marketplace	customer_id	review_id	product_id	product_parent	product_title	product_category	star_rating	helpful_votes	total_votes	vine	verified_purchase	review_headline	review_body	review_date
US	22480053	R28HBXXO1UEVJT	0843952016	34858117	The Rising	Books	5	0	0	N	N	Great Twist on Zombie Mythos	I've known about this one for a long time, but just finally got around to reading it for the first time.  I enjoyed it a lot!  What I liked the most was how it took a tired premise and breathed new life into it by creating an entirely new twist on the zombie mythos.  A definite must read!	2012-05-03
US	44244451	RZKRFS2UUMFFU	031088926X	676347131	Sticky Faith Teen Curriculum with DVD: 10 Lessons to Nurture Faith Beyond High School	Books	5	15	15	N	Y	Helpful and Practical	The student curriculum was better than I expected. The lessons were easy to understand and easy to teach. Each lesson has a list up front explaining everything you need for the session. This alone is very helpful.<br /><br />As for the lessons, the students in my Sunday School class (11th and 12th graders) are being challenged by new ideas and thoughts. This has led them to really look at their faith and figure out what they truly believe. This alone is essential to them establishing a personal faith and not cling to the faith of their parents.<br /><br />This curriculum is essential to any youth group. They are topics that should be discussed with every senior before they leave high school.<br /><br />How could you pass up on such a formational curriculum for such a great price?<br /><br />- Zach Carpenter<br />Roseburg Church On The Rise	2012-05-03
US	20357422	R2WAU9MD9K6JQA	0615268102	763837025	Black Passenger Yellow Cabs: Of Exile And Excess In Japan	Books	3	6	8	N	N	Paul	I found \\"Black Passenger / Yellow Cabs\\" to be a very readable book.  It was fun going hearing about Mr. Bryan's sexual escapades -- at first.  It was refreshing to have someone who could frequently be very perceptive speak honestly not only about his life, but the sexual escapades and shenanigans he was engaging in.  And to link that behavior with the horrific conditions of his early youth in a ghetto in Jamaica, and more loosely, with the Jamaican cultural socialization which influenced him.  These elements humanized and explained some of his less than noble behavior.<br /><br />However, what becomes extremely obvious as the book goes on (and on and on it does go)is that, even in Mr. Bryan's own words, he suffers from 'dissocial personality disorder,' or some such thing.  Perilously close, it seems to me, to sociopathic behavior.  Even the title, in retrospect, speaks to the sociopaths view of humanity.  Mr. Bryan is a 'passenger', i.e. a person, the woman are 'cabs' -- non-humans.<br /><br />The irony, of course, for anyone who's read the novel is that Mr. Bryan frequently speaks of how the Japanese culture traumatizes and demeans women.  However, he is a flagrant abuser of women -- though he frequently presents himself as the opposite, as one who has nutured these poor women back to health!<br /><br />He has impregnated more than 10 women while in Japan -- and in most case paid or helped to pay for the abortions.  More than 10 women!  All because he enjoys the feel of sex without a condom.  And because he knows that most of the women won't insist that he wear one due to their timidity!  So, in effect, he'd have woman after woman go through the greater trauma of an abortion; and have fetus be terminated (some would even say murdered); and he would even have to pay (in some cases only half) for his temporary pleasure!  This, more than ten times!<br /><br />And let us not forget how he then has his cake and eats it too as he makes out how horrible it is of the Japanese to run an abortion industry, instead of having oral contraceptives more readily available.<br /><br />He also even refers to the women in his writings as cars.  He prefers, he tells the reader, his \\"bentley\\" (Shoko) but the 'ferrari' (Azusa) is sexier and her parents are so accepting of him!<br /><br />The language he uses time and again, in conjunction with the repeated behaviors, indicates that closeness he shares with the sociopath: people are things to be used, manipulated.  People are not people: they are not truly human with feelings and the right to be treated as 'ends in themselves' -- but rather they are trappings, are thigns, to be used and manipulated by the sociopath.<br /><br />Mr. Bryan frequently talks about how he doesn't really love -- indeed, it seems that he doesn't even like very much -- Azusa.  But she's so good looking that he wants to have children with her; while, of course, marrying Shoko (or perhaps converting to Islam -- though he's an atheist -- in the hopes of being able to legally marry both of them).<br /><br />This goes on and on.<br /><br />Again, at first, much of this seemed fun, interesting, a man with hardbreaks coming into his own.  However, this behavior is -- and has been -- going on for years, even into his forites.<br /><br />Yes, there's the 'addiction,' however, I got the distinct impression that Mr. Bryan was being more honest than perhaps he meant to be when he on repeated occasions told the reader about his personality disorder.  