About a Boy

Average customer rating:

A wonderful story of teenage (and adult) angst.

Another good book from Mr. Hornby.

A brilliant, touching novel.

About a boy by Angelica Mattsson, Sweden, Leksand

Light, entertaining story

About a Boy
Nick Hornby
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Hornby, Nick | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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High Fidelity: A Novel

How to Be Good

A Long Way Down

Songbook

Fever Pitch

ASIN: 1573227331

Amazon.com

Will Lightman is a Peter Pan for the 1990s. At 36, the terminally hip North Londoner is unmarried, hyper-concerned with his coolness quotient, and blithely living off his father's novelty-song royalties. Will sees himself as entirely lacking in hidden depths--and he's proud of it! The only trouble is, his friends are succumbing to responsibilities and children, and he's increasingly left out in the cold. How can someone brilliantly equipped for meaningless relationships ensure that he'll continue to meet beautiful Julie Christie-like women and ensure that they'll throw him over before things get too profound? A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his new career, that of "serial nice guy." As far as he's concerned--and remember, concern isn't his strong suit--he's the perfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexual bliss, she'll realize that her child isn't ready for a man in their life and Will can ride off into the Highgate sunset, where more damsels apparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these women is at single-parent get-togethers. In one of Nick Hornby's many hilarious (and embarrassing) scenes, Will falls into some serious misrepresentation at SPAT ("Single Parents--Alone Together"), passing himself off as a bereft single dad: "There was, he thought, an emotional truth here somewhere, and he could see now that his role-playing had a previously unsuspected artistic element to it. He was acting, yes, but in the noblest, most profound sense of the word."

What interferes with Will's career arc, of course, is reality--in the shape of a 12-year-old boy who is in many ways his polar opposite. For Marcus, cool isn't even a possibility, let alone an issue. For starters, he's a victim at his new school. Things at home are pretty awful, too, since his musical therapist mother seems increasingly in need of therapy herself. All Marcus can do is cobble together information with a mixture of incomprehension, innocence, self-blame, and unfettered clear sight. As fans of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity already know, Hornby's insight into laddishness magically combines the serious and the hilarious. About a Boy continues his singular examination of masculine wish-fulfillment and fear. This time, though, the author lets women and children onto the playing field, forcing his feckless hero to leap over an entirely new--and entirely welcome--set of emotional hurdles.

Book Description

Nick Hornby's cult fiction debut, the New York Times Notable High Fidelity, was a national bestseller in the United States, and a #1 bestseller in England. Hornby was greeted with standing ovations from The New Yorker (Hornby has established himself as a maestro of the male confessional) to Time (Hornby demonstrates his enviable talent for lucid, laconic writing) to The New York Times Book Review (Hornby captures the loneliness and childishness of adult life with such precision and wit that you'll find yourself nodding and smiling) to GQ (funny, compulsive, and contemporary). About a Boy stars a guy called Will, who doesn't really want any children. He wonders why it bothers people that he lives so happily alone in his fashionable, Lego-free flat, with massive speakers, and an expensive cream-colored rug that no kid has ever thrown up on. Then Will meets Angie. He has never been out with a mom before. And it has to be said that Angie's long blond hair and big blue eyes, are not irrelevant to his sudden

reassessment of his attitude toward children. She is truly

beautiful. And truly beautiful women do not, traditionally, go out with him. Then it dawns on Will that maybe Angie goes out with him because of the children. Maybe children democratized beautiful, single women

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful story of teenage (and adult) angst........2007-08-05

ABOUT A BOY is a story about Will Freeman, a proudly self-absorbed 38-year-old Londoner. Living lavishly off the royalties from a hit Christmas song penned by his father, Will excels at nothing except doing nothing, which, in his case, includes shopping for CDs and having his hair "professionally disheveled." When Will makes a guilt-free exit from a brief fling with a single mom, he decides to crash a meeting of S.P.A.T. (Single Parents, Alone Together) in pursuit of more single mothers. This scheme leads to meeting Suzie and Marcus, the socially awkward 12-year-old son of her flaky best friend, Fiona. A series of odd situations leads to Will and Marcus becoming unlikely friends, and gradually both of their lives start to change for the better. However, when Will falls for the lovely Rachel and attempts to pass Marcus off as his son, things go awry. In order to win the heart of Rachel and make amends with Marcus, Will must finally grow up--and completely embarrass himself in front of hundreds of people.

Another good book from Mr. Hornby........2007-03-27

I have known some Nick Hornby readers, but I had never taken the plunge. The due diligence I had done seemed to confirm the reviews from friends: Hornby writes with such a charming wit that it is easy to overlook how alarmingly exposed he leaves the male perspective. Finally I decided to see for myself, though it wasn't by reading this book. I started with High Fidelity, which I enjoyed enough to want more Hornby in my life.

