Book Description
Deep Blue is a book about things that go wrong at sea (and under the sea), and what happens when they do. It features the best writing from the literature of shipwrecks, nautical survival, and cannibalism as well as tales of submarine adventure including an excerpt from Peter Maas’s The Terrible Hours. In addition to such authors as Neil Hanson and Gary Kinder, Deep Blue includes classic writers like Melville, Conrad, and Crane, perennials such as Patrick O’Brian and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and far-flung, little-known surprises, from free divers in trouble to arctic explorers fatally marooned in the marshes of Siberia.
Customer Reviews:
A disappointment . . ........2001-07-04
As a collector of the entire series, no one awaited this book more than I. I feel let down. Of the 13 stories, (and it's only 318 pages, not 352), seven are fiction. These were not well chosen: selections from Treasure Island and Moby Dick are not even set at sea, but are the land-based openings of the books. The non-fiction does not live up to the billing of the editorial reviews that preceded it on this page. There is not much shipwreck or survivial: several are more like philosophical essays as opposed to stories with an edge. The story on diving the Andrea Doria is perhaps the best in the book, but many of us will have seen it elsewhere, as it is recent. Why a fictional account of the Titanic and not a true one? For a book on treasure, why nothing of Mel Fisher and the Atocha? If you want sea adventure, the earlier book in the series, Rough Water, delivers a bigger punch. This volume, regratably, is one that you can put down between stories.
More adrenaline, please.......2001-06-04
As a passive individual, I live through the words and experiences of first hand authors for my adventure. This narrative simply scratches the surface of those before it. "Ship of Gold", "The Fatal North" and "Abandon Ship!" come to mind immediately as adrenaline rush examples. Any of the several publications on "The Endurance" far exceed the expectations of "Deep Blue". The human spirit has greater tales to tell.
Average customer rating:
- Politically Correct
- Interesting book & it worked for me
- Buckley gets the downbeat!
- He got old.
- Impressive fiction from Buckley
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Elvis in the Morning
Jr., William F. Buckley
Manufacturer: Harcourt
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0151006431 |
Book Description
Orson is a young boy whose mother works at a U.S. Army base in Germany in the 1950s. There, he becomes a fan of a G.I. stationed at the base, one Elvis Presley, whose music is played over and over on the radio. When Orson is caught stealing recordings of Elvis's tunes from the PX, the attendant publicity catches the star's attention, and he comes to visit his young fan. Thus begins a lifelong friendship. As Elvis's career rockets ever higher and his behavior becomes ever more erratic, the two share many adventures. The sixties explode, and Elvis becomes the icon of the nation, while Orson, a college demonstrator, drifts away from regular life while looking for something of substance to believe in. Each man is an emblem of his time, as social conventions crumble, barriers fall, and the cultural landscape changes forever.
A panorama of change and dissent, of the ability of friends to stay true despite distance and time, Elvis in the Morning portrays a nation in change and the effects of celebrity on innocence.
Customer Reviews:
Politically Correct.......2005-03-24
Fictitious schoolboy Orson Killere lives with his widowed American mother, who works at a U.S. Army base in West Germany. When Orson watches Elvis make his television debut in 1956, Orson becomes captivated. The lesson Elvis imparts unto Orson is: do what you believe is right and ignore the establishment.
Orson is also strongly influenced by his teacher, who is a socialist. Then, in 1959, when fourteen year old Orson decides that Elvis' music is common property, he breaks into the Army base's PX and steals the Elvis acetates. Orson gets caught and a judge sentences him to a month without Elvis' music.
When G.I. Elvis learns about the incident, he decides to meet his young fan. Orson subsequently introduces Elvis to his Elvis Presley Fan Club co-president, Priscilla Beaulieu. It is then that a lifelong friendship between Orson, Elvis, and Priscilla develops. The story chronicles the true milestones in Elvis' life through Orson's eyes.
While Orson's character was vivid, the depth of the real characters fell short. For the reader who is not knowledgeable about the Greek-tragedy like life of Elvis and its ramifications, the book lacks emotion and power.
However, what I particularly love is the political spin. As an ardent fan of Elvis, I have always vocalized that it was he who single-handedly refaced the landscape of pop culture. It was his very innocence, talent and charisma that empowered Elvis to mainstream Rock and Roll. Elvis made it acceptable for one to be a non-conformist, different and unconventional. This revolution ultimately led to the breakdown of socioeconomic and racial barriers.
