good on more than one level
358937
A good read because I had no clue what the stray/feral dog situation was like, other than the occassional statistic thrown out. I learned a lot about that situation, as well as what often goes on in the dog breeding industry and the pet stores. Worse than I could have imagined. I almost didn't read this book because I was afraid of becoming too sad about the whole stray dog situation, but I read it anyway because I have six dogs and various behavioral broblems. I wanted some insight. I figured that if this guy rescues and rehabilitates those with the worst behavioral and emotional problems, then I could definitely get some insight into my own dogs, all of which were unwanted. But I didn't want to start with the typical sterile information you find in dog training books. I feel that "The Man Who Talks to Dogs" gave me the insight I needed into understanding the behaviors I'm seeing in my own dogs. I have made a few changes in how I relate to them and things are becoming more harmonious. There is also good information on Randy's web site strayrescue.com.
38635
This book seems to spark strong feelings one way or the other - lots of five star reviews here, but lots of ones and twos as well. Much of that dispersion doubtless reflects what individual readers bring to the book.  Another factor, however, is probably the loose structure, which can be a problem.

My feelings were positive, if not five-star positive: I liked it a lot, and would strongly recommend it.  The thread that pulls the book together is a young Balkan doctor's efforts to find out how and why her grandfather died, and to bring his effects home to his widow.  For me, "thread" is a more accurate description of the way in which this novel progresses than "plot".  It presents a series of episodes, which take place over a long time span, from the early part of the 20th century to the period after the Balkan wars of the 1990's.  The grandfather figures in most of these, but it sometimes feels more like a loosely connected series of stories than like a fast forward novel.  By the end of the book, however, i felt that most of the stories had coalesced into a meaningful whole, seen from many aspects.  For those who are comfortable with this layered approach, it is a great read.
2823244
I like that there are 3 levels on the same DVD.  While I haven't graduated to level 3 yet, I am pleased with what I have done so far.
Keep up the good work of producing a valuable resource that isn't always available for those of advancing ages and sorely needed,.
3688416
This is a good book, but this is not my kind of book. In fact, my book collection is filled with computer programming guides and 3D modeling techniques. I even have some college level math books scattered about. Out of maybe a hundred books, this is the only recreational one: Bountiful Famine. Well, I also have the last two HP books, which I read while watching the films.

Allow me to quickly summarize the first chapter. Then, I will give my own opinion of the book.

The story starts with a young boy waking from an unremembered nightmare. He cannot open his eyes, and he seems to be buried, and he is basically in a tough spot. He recalls brief portions of his life and realizes he is a slave. Then, chapter two begins with a rewind to the actual beginning of the story and continues to explain the main character's life experiences.

The book starts with a very weak introduction which may confuse some readers, but it gets much more enjoyable as the story continues. The dialogue was portrayed in a style that is easy on the eyes, as well. The author has impressive literary skills, but I often had moments when I wondered why certain things were described in a certain order. This is simply nitpicking on my part.

Overall, the book is worth more than $10 or even $15 to anyone who is looking for a well thought out story with a good narrative. There was not much in this story which really inspired me to think inward, but the story was enjoyable nonetheless.

I must say that Sheg is an author who will grow with you. I have read both his books, and I enjoy watching him grow as a creative writer.
441873
I liked this book a lot. The Kindle version included an interview with the author at the end, which was helpful in getting a perspective on the different views of religion in the book, as well as the Muslim experience in America. It also included a list of discussion questions for a book group. And I really liked the "playlist," which was a list of songs important to the author when he was a youth of Pakistani extraction growing up near Milwaukee, and songs he listened to while writing the novel. Great addition. It reminded me of getting a jazz cd as a bonus with a Michael Connelly novel, something else I enjoyed.

