O Books

I wish I would have bought this book earlier in my medical school career. Not only would it have helped for all the physiology sequences (cardiac, renal, etc) but it would have been helpful for histology, neuro,and endocrinology. The pictures are great and the explanations are uncomplicated. If you are a visual learner then I highly recommend this book. I am an endocrinology TA and have found it as a wonderful resource. I have the color atlas of immunology and have ordered the pathophysiology and pharmacolgy books by thieme as well.

The same as I mentioned about the Color Atlas of Pharmacology, it's the best way to review Physiological functions in just one scheme for each topic. Totally recommended.

A very complete guide to physiology which can be used by researchers, graduate students and MD students alike with incredible detail included that may be beyond what is needed even. That makes it a great reference.

Its unbelievable that its in pocket handbook format.

My top rated physiology books would be:

Color atlas (this guide)
Applied Surgical Physiology Vivas (+ Critical Care Edition) (Kanani)
Berne and Levy

In that order exactly.

Back to the book:

Invaluable and truly an amazing, complete and extremely detailed carry-around reference.

What makes this book a state-of-the-art is not its content, but the manner in which it's presented. Each subject only occupies one page of text, & opposite is a page for illustrations. But it's not the illustrations that explains the text, but rather the text that explains the illustrations (a method created by Leonardo da Vinci). This not only helps in recalling of the subject, but also helps in sustaining an interest in it. An ingenious beautiful book.

This and it's companion book on Pathophysiology are the best investments I have made since entering medical school. The illustrations are great (and the diagrams set a standard that neither Guyton or Boron and Boulep can match) , but it's Silbernagl's presentation that makes them so amazing. I'm constantly finding new layers of information that I missed even after 4 or 5 passes. Buy Boron for this year's theories and break throughs, but this is the book you will be returning to.

Superb. Simply. Great literature. The character of John, the main character's friend was the best and most gratifying of all. Please obtain and let your eyes go to work. To think the author died short of fifty. Man, we get burned sometimes.

This simple but beautiful bittersweet story of life among the Irish-American citizens of an unnamed eastern city is a joyful and beguiling tale. O'Connor's characterizations and dialogues are engaging and from my personal experience utterly authentic. I feel as though I have met all the main chacters and could give them names among family and acquaintances. The set piece of Father Kennedy' battle with alcoholism is tastefully done.

I am thilled to see this book being available in hardcover and paperback as well. I read this book about ten years ago and I read it regularly every couple of years. The story is very compelling and the scene of the protagonist walking home through a run-down community is a classic of American literature.

What this book and O'Connor's other novel, The Last Hurrah, apart is the writing. In an era where writers seem to challenge one another to be more like Faukner and less comprehensible to the average man, O'Connor wrote very well and his language is beautiful. From this fine prose arises really deep characters which are flawed and so easily identifiable to us all.

I found this to be a wonderful novel and a great pleasure to read. I have been trying to find this for years and could not in any bookstore. While this could not translate to the movies as easily as Last Hurrah, I found this to be so much more interesting. A truly Catholic novel, it is a joy to find something that takes spiritual issues seriously and yet is hardly preachy. And if you are Irish, the dialogues of the "friends" of the family will make you laugh outloud while reading. This brought back the charms and frustrations of my childhood and my own family of Irish aunts and uncles. Long but worth the effort. A great find.

As I was reading THE EDGE OF SADNESS, I couldn't help but think that in 1961, when this Pulitzer Prize winning novel was published, it must have been rather controversial. It dealt with the humanity of priests, noting flaws but in a respectful manner. While some writers such as Georges Bernanos dealt with such issues in his DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, American audiences were still used to the Hollywood Big Screen concoctions of Spencer Tracy--Father Flanagan/Bing Crosby--Father O'Malley models of priesthood. While the priest in THE EDGE OF SADNESS may be worthy of the warmth and love given to his movie counterparts, he's hardly perfect.

The novel tells the story of an alcoholic priest named Hugh Kennedy beginning again in ministry in an older, run down parish. Readers get a sense he's not the priest he once was, and throughout the novel we learn of his early ministry, the ramifications of the death of his father, the struggle with alcohol, and the loneliness that is a real part of his life. The book is written in the first person, and we hear the story of his life as he tells of his rekindling of a friendship with the Carmody family: Charlie, the patriarch, his son John the priest, Dan, the ne'er do well, Helen, the outspoken sister married to a doctor and Mary, the daughter who remains at home to care for the aging but still independent and at times ruthless Charlie. We also meet a host of minor characters: Helen's husband Frank, their son and daughter-in-law Ted and Anne, Charlie's longtime friends P.J. and Bucky, Roy, the maintenance man who works at Fr. Kennedy's church, and Fr. Stanley Danowski, the endearing yet naïve and at time nerdy young curate at Fr. Kennedy's parish. As the events of the novel unfold, we see changes in Fr. Kennedy as he discovers his love for God and his vocation.

