Book Description
Features a selection of art from America's best contemporary watercolor painters Offers clear, practical advice on how to apply a specific technique from each painting to the reader's own art Paintings focus on all varieties of subjects including street scenes, landscapes, animals and people
Splash 9: Tips and Techniques offers readers insight into the minds and working methods of some of the best contemporary painters through more than 100 paintings, each with its own lesson. Featuring tips on techniques including light, color, composition and brush application, this book provides an intimate look at the styles of successful artists. With all this and more, this is one book that will make a splash among painters!
Customer Reviews:
Splash 9.......2007-09-24
High quality reproductions. Excellent book for artists to see the techniques that others are using. Also the quality that would allow you to set it out for others to enjoy.
Inspiring.......2007-09-21
I have the whole series, which is the only reason that it was not 5 stars.
I have an earlier favorite. But this one is great in that you get to read the artists' thoughts on why or how. I've always been interested in what inspires other artists. This one gives me/us that.
Splash - Time for a Change.......2006-12-28
If you like your watercolors with lots of intricate details and reflections in crystal, you'll like this latest Splash. If you're looking for something different, experimental and creative, don't bother. I have the entire series, and I'm thinking of reselling this one. (I won't be purchasing any future editions without checking them closely first.) The Splash series was quite cutting edge in the early years, striving to showcase the new trends. But it hasn't kept up. Now it just feels like a profit center for North Light.
Of 130 pages, only 12 pages (the shortest chapter) is devoted to experimental watermedia. And even then, one painting includes reflections in crystal (just so you don't stray too far...)
Publishers, it's time for a change. We need a new series for the 21st Century (edited by Betsy Dillard Stroud or Nita Leland?) devoted to the exciting trends in watermedia, mixed media, collage, monotypes, and digital hybrid art.
Almost ...but not quite.......2006-09-09
With this ninth book in the remarkable Splash series I was rather disappointed. To me the strength of the previous eight books has been the remarkable diversity of painting styles. Even though each had a rather loose theme you could turn the pages and not really know what to expect apart from the fact that every picture was a watercolor. So many of the paintings just make you stop and look and look and frequently wonder how an artist achieved that painting. Luckily part of the editorial format in each book allowed artists to reveal their creative thoughts or techniques in words next to the picture.
All of this is true of book nine but I just didn't feel it had the excitement of the other books. Many of the paintings seem rather casual, the range of subject matter and composition perhaps too ordinary, safe and predictable and plenty seem to have sombre dominant colors, like the front cover for instance. Essentially I think that I've seen better versions of so many of these paintings in the previous eight titles.
Still there is plenty to enjoy though. Three from Laurin McCracken caught my eye, she likes to make things difficult by creating still life compositions with crystal glass and silverware. Equally interesting is how she works: with a digital camera and pc to improve the composition even before lifting a brush. Paul Sullivan creates some almost photo-realist paintings of everyday scenes from Milan, Rome and Sienna. His exterior detail of a church in Milan is amazing. Diane Maxey does wonders with flowers, so much so that her Poppy Parade looks just like an oil painting.
I've just looked through Splash 1/America's Best Contemporary Watercolors, which came out in 1991 and what an amazing start to the series and it does rather overpower this latest book. I'm hoping book ten will continue the magic so evident in the previous eight books.
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
Splash 9.......2006-08-27
I have loved collecting the Splash series. I enjoy looking at them over and over. The books are a great place to see what others are doing, use for inspiration, and sometimes to help solve a problem with something you are working on.
Book Description
Essential advice from the author of the bestselling Get Out Of My Life
Today's children--from toddlers to preteens--challenge their parents in ways that would have been unthinkable a generation ago, notes Anthony E. Wolf, and parents are often uncertain about how to cope.
In his new book, Wolf presents a fresh perspective on this less pleasant behavior and a surprisingly simple method for dealing with it. He argues that punishments and rewards don't work and may even be counterproductive. Instead, parents must act swiftly and decisively following Wolf's easy but powerful technique. Using numerous examples of effective and ineffective parent-child interactions, he offers practical advice on a wide range of basic issues, from tantrums and back talk, to getting kids off to school in the morning and eliminating sibling fights.