About A Boy tells the story of how a man -- who is not getting any younger -- finally starts to grow up. It is, however, less about his slow transition away from the shallow, playboy persona and more about the unexpected relationship with a young boy that makes the transition possible. (Man does that sound awkward.)

Will's latest scheme to meet women involves a fabricated story that he is a single father of baby Ned. Single mothers, he has decided, are the greatest untapped natural resource available to single men. On a date to the park with just such a single mother, Will has his chance meeting with Marcus -- the socially awkward young man whose poor conversation skills and even poorer fashion sense are the product of his parents' divorce. The woman who takes Marcus to the park -- and into Will's life -- is not Marcus's mother, she had...other plans.

Will knows more about what to wear, listen to, and talk about as a teenager than Marcus does. Seeing the opportunity to improve his social status at school, Marcus latches on to Will. While Will teaches Marcus about being a kid, Marcus teaches Will about the importance of family.

I can definitely see why some readers think that Nick Hornby offers a little too much "playbook" information from the man team. In About A Boy, as in High Fidelity, he writes very candidly about how (stereotypically) men feel in certain situations. Some men may feel like their secrets are betrayed, and some women may feel that they have been given the key to finally understanding their less-emotional (or even emotionless) counterparts. I don't think anything he writes leaves men that vulnerable at all, but they are certainly entitled to their opinions.

Regardless of the subject matter, Nick Hornby writes in a comfortable voice that I enjoy. His books are short and simple to read and there is enough humor in the right places to move the book along. I liked About A Boy, and my desire to read more Hornby has not been extinguished.

The only complaint that I have with About A Boy is that I would have preferred a little more development of Will's unwillingness to consider Marcus as his friend. I understand the arm's-length approach that Will uses for his interpersonal relationships, but Marcus could not have been seen as a threat to the personal sanctity of Will's carefree lifestyle. He would go out of his way to do nice things for Marcus, but on an inconsistent basis.

If you have seen the movie, which starred Hugh Grant as Will, here are a few thoughts on the differences. Hugh Grant is significantly more charming than Will is as he was written. The movie was clearly more upbeat as the book was written from a darker perspective. The young man who played Marcus in the movie was a very good casting choice.

A brilliant, touching novel........2007-02-14

Nick Hornby's "About a Boy" is one of my favorite books of all time. Although I couldn't handle Hornby's other works ("How To Be Good" was uninteresting for me, and "High Fidelity" had an interesting concept, but I could never read it for a longer time), "About a Boy" worked for me in more ways than one.
The book depicts the miserable life of Marcus, a 13-year old lonely boy who cannot seem to get along with his schoolmates and make friends. He is very smart, a good observer and it is a joy to look at life through his eyes. His mother is divorced and depressed ("Usually", Marcus says, "things are fine until she starts crying over breakfast"). On the other side of London lives Will, a wealthy 30-something bachelor who has barely worked a day in his life. Will divides life into 30-minute sections, so he doesn't feel his loneliness and often indulges in women. His latest preys are single mothers, because he finds their emotional instability a perfect match for his shallow ways. It is not long before Marcus and Will meet and by a series of random events become unlikely friends and teach each other the ways of the world.
Nick Hornby has published an incredibly insightful book that digs deep into relationships, emotions and the eternal quest for the Truth. He has created memorable characters, who are made of flesh and blood and are easy to relate too. "About a Boy" is an essential book in your collection of contemporary prose.

About a boy by Angelica Mattsson, Sweden, Leksand.......2006-12-15

About a boy by Nick Hornby

Will is a 36 years old man and lives some where in England. Will has no job and no girlfriend. But he is quite happy anyway. He has a lot of money, because his father wrote a very famous Christmas song, and now he gets money because of that.
Marcus is a 12 years old boy who lives with his mother Fiona. Marcus is not like any other kid. He likes classic music like Mozart, and don't care at all about clothes. The other children pick on him all the time...
One day Will is register himself to SPAT (a single parent group), in hope to meet a good-looking single mother. He pretends that he has 2 years old boy, called Ned. The teacher for SPAT (Suzie) is best fried with Marcus mother, and this day Suzie is babysitting Marcus. She takes the whole SPAT group out one day for a pick nick. Will starts go get contact with Marcus, and Will understands that Marcus is not an ordinary child. From this day, Marcus feels like he has made a fried, and starts to visiting Will every day...
As a reader you will follow the relationship that grows between Marcus and Will and find out that everything isn't what it seems like.
I enjoyed this book very much. It was an easy language and good story. I think this is a very special book that some people hate. It doesn't happen anything very exciting anytime but some small, very cute and special things and I love that! It's not a very usual story if the book. Books use to be about love between a man and a woman, but in About a boy it is love between a man and a boy. Odd but so good! I will give the book 4 point out of 5.

Light, entertaining story.......2006-07-21

This story is quite entertaining if simple. A young boy, who is a complete misfit, befriends a cool, thirty-something male who can't seem to grow up. The young boy persuades the older male to help him "fit" in. Both learn stuff along the way.

