S Books

Riding With Reagan: From the White House to the Ranch: From the White House to the RanchThis is an excellent book and I enjoyed reading it. It was very well written and interesting reading. Very good book.

I had personal reason to buy this after seeing the author on C-span Book TV since I knew people close to one of those mentioned in the book. Can't say who or how it got to her, but after reading it got a nod and wink. Think you'll do the same.

Barietta lets us into the inner circle outside Reagan's 'kitchen cabinet'. He paints a picture of Reagan that allows one to understand the essence of the man; his connection with the individual, and as such, the people. The author's allegiance to the President does not cloud the reality of the relationship between these two men. Despite the professional connection, Reagan had a way, I summize, to bridge that barrier and maintain a bond that is clear through the author's typewritten words.

This was a wonderful look, and the personal side of a great man. These are truly memorable moments from John Barletta, written in an honest, detailed and interesting manner. Well worth the read.

John Barletta, through his insight and understanding, with a rock-solid foundation of character and integrity, has connected with President Reagan as few others ever have. Reagan's inner-core and genuine goodness, plus our personal contact with him and the guidelines and special bonds we forged with this uncommon man were granted to a few of us who were privileged to spend those rare moments at his side while his core values transferred, as if by osmosis, to our minds and our hearts.

Barletta's view and understanding of Reagan is exceptional and true. His pleasant,easy-to-read, conversational style of writing is reader-friendly and gives the reader a "you are there" "eyewitness" feeling. The author had to come away from each experience with RR feeling more and more as if he were part of Reagan's extended family; an almost brotherly connection for the two of them.

It sure did for a few of us who were there at the beginning of RR's political career, like Edwin Meese III, Wm.P. Clark, Lyn Nofziger and Tom Reed.
What a pleasure NOT having to wade though pages of footnotes and notes to get to the meaning of this remarkable book. Not necessary when the author is intimately aware of his subject, as Barletta is. No nonsense, fabrications or embellishments in this book; just the facts--- beautifully explained. Thanks! Curtis Patrick, author, REAGAN: WHAT WAS HE REALLY LIKE?

One thing that poverty didn't diminish is Woodruff's powers of recall. Though, as soon as he becomes literate, one senses he'll inexorably transcend his meagre beginnings which ring most vividly in this tale. I loved the regional patois as much as the rising political conscience of the working class boy. The years roll by with the daily grind, humilities accompanying the unjust disenfranchisement of workers; Dickensian conditions that were worse in Lancanshire than other industrial zones. Woodruff's effortless prose is as tough as his father's persistent presence and as nuanced as his mum's mercurial mood shifts. Fortunately for readers,'Nab's End' is no end, but a beginning to further tales from post adolesence. Having just closed the covers on Roy McFadyen's, 'at A Cost', I opened Woodruff to discover a parallel story in times bedevilled by poverty and dire economic depression. If you want to visit the comparison and find, at a pinch, an even more extraordinary childhood,'At a Cost' is published and distributed by its author @ 15 Maryann Street, Golden Beach, Queensland, Australia 4551.

This is a wonderful book which, as an Anglophile, I loved reading. Just a word to those who feel it some of the terms are American. Remember, please, that the author is now living in the US, and new terms become automatically one's own after a while. And yes, there is a sequel to this book!

You don't have to have been born in Blackburn (as I was) to appreciate this wonderful true story of a childhood in poverty with all the wit and humour and honesty of the working class. Their hopes for a better and fairer future are vivid and the story ends with an emotional desire from the reader to know how and if this young man succeeds as he takes his steps away from Lancashire. Inevitably the reader will read the sequel Beyond Nab End which is even better but read this first.

William Woodruff and I have something in common; we were both born and reared poor in Lancashire, doubly lucky as Mr Woodruff puts it. The book itself is a reader, you pick it up and you can't put it down. There is always something else you want to read in the next chapter. It is a shame the book had an ending to it as it leaves you wanting more.