He truly has one, it seems.  He may not be a sociopath, but in many respects his 'disorder' is such that other people are things.  For me, to get behind the eyes, so to speak, of a person like that is a frightening experience.  But, pun intended, an 'eye-opener'!<br /><br />It's also curious that Mr. Bryan has, it seems, only female friends.  In part, he would have the reader believe it is because of his greater sensitivity to females and their plight.  He sometimes refers to himself as a 'lesbian in a male's body.'  His sensitivity is hogwash!  Woman form the perfect dovetail for the likes of him:  one, he likes 'tail' and two, he knows that he can manipulate them far more easily than he can men.  These two features make them delectable to him.<br /><br />A minor note.  Much of the book is fairly well written with this curious feature:  there are numerous rather 'lofty' words sprinkled throughout the text.  For example he writes of one woman \\"she tried corybanticly to cloak herself with anything in sight\\" (Yukari; p331).  Now, I have a master's degree in English, but I don't know what the freak \\"corybanticly\\" means.  The point is that too frequently this text is larded with extremely high falutin words, amid, of course, the booty calls, and his petrified rod, etc.<br /><br />Most curious!<br /><br />Anyway, this is in many ways an interesting read: some of the incidents are enjoyable to read; much of the writing is actually pretty good; there are some sharp insights into Japanese culture ( I lived in Japan for a year so I had some access to what he's referring to); there's great awareness generally of culture and its influence (Jamaican, American, Japanese).  There's the fascinating other perspective -- both replusive and fascinating -- of the view from the 'personality disorder'.<br /><br />Anyway, I give this book 3 stars.<br /><br />I hope this review helped.<br /><br />Aloha,<br />paul	2012-05-03
US	13235208	R36SCTKYTVPZPC	1900869225	785539232	Direction and Destiny in the Birth Chart	Books	5	10	11	N	Y	Direction and Destiny in the Birth Chart	Sasportas is a brilliant Astrologer, a captivating writer and in this text provides great insight into the chart indicators of our life pathway.  A great read and a great tool for the Astrologer.	2012-05-03
US	26301786	R10BM6JUOJX27Q	1565129938	64646125	Until the Next Time	Books	3	0	0	Y	N	This was Okay	I wanted to love this book, I really did since I am Irish. But I just couldn't get into it. It just seemed to me to be boring and did not tell the story smoothly or with any excitement or intrigue. All in all, it was okay, but it kind of left me wanting more.	2012-05-03
US	27780192	RCLZ5OKZNUSY4	146854456X	270349766	Unfinished Business	Books	5	0	0	N	Y	Excellent read!!!	What an exciting read! I started reading the book and one day I was trying to watch a show I like, but I couldn't because I couldn't put the book down.  When you think one venture is about to end, you're thrown into another.  Get this book...you won't be sorry.	2012-05-03
US	13041546	R1S65DJYEI89G4	1118094514	752141158	The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science- and Reality	Books	4	8	17	N	N	A must read for science thinkers	This book is excellent evidence for any conservative who has been wondering why her/his liberal friends (yes this does occur) and family are reluctant to enter into political discussion.  I had been wondering.  As I read this book (borrowed from a neighbor) I learned about beliefs no one in my social milieu had shared with me yet.  I am entirely greatful to learn WHY I am considered incompetent to question national policies.  Thanks for the enlightment and entertainment.	2012-05-03
US	51692331	R3KQYBQOLYDETV	0563521147	729491316	Good Food: 101 Cakes & Bakes	Books	4	2	2	N	N	Chocoholic heaven	If you are on a diet, it might be best to turn away now.  A further entrant to the popular range of recipe books by the BBC now provides 101 additional cakes and bakes that could add a few kilos or more without trouble to your waistline... and since the recipes look so easy to make as well one cannot rely upon prevarication to help reduce calorific intake.<br />These praiseworthy little books feature the recipe on one side and a full colour photograph on the facing page, put together into a tight little package that gives 101 different dishes for an unbeatable price.<br />Reviewing these books is actually quite hard. One cannot be critical of the approach taken by the entire series as there is nothing that can go wrong (doing a \\"King Alfred\\" not withstanding). . One cannot complain about the breadth of recipes, the price, the appearance, so one might be forced to complain about the sheer tempting nature of the recipes if one has to find something to complain about.<br />Split into six sections - large cakes, fresh fruit cakes, chocolate cakes and bakes, loaf cakes, small cakes and tray bakes and finally muffins and cookies - and backed up by a good little index you can, at-a-glance dig out that favourite recipe, find inspiration based on a particular ingredient or, of course, just browse through and be inspired.<br />Each recipe has even been \\"triple tested\\" by different cooks to ensure that the average home cook will have no problems, something some other cook books could well emulate. So far we have not found a bad book in this series and long may it continue.	2012-05-03
