Book Description
Jen Lancaster was living the sweet life-until real life kicked her to the curb.
She had the perfect man, the perfect job-hell, she had the perfect life-and there was no reason to think it wouldn't last. Or maybe there was, but Jen Lancaster was too busy being manicured, pedicured, highlighted, and generally adored to notice.
This is the smart-mouthed, soul-searching story of a woman trying to figure out what happens next when she's gone from six figures to unemployment checks and she stops to reconsider some of the less-than-rosy attitudes and values she thought she'd never have to answer for when times were good.
Filled with caustic wit and unusual insight, it's a rollicking read as speedy and unpredictable as the trajectory of a burst balloon.
Customer Reviews:
Bitter Is Totally My Style.......2007-09-17
I enjoyed Lancaster's writing style, as I am a fan of snarkiness, bitchiness, and cynicism. However, about three quarters of the way through the book, it started to drag and all of the whining and complaining and bitching did begin to get to me. I started skimming a bit, eager to get to the end of this tale that probably could have done without 50 or so pages.
There were times while reading the book that her spoiled, rich girl/sorority girl, utter obliviousness with regards to manners, money, or tact attitude grated on me. However, her ability to make fun of herself for who she was and to reassure us of how far she has come and what a humbling experience she had kept me from disliking her. I actually would love to have martinis with her and make fun of people.
On the whole, I found Lancaster to be refreshing, fun, and easy to read and relate to.
Bitter I Bought It!.......2007-09-12
I made the big mistake of bringing ONLY this book on a Transatlantic flight. It turned out to be more annoying than the screaming baby sitting next to me! It read like a bad blog from a very unfunny, fat ex-high-school Thespian. I dragged myself through the first half, and then threw this waste of paper away. I instantly felt guilty, as the airplane lavatory was too fine a receptacle to be expected to hold this trash! Want funny? Read David Sedaris, Bill Bryson or even Nabokov. Skip this pabulum.*
*By the way, Jen, I also HATED the humor-free footnotes!
Someone owes David Sedaris an apology.......2007-08-17
Part of the reason I picked up this book was a quippy little review that said: "Jen Lancaster is like David Sedaris with pearls and a supercute handbag." Usually I try to avoid purchasing decisions based on marketing ploys that follow the line of 'if you like X, you'll love Z', but I AM a Sedaris lover, and I WAS in the mood for a laugh-out-loud funny read, and to that end Mr. Sedaris has never disappointed. But someone owes Mr. Sedaris an apology. The comparison is so far off-base, I think I would have rather spent the afternoon reading 200+ pages of Mr. Sedaris' thoughts ABOUT pearls and handbags, rather than Bitter is the New Black. Most of the major flaws of the book and the writing style have already been covered by other reviewers. Yes, Jen Lancaster is not nearly as amusing, witty, or clever as she thinks she is. Much of what we're supposed to consider humorous seems simply to be re-worked jokes and tired stereotypes we've all seen and heard before. Has this narrator really changed by the end of the book? Where are the moments of introspection, of realization that make us understand she's changed? The moments of true regret that finally win us over to her side, make us actually like and root for her, make us forget how jaw-grindingly irritating she is in the beginning? She never seems to dig deep enough, never goes beyond the obvious, never reveals enough of herself, or shares her true vulnerability with the reader to redeem herself, and thus, we don't really care all that much about her and instead tend to simply agree with the blurb on the book's cover: The [...] had it coming. Indeed.
She begins, for a few scant pages at the very end, to share the true source of her misguided materialism and and to show us the insecure girl from Indiana, but as soon as she touches on something real or tender, the book is over. We can all see through the bombastic personality and hipper-than-thou superiority from the beginning and recognize it right away for what it is: deep seeded insecurity and fear. The only problem is that Jen never QUITE admits it out loud, to us, her reader, and we're left wondering if everyone knows it but her.
