do I want to cook for dinner"

One word - AWESOME!!! If that's not enough of a review for you..here goes. This book will take hold of you by your collar and won't let you go till you've finished the last page....and not only that but this book will affect the way you think about rice...even if rice is a staple at your house and you feel like you know everything there is to know about it!
I read this book for 4 hours last night...and couldn't tear myself away from it. The depiction of countries and their people is so true and so touching, you'll feel like visiting those places.
Being an Indian myself, I could see all the recipes featured under the Indian section are 100% authentic...trust me on it. I'm sure the same goes for all the other countries too...do buy this book if you love rice.
[...]

The paperback version/publisher's closeout of this book has grainy black and white photos. From other reviews, I gather that the hardback version has stunning color photos. The same great recipes and travelogue are in both books. (I personally wish I had spent more for the book with the better photos.)

I've worked my way through this entire series now, and while the first dozen or so (this is no. 23) were generally well done -- good, reasonably accurate descriptions of London of the 1880s, pointed contrast between Society's drawing rooms and the miserable existence of the laboring classes, vivid character development of both working cops and the elite -- the last few have shown a definite decline. Thomas Pitt, Inspector and then Superintendent at the Bow Street station, and a both very talented and highly empathic detective, has now been stripped of his position by the Forces of Evil (the entirely fictional and extremely melodramatic "Inner Circle") and dumped in the lap of Special Branch, where he's beginning to learn how to be a secret policeman instead of a public one. The "Seven Dials" area of London is a pretty minor player in this one, too; the author should have called it "Alexandria," because that's where Pitt is sent to gather information on a beautiful and patriotic Egyptian woman living in London who is caught red-handed wheeling a dead bottom through her back garden in a wheelbarrow. Also implicated is a high Foreign Office official, which is how Pitt and his "M"-like boss, Narraway, get involved. If the details of the motive for the murder become public, the government could fall, Egypt could erupt in revolt, and Suez might even be lost. Can't have that, right? The action is low-key, the plot development takes its time, and the reader will enjoy the scenery, both internal and external. At least The Inner Circle manages not to appear this time, and it's fun watching Pitt trying to deal with a totally foreign milieu -- even though Perry could have spent a lot more time painting its details.

I never really liked political anything, even in Anne Perry, but I could not put this one down. I finished it in one day. She did not disappoint me!!!! Thanks Anne

elizabeth cohen

Classic murder mysteries rely heavily for both their effectiveness and their appeal on a "slight of hands," and one of the tricks is a set of characters in whom one can become interested enough to relate to them in some way. Another is to create an ambiance that arrests the attention and keeps it. Anne Perry has a great knack for creating both memorable characters and an interesting stage on which they play out their roles in the story.

Her Seven Dials is an amazing recreation of Victorian England in the earlier days of the queen's reign. The era is young yet, and the political turmoil that will set the stage for World War I and the social changes it brings is just beginning. Some of the older characters can remember the Napoleon wars. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are paradigms of lower middle class life in the period, with their fate in the hands of Thomas's mentor in the Secret Service, Victor Narroway, and their maid servant and her beau, Samuel Tellman, in theirs. The interactions among all of the characters gives as much a feeling for the period as does the mention of hansom cabs, harnesses, and horse manure in the streets. Even the yellow skies and the chocking, smog filled London streets is classic for the era.

Perry's characters are charming and detailed, each a work of art in them selves. The maidservant is spunky, savvy and sensitive, used to the school of hard knocks, and her friend Tellman is gruff, masculine in an "old fashioned" sort of way, and smarts under the unfairness of social inequality and the period's newly arising sense of social empowerment. The stiff, formal society in which Charlotte Pitt grew up and still has family is faced with an erosion of their privileges and with a growing sense that they are on the threshold of major change. They are like dinosaurs waiting for the asteroid to strike them.

All of this sets the background for a puzzling murder of a man who should not really have been where he was at all and certainly not dead. The central characters push forward in an attempt to make sense of the confusing, almost irrational facts. It is this irrationality that is part of the slight of hands. Eventually Pitt must go to Egypt to unravel the mystery by back tracking the murdered man and his alleged murderess.

The venue in Egypt is Alexandria, a city to which I have been about three or four times. The descriptions of Victorian Alexandria might still easily pass for today, although the city today is more Western than Cairo and much more so than Thebes. The description of the rug suq was definitely memorable. The quarrel that leads to a small riot in the book reminded me of the minor violence that occurred among men there and in Cairo in the few days before Sadat was assassinated. Like the brewing sense of political unrest in the book, here too, everyone felt the tension in the air; everyone knew that something was afoot, but no one knew what was about to happen. It was a very tense time, and so was Pitt's Egypt.