US	23108524	R3QV8K7CSU8K2W	0669444421	261004015	Patterns and Quilts (Mathzones)	Books	5	0	0	N	N	Quilt Art Projects for Children	Written by quilt artist Andrea Shedletsky, teacher Frances Lang, and math book author Christine Losq, this book is a great how-to for anyone who is looking for creative art projects to do with children. No prior skills needed. Andrea leads you through the fundamentals of design and color. She shows you how to use found objects to print your own fabric. The literature books invite children to learn about traditional quilt patterns, and you never even know that you are doing math. Keep an eye on [...] for an online version of this book, available soon.	2012-05-03
US	51692331	R3W5A1WUGO5VQ0	1897784457	497876045	Practical Food Smoking: A Comprehensive Guide	Books	4	0	1	N	N	A good read	Food smoking has been a typical way of preservation and flavour enhancement since time began, yet it still remains shrouded in mystery and viewed by many to be somehow complex or difficult to do.<br />Yet with a little bit of application, determination and some equipment you can soon have your own \\"home smokery\\" and begin to see for yourself just what a simple difference it can make to both the taste and appearance of food.<br />The author takes care to give the prospective smoker (a phrase one does not hear nowadays without a perforative tone!) a good grounding in exactly what is involved in food smoking and the history behind the art before starting with possibly the most important thing of all: the raw ingredients. Without those you might just have a \\"smokey hole\\".<br />Here the book tends to assume that you might be looking to also kill your own food and prepare it for eventual smoking, but if the nearest you get to a hunt is looking for a good deal at the supermarket you may need to skip a few pages. It remains important, however, to read about the ideal type of ingredients so that you are able to understand exactly what will work well and what will turn out bad.<br />After you have your ingredients at hand - however you acquired them - there is still preparation to do through the brining (salting) process and you are given expert guidance on this important stage as, if you don't do it right, you will only end up disappointed later on.  Ah, but you might not have any smoking equipment! Fear not, as you are helped look at possible equipment purchases to best determine what you might need.  There is a solution for all.<br />Those thinking of setting up a commercial operation can also benefit from this book as, on the whole, it is just a question of scale. Some separate sections on business-related affairs are included but it is also wise to check your country's own specific requirements prior to making any investment for fairly obvious reasons.<br />Hurrah... now it is time to smoke and there are COPIOUS hints, tips and advice about smoking techniques and specific methods for a very wide range of ingredients.  One thing food smokers also like to do is experiment by changing different fire/smoke sources, spicings and the like. Once you have managed the basics you can either stick to that and have a good consistent product or, of course, maybe try something different for a bit of fun and be possibly surprised with the end results.<br />Despite the comparative age of this book and some of the information that might be \\"out of date\\" or \\"not applicable\\" to your locality, the core of this book remains as consistent and relevant today as on the day it was published.  Even if you have not considered smoking your own food but enjoy smoked food, this book will still provide a lot of useful background information to help you understand more about the art of food smoking.<br />It would have been nice to have had some colour illustrations showing the smoking process and, of course, typical end results. A minor niggle but nothing that changes one's opinion of this interesting, knowledgeable and helpful modest tome.it is time to smoke and there are COPIOUS hints, tips and advice about smoking techniques and specific methods for a very wide range of ingredients.  One thing food smokers also like to do is experiment by changing different fire/smoke sources, spicings and the like. Once you have managed the basics you can either stick to that and have a good consistent product or, of course, maybe try something different for a bit of fun and be possibly surprised with the end results.<br />Despite the comparative age of this book and some of the information that might be \\"out of date\\" or \\"not applicable\\" to your locality, the core of this book remains as consistent and relevant today as on the day it was published.  Even if you have not considered smoking your own food but enjoy smoked food, this book will still provide a lot of useful background information to help you understand more about the art of food smoking.<br />It would have been nice to have had some colour illustrations showing the smoking process and, of course, typical end results. A minor niggle but nothing that changes one's opinion of this interesting, knowledgeable and helpful modest tome.	2012-05-03
