V Books

This is a book for all the pug lovers out there...I enjoyed all the pictures and stories about people just as obsessed with pugs as I am. Highly Recommended.

Pugs are a unique breed and if you like Pugs or know someone who does they will LOVE this book! It is gorgeous with many great pictures of Pugs all over New York. It doesn't have much information on the breed but that is not the point of it, its a small coffee table book with some lovely anecdotes about Pugs. I am away from home at uni so when I miss my Pug I flip through this book!
I definitely recommend it!

I purchased this book few weeks ago and it is already one of favorite pug books in my personal collection. I am a friend (instead of being called a master or an owner) of several pugs since I was about 8 years old. Now two of them are living with me. Pug is an amazing creature and I have been trying to make others understand why I feel what I feel about pugs. This book is a wonderful way to show others the amazing Pug world!

This book contains pics of pugs. Pugs are perfect. Need I say more??

Nice book about and for people who pamper their Pugs. Not intended to be a "useful training tool" (I don't know where the reviewer below got the impression that it was supposed to be..!) but just a cute fluffy book about a select group of upscale NYC pugs and their eccentric owners. Photos and more info of "Pug Hill" in Central Park would have been nice (but perhaps too common?). Makes a good mini-coffee table book or x-mas gift for your uppity Pug pals.

Having already read "Golf in not a game of perfect" on the mental side of golf and found it very useful, I was very interested to see if this book would help me with putting, which has been my Waterloo for a few years. I am please to say that I may not have yet won the battle, but I am getting there fast.

This is all about the mental side of the golf game focusing on putting. It was easy to read and understand and perhaps it would have helped me more if I had read it again. Not my favorite golf book.

Trust your first instinct when you hit the green, and learn to keep those negative thoughts at bay. This mental and technical guide to putting will help you improve your form.

Very straightforward and comensensical. Seems everything we read these days is about positive thinking. And it does work along with a good basic set up. I especially like his instruction that once you are over the ball, don't wait there and let negative thoughts sneak in. Go ahead and hit the ball. He says to trust your first instinct when you read a putt and I have always found that to be true. Can't wait to put his recommendations into play.

Any golfer (including disc golfers) would benefit from this book. It's a very good book!

Beautiful, beautiful Mr. Shapiro. Having spent two weeks in the Tuscany region this summer Renato's Luck quickly brought me back to the quiet, easy pace of the small towns in the region. Many of the towns/cities mentioned in the book we had actually been to. I think anybody wanting to go, or have been, to Tuscany would enjoy this story. In many, many ways his life is truly lucky.

Having returned from a few months in Italy, I have wanted to stay in touch with all the "life" that Italia offers ... this book is a wonderful way to recapture the experience. The way Shapiro builds his characters and their dilemma, he really wraps the reader into Sant'Angelo. Che bello ... bravo Shapiro!

I highly reccommend Renato's Luck to anyone who enjoys a chraacter driven novel full of interesting yet familiar characters. I found Renato and his fellow Tuscan villagers to have sharp insight into the absurdities and joys present in everyday life. Renato confronts the fears and challenges we all face as we get older and begin to question the choices we have made in life. The answers that Renato finds to these questions point to important truths that are present in our own lives.

****
Renato's Luck is a pleasant read and a very postive (as opposed to dark and negative) book. I would recommend it for those who would like to be uplifted while they are entertained. It is a peaceful and satisfying book too.

The perspective of small town life from Renato is enjoyable. I have often wondered how and why someone would live their entire life in one place, avoid the change and almost designed "personal growth" that our culture encourages, and still manage to carve a happy and fulfilling life for her/himself. This book shows how this is possible. To be a little clearer, the book answers the question "How can you be a very ordinary man and live a boring life in a boring town and have no education or ambition or much spiritual life to speak of---and yet participate to the max in all life and the universe has to offer?"

