I Heard That Song Before: A Novel

Book Description

In a riveting psychological thriller, Mary Higgins Clark takes the reader deep into the mysteries of the human mind, where memories may be the most dangerous things of all.

At the center of her novel is Kay Lansing, who has grown up in Englewood, New Jersey, daughter of the landscaper to the wealthy and powerful Carrington family. Their mansion -- a historic seventeenth-century manor house transported stone by stone from Wales in 1848 -- has a hidden chapel. One day, accompanying her father to work, six-year-old Kay succumbs to curiosity and sneaks into the chapel. There, she overhears a quarrel between a man and a woman who is demanding money from him. When she says that this will be the last time, his caustic response is: "I heard that song before."

That same evening, the Carringtons hold a formal dinner dance after which Peter Carrington, a student at Princeton, drives home Susan Althorp, the eighteen-year-old daughter of neighbors. While her parents hear her come in, she is not in her room the next morning and is never seen or heard from again.

Throughout the years, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Peter Carrington. At age forty-two, head of the family business empire, he is still "a person of interest" in the eyes of the police, not only for Susan Althorp's disappearance but also for the subsequent drowning death of his own pregnant wife in their swimming pool.

Kay Lansing, now living in New York and working as a librarian in Englewood, goes to see Peter Carrington to ask for permission to hold a cocktail party on his estate to benefit a literacy program, which he later grants. Kay comes to see Peter as maligned and misunderstood, and when he begins to court her after the cocktail party, she falls in love with him. Over the objections of her beloved grandmother Margaret O'Neil, who raised her after her parents' early deaths, she marries him. To her dismay, she soon finds that he is a sleepwalker whose nocturnal wanderings draw him to the spot at the pool where his wife met her end.

Susan Althorp's mother, Gladys, has always been convinced that Peter Carrington is responsible for her daughter's disappearance, a belief shared by many in the community. Disregarding her husband's protests about reopening the case, Gladys, now terminally ill, has hired a retired New York City detective to try to find out what happened to her daughter. Gladys wants to know before she dies.

Kay, too, has developed gnawing doubts about her husband. She believes that the key to the truth about his guilt or innocence lies in the scene she witnessed as a child in the chapel and knows she must learn the identity of the man and woman who quarreled there that day. Yet, she plunges into this pursuit realizing that "that knowledge may not be enough to save my husband's life, if indeed it deserves to be saved." What Kay does not even remotely suspect is that uncovering what lies behind these memories may cost her her own life.

I Heard That Song Before once again dramatically reconfirms Mary Higgins Clark's worldwide reputation as a master storyteller.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed Long Time Fan ..........2007-10-06

I've been a huge Mary Higgins Clark fan since day one. Her books are always dependable - page turners with likeable characters and good twists and turns. Her past few books have shown growth as an author, as well. This book, though, almost felt as though it were written to fulfill a contract ... the characters didn't really come to life, it was hard to feel any kind of caring for Peter or Kay, and it was fairly ridden with cliches. Despite occasional modern touches (one character refers to their mapquest directions), there are many dated instances in this book, such as when one character refers to another character's marriages not "lasting long enough to wash the tea towels." Say what? I adore this lady - her memoir, Kitchen Privileges, is a treat! - but this one didn't fit the bill.

I Heard that song Before.......2007-09-28

It's time for MHC to pack up her computer. She has lost the knack of writing good novels. The killer is obvious from the beginning; the motive is so obvious I wonder why I bothered to read it. Read instead, Karin Slaughter, Brian Freeman, Harlan Coben, Joy Fielding.

Comes with a quality guarantee!.......2007-09-14

Librarian Kay Lansing marries Peter Carrington, head of the wealthy Carrington family.

Peter Carrington has long been under suspicion for murdering his childhood sweetheart, and as after 22 years her body is discovered on the Carrington estate in Englewood, New Jersey, Peter is charged with her murder.

The fact tht Peter Carrington is a sleepwalker, adds an interesting twist to the story, and I got urged to read more about sleepwalking by reading this book.

I'll not reveal more details about the murder investigation - in fact, the investigation of several connected murders - but leave it to the readers.

"The queen of suspense" has a unique talent for intricate plots as well as phsycological insight into the human mind.

As all her books, "I Heard That Song Before" is a real page-turner. I brought it with me on holiday. Thought it would last me a few days but finished it overnight!

Mary Higgins Clark's books come with a quality guarantee. Her fans can always trust her to deliver the best.

Enjoy!

I am a fan!!!!.......2007-09-12

I am a big fan of Mary Higgins Clark. The first section that I visit in the library is where her books are shelved. I am always looking for a new one. I think I have read them all. The nice thing about MHC is that her books are never smutty or improper and she doesn't use strong language, but the stories are still gripping and wonderful. I appreciate that!!! This was a page turner. I was hoping for a happy ending and it didn't disappoint! I am not a big fan of 'first person' dialog though. I prefer to read the novel from a third person point of view, but the story was still good. Different angles of the story really kept you guessing.....yeah, he's guilty...no he's not, yeah, he's guilty, no he's not!!! Kept me on the edge and up reading until I fell asleep with the book in my lap!

Suspenseful.......2007-09-11

I always enjoy reading her books. She always has more than one story going on keeping you guessing. I highly recommend her. There is nothing offensive or vulgar in her books.

Average customer rating:

Reading level: Ages 9-12 - I don't think so!?!
Great for beginning birders
Great book
Cool Book!
Very authentic birdsounds!