What simultaneously disappoints and infuriates me is the sheer lack of polish and skill on these pages. Relying on cutesy 'footnotes', reprints of emails and weblog submissions seems to indicate a laziness on the part of the author, or more likely, a lack of confidence and undeveloped skill. She ardently professes her desire to "be a writer" and yet throughout the book I find myself thinking: then work on your craft! Where is the editor? Who let her publish this material in this form? This is the fifth sentence in this chapter that isn't even gramatically correct.' Some make the arguement that because it's "memoir" and not "fiction" the author is allowed free reign to write how she pleases. There are plenty of well-crafted memoirs that showcase beautiful prose, accomplished storytelling,and impeccable form, and are stitched together with threads so fine you never see the writer's handiwork at all.
Instead, this is another case of a would-be writer throwing together some thoughts, cocktail party chatter, mildly interesting anecdotes, a couple of blog posts, and assembling it under the guise of a book. You can practially see Ms.Lancaster furiously pecking away at her laptop in a rush to get her manuscript to her publisher, all the while wondering "who will play me in the movie?"
And to the protesters who argue, "But this is Chic-lit. It's supposed to be light, fluffy, and mindless," I agree, there's nothing like an enjoyable piece of fluff. And the best kind of fluff is good, strong story-telling at its finest. I'm so tired of picking up books lately, expecting a good read only to get 250 pages of bad, unskilled writing by "writers" who don't even seem to respect their reader enough to work hard at perfecting their craft. Blurting out your inner-thoughts and throwing them down on the page does not make you interesting, witty, deep, and least of all, it doesn't make you a writer. Please, you seem like you might actually have something to say. Work hard at improving your storytelling, because after another book or two, this one-note song will be over.
FUNNIEST. BOOK. EVER........2007-08-14
This was a book chosen for one of my book clubs. I loved it SO much I recommended it to my OTHER book club! I laughed so much I wet my pants! Tragic, but FUNNY!
Genius!.......2007-08-13
Very few books make me laugh uncontrollably, but this spectacular trip into narcissism made the list. The best part (aside from the side-splitting, completely unforgiving, honest humor) is that Jen is a terrific writer who respects grammar while casually departing from convention (footnotes? brilliant.) on a regular basis. This is a quick, easy read for the very busy who need to unwind and laugh...a lot.
Book Description
DEAD NEWS DAY
Two months after an unlucky snowboarder vanished on the slopes above Alpine, his disappearance is old copy. Emma Lord, publisher of the Alpine Advocate, is back to writing about graduations and the latest outbreak of chicken pox-until the town's oldest family feud flares up, leaving three people dead, their bodies stowed in a meat freezer. The startling discovery of a fourth body sharing the victims' chilly repose launches Emma on the story of a lifetime. But as she races to scoop the upstart radio station with the late-breaking news, Emma unwittingly uncovers a shocking conspiracy that will change her life forever. . . .
READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The Alpine Advocate
Novels by Mary Daheim
BONUS FEATURE: "My Alpine" by Mary Daheim
Customer Reviews:
Ok, now I remember why I stopped reading her stuff..........2006-01-09
I had read several chemistry books, textbooks, a couple of rough biographies, and one of Robb's very good, but very violent mysteries, and figured I needed to cool off with a quick read. I had read Daheim's books before, probably have a couple of reviews on here way back when I first started reviewing. Couldn't remember why I hadn't read her lately. this book reminded me why!
In spite of the big word title (which was funny because Daheim comments on someone using big words to show off in the book), the writing is just plain poorly done. I've complained before about authors getting in a rut and writing the same old thing...but this was not even the case here. I'm talking poor plot, poor characterization, and in at least two instances her protagonist, Emma Lord, is conversing with someone and asking about someone else, and either Daheim or the publisher's proofreaders didn't catch the fact that she substituted the dead guy's name for the person she was talking to (page 255-10 paragraph starts down). To me this means not only is the publisher sloppy, but they (publisher and author) are pushing these money-makers out as fast as possible.
It's pretty bad when a deaf person has to correct a hearing person's English (in print!). But I took English for 4 years in college, and even I got enough grammar and good writing/reading skills to know better than doing this. I could accept one mistake, but two very close together means this book is wasting my time besides not being an enjoyable read. Didn't bother to finish this one. I like my books to have some form of intelligence! Geez...
