2 comments about A Joy I'd Never Known (Audio Pages).

1. Jan is a tremendous inspiration to all women struggling with control issues but are not admitting it to themselves or others. Her insights into how being in control controlled her life is truly a gift from God. Ms Dravecky pulls from the bottom of her heart strings in order to share her life's struggles and triumphs. I read this book last summer after having lost the job of my dreams on short notice and without prospects of another one. Feeling her pain and rejoicing in her ability to get to the other side because of her strong spiritual beliefs enabled me to gain strength in my own battle. Being in control is not always in our best interest is the lesson here, as difficult as that may seem to most women in that position. A great book !



2. Jan is a tremendous inspiration to all women struggling with control issues but are not admitting it to themselves or others. Her insights into how being in control controlled her life is truly a gift from God. Ms Dravecky pulls from the bottom of her heart strings in order to share her life's struggles and triumphs. I read this book last summer after having lost the job of my dreams on short notice and without prospects of another one. Feeling her pain and rejoicing in her ability to get to the other side because of her strong spiritual beliefs enabled me to gain strength in my own battle. Being in control is not always in our best interest is the lesson here, as difficult as that may seem to most women in that position. A great book !

1 comments about Great Books: Series 3 (Great Books Series).

1. Dr. Bruce Meyer's broadcasts on CBC's This Morning have taken the nation by storm and caused a major revitalization of the literary classics in Canada. All over the country, in schoolrooms, doughnut stores and coffee shops, people have been meeting to discuss the classics because of these broadcasts. The soon to be released The Golden Thread: A Reader's Journey Through the Great Books by Dr. Meyer is sure to take off following the overwhelming popularity of this, the largest-selling series of cassettes in the history of the CBC! This series, with its humorous, moving and extraordinarily brilliant observations on the Great Books is sure to make an avid reader of you and transform the way you look at both literature and the world around you. This is a "must buy" item for anyone who wants to get in touch with great ideas -- Dante, Virgil, St. Augustine, Milton, More, Machiavelli, Ovid, The Bible, Sophocles and many more.

5 comments about Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain [UNABRIDGED].

1. I think this book is a very captivating read. It gives alot of detail about Cobain's childhood, rocky adolescence, the forming of Nirvana, all the way through to his death. By the end of the book, it's pretty easy to understand why he killed himself. Alot of people are going to say that it's not true, that it's the "Courtney sanctioned" version of what happened, that Cross is making it up to cover up a murder, but this is nonsense. Overall, Courtney Love is not portrayed in an overly-flattering way, neither is Cobain portrayed in a bad light. People who say that Cross makes Love look great and Cobain look bad either have not read the book or are reading that interpretation into the book.
   
   Alot of people complain about the end, when Cross fictionalizes Cobain's last hours, but he never says that it's fact - to the contrary, Cross points out that that chapter is a fictionalization of what it might have been like. Does fiction have a place in a biography? In "Heaver Than Heaven," I say yes. It would have been a huge letdown if his death had been muddied over - even though we don't know what happened for sure.
   
   I give the book four stars because it's a very engrossing read. My understanding of Kurt Cobain increased greatly after reading this book, and I think my appreciation for Nirvana's music also deepened. It's a haunting, sometimes disturbing portrait of one of rock music's most mythical legends.



2. By: ANETA BASALAJ
   
   By writing this book, Charles Cross is letting the world know everything about Kurt Cobain, including details even Kurt probably didn't realize about himself. He starts from Kurt's childhood and describes his entire life all the way up to his death.
   
   Cross is a veteran music journalist, which makes him the perfect person to write about one of music's most incredible people. He used to be the editor of The Rocket, the Northwest's highly regarded entertainment and music magazine, which was also the first publication to do a cover story on Nirvana. It is obvious that Cross really knows what he is talking about in this book.
   
   Cross went through over four hundred interviews and an extensive four years of research in order to write Heavier Than Heaven. He goes into great detail, providing not only the facts, but analysis as well, which makes the reader more interested in reading and has him or her thinking throughout the book. Cross did not leave a single important event of Kurt's life out. Not only does the reader have a massive amount of knowledge about Kurt after finishing the book, he or she also gains respect for him.
   