Therefore, Elvis was not just an entertainer and was indeed much more of a political influence than we realize. Hence, Mr. Buckley could not have been more politically correct than to have written Elvis in the Morning.
Interesting book & it worked for me.......2004-05-22
Overall, I truly enjoyed this boy-meets-pop-idol story. I, oddly, find this an interesting topic, and did long before this book. Here, a teenager meets Elvis Presley and becomes Elvis's friend. It's a rock and roll fantasy.
In this book, Orson is our Elvis fan who becomes the King's most trusted confidante. Their friendship spans 15 years and, for me, worked better for, approximately, the first half of the book than the latter. By the end of the book, which is very much about Elvis Presley--the real guy--it's hard to keep the focus on Orson while knowing, feeling, awaiting Elvis's fate. And I don't think Buckley pulled this element off; the real Elvis overshadowed the literary fantasy of their relationship.
Orson is a well-fleshed-out character, and he has a life and a wife who is also a solid, full character; they've got their own story and lives that work and are interesting. I would have enjoyed reading even more about them.
But, when we are in the 1970's (chapters are titled by date and place), it became, for me, nearly impossible not to dread and anticipate what would become of Elvis. Chapter headings 1971, '72, '73, etc. - I was thinking to myself: Elvis is going to be dead in five years; Elvis is going to die in four years... Elvis Presley is such a looming figure, and his real life well described in this book, that my focus--and the book's, to a great extent--became Elvis rather than Orson.
What began as boy-meets-hero turned into story of Elvis. And at that point, the fantasy element got lost in the largeness of Elvis Presley. This, then, created other flaws for me. Buckley went to great lengths to tell us Elvis's real life. Elvis's relationship with Orson, then, by the end, was nearly superfluous and, therfore, more "not-believable" than it was fantasy. Similarly for Priscilla's (and Lisa Marie's and others') relationships with both Orson and Orson's wife. Orson had become part of a real life that was vividly described, and the book beame so much about Elvis, that Orson got lost, as did the hero-fantasy (as well, Orson is now an adult with a very real Elvis Presley considering him the only person he can trust -- their friendship took on a far-fetched feel).
All that said, I liked it very much. I liked the beginning for the hero-fantasy, and I liked the latter part for the Elvis story. What I liked in the end is not, I think, what the book was "about," but what I took from it - what a sad, sad story, Elvis Presley. By then, I didn't need Orson - the book had become about Elvis Presley.
Buckley gets the downbeat!.......2002-09-21
It's a lot of fun to see debonair and sophisticated William Buckley drop his erudite (often pedantic) airs and just write for the fun of it (or as one fan noted, "so the rest of us can understand what he's saying!"). In "Elvis in the Morning," Buckley, the noted politico pundit, takes an unlikely subject (for him) and develops/presents it in a fascinating, readable, and enjoyable manner.
To say his prose moves rapidly is an understatement, as this clever--yet in places ever so poignant--novel moves with a real rock 'n roll upbeat, although hardly taking time for the traditional chorus rounds! Orson Killere is the young son of a German mother who works for the US Army in Wiesbaden. A devout Presley fan, he gets caught stealing Elvis records at the local PX. Elvis, stationed nearby, hears about it and arranges for a meeting. They become lifelong friends and confidents.
This is not the story of Elvis, but of Orson, or "Killer," as Elvis playfully calls him. Elvis, of course, is the pivotal point of the book, as like a proper musical recitative (or even leitmotiv), we keep coming back to him, continually until the King's death. This relationship between the two--often symbiotic, often close--make a fascinating story, whether one is an Elvis fan or not.
While this is a work of fiction, Buckley exercises literary license here and there, but his research is thorough and can't be faulted (after all, remember, this is fiction). His ability to capture the landscape and atmosphere is unquestioned and Buckley shows once again that reading (and in his case,writing) is also a fun undertaking. "Elvis in the Morning" is an odyssey or sorts and that said, don't expect to find the proverbial Trojan horse; just think of Orson as Cassandra, knowing what lies ahead but powerless to stop the inevitable. (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)
He got old........2002-03-25
One day, little Orson decided that, since all property should be owned commonly (see: Karl Marx), it was right for him to take all of the Elvis records from a local store, and distribute them among the populace. Unfortunately, he was caught, and the judge's punishment declared that he was forbidden from listening to Elvis Presley on the radio for the next few months. Elvis, hearing of this, drives to meet little Orson and sing for him personally. Elvis in the Morning is the story of the relationship of Orson, Elvis, and Orson's friend (and Elvis' real-life future wife) Priscilla. It is, reportedly, the story of each one's development, and also about Orson's eventual repudiation of socialism.