Bird Songs
Les Beletsky
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Birdwatching | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1932855416

Book Description

Drawing from the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Bird Songs presents the most notable North American birds including the rediscovered Ivory-billed Woodpecker in a stunning new format. Renowned bird biologist Les Beletsky provides a succinct description of each of the 250 birds profiled, with an emphasis on their distinctive songs. Lavish full-color illustrations accompany each account, while a sleek, built-in digital audio player holds 250 corresponding songs and calls. In his foreword, North American bird expert and distinguished natural historian Jon L. Dunn shares insights gained from a lifetime of passionate study. Complete with the most up-to-date and scientifically accurate information, Bird Songs is the first book to capture the enchantment of these beautiful birds in words, pictures, and song. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, located in Ithaca, New York, is a nonprofit institution focused on birds and whose mission is to interpret and conserve the earth's biological diversity through research. The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab is the major source of sound recordings of birds for research, education, conservation, the media, and commercial products.

Listen here
Trumpeter Swan
Laughing Gull
Eastern Bluebird

Customer Reviews:

Reading level: Ages 9-12 - I don't think so!?!.......2007-10-01

Great book for my coffee table for people to press the bird numbers. My favorite is the Northern Mockingbird, and my cats never fail to perk up their ears at it.

I've seen birds in my back yard react to different bird songs I played, so I can imagine that a lighter weight book would be great to take on field trips for attracting certain birds.

Some of the owls are eerie sounding, but I love owls (they eat mice, right?), so I play them often. There are others I haven't even heard of, not being a birder. But I'm handling the learning curve, and it's certainly fun!

Great for beginning birders.......2007-09-27

This is now our favorite coffee table book-- although we have to tear it out of the hands of guests in order to have conversation about something else. The sound is excellent. Gave a copy to my sister who also loves it.

Great book.......2007-09-27

Great book. The pictures and writeups for each bird are good and the sound is pretty good. I wish there were even more calls included for each bird. Great gift for any bird lover.

Cool Book!.......2007-09-26

It is true, the birds will respond if you play the songs outdoors-It caught the attention of many of the woodpeckers In my backyard..I know the birds by sight but needed help with the songs and calls and this is perfect! Great Idea for a book and a must for beginning birdwatchers or just birdlovers....

Very authentic birdsounds!.......2007-09-26

Chickadees respond to the bird calls in this book! What fun! It is encouraging my 4-year old grandson's growing interesting in birding. The only flaw is the index. Not only is the font so small it is nearly unreadable, but the birds are not called by their common names. For example, the "Cardinal" is listed under "American Cardinal".

Ten Little Fingers (Board Books for Babies)

Average customer rating:

Very cute book!
Loves It
Board Books
couold be better
Ten Little Fingers

Ten Little Fingers (Board Books for Babies)
Annie Kubler
Manufacturer: Child's Play International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Board Books | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0859536106

Product Description

This award winning series has been specifically designed for babies. A great introduction to books through well-known nursery songs and interactive text. By Annie Kubler. Ages: birth - 2 years Manufacturer: Marlon Creations

Customer Reviews:

Very cute book!.......2007-09-17

This is a very cute book! I'm 8 months pregnant and my husband has been reading this book to my belly for the past few months. The baby already loves it but i'm sure she'll love it even more when she can hold daddy's hands with her own 10 little fingers!

Loves It.......2007-08-27

My little absolutely loves these books. I have to read one or more of the everyday.

Board Books.......2007-06-08

Ten Little Fingers by Annie Kubler is one of a series of books that is a perfect fit for very little ones. The rhythm and rhyme draws their attention and the illustrations are big blobs of color, sharply delineated from each other. You can start with an infant who is old enough to focus and they will be enthralled by the colors. The size of the book is good for holding open with one hand as you hold the baby in the other arm.

couold be better.......2007-06-01

This is a finger play for babies and toddlers. I bought it to have at home for when my granddaughters visit. The book is cute enough, but there is just not "enough" meat to this book to justify a whole book for one finger play. I do like that the musical notes are provided, so that I can play the song on the piano. Just wish there were a couple other songs/finger plays.

Ten Little Fingers.......2007-05-14

The shipping fee is about same as the book price itself. That will end up about double price of a children book.

Average customer rating:

Like Shining Amber, with a touch of Sap
hope you dance
Moved Me
Fantastic Book
Uplifting

I Hope You Dance
Mark D. Sanders , and Tia Sillers
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Inspirational | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1558538445

Amazon.com

Available in different covers that may differ from the image shown on this page. Amazon.com is unable to accept requests for a specific cover. The various covers will be assigned to orders at random.

Book Description

Named the CMA song of the year, I Hope You Dance is a challenge to make the most out of life: "And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance."

This beautiful gift book by the Nashville team that wrote the song includes a CD with an acoustic version recorded especially for this book by Lee Ann Womack.

Customer Reviews:

Like Shining Amber, with a touch of Sap.......2007-10-10

Being a lover of this song and of gift books, I naturally couldn't resist ordering this book the minute I saw it in a store. The lyrics of Leann Womack's classic song is featured throughout the book, along with inspirational messages and beautiful photography from those who put the book together.

I did dock a star because the messages in the book that accompanied the song occasionally came off as a little too..mushy. I'm really not that harsh a critic, not of books like these, but the beautiful words of inspiration were, a couple of times, replaced by words that were definetly too syrupy for my taste. I prefer truly moving messages and stories to speak for themselves, but it occassionally seemed like the authors wanted to hammer the point home, overdo the sentimentality, and even make their message serious and cheerfully bouncy at the exact same time (trust me, that doesn't work.) For ex: throughout the book, the lyrics of the song are printed in large bold letters in order to differentiate them from the authors' separate words of inspiration. Usually, the pages featuring the lyrics had no other words on them, but at one point, right above the words of Womack's moving song, the authors' placed a bulletin that said, "Attention! This is BIG stuff!" Yes, thank you, I figured that out myself. Considering the fact that Leann's song more than speaks for itself and doesn't need any extra emotional boosting, I found those additional words annoying and almost jarring to the flow of the song and its message.