Humorous and easy to use, The Secret of Parenting is guaranteed to dramatically increase the joy parents get from raising their children.
Customer Reviews:
One of the best parenting books .......2006-09-12
I wish I had found this book when my son was a toddler. It made a lot of difference in my approach to parenting and gave me understanding on what was going on with my son. It takes a lot of work and effort to stop old parenting styles, including punishments, threats and manipulating with rewards; at the end it really pays off. It has been 5 years since I found this book and we follow its advice, it made a lot of difference, my son used to go to his room slam the door and shut down; he would be upset and crying. He has not done that since we started a different parenting approach, including dialog and setting up expectations. My son is 12 now and he is a great kid. I am thankful for the author who has shared his wisdom about parenting. I also recommend: "Raising Cooperative & Self-Confident Children" by Ph.D. Francine C. Beauvoir
and "Parent Effectiveness Training, P.E.T." By Dr. Thomas Gordon.
Potentially life changing!.......2006-07-10
This is one of the few parenting books I have felt compelled to read cover to cover. First, Wolf's advice is very practically oriented, and the first time I tried his suggestion to "disengage" I experienced the effectiveness of the approach. Just as important, he outlines the "big picture" of what this sort of parenting aims to achieve: happy, self-confident children who do the right thing by developing a real moral compass, not just behaving out of fear of punishment. Best of all, as other reviewers have suggested, he helps put the joy back in parenting by placing your own child's behavior in its proper perspective, and by emphasizing the positive power all parents have over their children. I can already see the improvement in my son's behavior, and in my mood!
Finally, I Get It!.......2006-02-18
This book was wonderful for me. It helped me understand why my children's behavior is so different around me, than it is around everyone else. It's very easy to read and humorous, but also gives sound practical advice.
AWESOME BOOK.......2005-10-18
This book is awesome - really works well with our kids. Time outs, threats and punishments did NOT work. Every hospital should give this book to parents when they leave for home with their newborn child!
NOT what I was hoping for........2005-09-09
As a mother of four, I can say that I have lived many parenting dillemas, and read many many parenting books. Unfortunately, this one wasn't helpfull at all. If a child is kicking furniture and refusing to obey his father, the best recommandation this author has to offer is to wait, and eventually the child will stop and go do something else. As if I couldn't have guessed that myself. Of course he will eventually stop, does ignoring the kicking and defiand behavior makes you a good parent? I wish! The day I ordered that book, I also ordered New Parent Power from Rosemond, and THAT is a good book, a real bible for parenting. He doesn't suggest that you let your kids do just anything and hope that one day they stop any bad behavior just by magic, he details real consequences for bad behaviors, and THAT is helpfull. Any parent can ignore a child banging on the table at supper time, it won't make supper time any better, it will only show the other kids that they can do whatever they want because the parents will ignore, won't care enough to lift a finger, and supper time will become a jungle. This is not what I want in my house! My kids are (generally) well behaved, because they know that when they mis-behave, they suffer consequences. Time outs, priviledges taken away, and such.
Hope this helps your choice! (he is closer to Dr Sears "attachment parenting" than to Rosemond "real good traditionnal parenting", and having seen many families, and having many kids, I am now feeling really strongly that past age 12 or 18 months, attachment parenting just makes kids become brats, as real traditionnal parenting makes respectfull kids, well behaved and self assured kids, that can sleep in their bed, and get around without being in moms arms.)
Sorry for the mistakes I have made, English is my second language.
Have a nice day!
Average customer rating:
- Critical historical context for the War on Drugs
- Important but little known history
|
The Strength of the Wolf: The Secret History of America's War on Drugs
Douglas Valentine
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Drug Dependency | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
War on Drugs | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Intelligence Agencies | Levels of Government | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Federal Government | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1859845681 |
Book Description
`The Strength of the Wolf' is the first complete history of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), which existed from 1930 until its wrenching termination in 1968. The most successful federal law enforcement agency ever, the FBN was populated by some of the most amazing characters in American history, many of whom the author interviewed for this book. Working as undercover agents and with mercenary informers around the globe, these freewheeling "case making" agents penetrated the Mafia and the French connection, breaking all the rules in the process, and uncovering the Establishment's ties to organized crime. Targeted by the FBI and the CIA, the case-makers were, ironically, victims of their own fabulous success in hunting down society's predators. An incredible, never-before-told story, `The Strength of the Wolf' provides a new, exciting, and revealing look at an important chapter in American history.