I know this because I have read about Elvis in the Morning in newspapers and magazines. The book offers no such clues as to where these attributes may be hidden within it. The problem is that nothing in the novel seems connected. I was never quite sure as to what the point of it all was - not a political point, but I was looking for a final lesson learned, a theme, or a message. Orson, and everyone else, seem just the same at the end of the book as they do at the beginning. Maybe a little more world-weary, but they haven't changed in any definable way. And not only have the characters not changed, but the plot doesn't seem to be connected in any discernable way. Elvis and Orson fade in and out of each other's lives, with no real reason. In the end, you're left with a few sparkling scenes, but mainly pages upon pages of filler journalism, merely describing each character's actions.
That was what ended up being my main problem with the novel: the feeling of vacuousness I got reading it. Why was any particular scene happening? Who knows? It wasn't even entertaining, because you were left with a bunch of empty scenes describing characters you didn't care about. If Mr. Buckley was trying to advocate a message (though I don't think he was), he failed. If he was trying to tell a fun story (and I do think he was), he failed.
Now, I'm a huge fan of Bill Buckley. God & Man at Yale, his first novel, still rests only a few feet away. He was always interested in being cute - in including a funny turn on words or slightly off topic jab at a rival - but he always managed to also include substance in what he wrote. Unfortunately, in Elvis in the Morning, and his current columns, he's kept the desire to be cute and lost the ability to be substantive. It's too bad. Still, on the other hand, Mr. Buckley has, in his younger days, written many, many excellent books, both fiction and non-fiction. Go pick up one of those instead of Elvis in the Morning.
Impressive fiction from Buckley.......2002-01-28
Having been a fan of Buckley's political commentaries for some time, I decided to check out some of his fictional work. For better or worse, I began with this short novel. I was pleasantly surprised.
On one level, the novel is an "Edmund Morris-esque" biography of Elvis Presley, with the main character, Orson, finding himself caught up in the major events and dramas of Elvis' rise, fall, rise, and death throughout the 60's and 70's.
On another level, the book is a creative commentary on American political history - not too out-of-line with Buckley's other works. Orson's journey in and out of socialism begins with him stealing Elvis records in an attempt to give them out to people who can't afford them. He is kicked out of college for heading a botched student protest. His cross-country journey in search of an identity, all the while keeping in touch with Elvis, is symbolic of his gradual metamorphosis into a rational man - who, at least by his actions, rejects the ridiculous tenets of socialism that marked his failed early life.
Overall, it was a creative, refreshing way for Buckley to illustrate his insightfully conservative view of America during the turbulent 1960's and 70's.
Customer Reviews:
Last of the Fighting Slave trilogy .......2007-03-28
Guardsman of Gor continues the story of Jason and Beverly, both from New Your City who were captured and transported to Gor in Fighting Slave. Guardsman begins with a naval battle on the Vosk river between pirate fleets and a loose confederation of river cities. Norman spends the first several chapters on three days of the battle during which time the battle is almost lost and the remaining 3 confederation ships make and escape. In a dramatic turn around things get better from there. While the river battle has been going on the men of the cities have formed a fighting alliance on land and wait in ambush for the remaining pirate vessels. Victory over the pirates is complete with Jason earning considerable wealth, including female slaves, captured from the pirate fortress. The last part of the book describes Jason as a dominant man of Gor, no longer the Earth wuss who had been controlled by feminist women in a feminist dominated culture. Jason plays match maker, distributing appropriate female love slaves to the heroes of the pirate battle who are now his friends. Because they are slaves, the females fall deeply in love with strong manly men who control and dominate them, much more so than Earth feminist women. Finally, Jason completes his complete enslavement and domination of the former Beverly of New York City, now transformed into a submissive Gorian love slave. Jason gives her a good whipping and makes her grovel at his feet. Miss. Beverly, now transformed into Norman's vision of true femininity, loves her life as Jason's salve and vows to serve him fully and well.
