Someone not as dumb as first reviewer
582937
To the first reviewer someone less dumb than you would buy these. Someone who knows that solid gold would actually be a poor conductor relative to copper, which is exceeded only by silver in coductivity. Someone who has AQ Type 4 wire going to a four way binding post who wants a connection more secure than a banana plug would provide.
2973523
I first must identify and seperate myself from many of those writing excessively positive reviews about this CD. I am not a Robert Downey Jr. fan and have very little past experience with his music or acting. Therefore, this is unbiased and not influenced by the man's looks or past experiences.

I initially caught a Downey interview and performance on the Ellen Degeneres show. His voice, even live, is solid. Given, it isn't amazing but the easy listening or soft rock genres do not require vocals with amazing range. It only requires that a voice is relaxing, smooth, something that catches your ear and makes you want to hear more. His fits this description and, after further investigation on his website, I purchased a copy.

The album is entrancing, although its depth appeared to me gradually. Initially the lyrics seem shallow, and that may be the greatest downfall of the CD: It has little shock value. As you continue to listen though, the art comes out in the music; the piano work is beautiful at times and his voice keeps you listening. I don't want to compare Downey too closely to a legend, but as a huge Billy Joel fan, this music keeps my mind moving much the way his does. It flows the way a Joel CD does also, somewhat methodically.

The negative side of the album is limited but some, quite understandably, may not be able to see past it. As I said, the lyrics have there momentary lapses. This can be traced to Downey's writing. I suspect he isn't amazingly experienced, or atleast not at this level. Initially, as i also said, the first listen might not move you. Give it another chance though; if it doesn't do anything for you it's no surprise, no album's perfect.

Overall, the CD is a good effort. Contrary to some negative reviews, the CD would remain solid whether or not Downey was an actor or not. Historically, actors do not make good singers. That doesn't mean anyone should jump to conclusions on this album, underestimating the mans talent. On the opposite side, contrary to the positive reviews, Downey is not God and the album is not flawless. There is plenty of room for improvement and maturation as a musician. For a debut though, it must be considered a success.
1376948
First thing, if you are one of those people who don't like when somebody expands on a work they've already done, whether it be a writer turning a short story into a novel or making a Twitter account a TV show (okay, that one I can see problems with), then you probably don't want to purchase this book.  Material from his two major CDs are contained in the book.

That being said, the material is not, unlike some other works, just a word-for-word duplication of his live act.  In some ways, it is to me an awesome feat he performs, in letting us know where the act came from and also expanding on it, giving a third dimensional view of Birbiggleboots.  His relationship with his father, which is very lightly touched upon in his act, is seen through several sections of the book is in ways as cutting as more "literary" works, while his chapter on sleepwalking (which I thought was going to be the focus of the book entire) is hilarious (well, to me, maybe not to him at the time).  Another reviewer hinted (sarcastically) that Mike sees himself as a storyteller rather than a comedian now.  That works for me.
1740343
You've gotta' be kiddin' to ask me what I think of the author whose name is Albert Einstein.  Did not bother me in the slightest that a few misspellings and a couple of syntax errors were in it.  That set me to thinking that if those were in the original document, and I were the publisher, i would not have corrected them, either.  Who would want to correct something as written by one of the world's greatest geniuses.  And, as for syntax, hey, his native language was German.  I've spent years trying to write correctly in German, and have not come close.  And, besides, what could be more reassuring than to see little bits of evidence that Dr. Einstein was human.  I rather hope those WERE his errors, and not typo errors made by the publisher or printer.  It makes Dr. Einstein seem more real, more human, more like one of the rest of us humans.
3131517
Cover is working well, and not as boring as others.
857055
I didn't think it would be as funny as the first one but I was pleasantly surprised. If you're looking for a great story and character development then this isn't your movie. If you're looking for low brow humor and a few belly laughs this is a decent comedy flick.
4920354
See the earlier review- don't know why there are two requests for review.  Perhaps they thought I was asleep the first time.
32478
I have seen the 2 reviews here and one sounds like he is either a competitor or just closed minded. Nonetheless, he's entitled to his opinion. I know that I have read a bad review of a book or audio and came away with a very different viewpoint after reading the book or listening to the audio or watching the movie. Maybe you have had the same thing happen. Well I actually have that experience with these audios. I got a lot out of it. I was skeptical at first but they were referred to me and so I listened and as I listened to the words ad took notes and practiced the concepts and made them my own, the stuff actually effing worked. I was turning people into bobble heads. Of course I sucked at first, and the lessons didn't make sense, but around the 3-4th time through the set, things started to click and the results started coming in. I am now a big believer and was able to persuade others to get the CDs for the sales team at the office. It's a lot cheaper than those idiots who come in with the cheesy 1 liners from the 60's that everyone has heard a billion times that just don't work any more. So whether this review makes sense to you or not, I'm just sharing my experience. You will decide if the set is for you and have your own experience with them like I did.
3669743
Sequels to good first books are frequently not as good.  This one was better.  I will look for more by this author.
3848661
User is happy with product and reports it is lighter in weight than the part it replaced. Wonderful.
3997118
Dear Amazon bots. I got this book from the library. Not everyone can be a 'verified purchaser.' That out of the way, I found the book better than the first, and aside from the "cordite" mistake (Cordite hasn't been used in over 50 years, so the odds that someone can smell cordite in the air are slim to none), it was a constant page turner.
104320
For some reason my reviews keep having issues so I will post something short and sweet this time.

