Wilson Books

This amazing book is the self-told story of a seven-year-old girl's three years in China. Amelie (the narrator never says her name, but the author's note says that the story is all true and autobiographical, and none of the names have changed) is the child of Belgian diplomats. Born in Japan, she is convinced she is Japanese until her father is posted to China, where they live for three years in the 1970s. Diplomats' families in China are mainly housed in one ghetto, and the children are almost entirely left to their own devices, outside of going to school, eating meals, and sleeping. The story describes how these children play, creating their own "war," which mirrors adult life almost exactly, but with some slight substitutions. Amelie is consumed with the war and pictures herself as a self-sacrificing, brilliant hero, until the day Elena arrives. Elena is a beautiful, indifferent Italian girl with whom Amelie is immediately transfixed. Amelie makes it her life's work to break Elena's indifference and, therefore, earn her love.

This is a brilliant, engrossing little book that portrays the self-centered, omniscient bliss of childhood in the setting of Communist China. China is not so much a driving force or a character in itself as a spectre in the background, tainting all of the narrator's experiences ever so slightly. Descriptions are passionate and vibrant, and the narrator embodies childhood perfectly: idealistic but without pretense or illusion, and comfortable in the belief that their little world is all that matters.

I was fascinated by this book, and loved everything from the narrator's humorous descriptions of her exploits to the unrestrained emotion and nostalgia the author so deftly maintains throughout.

A poignant love story about (preteen) children, it points to the throes of love which we almost only see depicted in those older.

This book stands on its own and the protagonist, Amelie, points out it's not about China. But if you can imagine what China was like back then, you'd appreciate the milieu in which the story takes place, Beijing 1972-75. I was there in 1985, when things were "better" but adults still only wore blue and green -- in public (my red jacket really stood out). There were few TV's and nothing to watch, no phones in homes so friends showed up quite unexpectedly creating instant parties, and bicycles owned the streets of Beijing. Ballet dancers lived next door to house painters, next door to journalists, all at the same socio-economic level. African students, stuck there for years at a time because their home countries were too poor to send them back and forth, were highly discriminated against and violent incidents took place with the natives.

None of this is in the book mind you, but relates again to surrounding environment in which the mostly unseen adults of the book perhaps abandon their children in order to eke out a meager social life of their own on such barren soil. And so do the children.

And how like Amelie I loved to ride my dilapidated bicycle through the streets of Beijing, and again years later with my own small children hanging on behind. It had a peculiar impoverished charm, that Beijing, but charm none the less.

Do you remember what it was like to be a child in a land of childish grown ups? When all concerns were life or death, and love was, literally, hearbreaking? Nothbomb's "Loving Sabotage" goes into the world of a seven year old girl living in Peking with her diplomat parents. Her experiences of world war with the germans, secret weapons, and her love affair with the six year old femme fatale Elena will make you laugh and remember the serious side of childhood. (wink!) This book is a quick read and Nothbomb's style is witty and delicious. Anyone who felt their childhood was a series of horrors, disappointments, battles, with the occasional upper hand will adore this book and the author herself.

The narrator of Amelie Northomb's short novel is a young girl who has evidently been grossly ignored by her parents. She is the daughter of a diplomat stationed in China during the turbulent early 1970s -- her family, as well as the families of other foreign government workers, is isolated in what she calls a 'ghetto', cut off from the Chinese people. Her father's job is frustrating -- he is there to be the Belgian contact with the Chinese government, and to keep his country informed of what is going on in China, but the Chinese are not keen to let out much in the way of general information. Even the identities of Chinese cabinet ministers is treated as a secret.

In the midst of this atmosphere, young Amelie (and the author, in an afterword, maintains that the story is a true one, that even the names have not been changed) is pretty much left to fend for herself during the days. She rides her bicycle (she refers to it as her horse) through the Peking streets, offended that the Chinese guards at the compound gate do not see her as a threat to them. She has an active imagination -- one of the blessings of being seven years old -- and sees herself in vivid roles as a hero. The other children in the compound seem to be growing up the same way, and to amuse themselves, they engage in what they call a 'war' with the children of the East German diplomats.

