PerfectBound

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind- Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

3 stars (Good ideas) - This book has been a clear read with some good ideas and productive perspectives. A great tool for new direction and focus in financial thinking. I really enjoyed it and recommend it for those who need a real change in their financial habits. 5 stars (Combines Tools As Well As Programming the Subconscious Mind) - I have read lots of books on the topic of How to Become Wealthy, etc. This one is unique because the author gives the reader, in detail, two important things: 1) Statements to say to yourself, to program your subconscious mind, and 2) Excellent, practical ways to become wealthy. One of the most helpful to me was to stay away from negative people, and especially this - try for one week not to complain, about yourself or anyone else. Believe me, even if you don't become wealthy in terms of money, you'll be a lot wealthier in terms of peace of mind and happiness! Most books, unfortunately, only give you one type of information, not two. I absolutely believe that the more tools and information you get re: getting wealthy, the better off you are. If you want to get wealthy, get this book! Also - the tape is great to listen to. The author's enthusiastic style is contagious, plus you get to listen to his messages which "stick to you" even more than reading the book. 2 stars (nothing new) - A lot of mlm hype - certainly not the realities discussed in more thoughtful books like Millionaire next door and Millionaire Mind. ...
PerfectBound :: Business & Economics-Personal Finance - Financial Planning :: T :: Harv Eker :: :: Secrets of the Millionaire Mind- Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth

YOU- The Owner-s Manual

5 stars (Oz and Roizen make anatomy lessons entertaining and offer sound advice for staying healthy.) - `YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that will Make You Healthier and Younger' is an interesting health book which teaches readers how the body works in relation to its anatomy and central systems, including hormonal, nervous, digestive, sensory organs, and immune. It also covers topics that deal with the brain, heart, digestive, reproductive glands, lungs, bones and joints. Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen have managed to make learning these topics both entertaining and enjoyable by including illustrations of pathogenic creatures whose role it is to portray illnesses that harm the body. There are also illustrations of benevolent elf creatures whose role it is to guide readers through different parts of the body in terms of names and functionalities. The authors have also incorporated a sense of humor, trivia, and a diet plan. In terms of humor, we have analogies between the activities of muscle cells when engulfing deceased heart tissue and the fighting that regularly presents itself on daily talk shows. In terms of trivia, the authors discuss the frequency at which one should have one's thyroid level checked. They reveal the quantity of air biscuit floatation produced by an average human per day. They also expose information regarding the quantity of times that most persons engage in intercourse. Finally, the authors invite their readers to try a 10-day, 30-recipe diet plan designed to benefit certain systems of the body such as that of immunity. This is an important book because not only does it mention how diseases start and the consequent effects that they have on one's body, but it also provides readers with advice on how to prevent or quash conditions that bear the potentiality to endanger the quality of their lives. Moreover, it also offers advice for ways to preserve the body's health and youthfulness, which in the long run, co...
PerfectBound :: Health & Fitness-General :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: Michael F Roizen :: Mehmet Oz :: :: YOU- The Owner-s Manual

Devil-s Bride

5 stars (In love with Devil's Bride) - I picked up this book at a garage sale but I immediatly fell in love with it. The characters were witty and fun. The plot was strong and I couldn't put the book down. Honoria and Devil were perfectly matched and it was always great to see them interact, with each other as well as the other characters in the book. The only bad thing I have to say about the book was the murderer was rather obvious to me from the beggining but the book was still great fun to read. I would recoomend it to anyone and everyone! 5 stars (The first and THE best of the Bar Cynster novels) - What a great way to start the Cynster series! I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. This is a great introduction to the Cynster family, especially those disgustingly handsome and sexy Bar Cynster cousins. As soon as I finished reading this, I bought the other 5 Cynster novels because I wanted to know what happened with the rest of the Bar Cynster. Devil and Honoria are my favorite Cynster couple. Devil is just to die for and Honoria is the perfect match for him. He is rakishly handsome and so arrogantly sexy. He is strong, devoted to his family and, of course, he is the Duke of St Ives, the leader of the notorious Bar Cynster and the most eligible bachelor in the ton. As for Honoria, she is the strongest and most interesting of the Bar Cynster wives - not to mention the most stylish and sophisticated. The part in the book where someone mentions that she was born and bred to lead the ton and take on the role of the family matriarch couldn't be more true. When reading the succeeding books, I couldn't help but measure up the other heroines against Honoria, and couldn't imagine any of them in the Duchess' role. I love the interaction between those two, and the way they slug it out during their heated exchanges is very entertaining. It is always delightful to read about them in the other Cynster books, in fact, I'm always looking forward to th...
PerfectBound :: Romance - Historical :: Fiction-Romance - Historical :: Fiction - Romance :: Fiction :: Stephanie Laurens :: :: Devil-s Bride