   The obvious strength of the book is the enormous amount of information provided by Cross. This is also a weakness in the sense that readers might find themselves getting restless reading fact after fact, which is not necessarily the author's fault. Another strength of Heavier Than Heaven is the fact that the book is very chronologically accurate. The author does a very good job of not skipping around dates, especially when starting a new chapter. All in all, Heavier Than Heaven is a very well written book that any Nirvana fan should add to his or her bookshelf.



3. This book is a wonderful tribute to Kurt's life. Charles Cross' writing style makes you feel as though you were watching a movie. His descriptions reach points where you'd think they were best friends and the amount of detail leaves you wondering how he could know so much about someone who isn't even alive to ask anymore. Cross uses many quotes from the people in Kurt's life and fills you in from day one, starting with Kurt's parents before he was even born. I dislike the amount of names mentioned in the book however. Many characters are only name drops, which becomes confusing at times because you're not sure who is being spoken about. Other than the obsessive amount of names, the stories are fairly easy to follow. The author added some pictures about 200 pages in, from mostly Kurt's family that were very touching to look at. I thoroughly enjoy it, and do not regret buying it. I'd say it's definitely worth the money.



4. This is a great buy. The book reads smooth although the timelines are not always constant. There is only one outcome according this book and it tries to cover most sides of Kurt's life, including the bad sides. Fortunately it is not 'don't use drugs propaganda' which I see to often these days.
   
   Still there is some room for discussion because the author does some personal interpretation of facts and stories.



5. Heavier Than Heaven
   
   Kurt Cobain was a small town boy gone big. After living a hell of a childhood he finally found what he wanted. Kurt and two friends started a band. They took the name nirvana which a new state of mind. They took off on American tour. They fired their drummer Chad Channing. They recruited new drummer Dave Grohl. They got famous. Kurt killed himself by overdosing on heroin and shooting himself in the head.
   
   I can say this is one of the best books I have ever read. This book gives you every thing you need in a book. I don't care if this review is not long enough this is all I have to say.
   
   The characters are Kurt Cobain.

5 comments about Ridin' High, Livin' Free: Hell-Raising Motorcycle Stories.

1. If you had any interest in motorcycles, if you are above 45 and if you had lived in States for a while, then you would know Hell's Angels. All the myths about them had been around for a long time. Who can forget Steve McQuin's motorcycle jump in the Great Escape?
   
   It is a nice book for reading the urban motorcycle myths from first hand, I enjoyed reading it very much.



2. You'll not be able to put this one down! It's serious, it's saddness but most of it is hilarious! Sonny did a great one Here!! If you love the biker lifestyle buy it! It's one damn good read!!



3. I bought this book for my brother-in-law. So I had to ask him what he thought. He told me how much he enjoyed the book. So buy this book for anybody that is a biker or a biker at heart.



4. This isn't really a biography, but more of a collection of stories from Sonny Barger. A lot of them are very funny, and some of them are tales from the road that would make anyone want to hop on a motorcycle. The problem with this book is the introduction when Sonny Barger tells you that some of the stories may be true, and some of them may not be true. He leaves it up to you as you read, but either way the stories are fun to read, and some of them will have you laughing for quite awhile. He even goes outside of the Hell's Angels into other clubs he's aware of and other people he knows sharing stores from them, one of them was on the Dragons leader who was about to buy a Honda until his club members knocked on his door and asked him if it was true.



5. and seller fees are nearly 80% cheaper!!...no bidding fixed prices, always.....half.com ..at the worlds biggest online marketplace

No comments about The Final Score.

No comments about Where Have All the Bullets Gone.

3 comments about The Lost Days of Agatha Christie.

1. I was surprised to find out that Ms. Christie herself had a mystery surrounding her disappearance in 1926, so I was interested to find this book. But I would have called it, "The Agatha and the Ecstasy."



2. The queen of mystery biggest mystery was her own. It was incredible to me to find out that Agetha had a mystery of her own that she could not solve. Doctor Owens approach to solving Agetha's mystery was fascinating and a real page turner. It was the most uniqe books I've ever read. Using Agetha history and passages from her books to coherently solve a previously unsolved mystery was a stroke of brillance. Dr. Owens takes us on an intelletual ride that keeps you interested from the first to the last page. The solution was so satisfing that I felt 100% confident that the ultiment mystery was finally solved. YOU WILL HAVE TO READ IT FOR YOURSELF TO BE LET IN ON THE SECRET! The solution and writting is something that Augetha would be proud to have authored herself 5 STARS!



