Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Decide Whether to Stay In or Get Out of Your Relationship
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay
  • Just amazing
  • Simple and to the point
  • Absolutely helpful!
  • Not a book for people looking for solutions
Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Decide Whether to Stay In or Get Out of Your Relationship
Mira Kirshenbaum
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Interpersonal RelationsInterpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0452275350

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay.......2007-10-13

Excellent, direct, and full of case studies. Very helpful advice as it relates to each scenario and example of relationships and their foundations from which they are built. Just when you were asking yourself, "What does she mean by this?" the author would write, "and for those of you who are wondering what I mean by this...." and she would give a complete explanation to help the reader apply it to themselves. Her no-nonsense approach accomplished precisely the reader's goal of answering that "stay or go" question. She keeps the reader from waffling around getting at the real meat of the question by sticking to her pointed questions that we are assigned to ponder and answer truthfully. Truly helpful for that next step, after your friends' advice and counsel start to fall on deaf ears and fail to move you into action, one way or the other.

5 out of 5 stars Just amazing.......2007-09-27

I looked at the book for a whole day before I took a big breath and started reading it. This book will probably save my relationship that I was about to quit. It even gave me more ways to appreciate my significant other. To be read as soon as difficulties occur. It will either save your relationship before the worst of it grows on you or will prevent you from staying in an unhappy relationship.
If your are willing to find your truth, open this book, easy to read, and so practical.

5 out of 5 stars Simple and to the point.......2007-09-24

I already knew where I was at when I bought this book. I was as the book says in "limbo" and it was time to make a decision. I could either stay and try to put my all into it all or leave and start new. Well I decided to leave, because that is the direction I had been headed for awhile, and I just couldn't stay. It was a good choice, a scary one. The book was super to the point and the stories of others definately made me feel not alone.
Personally I choose to be happy and live life to the fullest and not let anything hold me back. I wasn't happy so I did what I needed to.
Hope this helps...

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely helpful!.......2007-09-24

After years of spending a small fortune on marriage guidance, consultants, psychologists, and every other useless adviser on the planet - along came this wonderful book. The book takes the reader through a clear, concise, PRACTICAL, step-by-step approach to making that life changing decision of whether to recommit to or leave a relationship. I found the book to be a breath of fresh air in the choking confusion that accompanies such a decision.

1 out of 5 stars Not a book for people looking for solutions.......2007-09-23

This book simlifies marital problems too much - and it seems the author is more in favor of marraiges ending then staying together. I think this book should come with a warning label - buyer beware!
I Hate You, Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Very depressing
  • Chapter 1
  • Great Insightful Book
  • A Must Read
  • I Hate you, Don't Leave Me
I Hate You, Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality
Jerold J. Kreisman , and Hal Straus
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

CodependencyCodependency | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Mood DisordersMood Disorders | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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CodependencyCodependency | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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  5. Stop Walking on Eggshells Workbook: Practical Strategies for Living with Someone Who Has Borderline Personality Stop Walking on Eggshells Workbook: Practical Strategies for Living with Someone Who Has Borderline Personality

ASIN: 0380713055
Release Date: 1991-02-01

Book Description

"AM I LOSING MY MIND?"

People with Borderline Personality Disorderexperience such violent and frightening mood swingsthat they often fear for their sanity. They can beeuphoric one moment, despairing and depressed thenext. There are an estimated 10 million sufferersof BPD living in America today -- each displayingremarkably similar symptoms:

For years BPD was difficult to describe, diagnose, andtreat. But now, for the first time, Dr. Jerold J. Kreismanand health writer Hal Straus offer much-neededprofessional advice, helping victims and their familiesto understand and cope with this troubling,shockingly widespread affliction.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Very depressing.......2007-10-16

This book resonated so strongly and was the most informative of any I have read (and ive read them all), but it lacked all hope. You really have to personally have experienced all the situations described to understand how words like "manipulative" and the characterization of bp in general would impact someone struggling so hard to make sense of irrational behaviors that in fact do seem to conform to such motives. I felt so demeaned and hopeless, completely objectified. It was overwhelming.

1 out of 5 stars Chapter 1.......2007-09-26

I don't know if this book will be any help to you but it was NOT to me...

My wife only read the 1st chapter, "I HATE YOU..." and then she stopped...

I think she found her answer :)

4 out of 5 stars Great Insightful Book.......2007-08-29

This book was received in the requested time frame. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to get this book, read it, review it and tell others what I discovered.

5 out of 5 stars A Must Read.......2007-08-28

I wish I had known about this book years ago. Knowing how to put up boundaries with a BPD is very valuable. It is right on target.

4 out of 5 stars I Hate you, Don't Leave Me.......2007-06-10

When I first read this book, I had to stop after each chapter..sometimes after each paragraph to cry. At last, there were people who understood and felt what I had been going through my whole life. It was such a relief. The only down side is that the book is a bit dated.