When I finished reading Renato's Luck, I felt uplifted and inspired about the little things in my own life, and the value of each life, no matter how mundane or ordinary it looks to the outsider.

The descriptions of Italian life are beautiful too; they are not long windy descriptions though but more a "showing" than a "telling" which allowed you to absorb Tuscany culture feeling almost like you were there.

I rated it four stars instead of five because I think it is a very good book but not a great book (not one that I will read and reread over and over again, highlight and treasure forever). That said, it's well worth the money.
****

Renato's Luck, from the first word to the last visual, is the perfect read for anyone seeking a renewed taste for life. Jeff Shapiro has taken the Italian culture and woven a tale of hope, faith, and new-found happiness throughout his characters. Renato, in particular, becomes the small town hero of a delightful Tuscan town. Every character that Renato encounters shares a unique tale, simple yet so very Italian. Amazing for an American expat living in Tuscany. The visuals in this book are so precise that anyone who has visited Siena, Montalcino, or anywhere in Tuscany for that matter will no doubt be transported back to the tranquility of the Italian countryside. I loved the Italian phrases throughout the book, including their incredible translations! Bravo, Jeff Shapiro. Bravo, indeed. A must read for all!

Although the famous author's last years brought her much sorrow and depression, she continued to depict the world as it once more became plunged into yet another world war. In her famous journals, she described movies she saw, including GWTW, air conditioning, and the frustration involved with generational gaps. It is a must read for those who followed the previous books.

Poor poor woman. I could scarcely put it down. But it brings up many questions. Why did she think that Mr. Leard, the Love of her life, was not worthy of her? Why did no one ask her husband Mr. McDonald what the heck was bothering him? Why did she not know in 5 years of courtship that something was terribly wrong with him? Poor, poor woman. The synthesis of this book is when she asks herself why a woman that she felt was mean and hateful was happy and she was not. Indeed, why?

IF YOU LOVE THE OTHER DIARIES YOU WILL ENJOY READING ABOUT HER FINAL DAYS. I ENJOYED ALL OF THE OTHER DIARIES BUT THIS ONE IS THE SADDEST. SHE HAS HER GOOD DAYS AND BAD, BUT SADLY SHE STOPPED WRITING IN THE LAST YEARS WHEN LIFE BECAME SO UNBEARABLE THAT SHE COUDLN'T EVEN WRITE ABOUT IT SO THIS DIARY IS INCOMPLETE. YOU WILL LOVE SEEING INSIDE THE LIFE AND MIND OF AN AUTHOR WHO ACHIEVED SUCCESS IN HER OWN LIFETIME AND LIVED TO WRITE ABOUT HER PERSONAL LIFE FROM CHILDHOOD TO HER LAST DAYS. THIS DIARY IS HER LAST, BUT LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON IN HER WRITINGS. HER DIARY WAS A WAY TO SHARE HER INNERMOST THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS THAT SHE COULDN'T SHARE IN HER NOVELS. YOU TOO WILL FEEL LIKE A KINDRED SPIRIT.

Obviously this is for fans of L M Montgomery - if you know and love her writing, you will recognise among the friends and acquaintances of her youth the characters that people Anne of Green Gable's turbulent world. But this wonderful journal is much more than that - it is a fascinating insight into a world which is long gone.

We read of Maud's complex family arrangements, her desire to be a good teacher and disappointment with some of her placements. Her small victories selling stories to publications, and the seemingly endless stream of suitors who proclaim love for her (my favourite is the hapless Mr Mustard). It is a tale of love found and not acted on (and the agonies that accompany it), familial obligations, frustrated talents and beautiful Canadian country side. It tells of heppiness, despair, joy and nostalgia, and is as engagingly written as any fabulous novel.

By all means read this if you wish to understand the creator of one of the world's most engaging literary characters, but also to have a glimpse of a world none of us will ever see the likes of.