I found the book tedious in many places with slow action and long repetitive conversations that could be skipped, especially in the last half. If you're reading the whole Gor series you might enjoy it and it wraps up the 3 Jason books. Tarl Cabot of Port Kar is not mentioned, nor are the Priest Kings or other space aliens, nor the war between Cos and Ar. The Fighting Slave trilogy stands by itself set on Gor as a commentary on Earth men and women. John Norman's commentaries on human sexual instincts and personalities is interesting, though some would disagree with his assessments.
Customer Reviews:
Split Personality.......2001-09-07
Volume 3 of the Jason Marshall trilogy is a book with a split personality. The first 136 pages is nearly nonstop action and the last 162 pages is nearly nonstop bondage play. When I started reading it, I thought that John Norman had gone back to the good old days of emphasizing the adventure aspects of his creation. It even took about 60 pages before a slave girl showed up, surely a record for all but the earliest volumes in the Gor series. That said, the action in this volume is not up to the level of the Tarl Cabot books. Basically it consists of a protracted battle between pirates and the forces of the defending towns on the Vosk River. As such, it somewhat lacks variety compared to Cabot's adventures but has scenes which are just as ludicrous, such as the one where Jason finds himself bound to the ram of an enemy ship but escapes by inducing eels to bite off his bonds. Yeah, right! I've discovered that you can pretty much tell when you are in for a dissertation on the glories of bondage. Just count the pages in the chapter. The chapters in the first part of the book range from 2 to 19 pages. Those in the second part range from 16 to 58 pages. Figure it out. It's not like he has something new to say that he hasn't already said far too often. Enough already! Give it a rest! It's really a shame. The Gor books could have been one of the all-time great action-adventure fantasy series. If only John Norman hadn't ruined it with his obsession with bondage...
Product Description
First 25 titles in the Gor (Chronicles of Counter Earth). 25 mass market paperbacks. Multiple books shipped as one item for your convenience. Save on Shipping/Handling charges.
Book Description
Kate Sullivan has baked wedding cakes and party cakes for some of New York?s most interesting weddings and events. Her sought-after recipes, designs, and tips are compiled in this new volume, Kate?s Cake Decorating.
Featured in numerous magazines, Sullivan is a respected and creative baker. For the first time, she brings her knack for creating the unusual to those of us who want to bake more than a layer cake but aren?t sure how.
This book features her recipes and cake-decorating tips as well as personal stories about creating and delivering cakes. She has used cookies as cake toppers, made dozens of multicolored flowers on a hat-shaped cake, and created cakes in the shapes of taxis and diner coffee cups. Whether a lush, vibrant ?Monsoon Wedding? cake or a larger-than-life, 3D ?Cup o? Joe to Go,? Kate?s cakes always inspire people to ask, ?How did she do that??
Customer Reviews:
Purchased as gift.......2007-10-04
Booked seemed good enuf by the reviews. Looked nice enuf to give as gift to friend who was going into the cake biz. Check out the "see inside" to judge for yourself. Always a good idea to check lots of reviews before buying.
Unique and creative!.......2006-10-09
I'm a professional baker and have purchased many cake decorating books, including nearly all of Colette's books. I absolutely loved this book! I like the way photos instead of drawn illustrations are used for the "how to" part of each cake. She shows you step by step, how to make her unique cakes. And yes, there are some slight imperfections...it's a cake for cryin' out Larry. Her photos are great. They are real! Not airbrushed photos. If you go to a wedding, look at the cake...really look, there are always little flaws. They are covered with flowers or facing the back of the room. Kate makes cakes that are actually feasable...and cost effective. I've taken classes with some famous cake makers and their techniques although informative, are quite laborous and time consuming. I don't have that kind of time. Simple techniques, elegant, unique design. Very inspirational.
Love It!.......2006-07-17
I saw Kate Sullivan on the Food Network and had to buy this book. I'm just getting into cake decorating and this book gave me some good tips and new ideas.
Controversial Sampler.......2006-06-22
This is the book that has split the community of cake decorators right down the middle, from stem to stern. Half of us think that Sullivan's craft, while passionate and inspiring, shows signs of sloppy, careless finish, while the other half holds her up as the exemplar of a new kind of fun styling that hasn't been seen in decades. I decided to make up my mind by ordering two copies of her book, one to give to my mother, one to keep for myself. We challenged each other to find the best and worst recipes and tips in Sullivan's opus.
