Book Reviews » Today's Top Selling Titles
Saturday July 5, 2008
Books
Displayed below are the top selling items for today, Saturday July 5, 2008 along with the review customers have voted "most useful".
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- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle : A Novel by David Wroblewski
- Fleeced : How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, the Do-Nothing Congress, Companies ... Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It by Dick Morris
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
- When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
- A New Earth : Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61) by Eckhart Tolle
- The Beach House by Jane Green
- The Shack by William P. Young
- The Last Patriot : A Thriller by Brad Thor
- Soul Wisdom : Practical Soul Treasures to Transform Your Life by Zhi Gang Sha
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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
A Novel
by David Wroblewski
(based on 38 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: David Wroblewski
Publisher: Ecco
Price: $14.27
You save: $11.68 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
100 out of 107 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 6/13/08
Its understated elegance shines through
This is an astonishing, mysterious, bewildering and profound novel. And even though the ending is sad and heart-breaking, it is a deeply satisfying novel as well. Not since I read Yann Martel's mesmerizing novel, "Life of Pi", have I found myself so deeply absorbed in a novelist's magical creation as I was while reading "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle".
The novel begins with a needless killing of an injured, limping, stray dog with poison by a medicine man or herbalist. This brutal killing fits into the novel later, as the novel progresses.
The protagonist of the novel is a fourteen years old boy named Edgar Sawtelle, who was born mute. His parents - Gar and Trudy Sawtelle are dog-breeders, who live on a farm in a remote part of northern Wisconsin, not far from the Chequamegon National Forest. They breed and train a unique and special breed of canine developed by Edgar's grand father, John Sawtelle; hence the name of the breed: Sawtelle. The dogs earn good reputation not only for their noble temperament, but also for their intuitive ability to anticipate their masters' command, and then interpret and act on the command independently also. The family's peaceful farm life is disrupted when Claude, Edgar's charming, conniving paternal uncle visits them. Gar offers him a job at the farm and a place to stay. Soon Gar dies suddenly and mysteriously. Edgar suspects that Claude murdered Gar. He tries to prove that Claude did indeed murder Gar, but his plan misfires, and so to save himself from Claude he runs away into the Chequamegon woods, accompanied by three young dogs named Almondine, Baboo and Tinder.
The author's vivid descriptions of nature, his ability to describe the terrors of the wilderness and the horrors of living in a jungle, and his decision to narrate a part of the story from a dog's perspective have added distinct charm to the novel. The magic of his pen is such that even the supernatural and paranormal incidents in the story seem to be natural, logical and believable.
The ending of the novel is bewildering, wrenching, unpredictable and quite shocking. And it is heart-breaking as well.
David Wroblewski is a masterful narrator. His prose is spare but mellifluous; and even though it lacks the grandeur and splendor of Yann Martel's or Joseph O'Neill's prose, its understated elegance shines through: "Late in the morning he found himself navigating along a heavily washboarded dirt road. The limbs of the trees meshed overhead. Left and right, thick underbrush obscured everything farther than twenty yards into the woods. When the road finally topped out at a clearing, he was presented with a view of the Penokee range rolling out to the west, and an unbroken emerald forest stretching to the north - all the way, it seemed, to the granite rim of Lake Superior. At the bottom of the hill stood a little white farmhouse and a gigantic red barn. A milk house was huddled up near the front of the barn. An untopped stone silo stood behind. By the road, a crudely lettered sign read, "For Sale."
This novel is so extra-ordinary and so exquisitely written that I am sure that I shall be reading it again soon.
Click here to see more reviews for: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
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Fleeced
How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, the Do-Nothing Congress, Companies ... Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It
by Dick Morris
(based on 56 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: Dick Morris
Publisher: Harper
Price: $14.82
You save: $12.13 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
65 out of 91 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 6/25/08
Ignore the 1 stars
Look at the problems those with 1 star reviews list: Dick Morris isn't a socialist liberal. They never find a valid fault with the book, only the man who wrote it. They ignore the fact Mr. Morris has worked with both Republican and Democrat candidates (President Clinton for example).