Customer Reviews:
Critical historical context for the War on Drugs.......2007-03-20
Given how much money this country spends to fight drug dealers and to lock up drug dealers & users both, I am amazed how little I hear people question the War on Drugs.
This book provides the historical framework critical to understand this, with the War on Drugs beginning as an attempt to provide what equates to trade protection to the pharmaceutical companies (who competed with the real thing of the day, opium/heroin), and how later racism led to marijuana users being targeted as well (Black Americans in Harlem and Latinos in the SW and California), and of course the violence fueled by the cocaine/crack trade made it a national buzzword.
It is a crime that this assault on our own citizens continues today - one would think that after the dismal failure of Prohibition that we would have learned our lesson.
Hopefully this book can start raising a consciousness to question it, at the very least more public debate (without the hysteria) is long overdue.
Important but little known history.......2004-07-29
Based on exhaustive research and interviews, this detailed and extensively footnoted history of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics is both a fine reference work for scholars, and an eye-opening, exciting narrative for the general reader. The book itself is the highest quality, made to last for generations, and includes a section of rare photographs, and an appendix consisting of a rogue's gallery from the FBN's files. The FBN, headed by Harry J. Anslinger, was the precursor agency to today's DEA. The War on Drugs that has been waged for years now, with a price is no object mentality, is now being reconsidered by more and more people as either an ill-considered mistake, or perhaps even as a Big Government/Big Brother monkey on the public's fiscal back. The War has surely not stopped the supply of drugs, and if you have ever thought that it was never intended to, but wondered why that was so, The Strength of The Wolf, will provide some answers. There are many books about drug enforcement (or lack thereof) in the recent past, but this work is unique in that it looks at what might be called the dawn of drug enforcement.
Amazon.com
Part memoir, part exposé, Promiscuities is Naomi Wolf's (author of The Beauty Myth and Fire with Fire) perspective on the confusion surrounding female sexuality. According to Wolf, promiscuous is "a word that holds within it the mixed message girls today are given about sex: 'You're promiscuous if you do anything, but you are a prude if you do nothing.'" Thus, still polarized on the spectrum between virgin and whore, adolescent girls are allowed little information and even fewer healthy outlets for their normal sexual desires. Wolf shatters the illusion that good girls and professional women are not sexual, and boldly embarks on redefining female sexuality outside of men's experience and assumptions. Wolf's own coming of age in the post-sexual revolution of Haight-Ashbury, serves as an evocative tool for revealing the naked and admirable truth of female sexuality.
Book Description
In this provocative and highly personal book, bestselling author Naomi Wolf explores a subject that has long been taboo in our society: women's sexual coming-of-age. Promiscuities brazenly exposes the truths behind the conflicting messages directed at young women during and after the sexual revolution. Drawing on surprising examples from the ancient and recent past, along with vivid recollections of her own youth, Wolf shows how our "liberated" culture still fears and distorts female passion. She also shares fascinating true stories that illustrate the fantasies and sometimes crippling realities women pass through on their way toward erotic and emotional discovery. A landmark book, Promiscuities is a call to women of all ages to reclaim and celebrate their sexuality.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I was expecting. Thank God........2006-11-07
The very things that others hate in this book is what makes it so overwhelmingly important to me.
I have so many feminist books on my shelf. They dominate my library. They remain largely unread. I bought them because I believe in everything inside them; I can't read them because I can't stand what they have to say. They are bogged down in factual statements that read like a laundry list of angry, mind-numbing statistics. They try so hard to *prove* their point in this defensive tone of voice (a tone they've earned.) And I just don't need anybody to tell me that I'm not in a privileged position in 50 billion different ways, I don't need anybody to argue me into it. I'm the choir; I'm a woman, I know exactly how I'm treated every day. I know, I get it, I'm doing what I can about it, shut up. But I buy these books because, although they are so morbid, sarcastic, dry, boring, and depressing, they are a bitter pill that I know is good for me. I'm supposed to read them as an educated, intelligent, outspoken feminist.
