Listed in Alphabetical Order by Author The Life of Einstein - Ronald W. Clark This is an exceptionally well written biography of perhaps the greatest scientific genius in human history.Clark superbly conveys the story of Einstein`s journey through physics,the world wars & Zionism.Be warned,though:the book`s encyclopedic nature & voluminous content ensures that reading it till the end is pie in the sky for people who are not used to heavy reading & deep contemplation on the topics discussed. Summary from: amazon.com. My Thoughts: You're probably asking what made me read this. I've always been fascinated by genuises and like to read about their lives and what makes them genuises. So this book is an insight into a remarkable man! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - My Sergei - Ekaterina Gordeeva: Even without its subtitle, this poignant story is likely to remind some readers of Eric Segal's Love Story. Both are tearjerkers, but this one really happened. Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov met in Russia when she was 11 and he was 15. Put together by the state as a skating duo, they went on to win world championships and gold medals. They also fell in love. Gordeeva chronicles all of the glory and the romance, but it's only a prelude to the tragedy we know is coming. In 1995, after the couple married and became the parents of a daughter, Grinkov had a heart attack during a routine skating practice and died. Coauthor E. M. Swift captures Gordeeva's voice as well as the world-weariness the skater feels. Although she is back in the rink and taking care of her daughter, she says quite plainly that she has little interest in the future. "I'd like to live my life over again backward . . . any day I am living now, I'd exchange for a day in the past." Expect extensive promotion and widespread interest. The book will be illustrated with two eight-page color inserts and 40 black-and-white photos. Summary from: Inside Book Cover. My Thoughts: TEARJERKER! I was a HUGE fan of Sergei and Katia so when he died unexpectedly in November 1995, I was heartbroken. I remember dropping to my knees in front of the TV, hoping it was some sick joke. But it wasn't. The world lost a great skater and wonderful person and Katia lost her prince. I've read the book twice and cried throughout it both times. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Self Matters - Dr. Phil McGraw: What are the ten most defining moments of your life? What are the seven most critical choices you have made to put you on your current path? Who are the five most pivotal people in your world and how have they shaped you? Identifying and working with these key elements are at the heart of Dr. Phillip C. McGraw's latest work, Self Matters, and soon they will be at the heart of your own new work: you. In this groundbreaking work, Dr. Phil challenges you to find your "authentic self" -- that person you once were before life took its toll. It is you at your greatest, most fulfilled, most real moment. It is the person you have always wanted to be, but were too distracted, busy, or scared to become. Instead, you have created a "fictional self" -- taking on the identity of who you believe you are supposed be, the person people tell you you are. The incongruence between these two selves is what leads you to feel that your life is incomplete, unbalanced, and altogether more difficult than it really should be. The good news is it no longer needs to be that way. By using the plan set forth in Self Matters, Dr. Phil helps you to demystify your self-concept and learn how to reclaim your authentic self. In evaluating your life by only the facts, you can learn to think beyond the excuses and fears that have masked the person you have always wanted to be. Summary from: amazon.com. My Thoughts: I'm still reading it. It's one of those 'read a chapter and then work on yourself before going on to the next' books. It's certainly insightful and I need all the insight I can get. Dr. Phil rules! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Find Me - Rosie O'Donnell: Part memoir, part mystery, Find Me is a compelling and utterly original tale that will break your heart as it heals it. Told in Rosie's candid, moving voice, it is the story of a friendship between a troubled young woman and a celebrity obsessed with helping her. As this bizarre relationship unfolds and unravels, so does Rosie's history, forcing powerful acts of remembering. This is a topsy-turvy tale of unforgettable chracters, mistaken identities and strange psychological illnesses that may or may not exist. Through it all, we come to know the author at levels that grow even more surprising and sometimes shocking. In Rosie's words, "The whole world changed with just one phone call..." Summary from: Inside book cover. My Thoughts: READ IT! If you're a Rosie fan, it's a must-read. I always admired Rosie because she was so down-to-earth, candid, and empathetic. This book made me understand her so much better and I admire her even more for writing about her life and sharing her demons with us. We all have them. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Couplehoopd & Babyhood - Paul Reiser: Fans of television's Mad About You and its star, Paul Reiser, will be delighted with his second foray into the self-deprecating self-help genre. Couplehood, his first book, leads logically to this next phase--Babyhood. In a chatty voice Reiser takes us from the "Maybe someday we'll have kids" step into the deep-sea dive of commitment. Babyhood begins on an airplane, with Paul and wife blissfully unencumbered by children. They are seated across from the young parents (graying before his eyes) of a terrorizing 2-year-old and a screeching infant. This sobering reality manages magically to pale in a transcendent moment of the baby's bliss, uncomplicated by drool or colic, and the two decide: "Now." Well, more or less now. First they try to get pregnant, making expeditions to the bookstore to case out the shelves of baby books; then there are the bouncy reflections on who is, after all, cut out to parent ("I don't know if, for example, Mozart actually had kids, but certainly there is no record of him ever leaving the office early to coach Peewee Soccer League"). Later comes the account of sibling rivalry between the newborn and the family dog, and why women make better moms than men. Babyhood manages to provoke thought about the important questions of when and why to have children, many of which are answered in the book's endearing details. Summary from: amazon.com. My Thoughts: BAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! If you need a good laugh, esp if you're married and/or have children, this is it! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Diana: Memory of a Rose - Susan Maxwell Skinner: Book is coffee-table (9 by 12 inch glossy) format, ideal for gift-giving. Published in the USA. It has over 150 color pictures of Princess Diana's career and compelling text by Susan Maxwell Skinner, a noted royal author. Stunning pictures are by royal photographer Anwar Hussein. Every copy of this limited edition book is signed by the author. It is not available from stores. Exquisitely designed, it is printed on heavy, glossy paper. The text is Maxwell Skinner's fond reminiscence of her eight years as an accredited palace press member. Summary from: amazon.com. My Thoughts: Anything about Princess Di interests me. Another life cut too short by a senseless tragedy. I loved this book! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Report from Ground Zero - Dennis Smith: This is book is not easy to read. It will pound your heart and make you broken. When the two airplanes fatally hit the World Trade Center twin tower at 8:48 am and 9:03 am, history and landscape of this country changed eternally. The assasination of beloved president John F. Kennedy defined the baby boomer generation. September 11 strikes all of us and sadly defines our current generation with the same caliber. Dennis Smith was among the first crew who arrived at ground zero and participated in the rescue efforts. Smith is a retired firefighter who had been with the New York Fire Department for 18 years. He has written a vivid and stunning account on the day-by-day rescue efforts at ground zero immediately after the attack. Smith himself attended the injured and sifted through deris and rubbles for signs of life. The book serves as a testimony as well as an honorable salutation to the policemen and firefighters who sacrificed their lives to the country. Without these heroes, the casualties could have soared as high as 6000. Smith's account is much needed but hard for anyone to take. The account is needed so we, as Americans, can once again be unified and be bold against terrorism. Shall the nation not come close and unify, those who have fought bravely up in the front, all the firefighters and policeman, they would have died for nothing. Smith's report from the ground zero weaves together his own daily accounts, stories from other rescue members, and families that lost their loved ones on September 11. This book fills with passion, tears, boldness, and a call for Americans to unified. May God bless America. United We Can Stand. Summary from: Matthew. Thanks! My Thoughts: Not easy to read at all. You think that you've heard every story, but you haven't. You think that you understand what it was like to be a fire fighter that morning, but you don't. This book gives you a glimpse and it will take your breathe away. Very sad and tragic. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ** This list isn't complete yet.