Now onto the book. Fleeced is very well researched, and very entertaining. The book focuses on multiple issues without spending too much or too little time on any individual topic, and none of the topics lack adequate research. I highly recommend this book to those who are unsure on whether or not to vote for Obama, as well as those who just enjoy educating themselves on modern politics.
Click here to see more reviews for: Fleeced
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Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer (based on 1740 customer reviews)
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(Paperback)
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Price: $6.04
You save: $4.95 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
334 out of 433 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 9/30/05
Not just for young adults
I am a big vampire genre fan, so when I saw this book in a magazine, it caught my eye. I have to admit, I felt a little funny even thinking of buying it, because it is listed and shelved as a young adult book. Well, I decided to "bite" the bullet, and I purchased it, curled up with it over a weekend, and could not put it down. Don't let the fact that you have to visit a different section of the book store stop you from reading it, (or of course, purchase it on Amazon, no one will ever know if you don't want them too). This is a really great book with real emotions all wrapped up in a vampire story, a young woman's story of having to grow up faster then she maybe should have because of her parents, and yet still dealing with all the issues that growing up brings with it. All in all, a great book, glad I decided to overlook the age description.
Click here to see more reviews for: Twilight
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When You Are Engulfed in Flames
by David Sedaris (based on 94 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: David Sedaris
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Price: $14.29
You save: $11.70 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
121 out of 128 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 6/9/08
Quirky, original, true
Reading a David Sedaris short story is like watching the author think. Each is told as a stream of consciousness that somehow ties together beautifully in the end. This collection includes some laugh-out-loud essays, and others that are touching and poignant. All are thoughtful and so original they are obviously taken from real life.
If you're not familar with him, Sedaris is the Dave Barry of the National Public Radio set. I've been a Sedaris fan for a long time through NPR's "This American Life." This book is like a collection of the best of those quirky radio essays. (I also have the audio CD set, a 9-disc marathon that plays like an NPR fundraising marathon without those annoying pleas for cash.)
The stories are filled with memorable characters. Irritated Becky, who sits next to Sedaris on a plane flight and inspires incorrect answers in Solution to Saturday's Puzzle. Gravel-voiced Helen, who lives next door to Sedaris and is the unlikely heroine of That's Amore. Sedaris' sister Amy, the owner of a magazine called New Animal Orgy in Town and Country. Woven throughout the essays is the fast-walking Hugh, Sedaris boyfriend, who demonstrates true love by lancing a boil in Old Faithful.
There is plenty of sex and language in this book, so it's not for your pre-teenager or Aunt Betsy. But for thoughtful adults who want a good laugh, it's a must-read.
Click here to see more reviews for: When You Are Engulfed in Flames
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A New Earth
Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61)
by Eckhart Tolle (based on 1116 customer reviews)
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(Paperback)
Edition: 1
Author: Eckhart Tolle
Publisher: Penguin
Price: $7.70
You save: $6.30 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
665 out of 849 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 1/31/08
Now is the Time for Peace--Within and Without
"Ego is a conglomeration of recurring thought forms and conditioned mental-emotional patterns that are invested with a sense of I, a sense of self. Ego arises when your sense of Beingness, of 'I Am', which is formless consciousness, gets mixed up with form. This is the meaning of identification. This is a forgetfulness of Being, the primary error, the illusion of absolute separateness that turns reality into a nightmare." -- From the book
I have several books, decks and audios by Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now, Through the Open Door to the Vastness of Your True Being, Stillness Speaks Inspiration Deck, Power of Now Inspiration Cards, and others), but A New Earth is by far the most illuminating, accessible and uplifting.
For those unfamiliar with Eckhart Tolle, this man experienced a profound instantaneous inner transformation at age 29. Born in Germany and schooled in England, he integrated and deepened his experience with an intense inward journey. Tolle then began teaching small groups as a spiritual counselor. In 1995, he moved to Canada and is now considered one of the most influential spiritual thinkers of our time, largely in part to his books The Power of Now and A New Earth.