After a few weeks, I got up the courage to show the book to my husband and suggest that he read it. After all, I'm the one with BPD. When I showed him the book, he said, "Oh, our marriage therapist gave me this book to help me understand you better." My only regret is that I didn't learn about this book sooner.
We Are Their Heaven: Why the Dead Never Leave Us
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Help
  • We Are Not Their Heaven
  • Recommended this book in my book
  • Good book
  • We are their haven why the dead never leave us
We Are Their Heaven: Why the Dead Never Leave Us
Allison DuBois
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ESPESP | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0743291131

Book Description

What happens to our loved ones when they die?

Is there a heaven?

Is there a true connection and communication between the living and the dead?

Allison DuBois invites us into her world where she delivers messages from our lost loved ones. She convinces us that those who have passed away are constantly with us, providing comfort, love, and support. They are as eager to reach us as we are to stay connected with them.

But the dead have a language of their own. They communicate through signs, dreams, songs, coincidences, and messages delivered in unexpected ways. Allison takes us on an odyssey of these signs — how to recognise them, how to read them, and how to interpret them. In these pages, you will meet people who have had both heartbreaking and heartwarming communication with the other side, providing comforting proof that our deceased loved ones stay with us and continue to share in the joys of our lives.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Help.......2007-10-10

I would like to have a reading with ms. DuBois however I do not know how to contact her for her readings (Author of book) Thank you in advance if you can help.

5 out of 5 stars We Are Not Their Heaven.......2007-09-30

This book has helped three of my friends, I then bought the CD which three more of my friends and my husband listened to and all got something different but healing from the book. It is not meant to persuade the skeptics, but rather to give help to those who have lost loved ones. It did however change my engineer husbands mind, when she described how the experiments were set up. Great book, great person.

5 out of 5 stars Recommended this book in my book.......2007-09-24

This is a comforting and easy-to-read book that is hard to put down. I read this book almost straight through. Allison is a brave and wonderful writer who does not attempt to be wordy or pretentious in her writing. I loved it so much that I recommended it to my readers in my book, "These Are My Final Wishes". I searched for a book like this since my mother passed in 1982. Thank you Allison DuBois.

Tamara Dunkel, author of "These Are My Final Wishes"

5 out of 5 stars Good book.......2007-09-16

Allison still amazes me everytime she writes a new one. I just received her third one. I can't wait to get started on it.

5 out of 5 stars We are their haven why the dead never leave us.......2007-09-06

This book really helped me alot get thru the pain of loosing my 26 yr old son to cancer. I know that he is with me alot in spirit and this book
helped me to understand that. Thank you Allison for putting this book out to help us when we loose a loved one.
Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map: The Leave-Nothing-to-Chance, Worry-Free, All-Systems-Go Guide
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A Financial Guide, not a Complete Guide
  • Enough info for a..
  • Comprehensive and Infinitely Practical--A Must Buy for Every IRA Owner
  • Mastering the complex with simplicity
  • Same Rules, Easier to Understand
Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map: The Leave-Nothing-to-Chance, Worry-Free, All-Systems-Go Guide
Ed Slott
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345494555
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Book Description

This is the same diagnostic system I use with my own clients and with the financial advisors I train. So, going through it will be like having me sitting beside you, whispering in your ear, guiding you every step of the way.”

–from Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map


Corporate pensions are disappearing. Social Security is in trouble. And the sizable postwar generation is reaching retirement age. With the futures of millions of Americans at stake, Ed Slott, the country’s foremost retirement planning advisor, now offers expert advice on weathering the perfect storm of financial instability that looms on the horizon. Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map, Slott’s most essential and accessible book yet, provides clear step-by-step directions through the highways and byways of IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and other major accounts.

In five helpfully focused sections, Slott combines crucial facts with interactive checklists and questionnaires (those he uses with his own clients) to teach investors and beneficiaries alike the best way to save and to maximize an inheritance. Inside you’ll discover

• My Account Inventory: an overview of every retirement savings account you own, whether you’re thirty or sixty-five–from what it is and where it is to who gets it and how, plus where to put important data for easy access and where to store your essential documents (hint: not in a safe-deposit box)
• The Account Owner’s Care Solution: how to properly fill out retirement account beneficiary forms so that whatever amount of money is left in your account after you’ve fully enjoyed retirement will go to whomever you choose and not to relatives who suddenly pop up out of nowhere
• The Account Beneficiary’s Care Solution: what to do when you inherit so that you won’t lose any of the tax benefits and other opportunities your benefactor has created for you, or make a mistake that could wipe out an inherited fortune that took years to build up
• The Special Issues Care Solution: how to handle the out-of-the-box issues that could affect you or your beneficiaries (e.g., life events such as divorce or incapacity; tax issues for unmarried partners; decisions about trusts)
• The Follow-up Care Solution: how to keep your planning on track and make adjustments when circumstances change, and how to determine whether your professional retirement advisor is really up to the task of preserving and protecting your money
• Plus: the most up-to-date information on tax laws, including the Pension Protection Act of 2006, which provides major new retirement incentives that you can take advantage of

Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map is an indispensable planning solution that is sure to become the standard how-to on a complex subject that is becoming relevant to more people every day.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A Financial Guide, not a Complete Guide.......2007-02-19

To me the title of this otherwise excellent book is somewhat misleading. It should say something like 'Your Complete FINANCIAL Planning Road Map.' That is, it doesn't go into things like should you move to the sunbelt, or how much money will you need, or medical aspects or any of these other subjects. Instead it is a very complete discussion on the tax issues of investing for retirement.