Karen Sadler
Heartbreak Comes To Alpine.......2004-05-19
Emma Lord, owner and editor of the Alpine Advocate is furious, she's being scooped. Being the only paper in town, she's not used to that, but sincer Spencer Fleetwood - owner of the new radio station KSKY has come to town, she's no longer the sole sorce of local news.
It was bad enough when he scooped her on the disappearance of snowboarded Brian Conley several months before, but now it looks like he was going to do it on the biggest story to hit Alpine.
The three O'Neill brothers, Stubby, Rusty & Dusty are found dead in the freezer at Alpine Meats. Each of them shot.
Sheriff Milo Dodge suspects it might be their nemesis's the Harquist family. Their feud goes back years and started out with the flattening of the families pet goat.
But, it's while Emma's new reporter, Scott Chamoud starts shooting the crime scene the he wonders why there are four pairs of legs instead of three.
Shocking everyone was the discovery of the missing snowboarder, Brian Conley under the pile of bodies. Then the coroner says he had been stabbed to death and had been dead for several months. Where had he been all this time and how did he get into the meat locker? (Emma was pretty sure he didn't walk there.)
A lot of other strange things are happening in Alpine.
Milo discovery that the O'Neill's had an arsenal of weapons, including rocket launchers and grenades.
Brian's body is shipped back East to his family, but when the coffin gets there, the body is missing.
And why does everyone who dies recently suddenly want to be buried in Ireland?
Working together Milo and Emma solve the murder of the O'Neill's. But still aren't sure what happened to Brian.
Meanwhile, Tom Cavanaugh demands an answer from Emma and she finally says yes, she will marry him. They're riding on top of the Advocate float in the summer solstice parade when tragedy stikes.
The ending of this book was very difficult. I wouldn't normally say what happened, but it's already included in other reviews here, so if you don't want to know what happened, DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.
Tom Cavanaugh, is the father of Emma's son Adam. Tom married Sandra for her money and had an affair with Emma, got both women pregnant and stayed with Sandra. He didn't see Emma for the next 18 years. I've always disliked this character and I have really torn into him in my earlier reviews. Tom has asked Emma to marry him three differnt times and had dumped her each time. This was the fourth.
I've been dreading it, but I wanted Emma to realize that she wasn't really in love with Tom, but was living with a memory, in the almost 30 years, Emma & Tom probably only spent about 6 months together, (I'm not sure how long their original affair lasted, but the other two times were only a couple days each).
Emma has always had more chemistry with Milo Dodge than she has ever had with Tom. Heck, she has more chemistry with her ad manger Leo Walsh than she had with Tom.
The fact that he ends up dead and was a criminal (Running Guns To Ireland for the IRA is illegal) only makes it worse. Emma will probably never get over this, will go on wasting her life, just as she has for the past 30 years. Tom is now the dead lover who will be perfect.
I'm getting ready to read the Alpine Obituary and have just ordered the next one in the series. Had to spend the big bucks on a hard cover copy instead of the paperback. Couldn't wait for the paperback version to come out.
Wrong end to romance.......2002-11-27
I love the Emma Lord series. I also agree with another reader
that I also had hoped that Emma would tell Tom goodbye and go
on with her life. His death is an anti-climax. I hope she doesn't
mourn him for the rest of the series.
The Alpine ZZZZZZzzzzzz.......2002-11-12
The 14th book in the Alpine series is a mixed bag of emotions. Overall, I wouldn't call this one of the best books in the series but it could have been.
The only thing saving Nemesis is the actual mystery. This is definitely one of the best stories Mary Daheim has written for this series. The clues that were found throughout the book made it difficult to put down. Also, it was nice to have back some of the humor that has been missing in the last couple books.
Emma's love life is one of my favorite aspects to this series. But in Nemesis, I thought I was reading a Harlequin book. As one other reviewer suggested, I would have preffered a different ending. A semi-original one perhaps? All I have to say is, Jackie O? Please Mrs. Daheim, let's move on from St. Tom!
I definitely suggest this book to Alpine devotees. The sleuthing is one of the best yet in this series. Entertaining and baffling. Also, there are a lot of important glimpses into the characters we have all grown to love AND hate. I would rate Nemesis higher if it were not for the teeny-bopper romance and violent unrealistic ending.