I can not for the life of me understand the author's description of malaquia, an Egyptian soup--which I refer to as "frog-pond"--made for special occasions, as "delicious." I found it slimy and green. The latter I could handle, the former I couldn't. The mention of the sound of what seemed like crickets to Pitt, also brings back memories. Actually the sound is not crickets but a similar one made by small frogs in the canals and on the banks of the Nile. It's very restful. All in all, Pitt's trip to Egypt was as memorable for me as for him.

A delightful mystery.

Anne Perry doesn't disappoint in this recorded book. Read well, and easily one for the bookshelf.

Very descriptive and historically accurate. You'll love her vivid pictures of Alexandria. Egypt comes alive. I'm a harsh critic but this work bowled me over.

As a young teenager, I babysat for a woman who loved to read novels. The best ones, she told me, had stories that never leave you. A Stone for Danny Fisher is one of those novels.

At my advanced age, I've lost count of the number of books I've read that really mattered to me. But when I'm in a nostalgic frame of mind, and go back to the book shelf for something to read again, Harold Robbins' magnificent autobiorgaphical novel is one that comes to mind.

I read this book only recently, after my dad recommended it to me. I had heard of Harold Robbins before, and had looked into his novels, but this is probably the best of his works. Danny is one of those characters you can feel for. Robbins manages to entwine his readers in the life of Danny by creating a very realistic story that everyone can, at one point, relate to. I enjoyed the novel immensely as it comprised of ups and downs, and looking back at it, I can't really point out one part which might have been better than the other. Being from a different generation from my dad, I can say that it is one of those books you recommend to your kids years from now, as I recommend it to my friends and family. It's very real.

I snuck this book from my Mom's bedside table and read the whole thing in one night. It was a wildly exotic tale for an 11 year old girl living in the woods in industrial Western Pennsylvania, and since I listed it as one of the three 'unforgettable reads from my childhood', I can't wait to read it again. And my Mom wasn't even mad at me for reading it!

I read this book when I was in College, oh about 20+ years ago. I have read more books than I can count since then. I am horrible about remembering Authors, Titles and story lines. This is one of the very FEW that I remembered them ALL. I think that this book should be a classic to be read in schools along the lines of "A Scarlett Letter", "Ethan Frome" and others.

I will be purchasing this book for my daughter to read and pass on to my sons...Truly a classic...Too bad Mr. Robbins abandoned his true talent.

Harold Robbins, as he became more successful, mastered the art of the pulp fiction stereotype and much of his later work was pure trash. But his initial novels demonstrated what talent the man had, and are as different from his later trash as cheese from chalk. A Stone For Danny Fisher is his best book ever in my opinion : had he never written another book, this alone would have made him an author to remember.

Set in Depression era New York (Robbins himself was born and raised in Brooklyn, though in vastly better circumstances), this is a coming of age story with a difference. Danny Fisher narrates his own story in the first person, starting with a short, stark depiction of his family meeting at a pre-arranged place and then cutting to flashback mode to explain why. He tells of a Jewish kid growing up in the gritty streets of hard-bitten Brooklyn, battling anti-Semitic abuse, using boxing as a way of escaping the economic fates closing in on his family. No punches are pulled as we experience with Danny the world of organised crime, first as victim, then as onlooker, finally as willing (even enthusiastic) participant. Danny is an anti-hero here, but rarely a villain, so sympathetically and starkly are his story and dilemmas painted. Reading it the first time as a teenager, this book had me outraged and disillusioned repeatedly as Danny takes his knocks and too often faces rejection, even betrayal. At heart, he is still a little boy and remains so till the bitter-sweet ending, where the flashback ends and we rejoin the opening scene.

A high quality book, a story that grips the heart, a sparse writing style that wastes no words, a glimpse at the best and worst of human life. Highly recommended.

Just what I said on the title :)

They were totally enthralled by this book. They loved the illustrations, and the text, and would correct me if I dared skip a word.

As a former elementary teacher and now a grandmother, I buy and enjoy a lot of children's books. I found this one by chance on line at Amazon, bought two for my grandsons (3 and 4). I was so impressed I even showed it to my husband who also thought it was just great for young children who enjoy super heroes and are learning their ABCs. This book is funny, colorful, and original. I highly recommend it. I may even buy another copy for my own collection of children's books.

Funny text and fantastic illustrations. This is a great book for any boys or girls who love superheroes. Great for pre-readers and early readers.