Like one of the other reviewers I was a bit disappointed when the text was dumbed down, probably for our American cousins, as little discrepancies showed through the text. For instance, stating ten pennies instead of ten pence (we would have said it 'tenpunce') and the absolute glaring mistake of calling a tanner 6p when it should have been 6d and a dodger is 3d not 3p. Little details like this tend to eat at me.

The book was easy to read and if you know a little about Lancashire, specifically Blackburn, you will find it fascinating.

Tim Brimelow 19 May 2003

I came upon this book after hearing brief snippets of it serialised BBC Radio 4 and the World Service.
It had added interest for me as I know Blackburn (at least modern Blackburn) very well, it was later a surprise to discover I knew virtually nothing of the town.
The book is evocative and stirring as you follow the authors journey from early childhood to his 16th year, when he finally leaves a deprived, economically and spiritual broken town for London, in hope of work and a better life.
The journey in between is a rich array of colourful and long forgotton characters and ways of life. Most striking by far is the harshness of past societies in which the poor were virtually ground into the dirt and totally at mercy of commerce. Yet still the love and joy of these kindly, caring and sweet natured people shines through, it took a great deal to make them lose all hope. One cannot help but to think that these poor and hardworking forbares made more than a little of the muscle in the British national psyche.
The Authors journey is one of love, loss and curiousity, his intelligence is meant for better things than the dust and grime of cotton mills but so hard worked are his people and he that this realisation is a long time coming.
Highlights characters are Grandma Bridget and the lovley Aunts he visits in Summer. Quite a journey and very much a joy to read.

For a native San Franciscian, this was a thrilling read. I was shocked on what I learned and it is interesting to see how things change. Strongly recommended.

Some very interesting tidbits here, but as a San Francisco resident I kept asking "what's there now?" It would have been great to include more (brief) history on what happened to the properties after these places were no more, or at least the addresses of the buildings that are there now. Some of this info is there, but it's hit or miss. Also, poor editing is a distraction throughout.

I've got an obsession (of sorts) with obscure San Francisco lore...all the different incarnations of the Cliff House, the rise of "hoodlum" culture in the 1800s, the ups and downs of the Barbary Coast, you name it. That said, "San Francisco's Lost Landmarks" is loaded with stories I've never heard before (waterslides in the Upper Haight? Who'd have thought!), mostly related in a prim, rosy-tinted manner by Mr. Smith. The chapter on the 1939 World's Fair, for instance, is mostly a list of who, what and where with no attempt to convey the excitement and novelty of the event. There's plenty here for any student of SF history to enjoy, but it lacks the seductive you-are-there storytelling of a Herbert Asbury or Luc Sante.

I am a fan of the 1960's coffee table, giant picture book histories of urban America distroyed. Lost New York, Lost Chicago, Lost Boston, and the now hard-to find pre hurricane Katrina, Lost New Orleans had a part in urban historic preservation awareness. Lost San Francisco never existed. And that's too bad. James Smith's book, Lost San Francisco Landmarks is a fine, well written work of local history. It explains San Francisco better than anything I've read. The why of Treasure Island, the tolleration of "civic sexuality" and the over use of quake prone land-fill engineering all get aired. It's A great read. RW Los Angeles.

So many books appear yearly on San Francisco that it's easy to miss one - and San Francisco's Lost Landmarks is not one to miss; it holds riches like few others. Where competitors offer listings of dates and facts, San Francisco's Lost Landmarks uses vintage pictures to blend with history to tell of lost pieces of the past. From the Tivoli Opera House and Gardens to Ralston's failed Grand Hotel, San Francisco's Lost Landmarks is history at its best.

I saw 2 of Chekhov's plays in college and I honestly don't remember them. Glenn Close appeared in one I remember, but beyond that I was obviously distracted. Nothing could have prepared me for the perfection of these stories. I have never read a collection that had such an impact. Chekhov's clear-eyed world view peers at tiny physical details in the lives of the characters to see into their souls. They are tragic heroes in common clothes.

