Milan Books

This book is very helpful along with good counseling. Anyone can benefit from this book. It's about all relationships, not just marriage. And any personality type will relate to it. It's worth the money.

Having problems with your marriage? Need to know why you act the way you act? This book is for you if you answered YES to any of the questions above. Buy This Book...YOU WON'T REGRET IT! How We Love is an excellent tool for learning about your life and why you are the way you are.

This is one of the most brilliant marriage books I've read. Rather than oversimplifying marriage problems as a lack of love or respect, Milan and Kay invite the reader to go deeper than surface issues and explore patterns of relating that can often be traced back as early as the first year of life. Drawing from Harville Hendrix's Imago Relationship theory, Milan & Kay frame How We Love within a Christian context and lay out practical interventions that couples can integrate into their relationships. I also highly recommend the workbook to help readers internatlize on a practical level what they are reading in the book. The caring, helpful tone of the book almost makes it feel as if you have your very own therapist walking with you every step of the way. Brilliant. A must-read not only for couples, but also marriage therapists and lay counselors.

Also recommend: Soul Healing Love by Tom and Beverly Rodgers (also based on Imago Theory)

I've probably spent hundreds of dollars on self-help books over the years looking for answers I couldn't seem to find. My husband and I have been together for over 18 years - many of which felt like banging our heads against the wall in frustration and three of which were spent separated. We were blessed to have survived the separation. I heard about this book on the radio (kkla) and knew it was the book we needed. By far, it is one of the BEST and most effective books I've ever come across. I admit, it was a bit daunting at first as the workbook made us dig pretty deep within ourselves, (I think the workbook is key!) but God really helped us to persevere! This book was a catalyst in helping us to undersand each other and ourselves in ways we never thought possible. Your book and workbook helped to promote real communication between us and helped to give us the best relationship we've ever had -- so much that my husband and I renewed our vows on December 31. We are recommending this book to all of our friends! Thank you, Milan and Kay!

I've read books before that "categorize" your personality type, etc, and I have never heard anyone describe me... until I read this book. They nailed my personality or "love style", based on how I was raised. It really gave me insight into WHY I do things the way I do. And not only that, but it showed me HOW to work on those areas that need work. Great book... I am buying a copy of the book and workbook for some friends who are getting married. What better way to start off marriage, than to understand yourself better, before trying to understand someone else?! This book has also helped me understand my husband better too and be more compassionate and understanding of him. :)

Milan Kundera gives us a new insite on what makes a novel a different type of literature. He is widely read, witty and light. At the same time his opinions are thought provoking and the breadth and appropriateness of his quotations a joy to read. I must say that I read the book in one rainy weekend sitting and that it has been a long time since I have enjoyed so much following an author's thought process.

The Curtain is Kundera's third work of literary criticism/theory and it is, in my view, the best. It is more focused than Art of the Novel and less bitter than Testaments Betrayed. Here Kundera presents extremely readable and pointed analyses of several works and, more importantly, provides a larger argument about the role of the novel in the world and its moral capabilities. He provides insights into several well known writers such as Cervantes and Kafka, but he has also alerted me to many writers with whom I was previously unfamiliar. It is one of those books that, after you finish, will make you want to go and read a dozen other books. And I think that is a good thing.

In The Curtain, which in fact is a series of separate pieces, each of which are further divided into component pieces, Kundera presents the novel and novelists in a tableau of history, politics, and culture. His manner is discursive. Among his shaggy dog elements: the novel as psychological exploration of character or as existential analysis; phenomenological observations on the workings of memory; Rabelais, Cervantes, and Hermann Broch (The Sleepwalkers) as stand-alone contributors to the nonlinear history of the novel, along with Sterne, Flaubert, Kafka, Carlos Fuentes, and more; the influence of national culture on art (the difference between French "vulgarity" and Central European "kitsch"); the innards of a novel's process, and the workings of prosai-comi-epic imagination ...