3. The Lost Days is not an easy read, but if you are interested in solving the mysteries of the human mind and the mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance in 1926, The Lost Days is a very satisfying experience. Author Owens, a therapist, has done a very interesting thing, she has taken Agatha on as a client and the therapy session solves a seventy-year-old mystery as no one else ever has including the great Queen of Mysteries, Agatha herself.

5 comments about Mommie Dearest.

1. Their is a lot of controversy around this book. Honestly after reading this book, I felt that it was true, but now I watched the movie, I felt that I don't think so anymore. I believe that Christina was angry that she was disinheired and she wanted to get the last word.
   This book was very well written with alot of good stories. If those stories are true.



2. I don't know much except for the film version featuring Faye Dunaway who played Joan Crawford and Diana Scarwid as Christina Crawford. Joan Crawford may have been difficult but she was a movie star and they don't make them like they used too. Regardless, she adopted four children. Christina recalls Mommie Dearest with both love and hate. I believe Joan wanted a mini version of herself. The mother and daugher had a complicated and stormy relationship to say the least. Joan was abusive but rereading the book did shed light on how Joan became Joan Crawford. She was Lucille LeSeur before the Hollywood System changed the name to Joan Crawford which sounded like Crawfish. Much like her rival, Bette Davis, which I doubt that Joan went after her and was rejected. They were much more alike in reality. They couldn't stand not being the star and disliked sharing the spotlight. In the first chapter, it details how the stars of Crawford and Davis' generation were worked like horses for the studio system which has long dismantled. Joan had a drinking problem and she was pressured to maintain her figure, her image which was important to her, and her obsession with being loved by her fans, her children, her colleagues, and lovers (many male lovers, they say)which was legendary. I don't know much about her childhood but it wasn't very happy. Crawford might have become as well-known as Davis if it had not been for this scathing book which paints such a negative portrait of Crawford as an abusive, angry, vengeful, mother. Maybe because she and her brother Christopher were disinherited from their mother's estate. We'll never know. I feel sorry the legendary Joan Crawford who besides being devoted to her fans is painted so negatively here.



3. Anyone buy this book for a penny? If it were possible to give negative stars I would have. This book reads like the diary of a twelve year old complaining about her mean mommy.
   
   The adopted daughter of Joan Crawford, a movie actress from the 20's to the 70's, Christina Crawford clings to her desperation to ride her mother's coat tails into fame and fortune. The book chronicles the authors childhood and ends with the bitter will reading where Chirstina and her adopted brother Christopher were left nothing whle their two adopted sisters made out well. Enraged by her failure to inherite her mothers estate, Christina takes the cowardly chance to ruin forever the reputation her mother built, by writing this tell-all book andhaving it printed after her mothers death.
   
   The story line is shallow at best and sadly, people read this book and for the most part gulp down every word. Pooooor Chirstina. If the reader is smart enough to realize, the "abuse" Christina, a lazy child furious at not being handed everything in life on a golden platter, was commonplace punishment methods used by parents of the time. Sent to bed without dinner, taught by example how to clean and display proper manners, and actual spankings! Joan Crawford busted her hump working and was understandibly stressed at being a single mother of four adopted children in a time where a single woman adopting was unheard of.
   
   While child abuse is a real problme and by no means excusable, this book fails miserably to paint a story of the long undeserved suffering of a child. Was Joan Crawford perfect? Of course not, she was human. If you want to read about real child abuse and compare this waste of paper to a REAL story of child abuse; I suggest reading "A boy called IT". Mommie Dearest is nothing more than a revenge diary trashing a mother who refused to let her priviledged children grown up spoilt rotten and taught them values that seem lost on most parents nowadays.



4. "Mommie Dearest," by Christina Crawford,eldest adopted daughter of famed movie star Joan Crawford, has been piggybacking on Mommie's fame for some time now, and has been quite widely publicized. And it lives up to its reputation. Joan Crawford, for sure, was a major international movie star, won herself an Oscar for playing the tormented mother in "Mildred Pierce," and made quite a few other movies, 81 to be precise, notable by her presence. Christina won fame by telling tales on Mommie.
   