Elsewhere in the book, as I mentioned before, the sentimentality goes into overdrive. One page is dedicated entirely to love and begins with the words, "Love, love, love. You have to love." Again, I got that idea the first time. It's nice to compliment the song with additional words of motivation, but we don't need an interpretive page with every selection of the song. In another part of the book, while speaking of youth, the narrator says, "Ah, youth..new skin, wide smiles, clear eyes..the future so bright. If only we could bottle it up, sip it now and again.." This sounded more to me like a bad commercial for a fountain of youth than a motivational speech. I don't mean to sound cynical, I usually love gift books, but the tone in this one was sometimes just too sweet for my taste.

I also didn't particularly care for the version of the song in the bonus CD. There's a mainstream version with soft rock music and female voices in the background (which I prefer) and there's a country version with male voices in the background and the occassional awful twangy instruments; this one's the latter. If you like country music, good for you, but I don't like the country version of this song and since the mainstream version is the one that's played on the radio nine times out of ten, it really makes no sense to me that it's not included here.

There are plenty of good points of this book to make up for the disappointments, of course. The song is wonderful, whether you hear it or read it, and some of the separate words in the book were lovely to read. My favorite part of the book's text, other than the song, was a beautiful little haiku that the authors wrote called "You", celebrating every individual. The photographs are also gorgeous, from grinning children to nature scenery. A beautiful package, altogether.

Now, if they'd only make a gift book celebrating the beautiful song "Private Malone"..

hope you dance.......2007-07-28

This book is very inspirational and can be used a a motivator for young people embarking on their life journey. The accompanying cd is excellent as well.

Moved Me .......2007-07-27

I felt so connected to this and cried , I gave it to my daughter , who had just found out she had cancer . goldenyrs43

Fantastic Book.......2007-07-03

Leeann Womack does a fantastic job at describing how the song came about and how to apply it to every day life.

Uplifting.......2007-03-08

My mother purchased one for all of her daughters. The book and the lyrics of the song will certainly inspire. Moms...A great gift for your aspiring daughters.

Average customer rating:

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
Utterly Meaningless Fabricated Music For Obnoxious Children
A carload full of fun
Fun!
A present for toddlers AND their parents

Philadelphia Chickens
Sandra Boynton
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Songbooks | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0761126368

Book Description

What an event! What a show! It's catchy and quirky. Tuneful and toe-tapping. Exuberant, unexpected, and utterly endearing. It's what happens when you take America's beloved illustrator and children's author and combine her buoyant genius with some of the most talented people on the stageâpresenting Philadelphia Chickens!

Created by Sandra Boynton, Philadelphia Chickens is a family musical in a book, bringing together a full-color songbook of 17 1/2 illustrated story-poems with a full-length, fully orchestrated CD of original songs performed by the likes of Patti LuPone, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, The Bacon Brothers, and Laura Linney, who pleads "Please, Can I Keep It?"âit followed me home. / What exactly it is/ I don't know. Also joining in are Eric Stoltz, Natasha Richardson, Scott Bakula, and two Boyntons, including daughter Caitlin McEwan, who performs a piece that every little listener will relate toâa love song to the chocolate chip cookies that are just out of reach. With the collaboration of composer Michael Ford (known to Boynton fans from Rhinoceros Tap), Philadelphia Chickens is that rarest of kids' musical discsâone whose inimitable lyrics and music make it as sing-along, dance-along, cluck-along for parents as it is for their children.

Customer Reviews:

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-10-04

My daughter loves music and this is a fun, lively, entertaining album that we listen to all the time. Tunes are catchy and I find myself still listening after she goes to bed and am often still singing/humming the songs after I've turned it off.

Utterly Meaningless Fabricated Music For Obnoxious Children.......2007-09-14

My children love music. Our home is basically an opera house with all four of us singing about everything as we go through the day. As a homeschooling mom, I am looking for beautiful, creative, and meaningful music that will inspire us and bring joy to our day. The many good reviews for this book-album had me all happy about it. When I found it at our library, I was so excited!

My elation fell when I heard the opening number, Cows. "It MUST get better," I told myself as the droning/moaning "we're remarkable cows..." continued for nearly 3 minutes. Sadly the remaining 16.5 songs continued with only slight variations of obnoxiousness.

My almost 4-year-old daughter declared the music to be "Creepy," a word which I can't recall her ascribing to anything else in the world. It was like a bunch of automatons singing soullessly about random animal-related topics. I like silly stuff, I like animals, and I even can get along with pop culture to an extent. However, the lack of feeling in the singers' voices, the similarity of the songs to one another, and the overuse of meaninglessness immediately gave me the impression that the music was fabricated for sales, contrived not for love of music and beauty and art and children, but for success.
...And with me, it failed.

I give it 2 stars simply because the idea is good and it COULD have been well executed if the writers and singers were more creatively and passionately inclined.

But don't take my word for it...
Just borrow it from the library before you make the commitment.

A carload full of fun.......2007-09-10

My daughter borrowed this book from the library and didn't want to give it back. We borrowed it twice and then bought our own copy. She loves to dance and sing the songs...especially the one that the lion sings about being very busy! She almost has it memorized! I hope they make a DVD to go along with the songs!!!

Fun!.......2007-08-27

My kids love this book and CD, mostly the CD. It is fun! You can sing and dance and enjoy it as a child or an adult. It can be fun for the adults to guess the celebrities singing the songs. It is great for either dancing with the kids around the room or the kids singing themselves to sleep listening to it. I bought copies for my 2 nieces to enjoy too.

A present for toddlers AND their parents.......2007-08-19

This CD/book set was an impulse purchase for my granddaughters when they were six months and two-and-a-half. What an incredible find! You just have to laugh out loud at the funky lyrics, set to music that will have the whole family dancing. Seriously! Oh, you don't think you'll really dance? Well try it and see!

The older sister claimed at least six of the songs as her favorites ("Nanna, I like THIS ONE the best!") and the baby would drop everything and listen as soon as "Belly Button" started playing.

"Philadelphia Chickens" won't wear out its welcome -- many thanks to the brilliant Sandra Boynton and her cast of amazing performers. I've bought two copies of the CD for myself and wound up giving them away -- well, I meant to lend them but couldn't seem to get them back. DO give a toddler this wonderful gift, but you'd better get your own as well. It's a real ray of sunshine!