This book talks about IRA's, and Roth IRA's, and 401(k)'s, and all the other alphabet soup of the tax system in the United States. It is complete and up to date as recent as the 2006 changes to the tax laws.

A major part of the book consists of check lists that you should go over as part of your retirement/estate planning. These also are very well thought out and force you to think about things you would otherwise ignore.

A minor complaint, these checklists are printed in the book. I'd much rather see them on the web or in a CD bound into the book. He says you should fill them in using pencil in case you later want to make changes. I'd like it better to fill them in on a computer and then print them out. Once again, the information is there and more complete than you'd imagine, so you can consider this a minor complaint.

2 out of 5 stars Enough info for a.........2007-01-26

small pamphlet, not a full size book. Rambling and repetitious. Read it twice and couldn't extract any useful information that wasn't available in other sources.

5 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and Infinitely Practical--A Must Buy for Every IRA Owner.......2007-01-23

Ed Slott's latest book, Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map provides the most comprehensive, infinitely practical, hands-on set of checklists I have ever seen for IRAs and retirement plans. Ed, perhaps the best known and most trusted author on IRAs and retirement plans, takes the reader step-by-step through important concepts regarding IRAs and retirement plans and provides the reader with an action plan. Ed really rolls up his sleeves and gets into the nitty-gritty. Another outstanding feature of the book is that Ed has included the best questions--with complete answers--gathered from his clients and readers over the years. Chances are if you have a question, it has been asked of Ed, and you will find your answer. If you buy Ed's book and follow his recommendations, you will be better prepared and better documented than 99.9% of all the IRA and retirement plan owners.

James Lange, CPA/Attorney Author of Retire Secure! Pay Taxes Later: The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do

5 out of 5 stars Mastering the complex with simplicity.......2007-01-22

I have personally been studying with Ed Slott in his Master's Elite IRA Advisory Group for the past two years. This new book is a composite of the various modules we have been studying in depth. This book gives an excellent overview in a version to be understood and simplified so that many can be aware of the many issues present in dealing with the one asset that for many represents their largest financial position. I applaud Ed's efforts to make such a text available and appreciate the opportunity I have had personally to train in depth in all of the issues detailed in his book. I would also commend serious readers and investors to his two earlier books my favorite of the two being, Retirement Tax Time Bomb and How to Defuse It. Anyone with a large IRA should be aware and get the book. It could make a tremedous difference in who ultimately winds up the beneficiary of all your hard long years of labor.


4 out of 5 stars Same Rules, Easier to Understand.......2006-12-30

I have read all three of Ed's IRA books. As a Financial Planner, I find the Retirement Savings Time Bomb to be the best. However, if you are slightly less versed in tax code than a professional planner, his newest book is an excellent tool. I strongly recomend it to all (non-financial professional) qualified account owners. Good Job Ed!
Eats, Shoots  &  Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Wonderfully entertaining and educational!
  • Interesting Read Whether You Care About Punctuation or Not
  • When was the last time a book changed your life?
  • Perfect for grammar nerds!
  • A must have for anyone without anything valuable to contribute!
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Lynne Truss
Manufacturer: Gotham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

EssaysEssays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
GrammarGrammar | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Reference | Subjects | Books
GeneralGeneral | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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  1. Eats, Shoots  &  Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
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ASIN: 1592402038

Book Description

A bona fide publishing phenomenon, Lynne TrussÂ's now classic #1 New York Times bestseller Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes its paperback debut after selling over 3 million copies worldwide in hardcover.

We all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the Internet, in e-mail, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species.

In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with. BACKCOVER: Praise for Lynne Truss and Eats, Shoots & Leaves:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves “makes correct usage so cool that you have to admire Ms. Truss.”
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Witty, smart, passionate.”
—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books Of 2004: Nonfiction

“Who knew grammar could be so much fun?”
—Newsweek

“Witty and instructive. . . . Truss is an entertaining, well-read scold in a culture that could use more scolding.”
—USA Today “Truss is William Safire crossed with John CleeseÂ's Basil Fawlty.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Lynne Truss has done the English-speaking world a huge service.”
—The Christian Science Monitor

“This book changed my life in small, perfect ways like learning how to make better coffee or fold an omelet. ItÂ's the perfect gift for anyone who cares about grammar and a gentle introduction for those who donÂ't care enough.”
—The Boston Sunday Globe

“Lynne Truss makes [punctuation] a joy to contemplate.”
—Elle

“If Lynne Truss were Roman Catholic IÂ'd nominate her for sainthood.” —Frank McCourt, author of AngelaÂ's Ashes

“TrussÂ's scholarship is impressive and never dry.”
—Edmund Morris, The New York Times Book Review

Download Description

"""You don't need to be a grammar nerd to enjoy this one...Who knew grammar could be so much fun?"" -Newsweek We all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the internet, in email, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species. In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with."

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wonderfully entertaining and educational!.......2007-10-10

What a fantastic book. I consider myself a stickler, too, and this book helped me laugh at both myself and the mistakes of those around me in all aspects of life. Thanks to the author for a great book full of humor and useful instruction.