Nick Hornby has 2 talents. 1) He really knows how the male mind thinks and injects a lot of truth and humor into the story. 2) He has a great ear for dialogue--Seinfeld-esque.

If you want to check out Nick Hornby's best book--read "High Fidelity," it's one of the funniest and most honest novels I've ever read.

This novel was later made into a pretty good movie starring Hugh Grant.

Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything You Need to Know about Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Average customer rating:

Food writing delicious enough to eat with photos to match. A useful guide to boot!
Geeky book for Produce Lovers
Melissa's
Well designed, beautiful book, not to mention extremely informative
This book will inspire your everyday menus

Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything You Need to Know about Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Cathy Thomas , and Nick Koon
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Fruits | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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Vegetables | Vegetables & Vegetarian | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0764571877

Book Description

"It's not enough to know your jicama from your heirloom tomatoes these days. When it comes to fruits and vegetables, there's a whole new terrain and this book is your GPS. From dragon fruit to yuzu, this smart, savvy, handsomely illustrated guide tells you how to recognize it, buy it, prepare it, and cook it, with edgy recipes from all over the world."
—Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible and How to Grill

Chances are, you're tempted to venture beyond the standard fruits and vegetables when enticed by the array of fresh produce at your grocer's. But then you're stymied. Exactly what is that? Is it supposed to be eaten cooked or raw? Should it be firm or soft? Do you peel it? How do you get to the good stuff?

This guide gives you the answers. It tells you how to choose and use all kinds of produce and includes:

More than 100 fruits and vegetables
200 gorgeous color photos and 100 delicious recipes
The seasonal availability of each fruit and vegetable
Information on how to select, store, eat, and cook each item

Customer Reviews:

Food writing delicious enough to eat with photos to match. A useful guide to boot!.......2007-08-24

From The Orange County Register/Fullerton News Tribune
October 5, 2006

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

You're shopping for produce and spot this spiny magenta...what? Christmas ornament? You're curious, but what on earth is it? For a moment your hand hovers as you gauge your own adventurous spirit. But do you buy it soft or firm? peel it? cook it? eat it raw? So instead you buy plums. Again.

"The appearance of dragon fruit is downright surreal," writes Cathy Thomas, the Register's food editor and award-winning author of "Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything you need to know about fresh fruits and vegetables" (Wiley), a gloriously photographed, comprehensive guide down the produce aisles. With Thomas at the helm, each fruit, from Asian pear to yuzu, and each vegetable, from artichoke to yu choy sum, begs to be discovered, its perfume inhaled and, yes, tasted.

Dragon fruit "has eye-popping magenta skin, dotted with bright lime-green spines" and "tastes like a marriage between kiwi and pineapple," she promises. Indeed it does, as I discovered recently at a book signing and reception held in the gardens of the Long Beach Museum of Art. Robert Schueller, marketing guru for Melissa's World Variety Produce, Inc., the largest distributor of specialty produce and foods in the U.S., selected a dragon fruit from the exotic fruit buffet - a riot of color like an artist's palette - and cut into it to reveal its purplish-pink flesh.

So what do you do with it? Dice the flesh, says Thomas, and combine it with diced pineapple or mango, toss with mint or liqueur and serve in the spiny shells. Or cut into wedges and splash with fresh lime. Use dragon fruit purée in cakes or quick breads or fold into sweetened whipped cream.

Thomas and Melissa's have teamed up to take the guesswork out of buying, storing, preparing, using and serving 120 fruits and vegetables. Brilliant photos from the Register's Nick Koon and 100 mouth-watering recipes plus a glossary of gizmos make "Melissa's Great Book of Produce" a valuable resource for the home cook or seasoned professional.

But the icing on the cake (or, I should say, the crown on the pomegranate) is the prose. Unlike other produce guide writers one consults for mere information, Thomas, with her uncanny ability to capture sound, smell and taste, invites you on a shopping adventure. Take figs: "Fragile fig skin surrenders easily to reveal soft-textured flesh filled with a multitude of tiny seeds. A bite produces tiny seed-popping sounds, flesh saturated with honey flavor, and a moist flower-petal aroma." Go ahead. Pass up those luscious black missions. I dare ya'.

Each fruit and vegetable fairly leaps off the page. "I want people to be able to smell each one and taste it," she told me. "Should it give a little when you press your thumb or snap when you break it?"
Common varieties combine with the exotic, eliminating the intimidation factor. "Everybody knows common celery," said Thomas, "but what about Chinese celery? The leaves and stalk are limp. They're supposed to be. They're so aromatic and delicious. I love to see people use them in stir-fries and soup."

"I make it a point to try something different every time I shop," noted Nancy Eisman, Melissa's special projects director. Good idea! So as fall days turn crisp and the soup kettle beckons, why not try the sunflower choke (also called Jerusalem artichoke, sunchoke or girsole).

