I bumped into Paula Lozar by chance the other day among the shelves of the Amazon.com bookshop. I was browsing for books about retirement planning (a purely academic exercise, I’m afraid), and there she was, hanging out near "Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well," by Ralph E. Warner. She is one of the Amazon.com customers who voluntarily reviewed the book. But Paula is not just any reviewer. Our Paula has been a busy woman. From the Web site I learned that she is one of Amazon.com’s Top 500 Reviewers. In two years, Paul has written 74 reviews of books (mostly self-help) and CDs (lots of Irish stuff, but at least one collection of belly-dancing music). Paula is tied for 109th place on the top-500 list. Reviewer Number One, Harriet Klausner, a former acquisitions librarian who reads two books a day, has written 1,716 reviews.

Paula’s first review was of Lonely Planet’s guide to Slovenia, which she reviewed in February 1998. "I'm part Slovene," she wrote. "I was delighted to discover that my ancestors came from a province with a blind pink salamander, a disappearing lake, and an edible dormouse ... no kidding."

Some of Paula’s other reviews include "TurboTax 1040," which she rated five stars. "Kept me on the edge of my chair," she said. For reasons only Paula knows, she reviewed "The Men's Health Hard Body Plan: The Ultimate 12-Week Program for Burning Fat and Building Muscle." Her reviews sometime reveal more about Paula than the books she reviews. About this muscle book she wrote: "As a woman, I personally find a ‘hard body’ unattractive. (Now she tells me!) I enjoy being with a man who's fit, healthy, and comfortable with himself. But as for someone with buns of steel and cast-iron abs ... I'd rather go to bed with a ham hock." Gutten apetite, Paula!

Me? Thanks for asking. I’ve returned to Europe for a short stint writing documentation for a Web application that is being developed in La Hulpe, outside Brussels. The chocolates and good food almost make up for the gross weather. Maggie stayed home to enjoy the 80-degree temperatures in Winter Park, Florida, which has been our home since 1997. I’ll return to developing courses for project managers in May.