Yes, the color photography is sometimes garish, nothing like the elegant Cecil Beaton-inspired photographs that sparkle and illuminate the "cakebooks" of her close contemporary Lindy Smith, whose brittle, icy designs have given her the reputation of a modern-day Klimt in frosting. And yet Smith could never have completed, nor even conceived of, some of Sullivan's neo-expressionistic "portrait cakes," such as the one of Elvis which is wiggy enough to have been featured permanently at Graceland, maybe sunk in intaglio form right into Elvis' tombstone. One responds to the sheer frivolity and nuttiness and yes, the love that Sullivan exudes from every pore of her body. Even her somewhat portentous crush on fondant shows us that, deep underneath her smooth surface, great feelings roil up within.
Her tips are always helpful, and most of the recipes are rather good, very rich of course, but you don't spread gold dust over cream cheese filling and expect a low calorie plate. This is cake, after all, and it's supposed to be bad for you! These cakes might have decorated the Technicolor visions of Maria Montez and Jon Hall in their Universal classics of the 1940s such as COBRA WOMAN and GYPSY WILDCAT. My mother and I both agreed that there are no bad recipes, just bad critics.
But who has the time? Cake baking and decorating for fun.......2006-06-11
I was selling off some baking gear at a yard sale recently. Fifteen ladies picked up the angel food tube pan in succession, and all said "But..I don't bake any more."
If you do have the time to bake, decorating is a good way to highlight a party. Personally, I stink at cake decorating. I'm pretty sure the tv comedies that show a gal bringing in a cake collapsed on one side, with drippy icing and everyone giving her a pitying look while they stealthily toss the cake into the trash compactor were channeling a secret webcam installed in my kitchen. Damn them all. My cakes invariably have buttercream frosting and the frosting is liberally decorated with a crumb design all my own invention.
The book focuses on fondant decorating; that stiff, kneaded icing that drapes on a cake and allows you to paint the surface or decorate it with flowers, doodads, ball bearings and small animals. The painting looks a bit woozy in the photos--but I think that is to encourage the Anti-Marthas among us who won't be making a wedding cake in five tiers decorated like the Parthenon in spring with fifteen Greek virgins made of marzipan dancing around the base and a chip playing Satie's "Gymnopedie" cleverly hid under the plate.
There are other icings, glazes, ideas for decor and if you aren't a pro or heading for pro-dom, I'd recommend this book to you, highly. As for me, I'm hopeless. I think I'll bake a pie. No, make that jello.
Book Description
Training dogs has traditionally been done by using negative reinforcement and brute force (take the choke collar as an example). But the tide is turning, and Terry Ryan, well-known dog trainer, is at the forefront of a revolution. OUTWITTING DOGS draws on her twentyfive years of hands-on experience helping people understand and train dogs, and solve dog behavior problems using kinder, gentler methods. OUTWITTING DOGS uses more brain than brawn to motivate dog behavior with positive training techniques, and helps readers truly understand the minds of their canine friends (and even enemies).
Chapters cover: . outwitting puppies . housebreaking . curing the chronic chewer . how to cure the leash puller, the dog that jumps on people, the dog that hates to be left alone, the dog that won't come, the dog that barks too much, the biter, the aggressor . how to outwit the neighbor's dog . how to teach your dog tricks . how to outwit dog trainers . and even a chapter on outwitting dogs and kids at the same time, and much more.
No sensible dog owner will want to be without a copy.
Customer Reviews:
Book might be OK if youve never owned a dog before.......2007-08-23
However, if you are an experienced dog owner then forget it. This entire book merely expounds on the obvious and common sense solutions that we all know and have already tried. I was hoping for some new insights to common problems but no such luck.
Positive, but a bit difficult to apply.......2007-07-21
I love that this book offers a completely positive training method. However, some of the training ideas seem like they would take a very long time to teach, and I don't know how "rock-solid" your dog would be afterward. I like that the author advocates teaching exercises in such a way that your dog cannot fail (for example, don't try making your dog SIT outside until he has done it 90% perfect in the house without distractions). I don't like that it does not offer many suggestions on what to do if you do happen to say "SIT" and your dog completely ignores you. And I truthfully didn't think it had very many effective ways to change "bad" behaviors. It would be great for your average dog without many bad habits who is willing to please and endlessly interested in treats.
The book was easy to read, but I actually got very annoyed with some of the long "funny" descriptions. A bit too much padding for me; get to the point.
Pretty Basic.......2007-07-07
Make your dog your best friend and he will do what you want. That is the basic premise of the book. The theory is reward focused, using treats, gentle pats, etc., to condition the dog to behave.