Cream of Sunflower Choke Soup
From "Melissa's Great Book of Produce" by Cathy Thomas

1 1/2 pounds sunflower chokes, peeled, cut in 1-inch-thick slices
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, sodium-reduced preferred, or vegetable broth
Salt and white pepper to taste
3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Optional: croutons

1. Place sunflower chokes, milk, and broth in nonreactive, large saucepan. Simmer, partially covered, about 12-14 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup liquid.
2. Puree in batches in food processor or blender, using caution because ingredients are hot. Add reserved liquid if soup is too thick. Taste and add salt and generous amount of pepper. Ladle into 4 soup bowls. Top with parsley and croutons, if desired. Serves 4

Geeky book for Produce Lovers.......2007-04-03

A geek in one thing, a geek in all things, I guess and here is a book for all the gardening and food geeks out there. I came acorss those book while trolling the sorting shelves at my local library. It is one of the best finds I have made in a while.

Melissa's Great Book of Produce: Everything you need to know about fresh fruits and vegetables is a information-filled and gorgeously photographed tome on produce both familiar and strange. For each piece of produce you get information on buying, storage use and even a few recipes along the way. There are some items in here I have never heard of before and it is great to get information on those I have heard of, but never encountered.

A wonderful book for the kitchen or the couch, Melissa's Great Book of Produce will surely expand your knowledge and, most likely, your appetite.

Highly Recommended

Melissa's .......2007-01-23

This book has tons of information! I work in an upscale grocery store where we carry a lot of the product that is in this book. I can read up on a particular product and know when it is available, how to pick out good product and even find a recipe or two. Thanks!

Well designed, beautiful book, not to mention extremely informative.......2006-04-14

Visually, this book is impeccable. The food stylist, graphic designer, and photographer have done a fantastic job of showing the fruits and vegetables in an appealing and stimulating way, sliced and angled just so. The typography and look of the book is probably one of the nicest on my shelves. But it's not just a good coffee table book. Most importantly, it contains enough detailed information on a quite impressive range of fruits and vegetables that it has quickly become my favorite reference book for fruits and vegetables. I can't say enough how thoroughly enjoyable the book is to look at and learn from. And my favorite part is when the author describes how a particular item tastes: for example, a feijoa has a "sweet-tart taste blending pineapple, citrus and purple grapes." The next day I hunted down a feijoa and enjoyed that sweet-tart taste! I have since personally vowed to try every fruit and vegetable in the book that I haven't yet eaten. It may be a challenge to find them all, but of course, as the book implies in its title, melissas.com is one place I can look for them.

This book will inspire your everyday menus.......2006-04-04

Move over, apples & bananas! This is a book whose time has come -- just a decade ago, produce departments offered 200 items --today they have more than 500 fresh produce items and the authors of this handsome book have been instrumental in bringing many exotic items into the mainstream. We especially like the buying and preparation suggestions! Melissa's Great Book of Produce will inspire you to incorporate the more adventuresome fruits and vegetables into your daily meals.

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things . . .: That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, ... Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out

Average customer rating:

A great collection of short stories for young readers
great book
The scary, the funny, and the just plain weird
sweet
Enertaining

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things . . .: That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, ... Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out
Nick Hornby , Neil Gaiman , Jon Scieszka , and Jonathan Safran Foer
Manufacturer: McSweeney's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1932416358

Book Description

Interspersed with charts, graphs, and various crossword puzzles, A Book of Noisy Outlaws, Evil Marauders, and Some Other Things . . . features some of today's best authors spinning new tales ranging from the spooky to the strange. George Saunders tells the story of a father who takes caution to dangerous extremes in "Lars Farf, Excessively Fearful Father and Husband." In "ACES by Phone," a small boy finds a cell phone that lets him listen in on the thoughts of dogs, and in "Small Country," Nick Hornby introduces a country too small for a postal system but, unfortunately for one bookish boy, just big enough for a football team. Each story features full-color illustrations by artists including Barry Blitt, Lane Smith, David Heatley, and Marcel Dzama.

The collection includes previously unpublished children's stories from Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything is Illuminated), Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), George Saunders (CivilWarLand in Bad Decline), Kelly Link (Stranger Than Fiction), and Jon Scieskza (Stinky Cheese Man). The dust jacket folds into a unique aerogram, which factors into a special contest involving a story written partly by Lemony Snicket, partly by thousands of children.

Customer Reviews:

A great collection of short stories for young readers.......2007-01-15

After hearing Nick Hornby read his short story "Small Country" on NPR, I had to pick up this book. I was not disappointed. The stories are odd, humorous, and a bit-off center, but they are also immensely enjoyable. The themes are geared primarily towards younger readers (stories about parents leaving for Peru, monsters at summer camp, over protective fathers - you get the idea), with a tongue-in-cheek parody about them that is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket (who, in fact, wrote the introduction.)