These journals, are beautifully put together. I remember when I found the first one and then each suceeding volume. I knew this one was coming. I even called the author at Guelph University to ask her how much longer I would have to wait.

She said then that they had to wait for some of the people in the journals to die before they could publish them. I would guess Dr. Stuart Macdonald was one of them.

They thrill me and make me feel closer to thise amazing woman. I've read everything she's written now. The sad thing is that once this volume is finished there is nothing new to read.

My greatests thanks to L. M. Montgomery and to Drs. Rubio and Waterson for their great work.

Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert utilize a short story format to teach the attributes of leadership. In a consultant's interviews with community leaders revitalizing the inner city, the attributes of true-to-life leadership are demonstrated by action in the narrative.

They highlight the astonishing truth that the best leaders' focus upon building up the people around them, that no man is great on his own.

This very readable leadership 'story' - thankfully light on matrices or charts -draws out more purposeful insights than most books on the topic.

These guys have done a great job with what I call semi-fiction. Following the journal of a consultant as he reconnects with his father and learns the lessons of being a serving leader. This book goes further than Collins' Level 5 leadership and takes you into 5 practical pathways for becoming a serving leader. Excellent read.

A very well written, thoughtful and practical book that courageously tackles the challenge that all successful leaders ask themselves at some point in their careers- "OK so I have made a big impact on the numbers- and achieved my goals- but why do I still not feel satisfied?" The authors correctly point out that it is all about what you give to others- and not just to impact top or bottom lines in business- but also to impact the communities around us. Those who have not really dug into what a Servant Leader is- and does- may well have their exising paradigms upended. Servant leadership is NOT about being spineless or too nice- it IS about setting a very high standard and holding people accountable- but also caring about and investing in them to help them to hit and surpass this high mark. Having been a keen student of leadership over the past 20 years, I have seen trends and fads come and go and many leaders rise and fall. What I like best about The Serving Leader is that its principles are timeless and fad-proof. One will never go wrong being the type of Servant Leader described in this book- and they may become the leader who has the type of impact that they never dreamed big enough to conceive. A great read!

This book is truly exceptional for anyone who wants to be able to truly understand the heart of servant leadership. If you are ever able to meet Dr. Stahl-Wert, you will understand that he does not just write about it and talk about it, he lives it in his own personal and professional life which makes the book even more real. Do not read this book unless you are ready and willing to commit to the call to servant leadership and what it can mean for you and your organization.

Jennings and Stahl-Wert know what they're talking about. Unlike many "leadership experts," this book rings absolutely true. A very moving, honest, hopeful story that helped me a lot. Thank you for getting to the deeper heart of leadership.

This is a must read for anyone who uses a computer for their work. The book suggests the reader skip to the summary in the back and save even more time by not reading the book - great idea. Since what Bill Jensen has to say can be said in so few words because he know what he wants to say, how he feels about it and what he wants the read to do.
Read it or at least the summary; then just hand it to a co-worked, family member or anyone you just want to help out.
I have deleted more e-mails without opening them then ever in my life. Since I read this book it has handed back hours a day to me that I was wasting on work and e-mails.

I think this book is the best book ever written for dealing with the business world today. I feel like it was written for me. I wish I had access to this book 5 years ago, I could have used it.

Thank you for your contributions for helping to make a healthier more informed work environment and employee for those who take a long time to get there.

Bill Jensen's ideas and tactics have crystallized my ability to be effective. I read "The Simplicity Survival Handbook" before reading Jensen's original "Simplicity", and for me, "Simplicity" is superior because (1) it explains the rationale behind Jensen's ideas and (2) offers invaluable guidance on effective presentations. "The Simplicity Survival Handbook" 's examples were not as helpful to me as the initial wisdom and suggestions in "Simplicity". Read them both!

What I like about this biz book:

1) Its fun and challenging "If your boss doesn't get it, and has a high likelihood of never getting it... time to say "goodbye". Pretty simple right?

