Average customer rating:
- "We prefer them because they are senseless"
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Fording the Stream of Consciousness (Writings from an Unbound Europe)
Dubravka Ugresic
Manufacturer: Northwestern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Eastern European
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Slavic
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0810110997 |
Customer Reviews:
"We prefer them because they are senseless".......1999-04-08
Ugreic aptly cites Voltaire's Ulug asking, "How can you prefer stories that are senseless and mean nothing?" to preface her novel about a literary conference in Zagreb. The novel is a good one, winning prizes in Yugoslavia when it was first published in 1988. But it is not a great one. It weaves together smartly the stories of sundry writers and critics, each with idiosyncrasies and human foibles. It ruminates on the contrasts between westerners and eastern Europeans, a theme that provides grist for both insightful humor and sad cynicism.
Ultimately, the book answers Voltaire's question. It is senseless, but it is amusing and has plenty of clever scenes. Pra explaining how he sprained his finger while giving a silly artistic performance and had to go on half-pay and accept a larger state-subsidized apartment; the Russian Troshin's scathing musings about western visitors to eastern Europe, "What was the lure of Moscow? A love of fear?... How quickly they adapted to paranoia as a way of life."; the Croatian critic sizing up an American and concluding, "America's out. Has been for ages.... Europe is in! Mitteleuropa!"; the Czech writer of a stolen manuscript who struggles when the police ask him for a description of the stolen goods, because he can't possibly give a good plot summary in a few lines on a police report.
There are some fun plot twists at the end as the role of the Flagus the pompous Frenchman is clarified. The British sensibility of Michael Henry Heim's translation occasionally jars an American reader, particularly when Marc, the prototypical American, speaks with British usages. Ugreic opens and closes the book with a series of real-life journal entries, chronicling her back problems, her travels, and her struggle with writer's block. She is interesting, and she seems to love writers and being a writer. It is this playful joy that carries the book and makes it fun to read, but in the end, it is a bit senseless.
Book Description
This second Sword omnibus edition includes the third and fourth novels in the best-selling series: Sword-Maker and Sword-Breaker.
Customer Reviews:
The (Complete) Adventures Of Tiger And Del.......2007-10-11
The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume I
The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume II: Sword-Maker - Sword Breaker
The Novels of Tiger and Del, Volume III (Sword-Dancer Saga)
In the beginning of this very enjoyable, unique series, we meet Sandtiger, a man who was raised as a nameless orphan, a foreigner from an unknown land and a slave within a nomadic desert tribe. He gained his name and begrudged freedom as a boy when he killed a deadly, venomous sandtiger which had been preying upon members of the tribe. Defeating death, and bearing the beast's claw marks as a distinctive scar upon his face, Sandtiger found a willing teacher who took him in and taught him the skills and honor codes of the sword dancer. Driven, he achieved the highest level of mastery, (7th level) in record time, and went on to become a living legend. Much of the story is narrated by Tiger, mixed with third person perspective. Roberson did an admirable job using this fresh technique; it works well.
When he is not hiring out his services as a sword dancer in order to settle disputes or matters of honor, Tiger, who is in his mid-30's, spends his time in cantinas, drinking and womanizing. It is within such an establishment that he is tracked down by young, beautiful Delilah, a fair skinned woman with blonde hair from the far north who carries a sword (unheard of for a female) and claims to be a sword dancer. Despite personality clashes, Delilah hires Tiger as a guide to help her journey across the very large, deadly desert of the region. Del is a driven soul, searching for her lost brother, and for revenge against murderous bandits who took him, and her innocence, years prior.
As the adventure unfolds, Tiger is forced, by circumstances and interactions, to adjust his perspectives and attitudes towards Del, and women in general. It becomes evident that Del is a truly skilled sword dancer, as well as a sword singer who is able, through her song, to call forth a mystical power which is infused within the spirit of her specially forged blade. It also becomes known that Del is quite likely Tiger's equal in the dance, a discovery which follows betrayal and near death at each other's hands. Through it all, we discover that the presence of magic is very disquieting to Tiger, both mentally and physically, every time it is encountered. This leads to ironies.