US	49438248	R20AQCY3FMBVN5	0316738158	691490916	The Big Love: A Novel	Books	5	0	0	N	N	One of my favorites!	This is one of my favorite books of all time.  I read it long long ago and STILL recommend it to friends.	2012-05-03
US	11818020	R7KY8VL871MVL	0738730440	544176812	Around the Tarot in 78 Days: A Personal Journey Through the Cards	Books	5	13	15	N	Y	A must for tarot readers	I have been waiting for the release of this book for a while now. I must say that is was worth the wait. It takes you card by card and show you how to connect with each card plus how to interpret it differently for different question. For people who have a hard time relating and interpreting court cards, this book is for you. If you are a beginner or advance this book is for you. It allows you to use your intuition too instead of focusing on old meaning of the cards. It gives you daily meditations and affirmations for each card daily so you can connect well with each card. I am really impressed by this book and would highly recommend to anyone who wants to really connect well with cards and give better readings.	2012-05-03
US	51692331	RHF5E4UOL5LQ3	1902842286	698916699	Favourite Apple Recipes	Books	5	2	2	N	N	A good little book	Jane Austen said \\"good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness\\" and one can understand that opinion as a good warm apple pie can invoke dreamy memories (and not those that were shown in the \\"American Pie\\" film either!).  Yet the apple is an often under-estimated ingredient in cooking, despite its versatility in both food and drink affairs.<br />This \\"Favourite Apple Recipes\\" book is another in a long series of pocket-sized and friendly books that feature many oft-forgotten, uncommon English recipes, This modest 48 page tome features 34 diverse apple recipes ranging from old favourites such as an apple crumble and apple pudding to more rarified delights such as apple gingerbread, apple and potato cake or even an apple, raisin and cider tea bread.<br />One can surely state that there will be at least a few recipes that you've never heard of, let alone tried before. Yet one does not need to be a kitchen genius to try these recipes, each featured on their own page, as despite the lack of food illustrations one gets sufficient information from the concise, to-the-point instructions.  A very brief history or explanation about the dish's development is provided as well for the curious.<br />As with other books in this series, one does not even have to plan to cook the various recipes in order to benefit from it as the timeless sepia images of rural England can provide a dreamy excursion back to a more innocent age.  But you would be advised to don your apron and prove to yourself that the humble apple is, in fact, a versatile beast.	2012-05-03
US	29446920	R1LMUDN5M9G6ZZ	1465399577	922463098	Kevin and Tak	Books	5	0	0	N	N	so great	I felt this was a great book I found out is was a book about children with sensory problems and how it can be hard for them to want to eat any food so they just drink liquids my kids love the book and now my 4 year old wants to try knew foods so im so happy thanks to this book.	2012-05-03
US	33284115	RNGA47KD4CEB8	0061934704	740765152	Opium Nation: Child Brides, Drug Lords, and One Woman&#8217;s Journey Through Afghanistan	Books	5	0	0	N	N	Knowing Afghanistan inside-out!	Fariba Nawa, describes his motherland, Afghanistan, in the best way possible. She studied as a journalist and use her professional views to observe all the negatives and positives of the \\"new Afghanistan\\". Not only readers can find the realty of life and how politics effect men and women, but also she gives us a good portrait of nature and all the natural beauties scattered all around the country. I read this book and finished that with new understanding of Afghanistan which is not very known to westerners. I recommend this book to those, who are looking for a recent source to get to know Afghanistan and Middle East in general.	2012-05-03
US	44728718	R33MYHP5RY1139	1432729039	116349266	True to Life	Books	5	3	3	N	N	Modern poetry that matters	For many, reading poetry is a painful journey back to English class and trying to find the subtle meanings of the phrase.<br /><br />Duane Ashley Poole has taken a skill and created poetry that the average reader can really enjoy and relate. I didn't find the poetry long (after all, I have read Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman) since each of them is less than a page long. There is a broad mix of topics from judgement and deceit through happiness. There are many that reference God in a Christian manner. While the ones that are a bit more like advice are very good, I really enjoyed the slightly broader ones like \\"October in my glass\\" and \\"A New Day\\". I felt they had a bit more imagery and pulled me in a bit further.<br /><br />If you enjoy poetry, consider this book.<br /><br />Also posted for the Kindle edition	2012-05-03