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Arrgh
Great novel but...
Twice as long as necessary -- but I still loved reading it...
Fading Fast

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire)
George R.R. Martin
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 055358202X
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Book Description

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace...only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

A Feast for Crows

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears....With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

George R.R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally ever since. He has written fantasy, horror, and science fiction, and for his sins spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer/producer, working on Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid 90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he's allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Parris, a big white dog called Mischa, and two cats named Augustus and Caligula who think they run the place.

From the Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-10-11

Minimum Maturity Level - Adult
Strong violence. Strong language. Sexual situations.

Previous Reading Required - Major
You must read the previous three books, starting with "A Game of Thrones".

Reading Level - Average
Very easy to follow.

Rate of Development - Extremely Fast
Picks up where "A Storm of Swords" left off.

The Story - Anything said will be a spoiler. Mainly for those who haven't read the previous books.

My Suggestion - Highly Recommended
This book pretty much winds down when it comes to the action. There is still action, but not at such a grand scale as the battle of King's Landing. There is some shocking moments again, just like how GRRM likes doing it. I have heard many people gripe about this book but it is still an essential read to keep up with what is going on with all the characters. Part of the reason of gripes, I would think, is because GRRM had to split this book in two, which is why "A Dance of Dragons" will feature the other characters that everyone likes so much. Still, it's a great book to read.

Arrgh.......2007-10-10

I think he could have made this a five book series rather than a seven. While I have enjoyed the format and the character development, and the plot twists, its started to get hackneyed. Every time you start to take an interest in a character they are cruelly maimed or killed. We get it, life is tough, and if you are in any way involved with anyone in power, you are going to die a horrible death. If you are a nobody, you still die horribly, but with less ink. If you are cute and spunky, you die slower. And if we start to run out of the hundreds of cannon fodder characters, we just introduce new ones.

I don't know if I'm going to buy the next book.

Great novel but..........2007-09-30

I write this review with mixed feelings. Let me begin by saying that I think this book is great. Mr. Martin shows the same quality here as in the first three books. It is true that there is less action here, but every story has different stages with different requirements. It is obvious that the aftermath of a great war cannot be as tumultous as the war itself. Many people complain about their favorite characters not being here and I understand them. One reads this saga because of the characters. So, no matter how well written is something, if you don't care about the characters, you will not enjoy the book. I was fortunate, because my favorite character is Arya. Eventhough there were only a few chapters about her, I turned every page with the hope that there would be another Arya story. In short, I think this book is worthy of the same praise the other three received, but...

Let me now explain why I have mixed feelings. It is true that the pace of this book is slow. Not much happens in more than six hundred pages. At first sight this is not a problem. When one is reading quality literature, the more the better. But when one considers some implications, this point of view changes. At this pace, I think it is impossible that the series will end in three more books. A Dance with Dragons will not go in time beyond A Feast for Crows. This means the whole Cersei thing won't be resolved until book six. But not only that, we have to consider all the loose ends remaining in Feast added with those of Dance. Even assuming that some plots resolve quickly in book six, this means that there remains only one book and a half of story, and still the Starks are children, Jon and Daenerys are still teenagers. Despite all the talk that the series doesn't depict clearly good or evil characters, the truth of the matter is that the Starks and Daenerys are "the good guys", at least the leading characters. Not for nothing the saga is named A Song of Ice and Fire. I have been waiting to see them grow and become the characters they potentially are. For me the greatest strength of this series is that we have witnessed all the struggles and trials these characters endured in order to become the people they are. But the thing is that moment doesn't arrive, they continue to be children. This could mean that Bran, Sansa and Arya will not play a major role in the climax of the story, and that Jon and Daenerys will defeat rivals which surpass them in experience. If this is going to happen I will be dissaponted. On the other hand, this could mean that we will read only a book and a half with the grown protagonists. But then this would be a let down. If reading about children and teenagers has been a profound experience, can you imagine reading about them as mature and experienced people. I can't wait to read that. I have been waiting more than five years and I am ready to wait whatever it takes. I would like to read at least as many books of them as adults as have been published.

This takes me to the final point. If George Martin enjoys writing about Brienne in such detail, I think he will enjoy more writing about an adult Arya or Bran. This makes me think that the series will have more books than seven, which is a good thing for me due to what I have said. At the same time is a terrible thing, because that means that the most probable thing to happen is that the series will never be completed. Let me say the truth. Mr. Martin is a first class writer. In my opinion he is at the same level of Borges or Joyce, but most of his life he was just a little known writer with no fans. Then he began writing what could be one of the best works of literature of all time, and with it came fame and success. And he is enjoying that, because he waited his whole life for this, and he deserved it. The problem, I think, is that he lost his way in the process. He spends so much time with the fans, traveling, editing other books and many other innumerable projects, that he hardly has any time or energy to write his magnus opus. He took five years to publish what he calls half a book, and he will take probably three years to write a book which he said he had more than half already written. This means he will take at least seven years to complete the sixth book (or four if the publishers force him to split it too). Mr. Martin isn't young and if he dies before finishing his saga, all will be lost. What could have been one of the greatest stories of all time will be nothing. Cervantes wouldn't be what he is if he hasn't finished "El Quijote". Eventhough the Tuft stories are good, eventhough Fevre Dream is the best vampire story I've ever read, Mr. martin will be rembered by A SoIF.

I hope he realizes that he is an artist and that his legacy is at risk, I hope he finds again happiness in writing instead of being a torture that keeps him from going to conventions. I hope he finishes this series in a way that fulfills all expectations. I hope to see him occupy his rightful place in literature history. I hope and I wait.