2) Attitude of "You don't have to be a victim of corporate crap"... reminds me of a refrain I have heard from my husband when he talks about his day job "They can't even run their own life, I will be damned it they run mine"

3) Respect yourself more. Your time is valuable. Push back.

4) The complexity starts from within. From within my own company, within myself.

The How To Section(s)
Email
Scan incoming subject and author, if not relevant hit "delete"
Scan email for 1) action to take 2) deadline date.

In sending messages use the 3"x5" space constaint.

If it is simplier it is more likely to be done. Make it easy.

Remember the key: what do you want them to know, feel and do!

Presentations:
Turn the one point you want people to know into a question. Provoke conversations. Give everyone handouts. Use of Stories is a good thing.
1 hour presentation = 20 slides MAX!

Meetings Big Idea!! When you agree to chair a meeting approachit as if you have just been handed a portion of someones life. Because you have. Run a meeting like one that you wish you had been invited for.

Helpful hints 1) get only the important people 2) get the right people 3) define what success looks like 4) Mentally see the successful meeting 5) Put the objective of the meeting up front
6) Be passionate about the people and reason of the meeting.

With a title like this, Jensen's book should be flying off the shelf. I know it caught my eye when I first saw it. We all want to "do" less and "accomplish" more and there are some excellent ideas in this book to help you do just that.

Nothing in this book is easy, though. Someone as inclined to follow the rules like myself will find it difficult, if not impossible, to implement the more demanding recommendations. This is a shame, as these people are those who would probably benefit the most.

Even if you don't think of yourself as a rabble-rouser, you should still read this book and take heart that there are some possible methods of extracting yourself from business situations that leave you feeling busy, but not very productive. There are ways of escaping the bureaucracy and yet keep your job.

The cutest, yet still effective, idea in the book is the "Less-O-Meter" associated with each chapter. These graphical gauges give you an "at a glance" reading on how much Courage you will need to put this tip in place, how difficult it can be and the possible yield to your productivity and happiness.

You may be ready to take on your whole company and engage in full-scale "pushback", but implementing even one idea from this book could do a world of good for you, your job and your career, while helping your company, as well.

I really liked this book and the way it was written. It captures you in the beginning by giving you a look in the journal of the stalker, and from there it does not dissapoint.

Mina and Camille were bestfriends until Camille bacame popular and started hanging with the "cool crowd". She pretty much dithched Mina throughout thier Senior year, which was why Mina was so suprised to get a call from her. Camille asked mina if she wanted to go to the mall, and while hating herself for it, she said yes.

The trip started out rocky and didn't get better from there. As they were eating frozen yogurt Camille asked Mina if she would go with her to meet this guy named Andrew, that she had been talking online to. Mina told her she shouldn't meet him and they fought. Mina caved in and said she'd go, but Camille didn't want her to come anymore. She said she'd take the bus home and stormed off. Mina went home and then recieved a phone call from Camille's mother.

She asked if she had seen Camille and that's when it all started. Camille wasn't back by the next morning so the police were brought in. She was labled missing and they were looking for her.

In an attemt to help Mina went to Camille's locker looking for some kind of clue. There she met up with Camille's Boyfriend, Mick. From there they start trying to find Camille and in the end........

This is a really good book and so are the rest in the [...] series that i have read. The way ti was written captures you, and i LOVE the characters. A really good read, i would suggest tit to anyone.

I love this book. Mr. Cray knows how to right. This story is about a girl named Mina. Her ex-best friend, named Camille, is missing so her and Camille's boyfriend start looking for clues. Before long they find out that she was kidnapped. Unfortunatly she dies so Mick(Camille's boyfriend) and Mina start to look for her killer. They uncover a BIG mystery.