4 out of 5 stars Interesting Read Whether You Care About Punctuation or Not.......2007-10-02

This is a wonderful book. If you are a stickler for punctuation, and want a hilarious refresher course, this is the book for you. Among other topics, Truss covers commas, dashes, and little used punctuation marks. Her examples are funny and prove that punctuation does matter. If you are a stickler for punctuation, this is a must-read. If you are not a punctuation fanatic, you will still get a few laughs and learn something along the way- not a bad deal for a book on punctuation.

3 out of 5 stars When was the last time a book changed your life?.......2007-09-15

Seriously, when was the last time you read a book where you could literally say, "This book has changed my life." Eat, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss is one such book.

At first I thought a zero tolerance approach to punctuation sounded a bit extreme. That is until Truss mentioned one of my favorite movies ("Two Weeks Notice"), pointing out that the title should be "Two Weeks' Notice". I was shocked. I had always assumed an apostrophe was there. Then I started listening to The Plain White T's, a band whose name makes no sense with an apostrophe, and I knew things were getting serious.

Nonetheless I will admit that it was a challenge reading the chapters about the apostrophe and the comma (although I have learned a few knew tricks for commas). Then I came to a chapter entitled "Airs and Graces." From there onward, the book was a revelation.

I learned my punctuation from my mom and copious reading. I still have a hard time explaining dependent clauses and why it is appropriate to use "well" instead of "good" even though I can tell when a sentence is complete/written correctly if I can read it. I am sharing this background so that when I say Truss explains all of the punctuation rules presented in her book you will know I mean really clear.

Truss has illustrated that there is a time and place for the dash and double-dash in all good literature. She has also shown that, to avoid over-using the dash, a colon can easily replace a dash in certain situations. I never knew that!

What's nice about Eats, Shoots and Leaves is that it's not a dry read. Yes, Truss is talking about punctuation. Yes, she is deadly serious about it. But she maintains a sense of humor throughout: including witty examples and poking fun at punctuation (and punctuation sticklers) as much as she explains it. In addition, Truss includes abundant historical information about the punctuation marks she discusses ranging from the first names for parentheses to the first appearance of an apostrophe in printed documents.

I would recommend this book highly to anyone with an interest in writing. Even if you know the basics, Truss has a few tricks up her sleeve that are sure to give your writing a little extra flair.

4 out of 5 stars Perfect for grammar nerds!.......2007-08-27

This book was funny and informative. I recommend it to all English teachers and grammar nerds. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the humor is redundant so I found myself rolling my eyes a bit by the end.

1 out of 5 stars A must have for anyone without anything valuable to contribute!.......2007-08-05

Do you lack a sense of humor? Do you often find yourself lost in a conversation for want of facts or background? Does it bother you that you can't keep up while your friends are making nuanced and critical observations? Then you, my friend, have nothing valuable to contribute. This can often lead to feelings of inadequacy but, now, there's help. Thanks to this marvelous little manifesto of pig-headedness, you can learn how to be an enormous pedantic jerk in only a few days. Now you don't need to make valuable contributions to a conversation to make the others look stupid! You can just appeal to an arbitrarily contrived set of social conventions like grammar, and then sit back with a self-satisfied grin on your face. Your friends are guaranteed to love your newfound lack of personality, your smug demeanor, and your love of formalism and vacuous procedure. In no time at all, they'll be sure to stop assailing you with a misused jumble of symbols. In fact, they'll probably stop talking to you altogether. Call now!
House of Leaves
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • House of Leaves
  • Interesting read, but somewhat overhyped
  • Don't get drawn in by the hyped up reviews
  • My favorite book!
  • I love this book
House of Leaves
Mark Z. Danielewski
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375703764
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Amazon.com

Had The Blair Witch Project been a book instead of a film, and had it been written by, say, Nabokov at his most playful, revised by Stephen King at his most cerebral, and typeset by the futurist editors of Blast at their most avant-garde, the result might have been something like House of Leaves. Mark Z. Danielewski's first novel has a lot going on: notably the discovery of a pseudoacademic monograph called The Navidson Record, written by a blind man named Zampanò, about a nonexistent documentary film--which itself is about a photojournalist who finds a house that has supernatural, surreal qualities. (The inner dimensions, for example, are measurably larger than the outer ones.) In addition to this Russian-doll layering of narrators, Danielewski packs in poems, scientific lists, collages, Polaroids, appendices of fake correspondence and "various quotes," single lines of prose placed any which way on the page, crossed-out passages, and so on.

Now that we've reached the post-postmodern era, presumably there's nobody left who needs liberating from the strictures of conventional fiction. So apart from its narrative high jinks, what does House of Leaves have to offer? According to Johnny Truant, the tattoo-shop apprentice who discovers Zampanò's work, once you read The Navidson Record,

For some reason, you will no longer be the person you believed you once were. You'll detect slow and subtle shifts going on all around you, more importantly shifts in you. Worse, you'll realize it's always been shifting, like a shimmer of sorts, a vast shimmer, only dark like a room. But you won't understand why or how.
We'll have to take his word for it, however. As it's presented here, the description of the spooky film isn't continuous enough to have much scare power. Instead, we're pulled back into Johnny Truant's world through his footnotes, which he uses to discharge everything in his head, including the discovery of the manuscript, his encounters with people who knew Zampanò, and his own battles with drugs, sex, ennui, and a vague evil force. If The Navidson Record is a mad professor lecturing on the supernatural with rational-seeming conviction, Truant's footnotes are the manic student in the back of the auditorium, wigged out and furiously scribbling whoa-dude notes about life.