I have a "rescue dog" that was abused. He doesn't much like being touched. So far, he would rather go exploring that to mind me. The author suggests I am just not trying enough - possibly true. This book gave me a couple ideas, but hasn't been much help.
Great Book, Helpful Information.......2007-06-07
This book is great. We just adopted a rescued puppy mill dog from our local Humane Society and she has a lot of 'issues' we had never experienced before. This book has a lot a great tips I had not thought of before and would be helpful for those with especially 'challenging' new additions :)
~andrea
Must have dog book!.......2007-05-09
I have purchased several dog books to help me better understand and train my two young dogs. This book is the most comprehensive and effective. It gives solutions to common problems like barking, pulling on a leash and housetraining. I also recommend "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell. These are the two best dog books I have found so far, and I have spend a year looking!
Amazon.com
When Rita Farro discovered that she could make clothes that not only fit her "gifted" figure but flattered it and made her feel good about herself, an inspirational personality was born. Finally looking good in her clothes changed her life, and since then she has been sharing with others her upbeat, humor-filled message: "How to Dress with Style When You Feel Like Cher but Look Like Roseanne." Her advice on finding the right look for different body types, accentuating your positive features, planning a wardrobe, working with accessories, and much more is clear and practical and told with wit, and the clothes are colorful and extremely flattering. This is not about losing weight to look good; it's about developing a personal style that fosters self-esteem and gives you back your life. --Amy Handy
Customer Reviews:
Getting Over Being "Gifted"..........2005-02-13
Rita Farro worked with what she affectionately calls "gifted" women (or women any size over 10) for over a decade; first as a fabric store owner, then as a workshop presenter. The knowledge behind Life is Not a Dress Size also comes from her personal experience at being gifted herself.
This book is about living in "a country that worships thinness", "developing personal style" and "learning to value yourself". A tall order for this little book. It also boasts a bonus sewing section with a few basic items like a wrap, scarf, belts. It's about working with what you have.
Despite being almost ten years from its original publishing date, everything still applies (except the overstated eye clashing outfits...and stirrup pants). She delivers her story and thoughts from the perspective of an old friend instead of someone with a PhD who's never been 20lbs overweight in her life. The tone is conversational, honest and straight forward. Behind each opinion she offers legitimate commentary to back it up. She delves into the realms of low self esteem, fashion, style, sewing and being happy. She gently reminds we all have value.
We are our own worst enemies. Farro insists our segregation from society is less to do with the food we eat and more to do with how we dress and carry ourselves in public. Because of Farro's personal voice/style this is an easy and quick read that leaves the reader refreshed instead of in a depressed afterglow. A large majority of the book is about first impressions, body types and how to camouflage them.
She briefly touches on the fat stereotypes like, "She's fat, she must be lazy". Farro says we need to spend more time on our hygiene, clothing, make up and hair. That means no more running out to the corner store without a bra and the inner thigh material eaten out of your pants. Farro also strongly believes we should let go to the fantasy we are going to lose some weight. It's important to live in the moment and wear clothing that fits us now.
She lightly mentions the diet industry but weight loss isn't a focal point in Life is Not a Dress Size. Despite the occasional bad cliché it's entertaining, easy to read, understandable, and educational. The few quizzes are simple and non-threatening. The glossy pages and short chapters make it durable and easy to use as a resource.
Review Originally Posted at http://largeandlovely.bellaonline.com
Delightful, positive, and very useful.......2001-08-25
It was such a pleasure to read a book (aimed at the "gifted") which shows a delightful awareness that fashion should be fun and reflect individual style. Unlike other books aimed at this market, this one is neither a dreary "self-help" approach nor an appeal to look "professional" (which, especially in NYC, generally means "dowdy.") This book should be on the shelf of everyone who enjoys both sewing and individuality in fashion, not only those who are plus sized. Rita's humour makes the reading marvellously original - her style gives a sense of sheer (or, perhaps, "shear") enjoyment. I especially liked her emphasis on colour and adapting patterns. For some, Rita's taste may seem a bit over the top (even I, who have rather bold tastes, would find the "carwash skirt" a little much), but her ideas can be adapted to the reader's personal style. For example, the "suit types" can use Rita's swing coat in any fabric, over a simple dress, and both have an "office look" and avoid the skirt-and-blouse cutoff point that is unflattering to most large women. Rita, most refreshingly, does not offer stock "self-help" talk, nor does she explore the current trends towards relating size to "issues" or "self-esteem." This is pure fashion, where building on one's own style and tastes makes for a wonderful look.
wanted to like this more.......2001-07-20
I think that if I had read this book ten years ago, I would have given it a higher rating; I really did enjoy her positive, up-beat take on size acceptance, and she was very honest about how difficult it can be.