US	52534548	R18VIM840CEFRP	1621360075	143884185	The Real Kosher Jesus: Revealing the Mysteries of the Hidden Messiah	Books	1	16	105	N	N	SLH	I'm sorry, but calling Jesus the messiah is as kosher as eating a ham and cheese sandwich on Yom Kippur.  Bringing about world peace, having the world worship the same G-d, and the return of the Jewish diaspora back to the land of Israel were hardly accomplished by who the Christians believe to be the Messiah.  If he truly was Moshiach, then none of these discussions would be taking place.<br /><br />When the Moshiach does come, it will end hatred and intolerance--unlike what happened when Jesus' followers tried to propagate their faith.	2012-05-03
US	37836302	RQOZBXX7M0U6H	097723732X	106641033	Idioms Go To The Movies: Ghost (Learning English While You Eat Popcorn)	Books	5	0	0	N	N	Great book!	The (slightly) easiest of these books.<br /><br />It includes the following idioms:<br />To play it by ear/to wing it/a wing (of a building)/Get serious!/to flunk out/to overdo it/to catch on (to something)/What's up?/a glitch/to check something/to be bound to do something/to have something to do with something/to take someone time, money, effort, etc./to be a big deal/to be no big deal/to make a big deal out of something/to show up/to turn up/to check for something/to let someone go/to let something go/to be on the right track/to be on the wrong track/to pay off/to add up/to go with something/That'll do it!/to pay something off/to face something or someone/ to face the music/What for?/to mind one's own business/to keep out of something/to be up for a promotion/to be trying/to get something/to swallow something/to buy something /word for word/word by word/to be all in one's mind/to take something with a grain of salt/to check something out/to break into a house, an office, etc./to break into tears, laughter, applause, etc./to get even/to go through something/ besides something/ Besides, .../to be all set/to be hardly the word/to track someone or something down/to check up on someone/to step on it/to be supposed to do something/to rip someone off /to go off the deep end/ to milk someone for every penny/to have a record/to set a record/ to be out of one's mind/to be up to something/ On top of that, .../ It's been one of those days/to keep track of something/to lose track of something/to be able to take something/to get to someone/to burst someone's bubble/to be up/to keep someone up/to pass out/to black out/to be up to (doing) something/ to be able to tell (that something is true)/(There's) No telling .../That does it!/to be a goner/to cover something/ Hang on! /Hold on!/to lead a charmed life/to hang on or to hold on to something/to sound or look good, happy, easy, delicious, etc./to hear something through the grapevine/to wipe someone or something out/to be spellbound/to talk someone into (doing) something/to talk someone out of (doing) something/to get over something/to be nosy/He went on and on/It went on and on/Life turns on a dime/by word of mouth/a spook/spooky/to make out a check/to fill something out/to fill something in/to be a whole new ball of wax/ to get rid of something/to be up for something/	2012-05-03
US	38588903	R3SH84TAORQP2T	0983945209	377432437	Elsie -  Adventures of an Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916	Books	5	3	3	N	N	Terrific Book!	By Den Adler<br /><br />Finding--and buying--this book was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Arizona to visit a long-time friend. I finally got to put the book down yesterday--when I finished it after reading almost nothing else for several days. A year after her beloved grandmother Elsie died, Barb Waite discovered the diary Elsie kept while teaching in Arizona from 1913 to 1916. To her credit, Barb didn't just read the diary and put it away. She looked further, and found newspaper clippings and even some of Elsie's early students from her one year in Cornville. They, after 75 years, still remembered Elsie and told Barb more stories about her.<br /><br />Okay, I'll admit that as a guy Elsie's pretty face on the cover caught my attention, but so did the intelligent, intense look on her face--a sort of \\"Okay, let's get going\\" look. Also, 1916 is mentioned--the year my late father was born. I collect vintage postcards, and the years 1913 to 1916 were during the Golden Age of Postcards--when \\"postals\\" were the emails of that era. Knowing how people lived then helps me appreciate the cards--and their messages--that I have in my collection. I loved Elsie's mother advising her to send \\"postals\\" rather than write letters until her (Elsie's) sore, tired eyes recovered.<br /><br />Elsie wrote only a few lines a day in her diary, but sent and received long, detailed letters. She and her mother kept those letters, and we get to read them here, thanks to the author. Great stuff for anyone interested in life at the beginning of the last century, when \\"creek up\\" meant no delivery of eagerly awaited letters and when cars were still curiosities and travel by horse and train was common. Interest in this book should carry far beyond Arizona. It's a true story of real people living in an era long gone from the U.S., but also a story of love--with its hopes, doubts, fears, and strong emotions--that is repeated, in one way or another, in all of us. This is a wonderful book, andrather than give my copy to my sister, I'll buy her her own.<br /><br />Den Adler, author of \\"To Become a Priest--a Love Story\\"	2012-05-03