Despite his flaws, Truant is an appealingly earnest amateur editor--finding translators, tracking down sources, pointing out incongruities. Danielewski takes an academic's--or ex-academic's--glee in footnotes (the similarity to David Foster Wallace is almost too obvious to mention), as well as other bogus ivory-tower trappings such as interviews with celebrity scholars like Camille Paglia and Harold Bloom. And he stuffs highbrow and pop-culture references (and parodies) into the novel with the enthusiasm of an anarchist filling a pipe bomb with bits of junk metal. House of Leaves may not be the prettiest or most coherent collection, but if you're trying to blow stuff up, who cares? --John Ponyicsanyi

Book Description

Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children.

Now, for the first time, this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and newly added second and third appendices.

The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars House of Leaves.......2007-10-07

Even if it takes you a season or a year to finish this book, you will be completely in awe (if not a little insane) by the end. Do it. It will enhance your perspective of writers.

3 out of 5 stars Interesting read, but somewhat overhyped.......2007-10-06

I got pointed to this book because of its formatting (I'm a sucker for "different" books as well as interesting covers) and a friend said it's a great book.

The book has been discussed a gazillion times, so I won't repeat the story. I'll just tell you what I found strong and weak. A strength for me is the fact that there are quite a few sections that were pageturners for me. I also loved the section with the letters from J.T.'s mom, so I'll pick up the seperate book about them too. Very strong.

Weaknesses, to me, are by far and foremost the top one: The ending. Tension, excitement, it all builds up, and then doesn't explode into a big wow'ing thing, no, here it just escaped in one of those particularly foul smelling farts. Not a lot of noise, rather unimpressive and it doesn't smell too pretty either. ;) I know that more good writers suffer from not being able to end their stories, but this was rather disappointing to me. Another weakness, in my view, is the amount of material that's useless and can be skipped without getting you into trouble of missing anything. Like watching a soap opera once every 3 weeks, it's enough to know everything.

I like the formatting, although I can see that many find it overdone, especially when measured against the text being delivered. Other books with some non-standard formatting (the raw shark texts, microserfs) had a better content-to-format ratio. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad book. I've read many many books that are worse. Unfortunately the ambitious presentation of the material leaves a little disappointed feeling with me after reading it.

1 out of 5 stars Don't get drawn in by the hyped up reviews.......2007-09-29

I really wanted to like this novel. I paid about $20 for it. To the author's credit, it's certainly an ambitious novel, perhaps the most ambitious novel I've read for this decade. Perhaps part of the problem comes from Danielewski trying way too hard to come up with something creative and unique.
However, footnotes and the unusual way the words are actually arranged on the paper hardly make it beautifully written or even literary (it just wastes about a hundred pages of paper per printed copy, and that means that ultimately you're not paying an extra five dollars for more words, just black spaces). The fact that it is incoherent doesn't make it artistic.
While the story begins with an interesting concept, the storytelling (and I use that term somewhat loosely) is so detached that I don't really care who lives or dies. In fact, about halfway through the book I'm actually hoping that Danielewski will finish some of the characters off, just to get them out of the way (and maybe cut the book down some 200 pages). The entire book is very dreary without being intellectual, which leaves one feeling depressed but not frightened, and the book's portrayal of a spiral into madness isn't believable or engrossing.
The awed reviews this novel reeled in did not prepare me for 700 pages of wasted ink and paper. Maybe at the hands of a different writer this book might have something else. As it is, this might just be the most awful book I've ever read.

5 out of 5 stars My favorite book!.......2007-09-23

Eeek! I love this book soooo much! It's splendidly artistic...literarially and visually. It is a labyrinth of a read, but it is so worth it. I feel like this is a great book for avid readers, but also for people who don't read as well. By that, I mean that I think it is good for people who like crazy movies like Vanilla Sky or any David Fincher films....if you read it, you'll know what I mean.

5 out of 5 stars I love this book.......2007-09-10

Really, I love this book. It is not the scariest book I've ever read because I was broken as a child of the habit of being scared by movies and books and such. I watched and read too much so I can't judge the scariness. All I know is that I love this book. No monsters, ghosts, ghouls, murderers, none of that, just a house. Thats all. For those of you who do scare I imagine that what is contained in this book might scare you. This is an innovative horror tale. I love it.
First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Excellent Life Management Book
  • A Lifetime Guide
  • What's important in your life?
  • great getting it together tool
  • Good Book
First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy
Stephen R. Covey
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Time ManagementTime Management | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Self-EsteemSelf-Esteem | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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PaperbackPaperback | Covey, Stephen R. | Authors, A-Z | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:
  1. RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
  2. Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3) Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)

