P Books

Horror, of horrors, it looks like Gussie Fink-Nottle may have finally broken off with Madeline Bassett and there is little or nothing that even Jeeves can do about it. Diets, steak and kidney pie, mute lutes. Add Spode who will take anybody who makes Madeline cry and tie them into a painful knot and you have the makings of a tragic ending for poor, poor Bertie. Or do you? Either way, there is tons of fun from the first page to the last and lots of twisted plot lines, weird happenings, and buckets of hard drinking.

This was the first Bertie and Jeeves' book I'd ever read. If you're interested in British humour, exquisite-snobbish language and witty puns, or in bizarre but classy situations, this is just the book for you. Wodehouse possessed this wonderful characteristic of balancing an unfortunate situation with a good dose of modest humour. The title says it all! Thoroughly recommendable.

What could the Nobel Prize for literature signify if PG Wodehouse not only didn't win one, but never made the short-list? Good grief. What other writer living or dead, in Nobel's own words, "help[s] dreamers, as they find it hard to get on in life."

Take STIFF UPPER LIP, JEEVES, for example. If you want to read a book that'll grab you by your lapels and hoist you out this mundane, dynamite-scarred world, try this one.

Crisp dialogue, intricate plotting, witty wordplay, amusing situations, and distinct characters make this book satisfying to read repeatedly. In fact, it is astonishing that STIFF UPPER LIP, JEEVES and many other Wodehouse creations seem just as fresh the second, third, and even seventh time around.

I would liken reading this book to drinking one of Jeeves's famous pick-me-ups "and their effect on a fellow who is hanging to life by a thread on the morning after." Wodehouse writes: "For perhaps the split part of a second nothing happens. It is as though all Nature waited breathless. Then, suddenly, it is as if the Last Trump had sounded and Judgment Day set in..."

If heaven's half as delightful as reading PG Wodehouse, (should I get there) I'll be in paradise.

Just as we believe some actors were born to play a certain role or a singer was born to sing a specific song, I'm convinced Jonathan Cecil was born to read P. G. Wodehouse. The British accented Cecil voice delightfully inhabits the personas of Jeeves, Bertie Wooster and sundry other characters with charm, humor, and distinction.

My first introduction to the talents of Cecil was with his stunning reading of "Jeeves and the Mating Season." Since that time no other voice will do for the born to the purple Bertie and his long suffering butler.

P.G. Wodehouse is quite another story. Obviously, one of the greatest humorists to ever take up pen his tongue-in-cheek take on the British upper classes is pure laugh provoking perfection. With "Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves" we find Bertie returning to Totleigh Towers, a place he had hoped never to see again as it is the domain of Sir Watkyn Bassett, who lined his pockets with fines he collected. Bassett's daughter, Madeline is always on the prowl and Bertie wants no part of her.

Fortunately, Madeline has fallen for and captured another - Gussie, a friend of Bertie's. Now, Madeline is not only a huntress but she is also passionate about changing her quarry to suit her own tastes. In this case, the word "taste" may be taken literally as she wants to change the meat loving Gussie into a vegetarian, which is where most of the trouble begins. Bertie, as usual, finds himself embroiled in this sticky situation.

Alas, once again it's left up to Jeeves to come to Bertie's aid.

Wodehouse has been dubbed a "comic genius;" Cecil is his full partner in this splendid reading. Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

This unabridged audio version of "Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves" was wonderfully read by Cecil. This is not my typically genre of book and I was pleasantly impressed and surprised by this book. I have not read the prior books in this series and had no problems following along so the priors are not a necessity. In a nutshell, this book is about a dim-witted Bertie and his attempt to keep from inadvertently becoming engaged to a sappy Madeline. The dry, British humor of this story is excellently portrayed by Cecil and I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a refreshing change of pace!

Over the years, I've recommended this book to my friends at least twenty times, and I have for sure recommended it to every psychologist, or anyone in any sort of therapy, that I have known. I read it when I was in college, doing the usual recreational drugs, and reading widely. This book amazed and dumbfounded me, probably more than any other book. The author possesses what seemed to me to be a rare quality (conceited and/or foolish as I am), and that is, he knows more about human nature, and the way the world works, than I do, and he can write about it.

The form of the book is a novel; the protagonist is beset by difficulties that he feels somehow responsible for, but, that he cannot understand. Like all of us? As the story unfolds, we see that this novel is unlike any other, as it examines the protagonist's role in the minutest details of events, and shows how these events contribute to the inevitablity of what seem on the surface to be chance or uncontollable outcomes.