After a quarrel between the two ex-best-friends Mina and Camille, also called Camy, Camille is missing. Her parents, the police and the other people think she has just run away as it is typical for teenagers. But Mina doesn't think so. With Camy's ex-boyfriend, Mick, the scornful girl makes investigations. They come across a dangerous stalker who terrorizes the famous actress Deva Winter ... The case becomes more complicated but then a dead body is found - Camille's. Nevertheless, Mick and Mina don't give up and keep on hunting the murderer. They've just one chance: Mina must play the stoolpigeon in order to trap the Stalker. A dangerous task ... This book shows that life for popular teenagers isn't so easy as you might think. You can be lonely as well. Jordan Cray's novel is very sad, you sympathize with the characters, especially with Mina and K.D. and understand them. Impressing is Mina's change of character. The sarcastic girl becomes a strong, sensible, thoughtful and lovable person. It's not only a simple Internet crime novel, it has depth and truth. Once started the story demands to be finished. One of the best books I've ever read!!! I also recommend "The ShadowMan" and "Dead Man's Hand" .

This book is really good! It's addicting beginning to the end!
Story line: Mina and Camille were best friends starting from their early childhood. They looked the same and everyone thought they were sisters, they were inseparable, But one summer Camille goes with her mom to stay by the beach the whole summer. When Camille comes back she's a totally different person. She has new clothes, lost some weight, and even had a summer boyfriend. When they go back to school the following year Camille becomes totally popular and leaves her somewhat geeky friend, Mina, behind.
When Mina and Camille get in a huge fight at the mall about Camille's new cyberfriend, and how Camille is going to meet him/her, Mina tries to talk her out of it. Camille then storms away saying she's going to take the bus home. But when Camille is missing the next day Mina gets worried. So Mina and Camille's boyfriend go hunting for clues leading to her dissapearence.
This book has a great twist in the end and I would highly recommend reading this book.

After a quarrel between the two ex-best-friends Mina and Camille, also called Camy, Camille is missing. Her parents, the police and the other people think she has just run away as it is typical for teenagers. But Mina doesn't think so. With Camy's ex-boyfriend, Mick, the scornful girl makes investigations. They come across a dangerous stalker who terrorizes the famous actress Deva Winter ... The case becomes more complicated but then a dead body is found - Camille's. Nevertheless, Mick and Mina don't give up and keep on hunting the murderer. They've just one chance: Mina must play the stoolpigeon in order to trap the Stalker. A dangerous task ... This book shows that life for popular teenagers isn't so easy as you might think. You can be lonely as well. Jordan Cray's novel is very sad, you sympathize with the characters, especially with Mina and K.D. and understand them. Impressing is Mina's change of character. The sarcastic girl becomes a strong, sensible, thoughtful and lovable person. It's not only a simple Internet crime novel, it has depth and truth. Once started the story demands to be finished. One of the best books I've ever read!!! I also recommend "The ShadowMan" and "Dead Man's Hand" .

Larry's books are about "passive" investing, which if you are going to put your life savings to work is the ONLY way to do it. The biggest benefits of passive investing is the reduction of volatility and increased non-correlated diversification. It also removes the "noise" of the Wall Street hawkers.

Larry has strong feelings about his subject, so if you're not doing his way, he will tell you about the "loser's game" you're playing. Hopefully you'll get it.

More people should tune in passive investing.

Excellent book on the unpredictability of investments and investors.

It essentially says investing in individual stocks is speculating (gambling), not investing. Over the long haul, individual investors (event the top fund managers) don't beat the overall market.

Invest in the S&P 500 or other major index and you will build a fine nest egg for retirement, according to the book.

This is not a book for someone who wants to double their money in 2 years. It is for the person who wants to turn $100,000 into $800,000 in 21 years (assuming 7% returns that double your money every seven years). Not a bad end for an extremely diversified and responsible investment plan.

So if you are 44 years old, and you have $200,000 to invest, you could safely build it to $1.6 million when you turn 65, if this book is correct. I think it is.

I am a big fan of Larry Swedroe's writings - his books, his posts on the Vanguard Diehards Forum, his articles. I've read all of his books, and I have to rate this as his best book.