With the arrival of a beautiful little girl named Elena, the child of an Italian diplomat and his South American wife, Amelie feels for the first time in her young life the magnetic pull of love for another person. She is entranced and obsessively infatuated with the little girl, who is cold and distant -- which only serves to make her more of an attraction. The lessons Amelie learns about love and friendship -- and the observations she shares with us of her world -- make this a touching, readable book. The feeling I was left with after reading it was one of sadness -- there's a lot of loneliness and heartbreak in this story, lessons that are tough to see a child learn by herself.

Nothomb's writing is a little choppy -- but that is most likely appropriate in this case, given the age of the narrator. In retrospect, I think it added some authenticity to that aspect of the story. I definitely want to read more of this author's work in order to gain a better perspective on her style and talents.

Managing Brand you is a monument of development discipline designed to encourage anyone who is willing to ignite their talents of higher learning and prosperous living. It is a unique read displayed for the entry level individual as well as the corporate mega leader. Not only is it a great tool for the workplace, but an ultimate guide for one who wants to grow and enjoy life to the full. It invites you to revisit you and see what changes you can make in your own life, your career, and the things around you to experience a life of change. Being the best advocate of your own development is the strength found in reading Jerry Wilson's "Managing Brand You." I encourage you to get a copy for yourself, your children, and your closest friend. Spread the wisdom and knowledge of a successful leader into the life of someone very special to you. That's the difference you can make in someone's life today. I am inspired and you will be too.

Dorothy Hart-Manuel

Managing Brand You really provides one a different perspective about oneself that I had not thought of previously. It is an easy and very productive read that I would recommend to everyone.It really does help one to analyze oneself, how other's view you to then potentially re-position yourself if you so desire.

Love the concept and these fellows really deliver on the description and the ideas around the theme of developing your brand. We all have been doing this, but here is an organized way to think of ourselves as brands to represent to colleagues, customers and in general our outside world.
Terrific read, entertaining examples and would recommend this book to anyone, but especially business people thinking through how to manage their careers and customers.

Managing Brand You is an intriguing concept of thinking of one's self as a brand. I found the chapter on the brand audit to be especially insightful when I thought about some of my experiences from the five stages in life, from childhood on into adulthood, and how those experiences helped create the person I had become. This helped me to understand how I needed to position myself, set goals for myself, and then implement those plans. I know now that personal branding is a critical element for me personally and professionally - how I see myself and how others see me. After reading the book and following through on the exercises, I found myself energized and refocused on myself and my goals. There is a great deal of substance in this book and it would be very helpful to all who read it.

Service was exccellent. Exactly the book with the exact description was recieved, with-in excellent time frame. Great work!

I use this book in my television production class and I must say it is a great book. It is easy to read and easy to understand. The photos and up to date articles make it even better! A+ for this book!

This book has been very helpful and interesting. I teach Communications at a Community college, and this book will be a great addition to the fall curriculum. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in a good communications book. I would also like to thank djtom33; the book I bought from him was in excellent condition and was delivered swiftly.

This book is the best text book I have seen in years. With easy and fun to read chapters, color photos and the CD aide, you can't go wrong with this book. Wheather you are using it for a class or just want to learn about Mass Media, this is the book for you.

This is a set of case study information out of a highly competitive commercial industry that has seen both public outlook and technology change dramatically over the last four decades. While told in story form, the lessons are real and translatable to other industries rather readily. It suggest that management (upper) should take a close look and the non-conforming individuals to find the results of their actions, and potentially give them some more rope to succeed with.

I had a great surprise when a friend from work lent me this book and said, "You have to read this." The book reads effortlessly, like a good friend telling you a great story. When I finished reading it I found the author had put a lot of things into perspective for me. I have a much greater insight into the maverick and how mavericks can benefit a business organization. For anyone in business this is required reading. For everyone else it is enlightenment and entertainment.