Nemesis Indeed.......2002-11-03
I've read all the books in Daheim's Alpine series and loved each of them . . . up until this one. The plot of Alpine Nemesis was great and the storyline, well developed, but the ending was unexpected, uncharacteristic, and downright depressing. Daheim's audience is probably ninety percent women, most of whom read for the sheer pleasure of escape from the realities of life. What was Daheim thinking when she wrote this book? I do not recommend Alpine Nemesis, and am very reluctant to read Daheim's next book in the series for fear that it'll be a downer like this one.
Product Description
Set of 4 paperbacks by Mary Daheim from her Emma Lord Mystery series: The Alpine Obituary, The Alpine Advocate, The Alpine Nemesis, & The Alpine Betrayal.
Average customer rating:
- It's the same story! Why isn't it as good?
- Great New Perspective
- Brilliant Conclusion of an Arthurian Trilogy!
- fresh and colorful interpretation of the Arthurian mythos
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Le Morte D'Avalon (Arthurian Novel)
J. Robert King
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Mad Merlin
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Lancelot Du Lethe (Mad Merlin)
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I, Morgain
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Arthur the King
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In the Shadow of the Oak King
ASIN: 0765305941 |
Book Description
n Mad Merlin, King created an epic fantasy that integrated the pagan and Christian mythos of Camelot in the tradition of Joseph Campbell's acclaimed works on religion and myth. In Lancelot du Lethe, he told the story of the most famous knight of King Arthur's Round Table, exploring how Lancelot and Guinevere were ill fated due to blood ties with the Fey. Now comes Le Morte d'Avalon, Morgan Le Fey's story. Part female Hamlet, part mystical Lady Macbeth, an Arthurian Joan of Arc, her position in society and the regal hierarchy place her in direct opposition to all that Arthur must accomplish. She is the vengeful heroine unanticipated in Merlin's mad scheme, and indeed may be the savior of all womankind. Once again Camelot is laid to risk alongside the fate of all the mortal realm.
Customer Reviews:
It's the same story! Why isn't it as good?.......2003-12-11
J. Robert King has done some magical things to the King Arthur mythos. Now, King continues his Arthurian story, in Le Morte D'Avalon by giving us the conflict between nature and warfare. This time, having told the story of Merlin and Lancelot, King gives us the story of Morgan Le Fay. Does King pull off a third great book? While it's interesting, it's nowhere near the level of the first two. A lackluster ending makes it even worse.
As is common knowledge to anybody even semi-familiar with the Arthurian legends, Morgan is Arthur's half-sister who bears a son with him, Mordred. King expands on this, making Morgan become an incarnation of Gaea, the earth-goddess. Morgan foresees that her half-brother will bring nothing but strife to the land, and that he must be destroyed before he can do that. Camelot, rather than being the paradise portrayed in the legends, will instead be the catalyst for some of the darkest times in history. Ever since the fall of Gaea, men have subjugated women and brought nothing but violence and war to the land that was once green and lush. She is determined to bring it back, starting her own earth religion that works toward this end.
As she continues her machinations against Arthur, she happens upon Lancelot, who she discovers is the "perfect consort" of a goddess like she is becoming. She is determined to win him to her side, and she becomes increasingly jealous when she finds out about Lancelot's fascination with Guinevere. This jealousy colours many of her interactions with both of them (as well as Arthur) for the rest of the book. It also causes her to make decisions she wouldn't normally make, jeopardizing her plans. Will she achieve the paradise on Earth that is her goal? Or will the representatives of Christianity and the Faerie folk defeat her?
While the concept of this book is intriguing, I thought the execution was flawed. This is not so much because of how King presented the whole scenario, but because many of the events are just rehashes of what he put in the first two books, just told from a different side. At times, this works (such as Morgan's first attempt at winning Lancelot, when she and her two disciples try to woo him into their lair), but at others it really becomes boring. The ending sequence in particular (No spoilers) is tedious, with Morgan mainly observing events that happened in the previous books. She provides some commentary, but she's not involved. The ending jumps from event to event with no real continuity. Whole sections of the previous books are discussed in a few pages and then the book just limps into nothingness.