   There are, of course, plenty of those here. Mommie's midnight raids, alcoholism, multitudes of lovers. Tieing up brother Christopher every night before bedtime. And, of course, the unforgettable "No wire hangers."
   
   You can't doubt Christina's story, that Mildred Pierce was, in real life, a terrible mother: and other sources, such as biographer Bob Thomas agree.
   
   And it undoubtedly took a certain amount of bravery, at that time and place, for Christina to discuss the abusive conditions in the Crawford home. It wasn't being done, period, let alone by children/adopted children of someone as well-known and admired as Joan Crawford. Christina's honesty, at that time and place, may well have helped others.
   
   But Christina's rather like the couple someone once told me about, who, when asked what they thought of a new restaurant they'd just tried, said the food was awful, and the servings were too small. Anytime Mommie's budget gets tight, and the money doesn't come in and go out in large enough quantities, quickly enough to suit Christina, she complains.
   
   Her grudge against Mom is so strong as to dominate the book; even the photo captions are hostile. Mommie's hair looked awful in the mornings; Mommie wanted the kids to be quiet when she was asleep. Can you beat that?
   
   As a dutiful daughter, Christina raises the question as to whether, in her struggling starlet days, Mom turned a trick or two, and then wonders about Mommie's "lesbian tendencies." She even hints that Mommie threw her last, millionaire husband, Alfred Steele of Pepsi Cola, down the stairs. All this, mind you, without so much as a single supporting paragraph. Even so, let's be fair, life was undoubtedly hard for daughter, as it had been, and was, for mother. In fact, to be perfectly clear about it, Christina's life might well have been hard no matter who did, or didn't take her in. Life did give her a tough row to hoe.
   
   Don't know if anyone still feels the need to buy this book, but don't worry, the dirt's all here if you do. And it's still Joan Crawford selling the book if anything is. Christina had some tough times; anyone can feel for the sobbing little girl scrubbing Mommie's dressing room with Bon Ami in the middle of the night, but Mommie's still paying the bills.



5. When Mommie Dearest was written in the 1970s, many people seemed to think child abuse didn't happen in the homes of the rich and famous. Some disputed the things Christina said about her adptive mother, but people who knew Joan confirmed much of what was described in Mommie Dearest. Some things, such as the "night raids" were probably only witnessed by the children. Even if ( I said if) that was exaggerated, much of what Joan did was abuse, even when you consider people had different standards about discipline 50 years ago. For one thing, people were much less likely to intervene, I think, than they are today, especially when the abusive parent is rich and famous. I don't understand why another reviewer here said Joan paid for college-- I don't remember that part. Christina was out on her own very young. Just because Joan Crawford was famous doesn't mean she was a good person or a good parent, and it is not whining to let people know that.
   Having said that, I only gave the book 3 stars. Mommie Dearest is not the best written book I have ever seen. I would have liked to have seen more depth, more understanding of why Joan was what she was, and how she became that way. Of course, Christina is not a professional writer, just someone who had to endure abuse that might have broken a lesser person.

3 comments about Mothers & Daughters.

1. I received this book as a gift when it was first published. Thanks to Amazon.com I was able to find a new copy of an out of print book for a Christmas gift to give to someone special.



2. I purchased this book as a holiday gift for my child's teacher. She has a close but intense relationship with her mother, and I thought she would enjoy the topic. Now, I have my fingers crossed and am holding my breath a bit. The black and white photography is beautifully compelling. At times, it is excruciatingly sad (for example, the photo of a woman who has lost her daughter to a drunk driver sits alone in her child's room, another of a daughter hugging her mom's gravestone.)

   The accompanying short profiles/ stories are tersely, crisply written. They can be truly uplifting, like one very personal tale, which recounts a woman's battle with breast cancer and how she later overcomes her shame in her daughters seeing her post-surgery breasts. Another tale tells of a daughter who has cared for her ailing mother at home for decades, changing diapers and preparing pureed food. Virtually all of the relationships, however, reveal palpable strains of deep-seated anger, regret or misunderstanding. Many of the women have suffered intensely; many have healed from their own bad marriages and divorces.