Most stories are sure to be a hit with the grade 3 - 6 crowd; the final story by Jonathan Safran Foer ("The Sixth Borough") is a bit less kid-friendly, but the collection as a whole is a fun read. Highly recommended for young readers.

great book.......2007-01-08

My 10 year old daughter absolutely loved this book. She was a bit intimidated by the title initially , so I started off reading her the stories. We both were intrigued and read the whole book together. I thought is was so good , when we finished, I gave the book to our school library for other kids to read - my daghter nearly killed me for giving it away!

The scary, the funny, and the just plain weird.......2006-01-11

Take some excellent, renowmed writers, have them write a collection of stories for kids, and this is what you get. An eclectic, fun, sometimes creepy mix of tales that those of all ages are likely to enjoy.

While writers like Nick Hornby and Neil Gaiman contribute, the best effort comes from Kelly Link, in his tale titled, "Monster." Although written for children, this is one of the funniest short stories I've read in quite some time - funny, scary, straightforward in its telling - and it's the highlight of an outstanding collection.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that there are a couple of weak stories that hurt the overall collection. Still, I'd highly recommend this for readers of any age. You might not like every story, but I guarantee that there will be several that catch your fancy.

sweet.......2005-12-06

The general impression is that it's a collection of stories that the authors would have like to read when they were kids. Some of them may be scary to the announced age group (4-7) but most are just sweet. For the adult many of them will remind the reader how it was to be a kid. And for the kid, this will make them feel vindicated for many injustices they suffer, like the loud mean boy that everybody likes, over-controlling parents, and having to play sports when they really don't want to.

The funniest part was the introduction by Lemony Snicket. I'd like to know how Paul Revere did wrong by him.

Enertaining.......2005-11-04

The collection of stories is a must read for fans of intelligent young adult stories. Even the introduction, by Lemony Snicket, poking fun of books that are more mundane (with a terrific nod to Harry Potter) is a great read. I liked Gaiman's and Hornby's stories.

Why Johnny Can't Sell... and What to Do About It

Average customer rating:

A Great Sales Mentor Handbook
The value is in the beginning
Great Material For A Complex Subject
Great insight into what people need to be effective selling
Great practical advise on a complex problem

Why Johnny Can't Sell... and What to Do About It
Michael Nick , and Robert Kantin
Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1419535730
Release Date: 2006-09-01

Book Description

“We set out to write a book that could make all us Johnnies better sales people—and now you hold the results of that desire in your hands. Who should be reading it? Sales executives and managers who want to build a better team, CEOs who want to better understand why their Johnnys can’t sell, sales people who want to sell more and get (back) on top, and the maverick salesperson who simply needs more ideas on how to drive his or her sales manager crazy.”—From the Introduction

Merge sales and product training practices to dramatically increase sales.

In the competitive world of sales, organizations and managers have long bought into popular methodologies, exposing sales teams to a multitude of new approaches in the hopes of capitalizing on the next hot thing. But while many things work in the short term, no success seems to last.

Why Johnny Can’t Sell . . . and What to Do About It is the story of “Johnny,” the sales professional who has tried it all and still hasn’t found the formula for consistent success that helps him understand his product, his customers, and how to close the deal.

Nick and Kantin chart Johnny’s course through the sales process, examining his methods and providing sound advice and practical exercises. Why Johnny Can’t Sell is an essential sales companion, helping readers increase sales by bridging the gap between product and sales training.

Managers, sales teams, and field reps will learn to:

* Recognize training gaps

* Build sales tools that boost selling power

* Communicate success to customers

* Determine the value of a product or service to a prospect

* Demonstrate value with compelling proposals and presentations

Why Johnny Can’t Sell guides salespeople of all levels throughout the sales process, providing sound advice and practical exercises to build confidence and create custom sales approaches increasing the bottom line.

For additional Why Johnny Can’t Sell tools, visit www.whyjohnnycantsell.com.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Sales Mentor Handbook.......2007-10-18

Why Johnny Can't Sell does a brilliant job of breaking down sales barriers into extremely simple causes and further suggests both tactical and strategic approaches to remedy poor sales habits or lack of sales strategy. This easy to digest sales guide is a must for sales managers and sales coaches looking to implement an immediate step to improve organizational sales performance.
Robert Kane, Managing Editor, CRMlandmark.com

The value is in the beginning.......2007-08-05

This book and the valuable message is what kind of sale cycle are you in, complex or simple. Get this right and everything else flows from there. I started off the read engaged and then had to force myself to finish as all the valuable reminders were upfront. If you are new to sales, this is a good read but the experienced service sales person will find it to be a nice reminder.

Great Material For A Complex Subject.......2007-04-09

An excellent book for describing the processes required for successful complex sales. The mix of simple theory with useful practical advice, coupled with the worksheets, together provide a well defined roadmap that sales organizations, managers as well as those on the line, can exploit for making their sales activities more effective and predictable.

The book's Resources section is extremely useful, and in my view is well worth the price of the book by itself.

It is oriented towards relatively large sales organizations, although the same precepts and exercises are useful to small companies who are willing to make the effort and investment in scaling down certain portions for their own not-so-large companies.