Chekhov looks on without judgment. His attitude is humane and liberal. No matter how foolish his subjects, his attitude is never condescending.

I hadn't realized it until I finished Pevear's forward, but Chekhov begins to slip subtly into stream of consciousness in several stories. This and many other innovations make Chekhov a pivotal figure in fiction writing. He is certainly under appreciated at present.

(I can't compare it, of course, but the P&V translation is another gift.)

Anton Chekhov is largely known for his plays (The Cherry Orchard, Uncle Vanya), but he is also widely regarded as a master of the short story. However to fully appreciate these stories the reader should be somewhat familiar with the state of fiction in Russia during the last half of the 19th century as well as social and political conditions in the country at that time. Some knowledge of Chekhov's personal history and his philosophy of life is also helpful. Lacking these insights one is likely to find these stories to be excessively negative and depressing.

One difficulty in reading this book of his best short stories is that the first few (50 pages or so) are unrelentingly depressing; death and unrequited love being the main themes and they are told in Chekhov's spare style. A Boring Story is a longer and more interesting piece. It includes some aspects of Chekhov's philosophy, and while it ends on another depressing note, there is still an element of hope present. Ward No. 6 is perhaps the best of these stories, as well as the longest. It tells of a hospital in Siberia with a ward for mental patients. The story centers around a doctor (Andrei Yefichmych), a decent and compassionate man who gradually descends to the depths of the place. Along the way he has an interesting exchange with a mental patient, Ivan Dmitrich. The doctor suggests that one can be happy anywhere, even trapped in a prison, and cites the example of the Greek philosopher Diogenes who so distained material things that he lived in a barrel. The patient disagrees strongly, shouting, "I love life, I love it passionately!" He adds, tellingly, that maybe Diogenes would not have been so happy if he had had to live in a barrel in the wintry cold of Siberia!

The other stories in the book treat of a variety of people and situations from all walks of Russian life. While despair and a sense of hopeless fatalism remains the main thrust of many of these stories, there is also an element of hope present. Chekov keeps coming back to the idea that the future will be better. Some stories, such as Anna on the Neck, even have an element of humor. The last story, The Fiancée, perhaps sums up Chekhov's view of Russian life. In this tale a young woman living in a small town becomes engaged to a local man. A guest from the city, Sasha, starts to talk with her about how empty her life will be if she marries this man. Gradually she begins to come to this realization and in the end leaves to move to St. Petersburg to have "a new, expansive, spacious life, and that life, still unclear, full of mysteries, lured and beckoned to her."

I have given Chekov a rating of 4 stars, rather than 5, because, compared to Guy de Maupassant and O. Henry, his stories do not sufficiently express the full range of human emotions. Both of the latter masters of the short story infuse their work with humor and even broad satire and this is the stuff of life as well as the dreary world that Chekov inhabits. Yet maybe Chekov is reflecting the reality of Russia in his time. In any case these stories are well worth reading.

A true master of the form of the short story, this collection of stories illustrates the full depth of Chekov's range of subjects and characters: serfs, bishops, doctors, merchants, coroners, in the country, city, and in between. There seems to have been no area of Russia where Chekov did not have an intimate, exhaustive knowledge. Every story is finely crafted, concise yet exacting, detailed yet brisk. Chekov manages to juggle these mutually exclusive elements of the art of short story, giving most of the stories the feel of longer, fully treated works in a very tight space. Simply put, Chekov well deserves his designation as one of the great masters of the short story.

This is the first series of works that I have read by Chekhov. I wanted to read some of his shorter works before beginning reading his novels. Now that I realize how much I enjoy his stlye, which I think other people will like as well, I am looking forward to reading his larger works. I very much liked the insight into the Russian culture.