This is an older style novel in many ways. O'Connor is not short on words and he gives a number of details, yet the novel flows and is a fast read for a volume of nearly 650 pages. The issues of struggles in priesthood, vitality of parishes, older priest verses younger priest, unstated yet real competition between clergy people, and a hunger for God are all present in this book. In some ways if some historical details were changed in the book, it could be about modern day Catholic life. Perhaps this is the power of this book and why it can seem timeless. While it tells a story from an earlier day, it's not an invitation for nostalgia, at least for Catholic readers. Instead it will remind readers of what truly matters in life: the importance of faith, and the importance of having people who love us and people we love in return. While it may seem dated in some ways, readers will agree that the editors at Loyola Press were correct in reissuing this book as a classic.

I'd read this book in college and wanted to read it again as part of my research for a new book I'm writing.

Very informative, well-researched, and interesting discussion of the potential for human presence in colonies in interplanetary space. One criticism is the lack of attention to the need for a human presence on the Moon, for astronomy, for tourism, and for raw materials for space colonization. Another criticism is that the author was overly optimistic about NASA; this is partly offset by more recent contributions.

I read this wonderful book as an undergrad in the seventies. I found out about O'Neill from Stewart Brand's journal of the time, "The Coevolution Quarterly". O'Neill was the outer space guru of the age, just as John Lilly was the inner space pioneer. I assumed, as an enthusiastic youngster, that there would be millions of humans living at L5 by now. Unfortunately, we have a government run space program that, like any government bureaucracy, is inefficient and at the mercy of inferior minds (Congress and the White House). Nevertheless, this book is a good read and shows what one professor and a handful of grad students can come up with. For present day forward thinkers, review the ideas of Bill Stone (Stone Aerospace).

I'm writing this review of the review dated September 8th 2001, wherein the reviewer challenges us readers to implement the ideas of O'Neill's book RIGHT NOW.

I wonder if anyone took that challenge, or if we were all distracted by what happened 3 days later?

Looking back over the past 4 years, I think, like the other reviewers who have written since that fateful day, that those events and their consequences show us that getting off this planet, and what we will learn from the effort, is an idea that becomes more imperative day after day.

If anyone is involved in a "mini-biosphere" project called for in the September 8th, 2001 review, or knows of such, please e-mail me with contact info.

Congratulations to all who can see beyong the curve of our Earth, to the endless horizons of space.

This is the classic proposal for the human expansion into space by the originator of the idea himself, Gerard O'neill. In it, he shows how space settlement could be done using boring 1970's technology.

A very good and thought provoking read, it is the ONLY space book that presented a plausible way for the rest of us (not just the "experts" and scientists) could go move into space in style AND the only one to show a semi-convincing way to pay for it all (space-based solar power).

Ever wondered how to call certain character qualities out in your daughter? This book is full of ideas that will prompt your thinking. Having had a dad that recognized these things in my life and as a mom of 2 little girls, I would love for these things to be passed on through the generations....that little girls of all ages would be valued for the character seen in their lives and not just what is seen on the outside.

My husband reads this to our daughter and her face just lights up. She knows she's a princess! Not only is she daddy's little princess, but she's God's little princess as well.

This is what I would call a Just for fun book. It has scripture listed but really doesn't teach a big lesson except for that you are specially made by God. Which hopefully by now my children now this. It is a fun book for daddies to read to their little girls.

My husband loves to read this book to his little princess! The Christian message in this story is wonderful, and I love giving this book as a gift.

I'd Be Your Princess: A Royal tale of Godly Character was written by Kathryn O'rien and illustrated by Michael Garland. It has earned the Gold Medallion Book Award in recognition of excellence in evangelical Christian literature. The illustrations fill the pages with color and tender details.

The book tells of a little girl and her father who imagine what life would be like were he a king and she his princess. The little girl dreams of jewels, castles, fancy balls and royal adventures. At each turn her father highlights opportunities for godly character -- even as a princess. He talks of good manners, bravery, generosity and kindness, just to name a few. Each characteristic is supported with Scripture. The wording is encouraging, enchanting and challenging for young girls.