Twice as long as necessary -- but I still loved reading it..........2007-09-20

Not since the Lord of the Rings has an author written a series that has such amazing SCOPE as GRRM has pulled together with these books. While arguments will be made for YEARS about the contributions of Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind and others, it seems hard to place them in the same league simply because I consider those books good and entirely worth reading, but Martin has created one of the few Fantasy series that can also be considered true Literature. Again, some may disagree, but that is essentially how I consider it.

I finished this book quite a long time ago and while I normally post my reviews within a day or so of closing the last page, I kept putting this one off as I attempted to just figure out exactly what I thought of it. I believe the bulk of us Song of Ice & Fire readers have all heard that this book originally began as a single novel, and due to several unforseen circumstances, ended up being divided into two separate-but-equal parts of basically the same book. You can REALLY tell, too. The obvious omitting of several MAJOR POV's is the first and biggest obstacle against giving this a full 5 Stars. As MANY have also noted, even though there ARE some incredibly important issues brought up which help the plot move forward here, again it is nearly impossible NOT to notice how LITTLE forward the book takes us overall. Several reviewers have noted the possible absence of an editor with the stones to actually trim the fat, which this novel really needed. I would have rather waited an extra year and had what was cut out to make 'A Dance With Dragons' ADDED and then properly edited in order to seriously move the overall storyline AHEAD. There is little doubt that GRRM is likely the most talented Fantasy Author writing today (although the debate continues...), but if this series is expected to finish up before the end of the next century, I sincerely hope that GRRM steps up the pace--even if by just a little. Robert Jordan recently passed away, and so far (at least as I write this) the end of the Wheel of Time Series remains unfinished...now he may have finished writing the last novel before he passed away (gosh I hope so...) we can see what happens by doing this and dragging things out longer than necessary. While I honestly believe GRRM really DOES have a handle on where the story is going and he honestly does know the end from the beginning, I also hope that the end is in sight. Making us all wait what seems like decades in between these books is nothing short of torture and possibly against the Geneva Convention if I am not mistaken...

With that said, I STILL had a great time reading AFFC. Yes it dragged and lost momentum and I felt that my journey was basically 'Hurry Up And Wait', I have invested so much into these characters, (although through sad experience I have also discovered not to become TOO attached to any one character in particular) that even a SMALL glimpse into their world is better than none at all. I anxiously await the arrival of the 2nd half of this tale begun in 'A Feast For Crows', I also bite my nails wondering if part 2 isn't just more of the same here. I have learned to give the benefit of the doubt in a lot of instances, and because GRRM is so dang good at writing, I feel compelled to extend it here as well. But hopefully my patience won't have to be tested quite to this degree much longer...

Fading Fast.......2007-09-19

Where have all the editors gone?

With Feast, the 4th installment of the Song of Ice and Fire series, Martin has begun to get carried away with himself. Much like what readers experienced with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, Feast represents a serious departure from the tight narrative drive that powered the first three books.

Very little time is spent on the characters we came to care about in past installments and, even worse, the "splitting" of this volume leaves several major characters out of the mix altogether. The vast bulk of this book is dedicated to two characters who are either dead or marginalized by the end of the book and I found myself wondering how much of their plot impact could have been accomplished with several hundred less pages?

After all, if you spend 200 pages having someone wander about the countryside only to die at the end, the hope is they accomplished something that will have future plot implications. If they didn't, you wasted our time. If they did, then the importance of their accomplishment(s) must be weighed against the time taken to tell the story. Without seeing the impact in book 6, it's impossible to say how much of book 4 was unnecessary drivel, but I suspect that much of it should have hit the editing room floor.

Eric-

The Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your Email Before It Manages You

Average customer rating:

Quick Read Can Make a Diffference in Managing Email
Great new tips for email
I want my 90 minutes back.
A must-read for everyone who uses email
It's a parable for a practical email management course which really works

The Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your Email Before It Manages You
Mike Song , Vicki Halsey , and Tim Burress
Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1576754375

Book Description

The Hamster Revolution is a timely solution to both the widespread problem of email overload as well as most people's inefficient (or nonexistent) systems for categorizing and storing email messages. This book provides the practical steps needed to deal with these problems and become more efficient in our work.

Customer Reviews:

Quick Read Can Make a Diffference in Managing Email.......2007-09-26

Taking cue from The One Minute Manager, Zapp!, Fish! and Who Moved My Cheese?, The Hamster Revolution uses a parable to show how to better manage and organize e-mail and information. The hamster represents people endlessly running on the wheel of e-mail. Right away, I start using concepts from the 90-minute book. Considering I'm an organized person, that says something.

In the story, Harold the Hamster receives a visit from an information coach to help him with e-mail and information management. Harold is a person who turned into a hamster because e-mail and information trapped him on a figurative hamster wheel.

Harold and his coach think aloud as they explore his e-mail habits and inbox to find the problem areas. The banter between the two gives the reader insight into why something doesn't work and how to fix it. Their comments mirror what many of us think when we're drowning in messages. Though cheesy at times, the story quickly explains the how, what, and why without confusing readers with dry writing.

I was eager to discover the secret of COTA, the concept for creating folders named Clients, Output, Teams and Administration. COTA also represents the order of priority. The Clients folder receives top honors on the hierarchy than Output. Administration gets thrown to the bottom of the pile where it belongs. But this concept isn't as foolproof as the authors make it sound.

They state that you won't run into a situation when an email or document belongs in two folders. However, if that should happen -- then the document belongs in the one higher up on the COTA ladder. Furthermore, the system serves departments and teams best.

COTA won't work well for personal use (the authors apparently have another system for this, but information isn't available yet) or a small business like mine where I'm a freelancer working on a computer that houses both business and personal information.

Furthermore, not everyone will know what some things mean such as EOM (end of message) or NRN (no reply needed). These require teaching others and a team setting would adapt to that better than a lone person who must explain it in many individuals. EOM and NRN should become as standard as smilies, but they're far from there.

Some advice might sound common sense or old news to some people, but the authors share lesser known or new concepts. The book has had positive impact on my e-mail habits, and for what it is worth, that opinion comes from a long-time e-mail user (the days of BBSes -- pre-Internet).