And so I expected what everyone else apparently wished this book was: another laundry list, more arguments, more facts, blah blah blah, all recited in a dutifully mean and nasty tone of voice (because we wouldn't want to show any empathy or emotion about these subjects, or the boys will call us weak, hysterical females!) I expected for it to hold my attention for all of two pages.
It's been so long since I haven't been able to put a book down, and I found it in this book. Yes, it's personal. It's also so incredibly relatable. The old cliche: it made me cry, it made me laugh. Mostly it did so because she essentially told me all of my own stories in that raw, honest, nostalgic, captivating way that I've always wanted to hear my voice speak. This is the story of every girl I've ever known. She didn't pick girls and their social behavior apart like some sort of lab rats, noting this and that hierarchy, that statistic on teen pregnancy, that one on number of girls who know how to use a condom.
No, she approached girls as what they are: us when we were younger. I understood so much more about my girlhood self after this book, and felt so understood for the first time in so many ways, that I simply cannot fathom anybody having a problem with the personal nature of "Promiscuities." Intimacy is the pinnacle, the crown jewel, of this book, NOT its flaw!
She speaks for many, many women.......2006-03-12
First off the author makes it very clear that her book is part memoir, part exposé of sexual issues in the time period she grew up in. Period.
And having split my time between a small island in Washington state where I took the ferry to Seattle to attend an all girls school and here in Northern California not far from San Francisco I could 100% identify with a lot of what the author wrote about and shared.
Yes, she grew up in a middle class home with academia parents, as I did. Yes, she got the same mixed messages I and my peers did. But again this is about her life and her life experiences. If you dont want to hear about them, then dont read the book.
But her books appeal to me because of her views. And in reading this book I came to appreciate her other books, The Beauty Myth : How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women and Misconceptions : Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood and Promiscuities a Secret History of Female and The Treehouse : Eccentric Wisdom from My Father on How to Live, Love, and See even more.
In fact it is like viewing the evolutionary journey of a wonderful woman. In fact I think her book The Treehouse : Eccentric Wisdom from My Father on How to Live, Love, and See about her father Leonard who was a Professor at San Francisco State may well be a great eye opener for those who want to read this book.
The Talk of the Town.......2003-06-19
It is an excellent conversation piece to share with your husband/boyfriend, friends, daughter and mother. It touches on so many issues that are too "weird" to say outloud. It really makes you think about your sexuality and your desires and your relationships with both women and men in a way that validates them for the first time ever. It is thought- provoking and informative. You will read it, love it, and pass it on.
a very slight commentary:.......2003-06-03
Why do people care so much what other people think about them? This book is more of a whine and a moaning lament on what the author imagines other people think about this and that and so-and-so. I believe a true liberation of spirit would come from simply stating: Who cares what you think?
Misunderstood and Undervalued.......2003-04-28
This book, by such a 'noted' feminist researcher, has recieved an undue amount of criticism for several reasons. The first being that there is always an over emphasis on the context Wolf chooses, which is her own. There is an overwhelming failure to notice how this creates a story, and a background for the reader. Elsewise, we would just be meandering through some misplaced memories. It also serves to show that these stories are not meant as an all inclusive look at what it means to have sex as a teenage girl.
The second undue criticism comes from the nature of the book - as a collection of stories. There are complaints that, unlike The Beauty Myth, there is not a lot of factual research - which Wolf readily admits in the introduction. The reason for this is often revealed in interviews with Wolf. She often notes that she wrote it because she realized her daughter would be going through the same things in a number of years. The lack of theory and jargon in this book make it accessible for young women who many not even really understand what the word "feminist" means.
I write this because I read this book as a young girl, and later as a university student. As a pre highschool student, this book gave me guidance and reference not available to me from my family, friends or school. The fact that someone was telling these stories served to make my own experiences normal and gave me realistic expectations in the world of "high school romance". I don't hesitate to say it probably saved me a lot of heart ache, as I was exposed to the stories of "women who have gone before"
As a university student, I feel that the true stories of women are generally not heard in the forum of mainstream culture. Although I have come to disagree with some portrayals and sections of this book, I also realize it's value and recognize it's impact on my life. It is a must read for young women, and should be available in health and family life classes everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
I absolutely loved it!.......2006-05-31
From the back:
She'd returned to her birthplace to expose her mother's killer. But in facing her hazy childhood memories, Brie Danzinger soon discovered a family she'd never know - and an undeniable attraction to enigmatic police chief Reed Hunter. Reed knew something that he wouldn't - or couldn't - tell her. Was it about her mother...or more personal?