While I'm discussing the ending, there is a really nice coda that really ties the series together. I thought that Lancelot du Lethe was the ending, and that it really worked well that way too. Adding Morgan to the mix, it brings an even more satisfying conclusion, as character arcs are wrapped up and the people involved move on with their lives/afterlives. I could have done without the very last pages, though, where King brings a modern-day spin to the gender issues that he's explored throughout the book, though. They seemed trite and unnecessary.
This brings me to the main fault of the book, in my opinion. The gender politics are very heavy-handed in this one. First, the main struggle is between the "male" religion of Christianity and the "female" religion that Morgan sets up (and becomes the embodiment of). Thus, most of the men in the book are either would-be attackers or emasculated men, while most of the women characters are noble and honorable. Some of this may be because of the viewpoint we get (it's all Morgan's), so the shading may be understandable. Arthur and Lancelot are the only two men who don't fall into this trap. Arthur is pretty much a non-character, being the focal point of Morgan's schemes but not interacting with her much. Lancelot is the "perfect consort" so must appear like a beacon of nobility. King does turn this whole idea on its head later in the book, demonstrating that the world still needs what men bring to it, and that a world dominated by a Gaea-like paradise would be, though very green, very cold and sterile. It's a nice contrast, but it's hurt by the fact that there are no sympathetic male characters in the first part of the book. It all appears to be a bunch of male-bashing, and twisting it at the end doesn't help the beginning.
Morgan herself is well done (until she becomes just an observer, at least, when she becomes boring). She walks the fine line between the villainess that we're all familiar with and a sympathetic character. King doesn't do as good of a job with any other characters, however. Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot are based on their portrayal in the other two books, but unfortunately you only get that if you've actually read them. Taken alone, they are woefully underdone. None of the other characters are remarkable in the slightest. King does a decent job with the writing as well, though his prose doesn't rise to the level that he reached in the first two books.
While, in hindsight, a book about Morgan is almost necessary to complete the series he has started, Le Morte D'Avalon almost feels written as an afterthought. It doesn't read anything like the first two and it seems to be more of a rehash of events than is absolutely necessary. If you've liked the first two, this is a valuable conclusion to the series. But I'd buy it in paperback at least, if not waiting for the library.
David Roy
Great New Perspective.......2003-10-10
Having not yet read the first two of King's Arthurian tales, I stumbled across Le Morte D'Avalon quite by accident. What a treat. It was a fast read which kept me turning pages eager to see what the next twist in the story would be. King introduced some characters to the tale that I had not had the pleasure of meeting in other Arthurian works - mainly Morgan's other children. He also did a fantastic job of evolving the story as Morgan's life from a six-year old with mysterious visions evolved into her reputation as a witch, a priestess and ultimately a goddess. Unlike the supportive loving sister of Mists of Avalon - unaware of her incestuous relationship with Arthur....Morgan in this book is cunning yet caring in an entirely new way. Her feelings for Arthur also mature as she and her powers mature. I don't normally go in for stories with lots of fire and dragons and shape changing, but King did it all very masterfully and mystically without being too hokey about it.
If you like Arthurian tales - give it a whirl...I was very pleasantly surprised!!!
Brilliant Conclusion of an Arthurian Trilogy!.......2003-09-19
This is the third and final book of J. Robert King's Arthurian trilogy. Moran le Fey is showcased in this novel. And what a novel it is! We follow Morgan from her innocent childhood, cut short by Uther Pendragon's lust for her mother Igraine, to her obsession with the goddess Gaga whom she is determined to bring back to life in Britain.
Arthur, unfortunately, is her sworn enemy, even though he never realizes it, of all she reveres. Arthur is the embodiment of destruction for Britain because he will be a bringer of constant war. Morgan wants to bring back the old ways of Gaea and therefore beauty and peace to the land and its people. She also intends to empower women and give them something they aren't familiar with, power and control over the men in their lives.