Great insight into what people need to be effective selling.......2006-12-13

Michael Nick and Robert Kantin have done an excellent job identifying the issues that sales people have in their ability to do their job and why often they can't.

This book is a great eye opener for management to look inward into their own organizations and assess whether or not they are part of the problem or solution.

This is a great read and insightful. Kudo's to Michael and Robert for another winner.

Great practical advise on a complex problem.......2006-09-09

Having been a sales mentor since 1999, and a 20+ year career selling techology into the Enterprise, I truly appreciate this book. I have been a VP of Sales several times, and wish I had had these roadmaps back then.

The book helps you visualize the problems of driving revenues not in a silo, but in a full holistic view. The sales proposal section is practical and accurate, and the ROI section is terrific in it's coverage of a complex and common topic. But, how the book ties them togther with consultative selling is the most valuable.

Once you see this, and understand how you need to plan and execute on all three disciplines to be successful, is worth the read! Then, the author guides you into building tools and strategies to execute on creating revenue...in a practical and intuitive manner.

I recommend this to ANY person in sales management to senior exec's'owners who have to drive their company. In today's tech market, we all need help selling complex solutions faster and easier, and with predicable results, and this boook is the bible.

About a Boy: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script)

Average customer rating:

About a Boy: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Shooting Script)
Peter Hedges , Chris Weitz , Paul Weitz , and Nick Hornby
Manufacturer: Newmarket Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1557045712

Book Description

New in the acclaimed series—the new film starring Hugh Grant and Toni Collette, adapted from the acclaimed novel by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity). Coming from Universal Pictures in April 2002, produced by Tribeca Productions and Working Title Films. Based on Nick Hornby's popular novel, About A Boy is a comedy-drama starring Hugh Grant as Will, a rich, child-free and irresponsible Londoner in his thirties who, in search of available women, invents an imaginary son and starts attending single parent meetings. As a result of one of his liaisons, he meets Marcus, an odd 12-year-old boy with problems at school. Gradually, Will and Marcus become friends, and as Will teaches Marcus how to be a cool kid, Marcus helps Will to finally grow up. The cast also includes Toni Collette (Sixth Sense, Shaft), Rachel Weisz (The Mummy Returns, Sunshine), and Nicholas Hoult. 20 b/w photos.

The Terrible Truth About Time (Horrible Science)

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The Terrible Truth About Time (Horrible Science)
Nick Arnold
Manufacturer: Scholastic Hippo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0439982278

Literary Las Vegas: The Best Writing About America's Most Fabulous City

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The Vegas You Thought You Knew
Unique Las Vegas views from a variety of writers

Literary Las Vegas: The Best Writing About America's Most Fabulous City

Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0805036709

Book Description

Literary Las Vegas brings together the best writings from this neon outpost in the desert. Ranging from the hilarious to the tragic, these pieces provide what Nick Tosches calls a "Baedecker to the bizarre, a Virgil in shades, not only to the holy city but to the off-the-rack soul that we, one nation under Frankie's toup, so strangely and fatally share." Incisive, entertaining, and highly readable, Literary Las Vegas creates a unique anecdotal history about this one-of-a-kind place.

Customer Reviews:

The Vegas You Thought You Knew.......2005-04-13

Pretty decent read. Most of the writings reitereated the "Bugsy Siegel started Las Vegas" story and then went in different directions. I found the article/story on segregation in Las Vegas particularly interesting as Vegas is pretty diverse today and I for some reason thought Vegas being the rebel town that it is avoided the racial tensions of the 60's.

Each of the essays and stories reveal something you don't know about Vegas, but they also bring a sense of melancholy - Vegas isn't all giltter and glamour under the lights, even if you're a gangster's daughter, a comedian getting his big break, or a regular Joe.

Unique Las Vegas views from a variety of writers.......2000-06-03

Seen through the eyes of some of America's best writers, these 26 pieces include a 1964 piece which Tom Wolf wrote for Esquire, an excerpt from Hunter S. Thompson's book, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", a diary of Noel Coward's Las Vegas gig and a 1952 article from the New Yorker about atomic bomb testing when rooftop parties welcomed the flashes of light in the desert. There's a piece by John Gregory Dunne about the life of an obscure comedian, a piece by Joan Didion about the marriage chapel industry and lots of well written and interesting pieces about gambling and the changes that have occurred in Las Vegas right up to 1993.

My favorites pieces by far though were the personal recollections of two women who grew up there, both from very different backgrounds.

Susan Berman, growing up in the 1950s, is the daughter of the mobster Dave Berman. She describes how her father taught her math by giving her a slot machine to play with and the Sabbath meals that her grandmother used to prepare for her father's Jewish gangster friends.

Phyllis Barber also grew up during the same period of time and recalls how her family woke early one morning to drive out to see the atomic blasts and be part of history. Church-going religious Mormons, her mother disapproves when she joins the precision marching dance team at Las Vegas High School. Later she has to make a difficult choice between representing a casino in a parade and attending church on a Sunday afternoon.