Great new tips for email.......2007-06-20

Purchased the audio tape for the car. Easy listening and great tips on productivity for managing email overload. Makes you think before you send an email, sculpt it, use categories for easier identification/prioritization and shows new system for filing and finding anything anytime. It worked for me and can warmly recommend to everybody! Join the Hamster Revolution!

I want my 90 minutes back........2007-06-13

If you have any system of organizing your email already in place, don't bother reading this book.

First of all, this book is written in a "For Complete Morons" "Who Moved My Cheese?" style which I found to be a complete turn-off.

The first half of the book tells you what's wrong with your email style, which is news only to those that don't know how to conduct business communication in the first place. "Is the content of your email appropriate and professional?" I should hope so. Then it goes on to say you should convert your coworkers to the wonderful time-saving methodologies you've learned in this book, and direct them to the book web site. Any student of human nature can tell you, you can't really force anyone to do anything they don't want to do, you can only set an example and hope that they want to emulate it. If you are the boss, I suppose you can order people to follow the guidelines in this book, but otherwise it suggests giving your peers critiques of what's wrong with the email they've been sending you, a technique that's sure to make you near and dear to their hearts.

The second half of the book, which I eagerly anticipated, makes suggestions, then breaks its own rules, resulting in a confusing set of directions that aren't ultimately very useful. For example, the book states that you should be able to sort any email you receive into one folder, without wasting time deliberating over the decision between folders. You are supposed to organize your emails into Clients, Output, Teams, and Admin folders. If something falls into two folders, for example, some Output for a Client, it goes into the first folder in the COTA order-- the Client folder. But when would you ever create output that doesn't have a Client? And Clients in this case includes external AND internal customers. If your organization has a lot of output that isn't created FOR anybody, you have bigger problems than email.

Some of the other suggestions are obvious but presented as epiphany, such as, use subfolders within the COTA folders. Has it ever occurred to you that you could use email subfolders? Does your organization already use instant messaging for asynchronous messages? Guess what, you don't need this book.

In a FAQ at the end of the book, there is a tip that was not new to me, but which has worked for me. Turn off your email notifications (popups, sounds, etc.) and check your email about twice a day for a dedicated block of time. Otherwise every time you receive an email, you are interrupted from your flow of work.

What will happen with email? It is indeed a growing problem, I can't argue with that. I hope that Outlook develops better search technology, like that embedded in GMail. If you are one of the many Outlook users, you know that when your folders reach a certain size, an advanced search can take 15 minutes or more. However, creating a new folder structure isn't likely to do much for you, except cost you the time it takes to reorganize all of your mail.

A must-read for everyone who uses email.......2007-05-28

Getting overloaded with emails over the last 3-4 years. So decided to buy some books on the subject to improve. Bought 3 books from Amazon - Emails, Conquer Your Email Overload and Hamster Revolution. Find Hamster Revolution the best. I can see Hamster in me with over 500 emails in my in-box and having problems in relocating some of the infor later. This book is NOT about how to use Outlook. What I like is the story-telling method the authors used to bring across, otherwise a dry and technical subject, with interesting, lively and useful ideas. Strategy 1 is an eye opener for me. So simple and yet so useful ! Find it so enlightening and useful that I am thinking of asking the company to engage them for an in-house workshop ! Well done, guys !

It's a parable for a practical email management course which really works.......2007-05-19

If email is demanding more and more of your business time, it's time to take in THE HAMSTER REVOLUTION, which tells of an HR director who meets an efficiency coach and learns a simple management system. It's a parable for a practical email management course which really works, includes a case study showing how over 2,000 Capital One associates cut their email time by 23 percent, and tells how to add quality into email management strategy for optimum results. Busy managers in particular will relish its advice, making THE HAMSTER REVOLUTION especially recommended for business libraries.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)

Average customer rating:

A Must Read Series
Gutsy
Dumber than part five.
Dark Tower VI - Song of Susannah
good!

Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)
Stephen King
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1416521496
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Book Description

SONG OF SUSANNAH

THE DARK TOWER VI

Susannah Dean is possessed, her body a living vessel for the demon-mother Mia. Something is growing inside Susannah's belly, something terrible, and soon she will give birth to Mia's "chap." But three unlikely allies are following them from New York City to the border of End World, hoping to prevent the unthinkable. Meanwhile, Eddie and Roland have tumbled into the state of Maine -- where the author of a novel called 'Salem's Lot is about to meet his destiny....

Download Description

"Stephen King The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah with 10 full-color illustrations by Darrel Anderson The next-to-last novel in Stephen King's seven-volume magnum opus, Song of Susannah is at once a book of revelation, a fascinating key to the unfolding mystery of the Dark Tower, and a fast-paced story of double-barreled suspense. To give birth to her ""chap,"" demon-mother Mia has usurped the body of Susannah Dean and used the power of Black Thirteen to transport to New York City in the summer of 1999. The city is strange to Susannah...and terrifying to the ""daughter of none,"" who shares her body and mind. Saving the Tower depends not only on rescuing Susannah but also on securing the vacant lot Calvin Tower owns before he loses it to the Sombra Corporation. Enlisting the aid of Manni senders, the remaining katet climbs to the Doorway Cave...and discovers that magic has its own mind. It falls to the boy, the billy-bumbler, and the fallen priest to find Susannah-Mia, who, in a struggle to cope -- with each other and with an alien environment -- ""go todash"" to Castle Discordia on the border of End-World. In that forsaken place, Mia reveals her origins, her purpose, and her fierce desire to mother whatever creature the two of them have carried to term. Eddie and Roland, meanwhile, tumble into western Maine in the summer of 1977, a world that should be idyllic but isn't. For one thing, it is real, and the bullets are flying. For another, it is inhabited by the author of a novel called 'Salem's Lot, a writer who turns out to be as shocked by them as they are by him. These are the simple vectors of a story rich in complexity and conflict. Its dual climaxes, one at the entrance to a deadly dining establishment and the other appended to the pages of a writer's journal, will leave readers gasping for the saga's final volume (which, Dear Reader, follows soon, say thank ya)."