A wild exciting ride through Morgan's visions of what Britain and eventually the world should be is riveting and imaginative. This book is fairly reminiscent of "The Mists of Avalon" by the late Marion Zimmer Bradley. This story contains much more edge of your seat reading with immense magic, the visions of Morgan and her quest to destroy Camelot before it destroys Britain and the world.
All three novels in this trilogy stand alone, however, read them all to experience the wonder that is author, J. Robert King!
fresh and colorful interpretation of the Arthurian mythos.......2003-09-16
Her age of innocence lasted until she was eight years old. It was then her mother caught King Uther's eye and her father, Duke Gorlois went to war with him. In a vision Morgan sees his death but she finds her father in her mother's bed the next day. Only she can see that it isn't her father at all but Uther, wearing a magical illusion to fool the duchess. A child is born of that woman and Morgan's mother marries Uther and gives birth to Arthur, the once and future king.
After Uther dies, the queen makes an alliance with King Mark, making Tintagel a part of his kingdom. Sick of being under the yoke of men, Morgan leaves her home. She learns to travel the ley lines and work the earth magic of the goddess Gaea. She becomes a queen in her own right, always plotting to destroy Arthur and his kingdom of Camelot because like all men he seeks to oppress women while she seeks to liberate them.
Only a talented storyteller like J. Robert can make a woman like Morgan Le Fey sympathetic and understandable. The world of Camelot is touched by magic and Guinevere and Lancelot are creatures of fey while the worshippers of Gaea grow in numbers until they are actually a viable threat to the Christian religion. LE MORTE D'AVALON is a fresh and colorful interpretation of the Arthurian mythos reading like a ballad sung by troubadours of yesteryear.
Harriet Klausner
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Tafelrunde und Gral: Zur Funktion von Religion in Thomas Malorys Le morte Darthur und Marion Zimmer Bradleys The mists of Avalon (Studia humaniora)
Olaf Templin
Manufacturer: Droste
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback
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Arthurian Romance
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ASIN: 3770008367 |
Book Description
Holidays, birthdays -- whatever the reason you decide to whoop it up, there's a palooza for it!
John Lithgow -- star of stage, screen, and television and bestselling children's book author -- has spent years perfecting the art of the palooza. A palooza is an invitation to a creative adventure, a jumping-off point for making your own fun. All twelve months of the year are loaded with opportunities to palooza. Sure, you can celebrate all the familiar holidays and birthdays the way you always have. Or you can turn those days -- and every other day -- into something special: a real wingding of a palooza!
This book is packed with fifty-two of John's easy and original celebrations for kids ages three through twelve. Each palooza costs little to nothing, and if you learn a little about art or music or food or philosophy along the way, hey, who's complaining! So turn off the TV, roll up your sleeves, and dive into:
Beatlemania: Plunge into the exuberance and musical genius of the Beatles and have a party no one will ever forget.
Opening Day: The first day of the baseball season signals a new beginning and the chance for a family of fans to invent a new tradition.
National Bubble Day: Yes, it really is on January 8, but you can stage this party any day of the year.
Tilting at Windmills: Make like the madcap adventurer Don Quixote on Miguel de Cervantes's birthday.
Lithgow Party Paloozas! shows us how to make holidays unique and birthdays original -- and how to party with a palooza every day of the year.
Customer Reviews:
hilarious fun for kids.......2005-06-01
Do you want your kids to have fun? Of course. Do you want them to learn and grow and explore their worlds imaginatively? Certainly. But can they do both at the same time? If you don't think so, think again: this book is full of ideas that will both entertain your kids and encourage them to think creatively. Lithgow lays out crazy party plans that will definitely be a first in the neighborhood. If you're tired of the same old slumber party and birthday cake, this book is the answer.
Average customer rating:
- The REAL Cake Bible!
- Red Velvet Cake alert!
- A wonderful collection of easy-to-follow&impressive recipes!
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Cakewalk: Living Spoonfuls from a Southern Cook
Robin Gourley
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Cakes
| Baking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
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Sugar Pie and Jelly Roll: Sweets From A Southern Kitchen
ASIN: 0385471742
Release Date: 1994-09-01 |
Customer Reviews:
The REAL Cake Bible!.......2002-04-17
Get it while you still can!