It occurred to me, as I began to scribble notes on this or that observation, put so succinctly and well, that I hadn't felt the need to do that in a while, since reading E.M. Cioran's observations on life, in fact, and before that the aesthetic takes on visual art of Andre Malraux in Anti-Memoirs) and the comments on writing by Sartre in Why I Write. You can reread such books, as I expect I'll reread this one as well.I Think, Therefore Who Am I?

It is unfortunate many readers of serious fiction will never read this book. Milan Kundera (1929) is a Czech-born writer who writes mostly in French these days. He is best known for his novel, The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Novel (Perennial Classics) (1984), a profound exploration of the fragile nature of the life of an individual. Following The Art of the Novel (1985) and Testaments Betrayed (1992), his seven-part essay, The Curtain, is part three in a trilogy of essays on the European novel. Translated by Linda Asher, it was originally published as "Le Rideau," in French in April 2005 by Gallimard. It should be considered required reading for anyone interested in knowing what the novel is all about.

Kundera believes that reading novels, from Cervantes, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy, to Kafka, Garcia Marquez, and Rushdie, offers a way of thinking that is essential to understanding human nature and our own lives. Reading allows us to tear down "the curtain" of pre-interpreted assumptions ingrained in our psyche, enabling us to have an unobstructed vision of the world we inhabit: "A magic curtain, woven of legends, hung before the world. Cervantes sent Don Quixote journeying and tore through the curtain. The world opened before the knight errant in all the comical nakedness of its prose" (p.92). For Kundera, "a novel that fails to reveal some unknown bit of existence is immoral" (p.61); its objective should be to reach into "the soul of things'" and the '"enigmas of existence." Understanding human life--that is "the raison d'etre of the art of the novel" (p.10). Anything less than that is mere "babble."

Although Kundera's subject is erudite, his writing is easy to follow--like sitting in a Paris cafe with a 78-year-old scholar, discussing why reading serious European literature matters.

G. Merritt

Kundera's book about the novel is not exactly as billed. These are not seven
essays. What we have is a set of notes, some speculations and assertions about
the past and future of the novel and its place in the world of literature and art.

Since these happen to be the spectulations of one of the most radically unsentimental
writers of our time, they are very valuable indeed. As the thoughts of a writer
whose work inspires other novelists (well, okay, this novelist) to keep writing,
they're especially precious.

Kundera urges us to see the novel in the context of its history. He suggests that its
reason for being is that the novel can tell a particular kind of truth, that it can
get to the heart of things and tear back the curtain of interpretation that veils
our realities.

The specifics of this arguement are as enlightening as the arguement itself:Cervantes'
humor as a reprise of what grownups know about the world, Rabelais' coinage of
a word for the humorless, Musil's irony, Stifter's prescience. Read Kundera to enlarge
your circle of acquaintance and turn literary acquaintances into teachers.

For all the inspiration that Kundera's work affords writers, this is a very pessimistic
book. With the death of historical awareness and appreciation for the moment comes
the death of the novel. Without 'the history of various arts, there's not much left
to works of art'. It's the pessimism of the true conservative-one whose heritage and
nation have vanished and being now incapable of growth can only be shored up
against the inevitable ravages of the new.

This perspective encourages-I think-an appreciation for the everyday, a Gestalt
shrink's awareness of the here and now. It's the kind of appreciation that rubs off on
the reader. If the reader is also a writer, this is the stuff that keeps you going.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of New Short Course in Wine,The and
the extremely charismatic bang BANG: A Novel ISBN 9781601640005

"I loved 'Infinite Variety' for the way the authors brought the Marchesa Casati vividly to life."--Robert Fulford, author of 'The Triumph of Narrative: Storytelling in the Age of Mass Culture'

"'Infinite Variety' is a thoroughly unbiased and well-researched biography. The 'Definitive Edition' includes a plethora of new information as well as artwork and photos. Thanks to the efforts of Ryersson and Yaccarino, the story of the Marchesa Casati, with all its splendor, will continue to astonish.--Jonathan Williams, Gothic Beauty Magazine

