View Product Details & Features about Shit My Dad Says Go! »

This book was so funny and touching at the same time I loved it. Dad was rough at times but he always let him know that he loved him.

Believe the hype! On Friday night, instead of watching a movie, my wife and I took turns reading this book aloud. Simply the funniest thing we have been a part of in a long time. Laugh out loud, fold over at the waist, almost choke on your drink funny. Share with your loved one and have a great evening.

Loved this book, my only complaint is that it was too short! I read it in just a few hours, but laughed so hard, I cried.

It is, also, as I found, “the” book for the summer and the beaches or the mountains or even just laying in a hammock in the shade with a cold lemonade: it’s short, it’s cheap, you and stop and pick-it-back-up without having to reread it, and it’s a NEW YORK TIMES # 1 Best Seller (non-fiction). As for the title of the review, I only have one question: Justin, I don’t think you’ll get a Nobel prize, but a Pulitzer might not be out of the question. Where are you going to keep it?

I’ve never laughed so hard in my life. This book is the best–on several levels. You won’t regret getting this great read.

Don’t be fooled by the Twitter feed, the book title, or the back cover quotes. This is not a comedy book. Oh sure, it’s plenty funny. One of the funniest books I’ve ever read. But it’s a book about some funny dad. It’s a book about a father and son, and their relationship. Over the course of the book, there are various stories that cover their dynamic, along with lots of fun quotes. But after I read the book, I didn’t think “Oh boy, that is one of the most hilarious books I’ve ever read”. Instead, I thought “That’s a father and son pair that really cares for each other”, and sometimes, those kind of books are good to read.

Picked it up at an airport. Couldn’t put it down. Read it in one swoop. Incredibly funny. Brought tears to my eyes (I had to close it several times I was laughing so hard). But also a beautiful story about a rough-around-the-edges kind-of-guy who would do anything for his family. In the end, you can tell he succeeded in cultivating the love of his son… A number of truly beautiful moments are in the book too. Best read I had in a loooooong time. Probably more of a “guy” read.

I read this book in two afternoons– I couldn’t put it down. Hilariously funny and awesome. Lots of little gems in there. Great purchase!

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View Product Details & Features about Nothing to Envy Go! »

I’ll admit to approaching this book with a tincture of trepidation. It’s not that I feared it wouldn’t be a good book: it’s that the subject, ordinary life in one of the most repressive societies to ever appear in history, strikes one, at first glance, as rather depressing. Yet once I started reading I was drawn into the stories of six “ordinary” North Koreans, trying to survive under conditions of severe social and political tyranny, economic destitution, and starvation . North Korea is an example of what can happen when hatred of privilege is used to create a worse kind of privilege–in the case of North Korea, of a privilege built up around one of the most jejune and appalling personality cults ever to see the light of day. Under the pretext of creating a “just” social order free of inequalities and social injustice, Kim Il-sung and his successor, Kim Jong-il have brough about a social order so repressive that they have destroyed all but the most rudimentary self-initiative and individuality.

I have never written a review about anything on amazon. This tells you how much I care about this book. The book tells the tale of six individuals who defeated and you can relate to everyone of them. Barbara did an excellant job in describing them in details in their day-to-day lives. What they wear, what they eat, what they try to do to survive in the horrible environment that they are not even aware of. There are ups and downs in their lives and you would be able to experience their lives at the comfort of your living room or bathroom (depends where you usually read….). I hope that you would enjoy this book as much as I do. I first notice north korea when I was running an application that has more than 20 million users all over the world. When I looked at analytics, north korea has ZERO users. My ignorance and curiosity drive me to this book and it delivered a lot of the answers I been longing for.

This book blew me away. Is it really possible that a country like this exists on the planet… in my lifetime? A very well-written book with great source material of North Korean defectors, that tells the unbelievable story of life in North Korea. Worth every minute you will put into it.

Great book – opens up a world that we Westerners don’t get to see. I read this book a while ago but was particularly struck last week when seeing the images of North Koreans grieving at the death of Kim Jong Ill. Having read this book I feel like I have an entirely different perspective on those events than I would have otherwise

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View Product Details & Features about I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Emperor of the Romans born BC 10 murdered and deified AD 54. Go! »

For readers intrigued by man’s eternal conquest for power, skip the Godfather. Read Robert Graves’ I Claudius. The experience is more literary and twice as entertaining! This novel achieves rare success in delivering a story that is as exciting as it is profound. The narrative chronicles the life of Claudius from early childhood through his appointment as Rome’s fourth Emperor. The humanity and appeal of the humble Claudius contrasts sharply with the action of the story, consisting chiefly of conspiracy, deception, and murder. This novel explodes any naive assumptions that leaders operate by higher moral principles, exposing all the corruption which undoubtedly persists in modern politics. The story’s dark portrayal of human nature is delivered, ironically, in a uniquely amusing style reflecting Claudius’ rare perspective on the chaos surrounding him. Here author Robert Graves presents an inspiring read on the endurance of good in evil times.