Red Velvet Cake alert!.......1999-06-08
Denison University graduates -- this recipe comes closest to the cake served by The Evergreens in Granville, OH. It's moist, rich, and has the perfect combination of flavors. Great cookbook, too bad it's out of print.
A wonderful collection of easy-to-follow&impressive recipes!.......1998-02-05
This a wonderful collection of very easy-to-follow yet unique cake recipes. The format is simple to follow with the author supplying interesting tid- bits on how to serve certain cakes. Each, when baked, makes the recipients feel as if they have been seriously fussed over. And each recipe, though I have only made about four of them, is delicious. It is a delight to have a book just for special cakes. And it's beautifully designed as well.
Customer Reviews:
Grading Standards is a 5 star must.......2007-10-05
Very well done. The introductory information is key to understanding the rest of the book. Grading is made undertandable.
Very Good!
Nothing but the best.......2007-05-29
If you want the true grade and able to judge the true value of a coin, you need to be able to grade according to ANA standards yourself. There is no better book than this, with clear explanations and pictures. I buy and sell a lot of coins, and I use this book many times a week and recommend it to all.
Good Book...Great Quality.......2006-11-10
This is a great buy! All the info you need and good quality binding on the book.
Best Book Available On Coin Grading But Could Be Better.......2006-10-14
This is an excellent resource book for grading coins, however I feel that it would be far more useful if all of the photographs used in the description of coins, were in high definition glossy color. I realize that doing so would likely double or triple the price of the book, but it would be highly useful if the photographs of coins were of the same quality as is the description of them. I gave this book 5 stars because I believe that it is the best one available on the market, however, if another publisher comes out with an all color, high definition photograph coin grading book, this one would likely take a back seat to that one.
Great........2006-03-21
Terrific book and an improvement over previous editions. Still, I think it is a SERIOUS oversight that 4 very commonly used grades, VF25, VF35, AU53 and AU58 are not covered.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Grading Guide.......2007-03-11
Easy to understand and use. Photos extremely helpful. Essential tool for novice and experienced collector alike.
ANA Grading Standards.......2006-07-06
EXCELLENT book for those trying to learn to grade there coins. I HIGHLY reccomend this item. Details every grade, and what characteristics it take for the coin to make the grade.
The Bible for coin collectors.......2005-10-13
This book, simply put, is an absolute neccessity for all coin collectors. With Kenneth Bresset editing the book and Q. David Bowers narrating it, the book has to be awesome. It has, among many other things, The basic ANA Grading techniques, Key to official ANA Grading Standards: Circulation Strike Coins; Key to official ANA Grading Standards: Proof Coins, Advanced Grading Techniques, A closer focus on certain aspects of grading and the official ANA grading standards for each coin type. From AG-3 to MS-70. It also has notes that warn you about different things to look for in certain types of coins. Buy this book, you definately will not be disappointed.
Book Description
Here's how to create dazzling new designs from traditional patterns--simply by enlarging, reducing, rotating, or overlapping basic quilt blocks to create "special effects" of fabric, pattern, and color. This is a great choice for quilters who are looking to create unique effects with simple techniques.
Customer Reviews:
Layering traditional blocks to make unique quilts........1998-05-05
McDowell takes traditional blocks, and layers and overlaps them, using color transparency, to create different depths and images. The depth and complexity is extraordinary; the templates and color charts are very helpful; and the author tells of the inspiration for each quilted wall hanging. You can choose to reproduce one of McDowell's offerings, or strike out on your own.