Cheverton's been-there-done-that business sense combines with a novelists knack for entertainment makes The Maverick Way a star in the crowded field of business books. Instead of charted, statisitically oriented information on climbing the corporate ladder, Cheverton takes us on a wild ride as the corporate Maverick is identified, makes waves, gets things done, leads when necessary, follows when he must and works his way through the system with a vision that can't be confined. The Maverick Way made me want to get to work, rethink my strategies and be a maverick too. When I was finished with this book I wasn't left with a list of things to do but with the true spirit of what makes business great, risky and so satisfying. A must read for anyone who is serious about making a mark.

Corporate America has been mismanaging its most creative people for generations because innovative ideas threaten the status quo. This is a great study of that sad phenomenon, and an inspiring story of one notable maverick, Bill Wilson, who succeeded spectacularly against the odds. A must-read book for both managers and the brilliant anarchists they manage.

It is a good book, but not great as his another one: Rock and Royalty, Versace/Avedon. If you are a fan of Versace, then it's worth to buy one.

was supermodel Marcus Schenkenberg on the cover. That's why I brought it home! But when I opened it up, I was thrilled to see that every photo was marvelous and artful. Kudos and love to the late Versace, who created this brilliant piece of art.

If you're a female (or well, at least a gay), better brace yourself and get ready for a glossy, eye-filling page after page of the finest young men ever born and bred in the whole world! Those sexy studs are very artfully depicted here in a stylish vein by a very creative fashion designer like Gianni Versace and most of them are quite scantily-clad and some of them even completely naked. A very bold and unconventional piece of art that you can find on any coffee table! Too bad this handsome album is just plain too expensive for me to merely pluck right off a bookstore shelf!

Okay, the males are stylish and handsome both--possessed of muscles, adorned with Versace's jubilant, expressionistic attire. But there's more expressionism in the photos themselves. I know of no other book where visual images (here, photos) are not just presented 1-2-3 in static procession, but where portions are repeated--echoed later on--blended with following photos--in a creative interweaving which can only be "art" in the definition of "dynamic combination of symmetry or order, and asymmetry or tension." A beach scene appears, then is blended with another scene later. And interblended with the written text, too. Rare is this twin-starring of word and image, plus this permutation-and-combination of images. Only in comics do word and image so vitally interact. So check out this book for its design-artistry, as well as its aesthetic dudes.....

Thank you for writing this book. I only wish you had years ago. Perhaps I would not have suffered fear and anxiety in silence. This book is informative, well written and brutally honest. Thanks for sharing your journey about menopause and how being introduced to the sport of tennis made a difference. So much wit and humor. One knows the truth when one hears it. I heard it.

I really, really enjoyed reading Menopause, Sisterhood and Tennis. I mean I really enjoyed it and I'm not your target audience. But I gotta believe a few million women of any age, of all races, creeds, shades, abilities economic levels and then some...when they hear about it, will be able to relate even more than I could (and I was surprised how much of it is general that I can relate to) and tell all their friends to buy their own copy. I know I will enthusiastically recommend it.

Alice WIlson-Fried tackles the private subject of Menopause in a very refreshing manner. How surprising that her husband would rise to the challenge and hand Alice a Tennis racket.
We often forget that support and nurturing exist, but we must make ourselves available to accept that help.
Even if you don't pick up a racket, it is clear that you can find strength and support in a group of other women. All of us go through Menopause and most of us find it to be a very stressful time.
My thanks to the Author for sharing her very private story.

With the age of fifty looming in her future, the Alice Fried-Wilson had begun to become undone. This laugh out loud book shows how her first support system, built on myths had to be overturned.

Alice's memories of her mom's warning about "The Curse" and "never trusting women, unless they were family," struck a strong chord with me. It surprised me to find out these myths are universal. Alice is African-American and comes from Louisiana, while I am white and come from New England. But, I, too, had been warned of the dire miseries of menopause by my mother. With menopause youth is gone, so is beauty, and yada-da-yada-da-yada. The grey hairs, the rickety bones, the depression, the mood changes, the loss of libido. What's left?