Through the first of these novels, we experience the hardships and struggles faced by the couple as they fight to fulfill Del's quests and simply stay alive. We are given views into the humorous relationship which Tiger faces on a regular basis with his very spirited, very difficult stallion. We also enjoy the gradual meeting of minds and souls of our two heroes, creating a bond of loyalty between the two, which becomes imperative to Tiger's very existence as he is eventually faced with the threat of an ancient, powerful evil which struggles to control him through his own mystical sword, a sword forged specifically for him during a journey to Del's homeland, a sword which he did not even want.
Over the course of the first four books, Tiger becomes increasingly embroiled in circumstances beyond his control, a victim of prophecy and fate. His love for Del leads him to break oaths, which makes him a target for death, outside the ceremonial circle of the sword dance. This leads to his departure from his beloved home in the southern desert region, searching overseas for the unknown, unconfirmed land of his ancestry, all upon the basis of a stranger's comments. A stranger with similar appearance and large build. This is where the final two novels begin.
Upon their sea voyage, Tiger and Del encounter pirates, slavers, and near drowning. Tiger never learned to swim, having been raised in a desert. As the story progresses, we are introduced to the interesting female captain of the pirate crew, an attractive redhead who desires Del. We also meet the first mate, a mysterious outcast from Tiger's homeland who bears strange blue tattooing upon his shaved head, multiple piercings, and a secretive knowledge of mystical powers. The mate recognizes Tiger's common heritage, and rather than selling their captives into outright slavery, Tiger is ransomed to the matriarch of his homeland as a potential lost heir to the throne. The bounty he was traded for, however, indentures and angers Tiger, but bound by his own codes of honor, he agrees to cooperate with a task she sets before him... for awhile.
Up to this point, I have attempted to offer only the most general of a synopsis, hoping to inspire interest but not to give too much away. The joy and excitement lies within the steps of the journey. From this point, If your interest has not been inspired as of yet, nothing else I say will matter. Assuming that it has, I will only say that Tiger sleeps with death, and we discover interesting things about the first mate and his abilities. Secrets are then gradually revealed about Tiger, himself, secrets he is not pleased at all to know. Intrigue and irony ensue, in large portions, in more ways than magic can account for.
Whenever magic is dealt with in Roberson's Tiger and Del novels, it is always low-key, for the most part. It is not along the lines of Tolkien's wizardry or the magic of elves, it is much more subtle, and I believe, more suited to the stories. (Nothing comes across as "over the top.") I really cannot give any more of the story away without creating a spoiler, but I will say that I was sad to see the saga end. To me, that has always been a measure of a really good book or series. This series has definately been among my favorites to read, and I am somewhat particular about what I will endorse. I hope my effort here has been enlightening and enticing.
Book Description
My name is Todd Aldridge. At least, I think it is....
Where did I go?
I don't remember much about the night I disappeared. One minute I saw the strange light in the sky. The next minute I saw a strange light in the sky. The next minute I woke up in the hospital. The thing is, it wasn't the next minute. It was nine months later....
What happened to me?
Some people think I was kidnapped. Others say I was abducted by aliens. I don't know what to believe. But I know this: I'm not the same as before. I've changed. And I keep changing. Suddenly I make myself look like different people. Anyone I want. The only problem is, I'm forgetting who I really am.
Who am I?
Customer Reviews:
This one's going to be a movie..........1999-08-14
The first book I've read of the Mindwarp series and I'm hooked - couldn't put it down! Although it's told over only 3 days (1 birthday/abduction, 2 waking up in hospital/going home, 3 rendezvous with mothership) it has all the makings of a major thriller movie!! So I thought why not put all the books in the series, write a script merging them all together and shoot a FILM?? Hell why not create a WEBSITE at the same time? I'm open for suggestions and interest, so drop me a line on my email address above!
This one's going to be a movie..........1999-08-14
The first Mindwarp book I have read and I'm hooked - couldn't put it down. Even though it is told over only THREE DAYS (1 birthday/abduction, 1 waking up in hospital/going home, 3 rendezvous with mothership) it has all the suspense of a major thriller movie.