Winning

5 stars (Jack Welch is great!) - Jack Welch is a great business leader! He is also very direct and to the point about his ideas. I love that about his book. A must read for anyone serious about growing and learning. 4 stars (Lots of good insight into the world of business) - I am a small business owner trying to think big and "keep it real." There were many valuable insights in here and reminders on common sense issues. 3 stars (Insightful At Times, but Mostly Superficial) - Jack Welch clearly is a legendary business leader; however, a great writer he is not. The book offers a few insights - eg. the power of corporate vision and value, budgeting and rewarding performance in the real (dynamic) world - but his book is not nearly as specific and helpful as Larry Bossidy's (Welch's former #2) "Confronting Reality," and "Execution." Sadly, the book also does not reference how Welch greatly simplified planning and accountability by getting rid of the planners and layers of bureaucracy, and instead focusing on fast reaction - a lesson that some firms, government and public education still need to learn. In addition, Welch does not address most of the vast changes simplifying much of management in the last few years - even though he pioneered much of their use. The job has become primarily one of reducing costs - especially by shifting work away from Americans. This is accomplished by: 1)Maximizing outsourcing (eg. to Canada - primarily to avoid U.S. healthcare costs; to China and India - primarily to greatly reduce production labor, call-center, and design and programming costs, 2)Maximizing use of illegal immigrants within the U.S. - eg. in the meatpacking, construction, and other food-processing and food-serving areas, 3)Maximizing use of legal temporary immigrants within the U.S. - eg. Indian citizens with H-1B and L1 visas in areas such as electronics design and manufacturing, and computer programming. 4)Maximizing use of aggressive accounting - eg. capit...
PerfectBound :: Business & Economics-Leadership :: Suzy Welch :: Jack Welch :: :: Winning

Map of Bones

4 stars (Better than da vinci, but different.) - I have to say that James Rollins is a better writer than Dan Brown. His characters have more depth, and furthermore, his plots are more completely thought out. I've been disappointed in some of Brown's books, because although the action is fun, the plots are pretty lame. I just don't care if they found a meteor with fossils in it. Rollins however, has ventured away from his normal formula of taking people underground, throwing in weird creatures, and having the hero escape. It's nice to see him grow as an author, and hopefully someday he'll have movies made based on his books. 4 stars (The Map is great) - Great little book, many thrills and chills. Another great novel about to be pulled from the shelves and revamped by a nameless publisher is, "Behind the Dark Curtain" by Adam W. Gibson. Pick up you're first edition independent copy's today, so you can turn around and sell them to the highest bidder on "ebay" . Trust me, they won't be around forever. 3 stars ( Map of Bones ...just a little too talky!) - Having read all of James Rollins' novels, Map of Bones comes off as a verbose attempt to justify Rollins' intense research into Catholic ritual, history, and dogma. While the basic military action of the story captures the reader's interest, the novel bogs down in the author's attempt to display his research in a clumsy, didactic fashion. If you've ever heard Tim McCarver literally ruin a World Series telecast with irrelvant, decades old minutia, then you'll appreciate how James Rollins should have reduced the history lessons and simply got on with the novel's action, especially as it leads to the climax. ...
PerfectBound :: Fiction-Espionage&Intrigue :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: James Rollins :: :: Map of Bones