"Mesmerizing and revealing, 'Infinite Variety' is the definitive account of the Italian femme scandaleuse. A great glimpse, and more, into the life of a larger-than-life individual."-Mar Yvette (Clear Magazine)

"'Infinite Variety: The Definitive Edition' provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the bizarre and spectacular life that Casati led...All you fashion-conscious history buffs will love the in-depth exploration the authors take into Casati's stylish life."-Denise Dandeneau (Zink Magazine)

"This meticulously researched and completely updated biography vividly details Luisa Casati's extravagant life...Fashionistas, art history buffs, aficionados of Belle Époque and Jazz Age culture-and general readers-will be pleased."-Lorraine Thompson (Primo Magazine)

'This book about the Marchesa Casati (1881-1957) is called "The Definitive Edition" about a lady of extravagant leisures. It is an excellent book reviving the roaring twenties in Europe and gives you a fairly good insight of the lifestyle of the truly rich and famous through to the 1940s. Part of this set was the Marchesa Casati, who is a source of inspiration to this very day for fashion designers, artists and wealthy heirs. So if you squander your vast inheritance, at least do it in style!' (review from Elegant Lifestyle)

This is the kind of book that makes you wish not only for a follow-up book, but that you already had it so you could jump right in.

The story, the characters, the setting and the writing are just superb. This is what I picture when I see or hear the phrase "a good book." That's just what it is, a really, really good book. I can't even imagine how you could possibly be disappointed in this book.

One of the little gems of this mystery novel is the realization that there are really 3 mysteries - 2 normal and one more "meta." The first is the whodunit? murder mystery. The second is whether (and how) anyone will discover the secret about the narrator of the book, the apprentice.

The third mystery appears when the author so perfectly captures those moments of belief from the Renaissance ("his humors were out of balance") and the modern reader has the intriguing puzzle of figuring out what's really going on with modern day understanding. They don't detract in any way from the book, but add a wonderfully neat set of minor little, "Hmmm, that's what they used to think back then, but today that'd be..." that reoccur at least 3 or 4 times throughout the story, and just add all the more to enjoyment.

I highly recommend this book, and like all the reviewers to date, hope this is only the beginning of a series.

From the parenthetical (a Leonardo da Vinci mystery) it seems clear that the publisher and author of this book intend to make it into a franchise. I certainly hope so, because the writing sparkles and really brings to life Renaissance Italy. The book is set in the period of Leonardo da Vinci's life in which he was the chief engineer and artist at the court of Milan. Events are told from the point of view of one of Leonardo's young apprentices, Dino, who has the misfortune to find the dead body of the cousin of the Duke of Milan when he goes missing during a living chess match which has been staged by Leonardo for the entertainment of the court.

Leonardo and Dino interview suspects and search for clues, and we are taken into the world of northern Italian nobility, artisans, and peasantry, as the two investigators turn the castle, the Sforza family crypt, and the town of Milan upside down trying to find the murderer before he or she can kill again. In reading this book, besides being enormously entertained, I learned about the history and strategy of chess, how art was created during the Renaissance, how clothing was made in the Renaissance, how Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked and a host of other things that made the time period come alive for me, which is all you can really ask of historical fiction. I would definitely have given this book 5 stars had the ending not gotten a little too complicated for its own good. And since I fully expect and look forward to reading more from this author a small note to her -- try not to introduce so many paragraphs with the words "So saying..." it was the one distraction in what was otherwise absolutely beautiful writing. I can't wait for more in this series.

A captivating mystery novel that unfolds in the magnificent Sforza castle of Renaissance Milan. The fast moving plot is filled with surprising twists and turns, making the book hard to put down. Besides the suspense and intrigue, one feels drawn into a colorful panorama of castle life filled with vivid characters from high ranking nobility to skilled workmen to humble servants. Of greatest interest is the unique life of the genius Leonardo da Vinci with his young apprentices, with details of their everyday tasks of mixing paints, preparing frescos, making brushes and the like. This book is not only a marvelous mystery but also a rich and entertaining cultural experience.