One lesson I drew from the book is to try to 'look deeply' at things. There is the reality that our concious mind registers and that changes moment to moment, and there are currents of meaning that are constant and don't change, but that are not recognized for what they are and are not acknowledged by our concious mind. However, our unconcious mind is fully aware of these currents, and their reality is more substantial than the concious reality. Does that make any sense? Probably not. Be assured that 'Osokin' is an interesting tale, not pyschobabble like my attempted explication.

Ouspensky was a follower of Gurjeiff, and there are still Gurjeiff groups that meet to discuss his thoughts. My last boss at a tech firm was a leader of such a group! I found out from him that Gurjeiff-ans think that the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray is in the spirit of "Osokin". I agree. The setups are the same, a day, or a life, to live over, however, what follows is entirely different.

If you like Kundera, have a fondness for Nietzsche, enjoyed the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog's Day," or sit there mulling over the towering pronouncement from Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo," : 'You must change your life!' then this is the book for you. Even if none of the above apply to you, just take a chance on this slim novel. While I wouldn't recommend the entire mystical theosophist movement that propelled Ouspensky, this work will never quite leave you -- my criterion for a work of great art.

From a music student to a student of Hermetic Science - this book changed my whole life, and way of thinking.

Ouspensky manages to combine real human feeling and longings with fantasy and dreams.

Enjoy!

I first read this book at age eight after finding it on my mother's nightstand. I remember becoming totally engrossed in the story and reading it straight through form cover to cover. Strangely this novel has stood up well to several subsequent readings at various times in my life. I say strangely in part because I have not developed any noticable interest in any other works of fantasy or the occult in the ensuing years. This book stands out in my memory as a singular phenomenon.

You seldom come across books which can significantly change your way of thinking or maybe your life for good. This is definitely one such book. I accidently came upon it when I was searching for one of Colin Wilson's books and came upon Strange Life of P.D. Ouspensky which in turn led to this book.

The protagonist, Ivan Osokin, is someone with whom most of us can empathize with. He's someone who would like another chance to live his life again so that he can make use of opportunities he wasted. He is blessed when he finds a magician who can exactly do this - send him back in time with the memories of the "future". He finds himself being a schoolboy again and at a critical path of his life. The strange thing being - now its difficult for him to believe any of it. His memory of "future" starts fading slowly and he finds that the inertia of fate is not easy to get rid of. He's taking the same decisions that he took the last time. His "memory" reduces to a plain deja vu and he's left wondering whether any of it was really true.

Giving away more will destroy the pleasure of reading.

Ouspensky's insights will leave you spellbound till the end. I just wish I had read it a few years earlier.

I read this book as a teenager many years ago and assume it's been out of print for many years. Don't know how historically accurate it is, but as a story, it totally rocks! The author brings the days of the Caesars to life with poignancy and humor. A must-read!

Mannix' "Those About to Die" combines a historical and sociological view of the Games of the Roman Republic and Empire. With the title taken from the traditional gladiators' greeting, "Hail Caesar! We who are about to die salute you!", this book traces the history of the Roman games from Anchises' funerary games in Vergil's Aeneid to the inevitable coarsening and excess of Imperial Rome. Along the way, we learn about the engineering of the Circus Maximus, the training of the gladiators, the orgiastic response of both plebs and patricians in the audience, and even the horrific cruelty inherent in such a scene. Mannix' "Those About to Die" provides tremendous insights into a cultural and sociological ritual the likes of which have never been seen before -- and, hopefully, will never be seen again.

This is an update after actually receiving the book. Read first, then go to the end for the update.

Almost 50 years have passed since I first read this shocker and I've found it again. Before pushing "go to checkout" this is my memory:
Absolutely incredible book on Roman life. By "incredible," I really do mean "unbelievable" details of Roman excesses, not just in the killing arena, but in raising and eating rare foods: hummingbird tongues, fish that changed colors as they were boiled alive, unborn calves and other animals cooked inside their mothers, and on and on.
In the arena, there were specialists in animal as well as human destruction called "bestiarii" who could kill a lion with their bare hands. The author said the bestiarii hated and feared only leopards because of the animals' blinding speed.