As for the book itself, I really enjoyed it. The writing is good, but occasionally a little unsubtle. It read fast. The author says it was cut to about half its original length, and I suspect that editing helped a lot. I really got the sense that I learned something of the Muslim experience in a thoughtful young man. The book was also a coming of age tale. It reminded me of my own youth in some ways, in a Christian tradition, and led me to reflect on the development of sexuality and religious fervor, and how the two may be connected. And it made me think of the development of fanaticism, something many adolescents may dabble with, though most do not adopt for long. Overall, I think it is an enjoyable read, which also touches on some very important topics.
1216269
Good stuff. Experiential as opposed to intellectual/linear. But still somewhat "heady," ironically. He takes on tricky material and does a great job. It's his second book that I've read and I'll probably read another one, because I enjoy his approach to a difficult subject.
2204118
Overall I found that this could be a book that I would return to.  There is a lot of information contained in the book and it is difficult to take it all in in one reading.  This was a fight between wanting to see what came next and wanting to get every detail.  I think "seeing what came next" won in this reading.  Even though I relate and grew up immersed in the truths of this book, I still found that I was enlightened by some things.  I like that much of the subjects were fully substantiated not only by research, but case studies.  Also, for me, it was interesting to find that introversion is really just part of who I am, and not some side effect of being lazy and NOT a flaw.  I will be thinking about this work long after having read it and using it as a source of confirmation that I didn't grow up with a serious flaw.  In fact, it may have been a gift.

On the critical side, I got the sense of a negative vibe toward extroverts...and repeatedly the author said this was not so...however, I felt that way.  I concede that the subject is introversion, but something asks for a balance in this topic.  This is only a small concern, but somewhat of a negative feeling while reading this for me.
4833637
Some very good selections...some overlapping ideas. But  still some wonderful Gems. The selection from different years can give a feeling of lack of continuity.
1471705
I went at this as a horror book and enjoyed it on that level, but could see other folks enjoying it just the same. It isn't tormenting enough to be truly specific to the genre and goes well into making it a more adaptable title for others wanting to check it out. you have an interesting cast of characters, an idea that plays out well, and a writing style i mostly enjoyed.

There was one thing in the book that bothered me however, reminding me of an issue i recalled in books from B.E.Ellis. In one part we get some Van Goth and, in another, we get narration from a rat. Why? I suppose because we, too, needed to find the tiny specter of cheese in the chapter-like maze pulling us forward. That did annoy me just a little. In another book it might have been even more of an issue, but there was something in the setting that was - maddening - and i liked that.

I liked it all, really, with only the minor annoyance mentioned.
518051
Lots of things work in this book (see the four stars & other reviews) - however some really don't:

1. The two first persons are very alike in their style - it would have been more convincing if their "voices" were distinguishable
2. Lots and lots and lots of trauma - seem slightly overdone. I get the impression there's a competition in the angsty contemporary YA/NA books  to come up with the most horrendous situations (I raise your "rape and murder of mother in front of you" with "dead family and beaten to a pulp and future career plans ruined") which leads me to my third complaint:
3. lots of trauma - selected "outside" behaviour of the extremely traumatized kind - on the "inside" (described thoughts, interaction with the selected special few) completely rational - this contrast is jarring making the "traumatized parts" seem as add-ons for effect.
4. It's first person - so it can be excused with perceptions but some of the described behaviour of the surroundings seem less than likely (don't want to add spoilers but an example which isn't the worst but isn't too spoilery: if you have really close friends during vacations and on Sundays, why would they completely ignore you during school - because you asked them to? But why would you ask them to?)

So why the 4 stars? Because it's well-written (pet peeve: sometimes it's "you and me" not "you and I"), compelling, and I liked the characters.
2313068
I enjoy reading a lot, though I have few opportunities to enjoy a novel, except maybe a chapter at a time before I go to bed. I'm not a fast reader, either, so I might've been a bit challenged with Jay Brandon's book, with unusually long chapters. He's a good writer, and I actually stuck it out, and generally enjoyed what I absorbed.  Chris Sinclair is a good central character, with good intentions and a somewhat insecure assessment of himself. There are 2 distinct plotlines, and a few sub-plots which aren't given much resolution. One of the more interesting sub-plots involves Chris' ex- who is a psychologist, and sustains a subliminal character of interest.  One of the main plots, involving a vicious killer named Reese, could've been more developed regarding background and motivation. The other main plot basically involved bringing a smart-ass bully to justice. This was much more interesting to me, and the entire case was well-examined, with a satisfying outcome. I refuse to blab away the whole story, since there may be some who may read this review before reading the book. (I do that often.) I enjoyed "Running with the Dead", and intend to check out more by Jay Brandon.
609792
This book consists of an interesting assortment of articles all presented in honor of the scholar V.H. Viglielmo. In the preface the editors note that festschrifts such as this are often criticized for being a mixed bag and then argue that this one is different in having a unifying theme. Hmm. Maybe, but as a glance at the article titles below will show, the mixed bag effect is still pretty strong--which is just fine with me anyway. I rather enjoy an eclectic mix. The unifying principle really is the various contributors' deep respect and affection for Viglielmo, which is the way it should be in a work of this nature. Still, Viglielmo's influence as a mentor is apparent in a number of the articles, and the impact of his highly important, pioneering work in the literature of Natsume Soseki and the philosophy of the Kyoto School is especially clear.