I wished that some of these pieces could be longer. I would have liked to have delved deeper into some of the articles, especially these personal recollection pieces. But the tone of the book is a lot like Las Vegas itself. The lights keep flashing, the cards keep being dealt and the roulette wheel keeps spinning. All the reader can do sit back and enjoy!

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Two Coming of Age Tales

About two boys

Quirky, funny and sad ~ I loved it

Growing up - but how

Growing up ý but how?

About a Boy
Nick Hornby
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Hornby, Nick | ( H ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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High Fidelity: A Novel

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About a Boy

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

ASIN: 0141007338

Customer Reviews:

Two Coming of Age Tales.......2006-04-23

It's a great story about the coming of age of two males - 12 year old Marcus, son of a weird, New Age London mom - and Will, 36 year old bachelor boy living off his father's royalties for a notorious Christmas jingle. It is unclear which is the more mature as Will joins SPAT (Single Parents, Alone Together) in order to meet hot chicks. In the process he invents an imaginary son, wife and hilarious circumstances. While on a SPAT picnic he meets Marcus and despite themselves, they become close.

Summary - Fiona (Marcus's mom) tries to commit suicide, Marcus struggles to stay upbeat despite the attempt and his daily torments at school. At least he meets and falls for an older teen girl who has her own problems and in the end all concerned manage to work out there problems and procede to the next stage of life.

About two boys.......2005-04-30

Nick Hornby is perhaps the premier writer of lad-lit, the male counterpart of chick-lit. And "About A Boy" is one of his best novels, with its sensitive looks not only at male fears, but at how they relate to women and children. It's a far smarter, wittier book than you'd think.

Will is a single thirtysomething, self-absorbed and consumed with his own coolness, unattachedness and ability to live off his dad's song royalties. After dating single mom Angie, he realizes how to instantly give his sex life and image a boost: date single mothers, beautiful and desperate. So he invents a nasty ex-wife and a toddler son, and begins going to SPAT (Single Parents, Alone Together).

But when he meets attractive Suzie, he also meets the boy she's babysitting -- Marcus, a troubled, intelligent preteen who is picked on at school. Marcus's home life isn't much better -- his depressed mother has just attempted suicide. Despite Will's commitment to noncommitment, he finds himself slipping into the role of father and friend for Marcus.

Single moms, precocious kids, immature lads -- none of these things are terribly original. It's Hornby's way of handling them that is really original. And the way he wrote "About A Boy" gives unusual life to what could have been a TV-movie-of-the-week/lame-sitcom plot, with cliched characters.

Instead, Hornby has created a surprisingly mature book, by showing a realistic portrayal of an immature man growing up whether he likes it or not. But Hornby's quietly insightful prose is a little less self-consciously cool than in "High Fidelity," and it's also more focused on human experiences. And no, not just Will picking up single mums.

Will is a pretty accurate portrayal of men who work hard at being immature -- believe me, he's accurate. And that makes it even more satisfying to see him graduating into adulthood. Marcus's chapters are deeper, however, and it's this pensive kid who grounds the book. He may be young, but thanks to his saddening life, his mind is a lot more mature than Will's.

Postmodern Peter Pans and precocious preteens are at the heart of "About A Boy," Nick Hornby's sensitive look at the sexes and their children.

Quirky, funny and sad ~ I loved it.......2004-04-02

This was a terrific book from beginning to end and rates a very rare 10 from me. Equally funny and sad but never dreary despite the very serious overtones of the book. Marcus was a peculiar, wonderful boy with a huge burden on his shoulders and I really enjoyed watching him become a stronger, confident person. Will was also great ~ I loved the fact that he was a such a self-centered jerk and completely content to remain that way. No guilt, no remorse, no commitments. Until he meets Marcus, that is. Their relationship was laugh out loud funny and so very believable. I had a very difficult time putting this book down (to do things like go to work and care for the kids).

Growing up - but how.......2004-03-26

This is one of the best english books I ever read. On the 307 pages, Nick [Hornby] deals with several themes - relationship, problems and growing up. It is written in such a way, that you can witness the live through two characters.
So Nick Hornby gets change and humour into one of his best works ever.
The themes or issues are showed in a very illustrated and humorous way. Relationship is reflected best with the friendship between Marcus and Will. It also treats with the life in the early 90's. Every single theme is worked out very well.
But for me it was not always very interesting or exciting to read. Sometimes you can predict what happens next, especially with the issue relations.
At last, I short want to refer to the title of my review. Nick Hornby illustrates well how you can act like a teenager - how to make the step from a "small" boy to a teenager.
To sum this up: I only can recommend this book for all those, who want to read an interesting and with big and important themes treating book. So for me it's easy to give this book four stars.