Chekhov simply astonishes. "The Lady with the Little Dog," one of his most famous stories, is rendered splendidly by Pevar and Volokhonsky. I don't know of any other writer who captures the confusion, fear and excitement of romantic love as well as Chekhov does here. The last line is perfect.

I must say that I really enjoy this book. It is well written and provides alot of very good information. It is a good resource book to keep in your RV. I am planning to go full time RVing in the next couple of months and this book helped me to make that important decision. Read and enjoy folks!

We found this book a very valuable resource for planning on our eventual fulltiming phase of life. It is a very easy read, but it also has the information you need. It's very well laid out! Thanks for a great book!

Support Your RV Lifestyle: An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road (Second Edition)
is a wonderful resource -- it's well-written, filled with great information, and is inspirational and encouraging, as well. Jaimie Hall is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her topic. It's obvious that she's a seasoned traveler -- and has been both working on the road and talking to many other RVers who have worked while enjoying their travels.

The book summarizes over 350 jobs (in categories like work at rv parks and resorts, christmas tree farms, state parks and national forest areas, concessions, seasonal jobs, sales of rv related products, crafts, writing and consulting). Details like how to handle resumes, long-distance job interviews, contact information and communication while traveling, and the right questions to ask about jobs are also covered. In addition to the many options it lists, it points out possible problems and challenges one may encounter on the road while trying to find a job or while working.

If you (like us) are thinking about traveling in an RV, this is the book to have in the planning stage -- and I assume it will also be helpful when on the road.
Also check out the author's website and enewsletter.

My husband was intrigued by the idea of full-timing in an RV. This book gives you ideas of working while moving around in your RV. Maybe working a seasonal job in a theme park or with a tour group, on a guest ranch or in a national park appeals to you. Some jobs offer free campsites.
Ultimately I chickened out on the idea, but if you think the open road is for you and want to make some money along the way, be sure to read this book.
It includes a ton of info in the appendix: including contact information for state tourist bureaus, state parks, state revenue offices and state motor vehicle and licensing bureaus and more, plus an additional 32 pages of resources.

Many people who contemplate living the RV lifestyle probably equate it with a leisurely retirement. But what if you combine RVing with a lucrative work life? You may discover that you can hit the road at a younger age and reap more rewards.
Support Your RV Lifestyle spells out in great detail exactly how to live this dream life. Jaimie Hall speaks from her own experience and culls information from a wealth of other sources to create a comprehensive tool for planning to live and work on the road.
Just as you wouldn't set out on a trip without a road map, you would be miles ahead by consulting this guide before embarking on this life journey. There's a lot more to consider than where to park your vehicle each night. Don't assume you'll just "find a job" when you reach your destination. There are many considerations, from tying your marketable skills to a job on the road, to balancing work and fun, to tax implications. Because Ms. Hall is so thorough with her guidance, you will be well-equipped to make decisions about how to combine work with pleasure.
It is likely that some of her 100-plus pages of worksheets and resource lists would assist travelers in general, not only those traveling and working out of an RV. You'll recoup the price of this travel guide many times if you choose to follow its course for living and working on the road

Es importante inculcar a nuestros los valores, ya que de ellos dependen para defenderse ante cualquier situación.....

Este libro los pone en orden y de manera sencilla para transmitirla a los niños.

It's an Ethic's marvelous work that prompts you to give your children and to profess yourself the BEST VALUES...
It does not matter if you are a Baptist,. a Mormon or a Muslim:
THIS BOOK IS A GUARANTEE OF LIFE FOR OUR KIDS !
IT'S THE SOLID FOUNDATION TO BECOME A REAL MAN OR A WORTHY WOMAN!

It's an Ethic's marvelous work that prompts you to give your children and to profess yourself the BEST VALUES...
It does not matter it}f you are a Baptist,. a Mormon or a Muslim:
THIS BOOK IS A GUARANTEE OF LIFE FOR OUR KIDS !