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read Series.......2007-10-09

Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on," and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams -- mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.

This series was mostly inspired by the epic poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning, the full text of which was included in an appendix to the final volume. In the preface to the revised 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, King also identifies The Lord of the Rings, the Arthurian Legend, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as inspirations. He identifies Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character as one of the major inspirations for Roland. King's style of location names in the series, such as Mid-World, and his development of a unique language abstract to our own, are also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's work.

The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements. King has described the series as his magnum opus; beside the seven novels that comprise the series proper, many of his other books are related to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into play as the series progresses.

Gutsy.......2007-09-25

If you think you have Stephen King pegged think again. In this ingenious novel we follow the continued story of Roland of Gilead's ka-tet as they split up to fulfill their destinies and, hopefully, save the Dark Tower and all of the worlds it encompasses.

Roland and Eddie head to Maine in 1977 to save the life of Calvin Tower who owns the lot on which the Rose, the incarnation of the Dark Tower on Earth, grows. Along the way they meet a character who is possibly the strangest and the biggest risk of Stephen King's career. Either King is a genius or on an immense ego trip. I go with the former, and enjoyed that scene immensley. Meanwhile Mia has totally taken over Susannah Dean's body in order to get to New York in 1999 so she can bear her "chap" for the Crimson King. There are suprises in store in this thread of the story and you will learn who Mia actually is. In another story-line Pere Callahan and Jake follow Susannah-Mia to 1999 New York to save Susannah from the clutches of the Crimson King.

Dark Tower fans will love this sixth installment. It was one of the most satisfying and down-right fun books I've read all year.

Dumber than part five........2007-08-31

If part five wasn't crappy enough, we get this. The writting and story are worse here than the last one. The great tale that was was strong with books 1-4 is soured here. Ignore 5-7 and stick with 1-4.

Dark Tower VI - Song of Susannah.......2007-08-11

Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)
This is a great continuance of the Dark Tower series. Reading the DT series I-V is a must to fully appreciate all the nooks and crannies of Song of Susannah. It always amazes me how King ties the smallest details into completely different scenarios and goes back to explain why and how other events happened based on that.
If you're a Stephen King fan, you don't want to pass up the Dark Tower series!

good!.......2007-07-28

It was a really good read! Since it wasn't as thick as the others, I finished it quickly and was able to start The Dark Tower a few days later. :)

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Baby Board Books)

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Loves reading
Average
Love Love Love!
Buy "Where's My Belly Button" instead

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Baby Board Books)

Manufacturer: Child's Play International
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0859537285

Product Description

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-09-15

My son who is 2.5 years old loves the book and we read it about 10 times a night.

Loves reading.......2007-08-27

My little absolutely loves these books. I have to read one or more of the everyday.

Average.......2007-08-15

This is a cute book, but my 10 month old daughter isn't that crazy about it. She has other books she likes much more.

Love Love Love!.......2007-08-09

I purchased this book for my son when he was 15 months old and he loves this book. He brings it to me to read to him over and over again. The illustrations are fun, he loves the song, and he knows all the body parts now. Many times I have seen him flipping through the book on his own "studying" the pictures. Given I don't usually pay to buy new books that cost more than a dollar or two, this one was definately worth it!

Buy "Where's My Belly Button" instead.......2007-06-13

This is merely a verbatim book version of the old playschool song "head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes . . " It could be made a bit more worthwhile if the art was engaging or dynamic in some way, but it's blah (think Precious Moments meets Charlie Brown) and does little to enhance a young childs perception of where to find his/her head, shoulders, knees . . well you get to idea.

Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time

Average customer rating:

I'm going there
Nice idea, cute story, just not a great book.
Mix it up!
Tended to Ramble
It's Not Just About the Music

Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
Rob Sheffield
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1400083028
Release Date: 2007-01-02

Book Description

What Is love? Great minds have been grappling with this question throughout the ages, and in the modern era, they have come up with many different answers. According to Western philosopher Pat Benatar, love is a battlefield. Her paisan Frank Sinatra would add the corollary that love is a tender trap. Love hurts. Love stinks. Love bites, love bleeds, love is the drug. The troubadours of our times agree: They want to know what love is, and they want you to show them. But the answer is simple: Love is a mix tape.

In the 1990s, when “alternative” was suddenly mainstream, bands like Pearl Jam and Pavement, Nirvana and R.E.M.—bands that a year before would have been too weird for MTV- were MTV. It was the decade of Kurt Cobain and Shania Twain and Taylor Dayne, a time that ended all too soon. The boundaries of American culture were exploding, and music was leading the way.

It was also when a shy music geek named Rob Sheffield met a hell-raising Appalachian punk-rock girl named Renée, who was way too cool for him but fell in love with him anyway. He was tall. She was short. He was shy. She was a social butterfly. She was the only one who laughed at his jokes when they were so bad, and they were always bad. They had nothing in common except that they both loved music. Music brought them together and kept them together. And it was music that would help Rob through a sudden, unfathomable loss.

In Love Is a Mix Tape, Rob, now a writer for Rolling Stone, uses the songs on fifteen mix tapes to tell the story of his brief time with Renée. From Elvis to Missy Elliott, the Rolling Stones to Yo La Tengo, the songs on these tapes make up the soundtrack to their lives.

Rob Sheffield isn’t a musician, he’s a writer, and Love Is a Mix Tape isn’t a love song- but it might as well be. This is Rob’s tribute to music, to the decade that shaped him, but most of all to one unforgettable woman.