He distills and presents a lot of Finance research in this book in a very very readable form. The advice in this book is timeless. Among many other things, this book has the best discussion of the equity value premium.

For around 10 bucks, the price of 2 (maybe three lattes), the average (even advanced) investor can get an education that will serve him/her well for the rest of their investing lifetime.

Looking forward to Larry's next book.

First the good. The book's main point is that broad broad diversification is the best way to invest. Broad enough to include small cap foreign passive investments, along with a bunch of domestic passive equity investments.

The trouble is that one gets the sense that only Mr. Buffet has ever made money buying individual stocks. Apparently everyone else has failed. This book seems to cherry pick studies to make its point, but in the end it contradicts itself. One of the main reasons the author provides for the fact you will not make money buying individual stocks is the you are fighting an efficient stock market. Apparently if you believe you think a stock is priced too low, the efficient stock market proves you wrong. Everyone else has voted with their money as to the price of the stock...and therefore you will lose.

In making this point the author overlooks the points he makes in the latter part of the book that contradict his earlier "efficient market" theory. He talks about the herd mentality of the market, which makes the herd head in the wrong direction. Well, I guess the market is not so efficient after all. Everyday we see the market overreact to good news and bad news, causing wild swings in stock. If a stock is worth $48 one day, and $31 dollars the next day, then climbs back to $43 dollars...then the market is not so efficient.

Recently we've seen Apple fall from $190 to $120 and climb back to $150 in the span of 4 or 5 weeks. To me this means the market is not efficient. Yet that is one of the central contentions of the book.

I think you can ignore the gloom and doom about investing in individual stocks...as it is based on a mixture of good points intertwined with drivel. But the authors advice concerning the strength of index funds and diversification is very sound. So if you only get that point from the book, than the author has done well.

I was very impressed with this book and give it an A. Swedroe's investment advice is excellent and the writing style is very easy and fun to read.

I read all 4 of Larry Swedroe's stock investing books in the last few weeks, and although they are excellent books and I agree with most of his recommendations, he tends to re-use the same information in each book. To keep this book straight in my mind, compared with the other 3 books, this review is structured along his Outline of the book.

Truth 1: Active Investing Is a Loser's Game: It Must Be So

Larry lays out the case why active investing always loses to passive investing.

Truth 2: The Past Performance of an Actively Managed Fund Is a Very Poor Predictor of Its Future Performance

He does a good job of citing many studies demonstrating that past performance is not a good predictor of future performance.

Truth 3: If Skilled Professionals Don't Succeed, It Is Unlikely That Individual Investors Will
Truth 4: The Interests of Wall Street and the Financial Media Are Not Aligned with Those of Investors

He points out why passive investing is not promoted by Wall Street and the financial media.

Truth 5: Risk and Reward Are Related: Great Companies Provide Low Expected Returns
Truth 6: The Price You Pay Matters
Truth 7: The Most Likely Way to Achieve Above Average Returns Is to Stop Trying to Beat the Market
Truth 8: Buying Individual Stocks and Sector Funds Is Speculating, Not Investing
Truth 9: Reversion to the Mean of Earnings Growth Rates Is One of the Most Powerful Forces in the Universe
Truth 10: The Forecasts of Market Strategists and Analysts Have No Value, Except as Entertainment
Truth 11: Taxes Are Often the Largest Expense Investors Incur
Truth 12: Knowledge of Financial History Is Critical to Successful Investing
Truth 13: Adding International Assets to a Portfolio Reduces Risk

Although I agree with the author's claim that foreign stocks help reduce portfolio risk, I do have trouble believing or following his recommendation of 20 to 40% asset allocation in foreign stocks. I feel more comfortable with a 10 to 20% allocation to foreign stocks.