Excellent tool to give those just starting a family or for those old pros. Welocme addition to the child rearing section. I even recommend it as sumplmental reading to those who already have good values through the Bible and thier faith.

este libro, asi como su forma de transmitir, SON LO QUE HA HECHO QUE EL MUNDO SUBSISTA AUN ENTRE GUERRAS Y EPIDEMIAS !
Maravilloso para nostros y para los niños !

As a publicist who has worked on the journalism side like T.S. Peric, I learned that he "gets it". I devoured this book as a refresher for myself and to learn what others are doing to generate publicity for their clients. I found Peric's tips and advice sensible, simple to understand and applicable to any product or service. It's one of the most thorough and user-friendly books about publicity that I've ever read.

"Wacky Days" is a book that leads you through the many steps you can take to obtain huge amounts of free publicity.
Anyone who has a business, product, or book is sure to find this will become their Bible to return to time and again gleaming nuggets of information from it's pages.
The author uses examples from his own experiences to show how it can be done. The information can be easily adapted to fit your need for publicity.
An interesting and entertaining read that is a definite keeper which will sit on my reference shelf to be used whenever I am doing publicity. In my opinion, Tom Peric does for publicity what Dan Poynter does for self-publishing.

Great book on ideas and practical ways to generate PR for any type of business. From straight-forward tasks to some strategic planning like offering reporters story ideas for future reference or how to get seated on a Board, Peric' has something for everyone in Wacky Days.

Highly recommended.

Wacky Days... explains how to get free publicity and to be recognized as an expert in your chosen field. Mr. Peric' shows you how to approach the media through Tip sheets, professional looking Press releases, and of course the names, dates, and e-mail addresses needed to create your very own holiday!( Mine is going to be "Buy a piece of thrift store art day", 3rd Thursday in June!)his book is a must read if you spend money on advertising your business.
If you are an independent publisher, like me, YOU MUST OWN A COPY!
All fans of Dan Poynter should have this book right next to The Self-Publishing Manual.
Everyone else talks about getting publicity, but Tom holds your hand, and takes baby steps until your goals are reached, 37 small chapters.

His journalism background has really given him a true insiders edge.

At the end of the book there is a section that explains how to affordably hire Mr. Peric' himself by drawing up a plan from Wacky Days..., gathering up media list, writing your press release and allowing T. S. to assess the plan.
This book explains what journalists love to write about,(People and Ideas)

He also explains why stories get written (they were relevant, useful, or interesting!)

I fully recomend you buy this book.

I've never met or spoken with Tom Peric but as I read this book, it felt like I was listening to a trusted friend give me step by step advice on how to publicize my business. I liked his straightforward writing style and how he educates and empowers the reader so that even the most media-shy business owner can read this book and apply its suggestions about how to publicize his or her business. A great book, you'll be glad you read it.

This was actually the first Daniel Steele book I ever read. It was wonderful the story so well developed and the characters so full of life. In fact I have now read this book at least 3 times maybe even 4, truly a classic. Everyone should have this on their shelf to read when you get tired of just seeing words on a page that take you nowhere.

Audry is SUCH a great character! Her love of adventure and for her man, but her loyalty to her family is what really pulled the story together. Very enjoyable book!

I have read many of Danielle Steel's books. This has to be one of her best. It is about a young woman named Audrey who has been caretaker to her grandfather and younger sister. Then, she has this need to do some traveling, and see the world. She does so, first going to New York City (she lived in San Francisco). She meets two people named James and Violet, and she becomes a travel companion for the two. In England, she meets Charles, whom becomes her one true love, and they travel the world together, and no matter what threatens to break them up, they never give up on each other.

This is not as formulaic as many of Danielle Steel novels, but it is still wonderful and one of her best.

