We are opening a coffee house in 4 months and, needless to say, I have been reading and researching tons of books. Not just on the coffee world, but on insuring a small business as well as other legal insights. This book has been a HUGE resource for our venture. It is an easy read, meaning, it doesn't numb your mind for countless pages discussing, say, insurance. Let me add that it does talk about insurance, and I thank the authors for that. They explain complicated business talk with clear and consise examples. They also tend to weigh situations against other situations. For example, when drawing up the plans, they give you three ways of doing it (yourself, a draftsman, and an architect) and explain the pros and cons of each. This is consistent throughout the book and they go on to explain why or why not certain things work. They discuss marketing, staffing and the interview process, equipment tips, design layout, decor, etc. This is obviously written from the stand point of people who have been there. They cover all the bases about getting your shop up and running while touching on some potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. And if you get in a bind, they discuss how to get out of it. My highlighter has gotten a workout and I am passing this on to my co-owners to read. I am grateful to have found this book and only wish I had found it sooner to save money on the previous "coffee house" books I have purchased. This book exceeded my expectations as it went beyond the basics and truly is the only book you'll ever need. I was impressed to see that they covered LLC's, C corporations, and, S corporations...where people can't sue and go after your homes, bank accounts, personal assets, etc. Our attorney recomended an LLC for our type of operation and I was relieved to see that this book brought the topic up. Thanks to the authors for being the most complete work out there (in my opinion) on starting your business THE RIGHT WAY from the start.

This movie is beautifully done. I don't have a single criticism. Well casted, well written, just a true ringer. The movie pulls you in from the beginning and never lets you go. The life this man has to endure is painful to witness but entertaining nonetheless. The obstacles this man encounters and the chronic fear and frustration he endures are felt by the viewer. The movie is a glimpse into history, thought provoking, and the PERFECT pick for a rainy day on the couch with a big warm blanket. It will make even your friends with short attention spans remain fixed to the set.

It's true. The cover is the only decent thing about this movie. I like a good horror flick like the rest of them and being based on a true story, I thought it would definatley be worthwhile. Wrong. This movie drags. It is completely anti-climactic. It opens with crazy camera effects, in the style of Jacob's Ladder, and fades from there. The acting is weak, there are no good build ups as it seems put together without much thought, and doesn't deliver the eerie feeling that good horror movies can bring. It's filmed in the dark and the spooky scenes are rushed so it just seems like one big "filler" of lame dialogue and poor acting. On the whole, the movie is anemic.

Being new to this band, I bought the last album on a whim and never looked back. I was hooked. I wondered how a band could live up to putting out another great album when the first was so phenomenal. Well, history has repeated itself. This second album is ALSO stellar. I can't break it down into detail why exactly it is so good, it just works. Both CD's are ones you just have to listen to in order to understand. It is addicting and intoxicating. As many times as I've played this CD, I find myself anticipating the next great song. And when it's over....I replay it. Hold Me When I'm Gone is, inarguably, a great song. But as you listen to the rest of the album, you find that they are all nothing short of perfection. Song #10 is my personal favorite. The vocals are best demonstrated here. This band is modern in its nature---by that I mean the lyrics are relatable, the tunes are extremely catchy, and the angrier songs are appropriately integrated into this album. And like the first album, no two songs sound the same. This is head-bobbin' driving music and I am now confident that subsequent albums will be in the same calliber as the first two. With such mature songwriting and arrangement, I'll be first in line for the third 3 Doors Down album. No doubt these guys have a future. I am highly impressed.

This book is one of the easiest reading how-to books I've seen. It is clearly written and moves along at a speedy and efficient pace. The author makes the business very understandable for beginners like myself. He suggested a few websites that I have used as resources as well which have led to the submissions of my first query letters. He covers all the bases and sheds light on how tough the business is, how to expect rejection, and at the same time, not to give up or lose faith in a product you believe in. It's also nice to hear that rewrite, rewrite, rewrite is all a part of the brutal process. Just knowing that makes the hill climb a bit more palatable. This book should never be out of arms reach. It is a great reference you can rely on throughout the entire writing process. My suggestion? Buy stock in highlighting pens.

This CD was a bit of a gamble, having known nothing of the band except for Kryptonite, which I and everybody else liked well enough to get us to run out a get this CD. I have learned to never buy a CD for the "one-hit-wonder" because the rest of the album usually sucks and should've stayed back on the demo tape. This, on the other hand, is one of the best CD's I've bought in the past year or more. I feel like it is Corrosion of Conformity revisited and reformed. There isn't a bad song on this whole CD. Great hooks, every song sounding different from the next, and the perfect mix of both heavy sloshy songs among the rockin' tunes makes it a permanent fixture in the CD changer. I'm afraid to get another CD from 3 Doors Down because I can't believe this one can be topped. The band Helmet once stated that "space within music gives it weight" and there are a few songs on here that have that "space between guitar crunches" that give it the testosterone jolt. The rest are so solid and full sounding that the "weight" comes naturally. We'll hear a lot more from these guys if they keep it up. This album delivers!