In A New Earth: Awakening Your Life's Purpose, this gentle teacher traces human suffering to one simple, yet insidious, root: the ego. While many authors and philosophers throw around the word "ego", Tolle actually exposes what the ego IS--and why it causes us so much trouble.
While 17th century philospher Rene Descartes may be considered the "father of philosophy", his famous dictum "I think, therefore I am" mechanized humans into "thinking machines" that can reason their way through any problem--and to "ultimate truth". Cartesian philosophy (named for Descartes) has permeated our culture for centuries and can be best summed up with "I think--that is my identity--and therefore, my thinking is my Being". According to Tolle, Descartes discovered the root of EGO, not Beingness.
However, Tolle echoes another philosopher who came a few hundred years Descartes, Jean Paul Sartre saying: (my paraphrase) Wait a minute. If we become AWARE that we are thinking...then what is that part that is observing...that can make that assessment? If thinking equals Being, then we wouldn't realize we're "thinking' in the first place! We'd be like a dreamer "who doesn't know he is dreaming".
Tolle asserts that this awareness outside of thinking is our TRUE Being, the part that is "I Am"--a dimension of consciousness that, unfortunately, is often discovered at the point of tragic loss or hitting a "limit-situation". It's an inexplicable peace that descends, a sacred sense of Presence. Could this be the "peace that passes all understanding" that St. Paul talked about in the New Testament?
The reason it takes a "tragedy" for some to wake up is because a disidentification from form has occurred. In other words, let's say a person experiences a house fire and loses everything--but ends up experiencing a sense of peace...a feeling "It's OK, and it will be OK". Or what about those who experience illness, death of a loved one, disfigurement, or debilitation? When these ones experience an all-pervasive Presence, a "Being prior to all forms, all identifications", an individual, through direct experience (not thought), realizes 'Wait a minute...I am NOT my thoughts...(or possessions)'.
So what does this mean to you, dear reader? Well, if you are not your thoughts--then who ARE you? Why is it that some people become bitter or resentful after tragedy...but others become wise, compassionate and loving? How many unexamined thoughts do you have bouncing through your head--thoughts that have been handed down to you through parents, religion and the media that influence every move you make? What if THOUGHTS, and their resulting emotions, are the source of your suffering?
What if the true "you" is not your body? Not your bank account? Not your title? Not your actions, reputation or accomplishments? Then, who ARE you?
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose will introduce you to the "you" that's always been with you, the part connected to the peace of God, a higher Presence and joy unspeakable. In addition to Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie, the spiritual truths of Eckhart Tolle have changed my life (and continue to do so when I "remember" who I really am). Time and time again, when I "suffer", I can trace it to my "stinkin' thinkin'". (And just so you don't think I've lived a charmed life absent of difficulties, I've experienced widowhood at age 25, post traumatic stress syndrome, poverty, general anxiety disorder and a son diagnosed with Autism at age 3, among other trying circumstances.)
Do you hate your body? Get this book. Are you plagued with thoughts that you're not "enough"? Get this book. Do you fear that if you lose something precious (money, spouse, youth, vigor, job, etc.) that your life will be "over"? Get this book. Is your attachment to "stuff" and striving to live up to the expectations of others wearing you out? Get this book. Do you want to heal from painful emotions and negative states of being? Get this book.
Do you want to experience peace that passes all understanding? Get this book.
I'll leave you with a quote from A New Earth:
"'And I saw a new heaven and a new earth', writes the biblical prophet. The foundation for a new earth is a new heaven--the awakened consciousness. The earth--external reality--is only its outer reflection. The arising of a new heaven and by implication a new earth are not future events that are going to make us free. Nothing is GOING to make us free because only the present moment can make us free. Thus realization is the awakening...So the new heaven, the awakened consciousness, is not a future state to be achieved...What did Jesus tell his disciples? 'Heaven is right here in the midst of you'."
Janet Boyer, author of Back in Time Tarot (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)
Click here to see more reviews for: A New Earth
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The Beach House
by Jane Green (based on 24 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: Jane Green
Publisher: Viking Adult
Price: $13.72
You save: $11.23 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
22 out of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 6/17/08
Charming...