Giving in to his yearning for Brie could mean her death. But when her questions stirred a sleeping killer, Reed couldn't keep his vow to stay away. His feelings had to take second place to protecting Brie - but could Reed save her from the shocking truth about herself?
My Thoughts:
There are so many things that were great in it! The curse, the fact that Brie didn't know her family history very well, the suspense, of course. Loved it, and I'd recommend it!
Secrets of the Wolf.......2006-03-17
I loved this book. I will buy other books by this author!!! In fact I wish she would write a "novel", a longer book.!!!
Book Description
"The reading world would be a happier place if more paranormal romance writers wrote as well as Krinard."
(Contra Costa Sunday Times)
"A master of atmosphere and description." (Library Journal)
USA Today bestselling author Susan Krinard continues the saga of Touch of the Wolf and Once a Wolf in this dark, compelling new novel of a tortured man with werewolf blood-and the beautiful hypnotist who vows to heal his wounded soul.
Customer Reviews:
Plodding & unromantic.......2005-05-29
After enjoying Ms. Krinard's previous two books in this series, I was looking forward to Quentin's story. It was a big disappointment and took me forever to read. Quentin almost seems like a different person from the previous books. While Johanna is a strong woman, there is almost no chemistry between them. This book is much more a study in mental illness than a romance. If you can read it for that, it's somewhat enjoyable. The action really didn't get going until 3/4 of the way through the book. The happy ending is very abrupt; it reads as though Rowena is there, but she isn't. There's very little werewolf in it either.
There'll be a delay (at least) before I try another in this series...it was that dull.
One weird romance..........2004-04-13
... well if you call the heroine-doctor falling in love with her multiple-persona (due to torture as a child by a relative), werewolf patient a romance. This isn't a romanticized Jekyll/Hyde with fur type of story. I kept reading it wondering where the story was going and how she could give us our happy romantic ending. It does, but it's still a weird read.
If you like your romantic couple to suffer before ending up together then this might be the book for you. I found it tedious.
Ms. Krinards descriptons and scenery are very good, but her jumping from each character's point of view (sometimes within the same paragraph) got confusing.
There are many other books of supernatural romance out there... I would strongly suggest you read one of those.
Good, but not as good as the other two.......2003-01-16
In the third installment of the Forster trilogy, Quentin is wandering about Northern California in an alcoholic haze. The drinking mentioned in the previous books has gone out of control. During a binge, he saves Dr. Johanna Schell from a drunken brute in an alley and becomes obsessed. He follows her home, she finds him passed out on the side of the road. Dr. Schell runs a private mental hospital and takes him in to treat his dipsomania. It turns out that this is not his only problem, and she resolves to treat that as well. Their relationship developes at a strange pace from there. Someone from the past is trying to disturb the Haven as well.
This is not of the same caliber as the earlier novels. I really didn't approve of the way Quentin cured everyone's ills. It was too simplistic. Overall, it was an enjoyable book, but I was hoping for more.
A Fabulous Read!.......2002-08-03
"Secret of the Wolf" is the final chapter in Susan Krinard's captivating trilogy that started with "Touch of the Wolf" and "Once a Wolf" and in my opinion it is much the best. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, but "Secret of the Wolf" is something really special. Krinard has created an amazingly insightful, touching, and thought-provoking novel that I could not put down (I was even reading it at stoplights in my car!).
Amidst the lush vineyards and rolling hills of the picturesque Napa Valley is Dr. Johanna Schell's Der Haven, a place where those who know the pain of being different can come to live in peace. Well ahead of her time, Johanna uses hypnotism as one of her main tools to treat her patients' mental illnesses. The patients at Der Haven are a diverse bunch: Lewis, the obsessive compulsive former Reverend, Harper, the catatonic ex-soldier, Irene, a middle-aged ex-theatre actress who thinks she's still a star, May, an incredibly shy and nervous young girl who rarely shows her face, and Oscar, whose mind will forever be child-like. Krinard paints all of these characters with compassion and realism, and as a result they become almost as intriguing as the primary characters.