The Roman Colosseum arena could be flooded in minutes, not only for mock sea battles, but for imaginary paradise islands populated by luscious women and handsome men singers and musicians--who were fed to crocodiles to the delight of the crowd.

So out of hand did the "Bread and Circuses" of Rome become that shipments of sand for the Colosseum floor were given priority over shipments of food, according to that author.

I read this shocking book as a very young teenager--it was a paperback book belonging to an uncle. If I can remember this much after nearly 50 years, this is a book that stays with you--whether totally true or not.

UPDATE---Well, I was half right, because this is about half the book it was. Not Amazon's fault. The book arrived in less than a week in surprisingly good condition for a paperback.
No, the 1960 publisher "reverse Bowdlerized" the original I read. Thomas Bowdler gave his name to heavy editing by taking out "indelicate" parts of Shakespeare for a family edition.
This publisher left all the indelicate parts in, resulting in 153 pages of blood, guts and sex.

My guess is that 100 pages of the original are missing. Nothing on the raising and eating of rare foods except a brief mention of thrushes' tongues (not hummingbirds)and baby mice. Very little on the daily lives of Romans and the rich. Probably considered too boring.
Still a helluva read by Daniel Mannix. He put together an exciting and only partly imaginary account of the horror and spirit of the "games" of ancient Rome. Today's "Mortal Kombat" types of computer games and popularity of "reality" TV shows are a perfect reflection of old bloodlust, proving Mannix right in saying in 1958 that America would revel in actual fights to the death today.
But I wanted more than blood and guts, and miss the "boring" parts. Instead of Bowdlerized, the original was disemboweled--with glee.

I read this book over a decade ago and even today, now that I do not have the copy anymore, I still remember the title and the impact it had on me then. It has been on my wish-list for years and plan to order it again soon. I have had many occasions to refer to it in conversations with friends and aquaintances, be it toward politic themes, animal training, or in college. This book gives a fascinating insight into mankind, the beast.

when I was given this book, I thought it would be a laborious read; I was wrong! Daniel Mannix has done an excellent job of bringing dimension & depth to a subject that few of us really understand. It's a real pity that this piece of literature is now out of print because every student of history should have this narrative in their personal library. I now watch 'SPARTACUS' from a totally different perspective!

This is one of the most fascinating books I've ever read. Hansen takes a novel approach to explaining why psi, whose existence is beyond dispute for anyone who has considered the scientific evidence, continues to be marginalized in our culture and in scientific circles. Hansen applies literary theory, anthropology, ufology, and other fields to develop his thesis. The author is not trying to prove the truth of psi or the supernatural; the book aims to explain why psi is still accorded such low status in our society. It contains a great bibliography as well. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

I'd give this book six stars if I could. The author has built a bridge linking subjects that previously appeared unrelated and has done so in a way that makes these new concepts fully understandable. This is not an easy book or a quick read but I advise anyone involved with the paranormal to get this book and carefully consider the ideas presented.

This is a comprehensive overview of parapsychology and the paranormal. Scholarly and dense--definitely not light reading--it is nonetheless well thought out and approachable. Hansen's exhaustive research of the field shows clear but strange patterns. The paranormal, or psi, is more than the "hoax or delusion" argument with which skeptics often dismiss it, but not quite as true believers portray it, either. Like light particles in the world of quantum physics, the paranormal seems to change its nature based on who is doing the observing. It is most comfortable working in the world of the outsider, the marginalized and liminal, artists, mischief makers, magicians, the social pariahs and anti-establishment types--and in this, shares many of the characteristics of trickster deities throughout the world.

Because tricksters are so often comfortable in the culture of the shunned, it is almost a given that academia will run from psi as a priest from that which is unclean. Serious and impartial study becomes difficult because to engage in it, academics must overcome rigid social taboos and embrace unconventional thought paradigms. Academia is no more immune from societal pressures and conventional thinking than any other human institution. As Hansen himself states, "The widespread, subtly negative attitude toward fantasy, imagery, and the imagination indirectly acknowledges its power and the need to keep it constrained." There is also the very real danger of becoming so drawn into the subject one loses one's ability to tell fantasy from reality. Loss of objectivity comes in many forms.

I don't think any summary I achieve here could do justice to the amount of researcher Mr. Hansen has laid out in this book, encompassing a multiplicity of disciplines from physics to anthropology, psychology to deconstructionism, lab parapsychology to professional magic. For a meticulous and original view of the field--its history, current trends, and deeper philosophical meaning--The Trickster and the Paranormal cannot be beat.