65 year old Nan Powell is one tough cookie, even after her financial adviser tells her she's in dire straits. After her husband committed suicide, drowning himself one morning, Nan grew tough, raising her son on her own, living her life on her own terms. Now she's become the resident eccentric in a town of tourists, known for her beauty and her trademark red lipstick.
Facing the new challenge, Nan turns her home into a summer bed and breakfast, and draws a circle of new friends around her, all come to the beach to heal themselves -- a divorcee still recovering from her husband's infidelity, a young father of two girls struggling with his sexual orientation, and Nan's son Michael, on the rebound after a disastrous love affair of his own. Soon the rambling old house has come to life with the sound of children laughing, life streaming all around.
This was the first Jane Green book I've enjoyed in a while. It has the warmth and coziness that marked my earlier favorites, capturing the relaxing, renewing quality of life at the shore, when we find ourselves on the edge of something new.
I'd like to also highly recommend another novel that just came out, which is, in a similar vein, about a woman struggling to find joy and a new life after her husband's suicide. Promise the Moon is sadder, and in a sense darker than The Beach House, but it's also funny as heck in spots, beautifully written and a real page turner. You'll adore this book, especially if you loved Elizabeth Arnold's first novel.
Enjoy!
Click here to see more reviews for: The Beach House
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The Shack
by William P. Young (based on 722 customer reviews)
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(Paperback)
Edition: first
Author: William P. Young
Publisher: Windblown Media
Price: $13.22
You save: $1.77 (12%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
378 out of 462 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 1/27/08
No Flannel-Graph Jesus
In the book world, it's hard to explain "the buzz." What causes word of mouth to start spreading? What turns an unknown author and novel into a surprise bestseller? Even more inexplicable for the book snobs is when a story fails to meet their literary standards and yet touches the masses in an undeniable way.
"The Shack" is the buzz book of the past few months. I hadn't even heard of it in November, but by the end of December I'd had relatives, friends, and online pals from across the country telling me I "had" to read this one. I've been burned by such recommendations in the past, particularly in relation to spiritually oriented titles. (Can anyone say "The Prayer of Jabez" and "Left Behind"?), but I was willing to give it a shot.
William P. Young's book has an intriguing premise. Years ago, a father name MacKenzie Phillips took his children camping and lost one of them to a man who has kidnapped and killed others. Mack has grieved since then. His marriage has struggled. Understandably, his relationship with God has suffered. Then, one wintry day, he receives a note in his mailbox inviting him back to the woods, to the shack in which his daughter's dress and bloodstains were found. The note, it would seem, is from God.
From this simple yet effective premise, Young leads Mack Phillips back to his point of despair and anger. The encounters he then has with God there in "The Shack" serve as thought-provoking moments for both Mack and the reader. This is not the God of stodgy Sunday school classes. This is not a flannel-graph Jesus. This is not limited to a fluttering dove of the Holy Spirit. The descriptions here are startling, while remaining true to the nature of God's love and grace as portrayed through Scripture. Not only are they startling, they're wise and moving and beautiful.
Some might argue that "The Shack" has little theology or accuracy to it, but the very argument is what Young is trying to melt away. I earned a Bachelor's from a Bible college, and the majority of Mack's godly encounters could be wrapped up in biblical theology: redemption, grace, forgiveness, propitiation, etc. While never sounding like trite religion (because it's not and never should be!), the words spoken by God in this book are full of vibrancy and life.
Is it the best crafted novel ever? No. In many ways, it could be encapsulated in a non-fiction treatise. However, in sharing this remarkable tale in a fictional form, Young has breathed wonder and wisdom into a story that will continue to buzz around for years to come.
Click here to see more reviews for: The Shack
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The Last Patriot
A Thriller
by Brad Thor (based on 20 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: Brad Thor
Publisher: Atria
Price: $14.30
You save: $11.70 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
49 out of 50 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 7/1/08
Extremely entertaining and thought provoking
I became a fan of Brad Thor after I read 'The First Commandment' and could not wait for his next one. There was a very nice lady at Simon & Schuster who heard my cry and sent me a copy of this one and it did not disappoint!! Of course this one will catch a little flack because it raises some questions about the religion of Islam and questions the validity of Muhammad and the Koran. I loved how Brad interwove history in with the story and about just how long this war with some of the homicidal, radical Muslims has been going on. This is a mystery, suspense, thriller rolled up in one!