My assumption about a mystery series featuring Leonardo da Vinci conjured up visions of the wise and white-haired Leonardo using his vast years of knowledge and genius to wrestle with mysteries and solve crimes. However, I was delighted to find instead in this book a fresh look at Leonardo as he was in his handsome, russet-haired prime while employed as court engineer to the Duke of Milan.

The book's narrator is Leonardo's young apprentice Dino, whose master is charged by the Duke to solve a murder that occurs during a living chess game that provides the book's motif. Dino is tasked by his Master to undertake various assignments and don several disguises to help Leonardo gather clues, spy on suspects, and uncover dangerous secrets. Along the way, we also learn a surprising secret regarding Dino's true identity.

The narration colorfully evokes Milan during the Renaissance, contrasting the pageantry of court life with an apprentice's lowly station. We follow Dino's unfolding tale through a labyrinth of colorful characters who reveal their all-too-human strengths and failings. As Leonardo is viewed through Dino's eyes, he retains an important element of mystery himself, though we are given enough of his personality and genius, his powers of deduction, and his amazing inventions to make him come alive in this intriguing tale.

My hope when I read any historical mystery is for the setting to be fresh and vivid, to experience the story through appealing characters, to enjoy a page-turning plot, and to learn something fascinatingly new. In all these ways, this well-written book succeeds and provides a delightful read.

At the court of the duke of Milan, the royal painter and inventor is Leonardo Da Vinci. He has his own studio and apartments in the palace and his apprentices reside there including Dino. Leonardo may be a genius in many things but when it comes to Dino he doesn't have a clue that he is a female. She chose to run away in order to learn from the master himself how to be the best artist she can be at a time when women were nothing more than ornaments.

The French ambassador is in Milan for a treaty signing and the two men vie for a painting by Leonardo. They decide the winner of a living chess game will possess the painting. During a break in the game, the Conte de Ferrara walks away and doesn't return. Dino finds him with a knife in his chest and when Leonardo gets the Duke, he is told that the Conte was the new ambassador to France. The Duke of Milan charges Leonardo with finding the killer a Herculean job because there are hundreds of people staying at the palace and the motives of those that want him dead range from the personal to the political. Dino risks her life to help her teacher.

Fans of historical fiction and historical mysteries will find THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT to their liking. Leonardo Da Vinci comes alive in this tale as a true renaissance man who hunts down criminals, invents a wrist watch and is a great teacher who shows his apprentices the intricacies of painting. Yet in spite of the deep look into the life of the grandmaster, Dino steals the show as she proves to be an able assistant while trying to hide her gender from those close to her.

Harriet Klausner

It has great narratives about each recipe, amazing fotos of the area and the food plus the recipes inspire you to creat masterpieces of your own.

I don't usually cook, but I just had to try these recipies. Plus, great pictures and the absolute best anecdotes about Villa d'Este. i went there for my honeymoon and I swear this book just made me want to go there again! Who on earth could resist it...or this fabulous book?

... and women too of course. This charming blend of recipes and witty tales about personalities from the timeless Villa D'Este Hotel lifts risotto to a new high of appreciation. Who would have thought a book about such tiny grains would be an entertaining read? And it beckons you to the kitchen. I admit to enjoying risottos prepared by expert chefs over the years, but never attempting the dish myself. Now I feel confident and keen to give it a go. There are risottos for every season. Of course now that I know so much more, the Arborio rice will no longer do - I must look for the special regional Italian Carnaroli rice if I really wish to impress. The white truffle might prove a bit problematic, but there are plenty of other options.