Straight female with a baby here, 30-something, and a smalltown girl. I got my first dose of Bronski Beat back in the days of the Montreaux Rock Festival (anyone remember?). I immediately bought it (cassette at the time). Jimmy Sommerville's stage presence and booming vocals blew me away. The man gives me goosebumps to this day! This album has, and always will be, one of my favorites. It is timeless. No two songs sound alike. If you like a blend of dance tunes (Why, Junk, I Feel Love), rhythmic, sensual groove tunes (Scream, my personal favorite, Love & Money, Need a Man Blues, Smalltwon Boy), and a few blues/jazz tunes like It Ain't Necessarily So and Heat, then this album is for you. It covers all the bases.....and well! Each song has an addictive and intoxicating hook. I Feel Love is a sure bet for someone new to Bronski Beat. Even conservative people will say "It's got a good beat...." Jimmy Sommerville and Marc Almond are a great pairing. Marcs bass voice compliments Jimmy Sommervilles awesome screaming soprano. They never miss a note. This was the first of many Broski Beat/Communards CD's but this one rises to the top effortlessly. If you only buy one CD by these guys, make this the one. But buy 2, you'll wear one out in the first year.

Well, the man with the golden voice has done it again. I have read reviews comparing Counterfeit 2 to Counterfeit 1 which, in my opinion, is unfair. Martins musical tastes have undoubtedly matured, or should I say, changed a bit. Let me also add, that I STILL listen to Counterfeit 1 on a regular basis. Counterfeit 2 has quite an ecclectic brood of songs that let us peek into the musical likes of the man himself. In fact, a few songs (In My Time of Dying, I Cast a Lonesome Shadow, In My Otherworld, Candy Says) sound like Martin could've written them himself.
Martin mixes it up by throwing in a song like Lost in the Stars which, to me, sounds like a Broadway tune (can ya see it? Martin on Broadway?) and Das Lied... that has such an eerie sound, great hook, and makes me wish that my small town in Northern California offered German 101 at the local college, because if Martin picked it, it's got to have profound lyrics.
One of my favorite songs on this CD is In My Otherworld. For those of us 30-somethings that grew up in the 80's, we can recall the mood The Smiths conjured. This song with the sad and lingering guitar sound reminded me of those days, "black and blue", "mud and blood", the overall feel of heavy-weighted dread that we LOVED to wallow in back then. I guess I admit I still love it. Nothing moves me more than drama in music and this song definately has it.
Loverman is another success at drama. Martin can contort his voice in many ways that this album has made evident. When I listen to that song (over and over and over and...) I see the video: Black and white, domination, erotica, wet hair, need I say more?
The straightforward vocals in Oh My Love remind me of the old days, ie Somebody, which calls to mind the man behind the delicious voice and I realize he is, indeed, the same man from that era.
Another reminder is the brilliant arrangement that Martin is so gifted with. And the sounds that are produced from the synth and guitar are synergistic. How does he do it? Brilliant I say!
The more I listen to this album, the more I get attached. I'm willing to bet that in 2 more weeks, I'll ammend my vote to 5 stars. This is beautiful music and Martin has impeccable taste in music. Counterfeit 1 and 2 are proof of that. One thing is for sure, I would give both my ovaries to be able to get into his CD collection.

I give this book 5 stars for a somewhat superficial reason: I found it entertaining. It was my first Grisham novel and a breath of fresh air from some heavier readings I've had. It is a page turner and the book was over before I knew it.
It starts with the mystery surrounding the old man working up his will and it gives you the thirst to find out why his family deserves his malicious intent. From there, the main characters perils in the amazon are abundant, and again, you find yourself frantically flipping pages to see "what happens next".
It fell short for a bit during his encounter with the pastor of the church once back in the states, but it wasn't significant enough to knock a star off the rating.
I appreciate Grisham weaving in the personal battles that Nate deals with in his turbulent life , all the while embarking on his biggest challenge yet, which of course, turns out to be an epiphany.
This book was easy to follow and enjoyable to the very end. And I look forward to my next Grisham book.

Having heard of the basis of the book, I bought it to have my cage rattled a little. And it did just that. As a new mom, I cried like a baby by the time I got to page 31. Then I set it down. I finally mustered the courage to continue on with the heartbreaking scenario, and didn't put it down until I finished.
Again, as a new mom, it may have touched me more profoundly than it would have before I had a child, but still, I was touched nonetheless.

I felt the book moved along rapidly and the most memorable part of it, for me, was the character of the victims father. His pain and frustration could be felt. And I think Daddy's and their little girls have something special that no one can comprehend and that rang through on this novel.

I don't mind the fantasy part of it all, the "ghost" theme as I have read in criticisms, as it is, in its essence, fantasy. My only disappointment was the fate of Mr. Harvey. It seemed rushed and a bit like an after thought. It was as if the author got tired and impatient with writing that it just had to end. I wished his fate had as much dimension around it as the rest of the book had.

I felt "heavy" while reading the book, and I like any book that can make me FEEL something.

All in all, I enjoyed the book. Though disappointed a bit by the aforementioned, I still walked away from it with a whole new thinking about "life after death". It is not a book I'll forget anytime soon, I'm glad I read it, and I'll pass it around my circle of reading freinds without shame.