What I Like: I love this book! And so does my daughter. She, like most three-year-olds, is obsessed with princesses. This book is a perfect way to endulge that fantasy while teaching about godly character. The story is so positive. Rather than reprimanding a daughter who dreams of being higher than all others, the father teaches her wonderful ways to exhibit royal character as a child of God. This is a wonderful book for parents to read to their children and for first readers to read themselves.

What I Dislike: Absolutely nothing.

Overall Rating: Excellent!

Tanya -- Christian Children's Book Review

Good book, but i was disappointed that the text depends upon the cd. If you are looking for a book to look up tools and how-to's, this may not be the book for you.

a very helpful tool for the novice. Index helps located area that is creating a logjam when your are trying to complete a piece. Essential for anyone not enrolled in classes.

This is the sort of book that you hold with one hand while running the program with the other. Well written (utilizing the CS3 software!)and entertaining, the book is laid out in an easy to understand format and the included CD makes learning clear, easy - and fun. This is a great place to start if you're new to CS3 - and there's enough depth that people familiar with the software can learn quite a bit as well!

While there are a number of quality tutorials (both written and video), Deke McClellen's teaching skills make this book a cut better than average. Chapters are organized logically with enough info to grow the novice and challenge the intermediate user. I especially appreciate McClellen's videos. They are neither too slow nor too fast and assume the viewer is starting from scratch. The book itself also serves as an excellent template or model for someone venturing into book publishing.

I've been fumbling my way through InDesign for work for a while but got so frustrated that I decided I needed some help. I've started going through this book, chapter by chapter and have had so many, "A-Ha! That's how you do that!" moments. It's been very helpful and I've only had a little bit of trouble following along but that's bound to happen when you're trying to teach yourself.

This is one of my all time favorite picture books for all ages. Peter Spiers beautiful illustrations need no words to tell this story. The possibilities for interacting with a child are endless as you wander through the familiar and find the surprising! My granddaughter is 2 years old and loves animals. What could be a better birthday gift?

The happy and humorous tone of this book will make it appealing to any child, whatever the family's religion.

The only text is at the beginning and it is a charming translation of a poem that summarizes the story of Noah. The poem is delightful in and of itself- Spier did a great job of translating.

The illustrations are then left without text, which is very refreshing, since there are so few picture books nowadays. I enjoy leisurely paging through this book with my young daughter, talking about the pictures in and of themselves, as pieces of art and as pictures that tell a story. I feel that the pressure is off in terms of trying to finish a sentence or a story when there is no text there.

In addition, this book is appropriate for Muslim families as well, since the illustrations (and beginning poem) are sufficiently vague as to accommodate for the small differences in the telling of the story in the Qu'ran and the Bible.

My first Peter Spier book. Not saccharine, wonderful details (including Noah mucking out the ark). Great to have a child read to YOU.

This is an excellent picture book - my three year old really loves it. My only "complaint" is that it takes a long time to go through all the pictures and talk about each one making it less than ideal right before bed unless you want to spend 20 minutes on just one book! Seriously though - the book is just wonderful and allows parents to go into whatever level of detail regarding the Noah story as they feel is appropriate for the age of their child. It is a softcover and the pages and cover are not of the highest quality - it would be lovely to have in hardcover with larger pages.

This book really does not need any words. It is so well illustrated that you can understand every part of the story. His detailing is stunning. Every time we read this book, we find new details. This is the best book of Noah's ark story!

If you want to read about Piscator, Venator, milkmaids, and the rising of huge trout to those "little sailboats", this is not the book for you. If you are stuck in Yellowstone, New Zealand, or the Catskills and are complaining about the hatches while striving for the nature experience, this book is not for you. However, if you are a city bound angler needing to feed his urges, this is a good read. You will enjoy the stories as you gain insight on how to get out and rise to angling bliss when stuck in the concrete valleys. Arelt and O'Kelly have arranged the road trip for the forty-something urban angler.

I'm not a big reader, but I picked this up on a whim cause I used to like to fish and am now stuck in a big city. I really enjoyed the book.

I really liked this book, let me tell you why.

There's a passage toward the beginning of Dandelion Wine where the protagonist is lying on his back in the forest, squinting at the sun as it squeezed it's way through the leaves above him. It's a simple passage that effectively evoked the carefree afternoons of a young boy - it transports you to your own youth - and thereafter you read the book as if you are Douglas Spaulding. Similarly, by taking you along on his first fishing adventure as a child, Chris Arelt reminds you of the tension you feel when getting caught in a childish prank - you're now in synch with the authors as they walk you through their thirty years of piscatorial exploits.