Like I said, I don't mind the "mixed bag" effect, but other things did annoy me slightly. The second article is in German, for instance, which seems silly to me in an American publication predominantly in English. What I can make of the title sounds quite intriguing, too, but not so much so that I'm willing to learn a whole language from scratch. I found the other articles generally interesting and full of neat insights, even the ones not dealing with Soseki or Watsuji (my own pet interests), but sometimes the quality was a bit uneven and a few in particular seemed not quite ready for prime time, if you get my drift. A couple of instances of mild Japan-essentializing were rather jarring in this regard, as was an odd scorn for Japan's indigenous poetic tradition and hints of a patronizing attitude on the part of one contributor who otherwise makes some good observations. In the case of a partially informal publication such as this, though, it would be mean-spirited to dwell too much on these lapses, most of which are minor bumps anyway--easily outweighed by the overall fine scholarly quality of the collection as a whole, a fitting tribute to an excellent scholar.

The articles are as follows:

1. "Brief Memoir of a Japan Basher" by Edward Seidensticker

2. "Tariki--Uber Shinrans und Tanabes Verstandnis des 'Wirkins' der 'Anderen Kraft' in der metanoetischen Wandlung des Selbst" by Johannes Laube

3. "Shinran: Religious Consciousness and True Individuality" by Alfred Bloom

4. "The Phenomenology and Logic of Interpresence in Watsuji Tetsuro and Nishida Kitaro" by David A. Dilworth

5. "On Nature" by Nisitani Keiji (translated by Setsuko Aihara and Graham Parkes)

6. "The Influence of William James and Henri Bergson on Natsume Soseki's 'Higan Sugi Made'" by Harue Summersgill

7. "Natsume Soseki's 'Mon' (The Gate) and Dostoevsky's 'Crime and Punishment': Understanding Soseki's Sokuten Kyoshi" by Nakayama Etsuko

8. "Natsume Soseki's 'Nowaki', A Novella" by William Ridgeway

9. "The Twelve-Part Story of Lady Joruri" by Frederick Kavanagh

10. "Higuchi Ichiyo's 'Wakaremichi', Modern Punctuation, and Genbun Itchi" by Kyle Ikeda

11. "Grief and Guilt: A Study of Hagiwara Sakutaro's 'Night Train' (1913)" by Robert Epp

12. "Kawabata Yasunari's Concept of Beauty" by Gladys Nakahara

13. "Nakajima Atsushi's 'Gojo Tan`i': An Intertextual Reading in Relation to 'Faust' and 'Zarathustra'" by Nobuko Miyama Ochner

14. "Oe Kenzaburo and the Fifty-Year Postwar Period" by Nobuko Pugarelli Aoshima

15. "William Faulkner's Visit to Nagano" by Travis Summersgill

16. "Japan and Japanese in Brazil's Literature" by Edgar C. Knowlton, Jr.

17. "'Boku' in Edo Epistolary Texts" by Katsue Akiba Reynolds

18. "Synthesis of Modern Japanese Literature and Philosophy in the Writings of Valdo H. Viglielmo" by Steve Odin

(In addition, the book also includes a good biography of Viglielmo and a useful bibliography of his publications)
4418387
The greatest, most supreme magick, is the ability to abide in perfect happiness, untainted bliss in every moment. Subsequently It is also the hardest to attain. Only infinte power can touch it.
If infinite power is ones focus, then this book is an early step in that direction(lessness). But it is not a direct path to it, it is more of a dead end side street. A worthy experince nonetheless, before one rejoins the main path again.
If the pure happiness that is brought about by enlightenment is an equivalent of a PhD then this book would be studied somewhere around junior school.  And necessarily so, as the sense of an `I am' precedes that of an `I am not'.