The FairTax Book- Saying Goodbye to the Income Tax and the IRS

1 stars (The Cato Institute Objects to the national ales tax idea) - No doubt HR 25 has been studied by the best of minds; the Cato Institute is a non-profit public policy research foundation (think tank) headquartered in Washington, D.C. Here are four potent objections it lists to the national sales tax: Objection 1. The sales tax is regressive. The rebate feature of the national sales tax makes this proposal nonregressive. Remember, a family of four would pay no tax on its first $20,000 of purchases each year. This is the equivalent of a zero bracket under the income tax. It is similar to the Armey personal deduction--though not as generous. There are various ways of providing this rebate. Assuming that the sales tax were set at 18 percent, a family of four would be entitled to a rebate of $3,600 ($20,000 x 18 percent) for the year. The government could send a quarterly rebate check of $900 to every family of four; a $450 check to every family of two; and so on. Another possibility would be to provide every family with an annual "smart card" that would have a sales tax credit based on family size. A married couple with no kids would receive a $10,000 credit on its card. Each time the couple made a purchase, the smart card would deduct that amount until the card's $10,000 credit was used up. After the first $10,000 of purchases, the family would begin to pay the sales tax. So it dead wrong to argue that a sales tax is inherently regressive. Objection 2: A sales tax of 18 percent would entail large- scale evasion. A national sales tax of 18 percent, when added to the existing states sales taxes, would bring the total sales tax to between 20 and 25 percent. Critics are right when they argue that a sales tax this high would encourage evasion. But compared to what? Evasion is already a huge problem with the income tax. An estimated $150 billion of income tax goes uncollected each year--according to the IRS's own calculations. Moreover, states report th...
PerfectBound :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: Business & Economics-Taxation - General :: John Linder :: Neal Boortz :: :: The FairTax Book- Saying Goodbye to the Income Tax and the IRS

The Alchemist - 10th Anniversary Edition

4 stars (pleasant) - im personally drawn to portugese authors. in both the works of jose saramago and paulo i sense a very strong current: both of these men have a gift for capturing the essential human spirit in prose. to me, the alchemist was a dance; seamless blending of wordplay and personality, reaching for a portrait of the beauty of human experience. the story is fair and lighthearted, a saunter; however there is something quite magical about it. one could say it comes with paulo's integration of mysticism and arab cultures. there are many scenes where the reader, with the help of paulo, can deceive the senses into letting go as to transcend the present and play amongst the ethereal literary setting. all this works together to make reading this book a pleasantly positive and enjoyable experience. when low scores are given i do not understand what one could possibly be seeking other than a nice story. in terms of storytelling, this one is exceptional, and it would be something else if all approached this one with intent and respect. it deserves at least that. 2 stars (occasional insights in a shallow text) - Occasionally in The Alchemist there are moments that made me dog-ear the page, words and turns of phrase that I thought captured an important sentiment about life and the pursuit of dreams. But these rare moments are embedded in a foggy text, a text that has the appearance of wisdom but is actually quite shallow and vague. In Santiago's various discussions with the people and things he encounters, from the Englishman to the desert wind, there is a superficial feel of deep ideas being discussed when most of the time there is little substance to the ideas, little development and thought put into them. Profound words like "omen" and "heart" are tossed about without any effortful exploration of their meanings. These thoughts, these words, are dealt with too easily and superficially. Rather than stir me and engage me in deep thought, the book act...
PerfectBound :: Fiction-Literary :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: Alan :: R Clarke :: Paulo Coelho :: :: The Alchemist - 10th Anniversary Edition

Freakonomics- A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

4 stars (Entertaining and a bit educational) - I enjoyed reading this; I'm not sure I believe all of it. There was no methodology presented, so I have to take the author's word that he did the research. And, isn't that what this book is about, NOT taking somebody's word that a presented fact is the absolute truth? The information is interesting, but I found the underlying message, that what we accept as the truth isn't always that simple or easy, far more intriguing and frightening. Take the theories with a grain of salt, and enjoy the imaginative, accessible view of economics. Who knew economics could be fun? 5 stars (Too long, too short - the critics need a unifying theme) - First, let me start off by explaining that my exposure to this material was via a CD Audio book that I checked out at the library. The book is read aloud by Stephen Dubner (one of the authors) and he does a fine job of reading it. Plus, since he knows exactly where to put the inflection in his voice, some of the subtle wordplay becomes more apparent as you hear him speak it. I think that may have also given me a better understanding of the points the authors were trying to make - points that many of the critics of this book have either missed or misunderstood. I have a stack of books next to my bed that I read every evening. This audio version allowed me to complete another book during otherwise wasted time on my commute to and from work. One of the best reasons to listen to the audio version comes in the last chapter where they are discussing names. It is certainly more difficult to keep track of the various lists of names without having them written down in front of you, but you do get the advantage hearing the pronunciation of a few of them. Three of the names are rather amusing to hear aloud especially compared to their spelling. To me, it was definitely a better way to spend my commute to work rather than listening to some insipid disk jockeys on the radio. But after I retu...
PerfectBound :: Business & Economics-Economics - Theory :: Stephen :: J Dubner :: Steven Levitt :: :: Freakonomics- A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