The Trickster and the Paranormal is a powerhouse of a book, and should be approached with both a sense of respect and a sense of pleasure, for although the book is challenging, it is also a deeply rewarding and very pleasurable read.

Mr. Hanson has a clear writing style and does an excellent job structuring an array of complex and obscure ideas into an enjoyable format. People who have an interest in shamanism, UFOs, and all forms of witchcraft, sorcery, hypnosis and magick will find this book to be a profound treasure trove of insightful information.

The Trickster and the Paranormal is one of those rare magnificent books that, when read and considered upon, opens up the hidden aspects of many other books and topics, and makes known what otherwise might have remained obscure or misunderstood. If you have any interest in the paranormal, this book is a giant key to help you unlock many deeply valuable jewels of wisdom.

If you can at all possible purchase the book in its hardback edition, do it. The paperback version wears out quickly.

Every library should have a copy of this excellent book.

Like other reviewers here, if I could, I would give this book SIX stars. I am both a Native American, familiar with our Trickster stories, and an anthropologist, familiar with Levi-Strauss, Victor Turner, and structural anthropology. The synthesis of anthropology and folklore achieved in this book by Mr. Hansen is amazing and wonderful!

The chapter topics include:
-An Overview of Tricksters from Mythology, Folklore, and Elsewhere
-Ernest Hartmann's Mental Boundaries
-Victor Turner's Concept of Anti-structure
-Mysticism, Holy Madness, and Fools for God
-Shamanism and its Sham
-Michael Winkelman on Magico-religious Practitioners
-Max Weber, Charisma, and the Disenchantment of the World
-Cultural Change and the Paranormal
-Prominent "Psychics"
-Conjurors and the Paranormal
-CSICOP and the Debunkers
-Small Groups and the Paranormal
-Alternative Religions and Psi
-Institutions and the Paranormal
-Anti-structure and the History of Psychical Research
-Unbounded Conditions
-Government Disinformation
-Hoaxes and the Paranormal
-Reflexivity and the Trickster
-Laboratory Research on Psi
-Totemism and the Primitive Mind
-Literary Criticism, Meaning, and the Trickster
-The Imagination
-Paranoia

By its very nature, the paranormal is the area "betwixt-and-between", the grey places, the "neither fish nor fowl"...as the essence of antistructure, it is the place of dreams and frauds, and as soon as you name it, it retreats...it defines boundaries of the acceptable by being unacceptable, of the known by remaining unknown...and try to trap it, it slithers away through the door you forgot to close. If you want to know more about this wonderful book, visit the website for it at http://www.tricksterbook.com ...or better yet BUY IT! Your world will never be the same ;-))

Understanding by design was recommended to me by one of my teachers. This book helped me understand how to approach lesson planning. Backwards design is an excellent way to design curriculum. The templates are very helpful, and almost mindless even. You just have to know what your goals are, and the templates help you do the rest.
I think they should come up with a computer program to make it even easier, but hey, writing is good practice. I rated it four stars, because I haven't found some of the information int he back too helpful- of course I haven't thoroughly read it. I guess it's there for something, but I'm a stickler for not including unnecessary information.

Clear user friendly guide for effective use of UbD for planning.
Understanding by Design: Professional Development Workbook

This book not only provides clear examples of the work that it supplements, it is effective for planning beyond lessons alone. It enables one to plan for school wide or system level comprehensive approaches. An excellent application of the "Begin With the End in Mind" as advocated by Stephen Covey's work.

I have used this resource again and again when working with teachers who are either just starting out with unit design in a UbD framework, as well as with those who are quite familiar with the model. The templates and other tools are user-friendly and make the application of UbD much more straightforward than using the original text alone.

This book complements in practical form the ideas presented in Understanding by Design (UbD). I am using this book as a guide for the design of courses online in higher education. Both have been a wonderful aid to rationalize the amount of resources that I must include in the courses online that I am developing. They are effective tools to determine in concise form and practices the synchronous or asynchronous activities that must make the learners as it demonstrates the intentions reached from the "big idea". I recommend them widely to obtain the deep learning.