Sex, violence, murder, intrigue….and it’s not on TV weekday afternoons, it’s all contained in this volume. I couldn’t put it down. This isn’t just the stuff of daytime TV, either, it’s extremely well-written and very engaging. Claudius is the wise fool, with a nicely droll sense of humor and above all else, a good heart and a sense of justice. No wonder….ahh, but if I went on, I’d spoil it for you! Read it, buy it, you’ll love it and you’ll read it more than once. A sound investment for anyone’s library – and a gripping novel, too.

This is one of the most accurate historical fictions ever! have you not read suetonius or tacitus? All the events are real! Robert Graves is not reperesented becuase he was not trying to write as himslef, as said in the introduction. Real life doesnt usually have a cut and dry plot, which is why most books dont follow their main characters for more than a short period

In the end, Cladius’s historical recantation of their numbskull ways in this autobiographical fictional novel are enlightening and fun. Oxford-educated, forlorn from war, Graves delivers this masterpiece by showing his educational depth with recitations of detailed facts about the people of the early AD years, and spices the great tale with the author’s sympathetic eye to someone who, like he, was insecure, and weakened physically.

This is a great book, funny, horrifying and gripping. You must read "Claudius The God" afterward as they’re really just one big novel in two volumes. A masterpiece you’ll read again and again. This was my third copy.

I have read both I CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD three times. Once as a teen, in my early 30s and again just recently. These books tell an incredible tale of Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus (Claudius) who through both his phyical shortcomings was able to be spared the insatiable appetite for power between members of his family in Rome in the the first century A.D. However, his physical deficiencies by no means affected his intelligence and he was able to overcome these obstacles to become emperor of the greatest empire in history: Rome.A true classic tale that was also well adapted in a BBC mini-series in the 1970s.

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View Product Details & Features about At Home: A Short History of Private Life Go! »

I got this book in the British version from the UK Amazon a few weeks ago and could not wait to get my hands on it. It is a typical Bill Bryson book – full of digressions and stories of eccentric Englishmen, thigh slappingly funny, educational and optimistic. Bryson goes through his house room by room and writes about the history of its function and the technology used within. I read it in a few days (and I had to slow myself down to prolong the pleasure) and loaned it to my brother in law who is also a Bill Bryson fan and who call me now from California to tell me how much he enjoys it. In his opinion, this is the best Bryson work ever. I think for me “The Short History of Nearly Everything” is a little more to me liking but read this book and find out for yourself.

Bill Bryson books are a delight and “At Home” is no exception. Bryson’s wide ranging interests and excellent writing are a joy.

Never to be disappointed, Bill Bryson writes eloquently, enjoyable to all ages. His in-depth research is fascinating, making history interesting with his light-hearted comedic personality. The book is not what I expected the content to be, but the writing is exactly what I expected. I have re-read many parts of this book that I find so interesting to my 13 yr old son, and will pass the book to my 79 yr old father who will completely enjoy it. Never read a Bryson book I didn’t enjoy.

This is just a wonderful source of information about the place you live in. As I read, I found myself wanting to memorize every detail. I drove my family nuts by repeating things I was reading, then having them read sections, until they all finally gave in and read it for themselves. Room and “Board?” the info on that term was nifty. And just the tip of the iceberg in a book that has so much information, presented so well, that I can’t imagine how Bill Bryson will possibly follow this, as well as his last sensational book on the short history of everything, up. But I sure will read it, whatever it is. If you love facts and the strange situations that sometimes cause those facts to become household terms, you’ll love this book.

I’m a huge fan of Bill Bryson, and as one reviewer hinted, one does need to be careful reading some of his books in public. I made a perfect fool of myself years ago reading most of “Neither Here Nor There” in public; literally laughing until I cried. This book is not overly humorous, but I found it enormously interesting. It’s just a lovely ramble through all kinds of interesting subjects. I always finish Bill Bryson’s books with the thought that he would be the absolute top person on my list of people with whom I’d like to be stranded on a desert island.