Growing up ý but how?.......2004-03-26

This is one of the best books I ever read. On the 307 pages, Nick Horny deals with several themes - relationship, problems and growing up. It is written in such a way, that you can witness the live through two characters. So Nick Hornby gets change and humour into one of his best works ever.
The themes or issues are showed in a very illustrated and humorous way. Relationship is reflected best with the friendship between Marcus and Will. It also treats with the life in the early 90's. Every single theme is worked out very well.
But for me it was not always very interesting or exciting to read. Sometimes you can predict what happens next, especially with the issue relations.
At last, I short want to refer to the title of my review. Nick Hornby illustrates well how you can act like a teenager - how to make the step from a "small" boy to a teenager.
To sum this up: I only can recommend this book for all those, who want to read an interesting and with big and important themes treating book. So for me it's easy to give this book four stars.

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This is a must buy!
Good reading
Experience beyond the concepts
Stop the Seeking Now!
The Easy Way to Awaken

How About Now? : Satsang With Arjuna
Arjuna Nick Ardagh
Manufacturer: Self X Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1890909637

Book Description

This book is an elegant guide to self-inquiry, perfect for the seasoned adept and the beginner alike. Its contents are taken from transcripts of public meetings (Satsang) conducted by Arjuna. Everything in this book was spoken unrehearsed and in response to whoever was present. Some of the transcripts remain as dialogues: conversations between Arjuna and the old and new friends who came to talk with him on the couch at the front of the room. Other pieces have become prose: longer discourses that lent themselves to more thorough exploration of a topic and some of the transcripts playfully called out to be transformed into poetry. Many of the best of the dialogues from this book are available on audio and video from Amazon.com.

Customer Reviews:

This is a must buy!.......2001-12-26

I have read hundreds of books on Zen, Taoism, Buddhism, and Advaita, but this is the best, the clearest, and most endearing. STOP searching NOW (this might have been a better title) and get this book now, read it and read it again, then be brave and live the realization.

Good reading.......2001-10-06

A wonderful book telling of a peaceful way to view life.

It is written as excerpts from satsang meeetings.

As a reader of Satyam Nadeen's books and seeing his positive review of this one made me read it.

Experience beyond the concepts.......2000-01-16

Arjuna's approach is simplicity itself. This extraordinary little book points to the presence of peace in this moment. Setting aside the complexity of spiritual concepts and the usual demands for effort and years of devotion to practice, Arjuna leads the reader directly to experience the essence of fulfillment. All that you have longed for and sought to achieve is available to you right now, exactly as you are. Get this book.

Stop the Seeking Now!.......1999-12-25

If you've been seeking for Freedom, this is your chance to stop the seeking now! With brilliant clarity, wisdom and humor, Arjuna guides you in getting in touch with the Eternal Presence that you are. It's possible to stop postponing living a life of Love, Peace and Truth. For those who have interest, don't wait a moment longer. Order and read "How About Now?" (You'll be back for more copies for family and friends.)

The Easy Way to Awaken.......1999-12-22

Arjuna's "How About Now" is a wonderful collection of materials garnered from the many meetings he has had around the country with those who seek to know the Truth of who we are. I found it delightful, and much more accessible than similar books from other teachers in this tradition. Arjuna leads us gently but inexorably to the realization of who we really are, with humor and a nice focus on the practical consequences of realization in daily life. If you can't see him in person, this is the next best thing to being there. Don't miss his "Relaxing Into Clear Seeing," either.

Erase una vez un padre (About a Boy) (Punto De Lectura, 55)

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Erase una vez un padre (About a Boy) (Punto De Lectura, 55)
Nick Hornby , and Miguel Martinez-Lage
Manufacturer: Punto de Lectura
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Book Description

Will, 36, is the eternal bachelor, unmarried, and does not feel any necessity to procreate. His goal is to have meaningless relationships with beautiful women that will leave him before things get too intense. As part of his plan to attract single women, he decides to pass himself off as a single dad. To do this, he befriends a young boy named Marcus. But little does he know that Marcus will change his outlook on life forever.

Description in Spanish: Will Freeman, soltero de treinta y seis años, tiene dinero suficiente para vivir sin trabajar y disfruta de mucho tiempo libre. No siente ninguna necesidad de procrear, pero ha descubierto que los hijos democratizan a las mujeres hermosas y esto ha despertado su interés por las madres solteras o separadas. De modo que se apunta a un grupo de autoayuda al que sólo asisten padres -pocos- o madres separadas. Para ello, naturalmente, debe fingir que tiene un hijo. Pero poco importa, a Will se le da bien contar mentiras. Marcus no tiene padre ni amigos, sus estudios no van bien y tampoco recibe demasiada ayuda de su madre. Cuando conoce a Will, cree haber hallado en él al sustituto del padre ausente. Sin embargo, ¿ cómo puede Will, un completo inmaduro, cumplir las funciones de progenitor? La relación entre ambos personajes nunca será la de un padre con su hijo, pero sí contribuirá a que maduren y se desenvuelvan mejor.

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