Well tennis for one thing. The hero to our heroine in the book is, of course, the author's husband, who couldn't stand her moping around the house any longer, and said, "Tennis anyone?"

"Are you nuts?" Alice replied. The man was obviously insane, but to pacify him she took tennis lessons, even though she considered herself athletically challenged.

I recommend Menopause, Sisterhood, And Tennis for any woman before, during and after menopause. It's filled with tips from acing hot flashes to lobbing off those extra pounds. Alice Wilson-Fried handily gets through menopause and finds a new support group with the women on her tennis team.
Game, Set, and Match

Give us more of these men.
By the way - where are the pictures of these men with hair-roughened chests? - cover - gorgeous body but no hair!

Yup! Paige Daniels has a problem - What happened to Joshua Stone three years ago? She had a feeling from the look in his eyes that he wouldn't be seeing her again.

And Now Steiner is asking questions again about the last days of their mission. Where is the toxin?

Who is this man they call Jack Thompson and why does his file have some connection with Josh Stone?

Daniels hot-foots it to Atlanta to check out this Jack Thompson.
Jack Thompson is a man who doesn't even know his own name. Only what he has been told.

Fortunately he has this feeling of danger and saves Daniels from a possible kidnapping. Why isn't she smart enough to sense danger in her actions? She just assumes too much.
Its the CIA. It is Steiner. Boy, where are her brains located, she worked for the CIA.

These men [and women] who were involved with the External Security Team should have a more highly developed sense of self-preservation than is displayed in these great stories. [more suspicion and tension]

Paige wants Josh to remember her and their last night together. [ain't that just like a woman] I think she has lust and love mixed up in her mind.
I couldn't read it fast enough to find out what happened to Josh in the 3 years that he was missing. Wow!

Andy Rombart was a good cop but was Jack for real? Andy needed to clear up two murders.

Dr. Helen Culbertson was sure that she could unlock the block to Jack's mind but she made a deadly mistake.

It was great when the five men of the Phoenix Brotherhood gathered together under Griff Cabot to save Josh and Daniels.
What a great story to round out the MEN OF MYSTERY ----
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED --m [just can't identify with their loose attitudes to sex] the women are as bad as the men.

Books like this go down in history. This is by far my favorite book ever. Joshua Stone is the most perfect man ive ever read about. I would have done anything to rip him from the pages and live out this book with him by my size. Deffenitly worth all Five Stars!

This book packs a lot into a small package. You can read it in one day and won't feel you've wasted your time. Good character development, great suspense, hot romance - what else could you want? Highly recommended.

Gayle Wilson's series about former CIA agents returns to greatness in the amazing "Midnight Remembered," an absolute must-read. In the middle of a dangerous mission, CIA agent Joshua Stone made love to his partner, Paige Daniels. The next morning he and the top secret toxin they were sent to recover were gone. Three years later, a man matching his description has been found. Paige knows the man known as Jack Thompson is Josh. Can she unlock the secrets in his mind and hope he can remember her too?

The "Men of Mystery" series ends with a book that finally ranks with the first two, "The Bride's Protector" and "The Stranger She Knew," as truly dazzling. Books like this are why I have no problem saying that others aren't as good. Saying that "Her Private Bodyguard" or "Renegade Heart" are on the same level as "Midnight Remembered" only diminishes this remarkable achievement. Those books were nowhere near as good. Few books are. Wilson has won plenty of acclaim. This is truly one of her best.