The stories are fun and have a consistent mischevious bent, which for me, strikes home. When I went fishing as a kid, I was always getting away with something. Maybe I snuck out of the house, or was smoking a cigarette, or well, doing something I wasn't suppose to be up to. The Offbeat Angler captures that spirit, and by doing that, captures the essence of fishing.

There are a lot of fishing guides out there that teach you how to land the big one. They're not for me. It was a hell of a lot more enjoyable to sit back & read some yarns that reminded me why I grew to like fishing to begin with. It was all about being young, having time, breaking rules and getting a breath of nature. The dream was catching that big one, but in reality there were a lot of rewarding afternoons where I can't remember if I even got a bite.

So, in many ways, it was enlightening to read this book. I've got kids of my own now, and when I take them fishing, we'll hop a fence, skid down a hill, and pass a no trespassing sign. Then I'll know they know what fishing can be all about.

Buy this book, you'll be glad you did. I'm keeping an eye out for the sequel.

This book is a delight for anyone who has ever gone fishing, would like to, or simply enjoys good storytelling. Fish tales have often been prone to exaggeration, but these tales carry the ring of truth. The book can be enjoyed as separate and complete short stories, or savored as a whole. The authors have inspired me to pick up a fishing pole and go catch some fish.

After reading the reviews I was really looking forward to this book - what a disappointment. Don't the others who reviewed this thing ever leave their apartments? The stories and topics are pretty boring - and not at all well written. I found nothing "offbeat" about their "adventures." After years of angling and reading great books by people who understand the sport and nature, I am dumbfounded as to how others might find this book to be of any real value - especially 5 stars.

Fishing is connection with nature, which usually means the practitioner learns something about nature - this is the first fishing book I've read that calls a rock ledge an "escarpment" and brambles or thorns "pricker bushes". The authors also seem to think they were the first to ever trespass or to fish for carp in ditches or stripers from a rented rowboat. If the authors were talented storytellers perhaps they could turn these trips into something interesting, but this part of their craft is lacking.

If you want to read well written stories of offbeat angling, get some early Gierach books, not this one. Arelt and O'Kelly write in a breathless style, sharing sophomoric observations and their own opinions, which are neither enlightening nor fact based. Guys, Jane Fonda comes from a fly fishing family and she brought Ted Turner to the sport, so don't worry about her. Instead, worry that people in our society mistake what you do for literature.

It covers everything you need to know if you don't have time to read the book.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of those few novels that is magical, beautiful and can capture the very kernel of mind to wake you up from the reality of Latin American world. The writer questions the propriety of the superstructure of the governance of mankind and the whole lot of theories and principles which are supposed to deliver the mankind from the drudgeries and miseries but which do not.To read this novel is to experience darkness and the failure of mankind.

To read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's masterwork is to confront one's demons and one's devices in a monumentally singular reading experience. What does that mean? I have no idea, but I thought it sounded good when I wrote it.
Seriously though, you could do worse than to read this book. Although, it is overrated, and at times, you will think it is pretentiously boring. Still, there were enough good stretches of narrative beauty to overtake the sometimes tiresome ponderousness of the story.

This was really the best book I ever read. The non-standard use of time and space concepts is amazing. I read it in two languages (both translated) and I started to study Spanish just to read this book in original. Everytime I read this book it gives me a completely different view.

In 10,000 years, when most of the world's literature is lost and forgotten, this book will still be read. Like "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Les Miserables", I will read it again and again until my eyesite fails. Then my childen will read it aloud to me. Then I can die.

Used to listen to this on tape and wanted to replace it with cd so I could listen to it in the car. If you want to get a taste of life in 1660's London, this is it. The written diaries are also fascinating but fairly hard to read, so Kenneth Branagh helps us out here. Anyone interested in English history will be very pleased with this diary. If you don't yet know who Pepys is then, for sure, you need to buy this. I've listened to it at least twice over the years and alway hear something new with each listening. Highly recommended!

I chose to listen to this book because I felt I "should" be better acquainted with what can arguably be called the most famous diary in history. I looked upon it as a chore that would improve my mind.

I may have, indeed, improved my mind but it turned out to be no chore! What an absolute delight. I've read many historical novels that weren't half as exciting, funny and fascinating as this book. I kept having to remind myself that this man REALLY lived through all these things -- the plague, the great London fire, the machinations of the court.

Plus, his willingness to expose in frank (and sometimes bawdy) detail his personal life, health, sexual dalliances, etc., brought *him* as well as his times vividly to life.