Truth 14: There Is No One Right Portfolio, but There Is One That Is Right for You

He points out that investing is not an exact science, and the optimum portfolio is difficult to achieve. Each person must get comfortable with the risks and complexity of their allocations. He also gives a convincing argument for skipping mid-cap stocks in favor of only small and large cap stocks.


Conclusion
A: The Enron. Debacle: Lessons to Be Learned

It was interesting to see how some of the supposedly smartest brains in the investing world loaded up on Enron stock, including the Janus funds.

Appendix B: More Investment Truths You. Must Know to Be a Successful Investor
Appendix C: Investment Vehicle Recommendations

Great list of investment choices to implement you asset allocation plan.

D: The Home Financing Decision:To Borrow or Not


Nice analysis of an issue than many investors struggle with. He combines a nice financial analysis with the "able to sleep at night" test.



All-in-all, a great book for serious investors who manage their own portfolios. To me, his four books are very similar. If you choose one of the four books to read, I think you will get 90% of his message versus spending the time to read all 4 books.

I would suggest companion books to supplement this book including The Richest Man in Babylon, Bogle on Mutual Funds, The Millionaire Next Door, The 4 Pillars of Investing, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Life and Beat the Pros, the Coffeehouse Investor, and the Bogleheads Guide to Investing.

I loved this book. It's very well written and very informative - definitely not "dry" and "stuffy".

The book is interesting as well as fascinating with much information. Just what was needed to add to her Elizabeth Peters novels about Egypt.

A few years ago I visited these areas and the tour guide spoke with great certainty about everything. Come to find out almost everything is subject to question. Mertz is clear on what has been established, and what is theory. The time, energy and research put into Egyptian archeaology opens new avenues of doubt and make facts more and more elusive.

Mertz warns at the beginning that this is not a text nor a complete history. She says it is an collection material that she finds interesting. The first part was a little TOO informal for me. Mertz hits her stride with Hatshepsut and keeps the narrative strong through the end.

For anyone who has an interest in Egypt or ever wondered exactly who the ancient Egyptians were and why their dynasties lasted for thousands of years, Barbara Mertz's "Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs" is the perfect introduction. More commonly known to readers as Elizabeth Peters, Mertz is the author of the popular Amelia Peabody mystery series.

Long before she started her career as a best-selling writer, however, Barbara Mertz began as a trained Egyptologist, with a PhD from the famed Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, the launching pad for many successful Egyptologists. These credentials make her the perfect person to write this history, as she is able to translate the rich Egyptian history of the pharaohs into something more easily understood by readers with no archaeological background, except an interest in Egypt.

This is not to say that the book is always easy reading, although Mertz tackles her subject with a passion and humor readers are unlikely to find in any other, more typical history tome. She manages to bring the Egyptians of old to life, translating ancient hieroglyphs into fascinating stories of individuals, each with their own purpose, strengths and weaknesses exposed.

She opens up the fascinating world of tomb robbers and archaeologists (which some claim are not so far apart in purpose or behavior at times). She demonstrates how information is extrapolated from archaeological findings and illustrates how history is revised over time as new facts and theories come to light.

Despite the injection of personality Mertz brings, this can be dense material at times. For anyone uninitiated in the world of the Egyptians, there are more than 30 dynasties, each with several rulers, falling into 10 eras, dating from the Stone Age Archaic Period to the time of Cleopatra and the Roman invasion. The sheer length of time and individuals and events covered is staggering.

With repeating pharaohnic names, unfamiliar landscapes and place names, conflicting historical research and theories, the book can be overwhelming at times. Yet the reward for sticking it out (dare I even say, re-reading parts) is worth the time and effort expended. Frankly, I read this book twice, cover to cover, and the second time around, I finally began to get a real sense for the overall arc of historical time period covered. And I would hazard to say that it seems even more likely that dipping in again would yield even more historical treasure and understanding.