Before you plunk your money down on this work by Bill Bryson, there are a couple of things that you should know or realize. First, this work is not a popular history of private lives from all over the world since the beginning of time. While Bryson’s reach does go far, the book primarily addresses the private lives of those living in either England or the United States over the past 150 years or so, with emphasis being placed on the Victorian Era. Secondly, those that are looking for the famous Bryson humor, wit, sarcasm and such, will be a bit disappointed with this one. The humor is there hovering around the edges but you actually have to look for it; it does not drop off the pages into your lap. He does not take his normal sarcastic shots at contemporary living individuals as he so often does in this travel books. Now that being said…. You either like Bryson or you do not. While his style may not be absolutely unique, it is Bryson’s own. It never ceases to amaze me to see the same names here and on other sites continually trashing this author’s work, book after book after book.

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View Product Details & Features about In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto Go! »

Highly recommended to all Americans. The information contained in his books is priceless and possibly lifesaving. This book, in its simple message that folks should “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants” simplifies and codifies what has baffled myself and countless other eaters for our lifetimes: What should we eat? It really seems so simple, but it took a mensch like Mr. Pollan to make sense of things. Thanks to him.

And then it steps up to the reason most readers will buy it — and if you care for your health and the health of your loved ones, this is a no-brainer one-click — and presents a commonsense shopping-and-eating guide. If you are up on your Pollan and your Nina Planck and your Barbara Kingsolver, you know the major points of the “real food” movement. But if you’re new to this information or are disinclined to buy or read this book, let me lay Pollan’s argument out for you: — High-fructose corn syrup is the devil’s brew. Do yourself a favor and remove it from your diet. (If you have kids, here’s a place to start: Heinz smartly offers an “organic” ketchup, made with sugar.) — Avoid any food product that makes health claims — they mean it’s probably not really food. — In a supermarket, don’t shop in the center aisles. Avoid anything that can’t rot, anything with an ingredient you can’t pronounce. — “Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does.” — “You are what you eat eats too.” Most cows end their days on a diet of corn, unsold candy, their pulverized brothers and sisters — yeah, you read that right — and a pharmacy’s worth of antibiotics.

Couldn’t put this down. Pollan is an excellent researcher and social commentator. This timely book entertains, inspires, and motivates. He sheds light on some of today’s important issues. Give this to every carnivore you know–they’ll turn over a new “leaf”. Goodbye fad diets and hello to eating “mostly plants”.

Honestly, do you really think that that nutrition-packed bar, chip, cracker, cereal, bread, icy-soda, burger-helper, yogurt-on-a-stick, is actually good for you? Think again, please. So many of us simply want to shove something in and get on with things. What’s the rush? Wonder why the French can eat all that heavy food, slug wine and finish things off with some rich pastry? They eat together, they eat food, they eat slowly and they eat far less than Americans as in their actual portion sizes. Take a look at grandma’s china and I’ll bet you dollars to doughnuts it’s about half the size of what most of us have in our cabinets today. I think one of the most compelling factoids in this fact-packed (and well sourced and footnoted) volume is the indisputable, as well as unfortunate, fact that over two-thirds of Americans are obese. There’s also been an enormous increase in diabetes, especially in our kids. Why has this happened? Pollan, with a great deal of clarity and example suggests that we truly are what we eat and isn’t it time we spend a little bit more on real food and a little less in front of the TV, computer, or Game-boy? If you’re concerned with the health of yourself as well as the health of your family, I can’t recommend this book enough.

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View Product Details & Features about Assholes Finish First Go! »

Tucker has still got it. His stories are great and so is the way he tells them. This book promised many laughs and it delivers. Not sure I like the category setup, but whatever, it’s still a sick book. Mine was a gift and I will likely pass it on to someone else. You should to. Spread the Tucker madness. Fratire books rule.

I’m one of the people that actually likes this book more than the first one. I find that it’s written a bit better and tells some better stories. It looks like I’m a minority here but that’s ok. I don’t mind that so much. I feel that if you like the first one there’s a good chance you’ll like this one. But I guess everyone has their own opinion.

I bought this book for my boyfriend for a “Congratulatory gift”. He had read the first Tucker Max book in like 2 days! He loved this one just as much. If you need a gift for your guy….try this one out. It was a hit with mine!

Tucker Max just doesnt object to partying and having as much fun as possible until that happens. He goes in depth to explain this in his stories about his adoring fans who are nothing more than sad people trying to use a psuedo worship of him to try and build some semblance of normality or acceptance into their lives. For the often emotionally broken women he sleeps with, he tries to use their examples of how degrading yourself and allowing yourself to be abused will not fix some emotional scarring that you have suffered at the hands of another. He shows that some women out there just frankly want to have sex for a variety of reasons besides love, and frankly, for many of those reasons it is perfectly acceptable. I think that for all these reasons his book may be inadvertantly too ‘high brow’ for some who are just looking for a bunch of stories that make you laugh out loud and shake your head like they did in his first one. Finally, for all those women who are offended by Tucker Max, its not like he is forcing you to sleep with him. For all those fathers out there, please raise your daughters better so they do not seek him out when he is 40 and sleep with him for some emotionally tragic reasons.