"Midnight Remembered" is one of those special stories that delivers it all. Mind-boggling twists and heart stopping suspense. Compelling mystery and emotional romance. The book is a feat of plotting, keeping both the romance and suspense at a consistently high level throughout the book, something I wish Wilson would remember for all of her books. The characters are developed over the course of the story as they try to understand the strange circumstances they find themselves in, not by sitting around arguing with each other or through pages of narration. The main idea behind the story isn't a new one (I've about given up on finding those)--Rebecca York's classic "Talons of the Falcon" is built on a similar idea and Wilson herself has used variations on the theme. But this is a story like no other you've read. The way Wilson tells her story makes it feel new and fresh, her characters are complex originals and the international aspect adds unique flavor. (Two of the best Intrigues I've read this year have stories that go beyond the United States. I don't think it's a coincedence.) The best stories in this series have taken advantage of the wealth of possibilities the CIA aspect opens up, and the story here feels frighteningly real, even with name like Vladistan, so phony it's cheesy.

The romance is strong and beautiful. Josh and Paige's love story is very emotional, one readers will cherish. The climax is one of those heart-pounding situations where you won't be able to figure out how they'll get out of it. The amnesia element doesn't feel like a worn-out plot hook. It is a vital element used for maximum impact. The mystery is unique, not a situation of who-did-it, but what's happening. I could write pages on how great this story is. All you need to know is that it's a stunner.

I don't give five star reviews to too many books. I think they should mean something and go to books that are truly special. This one is. "Midnight Remembered" is one of the top three Intrigues I've read this year and I've read them all. If you thought the last two books were great, you haven't seen anything yet.

This is honestly a great book, it helped me. Im fairly new to model railroading (only about 4 years) and it has honestly made me into the goto guy (within my model railroad club) for bridges and tunnels. It covers all sorts of wierd and wonderfull ideas for your layouts. A GREAT resource and addition to any model railroaders libary.

This book is an excellent guide to model railroad bridges, trestles, and tunnels. It presents all types of construction including wood, stone, iron, concrete, etc and all era's from the early 18th century to the present.

Many prototype photographs and illustrations are used to show the different types of bridges. You don't have to be a civil engineer to read the book, but it will give you a very good detailed view of each type of bridge.

Each section in the book ends with information on how to model these structures. This includes construction details including sources for the needed products. Information is also included on how to finish the products.

When I now see a bridge while traveling I have good knowledge of why and how the bridge was constructed.

I am not a modeler (at least yet) but I think this book will appeal to both novices and more experienced modelers. I have two other similar books and this book is by far the best of the three. I highly recommend it.

As a 28 year veteran of professional railroading, with 18 years in the bridge department, Jeff has indeed managed to bridge the gap between prototype and modeler. He explains in great detail the "why" that goes into selecting the proper type or size bridge for a particular location. Many beautiful bridge models are spoiled because they would just not be practical in the real world. Jeff did an excellent job of researching the subject material and has made it easy for a modeler to build a very nice, prototypical bridge for a given geographic location.

The Model Railroader's Guide To Bridges, Trestles & Tunnels is an in-depth hobbyist's guide to adding minutely detailed, realistic bridges and tunnel portals to a model railroad layout. Chapters include overviews of the construction and purpose of bridges, trestles, and tunnels; historic and contemporary prototype photos, in black-and-white and color; strategies for modeling, painting, and weathering scale replicas; listings of bridge, trestle, and tunnel kits in HO, N, and O scale, as well as excellent suggestions for modifying kits and scratchbuilding; and so much more. An in-depth guide that combines an appreciation of railroad history with solid how-to tactics for bringing said history to life.

I received this book very quickly and the book like the seller said it would be is in excellent condition. I would trust this seller again in the future.

When I ordered the book, the website said it didn't even have a release date for it so I got a little worried that I wouldn't get my book in time for school. When they finally sent the shipping date, it was really close to when I was going to leave for school so again I was worried I wouldn't get it in time. But, the book came about a week and a half early and it was in excellent condition.

This book is a wonderful companion for the MBOC book. I am reading these 2 books as self-study material during my postdoc fellowship. The large number of conceptual questions in this book are very helpful in reviewing the knowledge. Of course, this comes with solutions to the problems in MBOC book.