After Midnight

After Midnight ...
PerfectBound :: Fiction-Romance - Gothic :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: Teresa Medeiros :: :: After Midnight

A Fine Passion

4 stars (At last a story about a strong woman with an acutal strong woman) - Many romance storys thrive on the play between the hero and the heroine. Between the strong minded blue-stocking and the yet to be reformed rake... But most fail in actually giving the reader a strong female heroine. Oh she might give the hero a little trouble in the beginning but then she goes all mullen headed and falls in love and loses her brains. Not so in the tale... I felt the author did a much better job at having two strong characters and yet having them fall in love without their brains oozing out their ears. The author also presents the reader with a interesting story and mystery along with the romance. This is why Stephanie Laurens continues to be one of my favored romance writers. 4 stars (Overdone on the Strong Female...) - Although overall I like this book, just like most, I found it to be a little wordy and long-winded. The thing that bothered me the most, though I like women with a backbone, is that she had to be in charge ALL THE TIME. Sometimes I wanted to say, "For goodness sake, let HIM be a man!". Also, the word "haughty" was used over and over again. Personally, I don't want to be around a person - male or female - who is constantly referred to as haughty. Also, it seemed like every time Jack said something, her response was "hummph". What does that mean? Although I liked her somewhat, I definitely liked his character much more. She seemed to me to be one of the two extremes - either incredibly prickly or incredibly passionate; there was no happy medium. I know this all sounds like I hated the book, which I didn't. I just think it drug on a little too long - perhaps like my review! 4 stars (Enjoyable read) - I enjoyed the main characters, Jack and Clarice, of this story. She is a woman raised to be a prominent member of society, and has inherited the forceful personality of her father. That personality is at odds with the society of which she is part, ...
PerfectBound :: Fiction-Romance - Historical :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: Stephanie Laurens :: :: A Fine Passion

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America

4 stars (these reviews are ideal) - in showing the split in America's political seam. Um, I don't imagine there'll be a melding-of-the-minds anytime soon. Both sides are right, of course, and both are wrong. Everyone seems to agree America's going to hell in a hand basket and whose fault is it? Why it's your fault, and it's my fault, and it's that guys fault and well, there's a lotta fault to go around...cause everyone really knows how the world runs, or is supposed to run and if only THEY just listened to ME...cause I know, I really do...I'm well learned and stuff. Hey, don't sweat it, lighten up, a book like this is fun...even if it contributes to the problem. To quote L. Cohen "I'm not left or right, I'm just staying in tonight" Peace and Love 4 stars (Good book) - This is a good read. Some of the people mentioned are not well known, so I cannot comment on their appearance in the book, but I certainly agree with Goldberg on those whose names I do recognize, although not always in the sequence that he places them. Still, Goldberg points out the absurd conduct of a lot of the bad actors in our country. 1 stars (Unfunny neo-con propaganda) - If you're Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh or anyone who would associate with any of them, you'll love this book. Otherwise, this is a failed attempt at Al Franken satire with some of the most forced humor I've ever read in a book of its kind. The section about Al Franken was desperate (not to mention he hid the cuss words behind asterisks - wouldn't want Brent Bozell to read this book and have a stroke), the diatribe about Eminem sounds like something Andy Rooney would write in 15 years when he's even older and MORE out of touch, and although I agree with his assessment of #95, Courtney Love (all he wrote was the word "ho"), he resorts to this writing device too often without bothering to explain why people such as Love are such a threat to America. Not to mention that it sounds about as embarrassing, cringe-...
PerfectBound :: Computers-Programming Languages - General :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: Bernard Goldberg :: :: 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America