This book is not normally in my range of books that I read but I decided to give it a chance and I am glad that I did. The author new to me and their work is extremely well written, there are no major plot fails , And the book seems to flow well for me. The characters are interesting and grab your attention.
3326431
I enjoyed this book. I had already read Thoughts without a Thinker by Mark Epstein, MD, and I would say Epstein's book seems more sophisticated and less doctrinaire. I found this book at a thrift store, and based on a few quotes I had read by him, I decided to read one of his books. Midway through I read some reviews on here & Amazon, and saw there were several unfavorable reviews, as well as a few gushing, glowing ones. I had noticed that he makes a number of cosmological declarations of fact which seemed to me to be mere unproven postulates or religious doctrines imported from various world religions. One reviewer called it a homily (or a satsang, which apparently means sermon or talk). It is not a peer reviewed research paper by an academic or licensed psychologist, as far as I can tell, and maybe that is why it generated a lot of heat from other reviewers who seem to think he has a lot of hubris to repackage  & over-simplify a lot of well known teachings from ancient traditions. Mr. Tolle apparently has a good education from a renowned school (Cambridge University in UK) and the writing, spelling, and grammar seemed pretty good to me, but it is not a perfect book. I think this book is helpful for someone who is trying to transcend a reactive mind with a lot of embedded pain memories and bad habits, or is seeking to optimize their awareness and consciousness. However, as Epstein states, merely being a witness to consciousness sometimes is not enough, and some technical work with a truly skilled counselor may be needed for some people to find their way. Eckhart Tolle does not seem to factor in such needs, and urges that the only thing necessary is to forget the past and future, get free of delusion of the false self of ego, and just BE HERE NOW, which was a simpler briefer title with a similar theme published in 1971 by Ram Dass. There is a lot of quotations and cross referencing of spiritual teachings by Jesus, Buddha, Hinduism, Zen, Tao, etc. etc.
All in all, I enjoyed reading it, and found it comprehensible, and I think it reinforced some things I either knew already intuitively or had read elsewhere. I do not necessarily completely adopt his cosmological models, but they were good enough as a working hypothesis and I think I understand most of what he was saying. His intentions seemed good, and his main recommendations seem true and helpful. Some of the bad reviews seemed to indicate that they thought he was some kind of clueless & arrogant megalomaniac in diapers or on training wheels, or trying to found a cult, or stampeding people into his fold with doomsday urgings that we must adopt his dictates or die. I noticed that he did seem a bit flatly doctrinaire at times, but complex proofs of his theorems would have bloated the length of the book and obscured his simple message, so I think it is OK the way it was written. He also in a number of places made statements of caveats and admissions of limitations on the scope of some of his statements, so it seems he is not a naif trying to found a cult, such as the Bagwan of Antelope Oregon, Jim Jones, or David Koresh of Waco did. No, it seems he is styling himself more as a global guru in a spiritual realm, and he explains pretty clearly how to reduce suffering caused by a reactive ego, and get on with opening up the channel to a postulated formless, cosmic consciousness and then let it emerge and be implemented in our world of form with acceptance, enjoyment, and/or enthusiasm in good works with coherent purpose enhanced with the cosmic awareness he recommends. Is that so wrong? No. That could be a very good thing. I enjoyed the book despite it's limitations and faults, and found it helpful, edifying, and worth reading.
3959511
it's nice to read about a guy who isn't so serious about himself or his food. He just makes it work.
3052681
The first review, above, seems typically over-the-top jazz police stuff.  Andy LaVerne is a respected jazz pianist--not a star, but the real thing and a guy who gets up every morning and thinks about and plays music every day (and into the night) and has done so for many years.  So there's no reason to get fanatic in disapproval, as if this were some kind of scam that had been detected.

The second review is probably fair enough--if you've got the chops for it, go for the Hal Leonard version; if you want a nice playable intermediate take on Bill's ideas--one's the average good amateur can probably pull off, then go for the preesent book, because it's well done, tasteful and may well be best book for some players.
2353553
I read Sky High not realizing I also had Finding Sky (book 1).  I enjoyed Sky High so much I immediately started reading Finding Sky.  I didn't find this series or book "hilarious" as another reviewer, it is a light, occasionally amusing read (and clean as I recall in terms of language and sex).  I found it refreshing that Nicki is actually studying to become a PI which gives her actions a bit more sense the the usual cozy where the main character is a busy body (not that I have a problem with that).  I also like Dean and Nicki's best friend Kenna, they aren't stereotypes.  Nicki's been burned and her slow relationship with Dean is understandable.  While Nicki has two kids they aren't a big part of the story, but it's obvious they are a big part of her life and they don't become a barely mentioned note or an obtrusive, precocious presence as sometimes happens.  Despite them being quite young, Nicki rather smartly uses them in her investigation once or twice.

I also liked how the first book was a missing person's case (I'm about 60% through it since last night) and this one had a murder.  There is a bit of a gross medical condition and a rather unusual, gross cure which seemed a tad out of place given the lack of grossness (murder detail, etc), but as a former hospital worker I found interesting.  Maybe it was supposed to be humorous, but I felt for the character and her situation.  All the characters handle it with compassion and maturity and there were none of the gross out jokes I expected.

I do think that almost any one could have been the murderer until almost the end and that, in one of my biggest peeves, the murderer basically outs him/her self.

Just an unimportant side note, I understand the use of Sky in the title of the first book, but why the author decided to use it for her series escapes me.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
2126337
As I said this one is not as good as his first, but entertaining in it self. The story about scoring on the UF south goal line made it totally worth it.