This is a great book, and gets better with each edition. If you are taking cell biology out of MBOTC, and don't have this book, you're playing with one hand tied behind your back. And if you're just reading MBOTC for fun, get this book, do the problems, and you'll learn more than you would in many University level cell biology courses.

Weaving the history of the Black Mtns with the author's personal diary made this book exceptional. I particularly enjoyed the theory on how mountain balds were formed and how native americans survived and made most of the land. I recommend this book to anyone who hikes or camps and appreciates the mountains.

What an excellent book! Timothy Silver has given us a two fold view of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains of North Carolina. A combination of the natural history of the area, and man's exploration/exploitation of these lofty peaks. I think what I enjoyed most about the book, were the short "interludes" where the writer inserts his many experiences of car camping, hiking/backpacking, trout fishing, or just marveling at nature while sitting at some well known spot, or some "hidey-hole" known only to people who frequent the area. These personal thoughts heightened my reading pleasure, because like the writer, I have spent a great deal of time in the Blacks and know of what he speaks.

The battle between the Mountain's namesake, the Rev. Elisha Mitchell and his former student, future Confederate general Thomas Clingman about who measured the mountain first, is fleshed out completely, and is probably the definitive account of this famous row.

The end chapters deal with mankind's interventions on the mountain, and the consequences of these acts. This is followed up with concise information about the acid rain/woolly adelgid issues affecting the Fir and Red Spruce trees on the mountain tops, along with some discussion about the growth cycles about the above mentioned trees, which in my opinion, clears up some of the misinformation out there. For years, the problem was blamed on woolly adelgids, then on acid rain. I personally feel like these two scourges work together hand in hand to decimate the once proud Fraser Firs.

This is truly a groundbreaking book. I'd like to see more works that follow this vein. Nicely illustrated.

Timothy Silver has given us an excellent history of Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains.
The work is titled as an environmental history, and it is supported by a wealth of factual information, but the whole presentation is a wonderful flowing story of these peaks in western North Carolina, and their history as they were shaped by nature and by man.
Of special interest is the account of the feud between Elisha Mitchell and Thomas Clingman. The story encompasses misunderstandings, fragile egos, and desperate politics. When Mitchell fell to his death in 1857, the public mind established Mitchell as a hero and martyr who died to establish these peaks as the state's best known landmark. His body was later moved to the higest peak, which is forever known as Mount Mitchell.
We are also able to see the history of man's interaction with nature. In the case of the Blacks, it is often with tragic results, and even when the intentions are good, the outcome is often marginal.
Dr. Silver leaves us with a compelling book that provides much information and asks many questions that we should consider not only for this mountain range, but for our environment as well.
I highly recommend this book. The author has done us a great favor.

What a terrific book Timothy Silver has crafted! Anyone interested in mountains, hiking, fishing, environmental issues, natural history, or the local history of North Carolina's mountains will enjoy this wonderful account. Professor Silver, a historian in western North Carolina, has written a book in which Mount Mitchell stars at the center of his narrative--and both general readers and professional historians can find meaning and pleasure in his tale.

Like many environmental historians, Silver sees in the reciprocal interaction between nature and culture a larger story of a region. And he brings us this compelling story from a variety of intriguing angles. He offers his own assessments, ones generated on his extensive hiking and fishing trips in the Black Mountains of western North Carolina. He provides insight into the steamy 19th century historical controversy between rivals each seeking to determine which was the highest peak in the region--and to see who could do it first and most authoritatively. (And as a New Englander, I found the tale inviting even if our White Mountains fall short in elevation to North Carolina's peaks!) Professor Silver also examines logging practices and regional boosterism, the antecedent of eco-tourism.

The book has something that will be compelling for a wide audience of readers interested in the natural world and local history--and the style is accessible and enjoyable. Whether you've hiked a lot, love North Carolina, want to investigate stormy political and personal feuds, or wish to know more about regional environmental history, "Mount Mitchell" is a fine read. I commend it to you!