Shapeshifter: A New Twist.......1998-07-26
I have to give Chris Archer credit here, he really knows how to throw a curve ball in this game. I totally wasn't expecting to be reading a book with an alien assasin as the narrator. But it was great, although I haven't figured out what the cover picture relates to. Deryk, if you're reading this, you were wrong about Flash Forward being about a boy. Your reasoning was logical, but the way most sci-fi/fantasy authors think isn't. Also, you really shouldn't ruin the book for everyone like that. Takes the fun out of things, you know?
Cool book!.......1998-04-17
This book was so cool. The main character was... Todd Aldridge! I was so surprised. I just noticed a pattern for the... alien kids. Ethan, Ashley, Jack, Elana, Todd, and Toni. See the pattern? It's boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, and girl. So #7, "Flash Forward" will be a boy alien. But back to this one. Todd was at the reservoir when he disappeared. He saw a bright flash of light and fainted, sort of. He woke up in the "next minute" at a hospital. But it was 9 months later, not the next day. Is Todd's birthday in July? Cause 9 months from April is July, right? I realy wish there was a web site for the series! Will there ever be one? Anyway, Todd goes back to school. Everything's different. He has a family; his parents care about and for him; his friend; Bentley grew 10 inches; Jack was serious; Ethan didn't look like someone you should mess with; and Jack and Ethan hung out with "Splashley Rose." Todd found out he has silver blood. He goes to a hypnotist. He finds himself at the mall in a closet. At home, he finds that he stole the videotape. He watches it and realizes he's the alien assassin and now he has to save his friends by making them not go to the reservoir at midnight. That's the part I'm confused about. Was there ever a real Todd? How'd he become an assassin? Did they take his brains out and drain it into Cynor?(the alien assassin's name) Well, I don't want to spoil the story for you, so it's better to read the book... I can't wait for "Aftershock" though. That's about Toni Douglas. She was mentioned in "Second Sight." I am also waiting for "Flash Forward." It sounds so cool! I wonder who it will be about...
Book Description
The Holocaust did not introduce the phenomenon of the bystander, but it did illustrate the terrible consequences of indifference and passivity towards the persecution of others. Although the term was initially applied only to the "good Germans"--the apathetic citizens who made genocide possible through unquestioning obedience to evil leaders--recent Holocaust scholarship has shown that it applies to most of the world, including parts of the population in Nazi-occupied countries, some sectors within the international Christian and Jewish communities, and the Allied governments themselves. This work analyzes why this happened, drawing on the insights of historians, Holocaust survivors, and Christian and Jewish ethicists. The author argues that bystander behavior cannot be attributed to a single cause, such as anti-Semitism, but can only be understood within a complex framework of factors that shape human behavior individually, socially, and politically.
Customer Reviews:
Penetrating Examination of Human Behavior and the Holocaust.......2001-03-21
In recent years, a number of books have probed the question, "How could the Holocaust happen in a highly-civilized country of 'ordinary,' law-abiding people?" Victoria Barnett's penetrating and provocative book goes a long way in answering the question. Barnett is a first-rate scholar and a skillful writer. She has studied in Germany and is an expert on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Although she relies on a vast amount of research, the material is presented simply and directly. Rather than trying to inflame or lay blame on one person or institution or people, Barnett examines the historical and psychological elements of both individual and institutional behaviors and attitudes in Germany and Europe. Her approach is detailed, fair, and reasoned. In an honest and rational manner she presents all the factors that converged in Germany, beginning in the years immediately after World War I, to create Nazism and ultimately the "final solution." This is a disturbing book. Almost from the first page you will find yourself looking into a mirror asking: "Would I have been a bystander?" "Am I a bystander?" Barnett's writing style is simple, direct, clear, and engrossing. However, don't be surprised if you fing it difficult to read more than a few pages at a time. Bystanders should be required reading in every Holocaust-studies, ethics, history and psychology class in every country in the world. If we can answer the questions "how" and "why" perhaps we save the world from another Hitler or another Holocaust. This book changed my life.
Book Description
Over 320 recipes from all around the world for inspiring dishes including soups, appetizers, main courses, rice and pasta and special ideas for entertaining and celebrations.
Average customer rating:
- Learn to cook fish fabulously!