However, to be truly honest, I simply could not enjoy the clothes! At 27 years old, I don't want to look like an explosion at a crayon factory. I love that Rita Farro wears just what she likes best, but I myself would rather look stylish and sophisticated instead of clownish. Again, this is my very own personal preference - I applaud Rita for following her vision, it's just not mine.
5 stars for the message, 1 star for the clothes.
Every plus size woman should read this book!.......2000-03-23
Whether you sew or not, Rita Farro's book is for all women of size. She uses wit, warmth and a large dose of common sense to get the message across that large women are just as entitled to be happy and productive as anyone else and those "fataphobics" who have a problem with us plus size gals...well, it's THEIR problem. All we can do, she says, is change ourselves for the better. We CAN be happy. And she's right. I spent years sitting at home feeling terrible about myself but after reading Rita's book, I started taking control of my life and in small steps, try to be better every day. I can't recommend this book too highly. I just wish Rita would hurry up and write another book!
Not as good as hoped.......1999-10-14
I was hoping for some great stuff. There was some stuff, some tips for pattern fixing and accessory-modifying. But not much about what works and what doesn't. It is heavily geared toward women who DON'T work in a heavily tailored environment (i.e. suits). It wasn't the colour emphasis (which was good) but the lack of styles in that area. I was fairly frustrated when I finished the book.
Book Description
Color can really make a room come alive—generating the illusion of space, adding brightness, or even dividing it into separate areas. But how can a home decorator use color to best advantage? House Beautiful can help, with a workshop that presents all the essentials: choosing a color scheme, assembling a swatchboard, selecting a precise palette, and troubleshooting. Find out how to use the color wheel, test and develop ideas, create accents that bring a bit of zing to an interior, get great effects with pattern, and combine different shades successfully. Hundreds of photos display gorgeous spaces, and illustrate a variety of ways to work with primary colors, neutral tones, and black and white—along with textured paints and fabulous wallpapers.
Customer Reviews:
Solid Winner.......2007-06-01
I adore this book. The presentation/organization are great, nice pictures, good color design ideas. I read a lot of home design books--checking them out from my local library--and this is the first one I've been tempted to buy in almost 10 years. I had so many post-it notes flagging pages that I finally decided to order a copy. I recommend it highly.
Customer Reviews:
Let's get the record straight........2006-07-21
I'm amazed by the bad reviews this book has gotten. I was absolutely enthralled w/it. Let's get this straight, everyone is looking for something different in a design book. Some ppl want to learn how to design on a budget; some people want some how-to knowledge; some ppl just want to look at pictures and formulate their own ideas about how to decorate and get a spark of creativity, or ideas. I myself was the kind of person who wanted some pictures & differently designed rooms to look at to get some creative ideas. And I was not disappointed. If I was wanting to learn decorating on a budget or JUST how-to stuff, I would have been. It just isn't that kind of book. After all, look at the title. It doesn't promise those things.
The book is a tad misleading because it doesn't really have 750 tips. For example, in the book in the fireplace section it gives tips on how to start a fire. Ok, not only does that have nothing to do w/design or decor, but the book uses several steps breaking down how to start a fire, each listed as one tip. Also it gives you some storage solutions. Great for packrats, but I have closets, clean them out regularly & get rid of stuff I don't use to make room for what I do use. Oh, and also in the home office decor section it gives you several tips when you are just moving into a house & setting up your home office, such as making sure that room is wired so you have enough power & whatnot. Has nothing to do w/decorating, plus is just common sense.
I agree that it has some rooms in the book that I would hate to live in or even stay the night in. :) But isn't this a lesson learned?? You learned what kind of things to avoid when you are decorating. I am sure there are plenty of ppl who like that kind of decor, otherwise it wouldn't be shown. Another reviewer talked about a horrid pink floral room that looked to be straight out the 80's. Some ppl really like that kind of room, esp if they're older & not as hip. It's almost like a "period room."