I love authors who have that special "it" that make you keep reading and reading and makes you take an extra 5 minutes on your lunch just so you can finish the chapter. The kind of writing that actually makes you tell your wife, "Hold on baby I'll hook you up after I finish this page!" Yeah, this book is THAT good! This will definitely be one of the best political-thrillers you'll read this year and will, if you aren't already, make you a die-hard fan of Mr. Thor!!
I'm not a big non-fiction reader but I love history. So I really appreciate when an author takes history and makes it fun, interesting, and not so freaking boring! I know authors (including this one) take liberties with history and the re-telling of it, but I can live with that because it just makes me go out and see if what they say is true. Did our former Presidents know about the Muslim invasions BEFORE this country was even a country? Did Adams and Jefferson know something and leave us clues to help us? Did our forefathers know how completely stupid, impotent, and P.C. our leaders would be (have) become?
I say YES to all 3 but you'll have to read this book and do your own research to figure that out. Either way 'The Last Patriot' is one heck of a book and a must read for this summer and seasons to come.
Click here to see more reviews for: The Last Patriot
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Soul Wisdom
Practical Soul Treasures to Transform Your Life
by Zhi Gang Sha (based on 110 customer reviews)
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(Paperback)
Edition: Pap/Com
Author: Zhi Gang Sha
Publisher: Atria
Price: $8.80
You save: $7.20 (45%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
20 out of 25 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 5/20/07
Sing, Dance and Move with the Power of Soul
Soul Wisdom I is a remarkably exciting, profound and simple book. It reveals ancient and sacred soul wisdom, knowledge and practice for your soul, mind, body and life.
It is amazing how complicated life can become. We get caught up in financial issues, relationship troubles, running around like crazy, and neglecting the most important aspects of our existence - our souls.
When it is all said and done, will much of what we get caught up in matter? Can we take our money with us? Can we take our houses with us? Can we take our cars with us? Can we keep all of our materialism? No.
What we will leave with is our souls, our soul wisdom, our soul practice, our soul knowledge and the record of our services. We will leave with whatever service, good or bad, we created in our lives. It will follow us wherever we go in the spiritual world and when we reincarnate in the physical world.
Soul Wisdom I takes us out of the complications and craziness of everyday life. It gives us practical tools to connect with our souls, open our spiritual channels and receive divine wisdom, knowledge and practice that will help us serve humanity, Mother Earth and the universe more powerfully, purely, and with love, peace, and harmony.
This book provides deep insight on how to heal and transform your life through Soul Language, Soul Song, Soul Movement, Soul Tapping and Soul Dance. How freeing it was for me to soul sing and soul dance with my soul, the souls of my family and friends, the souls of the highest saints, buddhas, holy beings and the Divine. I was healed. I was blessed. I am transformed.
Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha is a true treasure for humanity. His willingness to give this sacred wisdom so freely is a break from the past traditions of masters only passing some or none to their students while withholding this knowledge for a select lineage holder(s) or disciple(s). This generosity is also given in Master Sha's previous bestselling books Soul Mind Body Medicine: A Complete Soul Healing System for Optimum Health and Vitality, Power Healing: Four Keys to Energizing Your Body, Mind and Spirit, and Living Divine Relationships, which I highly recommend to purchase as well.
The time is now for all of us to join together through the power of soul to heal, bless and transform every aspect of our lives, Mother Earth, the universe, and beyond. Soul Wisdom I is a gateway that opens up to allow you to do universal service for five, ten, fifteen minutes or longer each day. Open your soul and heart. Buy this book. Read this book. Apply the practices to your life. Tell all your loved ones to do this as well. I call each of you to sing, dance and move with the power of soul.
Click here to see more reviews for: Soul Wisdom
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