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Cook's Guide to Fish & Shellfish
Kate Whiteman
Manufacturer: Southwater
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Seafood
| Meat, Poultry & Seafood
| Cooking by Ingredient
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1842153994 |
Book Description
This fabulous full-color guide includes essential information on every type of fish and shellfish, from well-known varieties like salmon and cod, to unusual shellfish or exotic fish like sea urchins.
Customer Reviews:
Learn to cook fish fabulously!.......2001-11-03
This is one of the best cookbooks I've ever come across (I have the British version.) Even fairly competent cooks are intimidated by fish. Apart from grilling them with a bit of lemon and parsley, what do you DO with these complex creatures? The first half of the book is a biology lesson - a listing of every fish and shellfish you can think of, a simple description of what it is, where it lives, what it tastes like and the best generalized ways of cooking it. Then there's a second half of recipes. These range from fairly simple to fiendishly but rewardingly time-consuming. I must have tried at least fifteen and all but one (octopus stew) has been absolutely sensational! The green curry, and the Moroccan tagine are real dinner-party conversation stoppers. I wouldn't usually take the time to write an amazon.com review, but I enjoy using this book so much I wanted to tell everyone how good it is.
Book Description
The ancient art of illuminating manuscripts is currently attracting many new enthusiasts among artists, art students, and lovers of calligraphy. The Bible of Illuminated Letters is a volume they'll all want to add to their collections. It presents step-by-step instructions for recreating twelve illuminated alphabets. Among them are Celtic, Saxon, Gothic, Romanesque, Modern Revival, and seven more, including several modern scripts. Detailed diagrams instruct on creating upper- and lower-case letters, as well as on ways for designing borders and decorations. More ambitious students can also follow clear directions for gilding—decorating with gold leaf—as was originally done in medieval European monasteries. Readers and students of illumination who open this book will find: a history of illumination; required tools, techniques, and materials for illuminating; instruction in layout and design; and steps to follow in order to create 12 alphabet styles. This beautiful book also features a picture gallery of outstanding historical and contemporary illuminated letters, as well as a glossary and index. More than 400 inspiring color illustrations in total.
Customer Reviews:
Great book for intermediate "scribes".......2007-04-14
I wish I could recommend this book for complete beginners, but I can't. Some of the techniques in this book will require lots and lots of practice (as it did me) to get up to speed. You can't just jump right in and turn out a beautiful illuminated manuscript on the level of "The Book of Hours".
To get going, I'd purchase a learning book on the art of calligraphy (which is plenty of fun on its own, and beautiful to boot!) with lessons, otherwise you'll wind up in the position of creating a nicely illuminated letter and the botch the calligraphic text, losing all your hard work. By all means, get this book to add the beautiful finishing touch of illumination to your work once you're happy with your writing.
In all, this book covers what you'll need to start illuminating, the techniques and pitfalls you'll meet along the way, some calligraphy techniques, and the styles of illumination from Gothic to contemporary.
Awesome.......2006-08-08
This book offered great examples of many different lettering styles. Also, they showed all of the products that you need, for simple and elaborate projects. Most importantly, this book showed how to set up the calligraphy pen, which was the hardest part for me. I would highly recommend this book to those interested in learning how to write with illuminated letters. Also, the book had great color pictures, and even a little history.
With modern examples in full color.......2006-07-22
Plenty of books describe the literature and art of illuminated letters but few provide instructions for recreating illuminated alphabets from six historical periods, as does THE BIBLE OF ILLUMINATED LETTERS. Each section explores how these letters can be adapted to create a personal style, with modern examples in full color enhancing step-by-step color photos of production.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Excellent!.......2006-07-19
This is a step by step guide on how to illuminate letters, from the basic supplies needed to the finished product, with chapters on letterforms popular by century. Very informative and inspiring, easy to understand, with lots of pictures. Once you own it, you will never lend this to anyone! A fabulous addition to the artist's library...
Book Description
Rare, versatile, copyright-free volume offers the largest, finest collection of Art Nouveau typographic material: 137 complete alphabets (U & lc); 23 upper-case fonts; 33 sets of decorative initials; 1951 monograms; 146 signet designs; 179 miscellaneous designs (many with borders) and numerous ornaments. Plus, a selection of Gothic, Roman and Italic faces.