Travelers and foodies will love this one,recipes for about 50 different kinds of risotto from the famed chef of the Villa d'Este Hotel in Lake Como, Italy. The place is romantic and
even the recipes sound romantic. That sounds impossible, but
it is very true. I recommend this book as a nice holiday
gift this year..

A beautiful book from the shores of Lake Como. Even if you are not a cook, you'll love this book. The stories and photos of this gorgeous Lake in Italy can't be beat. If you are a cook, this is the best.....a must have book!!

This book was a fantastic book. It has a lot of great qualities, The further development of Theodore Kurita and Ninyu Kerai, more of Camacho's Caballeros.Subhash's death was dramatic and he died for a cause but I would have rather he didn't die. It also has some of the best villians, Hohiro Kiguri and the Black Dragon Society. All in all this is a great book that shows the inner workings of one of the most powerful of the Successor States.

Victor Milan did himself proud when he created the Caballeros in Hearts of Chaos and they've come clear to Black Dragon getting wilder all the way. However Subhash dying was a definite minus and Franklin Kurita should have been expanded upon but this is still a first class book

Camacho's Caballeros are an endearing bunch. But the parts I really liked is the development of Ninyu Kerai's character. I've been fascinated with this nekagami-trained ISF operative. Now he comes into his own, becoming a more multi-faceted character instead of a cardboard thug. The role of Franklin Sakamoto was also nicely done. These small things reward Battletech readers who take the trouble of actually completing as much of the series as possible. I'm just sorry Sun-Tzu Lao is now the new First Lord....I'd hope it was Theodore.

This book had an all around good plot, but it didn't have any good mech battles until the end. Most of it was just talking.

I can't imagine how much better my relationship with my wife would have been if I would have known the information in this book before I got married. The understanding of relationships, of myself and others and why we all do what we do in those relationships has been opened up and everything makes a whole lot more sense now. Reading this book has been like opening up a darkened window in a dark room and letting in sunshine and fresh air and along with that comes healing and growth. You can't go wrong reading this book and it just may save your struggling marriage...or any other relationship for that matter.

I've read books before that "categorize" your personality type, etc, and I have never heard anyone describe me... until I read this book. They nailed my personality or "love style", based on how I was raised. It really gave me insight into WHY I do things the way I do. And not only that, but it showed me HOW to work on those areas that need work. Great book... I am buying a copy of the book and workbook for some friends who are getting married. What better way to start off marriage, than to understand yourself better, before trying to understand someone else?! This book has also helped me understand my husband better too and be more compassionate and understanding of him. :)

This is a must read for anyone having marital issues. I believe this book brought to light many of the reasons my wife and I have not connected.
Easy to read and understand and even enjoyable reading. I plan on purchasing more copies for others. It's a book that I feel I will re-read several times to absorb every detail.

I purchased this book set for my husband (& I) for Christmas. I also bought a large blank journal book. We have been working through each chapter of the book/workbook while answering in the journal (me on the right and my hubby on the left). It has been PIVITOL in our relationship and has really helped us change the way we not only relate to each other, but has helped reframe our total thinking & forgiving process. If you are going to start somewhere - this is the place to do it. Milan is also featured on "New Life Live" radio - and he is the 'real deal.' It will be the best money (and time) you have ever spent!

The photos included in Sklenar's first published collection of his work represent nearly 30 years of output, and what the photographer calls the "the weigh stations" of his life: Prague, Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, Thompson, Mexico, and Gallup. What the photos show, according to Sklenar, is that "life is the same everywhere, people suffer and are happy in much the same way." His assessment is correct. However, the extraordinary gift he has for revealing the extraordinary cannot go without mention. -- Belinda Acosta, for The Austin Chronicle.

Opening this book you step into the world and life of photographer Milan Sklenar. He shows the viewer the places he has been, and the faces he has seen. The range of faces and emotions - fear, hope, despair, joy, boredom, suspicion - are matched by the diversity of locations - Mexico, New York, Thompson, Los Angeles, Montreal, Prague. Although each viewer will undoubtably bring his own experiences to the book and form his own interpretations, no one will be unmoved by these powerful images.