ASIN: 0684802031

Amazon.com

What are the most important things in your life? Do they get as much care, emphasis, and time as you'd like to give them? Far from the traditional "be-more-efficient" time-management book with shortcut techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time totally differently. Using this book will help you create balance between your personal and professional responsibilities by putting first things first and acting on them. Covey teaches an organizing process that helps you categorize tasks so you focus on what is important, not merely what is urgent. First you divide tasks into these quadrants:
  1. Important and Urgent (crises, deadline-driven projects)
  2. Important, Not Urgent (preparation, prevention, planning, relationships)
  3. Urgent, Not Important (interruptions, many pressing matters)
  4. Not Urgent, Not Important (trivia, time wasters)

Most people spend most of their time in quadrants 1 and 3, while quadrant 2 is where quality happens. "Doing more things faster is no substitute for doing the right things," says Covey. He points you toward the real human needs--"to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy"--and how to balance your time to achieve a meaningful life, not just get things done. --Joan Price

Book Description

I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?

Does this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why so often our first things aren't first. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Life Management Book.......2007-06-22

I read the 7 habits of Highly Effective people a few years ago and was very inspired at that time to take more control of my life and try and implement the habits into my daily life. In particular, i really found the third habit on time management useful and could see the benefit. However, at that time i did not put the habits into effect in any real way.

Then recently, i discovered this book again which mainly deals with the third habit and some of the second habit and found that i was now ready to not only read about it but to actually start doing it by using the tools and techinques outlined to take control of my life and focus on the things that really mattered.

It may seem simple but starting with a vision of my life and then writing out my goals for incorporation into my monthly, weekly and daily planning has alreaady had a tremendous effect on my life and i find that i am scheduling important things in my life such as meditation and exercise and doing these which is giving me a more balanced work life balance. I also find it very effective for my job in which i am now scheduling important activites into my calender and doing them rather than just reacting to the urgent day to day requests at the expense of these more important long term activities.

5 out of 5 stars A Lifetime Guide.......2007-02-05

I have bought this book for four years, read over it for many times.

If I can only take one book with me to another world, I will take this one. It is a good guide to how to live for a lifetime.

It begins with the foundamental principles, then gradually teachs you how to live a better life based on those principles. Every sentence is a sentence of truth. Everytime I have setback, I go back to this book; and everytime, I find that I have violated a principle.

Over four years, I become a different person.

5 out of 5 stars What's important in your life?.......2007-01-23

What's important in your life? What do you really want to accomplish? What do you want to see completed at the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of the month, at the end of the year, and, ultimately, what do you want to have accomplished by the end of your life?

Getting things in line in your life, learning to set priorities, not just for money, purchases, and trivial things, but for more important things. How about family, relationships, and career?

4 out of 5 stars great getting it together tool.......2007-01-18

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for someone special who told me since reading the book he has been able to adapt a positive change in his busy and hetic life in a very positive way. He has been able to put in priority and balance the pressures, responsibilities, expetations of both his personal and business life,

4 out of 5 stars Good Book.......2006-12-06

I bought this book because I needed some guidance to start putting things back in order in my life. Eventhough it focus on business and work, it provides some helpful hints to apply on you personal life.
Eats, Shoots  &  Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Oooh, so close.
  • Not only for kids for also for young adults
  • Uses humor to get the point across
  • Great book for children of many ages
  • Who would've guessed that punctuation is fun?
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
Lynne Truss
Manufacturer: Putnam Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

GeneralGeneral | Language Arts | Reference & Nonfiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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  1. Eats, Shoots  &  Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
  2. The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes! The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes!
  3. Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? (Words Are Categorical) Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? (Words Are Categorical)
  4. Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb? (Cleary, Brian P., Words Are Categorical.) Dearly, Nearly, Insincerely: What Is an Adverb? (Cleary, Brian P., Words Are Categorical.)
  5. I and You and Don't Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun? (Words Are Categorical) I and You and Don't Forget Who: What Is a Pronoun? (Words Are Categorical)

ASIN: 0399244913

Book Description

Young and young-at-heart sticklers, unite! Lynne Truss and illustrator Bonnie Timmons provide hilarious proof that punctuation really does matter.

Illuminating the comical confusion the lowly comma can cause, this new edition of Eats, Shoots & Leaves uses lively, subversive illustrations to show how misplacing or leaving out a comma can change the meaning of a sentence completely.

This picture book is sure to elicit gales of laughter—and better punctuation—from all who read it.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Oooh, so close........2007-09-20

I thought this book was a lot of fun and could be helpful to someone who is struggling with comma placement. I wish I'd had this when I was in elementary school! However, I'm only giving it four stars because there is one example (maybe more, but I'm no expert) that is flat out wrong in its comma placement. Hello! I didn't notice any mistakes in the sequel, called The Girls' Like Spaghetti. That one has the same format as this one, but is about apostrophes. Very cute!