The result of Evans and Avis's five-year collaboration is an extraordinary book, The Women who Broke all the Rules, containing stories based on ideas, motivations, and behaviors of 100 selected female representatives of the Torchbearer Generation (individuals born between 1945 and 1955). By utilizing an effective interview questionnaire, designed by the authors and provided in the Appendix, as well as by conducting extensive face-to-face interviews, Evans and Avis have accomplished a difficult task. They have successfully managed to combine four decades of thousands of childhood, adolescent, and adult memories into an enticing exploration of American social history.

Pleasantly surprising, these 100 Torchbearers are not easily recognized public figures, superstars, or celebrities. Instead, they may be readily distinguished as any one of our own trusted wives, older sisters, younger sisters, cousins, aunts, friends, and colleagues who have had to "reconcile their 1950s childhoods with their more liberated adult selves." Whether married, divorced, remarried, childless, with children, or invested in any other combination of personal realities, the self-made female heroes in this book are cleverly discussed within the concepts of "old rules" (e.g, "Your families' values, beliefs, and practices should be yours") or "new truths" (e.g., "Honor your traditions but act on what you think is right"). Understandable, engaging, and thought-provoking, this fine piece of work presents significant "choices" to think about and discuss with friends, lovers, or family members.

REVIEW: The authors of WOMEN WHO BROKE ALL THE RULES illustrate the lives of women born during the baby boom era (1945-1955). A captivating story, read in a single sitting, about women who challenged existing social strictures by forging into professional fields previously closed to them. Most important for my generation to appreciate is the fact that they had to do so without the benefit of role models and mentors, which they now have become to those of us born in the 1960's. To hear how these ordinary yet exceptional women triumphed after immense struggles and conflicts they encountered in their lives, left me with a great sense of appreciation for what they went through personally, as well as,what they accomplished for women who have followed. This book should be required reading for both high schools and universities so that generations coming after the baby boom era can be reminded that the innumerable opportunities that exist today for women must not be taken for granted. Dr. Susan Evans and Dr. Joan Avis portray the lives of these women within the context of "Old Rules"--existing social constructs, and "New Truths"- the discoveries made when breaking the "Old Rules." This method perfectly illustrates the broad social impact of their individual acts of courage and their trail blazing spirits. The actions of these women literally forced society to think and act differently. I recommend and applaud this book and thank the women of the baby boom generation.

What an incredibly well researched and well written book. For all of us who have struggled with living in a world different than the one we were brought up to live in, it really hits home and validates all those conflicting feelings that we have about who we are and what our roles are in today's world. And for the men who were raised by the same parents who raised us, and don't understand our struggle and why we aren't just like 'mom' this is a must read. And every marriage counselor who works with 'boomer' couples should read it, too.

As the daughter of a true Torchbearer, I deeply appreciate the candor, humor, and professionalism with which this book analyzes these women's lives. So many books have been written in the "spirit" of celebrating all women and their achievements, but they seem to be long on sentiment and theory and short on real research. Evans and Avis carefully structured their research to include women's persepctives about all areas of their lives but also leave the reader a great deal of room to understand and infer what s/he will. I also agree that most Torchbearers do not take enough credit for their culture-changing actions and attitudes, and I truly look forward to the day when (hopefully) my daughter and I can watch a "History of Women's Empowerment" program, and I can say to her that her grandmother was a woman who broke all the rules. More than any other I have ever read (and, as a psych major, I have read many), this book explains my mother as a member of this generation in a way I never could understand before. Plus, I now know that she really was part of a movement that, not unlike the civil rights movement, was part personal and part political. It brought Bell Hook home to me for the first time, without quoting her once.

I think this book is a must-read for all daughters AND SONS of Torchbearer mothers.

Just a hint, though, to those TB's rushing immediately to Amazon.com: You raised these kids, you know they won't read it if YOU suggest it : ) ha ha

One final note: I came to Amazon.com today for the first time ever (although I have previously used many e-commerce sites) expressly to buy 10 copies of this book to mail to my other 20-something girlfriends. Hey gen-x'ers: it's really THAT good!

Evans and Avis have started to reconstruct the last chapters of Simone DeBeauvoir's book "The Second Sex." When I first read DeBeauvoir's book in 1973 I was dazzled by her essays, particularly 'Situation and Character' and the 'Formative Years.' Still, I recall being disappointed by the chapter on the 'Independent Woman.' It puzzled me that she didn't seem to have much to say that was new, fresh or interesting, and I was hungry for that examination. Perhaps too, my American sensibility expected a kind of formula on how to proceed. In retrospect, I have reconciled that women had neither succeeded nor failed on a public stage long enough for DeBeauvoir to have invoked a deeper analysis. This book makes an important contribution in beginning to record and analyze stories from this transitional group that the authors so accurately call the torchbearer generation. I think other readers would enjoy this book as much as I did.

