Book Story Reviews.

ชุดปรับสรีระซัมมิทควีน

2009-07-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

รูปร่างดีใคร ๆ ก็แอบมองในความสวย
วันนี้คุณสวยได้ถ้าคุณต้องการเปลี่ยนแปลงรูปร่างกับผลิตภัณฑ์นำเข้ามาจากประเทศญี่ปุ่น
ชุดชั้นในและถุงเท้า ซัมมิทควีน เป็นชุดชั้นในที่ทำมาจากเสนใย Elastic theraphy
เส้นใยบำบัดเพื่อสุขภาพและสรีระที่งดงาม ช่วยปรับและกระชับเรือนร่าง เคลื่อนย้ายไขมัน
โดยไม่ต่องทำศัลยกรรม ทำให้หลังตรง อกตั้ง เอวเว้า ก้นยก ช่วยพยุงกระดูกสันหลังให้ตรง ทำให้เลือดลม
เดินสะดวกทำให้ไม่ปวดหลัง ไม่ว่าจะอ้ววนหรือผอมก็ใช้ได้ ช่วยให้รูปร่างเปลี่ยนแปลง มีบุคลิกที่ดีขึ้น
สามารถแก้ปัญหาเฉพาะจุดของสรีระได้ โดยไม่ต้องกินยาหรืออดอาหาร เหมาะสำหรับผู้ที่ไม่มีเวลาออกกำลังกาย

และอีกเรื่องที่กล่าวถึงก็คือ เมื่อมีอายุขัยมากขึ้นการรักษารูปร่างก็จะยากขึ้นตามไปด้วย
สำหรับท่านใดที่มีปัญหาสรีระไม่สมส่วนหรือต้องการมีสุขภาพที่ดี ต้องชุดปรับสรีระที่ทำมาจาก
เส้นใยที่มีคุณภาพ เป็นเส้นใยไลคร่า100% มีกระบวนการผลิตที่เป็นเอกลักษณ์เฉพาะ
การออกแบบที่มีความเข้าใจและชำนาญเกี่ยวกับสรีระวิทยา โครงสร้างร่างกายของมนุษย์
ที่สำคัญออกแบบโดยหมอจีนฝังเข็ม ชุดชั้นในที่ดีผู้สวมใส่จะไม่รู้สึกอึดอัด สวมใส่สบาย ไม่อับชื้น
ไม่เก็บกักกลิ่น ระบายอากาศได้ดี ซักแห้งเร็ว และรู้สึกผ่อนคลายเมื่อได้สวมใส่ ทั้งยังยึดหลังให้ตรง
และเสริมบุคลิกของท่านนอกจากการที่จะช่วยปรับสรีระแล้ว ยังมีผลต่ออวัยวะภายในเป็นสำคัญ
ชุดชั้นในที่ดีเมื่อสวมใส่ยังบรรเทาอาการปวดท้อง กระดูกสันหลังไม่เคลื่อนผิดตำแหน่ง ไม่ปวดหลัง
ไมเกรนหาย ไซนัสหาย ริดสีดวงหาย ติ่งเนื้อตกกระหลุดหาย แก้หน้าท้องลาย ยกก้นยกมดลูกไม่หย่อนยาน
ช่องคลอดกระชับ หน้าอกสวยได้รูป เอวคอดเล็ก
อันเป็นสุขภาพและรูปร่างที่ดีที่ผู้หญิงทุกคนต้องการและใฝ่ฝัน

ชุดชั้นใน ช่วยกระชับรูปร่างให้ได้สัดส่วน อก เอว สะโพก ดูสวยงามมากขึ้น เป็นสัดส่วนมากขึ้น : ชุดปรับสรีระซัมมิทควีน ผลิตโดยประเทศญี่ปุ่น ไม่มีขายอยู่ในห้างฯ พิเศษกว่า 089-0888298 , 081-7588475

ชุดปรับสรีระซัมมิทควีน

2009-07-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

ชุดชั้นใน ช่วยกระชับรูปร่างให้ได้สัดส่วน อก เอว สะโพก ดูสวยงามมากขึ้น เป็นสัดส่วนมากขึ้น : ชุดปรับสรีระซัมมิทควีน ผลิตโดยประเทศญี่ปุ่น ไม่มีขายอยู่ในห้างฯ พิเศษกว่า
089-0888298 , 081-7588475

ชุดชั้นในช่วยกระชับรูปร่างให้ได้สัดส่วน เสริมสร้างบุคลิกที่ดี ช่วยดูแล และสร้างสรรค์สรีระให้คุณพึงพอใจ ตั่งแต่หน้าอกที่ได้รูปทรงจนถึงเรียว

ขาที่เรียวงาม สวมใส่ 8 ชม. เสมือนออกกำลังกาย 1 ชม. ช่วยยกหน้าอก และสร้างเนินอกเด่นชัด สวยงาม

ช่วย ยกสะโพกให้สูงขึ้นทำให้ขาดูเรียวยาว และด้วยประสิทธิภาพของผ้าพาวเวอร์เนท ตรงบริเวณท้อง ด้านข้าง และเอว จะช่วยทำให้บริเวณ

หน้าท้องเรียบ ช่วยให้สะโพกดูกลมกลึง ได้รอบสวยงาม บำบัด อาการ เบาหวาน ความดัน ปวดเมื่อยตามร่ายกาย ช่วยปรับระบบการไหลเวียน

ของโลหิตให้ดีขึ้น ผลิตจากเส้นใย Silsuperior และเส้นใย Lycra

ลิขสิทธิ์ ของบริษัทโทเร ประเทศญี่ปุ่น คือ เส้นใย ไนลอนเกรดสูงที่มีความเงามันวาวแบบเนื้อไหม ลิขสิทธิ์ของอินวิสต้า (บริษัทดูปองต์เดิม)

ประเทศสหรัฐอเมริกา คือ เส้นใยโพลียูรีเทนที่มีความคงทน และยืดหยุ่นเยี่ยม อายุการใช้งาน 3-5 ปี

ผ่านการรับรองจาก มหาวิทยาลัยโตเกียว และมหาวิทยาลัยโยชิยักขะ จากประเทศญี่ปุ่น

นำเข้าโดย บริษัท ซัมมิท ควีน จำกัด

ถุงเท้า และถุงน่องกระชับสัดส่วน Bonvolant ลิลลี่ บูเก้ ช่วยให้เรียวขากระชับ ดูสวยงาม

โครงสร้าง ได้รับการออกแบบอย่างประณีต ด้วยการใช้ระบบคอมพิวเตอร์วิเคราะห์สัดส่วนต่าง ๆ

เพื่อให้ถุงน่องมีรูปทรงที่เหมาะสมกับทุกสัดส่วนของเรียวขาคุณ ตั่งแต่ปลายเท้า จนถึงอุ้งเท้า น่อง และขาอ่อน

ทุกส่วนกระชับพอดีด้วยวัสดุสแปนเด็กซ์ (Lycra) ที่มีคุณสมบัติดี

ถุงเท้าผลิตจาก สแปนเด็กซ์ (Lycra) ขาดใหญ่พิเศษ ที่ไม่มีในประเทศไทย 570 ดีเนียร์สำหรับแบบแข็ง และ 310 ดีเนียร์สำหรับแบบนุ่ม

ถุงน่องวัสดุผลิตจาก สแปนเด็กซ์ (Lycra) 120 ดีเนียร์ / ไนล่อน 30 ดีเนียร์

ผลิตในประเทศ สหรัฐอเมริกา

ช่วยปรับระบบการไหลเวียนของโลหิตให้ดีขึ้น ไม่รัดร่างกาย

บรรเทาอาการปวดขา ปวดเข่า ตะคริว เกาท์ ทำให้อุ่น สามารถลดอาการบวมของเท้าได้

ช่วยให้เส้นเลือดขอดเบาบางลง และหายได้

ชุดชั้นใน ช่วยกระชับรูปร่างให้ได้สัดส่วน อก เอว สะโพก ดูสวยงามมากขึ้น เป็นสัดส่วนมากขึ้น : ชุดปรับสรีระซัมมิทควีน ผลิตโดยประเทศญี่ปุ่น

2009-06-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

Summit Lily Bouquet ชุดปรับสรีระจากญี่ปุ่น
P สันต์089-0888298 , 081-7588475

การ สูญเสียรูปร่างที่สวยงามอย่างไม่หยุดยั้งของสาวอายุตั้งแต่20-49ขึ้นไป พุงหย่อน ท้องยื่นยาน หน้าอกหย่อนคล้อย 3-5 ซม. ก้นหย่อนยาน

Summit Queen Limited Llily Bouquet

คุณภาพและคุณสมบัติอันโดดเด่น ชุดชั้นในที่ทำให้ทีรูปร่างที่ดีขึ้น

ลักษณะเด่น

ชุดซัพพอร์ทสูท - ยกสะโพก ยกหน้าอก จัดเก็บไขมันส่วนเกินใต้ท้องแขน กระชับหน้าท้องและไขมันส่วนเกิน