The book in question is a course in the attempted mastery of duality, it's fundamental teaching requires and revolves around a `doer'. As the `doer' or `ego' advances it steadily accrues `power' in order to exercise `powerlessness'.  This is akin to asking a child to sit all day long next to a candy bar without eating it.
It's job is to bring up a battle within oneself, the battle over right and wrong, good and bad etc, etc. Franz Bardon relates his own experience of this in `Frabato The Magician' where he recounts his life and death battle with a powerful `black lodge'.  Now, remember it takes two to play at duality, the author is clearly unable to detach himself from it, unable to master it. The 'good'is trying to wipe out the 'bad' and vice versa. except that both sides see themselves as 'good' and the other as 'bad'.
If the level of goodies and baddies appeals to you, and one sees themself as a potentially powerful goody; then this book is for you and it will be of great help.

However if you are looking to exit the up's and down's of duality and your primary goal is to find peace and happiness one will need to move on to becoming powerless from a  powerless place.
3210368
Very pretty first chapter, but becomes dryer afterward.  Very gentle presentation.  Each chapter is apparently a separate lesson, most of which are similar to a number of psychology tracts I've read.  The ideas it presents are nicely compartmentalized for periodic one-subject-at-a-time reading.  It did not read very well when I tried to just plow through it from cover to cover like I usually do for most books.  It has been sort of organized on specific themes in each section, but sometimes it's hard to tell why some chapters were grouped together.  Good use of analogy for the most part, but the analogies in some chapters are a bit strained, impairing understand more than helping.
906959
I enjoyed several aspects of this book very well. I felt that Wally was a very interesting, dynamic character in terms of her ambitions, goals, desires and passions. However, I also felt like she is sometimes as linear as the list of character attributes I just presented. While Wally is the most developed character in the book, she often suffers from something the other characters suffer from almost habitually -- a lack of insight into why.

Yes, I know you are explaining that you made this decision for the welfare of this person at this point and time, but I would like to feel the emotion behind the words.

I was never quite sure if this book was attempting for a more straightforward approach where things were presented in an almost detached way to let the reader settle on how they felt about things without influence or if it could have just been written a bit better to be be truly excellent.

As it is, I liked it and the ants were fascinating.
2413356
Overall, I have a mixed feeling about the book.  It is quite a well-written book illustrated with many nice experimental images.  It covers a wide range of topics starting with the basics (crystal structure, electronic band structure and phonon), then applications including magnetic properties, electrical and optical properties, size and surface effects, and properties of defects and non-crystallinity.  It has a good collection of exercises, which are challenging enough.  With sufficient materials for a two-semester course on Solid State Physics, it is a pretty good textbook for undergraduates.  I think the book is written with undergraduates in mind because most derivations are not done using formal quantum mechanical calculations.  But due to the diversity of Solid State Physics, senior undergraduates are still expected.  Scientists doing research on materials will find the book quite handy because it collects many tables of data on material properties.  Sometimes, it may be even more convenient compared to looking up the information from the internet.

Although the book is updated numerous times, I believe the writing style may not match the taste of recent undergraduates.  Many recent books adopt a friendly tone as if the authors are talking to the students.  This book is concise, which is good in some sense, but it will not be an easy read for undergraduates.  In particular, the derivations tend to be brief.  At the undergraduate level, it would be better if a couple more key steps can be incorporated.

I find that there are quite a few derivations that are done using back-of-the-envelope (order of magnitude, hand waving) type of calculations.  On one hand, this is good because the students can see the underlying physics rather than bogged down by heavy calculations.  On the other hand, I feel that the explanations are very often too brief.  This adds to the fact that undergraduates are not yet well trained to appreciate such type of informal calculations.

Finally, I am a little confused about the overall logic of the book.  I believe the basic and core part of Solid State Physics is the crystal and band structure.  After going through the first part of the book, I would expect to adopt this knowledge to understand various material properties.  However, this is not really the case.  The latter part of the book adopts a very diverse approach, some are purely classical, some are semi-classical, some are quantum mechanical.  The relationship with the electronic band structure is very often not explained.  My overall feeling is that Solid State Physics is all over the place, and I cannot find a coherent framework to understand Solid State Physics from the book.  To be fair, this may not be the fault of the author, because the book may simply reflect the current situation of Solid State Physics.  But still, I would expect an undergraduate textbook to do a better job in explaining the physics.
3969415
This first volume is great and provocative on many levels. Volume 2 has a hard time keeping the standard.