The story begins when on her way home after a trip, Johanna finds a man unconscious on the path leading to Der Haven, reeking of liquor. Unable to ignore anyone in need, Johanna brings the man to Der Haven, where she goes about treating his condition.
When Quentin Forster finally wakes, he doesn't have a clue where he is or how he got there. But that is nothing new to Quentin, who has been suffering from terrifying spells of amnesia that leave him with nothing more than a impression of violence. But Quentin is no ordinary man; he is one of the last survivors of a race of werewolves or loups-garous, noble and majestic creatures that have kept their existence hidden from the human world. Quentin has been running from his personal demons for years, but he finally may have found a place where he can stop running and begin to heal, if only he can find the courage to face the shadows that haunt him.
As time passes and Quentin settles in at Der Haven, Johanna is amazed at his ability to draw out the other patients, especially May. But the biggest issue Johanna must face is her intense attraction to Quentin, which becomes harder and harder to deny, and threatens to interfere with Quentin's treatment. Though afraid of what he may discover within himself, Quentin has great faith and trust in Johanna and her ability to make him whole again. And it doesn't take long for Quentin's trust to become something deeper and more permanent - love.
But Quentin has many demons to face before he can even start to think about building a life with Johanna. While hypnotized, Johanna is shocked to discover that Quentin becomes violent and evil, and also suffers from delusions that he is a werewolf. But worst of all is the emergence of an entirely separate personality, Fenris, the embodiment of all of Quentin's fear and hatred, created during his years of childhood abuse and torture. Realizing she is in over her head and allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement, Johanna begins to doubt her ability to help Quentin.
But trouble is heading Johanna and Quentin's way. Dr. Feodor Bolkonsky arrives in Silverado Springs under the guise of wanting to discuss hypnotism with a fellow doctor. But it isn't long before Johanna discovers that Bolkonsky is really there to return May to her sexually abusive father. Determined to keep May away from her father Johanna begins to construct a plan, and when Quentin finds out what's happening, he is determined to protect May at all costs. However, Bolkonsky has another and much more sinister hidden agenda, and Johanna must find the courage within herself to trust, heal, and love Quentin in order to save him!
"Secret of the Wolf" is an affecting tale of love, self-discovery, and redemption. Krinard shows amazing insight into the inner workings of the minds and hearts of her rich and vivid characters and these fascinating characters kept me utterly absorbed in the story because I cared so much about them. Susan Krinard is one of the best paranormal romance authors out there, and "Secret of the Wolf" is a terrific read that does the genre proud. So don't miss out on this exceptional read, buy it right away and enjoy!
Good but a bit disappointing..........2002-04-02
Boy! What a myriad of emotions I went through while reading Secret of the Wolf by Susan Krinard! First of all, let me say that I'd been eagerly waiting for the conclusion of Krinard's werewolf saga. I adored Braden and Cassidy in Book 1 Touch of the Wolf and I really enjoyed Rowena and Tomas in Book 2 Once a Wolf. This is Quentin's story. It started slow and without much spark. I was set to write a very poor review. Then it picked up in the middle when a double personality story was introduced, which was a very interesting concept but it eventually overshadowed the werewolf story! This was not the story of Quentin the werewolf as much as the story of Quentin/Fenris, his alter ego. I really liked heroine Johanna's character: she was insightful, calm and trustworthy. She cared for her patients as if they were family. Her only experience with love and romance had left her unsure of herself as a woman. But her attraction and devotion to Quentin was undeniable. Quentin was fighting demons from Page One, and having read the previous stories, I thought it would be like Rowena's story: an unwillingness to accept the werewolf half of his body and personality. But there was so much more to Quentin than could be seen at first. Physical childhood abuse had carved out his character, violent aspects and all, but the reader never doubted Quentin's essential goodness. The ending was a real page-turner, with all the pieces coming together in a complicated, action-packed conclusion. And because the book was ultimately a romance, of course there was a happy ending. But I must admit a sense of disappointment (hence the 4 star rating). There was not enough of the werewolf aspect of the story and no real connection to the previously ( well-loved) characters such as Braden, Cassidy and Rowena. I feel this was the weakest link in the trilogy, although it's still very much worth reading.