Dreaming of You

5 stars (Best of Lisa Kleypas) - Advice: Read "Then Came You" first. Derek Craven is introduced in that book, and while you don't have to read it to enjoy " Dreaming of You ", the books do intertwine quite a bit. DOY is, by far, the best romance I have ever read and is Lisa Kleypas' best. Sara Fielding is adorable (I loved her from the first page) and Derek Craven is pure heat. Together, they are a most unforgettable couple - literally. This book will stay with you for days after you're done reading it, if not weeks. 5 stars (Passionate love story) - Ok, I admit that on second thought there are quite a few suspension of beliefs that must be made on the reader's part. For example, Derek's bent on not having Sara was frustrating after awhile. However, I believe I (and the other's who rave about this book)like this novel so much because I really felt the passion of Derek for Sara. He really is the one you fall in love with here. I have rarely felt the heartbreak of a character as I did Derek's. I rather feel inclined to compare it to Jane Eyre for some reason - it has it's plot stretches, but you don't really care (the writing style and plot is of course completely different from Jane Eyre). There is a lot more steamy sex scenes as well (very good ones I might add). This is definitely a darker romance though. The hero truly is scarred. Bottom line: I would definitely recommend " Dreaming of You ." 5 stars (Loved It!!!) - Dreaming Of You is my absolute favorite romance novel. I've read so many books by Lisa Kleypas, but this one is just simply the best. Derek is my favorite hero out of her books, he's just so hot! And Sara was perfect for Derek, they make such a good couple. This book deserves a 10!! -Anne Rose Duenas ...
PerfectBound :: Romance - Historical :: Romance - Adult :: Fiction-Romance - Historical :: Fiction-Romance - Adult :: Fiction - Romance :: Fiction :: Lisa Kleypas :: :: Dreaming of You

Worth Any Price

4 stars (Highly sensual (Bow Street # 3)) - For many years, his dark and painful past has haunted him, leaving a scar still too raw for him to deal with. Having rejected his claim to an old and noble title, he opted instead to keep his real identity a secret, taking up the identity of his dead prison mate to become the notorious Nick Gentry. When he was given a second chance to live, he becomes a Bow Street runner gaining a reputation as a man to be reckoned with. She is the runaway bride of a wealthy aristocrat. Growing up under the watchful eye of the despicable Earl, Charlotte Howard knew that the only way to keep her soul and sanity is to turn her back away from her family and create a new identity for herself. And it seemed that she finally made it- until the notorious Bow Street runner sets foot in Stony Cross Park where she has been working as the dowager countess' maid. After being commissioned by a wealthy Lord to find his runaway bride, Nick Gentry doesn't realize that meeting the elusive Charlotte Howard would change his life for instead of finding a stubborn female, just as her parents had made her out to be, he finds one in desperate need of protection. It doesn't take long for him to realize that she was a victim of her parents' greed, a lamb sent to slaughter in exchange for money. As for Charlotte, she knows that Nick would be able to protect her from Lord Radnor, who would destroy her very soul if she ends up in his hands. But what neither of them knows is that there lays another challenge for them - for the truth about each other's past is an obstacle they must overcome. WORTH ANY PRICE is the third instalment in the Bow Street trilogy. Sensual and provocative, it is a typical Kleypas book that had me glued from the start. After meeting Nick on the previous book "LADY SOPHIA'S LOVER", I was eager to read his story to see what happens to him after his brother-in-law saved him from hanging. It was good to see that he's been reformed, yet also sad...
PerfectBound :: Romance - Historical :: Fiction-Romance - Historical :: Fiction - Romance :: Fiction :: Lisa Kleypas :: :: Worth Any Price

Match Me If You Can

4 stars (Light-Hearted Romance) - After listening and enjoying the new Harry Potter book, this book was a delight. The characters were interesting and there are many funny moments. I was looking for an interesting romantic book after being in the dark world for a while. This book fit the bill. 5 stars (Perfect for each other...) - I absolutely adored this book. This is the second book by author Susan Elizabeth Phillips that I have had the pleasure of reading and I have loved them both. The first `AINT SHE SWEET' was a fun romantic novel that also had somewhat of a serious side while `MATCH ME IF YOU CAN' was all fun! I found myself reading through the chapters quickly so I could find out what happened next. Matchmaker Annabelle Granger and Sports agent Heath Champion are a couple that you will be rooting for from the very beginning. The chemistry is great and the pacing of the story is just right. SEP gives you exactly what you want when you want it without making anything too easy. Can't wait for her next one...but in the meantime I think I will brush up on some of her previous works! 4 stars (She's done it again!) - Susan Elizabeth Phillips has done it again, this time with a tale of a sassy wannabe matchmaker, Annabelle, who will do anything to succeed in her new business venture and keep her overachieving family off her back. Her first big client Heath is a handsome self made man who is too busy to find his ideal trophy wife. The relationship that develops between Annabelle and Heath was slow to start off, but sparks eventually began to fly. I picked up this book because SEP has become a favorite, and she didn't disappoint with this offering, either. ...
PerfectBound :: Fiction-Romance - Contemporary :: Computer Bks - Languages & Programming :: Susan :: Elizabeth Phillips :: :: Match Me If You Can