Over 100 photos of this Czech-American artist are presented for the first time in Milan Sklenar: Photographs, a volume which captures urban and street life in stark black and white photos. The artist lived in the streets - his photos of street life in different cultural settings from Mexico to Montreal provide intriguing contrasts and similarities.

Over 100 photos of this Czech-American artist are presented for the first time in a volume which captures urban and street life in stark black and white photos. The artist lived in the streets - his photos of street life in different cultural settings from Mexico to Montreal provide intriguing contrasts and similarities.

The Best Kept Secret by Les Roberts is a wonderful book. Often I think Les Roberts is the best-kept secret in writing today. The Milan series has been flawless, and The Best Kept Secret is no exception. This book was extremely entertaining and thought provoking. I was captured by the first page and read it in one day. I highly recommend this book and all the rest of the books written by this talented man.

Being a lover of mysteries, I had never heard of Les Roberts until a relative of mine gave me this book. It gripped me from the beginning, introducing Milan Jacovich as not only a good detective but a dedicated friend coming to the aid of someone who once saved his life. As the story progresses and the characters develop, the possibilities of "whodunit" became wider, with the reader never really knowing which character was behind the crimes - yes, the crimes multiplied as the story went on. Once this reader got to the fifth or sixth chapter, putting the book down became difficult. The last hundred pages went very fast as the guilty parties were revealed. This is a good, fast-paced, involving story that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and a central character, who in most ways, has a conscience.

Cleveland private investigator Milan Jacovich owes his life to Dr. Reginald Parker. Strangely it did not occur when the two were grunts in Nam as their paths never crossed in Southeast Asia. Instead, the high school principal rescued the sleuth in an East Cleveland crack house. Milan knows that he owes Reginald so when the educator calls in his chips, the detective responds.

A former student, Jason Crowell attends Sherman College located in the western suburbs. An anonymous group, the Women Warriors, accuse Jason of rape, plastering flyers all over the campus. The media is playing the story. Milan agrees to look into the situation and learns some strange facts. No one knows who are the members of the female activist group. The alleged victim has never surfaced. Jason has always been squeaky clean and his sexual preference tends towards males. As the school administration wants to hang Jason as a sexual predator, a related murder occurs in which the freshman serves as the prime suspect. Milan believes the lad is innocent and plans to uncover the identity of the real killer.

The Milan Jacovich mysteries remain an entertaining treat as they strip away the image of a burning Lake Erie and a rusted city to provide a tour of the real Cleveland. The latest novel, THE BEST-KEPT SECRET, is an interesting tale as Milan investigates the ugly atmosphere of a nearby campus. The story line seems far-fetched that Jason would come under such a blitz attack based on almost nothing. However, the fact that indiviudals serving hard time have been freed due to DNA testing prove otherwise. Les Roberts has kept fresh his down to earth sleuth in a tale that fans will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

I met this vivacious author at Book Expo America. Get Ready Cause Here I Come is a down to earth self-help book that explains sex with a sense of humor and experience that only Shanti Milan can provide. You will be enlightened, and entertained on the finer points of intimate activities!

This book is an absolute must read. Young, old, married, single, man or woman, everyone can benefit from the wisdom, humor, and solid, "common sense" advice Shanti Milan offers in her latest release. Shanti uses anecdotes from her personal life, as well as her professional experience as a relationship adviser and fitness trainer to help women, and men, learn how to have a satisfying sex life. Shanti also explores how exercise and self-esteem can affect intimacy. Fun and insightful, you'll find yourself reading this book over and over again. Well done, Shanti!
Get Ready Cause Here I come (How to achieve multiple orgasms)

I loved this creative, outrageous take on achieving orgasims. Life is short and Shanti has had many sexual experiences that will come in handy for both men and women.
A must read- quick and fun to read.

Shanti rocks!!!