Customer Reviews:
A must read for any female.......2007-09-20
I read this at the height of learning to understand being a woman. It was a great tool to have as i tried to rise above judgements, and instead go with my instincts.
Book Description
This "dater's bible" from romance and relationship expert Sharyn Wolf has exposed the mysteries of dating in innovative ways and helped people of all ages find fulfilling relationships. In a detailed, step-by-step format, Guerrilla Dating Tactics--newly revised and updated--demonstrates the most effective, original ways to meet with people, connect with them, and enjoy the process. This book provides dating guidelines for: * The perfect ice-breaker for parties, chance encounters, or standing in line, or anywhere you see someone you are interested in meeting * Eye contact dos and don'ts * Foolproof strategies on using personal ads to get the "write" result * Small talk, mid talk, deep talk * The new etiquette--who calls first and who pays * The key to safe cyberflirting--how to make the right connections on-line without going over the line Relating dozens of successful real-life situations, including stories from the readers of the first ! edition of the book, Guerrilla Dating Tactics is the perfect dating manual for anyone interested in meeting that special someone.
Customer Reviews:
What a breath of fresh air.......2004-03-20
Coming out of a long relationship freaked me out. I didn't know what to do first. I'm a good guy, but a clueless guy. This book gave me so many ideas--but, more than that, it made me laugh out loud. I felt educated and relaxed and no longer as anxious about getting out there. I won't say that everything has been a breeze, but I will say that I am much more comfortable with dating and, most importantly, with myself.
THIS BOOK ROCKS!!.......2002-06-04
if you're looking for a nice little formula for getting laid, you won't find it. if you're looking for a magic potion that will make your favorite person fall in love with you, you'll be severely disappointed. if you're looking for a new YOU that people will like... well, if you need that, NO book is going to help you.
what it WILL give you is a whole new outlook on approaching interesting and attractive people; hard-headed good advice, and useful strategies for overcomming your shyness. information on how to flirt, proper use of body language, how to recognize signs of incompatibility, and so on. dating is a language, and not everyone is born speaking it. this book is a dictionary. it will teach you how to convey your intent without overstepping bounds, and possibly give you a whole new confidence that can come only with understanding.
isaac schlueter
This stuff works, really!!.......2001-07-25
I purchased this book several years ago, after seeing Sharyn Wolff on "Oprah." I was impressed by her straightforward, common sense ideas concerning male/female interaction. The book is written in the same forthright manner. I only disagreed with one idea (be prepared to meet people anywhere, including the laundromat -- my neighborhood laundromat was so scuzzy that I paid extra to use a wash-and-fold service near my office). All the rest of the ideas were outstanding. Wolff's basic premise is to work on being the kind of person in whom your ideal partner would be interested -- have a life, and enjoy it!! I have loaned this book out repeatedly, and recommended it to all of my single friends.
Great and I'm buying it for friends.......2001-04-05
This has been very helpful. Have not been dateless since...
Gender biased common sense.......2000-06-10
This book spends much of it's time pointing out the obvious.
Which is: If you are a woman, just open up your eyes, stop rejecting most of the half-decent men you meet and you might actually find one you like.
And for men, keep trying until you finally meet one of the women above.
Average customer rating:
- Kaganovich: Forgotten Mass Murderer
- Great reading; and as accurate as you'll get
- Worth Reading
- Pure Evil
- Only For the Committed
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The Wolf of the Kremlin: The First Biography of L.M. Kaganovich, the Soviet Union's Architect of Fear
Stuart Kahan
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0688075290 |
Customer Reviews:
Kaganovich: Forgotten Mass Murderer.......2005-08-05
This book is truly amazing in that it is the first, or one of the first, biographies of one of Stalin's closest comrades. How could such a wicked mass murderer go unnoticed for so many decades? The true value of this book lies not in the author's scholarly abilities but in the largely overlooked subject matter. Hopefully many more scholarly works on Kaganovich will be forthcoming. A "must read" for any serious student of the Soviet Union and man's inhumanity to man.