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View Product Details & Features about The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language Go! »

A unique account of the evolution & spread of the language. Microsoft took about 15 years to colonise the world’s computers. English, in comparison, has taken about 500 years to colonise most of the world’s brainpower. The microsoft phenomenon is well documented but this is the first concise and authoritative account of how an obscure island dialect could survive the invading tongues of each successive age and go on to become the lingua franca of the modern world; spoken by more than billion people. Americans and British are two peoples separated by the same language. If you read this book you will begin to realise that there are hundreds of species of English that are spoken today and the English of the school or the state is not the english of the home or the street. Many British and American English speakers expect the whole world to speak English and see no point in learning another language. Understanding how and why English has become No.1 in the ‘language charts’ is vital for people who take the global dominance of their own language for granted.

Melvyn, Lord Bragg, whose native language was not Standard English, but rather a North-of-England Fenland dialect that he says has lots of Saxon, Danish and even Romany words in it, has written a paean to the English language. “English doesn’t borrow from other languages… English sneaks up on other languages in dark alleys, beats other languages over the head, and pulls extra words out of the other language’s pockets.” I can’t remember who said that, but I think it was George Bernard Shaw. Whoever said it illustrates Bragg’s thesis…English is a proud language that is not too proud to borrow, from Norman French, from Latin, from Spanish, from American Indians, and from the cowboys of the wild west. If you ever wonder where the words you say everyday came from, read this book…written more like an adventure novel than a philologist’s screed…and then you’ll know. Walt Boyes Editor in Chief CONTROL magazine www.controlglobal.com read my blog at http://waltboyes.livejournal.com

This easy to read volume discusses the history and development of the English language. It covers the period from the invasion of the Angles and Saxons up to modern times. There were a few close calls in the history of English. We could be speaking Danish or French, if history had turned out differently. What would the world be like then? Each chapter covers a different era of English history and towards the end of the book, American and International English history. It breaks down how certain important events influenced the development of the English language. It also provides some samples of word origins, and how grammar has gradually changed over the centuries. I think that anyone who is interested in English or history, and especially anyone who is interested in both, should pick this up.

Certainly one of the best books of the decade. It’s for anyone interested in languages, particularly the English language. It takes you by the hand and leads you through centuries of history facts and amazing data. Well written, very well researched and documented. It shows in detail how the French language stayed and influenced most evey aspect of the English life and culture for centuries but it also shows you the impenetrable and resilient Anglo-Saxon spirit. I keep it at hand and often reread entire passages.

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View Product Details & Features about I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell Go! »

I loved this book. The stories are funny and remind me of my college days. Good times, good times

This book is like a glorified walk of shame! Personally, I think Tucker Max is brilliant in “I Hope They Server Beer in Hell.” I even started my own blog inspired by his stories. I bought the book because the title made me chuckle and assumed the whole book would be entertaining. It lived up to my expectations. There were moments of disgust and shock at some of the antics by Maxx but that did not make the read any less enjoyable. Some of the stories I think went on longer than necessary but for the most part they were quick easy reads. This is one book that I had trouble putting down Certain stories were more obsescene than others and I earmarked the pages, thinking “I must show these to the guys.” One night after some drinks I pulled out the book and read outloud several of my favorite stories and NO one was disappointed. I would completely reccomend this book for an easy fun read. This book would be especially appreciated by someone in college or fresh out of it. Max shares the stories that most people are too embarased to share. These are the kind of stories that you are afraid to tell your friends cause they will most likely judge you. But I must provide a disclaimer, from a womans perspective I loved it and was amused but my friend thought it was a disgrace. She was offended by some of the stories and could not continue reading. So Tucker Max may not be right for easily offended.

This book is hilarious! I laughed and laughed! If you want to laugh, buy this book.

My brother picked this book up in an airport on the way to Mexico with my family. He was literally laughing out loud for days and relayed sotries to me and my dad. I decided when he finished it, I’d give it a go, though I was unsure about some of the author’s views on women. But let me say in short that I, as a 22 year old female, LOVED THE HECK outta this book. I picked up it one night and didn’t put it down until I finished it in the wee hours of the morning. I had never read a book all the way through in one sitting before and doubt I ever will again (unless I pick this one up again). I laughed so hard at times I almost peed my pants. I was jealous of all the adventures Tucker Max had (on top of his moderate success) and kind of ticked that there was no way a woman could have such adventures, let alone write an incredible book about it. As many others pointed out, it’s not a book that offers a grand awakening at the end, giving you the warm and fuzzies. But it will make you laugh, and your friends WILL thank you for passing it on.