Gave this book as a gift to a child who aspires to become a police officer. He just loved it and keeps it on his nightstand next to his bed so he can read it every night.

My young cousin, whom I'm raising, has wanted to be a police officer since he could talk. After reading THIS book, he wants to be a K-9 Officer. I had to get him a second copy, for him to keep at school. My neighbour owns a day care centre, and has three or four copies for the children; she says that they're fascinated by the book, and it's a great spur to reading.

The photography is outstanding, and Officer Matsik makes for a terrific representative of the Shaker Heights Police Dept. A very positive book, which should be in the library of every child.

This book has given my daughter an understanding of the job I do as a K-9 handler in a way that makes reading fun for her. I have chosen this book for our donations to area school that I visit to enhance their library.

A wonderful `grandfather' book. My younger grandchildren want me to read it over and over. I enjoy the well written story and the photographs are excellent. Actually, all ages can appreciate this quality book.

Enjoyed the book so much that I bought two extra
copies and donated them to my neigbhorhood public
library and elementary school....two places that
always have tight budgets. Buy one for Christmas,
your kids will love you.

Existential entropy is the dominant theme of Steve Erickson's sixth book, a meditation on the persistence of memory, the disappearance of the real, and the no-man's-land between fact and imagination.

With limber, hypnotic prose and vivid imagery, the nameless narrator leads us through a landscape of paranoia, sex, and decay. Though this no-man's-land takes the shape of L.A. early in the next century, the novel's axes are psychology and identity, not society and technology.

One of the narrator's obsessions is what he calls the Cinema of Hysteria: "movies that make no sense at all - and we understand them completely." Similarly, this tale seems plotless; but, as in Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49, the arbitrary oddities slowly coalesce into a haunting whole. Erickson has spun a cunning web - less a book of laughter and forgetting than a seductive insomniac nightmare of hysteria and amnesia.

I've heard some folks say that Erickson's Amnesiascope is one of his lesser works, but in my view it is head and shoulders above his other novels. "Amnesiascope" is an apocalyptic prose-poem about life in L.A., and where "Rubicon Beach" dragged with long, tedious dream-sequences, "Amnesiascope" soars by providing enough humor, detail, and vividly-imagined cityscapes to keep you fascinated by every page. As I read it, I occasionally thought to myself, "This reads like Henry Miller." Later, in an interview with Erickson, he mentioned that Miller was an inspiration for this novel.

this is a good book i cannot believe that it is out of print! I lent a copy to a friend and have never had it returned.
I read this before i ever visited L.A. but having been there now, you can see the jumps in imagination that he makes about a possible near future for the place. Dingy hotels and fires in the streets, subversive writers and strange and exotic grrls who just seem to turn up and then vanish. He describes a place that made me think of cities in warzones, in movies like Full Metal Jacket and The Killing Fields. What is so good is that the story veers between fiction and what sounds like autobiography a lot and so constantly keeps you on your toes and just a little off-balance in this dream-like world.
L.A. just before the end of the world, or maybe just after?

Erickson's dark, quirkily romantic future L.A. has the resonance of one of J.G. Ballard's apocalyptic landscapes. Like voyeurs, we're ushered into a world of flickering volcanic fires, leaking hotels and anxiety-run-rampant in the tradition of DeLillo's "White Noise" and Pynchon's "Vineland."

"Amnesiascope" is far more than a meditation on nightlife. Erickson's meticulously wrought characters are what propels this odd, gorgeous book. At once experimental and character-driven, "Amnesiacope" succeeds in its well-honed balance between landscape and psyche, empathy and urban detachment. There wasn't a moment I didn't like; "Amnesiacope" stands as one of the most moving near-future novels to have graced the genre.

It is a shame that this book is out of print, because it is one of those books that I would love to recommend to friends to read. The book is many things at once: provocative, sexy, imaginative, fun, sad. The back cover features a blurb comparing him to Pynchon, Nabokov, and DeLillo. Although I don't see the comparison to Nabokov, I would add my own comparisons: J. G. Ballard (especially books like CRASH and VERMILLION SANDS), William S. Burroughs, and even Neal Stephenson. The authors mentioned would prepare a would-be reader for the unexpected and the unusual; it might not prepare the reader for the beauty of his prose.