Average customer rating:
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Calligraphy: The Treasury of Decorative Art
Michael Gullick
Manufacturer: Moyer Bell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Calligraphy
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Decorative Arts
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Calligraphy
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Illuminations
| Other Media
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Art
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1559211520 |
Book Description
This unique workbook helps quilters develop the confidence and skill they need to choose the right colors and fabrics from the dizzying spectrum found in fabric or quilting stores. Readers will learn to develop a keenly personal sense of color and choose both a "focus fabric" and supporting fabrics that will add excitement to their quilt. Once all the exercises are complete, the workbook becomes a handy reference for making color and cloth decisions at home or while shopping.
Average customer rating:
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Best of Graphis Typography
Manufacturer: Gingko Pr Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Graphic Arts
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 9810047703 |
Book Description
A witty, critical memoir--in print and on a DVD disc--of a life in front of the cameras and of the evolution of television news by one of America's leading TV journalists.
A generation of television viewers grew up watching Garrick Utley as he trekked to the far reaches of the Earth for NBC-News. What is life as a foreign correspondent really like? Is it all glamour and adventure? In this wise and witty memoir, Utley reveals what life is like behind the camera. He takes us from the battlefields of Vietnam to the backwaters of Belize, from communist Russia to revolutionary Rhodesia, in search of the most riveting, most important news stories out there.
But Utley's story is far more than a personal memoir--it's a sweeping history of network news. Utley reflects, in particular, on how the correspondent's role has shifted as centralized control, advanced technology, "infotainment," and profit margin have altered the way television networks operate and television news is reported. Packaged with a DVD of memorable Utley reports and dramatic footage from the heyday of network news, You Should Have Been Here Yesterday is an indispensable tour of the business and excitement of television news.
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading for News Junkies.......2001-01-03
The title calls one attention to the past; the effect of the book is to ponder the future. This is a book well worth reading. It gives weight to the contention that the best way to describe, or teach, history is to describe a series of incidents involving real people. Mr. Utley does that and ties the incidents together not only by personal experience, but also by two more important themes. One is the development of imagery in his craft; and the other is the incremental yet accelerating advance of technology in broadcast news.
The relatively innocent images once created by the radio sound effects man have given away to powerful images that change public attitudes about fundamental questions. Films and pictures of violence over civil rights riveted the nation's attention on this issue. Films and pictures from Veit Nam, dying soldiers, fleeing refugees, immolated monks and helicopters evacuating the American Embassy, had more to do with creating fundamental changes in foreign policy and military policy than the most reasoned analyses. Mr. Utley describes the maturing of the image vividly because, in most cases, he was there.
The other theme of this book is the effect of technology on broadcasting, or the news business or what ever it is we have now. There are two constants in news. One constant is the event and the other constant is the audience that wants to be informed, or in recent years, wants to observe. The personalities and institutions that inform or televise the events are transient and are largely the creatures or victims of technology. The rise and decline of national network news was much affected by both incremental developments such as the hand-held television camera, as well as step changes such as satellite hook ups. The once venerated journalists of network news are now dinosaurs. We have all of this directly from one of the dinosaurs, our author.
Where is all of this technical development taking the news business? What will be the effect of the Internet, especially broadband, always-on connections? Nobody knows, but Mr. Utley has an opinion.
If watching the news is a ritual or a passion, you will enjoy this book.
News Reporting in Transition.......2001-01-01
In 1961 when Garrick Utley graduated from Carleton College, the world was a very different place. One major change that has taken place almost without our noticing it is the difference in the way we learn about world events. Mr. Utley started in the earliest days of television news and brings us to today's instant news on CNN and even the Internet. Well worth reading.
Books:
- Goodnight, Nebraska
- Grange House: A Novel
- Have Spacesuit, Will Travel
- High Lonesome: Stories 1966-2006
- His Insignificant Other: A Novel
- In the Hand of Dante: A Novel
- Jump the Kennebec
- Jumping Frogs to Cannibalism (Mark Twain Series)
- Juno & Juliet: A Novel
- Knee-Deep in Wonder: A Novel
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