I doubt if trying to read through the actual diary would be as much fun, but the editors' careful selection of entries culled out the best bits while never losing continuity.

And what more can I add to the praise of Branagh as narrator? The man is a phenomenal talent and shows it in this book. Never over-acting, he manages to convey a perfect tone (for instance, just the hint of a whisper at the more personal parts, as though Pepys was confiding in us).

All in all, this book convinced me that improving my mind doesn't HAVE to be tedious.

Of course it is not the complete Pepy's diary but is wonderful to listen to while on long drives. Kenneth Brannagh as the reader brings life into the English language of yesterday. I wonder if a movie is in the offing.

Samuel Pepys' Pepys' Diary is an outstanding classic which comes to life in audio cd format, narrated by Kenneth Branagh whose background in film and direction lend to a vivid narrative indeed. Pepys' classic has lasted centuries because it records in vivid descriptions the bygone world of 17th-century London life: this vivid written word in turn translates well into audio and brings a rich history to life.

I loved these tapes. I concur with the reviews that they are addictive - better for a long country ride than a harried rush hour. Then let Pepys (Branagh) be your witty and engrossing travel companion.

It obviously helps to be familar with the Restoration to enhance your enjoyment of these diaries; though many with even a general background will still find them entertaining. Highly recommended.

This book is very intense and detailed. It takes complete concentration to stay with the author. I have not finished it as yet but need to take my time to understand all that is written. Word by word. Sentence by sentence. It is a wonderful awe inspiring book. That is why I bought it even though I am not Jewish. All Christians and non-christians should read and understand what is being taught.

The Prophets is a classic & has been of great benefit to a class I'm taking on the subject.

Heschel is undoubtedly one of the greatest interpreters of Judaism in the 20th century. Philosophically deep and yet profoundly meditative, his poetic prose makes for a genuine spirirtual masterpiece. The book appeals to a Christian as well as the Jewish audience.

A wonderful, two-volume set that has become a standard reference in the field of the "classical," literary, Hebrew prophets, their prophecies, and their personalities. Amos, Hosea, Isaiah (Isa. 1-39), Micah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Second Isaiah (Isa. 40-66) are analyzed with particular care given to their humanity as they encounter God and men in assuming their respective missions.

Heschel describes his focus in writing: "What I have aimed at is an understanding of what it means to think, feel, respond, and act as a prophet (Introduction). For this Jewish rabbi and seminary professor, "the prophet is a person, not a mircrophone. He is endowed with a mission, with the power of a word not his own that accounts for his greatness--but also with temperament, concern, character, and individuality. As there was no resisting the impact of divine inspiration, so at times there was no resisting the vortex of his own temperament. The word of God reverberated in the voice of man" (Introduction). This examination of the prophets' humanity is most compelling throughout the work with the first chapter, "What Manner of Man is the Prophet?," being worth the price of the set to me.

The second volume addresses at least sixteen different aspects of the prophetic experience, among them: "theology and philosophy of pathos," "meaning and mystery of wrath," "sympathy," "ecstasy," "poetry," and "inspiration." An examination of prophets from other cultural contexts is also included.

Highly recommended to all theologically- and philosophically-minded readers who are interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the Hebrew prophets from a Jewish perspective.

This is one of the most interesting books I've read in my life. I am particularly interested in the relationship between the sacred and the secular and using one to illuminate the other. Most writers tend to lean too heavily on one and too heavily against the other. While Abraham Heschel is clear in his beliefs, his faith does not prevent him from thinking about the secular world in ways that enhance my understanding of both the sacred and the secular.

While these books (actually a two volume set in one cover) specifically address the Prophets of the Old Testament, Heschel constantly explores the prophet construct through virtually every useful idea in human intellectual history. This is more than a biography of the Prophets, but rather a deep examination of what the concept "prophet" means and how it compares and contrasts with other religious, ethical, spiritual, and humanistic perspectives.

If you view theology and faith through the lens of someone like Christopher Hitchens (whose current 2007 atheist manifesto and sacred attack is a bestseller now), then "The Prophets" is probably a book you wouldn't like because its foundation is folly, fatuous, and infamous. If, however, you can think about the sacred and the secular - like Fitzgerald's genius who can hold opposing ideas in his head simultaneously - you might find this one of the most interesting books you've ever read.

In the same vein of the sacred-secular contrast, the latest books by the late Philip Rieff might also be interesting to you. Check out "Charisma" and "My Life Among the Deathworks."