Simmons Books

This is a cute book for any child. I bought it for the illustrations of Jone Hallmark. They are just superb.

I picked this book up used and I had it for a long time before I decided to read it. I'm glad I finally did! The characters became so real to me that I hated for the book to end.

When a beloved rogue of an Uncle passes away an estranged couple heading towards divorce, and the worst mistake of their lives, must make an extended road trip to carry out his final request. Everything that can go wrong does. And everything that can go right does as well. Lynda Simmons has a gift for bringing even the most sidelined of characters to three dimensional life, which makes her story all the richer. The love between the main characters is bittersweet and, for it to once again become strong, both must learn to except and embrace what they think makes each so different from the other. Highly recommended.

Since I have also been working on a book about Will Mariner, I was very interested when I discovered this book on the net. It took months of research, but I finally found the author. It is self-published, but she is selling copies by direct mail. If you are interested, I can get you in touch with Ms. Finau.

I found the book very interesting and well-written. As I am more interested in the factual history of early European contact with Polynesia, I did not enjoy as much the fictional additions to the story - the secret romance with the princess, the duel with the villain, etc. However, Ms. Finau makes no claims of historical accuracy and describes it as a romantic adventure, which it certainly is. It is a very interesting book and faithfully describes the people and events of that fascinating era. Anyone interested in Polynesia, or a good romantic story set in an exotic locale, will enjoy this book. I recommend it.

By the way, the cover art is wonderful and the book is very attractive. However, the perfect binding was less than perfect, and pages started coming loose before I finished it. It deserves a better binding.

* "Big ideas," concepts and principles that will be used repeatedly throughout a specific course, function as the building blocks of that basic understanding, making learning easier in subsequent classes and grade levels.

* Once the teacher has identified the curriculum's big ideas, methods of supporting the student through the learning process can be devised. Just like a builder's scaffolding, the "mediated scaffolding" the curricular materials book series advocates is a temporary structure that puts the teacher to work helping the student make cognitive connections. It can be gradually taken away as the student starts learning more independently.

* Such supports can take different shapes, but graphic presentations of the information may be one of the most powerful.

* Presenting lessons in a way that shows students the relationship between one piece of information and another, rather than as a laundry list of facts or concepts, makes learning easier for students with learning disabilities. In addition, such graphical supports -- such as a graphic organizer worksheet, with the spaces left empty -- prompt the students to take notes and put the information in their own words. Such participation dramatically enhances the learning process.

Just a couple of points from this very good book that should be in the hip pocket, or at least on the bookshelf, of teachers, facilitators, or administrators involved in implementing special education in the regular education classroom.

This book has some cool stories.....A pretty easy read.....Told more like a narrative than an academic paper...Simmons writes well as usual....I didn't realize that New Mexico was so active in the outlaw community!!!!

Zagat survey's are a great way of finding out "what's hot" when visiting a new city. The rankings are usually fairly accurate in large cities like New York. This version takes the top picks from local guides across the country. This can be a little misleading if you try to compare 2 restraunts in different cities, since the rankings are do in large part to the opinions of locals. For example, the highest score for food for a New York restaurant is 28 out of 30. Seattle on the other hand, has a restaurant ranked at 29. Does Seattle have a restaurant with better food than New York's finest? Absolutely not. If you keep this in mind and look at the relative ranking within each city, you will be much happier.

Reading a book on the contemporary college scene by Charles Murray I could not help but be interested in this book which purports to be a well researched novel depicting the college life in the naughties. Initial chapters had me enthused enough I recommended it to some students but subsequent chapters led to horrible enough events that I was not so sure I wanted responsibility for those recommendations! As things go, it seems on withdrawing my recommendation because of the nature of the language (the various versions of patois) and events ended up being more encouraging than my first. The question in my mind is now "How accurately does the novel depict what contemporary college students go through? Is it as difficult to concentrate on a good education as Charlotte experiences?

And the answer is... I'm not sure. She sloshes around for some 600 pages with not a whole lot to say. I was thinking freshman year of college would be more exciting than this. I wanted to relate to the college life and perhaps live some of the moments, I missed in my quick years in college.

That's not exactly what I got. What I got was a funny novel. Funny as in hee hee, not ironic. If for nothing else, I do not regret my time with Wolfe thanks to his wit.

This is the literary equivalent to an old man standing in his yard, fist shaking, yelling, "Damn you kids!"

I thought this book quite accurately, granted it used extremes, depicted the continual decline of American culture. Of course, one must believe American culture is declining to appreciate the books non-judgmental view of it. The book shows college life the way it is on most campuses, it leaves the opinions to the reader. The plot actively follows several characters whose stories are interwoven but who really only have a couple of similarities, namely vanity and a need to be accepted, even if it means sacrificing some of their principles to get it. The male characters seem to be able to stomach it, but Charlotte struggles with it and we find ourselves wondering exactly is going to happen to 'our girl.

While great literature is food for the soul, sometimes you just want a bit of "junk food". I would put this novel in that category. It is meaty enough to lose yourself in -- a good escapist read. Charlotte reminds me a bit of myself when I went from living in a small town with a graduating class of 200 to a big-10 school living in a dorm with 3 very different roommates.