5 out of 5 stars Not only for kids for also for young adults.......2007-09-10

I am and English teacher in Mexico City and I bought "Eats, shoots & leaves" to use it with my students (25-30 y.o.) who were careless with their punctuation. After reading it they finally understood in a clear and fun way, how important punctuation is. They all enjoyed the book. I do too! It's a great tool for this purpose. I fully recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars Uses humor to get the point across.......2007-08-13

As a teacher of students with learning disabilities, I am always looking for something to teach needed skills in a new way. By the time they reach high school, students should have learned grammar and punctuation rules - but all too often haven't. I suspect this is partly because of the way they have been taught in the past, and I have found that presenting the information in a new and often humorous way helps students assimilate learning they have missed in previous years. I have used the original Eats, Shoots and Leaves in class, and the pictures in this version will be even more useful.

5 out of 5 stars Great book for children of many ages.......2007-06-09

I ordered this book thinking it might be too young for my 9-year-old daughter. However, when it arrived it was pored over by not only my 9-year-old, but her 13-year-old brother as well. The copy I sent to my sister's children (ages 5 and 7) was also well-received.

I recommend this book as a fun tool to teach and to re-enforce proper comma usage. It is a subtle and pain-free way to influence your child's writing skills for good. Buy the book. You won't regret it.

5 out of 5 stars Who would've guessed that punctuation is fun?.......2007-05-13

This book was a best-seller in the UK and is good reading. It comes in a number of versions, including one with less text and more graphics that seems to make an impression on students in their early to mid teens. All versions are well written and enjoyable.
Women Men Love, Women Men Leave: What Makes Men Want to Commit?
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Wanna Make Him Commit?
  • Women Men Love
  • worth every cent
  • This book will change the way you date!
  • Great book
Women Men Love, Women Men Leave: What Makes Men Want to Commit?
Connell Cowan , and Melvyn Kinder
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0451166418

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Wanna Make Him Commit?.......2007-09-23

If you want him to commit more, so this is the book for you! If you want to know how to seduce him How to be a Super Hot Woman: 339 Tips to Make Every Man Fall in Love with You and Every Woman Envy You this is the book for you! Both books are extremely helpful and interesting! You may not believe, but books can change your life!

3 out of 5 stars Women Men Love.......2007-09-14

Book arrived in a very timely fasion. Have not had the time to review the book itself as yet. I would purchase again from this seller. Book is in excellent contition.

Thanks,

5 out of 5 stars worth every cent.......2007-09-07

I had to send to the States to get this book, and it was well worth the wait and the dollars. What I loved about this book is that it has something unique to say (and I own a LOT of books on relationships), and any woman would benefit from its message. If you find yourself working hard in your relationships, and they keep blowing up in your face, get this book and apply what it says. For most women this means relatively small shifts in behaviour and attitude, that pay off big time. This time when my prince showed up I didn't unwittingly sabotage my happily-ever-after ending!

5 out of 5 stars This book will change the way you date!.......2007-08-14

This is great book. Every woman should read it. You will be surprised how iformative this book is!
But you must read another new besteller which I highly recommend - "How to be a Super Hot Woman: 339 Tips to Make Every Man Fall in Love with You and Every Woman Envy You" by Mandy Simons

These two books are fascinating!

5 out of 5 stars Great book.......2007-08-14

This is a great book, written from the male perspective. It gives lots of insight into how men think and operate emotionally, and also supplies practical advice for the woman who wants to understand her husband.
Only Revolutions: A Novel
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • here's one for the middle of the road, for a book that by no means is ordinary.
  • Only Revolutions
  • Around and around in circles: a sorry follow up to House of Leaves
  • way too many people are trashing this...
  • Magnificent
Only Revolutions: A Novel
Mark Z. Danielewski
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
LiteraryLiterary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0375421769
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Amazon.com

Mark Danielewski's first novel House of Leaves is a cult-favorite--experimental horror fiction in a gorgeous (and newly remastered) full-color package. His new book Only Revolutions takes the experiment 10 steps further in a story about teenage lovers Hailey and Sam: the book is printed on two sides--one side tells the story from Hailey's point of view, flip it over and you get Sam's side (literally). We caught a glimpse inside the mind-bending new novel--take a look for yourself below.


Inside Only Revolutions

Hailey's Story

Covers

Sam's Story

Book Description

Sam:
They were with us before Romeo & Juliet. And long after too. Because they’re forever around. Or so both claim, carolling gleefully:
We’re allways sixteen.
Sam & Hailey, powered by an ever-rotating fleet of cars, from Model T to Lincoln Continental, career from the Civil War to the Cold War, barrelling down through the Appalachians, up the Mississippi River, across the Badlands, finally cutting a nation in half as they try to outrace History itself.
By turns beguiling and gripping, finally worldwrecking, Only Revolutions is unlike anything ever published before, a remarkable feat of heart and intellect, moving us with the journey of two kids, perpetually of summer, perpetually sixteen, who give up everything except each other.