Great reading; and as accurate as you'll get.......2005-06-06
The chief attraction of Wolf of the Kremlin is the author's writing style. You can almost imagine you're sitting in a bar, hearing this story over drinks. But is it history?
The Publishers' Weekly reviewer complained that "A meaningful biography of Kaganovich is still to be written". But the same could be said about Attila the Hun. The point is that they didn't leave behind many witnesses to what they did. And the fact that Kaganovich was really just a cog (albeit an important one) in Stalin's machine makes the fog of history even more difficult to penetrate.
So your choices are either to take Wolf of the Kremlin as exactly what it says it is, a biography based on family history and one interview, and enjoy a vastly readable journey into one of the darkest eras of human history; or to leave it, and be the poorer for it.
Worth Reading.......2004-04-21
Although the stories in this book cannot be accepted as "gospel," because they are from an old man who was a
participant in some of the worst atrocities in modern history,
it needs to be read by anyone interested in the history of
the USSR.
The subject, Lazar Kaganovich, was, indeed, the "wolf of the
Kremlin," as he was the one man Stalin could count on to "solve"
problems being caused anywhere in the USSR. Kaganovich could
be counted on by Stalin to take any and all steps necessary
to get rid of problems, because he always knew what Stalin wanted, and he had carte blanche to effect those wishes. He was
truly one of the most bloodthirsty henchmen Stalin had, at a
time and place when many men were competing with each other to
be be just that, and who were apparently willing to do anything
to further their own careers. Kaganovich would be counted on
to arrest anyone, execute anyone, bury anyone, or ship off to
the Gulug anyone who stood in Stalin's way.
The book is based on the author's family history, and he did
visit his aged relative in Moscow, but the results of that interview are sketchy and, as said, must be read with skepticism. Even when the old Stalinist was elderly and living
on his pension in a large apartment bldg in Moscow, he was
still afraid of the truth, and he didn't even want to visit with, and talk to, his relative from the U.S.
Any study of Stalin and his crimes have to include reference
to Kaganovich, and that the man survived to even tell his story, even in a very sanitized form, is a testament to his strength and cunning.
One explanation of Kaganovich's bloodthirstiness, and willingness to do the worst, is that he was always afraid for his own life. His fear was especially strong because he was
Jewish, and Stalin was famously paranoid, and his hatred of Jews
was well-known and documented. The theory is that Kaganovich
was therefore, in his strong desire to show he was not Jewish
first and foremost, willing to to to any lengths necessary to
impress Stalin that he was truthworthy. No job was too dirty,
too low, or too vicious for Kaganovich, and he performed them
all throughout his life.
Even his relative's viewpoint can't hide that fact.
But the man was at the side of Stalin during his entire reign,
and he deserves to be studied.
Even allowing for this book to be less than 100% accurate, because of the limited and self-serving sources, it is still fascinating to students of terror specifically, and the USSR
in general.
Pure Evil.......2002-04-17
Kaganovich was an utterly evil man without redeeming characterists. He was responsible for far more deaths than Hitler.
He was selfish, cared only about his career. He purged the Ukraine, the railroads, heavy industry - sent millions to their death.
Only For the Committed.......2002-04-13
I did not know what to expect with this book. It was dealing with a good amount of history 20 -40 years old, what more and new could be said. I also have found that with many books that probably needed some help in the translation you get a more dry writing style. I was please when both of my assumptions turned out not to be correct. The writer provides some interesting information and his writing style is not wooden. As in any biography you have the expected chapter on the childhood years of the character so nothing new here and for me it could have been left out. There were some interesting facts about growing up in the USSR, but nothing worth 20 some odd pages. The real value to me came from the descriptions of some of the work the author's father performed as the second in command of what came to be known as the KGB.
If you have covered some of the history of he KGB, there are some interesting points in this book that could fill in or contradicted information from other books. You have a life of what most would call dirty double-crossing others in the top of the government, KGB and military. On of the interesting view points was from one of the guys doing the work on the military purges that took place with Stalin. It was rather amazing that the authors father did not also fall to the ax, but that must be a testament to the secure position he had behind Berga (SP?). This is an interesting book, but probably only for people that have a strong interest, this in not as exciting as the dusk jacket tries to make it out and if you do not have at least a general knowledge of the organization and history involved then you will miss a lot of the value of the book.
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