Excellent alphabet book for young boys ages 4 up. They love all of the super heros.

I love the superheroes throughout. It is so clever and a great way to get my 3yr old more comfortable with the alphabet. This is a favorite book. This has become the book I give as gifts.

Read this many years ago -- when it first came out in hardcover. Loved the writing which was so very real to me. The mother/daughter relationship was described flawlessly, and I have read so many mother/daughter books!! Their conflicts, as well as their motivation[s] captured and held my attention to the point where the laundry almost reached my ceiling!! I'm waiting for more [reasonably priced] novels from this author!! Brava!!

Tackling one of the most difficult relationships, that of mother-daughter, as well as the relationships each forges in her life, this book will have you laughing and crying and caring.

in this book, as well as Glickfeld's first book, Useful Gifts, I am pulled deeply into the lives of the characters. By the end of the book I know them well because I have lived them, not just read about them. This is the author's story telling gift.

Carole Glickfeld begins her novel, Swimming Toward the Ocean, with a minor miracle: Devorah, the first-person narrator, narrates the opening scenes from within her mother's womb. The story builds compellingly as the characters develop, but it sags a bit after the midpoint, and the plot is weakened by its reliance on devices, such as a financial windfall that takes us out of realism and into fantasy. Swimming Toward the Ocean is not a long novel, but this reader believes it could have been edited down a bit, as the main characters eventually become predictable and tiresome. But Glickfeld is a gifted and disciplined writer, on the whole, and her debut novel is much better than most that are being published today.

What a wonderful, all-consuming novel! I could barely put it down. I cried when I finished it! The characters, the setting the time, the Yiddish-isms, all resonated deeply within me. I highly recommend this moving and tremendously enjoyable book!!

If my 19-month old twin girls could give the review for this book themselves, it would be 5+ stars. The illustrations and story are just adorable. What really makes me melt is everytime we come upon the last page that says, "Double hands, skin to skin. Double hearts, twin to twin.", my girls hold hands just like the twins in the picture!

I bought this book as a "congratulations" gift for a co-worker who is expecting twin girls. I am a twin myself and got a kick out of how adorable the book was. The illustrations are very sweet and my friend cried when she read the book. Guess it was the hormones working double-time!

Let's face it, in the age of fertility medicines and procedures - we are seeing way more twins than ever. I've been to 3 twin baby showers in the past year and I've bought this book as an extra little something for all of the moms. They have all loved it. This is a super cute book but you will probably have to put it away until the babies are old enough to read a paper book. I think it would be really nice to offer this in a board book because the writing is simple enough for an infant or toddler but it won't withstand the wear and tear that a young child can impose upon their favorite books. I still buy it for the moms to keep though.

When our boy/girl twins were born, a cousin gave us this book for a gift, and it quickly became one of our favorites to read to them, starting when they were just a few months old. Now they're almost 2 1/2 years old and it is one of their favorites as well. The rhyme is concise and sweet, and the pictures are very endearing. It really celebrates the joy of twins despite all the little frustrations they may create along the way!

Bought this book to read to my two year old because we are expecting a set of twins. He loves the book about "his babies" It is a cute book, great for preparing a sibling for the arrival of twins.

I bought this book as a bargain and in the description it said the condition would be knew and the only difference would be that it may be marked as a bargain. However, the condition of the book was really bad and it was so damaged that many pages were lose and the binding was completely broken. I will never buy a bargain book from amazon again, even though the book itself (if it was in good condition) is awesome.

First saw these photos on a trip to Stockholm. Huge photo posters were on display in a park and this book along with the photographer's other books, posters and postcards were for sale. We've all seen photos of animals before but these are quite "up close and personal." There is a "Wow" factor with what he has captured -- whether it be an action shot of wildebeest and zebra hurriedly crossing a river or a panda up in the tree to get a better look. This is not a book you'll look at once but time and time again.

Steve Bloom is by far one of the best animal photographers! The pictures he captures are incredible. Untamed is a great/huge collection of awesome pictures. The pictures and pages in the book are all high quality. Well worth the money.

This is an absolutely gorgeous book, oversized and chock full of awesome photographs of all sorts of creatures. Bloom works in the wild, from a distance and close up enough to devote a full page to an elephant's eyelid. He works in Antartica, in the Amazon, in Africa, Asia, all across the world, with herds of animals and with singles, young, old, and in between. Some of the photos are panoramas, with 2 pages opening towards the middle to full effect.