Sometimes it seems like Wolfe is paid by the word (in the tradition of Dickens) because he does tend to run on a bit and sometimes you get bored with some of the characters -- I found the dweeby tudor and their militant mutants tiresome.

Ultimately, this novel is all about the extensive mental gymnastics that people of all stripes go to convince themselves that they are superior to others in order to protect our own egos. It isn't just a college thing. It is human nature. Democrats think they are superior to Republicans and vice versa. Our obsession with reality TV is another way to convince ourselves that there is someone out there who is more messed up than we are. Each religion believes they have the corner on righteousness. When those beliefs are challenged, we all become as insecure and filled with inner doubt just as Jojo, Hoyt and the whole gang.

One issue with this novel is the fact that all the references to pop culture make it dated in very short order. All the references to fancy SUVs and endless chatter on cell phones are already dated even though this novel is less than 5 years old. But who knows... if the book is still around in 20 or 30 years, perhaps those references will seem quaint -- like the references to horses and ball gowns in 18th century literature.

If you are looking for a book to escape reality for awhile, this one does the trick. It is substantive and complex enough and if you don't take it too personally, maybe you'll even learn more about yourself and how you maintain your sense of self relative to the rest of the world -- what makes you like Charlotte Simmons... Because in a way, everyone in the book and everyone in this world is simply trying to find out or preserve there sense of who they are.

"Brick Lane" was a great read----it helps to have lived in the UK and to have met and known people similar to the characters in Monica Ali's book. Her colorful, descriptive style of writing really opens the mind to the world that she presented---we get more than a glimpse, we get the whole story.

Brick Lane is a promising debut that deals with a woman, Nazneen, who is raised up with the mentality that she cant change her fate. Married off to another Bengali, Chanu in London, she assumes a servile role in her matrimonial home. While the novel itself shows potential since it addresses the possibility of changing our destiny, the tome is sometimes marred by belabored and unnecessary writing/descriptions. For instance, the first page, about the mother preparing a chicken is way too descriptive and repititive. Then, the unintelligible letters sent to Nazneen by her sister, Hasina is hard to even comprehend what the story is all about. I mean, if they were mistakes here and there, that could be tolerable but forcing oneself to gain an insight on the sister's predicament/challenges back home was very hard and not worth immersing myself into. There are a whole lot of characters in the novel that you cant even figure out who is who in the novel. So, while the novel itself comes up with an interesting subject line,(is it possible to change one's destiny) it does not live upto the hype accorded it. For once, I cant see how it was 'wildly embraced by critics'... when it was monotonous to read the same thing over and over again.

Brick Lane begins well. The characters are wittily drawn -- the protagonist's husband, Chanu, wouldn't be out of place in Dickens (and I'm afraid he'd take that as a compliment, poor fool). The structure is promising - the protagonist in London and her sister back home in Bangladesh tell their stories in counterpoint. We see how poverty and culture constrain their choices. Their lives unfold in a series of carefully explored scenes, from which we can infer the years between. *SPOILER ALERT* But then, alas, the second half of the book drifts off into all the cliches of chick lit. The female protagonist has an affair - of course - with a handsome young stranger - and uncovers an ill-concealed family skeleton - I'm sure you can guess, it's always either suicide or sexual abuse isn't it? - and finds empowerment, and sisterhood, and sexual self-determinism, blah blah blah. The really interesting issues raised in the first half of the book - acculturation, labor economics, the development of love in an arranged marriage - are just dropped without resolution.

This noble is complete garbage. There are so many immigrants Indian novel emphasize Indian immigrant's economic contribution and upheld Indian culture as a whole. On the other hand Bangladeshi immigrant novels, drama, short films must depict Bangladesh in bad way and do an insult to our culture. I often wonder why. I mean immigrant writers from both origins are looking for their 10 minute of fame. That is totally fine. But why you have to pull out some bad smell from closet to do that? You think Indians don't have an ugly story to tell about themselves? But are they saying it to the world? Why would they? I understand that you can just ride along with the tide and make few bucks on the side. You say something bad about Bangladesh, you would get an award. You say badly about India, no one would buy your book. So the incentive is there.


Apart from my political view, this novel is not a representation of Bangladeshi culture: not of Bangladesh, and definitely not of Bangladeshi immigrant in UK. I understand that a writer is free to pick her character from extreme example or even beyond imagination. That's fine. But when you write a novel about a specific community (or you know that it will be portray as so), you must write something in the side to upheld the real picture and to do a fare judgment to that community. It is very fare to say that she knowingly ignore that part.

Here is a reader's comment "Monica Ali appears to be telling a story about what she knows best in her novel, Brick Lane. Monica Ali was born in Bangladesh and grew up in London. Most of us do not have background knowledge of Bangladesh, and this book gives us insight into that land and culture."

Imagine that!!