คุณสมบัติ

- การตัดเย็บแบบสามมิติ ยกสะโพกให้ได้รูป

- กระชับไขมันที่มักจะไปสะสมอยู่บริเวณหน้าท้องและแผ่นหลัง

- ไม่กดทับอวัยวะภายในร่างกาย จึงไม่รู้สึกอึดอัด

- ผ้าส่วนเป้าเป็นผ้ายืดตาข่าย และมีกระดุมด้านหน้าที่เปิดง่ายซึ่งสะดวกเวลาสวมใส่

- ออกแบบส่วนลำตัวยาวกว่าปกติ เพื่อกระชับทุกอิริยาบท แม้เวลาออกกำลังกาย

ลักษณะเด่น

เสื้อชั้นใน เมโมรี่บรา

- กระชับหน้าอกอย่างเป็นธรรมชาติ จัดเก็บไขมันบริเวณไขมันด้านข้างลำตัว และหน้าท้องให้เคลื่อนย้ายมาในหน้าอก

คุณสมบัติ

- ตัดเย็บแบบเต็มทรงซึ่งกระชับหน้าอกอย่างได้ผล

- เสริมโครงเหล็กใต้ทรง จึงทำให้หน้าอกตั้งได้รูปสวยงาม

- ช่วงด้านข้างของเสื้อกว้างกว่าปกติ ทำให้เก็บหน้าอกได้เต็มและกระชับแน่นขึ้น

- จัดให้หน้าอกเชิดมาด้านหน้า ได้ตำแหน่งถูกต้อง

รูปร่างที่กระชับสวยงามสมส่วนเป็นสิ่งที่ผู้หญิงทุกท่านใฝ่ฝันระยะหลังจึงหันมาใส่ใจในเรื่องของรูปร่างมากขึ้น

แต่เมื่อมีอายุมากขึ้นการรักษาร่างกายก็จะเป็นเรื่องที่ยากตามไปด้วยแต่จริงแล้วถ้าท่านใส่ใจดูแลตัวเองทุกวัน

ออกกำลังกายพอเหมาะทานอาหารอย่างถูกสุขลัษณะก็ทำให้มีรูปร่างที่สวยงามสมส่วน ชุดลี่ลลี่บูเก้เป็นส่วนหนึ่ง

ที่ช่วยให้การมีรูปร่างสวยงามสมส่วนง่ายขึ้น

ผลิตจากวัสดุคุณภาพดีรักษาความงามของเรือนร่างให้คงไว้ตลอดกาล

ชุดลิลลี่บูเก้ ทอจากเส้นใย ซิลสุพีเรีย มีประสิทธิภาพการดูดซึมน้ำ ดูดซับความชุ่มชื้น

แห้ง เร็ว และเส้นใยไลคร่า ที่มีความยืดหยุ่นและมีความทนทานเป็นเยี่ยมเป็นเนื้อผ้าที่นิ่ม เบา รู้สึกสบายเมื่อสวมใส่ งดงามด้วยผ้าลูกไม้คุณภาพสูง ริเวอร์เลสมีลวดลายดอกลิลลี่ที่งดงาม

1. เสื้อชั้นใน Memory Bra รักษา ความงามของหน้าอกให้คงไว้ตลอดกาล จะช่วยจัดเก็บไขมันส่วนเกินบริเวณรักแร้ ข้างลำตัวให้เข้ามาในหน้าอกและช่วยให้หน้าอกยกขึ้น เป็นเสื้อชั้นในแบบเต็มทรงตัดเย็บแบบสามมิติและการเลือก สรรวัสดุและกรรมวิธีการตัดเย็บได้คำนึงถึงการเสียรูปของเสื้อชั้นในที่อาจจะ เกิดขึ้นได้เวลาสวมใส่หรือซัก

2. ชุดซัพพอทสูท Support Suit ช่วยกระชับบริเวณรอบเอวและสะโพก ให้ได้สัดส่วนสวยงามยิ่งเคลื่อนไหว

ยิ่งช่วยกะชับไขมันส่วนเกิน

3. กางเกง Long Girdle เก็บเนื้อส่วนเกินจากด้านข้าง จัดยกสะโพกให้สวย กลมกลึงช่วยยกสะโพกให้สูงขึ้น

เหมาะสำหรับผู้ที่ต้องการปรับ กระชับต้นขาให้ได้รูปยิ่งเคลื่อนไหวยิ่งช่วยกะชับไขมันส่วนเกิน

4. ถุงเท้ายาว Super Support High Socks เท้ายาวกระชับเป็นลำดับใช้วัสดุสแปนเด็กซ์ ไลคร่า ขนาดใหญ่พิเศษที่ไม่มีในประเทศไทย 570 ดีเนียร์ การออกแบบเน้นให้กระชับเป็นส่วนๆโดยให้กระชับแน่นที่ข้อเท้า แล้วค่อยๆผ่อนลงเรื่อยๆจนถึงน่อง ส่วนที่อุ้งเท้า จะกระชับปานกลางจึงเหมาะอย่างยิ่งสำหรับผู้ที่ต้องยืนหรือเดินเป็นเวลานานๆ ใส่ได้ทั้งหญิงและชาย

ชุดปรับสรีระเคลื่อนย้ายไขมัน ช่วยให้รูปร่างกระชับ Lycra 100%

ประโยชน์ของชุดซัมมิท

ของเราไม่ใช่รักษาโรคหายแต่ช่วยบรรเทาอาการนั้นๆให้ค่อยๆ ดีขึ้นเท่านั้นเรายอมรับว่าไม่ใช่ยารักษาโรคค่ะ

ท่าน ที่มีสรีระไม่สมส่วนหรือต้องการที่จะลดน้ำหนักพอใส่ชุดนี้จะเหมือนกับออก กำลังกายทั้งวันเพราะชุดนี้จะมีเส้นใยไลค่าคอยนวดตัวคุณเองทั้งวัน

ไม่ ใช่แต่เพียงคุณจะลดน้ำหนักได้เท่านั้นแต่ยังสามารถบรรเทาอาการปวดหลัง ปวดท้องรอบเดือนให้หายได้ค่ แก้หน้าท้องลาย หน้าอกได้รูป ยกสะโพก กระชับไขมันส่วนเกินทอจากเส้นใยซิลสุพีเรีย และเส้นใยไลคร่ามีความยืดหยุ่นและทนทานสูง ระบายอากาศได้ดี เวลาสวมใส่จึงรู้สึกเบา สบาย ไม่ดึงรั้งร่างกาย

สำหรับ ท่านชายจะช่วยปรับสรีระมีกล้ามหน้าอกไม่มีหน้าท้องกระชับไขมันหุ่นเฟิมหรือ ใส่เล่นฟิตเนตได้จะเผาผลาญไขมันได้ดีเยี่ยมไม่ปวดหลัง

- จากคนที่เคยซื้อชุดกับเราเคยให้ข้อมูลมาว่าเป็นเนื้องอกในท้องแต่พอใส่ชุดนี้ไปไม่กี่เดือนไป x-ray ดูเนื้องอกนั้นหายไปแล้ว

- คนที่เคยผ่าตัดบ๊อกหลังบ่อยๆจากที่เคยมีอาการปวดหลังก็ไม่มีอีกเลย

(แต่กรณีแบบนี้ก็ต้องขึ้นอยู่กับบุคคลด้วยนะค่ะและขึ้นอยู่กับการรับประทานอาหารของตัวคุณเอง)

เรียนรู้วิธีการสร้างรายได้ จากการทำงานโดยไม่กระทบ งานประจำ

2009-06-29T20:14:00.001-07:00

เรียนรู้วิธีการสร้างรายได้ จากการทำงานโดยไม่กระทบ
งานประจำ

สร้างรายได้ 200-300 บาท/วัน ทำงานเพียงวันละ 2-3 ชม./วัน ไม่กระทบงานประจำ(ไม่จำกัด)วุฒิการศึกษา ด่วน!!

สนใจ ติดต่อ : P สันต์089-0888298 , 081-7588475 , 086-3116072
Email health-072@hotmail.com

ต้องการคนร่วมงาน , หางาน , งานพิเศษ Parttime ,สร้างรายได้, รายได้พิเศษ ไม่ต้องลาออกจากงานประจำ ใช้เวลาว่าง ทำได้ทุกที่...

โอกาสที่ดีที่สุดอยู่ที่การตัดสินใจเลือกทางเดินของคุณ

ระหว่าง ..........ชีวิต มนุษย์เงินเดือนที่นายจ้างแบ่งจากผลกำไรจากผลงานที่เราเป็นผู้ลงมือทำ หรือ "เรามีชีวิตเป็นเจ้านายตัวเองมีอิสระภาพทางการเงิน และมีเวลาอยู่กับครอบครัวที่เรารักมากที่สุดในโลก โดยไม่ต้องกังวลกับเวลาที่ผันผ่าน

โอกาสที่ดีที่สุดอยู่ที่การตัดสินใจเลือกทางเดินของคุณ

ใน ทุกๆ เช้า ของวันใหม่ที่เราตื่นขึ้นมาแล้วพบว่าเรายังต้องดำเนินชีวิตในรูปแบบที่ เหมือนๆกับทุกๆวันที่ผ่านมา คือต้องตื่นแต่เช้า ออกจากบ้าน ผจญกับปัญหาจราจร เพื่อไปให้ทันเข้างาน ตอกบัตรเข้าทำงาน แล้วก็ทำงานตามภาระรับผิดชอบที่ได้รับมอบหมาย พบเจอกับความเครียดต่างๆในการทำงาน ตอนเย็นเลิกงาน ตอกบัตรออก ผจญกับปัญหาจราจรอีกครั้ง กลับถึงบ้าน แล้วก็หลับไปด้วยความอ่อนเพลีย และเตรียมพบกับวันใหม่ที่ดำเนินชีวิตในรูปแบบเดิมๆ เป็นวงจรซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าทุกวัน เราเคยสังเกตบ้างหรือไม่เราทำสิ่งเหล่านี้เพื่ออะไร? เพื่อที่จะให้สามารถดำรงชีวิตผ่านไปได้วันๆหนึ่งเท่านั้นเองหรือ ? เราต้องการชีวิตที่เป็นแบบนี้จริงๆหรือ ? ผมเชื่อมั่นว่าคนเราทุกคนมีความฝัน อยากจะมีชีวิตที่ดีกว่าที่เราเป็นอยู่ในปัจจุบันนี้อย่างแน่นอน แล้วทำไมไม่ลองหาทางที่จะเปลี่ยนชีวิตของคุณไปสู่รูปแบบของการใช้ชีวิตแบบ ใหม่ในแบบที่คุณอยากเป็น

มีสุภาษิตจีนบทหนึ่งกล่าวไว้ว่า “เดิน ทางร้อยลี้ต้องมีก้าวแรก” หากคุณต้องการเริ่มต้นสร้างความสำเร็จให้กับชีวิต ด้วยเส้นทางที่สามารถสร้างความฝันของคุณให้เป็นจริงได้ ภายในระยะเวลาที่ไม่ยาวนานเกินไป ธุรกิจเครือข่ายจะเป็นเส้นทางที่ดีที่สุดเส้นทางหนึ่ง ที่พร้อมจะเปิดโอกาสให้กับผู้ที่มีความมุ่งมั่นและตั้งใจจริงเสมอ หลังจากนี้ทั้งหมดขึ้นอยู่กับการตัดสินใจของคุณ เมื่อคุณได้มีโอกาสอ่านเอกสารฉบับนี้แล้ว และต้องการจะใช้โอกาสที่ดีนี้เพื่อสร้างอิสรภาพทางการเงินและเวลาให้กับตัว คุณเองและคนที่คุณรัก ผู้ที่แนะนำคุณให้อ่านเอกสารฉบับนี้พร้อมเสมอที่จะช่วย

ณ วันนี้ คุณกำลังทำอะไรอยู่ และทำแบบไหนอยู่ หากคุณยังมองไม่เห็นเป้าหมายที่ดีล่ะก็ คุณลองเริ่มต้นไปกับเราดูซิ แล้วคุณจะรู้ว่า เป้าหมายที่คุณตามหานั้นอยู่ ณ ที่แห่งนี้แล้ว

The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen

2009-03-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

The 5000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed the World by W. Cleon Skousen This is an incredible book that should be read by all Americans.

I first read this book back in the mid 1980s shortly after it was first published. It had such a profound effect on me that I can still recall where I was when I was reading it. That is rather amazing as I have I have probably read about 1600 books since then.

I was excited to see that it had recently been republished as my original copy is pretty ragged. It was great to reread it and brush up on the great ideas contained in it.

The premise of the book is that because of the free market system that took root after our Constitution was enacted, the United States literally made a 5000 year leap of progress in the time since then. The author, W. Cleon Skousen, discussed the changes from the time of the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the early 1980s when the book was written. In discussing Jamestown, he said: "The most striking thing about the settlers of Jamestown was their startling similarity to the ancient pioneers who built settlements in other parts of the world 5,000 years earlier. The whole panorama of Jamestown demonstrated how shockingly little progress had been made by man during all of those fifty centuries."

He went on to say, "The settlers of Jamestown had come in a boat no larger and no more commodious than those of the ancient sea kings. Their tools still consisted of shovel, axe, hoe, and a stick plow which were only slightly improved over those of China, Egypt, Persia, and Greece. They harvested their grain and hay-grass with the same primitive scythes ..."

He then discussed the Constitution that was developed by the Founders. It took 180 years for them to put it all together from the beginning of Jamestown in 1607 to the enactment of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. He goes through the inspirations and sources for their thoughts in explaining how the U.S. Constitutional system came about.

Dr. Skousen contrasted the situation described in Jamestown above to the present day. He talks about the phenomenol results produced by the free enterprise system. Some of the incredible inventions and changes that he cites are as follows: the internal combustion engine, jet propulsion, exotic space travel, 'all the wonders of nuclear energy', massive changes in communications, the doubling of the life expectancy, central heating/air conditioning, surgical miracles, cures for numerous diseases, etc. Needless to say, the list could go on and on.

In showing how our system was designed, Skousen goes through 28 principles that the Founders developed from their study of sources such as Cicero, Locke, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, and others. Skousen has done what most people don't have the time or inclination to do: Study the original source materials and bring it all together.

Obviously, it would be great if every American studied the sources listed above as well as The Federalist Papers, the writings of Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and others. Since that is unlikely, this is a great way to gain a good general understanding of the roots of our nation.

One great thing about this book is that the author discusses some of the problems that we have faced in recent years due to failing to follow the Constitution and the principles of the Founders. Some of these are issues like the mounting national debt, excessive taxation, and judicial activism.

Dr. Skousen also does a great job of explaining the political spectrum and the absurdities of the left-right labeling so often used in discourse today. He explains in an easy-to-understand manner that the far left and far right as the terms are used today are really the same thing, ruler's law, and are totally out of step with the way the system was intended.

One could easily go on about this book for a long time, but I will spare the reader that. Suffice it to say, this is an amazing book that should be read by all.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey

2009-03-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey Women can sit around with our girlfriends talking about how much men don't make sense or how they won't act right, but we oftentimes find better advice by actually asking for advice from our guy friends. The only problem is our guy friends may lie to spare our feelings, but Steve Harvey is not trying to be our friends and he's telling it like it t.i.s. in his new book, "Act Like a Lady: Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment."

Harvey breaks down all of the things that women need to know about men in 15 chapters on relationships--mama's boys, marriage, whether we are the ones for men to sports fish (reel in and throw back into the water when they're done) or a keeper; when we should introduce men to our child(ren); why the 90-day rule for sex makes sense; how independent women can remember to be ladies; the three things that drive men (who they are, what they do, and how much they make); and why "We need to talk" is a phrase that is man's worst enemy.

There are some contradictions within the read, like why women need to get out of the 1945 mentality of waiting on men to marry them, but at the same time, sticking to the chivalrous expectations of letting him open doors, wearing heels, carrying heavy items and letting him fix things and paint. (However, I interviewed him for the "Chicago Defender" [article will be out in February sometime] and he explained why he felt some old-fashioned values should still be met. His analysis made sense too.)

But for every contradiction, there are lessons that make so much sense. Harvey has a point. Women are far more complex with their emotions than men are, judging from his research and his own opinions and observance from my own friends. Poet Maya Angelou said it best when saying "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." That was the main theme throughout Harvey's read--to set standards and stick to them. While some men may feel like Harvey is snitching, women like me finished the read feeling educated and confident in my past decisions. Excellent and quick read, but grab your highlighters and take notes.

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin

2009-03-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto

Conservative talk radio's fastest-growing superstar is also a New York Times bestselling phenomenon: the author of the groundbreaking critique of the Supreme Court, Men in Black, and the deeply personal dog lover's memoir Rescuing Sprite, Mark R. Levin now delivers the book that characterizes both his devotion to his more than 5 million listeners and his love of our country and the legacy of our Founding Fathers: Liberty and Tyranny is Mark R. Levin's clarion call to conservative America, a new manifesto for the conservative movement for the 21st century.

In the face of the modern liberal assault on Constitution-based values, an attack that has steadily snowballed since President Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s and resulted in a federal government that is a massive, unaccountable conglomerate, the time for re-enforcing the intellectual and practical case for conservatism is now. Conservative beliefs in individual freedoms do in the end stand for liberty for all Americans, while liberal dictates lead to the breakdown of civilized society -- in short, tyranny. Looking back to look to the future, Levin writes "conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are our founding principles." And in a series of powerful essays, Levin lays out how conservatives can counter the liberal corrosion that has filtered into every timely issue affecting our daily lives, from the economy to health care, global warming, immigration, and more -- and illustrates how change, as seen through the conservative lens, is always prudent, and always an enhancement to individual freedom.

As provocative, well-reasoned, robust, and informed as his on-air commentary, Levin's narrative will galvanize readers to begin a new era in conservative thinking and action. Liberty and Tyranny provides a philosophical, historical, and practical framework for revitalizing the conservative vision and ensuring the preservation of American society.

About the Author
Mark R. Levin is a nationally syndicated talk radio host and president of Landmark Legal Foundation. He has also worked as an attorney in the private sector and as a top adviser and administrator to several members of President Reagan's cabinet. The author of the New York Times bestselling books Rescuing Sprite and Men in Black: How the Supreme Court Is Destroying America, Mark holds a B.A. from Temple University and a J.D. from Temple University School of Law.

The Yankee Years

2009-02-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

The Yankee Years by Joe Torre, Tom Verducci

Twelve straight playoff appearances. Six American League pennants. Four World Series titles. This is the definitive story of a dynasty: the Yankee years

When Joe Torre took over as manager of the New York Yankees in 1996, the most storied franchise in sports had not won a World Series title in eighteen years. The famously tough and mercurial owner, George Steinbrenner, had fired seventeen managers during that span. Torre’s appointment was greeted with Bronx cheers from the notoriously brutal New York media, who cited his record as the player and manager who had been in the most Major League games without appearing in a World Series

Twelve tumultuous and triumphant years later, Torre left the team as the most beloved and successful manager in the game. In an era of multimillionaire free agents, fractured clubhouses, revenue-sharing, and off-the-field scandals, Torre forged a team ethos that united his players and made the Yankees, once again, the greatest team in sports. He won over the media with his honesty and class, and was beloved by the fans.

But it wasn’t easy.

Here, for the first time, Joe Torre and Tom Verducci take us inside the dugout, the
clubhouse, and the front office in a revelatory narrative that shows what it really took to keep the Yankees on top of the baseball world. The high-priced ace who broke down in tears and refused to go back to the mound in the middle of a game. Constant meddling from Yankee executives, many of whom were jealous of Torre’s popularity. The tension that developed between the old guard and the free agents brought in by management. The impact of revenue-sharing and new scouting techniques, which allowed other teams to challenge the Yankees’ dominance. The players who couldn’t resist the after-hours temptations of the Big Apple. The joys of managing Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, and the challenges of managing Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi. Torre’s last year, when constant ultimatums from the front office, devastating injuries, and a freak cloud of bugs on a warm September night in Cleveland forced him from a job he loved.

Through it all, Torre kept his calm, kept his players’ respect, and kept winning.

And, of course, The Yankee Years chronicles the amazing stories on the diamond. The stirring comeback in the 1996 World Series against the heavily favored Braves. The wonder of 1998, when Torre led the Yanks to the most wins in Major League history. The draining and emotional drama of the 2001 World Series. The incredible twists and turns of the epic Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against the Red Sox, in which two teams who truly despised each other battled pitch by pitch until the stunning extra-inning home run.

Here is a sweeping narrative of Major League Baseball in the Yankee era, a book both grand in its scope and fascinating in its details.

About the Author

Joe Torre played for the Braves, the Cardinals, and the Mets before managing all three teams. From 1996 to 2007, Torre managed the New York Yankees. He is currently the manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Associate

2009-02-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

The Associate by John Grisham

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential.

But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget. The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want—even though it’s a job most law students can only dream about.

Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

With an unforgettable cast of characters and villains—from Baxter Tate, a drug-addled trust fund kid and possible rapist, to Dale, a pretty but seemingly quiet former math teacher who shares Kyle’s “cubicle” at the law firm, to two of the most powerful and fiercely competitive defense contractors in the country—and featuring all the twists and turns that have made John Grisham the most popular storyteller in the world, The Associate is vintage Grisham.

About the Author

JOHN GRISHAM has written twenty previous novels and one work of nonfiction, The Innocent Man, published in 2006. He lives in Virginia and Mississippi.

Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution

2009-02-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko

With tens of thousands of products crammed into the walls of the neighborhood supermarket, trying to find a reliable snack, pantry product, or frozen dinner can be a serious challenge for the time-strained consumer. The Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide changes all of that, offering discerning shoppers everywhere a simple plan for finding the healthiest foods for them and their families. Beyond homing in on the best and worst in the world of packaged foods, the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide scours the aisles to help you pick the most nutrient-packed produce, the leanest, tastiest cuts of meat, exotic cheeses that double as healthy snacks, and the best contaminant-free fish the ocean has to offer.

Click each image below for a larger view of selections from Eat This Not That! For Supermarkets

Best nonfiction of the year?

I know, that sounds like a wild claim. And I'm surprised I wrote it.

I own both of the previous Eat This Not That books (Thousands of Simple Food Swaps, For Kids!), so when I noticed this one was about to come out I decided to skip it. What more could it offer than what was already covered in the other two?

Then, tonight, I went shopping for food with my teenage daughter at Target. We spotted this in the little book section and, at her urging, picked it up and glanced through it.

What a great book! So helpful! So useful! Yes, if it keeps my husband healthy and my daughter enthused about nutrition, it gets my vote as best nonfiction book of 2008. I read about every day, and no book in the past year has struck me as a Must Buy as much as this one.

The reason? It's ENTIRELY focused on foods sold at supermarkets -- every item on every page is something readily accessible to you. And since every item is captioned with its relevant nutritional information, you get the benefit, in essence, of having read every tiny ingredients list on every item at your grocery store, all of it right in front of you in a little book that will fit in a decent-sized purse. By comparison, the earlier titles had less detailed grocery sections, as well as lots of stuff about fast food chains and table-service franchise restaurants, material that is useful only if you frequent those particular places.

In this book, every page has valuable content for anyone who shops at a supermarket -- so much, in fact, it's tough to determine just what to highlight in this review. Every time I flip through the book I come across useful, surprising information. For example, right now I'll randomly open it a few times and learn why....

1) Fruit Loops are better for you than Apple Cinnamon Cheerios...

2) Regular Cheerios is a better choice than Smart Start...

3) Regular Quick 1 minute Quaker Oats is healthier than Quaker's Simple Harvest Multigrain hot cereal...

4) Dole pineapple cups are more nutritious than Dole mixed fruit cups...

5) Del Monte pear halves beat Del Monte sliced pears...

I could go on forever.

By the way, not all the pages are side-by-side product comparisons. One spread, titled "The Meat Matrix," compares the nutritional value of a variety of meats, everything from pork to ostrich. Another, titled "The Perfect Refrigerator," displays a perfectly stocked healthy fridge. My daughter was especially interested in a spread titled "The Snack Matrix," which shows which combination of snack items (fruit, peanut butter, cottage cheese) mix well together for both nutrition and taste. Another section discusses how to store fresh fruits and produce and explains why fresh food is better for you.

Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds--or More!

2009-02-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds--or More! by David Zinczenko

Eat what you want, when you want--and watch the pounds disappear!

Americans spend more than $400 billion a year eating out, and behind each burger, turkey sandwich, and ice cream sundae is a simple decision that could help you control your weight--and your life. The problem is, restaurant chains and food producers aren't interested in helping you make healthy choices. In fact, they invest $30 billion a year on advertising, much of it aimed at confusing eaters and disguising the fat and calorie counts of their products.

All of that has changed with EAT THIS, NOT THAT!. This book puts the entire food industry under the spotlight, and arms you with the savvy tricks and insider information it takes to eat well no matter where you are. With EAT THIS, NOT THAT! you're the expert in every eating situation, from the frozen food aisle to your favorite fast food joint to your local sports bar. You control your food universe--and lose the pounds you want--because, unlike every other customer, you'll know the smart choices to make--instantly!

EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is jam-packed with secrets the restaurant industry doesn't want you to know. For example: * Burger King doesn't want you to know that a BK Big Fish® Sandwich and fries have a whopping 1000 calories--nearly half your daily caloric intake! (Fish is usually healthy, but not this kind. Find out why with this book.) * Pizza Hut doesn't want you to know that a standard pizza in Italy contains 500 to 800 calories, but the same meal at Pizza Hut can top 2,100 calories! (You'd need to ride a stationary bike for more than three hours to burn off this mistake. Instead, eat all the pizza you want by making smart choices. EAT THIS, NOT THAT! shows you how.) * Macaroni Grill doesn't want you to know that a single serving of their Grilled Teriyaki Salmon has more than three times your daily allowance of sodium! (Cut your risk of high blood pressure by making smart choices at the same restaurant. You'll find them inside.)

If only you knew the industry secrets, you could eat at any of your favorite restaurants--or chow down on everything from the company vending machine to your kids' Halloween buckets--and know that every decision you made was smart, healthy, and the best possible choice for you. For example, did you know: * At McDonald's, an Egg McMuffin® is actually a healthy choice, with just 300 calories. (The Hotcakes pack more than double that amount!) * At Krispy Kreme, all you need to do is order the Very Berry Chiller instead of the Mocha Dream Chiller, and you'll save 500 calories! (Do that once a week and you'll drop more than 7 pounds this year--without trying!) * At Chipotle, you can cut 570 calories out of your Chicken Burrito just by ordering it as a bowl (without the tortilla) and asking them to hold the rice. (Same great taste, but with 94 fewer carb grams!) * Choosing a cinnamon roll at Au Bon Pain over Cinnabon will save you 463 calories and 20 grams of fat! * In the freezer section of your local supermarket, a turkey pot pie from Swanson's has 610 fewer calories than a turkey pot pie from Pepperidge Farms. * In the produce aisle, you'll get twice the vitamin C--and nine times as much vitamin A--simply by picking red bell peppers over green ones. (Who said eating healthy was difficult?)

And that's why EAT THIS, NOT THAT! is going to change everything. It's time to level the playing field. We're all tired of sneaky calories adding to our waistlines, and having to starve ourselves or spend hours on the treadmill trying to burn off the damage. Now--for the first time--you're in charge. With this simple illustrated guide to thousands of foods--along with the nutrition secrets that lead to fast and permanent weight loss--you'll make the smartest choice every time!

That pie has the same calories as three Big Macs?
This is a great book. Slick and attractive, with fantastic full-color pictures. Very well researched too, which is expected coming from the folks behind one of the most densely-packed, informative magazines, Men's Health.

The truth is that casual dining restaurants have higher calorie meals than the much-maligned fast food joints. While the fast food restaurants are now required to publish calorie, fat, and sodium contents, the casual restaurants have been quietly fighting against requiring them to release the same information. Thanks to this book and the research behind it, we can now get a better idea of what we've been eating at these restaurants. And it is eye opening.

Each two page section has a high-calorie, fat trap food on the right, and a healthier alternative on the left. Lots of reasons for why one is a better choice than the other, as well as quick lists of other good choices (and not so good choices) on the left and right.

This simple, but effective layout conveys a ton of information quickly and easily. The sections are by restaurant, and by situation type (like shopping at the mall, or at a holiday party), so it is easy to read and get good ideas for how to make better food choices.

The only negative is that you might never get fries again, after you see all the things you could eat instead and still not hit the calorie count of the fries. Outback's Aussie Cheese Fries have 2900 calories. Wow!

Highly recommended book, even if you aren't trying to lose weight. You'll learn a ton about the foods you are eating at restaurants, which is well worth the price of admission.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

2009-02-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

The highly anticipated third book in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series takes the art of being wimpy to a whole new level.

Let’s face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Greg’s father. You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other “manly” endeavors. Of course, Greg is able to easily sidestep his father’s efforts to change him. But when Greg’s dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up . . . or get shipped out.

Greg and his family and friends, who make the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books a must-read for middle school readers, are back and at their best in this hilarious new installment of the series, which is sure to please current fans while attracting new ones.

Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Teal Book of Trust by Jeffrey Gitomer

2009-01-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Teal Book of Trust by Jeffrey Gitomer This is an important and excellent book. (You will maybe appreciate my tongue-in-cheek headline after reading the first Chapter.)

Like so many others, I am a huge fan of Jeff Gitomers' sage, straightforward advice on selling and subjects tangentially related to his core expertise in the sales process. But, Gitomer has outdone himself with this absolute gem.

In a world where (some) businesses and politicians are almost daily demonstrating why they can't be trusted, the subject of "trust" needs to be written about. And, this well timed book is a great primer on the subject.

Now writing about "trust" is not easy. Who is a "trust" expert? Well the subject is a perfect one for Gitomer who manages to plead for us to do things better in a style that doesn't come over as unduly "preachy." And, he does so with his usual well organized, logical explanations. He does a great job of succinctly explaining the context of trust, it's benefits and ultimately its value, more than 20 characteristics of trust, and how to recover from a breach of trust (which can happen among us humans).

Best of all, his thoughts on becoming a trusted business advisor make this a book that every professional should read, study, implement and then re-read. As an advisor to leading professional service firms, I have already started giving the book to clients.

Regretfully, I expect that some who need this book most will never buy it as they see themselves as already fully trustworthy. Respectfully, I would suggest that few among us would not benefit from a tune-up in this area. Including the many whom start off conversations, as I did this review, with the commonly used phrase "trust me."

As an voracious reader of business and self-help books (and a reviewer here on Amazon of the best of that which I read), I consider this one of the most important books, in those two categories, in the last ten years. It really is that good! And that important!!

Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter

2009-01-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter Many on the left have NEVER had to defend their ideas, and only grudgingly admit that there is even "another side" in politics to consider.

They are like that woman in Manhattan in 1972, who said she had no idea how Nixon had won because she didn't know anyone who voted for him.

Talk about living in a bubble!

I'm afraid Obama is going to destroy America. Ann, we need you now more than ever!

Outliers: The Story of Success by MalcolGladwell

2009-01-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Outliers: The Story of Success by MalcolGladwell In this wide-ranging third installment of Malcolm Gladwell's exploration of how people and social phenomena work, the New Yorker journalist takes a close look at what constitutes high levels of success. That is, what makes people at the top of their respective fields get there? As we've come to expect from Gladwell's previous books, the answer to the question is a bit complicated.

He says that upbringing, culture and even random luck have something to with success, but there is another important quality that anyone can control. Two chapters are dedicated to the "revelation" that IQ is only a baseline quality and success has little to nothing to do with having a high IQ or a low IQ. Rather, success is substantially a product of cultivating a high degree of what Robert Sternberg calls "practical intelligence" or what most refer to as "emotional intelligence."

Gladwell uses the example of Nobel laureates coming from unknown schools as often as ivy league schools. At this level of mastery IQ is no longer a factor. Success has little to do with where you were educated and everything to do with your level of practical/emotional intelligence and willingness to put in the 10,000 hours of practice required to reach mastery of your field.

All in all, it's an interesting read that isn't too heady and goes by pretty quickly, as the interesting anecdotes are what you would expect from Gladwell.

The Power of Soul by Zhi Gang Sha

2009-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

The Way to Heal, Rejuvenate, Transform, and Enlighten All Life by Zhi Gang Sha I have read all of Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha's books.....every one is a jewel. The Power of Soul incorporates some of the wisdom from previous material, raises it to a new level and adds even more knowledge. If one can use the words profound and simple in the same description then this is the opportunity. Readers that are looking for answers regarding the spiritual journey will find them in this book. Karma, enlightenment, the role of soul in our daily lives ....all of this is covered and more. What I find most unique about Master Sha's teachings are the practical tools that he incorporates in every book. This one is exceptional. There are so many practices and special treasures on every page. The writing is easy to follow and understand. The wisdom is deep. I truly believe that if you follow the guidelines provided by Master Sha you will move further and faster on your spiritual journey. This is an excellent book.

The UltraMind Solution by Mark, M.D. Hyman

2009-01-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First by Mark, M.D. Hyman

I was privileged to be one of the participants who was chosen to undergo the Ultramind solution for six weeks prior to publication. Although it has only been 18 days since I started, the change in my energy level and my ability to concentrate is remarkable.
I have been suffering from intense fatigue and trouble concentrating for the last two years, and my physicians have been unable to find a medical diagnosis for my symptoms. Being a 46-year-old graduate student, wife, mother and employee, I have to be able to concentrate for long periods of time, especially in the evenings after work. Before the Ultramind solution, I could not concentrate or stay focused past the early morning. Without knowing exactly when it occurred, I now find that my energy has been restored enough so that I can work twelve hour shifts at the hospital without fatigue and still go home and study, while retaining what I read. As a side effect, I have lost close to ten pounds without ever going hungry.
Although it may sound totally impossible to remove all processed foods, sugar, dairy, trans fat, wheat and flour products as Dr. Hyman required from my diet, I have discovered that all of my prior sugar cravings have disappeared completely, even now during the hoiday season when cookies and candy abound. I snack on nuts and fruit and make sure I eat good proteins and plenty of fresh vegetables and I drink plenty of water.
In the beginning I thought I would never be able to make it six weeks, but three weeks have breezed by. I am definitely going to make the Ultramind Solution a way of life from now on. Dr. Hyman's principles are simple yet effective.

The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden

2008-12-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden Not being a "ripperologist" myself and only having a passing interest in the case I found this book to be an eye-opener. I had always assumed that there were the five murders that are accepted as being the work of the ripper and that was it. I now find that there may have been six, seven, or eight. Maybe even more. There may have even been a ripper murder in America.

With this work the reader gets a case by case, witness by witness, and suspect by suspect review of the facts. The research that went into this book and the details covered show an amazing dedication on the part of Mr. Sugden. He does not fall into what has apparently been a trap for ripper writers for years by accepting secondary sources at face value. Instead he looks to primary material where possible and by doing so exposes myths that have survived in some cases for over one hundred years. As an added bonus he does not start out like many other writers on this subject with a theory to prove, bending and ignoring evidence to fit his preconceived notion.

I only had two very small problems with this book. First, Mr. Sugden is a little too open in his contempt for some other ripper writers. Sometimes he seems to go out of his way to point out their mistakes. Considering that these mistakes have have often been accepted as fact by later writers and are the basis for many myths I guess that this tactic may be necessary. Still I often found that it bothered me. Second, he uses several words which I am sure are in common use in England but cause the American reader to pause and wonder just what Sugden is talking about. My complaints are small indeed.

Sugden does end the book with the most likely suspect but admits that the case against this man still is full of holes. Will the case ever be solved? Sugden seems to think so. After reading his extraordinary book I agree.

The Final Solution: A Story of Detectionby Michael Chabon

2008-12-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon is a slim, but satisfying mystery as well as an insightful examination and extension of a beloved fictional character. The story revolves around Linus Steinman, a nine year old mute, who escaped Nazi Germany with an African gray parrot named Bruno. Bruno’s past associations coupled with his numerical utterances bring the greedy and amoral to his lodging house.

The New York Times Book Review says The Final Solution is “On par with the best, most tightly written sections of Chabon’s last novel, the marvelous The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.” I’m not the NYT, but I’d beg to differ. I’m a huge Kavalier & Clay fan, and while The Final Solution is good, it simply doesn’t bristle with passion and power of the former. And I guess Chabon’s Summerland doesn’t count as a novel?

Instead, The Final Solution is a bit aloof like the unnamed detective who works to solve the mystery. So while the tight plot is enjoyable, the only character that truly jumps off the page is the aged Sherlock Holmes. And even then we’re never told it is that famous detective. So it reads more like a great cover band, or maybe Sammy Hagar as the front man for Van Halen. The ’story’ stands on it’s own, but is certainly given considerably more weight given Chabon’s literary history.

I found some of the P.S. features very interesting. The NPR interview in particular revealed Chabon’s admiration for David Mitchell and Cynthia Ozick. I’m a huge Mitchell fan and immediately picked up an Ozick title. I find the relationships between authors, most often exposed in the acknowledgments, to be a fascinating and valuable tool in finding other great reading.

For example, in Matt Ruff’s Bad Monkeys, he acknowledges Neal Stephenson of Cryptonomicon fame. Similarly, Susanna Clarke acknowledges Neil Gaiman in the fabulous Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I’d be extremely interested in a LibraryThing like interface that exposed these connections to readers.

So, pick up The Final Solution by Michael Chabon and then cross your fingers and hope that The Yiddish Policemen’s Union returns Chabon to his Kavalier & Clay form.

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff

2008-12-24T18:41:00.000-08:00

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff is a condensed, fast-paced, insightful romp that walks the line between gritty literary realism and surreal science-fiction. I’ve been waiting for the next Ruff novel for quite a while and Bad Monkeys will hold me over until I get my next fix.

Bad Monkeys revolves around Jane Charlotte as she converses with a psychologist and explains how and why she’s now arrested for murder. The explanation is, as you’d expect from a Ruff novel, a whopper! Jane details two secret societies locked in a battle of good and evil.

She explains how, as a child rejected by her mother, she found herself in central California on the trail of a serial pedophile and murderer dubbed The Angel of Death. It’s here that she first encounters the ‘organization’ and uses an NC gun to fend off and kill the The Angel of Death. What’s an NC gun? Come now, it’s a gun that kills by Natural Causes. Quintessential, inventive Ruff!

As you may have realized, the topics covered by Ruff aren’t shallow or glitzy in an Elmore Leonard way. Like Set This House In Order, he’s dealing with serious issues that fracture the lives of people. Bad Monkeys covers some of the same ground as Set This House In Order, and nearly feels like a mash-up of that novel and Sewer, Gas & Electric.

But Ruff makes it different enough and keeps you guessing as to whether Jane is just a very troubled woman who’s built a fantastic and bizarre world as a coping mechanism, or if she’s on the level and is on the front lines in the war against evil. Just when you think you know which way it will go, that’s when the plot twist(s) make you doubt yourself.

I read Bad Monkeys in two round-trip BART rides. It’s a rather short novel, particularly for the usually Homeric Ruff. So part of me wishes he’d taken one more year and written another 200 pages to fully explore the fantastic framework he established. Another is happy that the next novel is that much closer.

Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan

2008-12-24T18:39:00.001-08:00

Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan is a satisfying blend of his previous novels, equal parts of his hard-boiled Kovacs series and Market Forces, his recent Road Warrior meets Halliburton social treatise. If Andrew Vachss wrote science-fiction, this is what he’d write.

As with all of Morgan’s work, you’ll get a healthy dose of pulse-pounding action sequences and grisly crime descriptions. I’m not a horror buff and I don’t generally like gore. However, Morgan makes it accessible by delivering these sequences without the giddy glee or overly dramatic flair others employ. It’s a very straight-forward factual description - a nearly academic deconstruction of the brutality of what he’s envisioning. You’ll understand the appeal if you like CSI or Criminal Minds.

Th1rte3n continues Morgan’s science-fiction detective genre and delivers Carl Marsalis, a ‘Thirteen’, or genetically altered human who works as a hard-case bounty hunter. The back cover of the uncorrected proofs I obtained calls Marsalis “a hit man who has lost his desire to kill.” This, frankly, isn’t accurate. Marsalis is a genetically-modified soldier with increased aggression and machismo. He’s built to kill, is damn good at it, and doesn’t mind doing so for profit or revenge. It’s not a perfect life, but it’s the hand he’s been dealt and he’s a realist.

Marsalis is hired by agents of the governing body of Mars after one of their spaceships is ‘compromised’ by another Thirteen. The ship splashes into the ocean, filled with the remains of the other passengers, eaten by the renegade Thirteen. Using genetic trace the team has linked the escaped Thirteen to numerous seemingly unrelated murders across the country. Marsalis is the necessary evil they turn to as the body count rises without any further progress on capturing their suspect.

There’s a bit of rote material, necessary for the full plot, in which Marsalis bonds with his new ‘partner’, Sevgi Ertekin. It’s a satisfying tale of sleuth as the two follow the tangents, misdirection and clues to arrive at a final epiphany. In the end, the whole crime feels a little bit like a stretch, but the rest of the novel is strong enough to overcome this obstacle.

The world Morgan creates is a future fractured by racism and religion. Unlike his Kovacs novels, Morgan’s dialog is often a direct discussion of the topics he wishes to analyze and present to readers. Th1rte3n isn’t for you if you’re turned off by topics like the nature of man, of how society evolved, of Fundamentalism, of nature versus nurture and the corrupting influence of power. These direct miniature essays are peppered within the dialog, bringing introspection and intelligence to the inventive future world and hard-edge action sequences.

I recommend Richard K. Morgan’s Th1rte3n as a good way to introduce yourself to Morgan’s work. If you’re entertained and provoked, you’ll have plenty of great reading ahead of you by delving into his prior work.
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Moneyball by Michael Lewis

2008-12-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

Moneyball The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis is not your typical sports book. Indeed, as I read the back of the book now, I notice that it’s classified as Sports/Business. I’m a sports fan, but haven’t ever gotten into sports books. I watch enough sports (my wife is quick to point that out) so I couldn’t see really doubling up and reading about it too. I’ve read a few bicycling books including the fantastic The Rider by Tim Krabbe. I also read and enjoyed Seabiscuit. (I caught a bit of the horse racing bug when I lived down in San Diego and took a shine to the Del Mar Fairgrounds.)

Moneyball is another fringe sports book, and is more business, numbers and statistics than sports. That, in a nutshell, is the plot of the book. Lewis follows the Oakland A’s Billy Beane as he brings rational, fact-based decision making to baseball. Now, let me preface the rest of my review by saying that I like numbers and statistics. Segmenting a database? Sounds fun to me! Running baseball statistics through a regression analysis? I’m intrigued! Now I’m not saying that you need to like numbers to enjoy Moneyball, but I think it helps.

It also helps that the A’s are one of my local teams. Living in the Bay Area you have the A’s and the Giants. I like both, but force my hand and I’d go with the A’s, even more so after reading Moneyball. I’d heard about Moneyball but just didn’t think I’d really dig a sports book. A former colleague at Alibris (now at Linden Labs aka Second Life) said I’d definitely like it. He sat in the cube next to me and clearly understood that this was a perfect blend of sports and numbers.

Sure enough I sped through this book - 4 round-trip sittings on BART - and was amazed that numbers weren’t used more in evaluating baseball talent. How could all these teams simply trust their gut? How could they see potential in a guy and ignore what was in black and white? How could they ignore the numbers because they didn’t look like a typical ballplayer? The idea that past performance indicated future performance was slightly foreign to many of the ‘old school’ baseball executives.

There’s another layer in the book, about the mental part of the game, about expectations and confidence and how they all get warped by the sport of baseball. And yet another about the ex-jocks and hangers-on in baseball who are threatened by the ‘nerds’ who bring a greater amount of clarity and accountability to their profession. Lewis was wise to include these more human elements so that the nuts and bolts of OBP and why walks were so valuable and stolen bases over-rated don’t overwhelm the book.

If you have any interest in how the A’s continue to win with one of the smallest payrolls, or enjoy reading about people who introduce a disruptive force in an old and inefficient system, then read Michael Lewis’ Moneyball.

Bestsellers in Magazine

2008-11-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

Sports Illustrated Kids (1-year) [MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION]

A great start for kids interested in sports

I hesitated before subscribing to this magazine on behalf of my son, mainly due to a vague sense of dread about how SIKids might handle the inevitable boorish behavior by various jock/celebs. Every week in the "older" version of SI, you read something about drug bust this, assault and battery that--and you wonder what effect the antics of these millionaire morons has on kids. Well, to my surprise (and relief), SIKids generally skirts this type of nonsense and focuses squarely on the achievements of great athletes. The layouts and photos are great and the writing never talks down to kids. Instead, the magazine seems to excel at delivering good, solid journalism that kids can actually appreciate and relate to. SIKids is a VERY good investment if your son or daughter loves sports!

Marie Claire (1-year) [MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION]

Whenever I'd finish reading a magazine like 'Cosmo', I'd feel guilty for indulging in a magazine so obsessed with sex. But whenever I'd finish 'Marie Claire', I felt like I'd read something with quality without loosing any of the fashion and beauty advice (and even a little dating) that I love. The articles range from lingerie to skin care to guns to third world countries. It's the one magazine I can always read cover to cover. I feel as though I've actually learned something about life in other places and at the same time learned how to apply eyeliner more easily. While some magazines pride themselves on featuring models who are (gasp) size 4, 'Marie Claire' shows women with real bodies (there was a woman who was size 20 and proud) which makes me want to appreciate my body that way. The bottom line is the magazine has class and intelligence and plenty of it. If you get this magazine, you're not only getting fashion, dating and beauty, you're also getting a magazine with mind, soul and heart. And isn't that what we're all looking for?

Maxim

Maxim aims itself straight at what the straight male psyche likes: laughter, girls, and bizarre subjects (such as "How to Survive Torture", a topic in the September 2001 issue).

... this magazine is not just about sex and bad taste. It celebrates male life, and it does this without apology. Men have apologized far too much; the people who seem to think maleness needs to be "fixed" are maladjusted [people] who would never cut men any slack anyway, no matter how "sensitive" or politically correct men pretend to be, so men might as well party. Maxim is the technical journal of this attitude!

Maxim and some other men's magazines (like Men's Health) have discovered a formula that works to keep men reading: To-the-point articles thoroughly interleaved with humor and banter; lots of photographs and descriptive drawings; and topics ranging from sex and seduction to war and first aid. Lots of practical information and lots of truly excellent photos of sexy women that are not raunchy.

If I could only read one men's magazine, this would be it.

Smithsonian

Every issue we get, we say the same thing: "WOW! This is the best issue ever!! Just look at this article, and this one...."

We took a visit to the Smithsonian in Washington, hosting some guests from Germany who had the treasures of the mineral exhibit on their "must see first time to the US" list of attractions. We were a bit nonplussed by this--we didn't know that foreigners would be interested in the Smithsonian Museum. We spent an entire day, seeing just a small percentage of the national treasures in this montsrous museum complex. While we were shopping in one of the gift shops, we were offered a membership. We signed up to support the Smithsonian and to get this magazine.

Recently, there was an article on Cambodia's huge temple complex Ankhor Wat (filmed in "Lara Croft"), an article on sled dogs and an article on the Kansas-Nebraska Act, a key law that added to the tinder sparking the Civil War. And best of all, an article on Diane Arbus, the photographer who was famous for her portraits of seemingly ordinary people, somehow caught with an eye to freakishness or evil. Though I've been familiar with Arbus' work for year, this article had so much new information.

If you like magazines about nature, culture and history, this is the one to get. We get excited by every issue.

Newsweek

The magazine Newsweek presents current events written by well informed journalists. Quite often two sides of a story are presented, enabling me to form a sounder opinion of the situation. Nice Back Page editorials, particularly Anna Quindlen's. Definitely worth the read! Especially in this day of 1-2 minute clips on TV.

Wired

tech background not necessary to enjoy

You don't have to have a Ph.D. in computers, math, or engineering in order to enjoy this magazine: I don't possess such credentials, and I think Wired is outrageously good. The appeal of Wired is information on cutting-edge technology, delivered in a highly visual, understandable, and often entertaining format. A subtle sense of humor pervades the magazine with features such as "Return to Sender" - a contest in which Wired readers attempt to send the weirdest possible item in the mail to the magazine's San Francisco headquarters; or "Japanese Schoolgirl Watch" - which tracks the latest trendy gadgets favored by one of the world's most trend-obsessed demographic groups. Wired endlessly scrutinizes and ponders on the intersection of technology, humans, and society in its terrific articles. The articles are always interesting, and well-written, with topics such as artificial sight research, or the shenanigans of MIT's Blackjack Team in Las Vegas (9/02 issue); parents of extremely ill children, united via the Internet in their challenges to the medical industry (9/01); or a profile of the Ibot Transporter "inventrepreneur," Dean Kamen (9/00). Wired is a beautifully presented, outstanding magazine. Try one issue - you might get hooked!

Runner's World

I've been reading Runner's World for about three years now. It seems that whenever my motivation hits an all time low another magazine will end up in my mailbox. After reading half of the magazine I am forced to put on my running shoes and hit the streets.

There are many educational benefits I receive from these magazines. I enjoy their training tips to help me improve my running time. I enjoy their list of races in the back of issue so I can plan what I want to run next in my geographic area.

Most importantly, I highly appreciate the safety tips that are included. Running can be very hard on your body, as most of my cross country team learned in high school. This should become standard reading for high school students. I wish my coach had gone through an issue every month with us, highlighting how to run safely while diminishing run times.

If you run, get this magazine. If you don't run but would like to, visit their educational web page to get an idea how to start and then subcribe to the magazine so, like me, you are reminded to get off your duff and hit the streets.

Popular Mechanics

For me, this magazine has it all: technology, automotive, aviation, boats, home repair, and much more. It gives a great overview of what is happening in many industries and hobbies. I have generally read the entire issue two days after I have received it, and I don't have a lot of free time for reading.

One of the best aspects of this magazine is that is does not take itself too seriously. It does a great job creating articles that are informative and detailed, but leaves room for fun and offbeat topics too.

Last year Popular Mechanics readers got to follow a PM sponsored NASCAR car. This year they have switched to a top fuel dragster. These articles give you a good behind the sense look at what it takes to race these impressive vehicles.

If racing is not your style, checkout the woodworking section where a myriad of woodworking projects are presented. Don't forget their annual woodworkers special with a whole host of plans in a single issue.

Got a leaky water heater? Check the home repair section. Car on the fritz? Check the auto repair section. Wondering what is new in the military? Watch for the frequent special articles on the Special Forces and their hardware. This magazine has a great deal to offer!

For an all around look at technology and all things mechanical, you can't beat Popular Mechanics!

Good Housekeeping (1-year)

Of all the magazines, this one has the best layout.

Whether you are looking for the latest news on your favorite star or are looking for a new recipe...this magazine has it all.

You know how many magazines say: "Oh, we are going to tell you about...." And five minutes later, you are still looking for "that" article. Well, in this magazine they have a great Contents page with a special: "On the Cover" section. So, if you want to read about Nicole Kidman she is on page 110! OK, that was in the November 2001 issue and it is quite a sad article. What ever happened to the fairy tale? I just don't know...

Now, if you love reading about other people who are making the news, the People section always has something fun to read about. Fashion and beauty gives ideas on the latest nail color or makeup tips. The articles on relationships are interesting.

This magazine also has sections for: Health & Well Being, Consumer Sense, The Better Way, Food & Home, Fiction, Departments and Columns. The TECH section is always of interest. There is a definite focus on women, as in: "The Best Cell Phones for Women." Plus, this is where you can find Heloise giving out the newest Household Tips.

My favorite page is the looks, trends, and news page where they always give you ideas for holidays or feature beauty products like Pumpkin Pie body wash in November. The recipes are often multicultural and you can find anything from Lebkuchen to Pavlova with Passion Fruit Sorbet.

In my top 10 of favorite magazines!

Vanity Fair (1-year)

Vanity Fair has undergone a major transformation in the last several years from magazine geared towards women to a monthly that appeals to a much broader audience. The writing has gotten consistently better as well, though the occasional article will be little more than fluff. Photography is always lush, with the art world's top talent contributing beautiful done shots of major stars. Issues like Young Hollywood, or New Music Stars are fantastic, and every issue is something fresh and interesting.

In any given month we get a star showcase on the cover. Recent months have seen Lindsay Lohan, Sandra Bullock, and Hilary Swank. Interviews with these stars are fascinating because they invariably reveal more than they expect to. A recent interview with Sheryl Crow revealed the best of Vanity Fair, an intelligent, emotional, and honest interview that reveals a lot about Sheryl. The acccompanying photography is simply gorgeous. Every month has a rambling diary from the frequently tiresome Dominic Dunne (yes Dom, we get it, you know everyone.), a hard hitting political piece, and a expose on the past of politics, hollywood, or society. The articles are mostly great stuff, but with some clunkers in every issue. Every time I receive an issue, I know there will be articles that will fascinate me. Friends use to claim that Vanity Fair was a girl's magazine. Well, its not just for women anymore.

That being said, don't just order here. Go to their website and to the subscription inserts in the magazine itself, compare the prices, and request that a billing notice be sent to you instead of paying with a credit card. This way when your subscription is up for renewal, you have the opportunity to cancel without your card being charged. Often times sites like this one utilize a third party service that contracts with the various magazines, your payment goes to them and they auto-renew you. I find it easier to do it through the magazine themselves. Saves me the trouble, and invariably, the magazine comes a lot quicker.

Erased: Missing Women, Murdered Wives by Marilee Strong

2008-11-30T19:20:00.000-08:00

Erased: Missing Women, Murdered Wives by Marilee Strong

This is a fascinating and compulsively readable look into the dark abyss of the psychology of a seemingly new breed of men--like Scott Peterson, Mark Hacking of Salt Lake City, and more than forty others who are not 'household names'--who cleverly and in cold blood plan and carry out a complex killing of their wives/partners in order to "erase" these women from the face of the earth.

Though many of the cases are drawn from the headlines, dozens of others are completely new. All are disturbing. Author Strong--a journalist who has won awards for writing about issues where psychology crosses over with social problems--argues convincingly that the media has fed us with sometimes endless headlines on only a very few of these cases but without digging into the real issue of motive. What makes these apparently normal men do this?

Strong draws on a wealth of research in forensic psychology--especially the study of psychopaths and some of the closely related "cousins" of psychopathy which make up what researchers have called the "dark triad" of negative personality traits--including Machiavellianism and clinical narcissism. While the book is not a textbook, Strong skillfully weaves in just as much psychological background as we need in order to understand this crime.

Many of us who have followed these crimes have had the nagging feeling that "there must be something going on here." Strong is the first person to provide an answer, a new psychological profile, a 'match' with forensic psychology, a consistent motive (hint: it isn't money and it isn't even 'the other woman.') It's the psychologically twisted nature of the crime--what these men are really trying to do--that inspired her to call it "eraser killing."

Strong makes the straightforward argument that since no one has bothered to look at these killings as a group, this insidious crime hasn't even had a name yet, and without a name, no serious discussion would ever happen. (I remember the time when 'identity theft' didn't have a name but it had happened to a friend of mine...it was incredibly frustrating.)

But beyond the name, Strong goes over the stories of famous and never-heard-of cases to "tease out" the creepy set of consistent personality traits these men have (for example, compulsive and 'guilt free' lying, need to control, often living a 'secret life', emotions seem 'flat', seem quite normal on the surface, secretly (or not so secretly) feel very threatened about having children, always more concerned about themselves even though they 'fake' interest in others to serve their own ends.)

Interestingly, Strong traces the crime back a century ago to what was apparently a major headline case in the early 1900's which involved a young man who killed his pregnant girlfriend and then staged a boating accident to cover it up. That case went into history when writer Theodore Dreiser used it as the core story for his American Tragedy novel.

The book is packed with these fascinating insights and cases involving women of every social background, every race, and every part of the country. (Contrary to what the media has sometimes snarkily said, this secretive form of wife killing is not just something that happens to "pretty young white women"--whatever that might mean).

I think that the first step in naming and identifying a crime is very challenging. I know from reading that it took quite a struggle for the people from the FBI Behavioral Science Unit to establish the whole idea of profiling, and to come up with a rough definition of a serial killer. Those killers had been around for centuries but never had a name and were never studied as a group until 30 years ago. (Even today no one knows how many people are killed by serial killers every year. It will be a long time before we know how many are killed by erasers.)

It is interesting, however, that several of the most renowned "graduates" of the FBI "profiler" unit--people who consult on criminal cases for the police across the country--have "discovered" Strong's book and endorsed the findings. These include people like Roy Hazelwood (one of the original 'old guard' at the FBI, and author of The Evil That Men Do), and Clint Van Zandt (crime analyst frequently on TV in these cases, originally an FBI profiler.) Since Ms. Strong does venture boldly into the waters of forensic psychology, I was pleased to see that even some of the "heavy weights" who are not household names are recommending her book--people like psychiatrist Dr. Michael Stone from Columbia, who has been studying criminal psychopaths for decades.

You don't have to have read the many individual case crime books in order to appreciate the magnitude of what Marilee Strong is proposing in this groundbreaking work--she summarizes many of the cases in short form, but uses other cases, especially Scott Peterson, as the ultimate case study to illustrate the "sane on the outside, but completely narcissistic and remorseless on the inside" psychology she argues is at the core of all of these cases. Why do they do it? Are they any warning signs? Why don't they just get a divorce? Can they ever prosecute someone whose committed this kind of crime if they never find the woman's body? If you've been obsessed with these kinds of questions the way I have, you'll absolutely love this book.

Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings by Kerry Miller

2008-11-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings by Kerry Miller

Part voyeuristic entertainment, part group therapy, Passive Aggressive Notes offers a fascinating look at the all-too-familiar frustrations of embattled office drones, apartment dwellers, parents, and pet owners everywhere.

This curated collection combines dozens of outrageous, never-before-seen notes as well as favorites from Passiveaggressivenotes.com a 2008 Webby Award Winner and the official "Best Blog" of the South by Southwest Interactive festival.

It all began with a first date...and not a particularly good date, either. Apparently, things between this guy and his roommate had gotten so bad that they now communicated almost exclusively via Post-it note. Ah, yes, I said, I know those notes well--my current apartment (where I lived with three other roommates) had seen its share, most of them about the presence of unwashed dishes in the sink. They were usually signed with love; they were never addressed directly. I should start collecting them, I joked--put them on the Internet or something. Now that would be passive-aggressive.

Later that night--after it became clear that our relationship wasn't going to progress beyond standard small talk--I decided to do just that. And unlike my roommates' approach to dish-washing, the response to passiveaggressivenotes.com was enthusiastic, immediate, and overwhelming. Within weeks of the site's launch, thousands of notes poured in from shared bathrooms, kitchens, cubicles, and parking lots. (Wrote one reader: "Instead of a single note, can I submit an entire person? Like my mother?") This book represents the funniest and most outrageous of those submissions.

Despite the book's title, some of these notes are really more aggressive in tone, and some of them are more passive--polite, even. What they all share a common sense of frustration that's been channeled into written form rather than a direct confrontation. It's barbed criticism disguised as something else--helpful advice, friendly concern, light-hearted humor. But as Dr. Scott Wetzler, a clinical psychologist and author of Living with the Passive-Aggressive Man, observed: "A joke can be the most skillful passive-aggressive act there is."


Dear Stalker	Get a Life

You Fail	Con

and i’m singing “uh oh” on a friday night

5:54 PM PST, November 30, 2008

how’d you like to be flatmates with dianne in london? cos i’m thinking there just might be an opening soon…

happy thxgiving, everyone!

our anonymous submitter in new jersey found this note taped to every apartment door in his complex. “we do indeed have a problem with feral cats in our neighborhood, but my sense is that they’ve been around for many (cat) generations…not that people are buying new ones.”

adds our submitter: “now that i think about it, i’m probably a bad person for finding this funny, but really, the all-bold, all-caps “LET HER DEATH BE ON YOUR HEAD!!!” is just so perfectly over the top. (personally, i would have gone with “A POX ON ALL YOUR HOUSES!!!”)

This is a great collection of PAN notes from goddess of an equally great website. For your Amish or Shiftless Mennonite friends this book is a perfect gift. This is the only thing that gets me through dark days in the cubicle farm. Recommended reading for all cohabitators it is Misheerific! Just ask Casey in HR.