I first saw the book displayed on a table in an interiors store, and fell in love with it, came home and ordered from Amazon to save $$$. Now it's on the table in *my* living room. Eventually I will give it to my son to go through and share with my now-4-year-old grandson.

Steve Bloom has taken pictoral essays to new heights. In September 2007, a stroke of Irish luck led me to his exhibition in Dublin, Ireland. I spent a mesmerizing hour wandering St. Stephen's Green Park admiring his outstanding mini-billboard sized photographs and felt cheated when I ran out of time. So I bought the book, it sits on my coffee table, and I enjoy it day after day. Untamed is not a collection of animal photos. Instead, Steve gives us a greater understanding of the beast through a series of incredible exposures. Anyone who enjoys wildlife and excellent photography must own this book. It would make an excellent gift for those who share a passion for the wildlife that is vanishing before our eyes.

John Maxwell wrote a timely book on how to plan your life. No detail was left unturned in this book. John helps you define your purpose, where do you want to go, how far can you go, how do you get there from here! Then he helps you see your full potential by asking simple questions: What should you pack for your journey, how to handle detours, are you there yet. He than introduces the concept of helping others get to their dreams in route to your dreams. Is it a family trip, who else should be on the journey, and what should you do along the way! John than beautifully ties a bow on the book by asking what you like best about the trip.

This is a great book for planning the rest of your life. Again, I buy it by the case and give to everyone involved in any type of business! My way of helping others grow as I grow myself. A must read!

A popular leadership speaker and prolific author, John C. Maxwell has a great deal of experience in the process of personal growth, and he communicates it well. This book, published as The Success Journey in 1977, is a useful step-by-step guide to plotting your journey to success, right down to the thoughtful exercises at the end of each chapter. Maxwell does a nice job of mixing the personal and professional sides of success and encouraging you to redefine it. His definition is that success is following your true purpose and living up to your dreams and potential, rather than just accumulating wealth and possessions. The book is quite a fast read - probably because a good portion of it is devoted to quoting others - and its evangelical tone may not appeal to all readers. Maxwell also makes frequent use of catchphrases, which help fill a page but say little. We recommend this book to ambitious individuals looking for guidance on creating and following a workable, actionable life plan.

I am definitely a John Maxwell fan. This man is truly gifted and knows how to communicate so all can understand and benefit.This book was great but even better if read as a sequel. Don't get me wrong this is a stand alone book by itself but I am glad that I first read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. The 21 Laws is much more dry and technical while this book is personal in its application. You will better understand the process by first knowing the driving principles.There are several excellent lists that are explained in detail but my favorite is entitled, "How to Take Others for a (Life Changing) Ride. #2 states to , "Limit Who You Take Along". This one explanation alone is worth the book. It should prevent burn out and minimize disappointments.Page 177 has a chart on communication styles and the results. He applies this not only to the business world but to the family unit as well.I particulary like the chapter, What Should I Pack in My Suitcase. This will help me redeem my "downtime" as I travel. This guy is a genius.

The Roadmap to Success is by far the best motivational book I have ever read. It was the first book that I have read by Maxwell, and since then I have read four others. He teaches us a new way to think about success. Clearly stated success is: knowing your purpose, growing to reach your potential, and sowing seeds to help others. It is amazing how much better you perform and how much more you enjoy life when you view success through this framework. If you have been successful so far in your life, this book will help reinforce any doubts you have about your choices and reaffirm the actions you have taken. If you are committed to growth and development then this book is a great start to helping you put aside your fears to get the most out of your life. If you are closed minded, resistant to change and generally a pessimistic person this book is not for you. While those people that continue to make excuses for their failures or the way their life turned out will never succeed, those who have the right mindset and follow Maxwell's advise will surely go far in life and reap the beiefits and joys of success.

The following is what I liked best:

The section on Goals
They MUST be activities that are: written, personal, specific, achievable, measurable, and time sensitive.

The Quotes:
"You can not make any progress when you are facing the wrong way." & the another one by Charles 'Tremendous' Jones who said "The only difference between the person you are today and who you will be in 5 years come from the books you read and the people you associate with."

The Benchmarking idea:
To attain success you should ONLY pick 3 to 5 areas to work on & grow in at one time.

The section on Choices:
In order to make progress it will involve 3 choices: to gain something, to lose something, or to trade something
and when you choose: pick the former rather than latter:
Achievement over affirmation
Excellence over acceptability
Personal growth over pleasure
Future potential over personal gain
Narrow focus over scattered interests
Significance over security

And finally the Laws on Developing others:
Take someone with you: "There is no success without a successor"

Rating: Strong Buy