I fully expect this book to be in print again in the near future. Until then, I would urge any fan of literature to search this book out and read it. It is often beautiful, frequently haunting, and always original.

Even if you're not single, there is remarkable charm and understanding in this little book about being a woman in what is STILL a remarkably marriage-obsessed society. It is a pleasure and a comfort to take part in poking fun of this reality. As ever, Author Rachel Carpenter's intellectual, dry wit comes through even in the context of the whimsical simplicity of the book. Anyone--male or female--who has ever actively looked for a life partner and consistently failed at doing so (in other words, everyone, right?) will gobble up these modern words of wisdom.

Whether you are happily married (like me) or still looking (like many of my girlfriends), this book is a good way to laugh at yourself. Even if you never looked for a partner you know someone who has offered you the perfect advice for finding a mate. I took the book to work and everyone enjoyed it and subsequently shared stories from their own experiences. Even the men loved it! They said it was fun to see us poke fun at ourselves.

A friend of mine had this book sitting on her coffee table and I opened it up and couldn't put it down. This is one of the funniest parodies I've seen in years. I was laughing out loud from beginning to end. Just when I thought I had the whole thing figured out, Carpenter would come up with another unexpected and delightfully amusing twist. I've bought four and am giving them as Valentine's gifts. Even my mother (married for 50 years!) loves it. Does anyone know who Rachel Carpenter is? Has she written other stuff? I searched her name on amazon and couldn't find other books but I'd sure love to read a novel if she's got one. Wow!

My husband brought this book to work today to show to his coworkers. It is kind of cute that he is responding so well to a pink chick book...So its clearly not just for girls.

Hilarious! A chick looking for her husband, from ballroom dance classes to AA meetings with amusing results. Does she find him? I don't want to ruin the surprise! Suffice to say, along the journey, she realizes that whether or not she finds The Man, she can lead a fulfilling, rich life.

I'm working for a .com company again! I don't believe it. I picked up this book for a good idea of what it takes to remain competitive in this space. I was pleased and surprised to see that the lessons are still useful. Maybe even more so now that ROI and other basic business practices are being applied to online businesses. I liked this book a lot.

I recently lost my job at a tech company, so I read this book looking for tips on how to remain competitive in the downturn. The funny thing is the book was written in 2001 just as the .com meltdown was heating up. Thus it starts out optimistic about the future of the net, but points out why many companies will fail. He was right about that, but I'm not sure I share his optimism that downturn cycles tend to last three years. It's worth a read though because it has good insights on how to remain in the game when times get tough. And times ARE tough right now. In general, I might have given this one four stars because it's good a bit over-detailed and of course derivitive. But I decided to give it five because it turns out to be very relative to what's happening in the marketplace today. If you're still unemployed by summertime, take this one to the beach with you.

I read this book about a month ago. I find myself thinking back to it in different business situations. Hey, does that mean I learned something? One of the better Internet books I've read in a while.

I expected this to be another outdated cheerleader-type Internet book that touted the net as a great business savior while ignoring the fact that most Net-based businesses failed. I was surprised to discover that it helped me understand WHY those businesses failed, and even established a checklist for anyone hoping to still make a buck online. I think the book is guilty of not criticizing some net strategies for being short sighted, and it's also guilty of supporting some of the "free content is better" mentality that only a few Net businesses have made work. (That's why it doesn't earn five stars from me.) But still, the lessons are solid enough that this book ranks as one of those undiscovered gems that I'd recommend to anyone involved in online services. Learn the lessons.

I'm taking a summer business school course, and we had to read and analyze a business book. I picked this one because I'd previously read The Art of War. Likes: 1) Details about how markets evolve and grow, and how important timing is. 2) Several real world business examples, given to support the concepts. 3) Easy to read. Informative but not lost in boring jargon. Dislikes: 1) Takes the position that some companies- though only a few large ones - will still be able to survive by offering free services supported via advertising. (From what I've seen this is drying up.) 2) Would like to see more details on how companies might migrate from ad-supported to subscription-based models. That said, I did enjoy the focus on establishing competitive supply chains (which we're learning about in class). By detailing the ups and downs of exchange builders like Covisint, it studies the third approach - neither ad based nor fully subscription based. Our class considers such commerce exchanges which survive on transaction percentages, the wave of the future.