I did find this book intriuging enough to read it all in one go,which is quite an achivement considering it's size.
Unfortunately it did leave a somewhat of a bitter after taste.To use an analogy from the book itself,it was a bit like going to a Bangladeshi restaraunt pretending to be an Indian one(replete with Hindu statues that the propieters secretly disdain)
Ultimately i just couldnt escape the impression that it was more than just a bit phoney and designed specifically to cater to the imaginations of tourist, in this case, of the literary variety.
The book started off well for me assuming the voice of the doomed ,but dignified asian woman in suffering that was familiar from the pen of some great writers such as Amy tan,Jung Chan (wild Swans)Xinran (good women of china) et al.
I didnt consider this immediately as derivative as a part of me really wanted to like this book and the Setting was a new and exiting one in literature,the Mysterious Brick lane In Londons East End.Besides i thought, this was a voice that would serve the Bangladeshi womens experince quite well.

After finishing the book though ,and doing some research folllowing up my suspicions about the author ,it strikes me now as being very formulaic and calculating.

Although i frequented the heart of Brick Lane quite often in the early 90's,you dont need to have been to that area or lived there to pick up its lack of Authenticity .Any asian person with a traditional upbringing will tell you that no asian person ,let alone a village bumpkin like the books Heroine Nazneen, would think of her self and her life in a way that is described in this book.The charecter did not speak for herself,it was a voice imposed upon her by an outsider,a middle class,comofartable Oxford educated outsider,who has never lived anywhere remotely resembling Brick Lane.
It felt really infuriating having this village woman explained away through the sophisticated literary contrivances of an oppurtunist.You wanted to hear how Nazreen really felt. This book does not give women a voice as it purports,it takes it away. At the end i was fuming!!

The overall effect of this book is absurdity,it is writing in a voice that the person who is supposed to be being written about would not recognise themselves!

Tower Hamlets and Brick lane has many many stories to tell.A true tale of the underbelly of this area would in reality be much more tragic and heartbreaking (but ultimately much more human) than this.I hope somebody delivers a novel of the quality this part of London really deserves.

I took off a star from Mr. Simmons' book due to his tale being distracted by women and his patronizing of other members and self-aggrandizing tone. I highly reccomend this book to people who are planning to become self-starting business moguls, because in the end, that's all Kiss is: an enterprise. Music doesn't fit much in the picture here; Simmons isn't known for his prowess in that respect, and doesn't deny it.

I highly respect Gene because like many self starters, he is very clear from beginning to end concerning his goals in life: this is crucial to becoming an enterprising individual who leads the pack. No one can question Mr. Simmons' drive and work ethic; it takes a lot of work to make a business last over thirty years, let alone one. Gene kept Kiss together, and was very skilled at keeping difficult cats and spacepeople satisfied (smile).
You have to give him credit for his unbelievable ego, and extremely positive outlook on his life.

As I mentioned earlier, this book would have been a classic if Gene didn't ramble on so much about women, and his band members' difficulties; these distractions made the book boring in my opinion. What makes this book an essential read is that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are undoubtedly KISS; Gene made the band legendary, not just because of his Demon image, but his determination and insight. Classic American capitalism!

I bought this book for my son-in-law as he is a big fan of KISS. He said the book was very informative and very entertaining.

This book is well written and will hold your interest til the end. Gene fairly tells everything from his side about Kiss and there is alot of interesting bits on Ace and Peter.

KISS started out with a ton of fans who bought their albums and each person buying one record a year lifted the band out of debt and poverty. From 1977 onward, the marketing machine took over. As the fan base has continued to shrink, Gene's approach has been to continue to make money not by selling to more people, but rather by continuing to release more product to a shrinking fan base. In order to keep churning out unique product to the same group of fans, he's had to greatly diversify the junk he offers (from coffins to condoms). This book is another in his series of mediocre items that are mainly meant to keep feeding the small audience that is still hungry to collect all things KISS. The book, like many of KISS's merchandise, doesn't have to be good. It just has to be KISS.

The main problem is Gene is so insincere or evasive on those points the fans may most want to know about that the book becomes boring. He's more a politician than an author as he protects the relationships that matter by withholding any information that may alienate the involved parties (Paul Stanley, Shannon Tweed, Cher, Diana Ross) by either glossing over them or failing to offer any depth. He's fine to criticize those who no longer serve his needs (Peter Criss, Ace Frehley). In most cases where the reader might perceive he's "revealing" something, it's a case of "been there, done that" as most of that information has already been talked about in interviews before.

All in all, if you're a fan and have some cash leftover after buying your KISS coffee mugs, T-shirts, and toothbrushes, you'll want to add this to your junk heap. Otherwise, you'll probably want to give it a miss.

Before Gene Simmons had Gene Simmons's Family Jewel on A & E. He was the front man for the rock group KISS. That no news there..However it is Simmons's retelling of the KISS story that is a page turner.

What makes this book intriguing is the author's blunt retelling of his life and his band's back story. Simmons does hype his story nor the KISS empire, he shoot the truth from the heart and the gut. He is frank and honest about the band's up and downs. Its successes and it failures.

The book ends in 2001, when the band reunites..and you feel like you been on a small rollercoaster ride of life. WOW what a ride! Get it and read it yourself

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD