The author has a wonderful command of language and wonderful insights into the reactions
925713
Though I'm not usually drawn to murder/mystery novels, I took SUMMER SHADOWS with me on vacation based on a friend's recommendation.
The book is very well written. The author has a wonderful command of language and wonderful insights into the reactions, struggles and needs of the various people involved after their own personal tragedy and how another tragedy helped them to heal and find new life. The people in the story are "real", "average", "normal" people. One of the things I appreciated about this book, among many, was that anyone could read it without concern for inappropriate, risqu or otherwise so-called "adult" language or situations. The story proved to be a real page-turner for me. One of the characters unexpectedly touched me deeply and helped me to revisit an old psychological wound that had never really healed. I am truly grateful to Killarney Traynor for this magnificent first offering and I look forward to reading more from this new author.
2904909
This book will undoubtedly appeal to the business reader; but it is also, and perhaps more importantly, a wonderful guide to understanding the process of human interaction.
The Humorous Bazooka is the weapon of choice in too many of our daily engagements. I was struck with the insights that Mr. Sebell's anecdotes reveal not only about the way business innovation is blown up from within, but how the metaphors translate so smoothly when applied to personal interactions.
There are many levels of learning within these pages cleverly woven into a big smile.
2234073
This author has the amazing ability to present topics that make some people uneasy and present it in such a way that even the most unsuspecting reader would consider trying it, even if only for a split second.
3298698
I didn't expect to enjoy this book so much, but this was a real pleasure to read.  The writing quality is higher than I would have expected.  The author is both funny and insightful in his observations, and the style is thoroughly engaging.  I look forward to reading more from him in the future!
3609633
I would like to take all of John Ada's comments and add my own. I have also written my personal reactions to the book directly to the author herself. On my own though, I would like to say that Thelma's book is deceivingly simple and unpretentious. However it stirred so many memories and reactions from me as I went through each page. Hence my 13-page letter to the author herself. I would further say that one mark of a good book is if it evokes reactions from the reader. Just like how a teacher would evoke such reactions from her students just by teasing them with bits of information here and there and lead them to discover more things on their own. On a last note, I would take this opportunity to extend my kudos to Thelma for writing this heart-warming book. It is not often that I can say that I know of a brilliant author who lived 3 houses from me.
1375458
I haven't enjoyed reading a book this much in ages. It captures why There is so much to love and admire about science and plants, how it feels to be a woman in a male-dominated field of academia, why some of us are driven to write, and how understanding humans and their relationships is so challenging. She's really insightful and articulate, a wonderful combination to find in a book. She should follow up with a Reddit ama if she hasn't already.
4207208
Action/Reaction was recommended to me by an actor friend and before I had even finished the book I was recommending it to other.  Stephen's gift for communicating this unique technique into a language that is easily understood and practiced is masterful.  Stephen breaks down the ways that the actor can connect with the audience through this technique that is incredibly useful for actors at all levels.

Stephen is also a gifted storyteller and his tales from the set and snippets from his life experiences included in the book are highly enjoyable and a fantastic addition to this terrific book.
1500895
I had the opportunity to share this series with a terminally ill patient in the last stages of life. It's paliative power was remarkable and led to hours of comfortable conversation of the content. I believe it had this wonderful impact because the senses are engaged and the perspective of the reader is expanded to better appreciate and accept the circle of life.
1808569
I was so fascinated that I read this book cover to cover in two days. Dr. Bobinet's insights are both intelligent and digestible. Her willingness to expose her own foibles only added to the feeling that this writer is quite genuine in her message. I'm guessing her personal experiences run far deeper than the glimpses she has given us in this first book. As an artist I was particularly taken by her utilization of forgiveness as an important and effective tool in the purposeful designing our own lives. The roadmap she offers us to understanding the "whys" of what we do are truly enlightening.
2780570
It really is a pleasure to read such well written essays.  The author does a wonderful job of explaining an opinion in a short period of time.  As you have read the book is in three parts, columns before September 11, columns after September 11th and some commentary at the end of the book to expand on his columns.  He just provides a clear and insightful way to look at the issues surrounding the Middle East - I found myself learning a good deal from the book.  I also found his comments about Bush 2 and Clinton interesting, I felt he gave them both equal amounts of praise and grief.  I also found the descriptions of the current cultural situations in places like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait interesting and eye-opening, although it did seam that the author has a bone to pick with Saudi Arabia and probably rightly so.
I think the only issue I would have with the book is that many thoughts are repeated.  Given that 60% of the book were bi-weekly columns I understand why he needed to repeat themes and statements for the column reader, but in a book it tends to be a little repetitive.  I got the most enjoyment out of his overview in the back.  I would suggest that you spread the book out of a week or so, so that the repeating issues are not so much in the forefront of your view of the book.  Other then this minor point the book is very interesting and well written.  I read it over a weekend, it moved very fast.  He has some very unique ideas that make you stop and think about how you perceive a certain situation.
4748356
Tremendous command of descriptive wording of what her characters are experiencing.  The author transport's one throughout  the protagonist's experiences in a most profound way, not knowing what will happen next (and what happens is invariably not expected).  I could not help feeling that the author is one of the finest that I have read in a long time.
4253654
I can't tell you how much I love the writing style and the absolutely fascinating analysis that this book provides. If you're like me, you've come across many irritating situations at your workplace where you somehow end up looking bad for no reason, and been dumbfounded as to what just happened. Bennett breaks down many common (and some not so common) situations to show us exactly whats going on and how to fight it.

She covers the guy interruption and talking over you thing, the being asked to get coffee and take notes at a meeting thing, and the blaming PMS thing. She also covers subtler things like air conditioner being set for guys body temperatures, complements using sports terms, and nicknames like kiddo.

It did occur to me, however, that this book might have missed the boat on the underlying sociological forces at play. The fact is that the vast majority of these situations are based not on sexism but on simple competitiveness. And when women are thrown into the competition, many play the sexism card because they don't want to compete on that level. This makes sense--women are naturally not geared for the kind of low-blow competitiveness that men throw at us. But lets take a step back and realize what's going on. Its not that theres a patriarchy out to get us. Its just that men and women are different, and we need to figure out a better way to integrate the sexes in the workplace if we are to make the most of our condition. Nonetheless, this book is still very well worth the read.
2716330
Excellent insight into redirected anger and consequences.
348462
An amazing book that speaks insightfully into how we view personality differences. At moments when I thought the author was being a little heavy handed on extroversion and sounded too pro-introvert, she always managed to bring it back and balance out her argument. Regardless of whether someone is an introvert or extrovert, this book offers well articulated insight into how we view ourselves and our peers. Seriously, a wonderful read for anyone who loves communication and how people fumble with it. I honestly believe that this book could help many people find a way to avoid resorting to anger or frustration and become more patient.
4489165
The language is stimulating and fascinating. I had dialogues with my parents in my head as I read Ms. Weinberger's thoughts of her parents. I wanted to write to and about mine. I'm not a fan of poetry. I don't usually read it but I loved this one. I lived in LA  a long time ago and it brought back fond memories of Jewish friends there, their humor and a basic kindness I learned from them.
2984312
Sharman Apt Russells Diary of a Citizen Scientist is a wonderful read. Similar to her other books in that it is informative on a topic about which some of us may know little, Diary is also personal as she embarks on the fascinating journey of scientific inquiry. The writing and experiences she relates learning about tiger beetles and other organisms is lively, generous, and, at times, very, very funny. Russells interest is so genuine and her devotion to learning and understanding so exciting that I can very well imagine any number of readers immediately getting online after finishing Diary and looking for their own citizen scientist project. As a biologist myself and one who has organized such endeavors, I applaud getting more people involved in the study of the world we live in. Indeed, in the face of so many dire environmental situations across the globe, this may be our only hope. A few quiet sentences in Diary suggest to me that Russell feels the same, yet what comes across most is her hopefulness, that people, even one person, can make a difference in the world.
4931492
Ms. Porter was an absolutely terrific writer and even in this context of reporting about the protest movement in support of Sacco and Vanzetti, she does a wonderful job of chronicling the times, human nature, and the workings of the masses. A very thoughtful look at how our good intentions are often misguided. A brief, yet fantastic read.