   For a young woman like myself who now has a small daughter and who recently lost a mother, the book was absorbing though it strangely lacked hope. My favorite profile was of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; she seems like a type A mom but happy with her family and the personal and career choices she has made. Her daughter teases her mother, but seems secretly grateful for the upbringing she received. You sense that they appreciate each other, despite differences.

   If you are considering this book for a friend, it would probably be most appreciated by someone who has survived many ups and downs with her mom. Those mother and daughter pairs who pal around together and who consider themselves good friends may be strangely put off by the tragedy and simmering warfare in between many of the pictures.




3. This book is special to me because my Great Grandmother and her daughters (as well as my grandmother who raised me) are in the book. My "Granny" will be 100 years old in 1999 and has been an inspiration to us all. I've often thought her story should be told and while this is a very short version among many I was pleased with the gentle way they captured her essence.

5 comments about Sacred Hoops Spiritual Lessons Of A Hardwood Warrior: Spiritual Lessons Of A Hardwood Warrior.

1. This book is one of my favorites. It seems to have been written with a big heart, in-depth knowledge of NBA basketball and good understanding of human behavior. The book shows how the writer has gotten over many challenges in his own life and I bet he will excel in whatever he puts his heart in. He has brought the world of practical spirituality into sports and dared to break boundaries of conventionality.
   A great book!



2. Phil Jackson's philosophy on teamwork and leadership is based upon Native American and Buddhist principles. From his book these principles and spiritual lessons are brought to life and explained in a manner only a man like himself could do. He is trying to let people know lessons are taken from the lessons he has learned throughout his life as a basketball player and coach, but these lessons not only pertain to basketball, they can be used for anyone in order to increase the potential of the human spirit. Phil Jackson is a world-renowned player and coach of the NBA. He is now the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and has won three NBA championships with them; however, he is most famous for leading the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships with legendary players, such as, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, John Paxson, and many others. He has adopted the teachings of Eastern philosophies, like Buddhism, and received the nickname the "Zen Master" because of it. Phil Jackson has not only written Sacred Hoops, but several other virtuous books. Other books include Maverick, Take It All, More Than a Game, and The Last Season: a Team in Search for Its Soul. Jackson's inspirational messages are powerful and thought provoking and make the reader experience a sense that they are able to incorporate these teachings into their everyday lives, even if they do not play or watch the game of basketball. The methods he uses, for example, meditation, mindfulness, and visualization, and also quotes used from Zen Buddhism to Native American teachings help provide a new or improved outlook on their lives and help make them, as well as other people around them, better people. As Phil Jackson says, "Being aware is more important than being smart." Whether or not you are an athlete, student or just someone looking for inspirational insight this book is a terrific read.



3. Phil Jackson's depiction of his journey from childhood to professional basketball will be a delight even to the casual sports fan. Centered on his philosophy of unselfishness, Jackson successfully offers insight into the mindset of high stakes coaching enabling one to understand the progression of thought behind many of the tough decisions he made while winning Championships. Sacred Hoops will offer as a special bonus some insight into Michael Jordan's world from a perspective not offered by mainstream media.
   
   I recommend this book to any casual sports fan and in particular to all basketball fans.



4. Is this book a slam-dunk? It could be. I'm having a hard time rating this book 4 stars when it should have had 4.5 stars. This book could be rated more like Scottie Pippen than Michael Jordan to keep up with this book's terms.
   
   The story about Phil Jackson and the Chicago Bulls is amazing. Any story written about it has the potential to reach Jordan heights. The story described by Phil Jackson makes it even more compelling.
   
   Getting to know the insights about Jackson's training also gives insight about the man and his beliefs as Zen is unmistakenly connected to him. This is the only flaw within the book. Although he used it on his pupils and it worked on them, it does not always guarantee succes outside sports. Business is a different league.
   
   If you're a sports lover just grab a copy of the book and read it. If you like to step up your own game DO try this at home, although success cannot be guaranteed.



5. I am a big fan of Phil Jackson and his approach to the game of basketball. Sports for kids, is an introduction to life, and I really appreciate what Phil has to say. I have read this book numerous times and just now bought the audio book. If you are a coach of any sport, do yourself a favor and read this book!