This book is so cool...it takes you so many places, you most likely have never been to. It's so fun to put yourself in this characters shoes & see what it's like. I love to read about countries I haven't been to...classic DS

I have been reading Danielle Steel for over 15 years and own all her books and this is one of my favourites - one I can read over and over again and still enjoy the story.
I was transported back to the 1930's and admired the bravery of Audrey travelling to China when it was probably a dangerous (and not "proper") for a young single woman to do so. This one made me laugh, cry and wish that all would go well for Audrey.
If you are a Danielle Steel fan you will love this one. Her earlier novels (like this one) are so much better than her later books. If you are new to Danielle Steel - this one is highly recommended. Enjoy!

This incredibly valuable book is characterized by almost reckless honesty in combination with a concern for the welfare of patients that I have encountered nowhere else to date.

If it is read casually, there is much of critical value; if studied carefully, there is even more.

Dr. Levine had earned the gratitude of everyone who reads the book as well as all others because, with his trail blazing book, he has put the medical establishment on notice that they can no longer depend on the code of silence that has for so long protected inadequate and impaired heath care professionals. And it's high time.

I agree with all the reviews here - this is a must read. But after you read it go give it to a friend - it could save their life. As for the one review from the Texas man....probably a criminal doctor or someone who works for the pharmaceutical companies!

Ask the nurses who the good doctors are? Nurses like the doctors that are nice to them. The best doctors aren't always nice.

Go to a Teaching hospital if you can? So a resident can do your procedure and round on you? I think not.

Drug companies are out to rip us all off? Dr. Levine doesn't like drug companies because drugs like statins and ace inhibitors decrease his business.

Asked to be transferred during your care? So a new doctor that hasn't been following you can start all over.

Tell the ER doctor to call your Primary care doctor? So he can get whoever is on call for the group and knows nothing about you. Right. Lots of help.

Really weird stuff to come from an MD.

I can't express how important I believe this book to be. I am a business consultant of more than 30 years. I have read extensively in many areas of business - and in Health, Wealth, Happiness, and Success. I'm not a doctor. I'm not sure there isn't some exaggeration here. But, both Dr. Levine and what he says "feels" right. And, even if it isn't, it is a wonderful checklist of things to watch our for and check against. I plan to purchase additional copies for members of my family. I plan to recommend this book to those who attend my seminars.

I was shocked to learn that drug companies and medical suppliers "court" and "pay" (my quotes) doctors to use their products.

The author explains the process behind the FDA approving a drug and that some doctors have a conflict of interest while taking part in the approval process.

Pomerantz hit the high water mark of urban histories by providing an intimate picture of the emergence of the South's premier inter-racial city, Atlanta, from the standpoint of the two families---one once slave and the other slave owner---who helped to shape its progressive destiny.

As a recent transplant to the city of Atlanta, I didn't know much about Atlanta's history. And as an African American woman with grandparents who left the South in search of bigger opportunities in the North, I was more aware of the racism than I was of how and who ushered in the social and economic change that created more opportunities for my generation. The book is extremely well written and once I started I couldn't put it down. This is great way to learn about history. Anyone interested in Atlanta's history in particular and American history in general should read this book!!!!!!

This book not only is about two families but also about how those two families influenced and built one of the great metropolises of America. Greatly narrated and beautifully told.

I've read several of Gary's books and found this one to be an amazing work of not only scholarship and very detailed research but it was also very readable. Some people may be put off by the sheer size of the book but once I was hooked (it took a few pages), I really couldn't put it down until I was done.

Luckily, I was on a cruise and quite a few sea days to lie back in the sun and savour this wonderful book.

I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interest in how the South was transformed (both intentionally and unintentionally) by a small number of people with not only immense vision but also immense bravery and a sense of justice.

Bravo Gary!

I am a native Georgian and raised in Metro Atlanta. This book opened my understanding of how, what, when and who made this city and why our state is so political about everything. Unfortunately, the race factor will always play a role in how we view and operate the local and state governments. This book just makes it clearer for anyone who works, lives and does business in Georgia. All Georgia history teachers should read this book. It would make Georgia history so much better for 8th graders and make them think. This is a must for reference material.