Average customer rating:
- WOW - great book!!! Wonderful art, beautiful color pics
- Women's art as a poltical message
- a visual feast for the eyes
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African Painted Houses
Gary N. Van Wyk
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0810919907 |
Amazon.com
Prayer and protest come in many guises. The Basotho women of South Africa and Lesotho pray to their ancestors for rain, abundance, and peace by painting and slicing brilliant geometric murals on the mud plaster walls of their houses. "If the prayers are successful," says photographer and author Gary N. van Wyk, "the rains arrive and wash away the paintings." Growing up white under apartheid, van Wyk noticed these vivid houses while traveling with his family through the Highveld below Johannesburg where many Basotho lived and worked on white-owned farms. In the years when links to the outlawed African National Congress party were often severely punished, some Basotho women defiantly splashed their homes with the black, green, and gold colors of the ANC. Van Wyk joined in such protests as an art student by helping paint street murals of state-sanctioned violence. A passion for recording political graffiti led him back to the dwellings decorated in ANC colors, several of which he photographed for this dazzling testament to Basotho lives, ceremonies, history, and art. --Francesca Coltrera
Customer Reviews:
WOW - great book!!! Wonderful art, beautiful color pics.......2003-08-20
This is really a wonderful book! I bought it because it looked like it had nice color pictures, and it turned out they're fantastic! I'm an artist and I just LOVE these beautiful painted houses. It also looks like it has a lot of good information in the narrative, but so far all I've done is look at the great color pics. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Women's art as a poltical message.......2001-03-27
African Painted Houses is filled with not only beautiful photographs of dwellings, but reminds us of a time not to far ago where South Africa was filled with distress, social and political upheavel, and when women were meant to be at home. Women are still told to stay at home, and these African women took it upon themselves to go against the social status quo and speak there minds in an amazing artistic manner. African Painted Houses will enlighten you to the true nature of the protest against the Apartheid. When the African men were out fighting for independence and when the African men were prisoned and not home, who maintained the house? who maintained the continuing fight against the Apartheid...it was women. African painted Houses is an easy read and will fill your minds from a world that is so far from ours but the messages are so close to the heart. Women have voices and in this book, women's voices are projected into a beautiful masterpieces.
a visual feast for the eyes.......2000-09-17
This book is full of wonderful photographs of African Painted houses. The verbage is complete in explaining the significance of the illustrations from a historical and present day view. This is a facinating rich culture. The use of patterns and color, and their meaning come together in an easy to understand format. This a book I can pick up and read for hours at a time or peruse for minutes.
Average customer rating:
- Great insight into the commercial writing world
- An entertaining look at the making of an independent film
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Hard Core Roadshow: A Screenwriter's Diary (A Spider Line Book)
Noel Baker
Manufacturer: House Of Anansi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0887845843 |
Customer Reviews:
Great insight into the commercial writing world.......2001-04-13
What struck me most about this book was the harsh realities of writing for money.
Scriptwriting is a truly harrowing process. The process of the scriptwriter taking a book and turning it into a script is full of massive pitfalls and some truly cruel moments. Scriptwriters do not have the final say on what they write, there are many people who can tell the writer to change this, or completely destroy that whole section. As a writer myself, I found it frightening. One of the wonderful things about writing is being able to express your thoughts and ideas as they come to you. Artistic freedom, however, is not something that most scriptwriters have. And so this book has a touch of tragedy about it, as Mr. Baker watches his script get gutted and re-arranged again and again.
Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed this book, both for the insight into the scriptwriter's mind as well as the behind the scenes info on HCL. It's definitely made me determined to view the movie again. The style it's written in, journal entries, creates an intimate feel to the narrative. By the end of the book you feel like you know this person, a little bit at least.
Very impressive.
An entertaining look at the making of an independent film.......1999-04-04
Written from the screenwriter's point of view, Hard Core Roadshow is about the making of a brilliant Canadian film, Hard Core Logo. Having seen and liked the movie, I then read the book by Michael Turner. There is a long road between the book and the movie and Noel Baker takes you on the journey, showing how the movie came to be from the initial blind luck of his getting the assignment through the laborious writing process, casting, financing and finally filming. This book should be required reading for anyone contemplating a career in screenwriting and will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in filmaking.
Books:
- Born in Fire: The Born In Trilogy #1 (Born in Trilogy)
- Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out! (Baumbich, Charlene Ann, Dearest Dorothy, Bk. 2.)
- Dermaphoria
- Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho
- Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? (Loyola Classics)
- Easy Prey
- Embrace The Twilight (Twilight Series Book 8)
- En el tiempo de las mariposas
- Forever Crossed
- Four Blondes
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