Customer Reviews:

I'm going there.......2007-10-09

I will admit that I was skeptical when I picked up the book; Amazon told me I'd like it because I like Chuck Klosterman. I was only hoping that this book was not going to be a cheezy Klosterman wanna-be. Although it is a bit Klosterman-esque (He's thanked in the acknowledgements), it does have more heart and soul in it than the average Klosterman book. This is where I find that I couldn't enjoy this novel more. As a novel, this book is unfocused and disjointed, but if you broke this novel down, you have two very poignant and interesting essays (The love and loss of a wife at a young age, The importance and significance of the "mix tape"). It seems like Sheffield felt that the connection between these two essays was so strong that he could tie them together, but it seems like more of a segue between the two (I got my wife because of the significance of the mix tape). When Sheffield speaks about the mix tape importance in the book, he defintetly comes off as the dork he knows he is, and I felt that he just talked about the mix tapes because he felt he had interesting insights on the subject that would make him come off as clever and observant in a hip way (when it doesn't); but when he talks about Renee and his relationship with her, you do get some quality writing. That's the best part of this book, when he speaks about her and when he speaks about life AFTER her. He talks about these subjects in such an unpretentious, honest manner, and it's refreshing because you really feel the love he has for her and the despair and confusion he feels with the loss of her. I wish this could have just been two essays, but as a novel it just doesn't have that significant of a tie for me.

Nice idea, cute story, just not a great book. .......2007-08-30

The story is of the power of music and one tragic loss. The author lost his wife unexpectedly and pieced together a book about their relationship in its before, during and after stages. Each chapter is headed by the tracklisting of a mixtape -- a customized amalgamation of songs, however random -- they had made. I was somewhat under the impression that the chapters would be more about the mixtapes they made together and less mile markers in the chronological tour of their relationship. The songs set the tone (somewhat) for the chapter to come, but there isn't necessarily any cohesion between the song choices themselves and the following few pages.

I understand how difficult it would be to pull that off, but I guess I had pretty high hopes.

Some parts of the book were beautiful in their tribute, but other parts just seemed like simple narrative. There were times when the anecdotes made Sheffield sound like he lived to a ripe old age and here he was remembering his early love. While I am sure we can get into how philosophically much more time passed in his life than ours after she died, he is still a young man. The book may have been cut down by a few pages, in fact all I really needed was some of the set up and the last chapter. In the last chapter it seemed like Sheffield finally let himself feel Renee's absence. Sharing in that, I finally began to feel for him.

For the most part, the book was enjoyable. I would argue that the inclusion of music into the story was a little over done (with countless references, name drops and lyrics spread throughout the book), but apparently that was how Rob and Renee lived. Those were the conversations they had.

The feeling I had the most while I read was that his story was a private one. I felt that he needed to write the book for his closure, to preserve her memory and to give himself perspective. While I am honored that he shared Renee with us all, I couldn't help but feel that I was intruding on something that was special to the two of them.

As previously mentioned, the final chapter could live and breathe on its own. The emotion that finally pulsed through those last few pages just about made up for its conspicuous absence earlier in the book. I never read achnowledgements, especailly when they are more than a paragraph but I read these. The last chapter spilled over into them and I couldn't help myself. I wanted to see the final goodbye and thank you written to Renee. After thanking everyone who helped write the book, I wanted to have my heart ripped out by a simple homage to Renee who will now live on forever in text. But while she was mentioned in the acknowledgements, she was never thanked. But then again, maybe that part was just too personal.

Its story, while sometimes buried under excessive music references, was sweet. The book was short; at 219 pages it is short enough to try it even if you aren't sure about it. All in all, Love is A Mix-Tape was a decent book.

Mix it up!.......2007-08-09

I generally don't stray outside the realm of strict fiction, but being a music lover (and a lover of mix tapes (or CDs these days)), I was intrigued by the notion of indexing one's relationship in terms of mix tapes.

I picked the book up on a whim, and then found myself riveted by both the writing and the story that Sheffield offers up. Even though I did not agree with most of the authors musical tastes throughout the book, his story and his love transcend such specifics. Sheffield manages to infuse his tale with both levity and gravity, is witty as well as poignant, often within the same paragraph. Even knowing the twists this tale must take, Sheffield carefully develops his relationship with the reader (and his wife, Renée) so that we acutely feel his greatest triumphs and his lowest blows. As the title proclaims, this is a book about life, and it is a book about loss, and it is all the more beautiful for it.

I found this book a joy to read, as it stands as a testament to how music binds us together and reminded me that each of our lives has a soundtrack to it. What makes this book truly impressive is how Sheffield's extremely personal story so easily becomes engrained within the reader, feeling familiar rather than foreign. It is a lovely tribute, and a wonderful peek at the human spirit. Highly recommended to anyone who loves music of any sort.

Tended to Ramble.......2007-08-03

I enjoyed the premise of the book which was a tribute to Rob Sheffields dead wife, but unfortunately many of the chapters seemed to be the authors stream of consciousness. My book club read this book as one of the members went to Hollins College and lived in the same dorm as Renee. She brought a yearbook and we all got a better idea of who she was. The authors choice of music was very interesting and the band descriptions were fascinating.

It's Not Just About the Music.......2007-07-11

Rob Sheffield's Love is a Mix Tape is a heart-breaking, uplifting, funny, sad and entirely human memoir about love and loss unified by Sheffield's love of music and his life-long penchant for crafting the mix tape. Music fans born in the 60's will recognize most of the music (and understand why, for example, the eighth grade dance mix tape had to have Free Bird and Stairway to Heaven to end the sides), but I don't think you have to know much about the music he mentions to enjoy this wonderful book because the book simply uses music as a way into his story about Renee. Renee was his wife with whom he shared an intense love and they found love through love of music as well. Renee died suddenly, tragically at a young age, but somehow Sheffield's engaging personality comes through so well in his writing that he makes this memoir overall an uplifting read, despite the undertones of intense sadness and loss. The love he has for Renee (and she for him) and the love of music, Sheffield's charming, self-deprecating humor makes this a wonderful read. I recommend this one to all, music-obsessed or not. Enjoy.

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