The richest gift that Mertz offers in her overview of Egypt can be found in the simple stories of the rulers described here, in illuminating for the novice the archaeological tricks of the trade (and weaknesses of such methods) used to determine exactly (or to the best of anyone's knowledge) what happened so many years ago. Mertz's infectious passion for all things Egyptian (well, except possibly pottery shards) can't help but influence her readers to want to learn more. Through her book, she has opened the door to her own exciting world, and readers can't help but want to share in that magic.

Christine Zibas, Book Pleasures

Writing under the pen name Elizabeth Peters, Barbara Mertz started the Amelia Peabody series of tongue-in-cheek Victorian archaeological thrillers in 1975. But 11 years before then this trained Egyptologist published the first edition of "Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs".

Like many other books this traces of the history of ancient Egypt from the pre-dynastic to the Ptolemies. But Mertz brings her sense of humor to lighten what can be a dry series of lists of kings. She brings to life highpoints in the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, as well as the chaotic periods in between. Moreover, she lifts the veil and lets the reader in on many of the scholarly disputes, like those over the woman pharaoh Hatshepsut and the role of Nefertiti in the succession to her heretical husband Akhenaton.

It's also nice to see someone reveal the egomaniac Ramses II for what he was, a poor leader who lost the second Battle of Kadesh, and who covered his weaknesses by pasting his image everywhere.

For anyone who has read the Peabody books, including the depiction there of Sir William Flinders Petrie (and his approach to feeding his staff), Mertz' homage here to the founder of modern Egyptology is interesting.

In her forward to this Second Edition, Mertz says she thought she wouldn't have to do much to revise the earlier work. But then, she adds, taking into account four decades of new discoveries proved to be a challenge. There are places in this book where she discusses post-1964 work, but the addition of the new material is seamless, with no sense of things just stuck in.

This is a delightful introduction to the fascinating history of ancient Egypt.

Mo Willems is a comic genius, and this book may be his best yet. If you love Dr. Seuss, and feel sad that the whole "Beginner Books" line seems to have died out, then you will celebrate Mo Willems's entire Elephant and Piggie series. They are perfect for pre-readers and beginner readers alike. I don't know another author working this form as brilliantly as Willems. He now joins the hallowed pantheon of great beginner book author/illustrators inhabited by Dr. Seuss, P. D. Eastman, and the fantastic illustrator Roy McKie!

One of my daughter's favorites and mine. It's great for laughs and pre-school kids will love it! I'm a huge fan of Mo Willems and of course this is a hit in our home, 5 STARS!!

My 3.5yo daughter absolutely loves this book. She will recite a line from it to me and we'll go back and forth "playing out" the story. I just mention "there's a bird on your head!" and she will fall into fits of giggles.

My 2yo son was not as interested (though if it doesn't have construction trucks or diggers, etc, he's not interested either). I think as he gets older he will appreciate the humor and story.

Cute story & I bought more based on the success of this one. I recommend to my friends w/similar aged kids.

My daughter loves this book! Never fails to get lots of belly laughs. The text in the thought bubbles is really secondary to the telling of the story that goes on via the drawings of Elephant and Piggie. This has been a bedtime favorite for some time and still has not gotten old - highly recommended!

Mo Willems is a genius. These books work like a classic Warner Brothers cartoon; working on two levels simultaneously. There's simple sight-gag humor for the kids; and sly, subtle humor for the grownups. The sparse but extremely expressive artwork is a joy to behold and study. My 4 year old daughter encounterd this book in a library while on vacation this summer. We all find the book and all the others in the series to be excruciatingly funny! We read the books aloud; I play Gerald, and my daughter plays Piggie. (I also do any other minor characters) We read the dialogue in a huge, over-the-top, melodramatic fashion, doing our best Mel Blanc/Daws Butler impressions, and act out the physical bits where we can... She just dissolves into fits of hysterical laughter... We have all of the Piggie books now, and several of the "Pigeon" series too. I cannot recommend the works of Mo Willems highly enough!