Hailey:
They were with us before Tristan & Isolde. And long after too. Because they’re forever around. Or so both claim, gleefully carolling:
We’re allways sixteen.
Hailey & Sam, powered by an ever-rotating fleet of cars, from Shelby Mustang to Sumover Linx, careen from the Civil Rights Movement to the Iraq War, tearing down to New Orleans, up the Mississippi River, across Montana, finally cutting a nation in half as they try to outrace History itself.
By turns enticing and exhilarating, finally breathtaking, Only Revolutions is unlike anything ever conceived before, a remarkable feat of heart and intellect, moving us with the journey of two kids, perpetually of summer, perpetually sixteen, who give up everything except each other.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars here's one for the middle of the road, for a book that by no means is ordinary........2007-10-10

i have no doubt that ever device/structure etc... is there for a reason. i believe the author to be a very intelligent human. i, however, do not feel that as my guide through this book he provided me with the sense/knowhow grounding/point of view to make it through. i can appreciate that everyone will undergo a singular experience--which perhaps speaks to how information/element packed the novel must be... but i cannot appreciate the fact that i must put so much trust into the author as to slog through x amount of pages before i suffer some sort of epiphany and decide that i have finally gotten it. i'm sure that moment-the click in the brain--the payoff, whathaveyou must be worth it... but... i keep reading eight pages faster and faster just so i can flip. the flip, and ribbon switch-up by far has been the most exciting part of this reading experience. i also listened to audio clips.. and felt sorely disappointed. the voices deadened the text, instead of breathing new life into two voices that on the page are starting to blend. it felt like lifeless spoken word set to trendy danny elfman music. i also suggested to someone, who seemed to suffer similar impedements as i am, that the novel should come in eight novellas... thereby making the flips and pieces easier to digest.

i don't know. it's ambitious. i wonder what comes next.

3 out of 5 stars Only Revolutions.......2007-10-07

Wow. Mark Z Danielewski is a little over my head with this one. I read House of Leaves and loved it, but I just can't seem to get too far into OR. This book is like reading poetry.

1 out of 5 stars Around and around in circles: a sorry follow up to House of Leaves.......2007-09-22

I loved "House of Leaves," I think it's really a masterpiece of experimental fiction, so I was excited when I heard that Danielewski had come out with a new novel. Likewise I wasn't put off by the experimental elements of the book: the duelling narratives written in either direction on each page, the list of historical tidbits from a given date.

But when you get past all these schticky elements there's not much to "Only Revolutions." Whereas "House of Leaves" had a fascinating story at its core and explored interesting themes, when you strip away all the gimicks "Only Revolutions" seems to be a prose poem about a love affair between two egomaniacal teenagers who drift apart and then find each other again and again (and who claim to have superhuman powers although I haven't found any evidence that this is actually the case) and which is set in no clear time or place.

I've tried a couple of times, but I couldn't for the life of me get into this story. I also found the stream-of-consciousness list of historical data on each page (+50% of which is stuff that I've never heard of before, and I was a history major) to be really annoying because I felt obligated to read through it even though it was really dry. In the end, I've just about written off this novel as unreadable.

5 out of 5 stars way too many people are trashing this..........2007-09-05

look, if you are giving up at the sign of a similarity between the experimental style of this novel/piece, and his earlier work (House of Leaves); you are an idiot. why the hell should you be asked to look between the eyes of poorly spelled words and immature poetry, but beautifully written at the same time? because it is a setting. Danielewski took the concept of setting away from you to prove it! If you hate the book, shut up and read it again, this time pretend it isn't a Dean Koontz novel.

5 out of 5 stars Magnificent.......2007-08-19

Disregard the other bad reviews about this novel/epic poem.

Yes at first the language and format is difficult, but who cares? Moby Dick is a hard read at first, but no-one denies its raw power and genius. And yes I use Moby Dick in the same paragraph as Only Revolutions because they are both among the greatest American novels ever.

The format is genius. The language is breathtaking and spellbinding. The truth and metaphors found therein are cutting. The style is quantum. And to top it off its simply fun to read once you allow the language pour into you. I recommend reading it aloud or at least quietly pronouning the words. It makes the narrative flow much better.



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  1. Trees and Shrubs of New England
  2. Trees of Texas: An Easy Guide to Leaf Identification (W L Moody, Jr, Natural History Series)
  3. Trees, Shrubs and Vines; A Pictorial Guide to the Ornamental Woody Plants of the Northern United States Exclusive of Conifers
  4. Two-component Signal Transduction
  5. Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region (Enlarged Edition)
  6. Wetland Plants of Oregon and Washington (Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington)
  7. Wild About Wildflowers : Extreme Botanizing in Crested Butte, Wildflower Capital of Colorado
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Recommended Books

  1. FEMININE MISTAKE, THE: ARE WE GIVING UP TOO MUCH
  2. Anyone Can Do It: Building Coffee Republic from Our Kitchen Table : 57 Real-Life Laws on Entrepreneu
  3. Trek Navigator: The Ultimate Guide to the Entire Trek Saga Tag: Every Trek Episode...
  4. Three Dog Nightmare: The Chuck Negron Story
  5. Why Didn't I Learn This in College
  6. ASL Literature Series : Bird of a Different Feather & For a Decent Living, Student Workbook and
  7. A Modern Herbal
  8. Global Accounting and Control: A Managerial Emphasis
  9. The Politics of Racial Inequality: A Systematic Comparative Macro-Analysis from the Colonial Period
  10. Florida Business Directory 1997-1998: The Ultimate Sales & Credit Tool : Includes 616,000 Total