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View Product Details & Features about Leaves of Grass Go! »

Please, please… remember the way you felt about love and life at eighteen or so. Recall the idealism, the unfathomable passion. Then, READ…and be enraptured… and ask yourself, what has happened to me to make me so cynical and dumb to the voices of the universe?This book, these poems, ARE LIFE ITSELF…

Leaves of Grass is in the public domain, but I couldn’t find a free copy of the 1855 first edition in eBook format anywhere. Here it is at a modest price. If you’re looking for a definitive Walt Whitman collection, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for the vanguard of the first edition, this is your mark.

A celebration that also includes a look at the worst that is us and the best that is us. When the reviewer wrote that his work is a study of a narcissist, I have to disagree. Yes, it begins his work with Song of Myself and it is an epic poem. But while he celebrates Walt, he is truly celebrating all of us as amazing creatures in nature. He celebrates every molecule of us, the amazing capabilities, perfumes and evilness of us. He studies us as though someone would study the amazing ability of a tree to grow or a flower to bloom. We are nature and he recognizes that and it is amazing to him. Clearly, he had bravado and self-love, but in the most non-imposing way. We wishes all of us to realize the miracle that is us. To believe that he is only about himself is to miss the point of Walt. Also, it is important to read the various editions of this volume. He wrote and rewrote Leaves of Grass continuously throughout his life adding and deleting poems as he saw them. The best way to see his journey is to read the first edition (complete with his swaggering picture), where he was not listed as the author to the final “deathbed edition” that is truly a masterpiece and you can see what he learns, what he tries to teach you and how deeply you will be moved by him. One last hint – read “Song of Myself” outloud. It becomes truly a song about life and read outloud can certainly stir your soul.

Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is an exemplary representation of both transcendentalism and realism. Walt Whitman was one of the few writers to bridge the gap between these literary movements and Leaves of Grass was, in essence, his opus. It represented the author himself and was often condemned in Whitman’s time for it’s blatant descriptions and incorporations of sexuality and homosexuality. However, years later it came to be appreciated for what it is truly worth as an exquisite culmination of people, emotions, and the democratic spirit. Of the many themes covered throughout the 438 pages in the ninth edition of Whitman’s masterpiece, symbolism was often used to represent allegory ideas and situations. In “O Captain! My Captain!” the captain symbolizes Abraham Lincoln and America is ship. In the captain’s death, Whitman is alluding to the fact that in the absence of strong leadership guiding the “ship,” there will be a lack of order and chaos. “Song of Myself” was, on the other hand, explicit in the ideal it depicted.

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BLACK BEAUTY is a stimulating, gripping novel with lots of suspense and joy. This classic could be placed in the category of one of the most thrilling and adventurous books of all time. The author Anne Sewell, who has so much compassion towards horses, shows in this novel how cruel men can be towards them or on the other hand how people can understand horses and treat them well. After his birth, Black Beauty learned how to be a fine horse and to do his work properly. At a certain age, like all horses, he was sold. With sadness he left his mother and his first master, but he knew it was time for him to go to work. With his mother’s advice “Do your work with a good will and lift your feet up well when you trot” he walked off with his new master. This was his second of many. Over the years Black Beauty endured mean masters as well as good ones, but he never failed. He kept beautiful souvenirs in his mind while he grew up and grew stronger. Black Beauty became a handsome black horse. One day, during his stay with his second master, the grange where Black Beauty and the other horses lived caught fire.

I loved this book! I read it in three days and I fell in love with the story of Black Beauty and going from nice owner to cruel owner and back to nice owner again. I love horses and this book really brought me into the life of work horses. I would recomend this book to anybody in the world!

Black Beauty is a classic read for any animal lover, however, this is a fact based novel, with vivid descriptions of the various abuses of man upon horse which are still carried on in some forms to this day. At the time this was written, horses were often overloaded and used up before going to the knackers. Really helps get you inside a horse’s life and will change how you look at horses and how they are treated, but not for very young children as this is unabridged. I would highly recommend this on so many levels, from the lovely vintage language to the insight into a horse’s life and training.

The book is about a horse that is bornon a farm and is sent to three other owers. he makes new frenides one of his frenides name is Ginger .The star of the story is Black Beauty and at the end something special happens. My Name Is. Miss Kity

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