I found the entire premise of this story ludicrous. I couldn't relate to, or sympathize with, any of the main characters or the choices they made. I found the main character's priorities and actions (after receiving her diagnosis) misguided, manipulative, and ultimately destructive. Many characters came across as somewhat shallow. The author's too-frequent propensity to describe what people were wearing, in annoying and pointless detail, was distracting 'filler'; same goes for frequent descriptions of food. There were many deviations into meaningless 'side stories' that didn't add to the main thrust of the story. In short, I found this to be like a poorly conceived and written daytime soap. If women are into that kind of drama, they would probably enjoy this book. To each their own, but I will avoid this author in future.

This book was money well spent! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it held my rapt attention throughout. The characters are vividly portrayed, particularly that of the Headmaster. The story flows beautifully and has elements of mystery throughout, with unexpected surprises. It made the confusion and paranoia of the Vietnam War era and its aftermath in that country come alive for me. The writing is impeccable! I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good literature.

I regret buying this book. I thought it would be humourous in the sense that Jerry Seinfeld is humourous. Not So! I'm only up to page 36 and am already considering giving up on it. Like others have said, it feels adolescent and substitutes overuse of the f-bomb and similar crudities for actual wit. That gets pretty tiresome pretty fast. The author seems to be trying to impress us with how bizarre she and her family are, but bizarre doesn't necessarily equate to funny. I wish I'd saved my money.

I just finished reading this book, and enjoyed it very, very much. It gives a lot of accurate period detail of life and royalty in Russia in the mid 1700's. The rise and early reign of Catherine The Great is richly detailed, covering all the Court intrigues and manipulations that lead up to the coup that brought her to the throne. The book is told from the perspective of a female commonor who came into royal service and was used as an internal spy in the palace. It might appeal more to women, especially those interested in royalty or Russian history. Although it is a fictional account, it is based on accurate historial events.

Plodding and Tedious! I expected a masterfully-written Whodunit, but was subjected to repetitious rephrasing of the key elements of the story, which drew to an eventual conclusion that was unsatisfying and unconvincing. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good mystery fiction. I'm glad I only paid half price for this book.

This isn't a book you would sit and read, but an excellent reference for anything you want to look up. It will be helpful in getting the most out of Windows 7, in a reasonably understandable format and language.

I recently bought this set for my eleven-year-old grandson. He's on #4 now and is enjoying the books immensely. His enthusiasm for reading has increased since being introduced to this series. My son read all of the Hardy Boys books when he was a child, so he's pleased that his son is now into them. This set is very good value for the money, and good wholesome adventure reading for young boys.

I can honestly say that, after several listens, there's not a single song on Taylor's cd that I dislike. The band is excellent throughout, and Taylor's vocals are consistently superb, even on the one or two tracks that have slightly formulaic lyrics.

'The Runaround' is pure whomp and joy - a real 'barn burner', especially when Taylor performs it live. 'Dream Myself Awake', although lyrically perhaps a bit mundane, has a good melody and hooks that make it very radio-friendly and a potential pop hit.

Apart from the songs written by Taylor, which I love, I think 'The Right Place' is my favourite, belonging right up there with the greatest soul ballads of all time - a classy 'classic' (written by Canada's own Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance). I also love his interpretation of 'Wherever I Lay My Hat' - for me, it conveyed more of the true feeling of the song than did Paul Young's earlier version (which was also very good). Apart from being a great vocalist, Taylor has a true gift for interpreting lyics in a way that connects with the listener.

I'd say my least favourite song on the cd is 'The Maze', but it has grown on me somewhat with repeated listenings.

One of the most significant things about this album is that the few Taylor compositions featured stand up well both lyrically and musically against some very seasoned songwriters. This bodes well for him having more of his own material on his next cd.

The production finds a good balance, never overdone or overpowering Taylor's fine vocals. The excessive 'bells and whistles' often found on Idol albums are not an issue with this album, thank goodness.

All in all, I have nothing negative to say about this cd. For an Idol debut album, produced 'start to finish' in about 6 weeks, it's a cohesive cd of exceptional quality, with something to please everyone. Well Done, Taylor!

I just bought this album today, and am VERY impressed! It has surpassed my expectations! INXS haven't lost any of their 'edge', and are sounding as good as ever. JD (Jason) fits in with their style even better than I expected. Nobody can replace the brilliant and charismatic Michael Hutchence, but JD is definitely the right guy for INXS to move on with. Good choice, guys!

Most of the tracks are outstanding, the only weak one (in my opinion) being 'Never Let You Go'. 'Afterglow' is a beautiful slow number, with JD doing a fine job of showing his more tender side. Another standout song for me is 'God's Top Ten' - it's very touching and haunting.

The album has a good balance between ballads and rockier material.

My Verdict: This One Is A Winner!!!

This album is superb, Kurt's best work so far. He has written every song, and plays a lot of the instruments. If possible, his singing is better than ever. He has moved waaay past the 'Idol' connection, into the realm of the true artist.

Kurt has 'bared his soul' with the very personal lyrics here. A favorite of mine is 'For You' - on that one Kurt does everything, singing, background vocals, superb guitar playing. There's not one bad song on this outstanding album. "My Street" won an award for Best Song at the Nordic Music Awards.

The production on this album is clean and clear, without a lot of background clutter. Kurt's voice is the centrepiece, emoting excellently-written songs that one can easily relate to. Considering that English isn't Kurt's first language, he does a brilliant job of writing meaningful English lyrics.

I recommend this album to any and all who appreciate great music.