Wrapping up... the pictures are great, some of the tips are helpful. It would be a great book to pore over w/someone you are moving in w/so you can get an idea of what their taste is compared to yours. That's how I used it, and it was useful. It gave me some great ideas too. I recommend it and I look forward to looking at some other House Beautiful decorating books; this was my first.
More photos, less type.......2005-05-01
The photos lovely, as is the variety of design styles offered.
The small bits of info was rather pointless. Cut the little text bits and add more photos.
This is a nice book to have around and review often; studying the photos gives lots of style ideas, but I think you do need to look it over a number of times.
Mine was a library book, but if I found it on sale, I'd buy it.
Beautiful book..........2005-04-17
I had to double check that I had the same book as some of the other reviewers. In my edition, the photographs are quite lovely, with a couple of exceptions now that I've given it a much closer look. A couple reviewers comment about the overdone style of the rooms, but there are so many rooms, in so many different styles, it is hard to say something like that. There are definitely some floral-frilly rooms, and some rooms that are certainly not for those who harbor disgust for toile (I'm rather indifferent to it) . . . but there are just as many very sophisticated, simple, elegant, subdued rooms pictured as well. Perhaps that is what I like about the book-- there are so many different styles, that almost anyone could find something inspirational in it. French country is overrepresented, I admit, and from someone who is not too excited about shabby chic either, there are too many pictures of that for me. Some photographs reek of nouveau riche. But there are also colonial, modern country, modern eclectic and other styles well represented in some very pretty pictures. I agree strongly with the editorial review's point that someone looking for a "how-to" book will be disappointed. This book is all about the pictures (which I love), with tips spread throughout on sidebars. The entertaining or efficiency tips I could do without ("give old clothes to an organization"), but a lot of the decorating tips are interesting. As a serious Type A personality, I "flag" things of interest in books-- this book has so many flags I had to stop! From lovely little ideas like storing makeup in darling old silver cups to helpful advice like how to choose a frame for a period piece of art, I would describe this book in relation to a decorating "library," as the frosting on the cake . . . beautiful, and full of neat pieces of advice that don't make it into the substantive "how-to" decorating books. This book would not be the basis of your interior decorating library-- but is full of sweet solutions on the back end. **I am editing my review to add that, if I could I would change my review to 2 stars because I've only had the book a short time and the spine is falling apart-- cheap construction for a nice, expensive book that should be coffee table quality!**
Very Disappointed in House Beautiful.......2005-03-22
I am a House Beautiful (HB) magazine subscriber and think Mark Mayfield is an excellent editor of a great mag. This book however was a huge disappointment...the photo quality is really poor throughout the publication, and many of the rooms they depict look like they were taken in the eighties...lots of floral, poufy rooms with poor color quality...House Beautiful is much more modern and hip than the rooms displayed in this book. It was many of the 750 design tips that made me laugh...many of them really corny and obviously simple...that really turned me off. I wish I could get my money back...what a waste....Check out the POTTERY BARN design books...I own them all and thoroughly enjoy the colors, design, furniture position (not all PB furniture either)and narratives...
Great photos, lousy advice.......2004-02-11
This is a gorgeous coffee-table style books overflowing with fabulous photos of interiors. I say interiors rather than homes because it clear that no one could actually survive in any of these ornate, pristine, elegant, and rather stuffy rooms.
The "750 tips" are given in sidebars, and poor production has allowed that some of the tips are not on the same page as the photo to which they refer. This book also contradicts its own advice - frequently - as when it says to "always hang pictures 10" above seating" accompanied by a lovely photo of a sofa that is backed up directly against framed pictures. Or when they advise not using scatter pillows on chairs or stools, yet this is done throughout the text.
750 is a bit of an exageration - they break down "how to build a fire" into many small tips, counting each one.
Overall, a fairly useless book, but the photos are pretty. A nice gift for the billionaire on your list.
Average customer rating:
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A Beautiful Room Will Change Your Life: Your Personal Guide to Color
Connie Post
Manufacturer: Sixth&Spring Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Style
| Interior Design
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Decorating
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Style
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1931543747 |
Book Description
Color your world, with the help of internationally recognized designer Connie Page. She's out to change the bland palette of white walls, beige carpets, and vanilla everything that predominates in too many houses today, and replace it with bright, cheerful hues. The result: uplifting rooms that no one will want to leave. For those who want to jazz up a space quickly, there are suggestions for five-minute makeovers that work miracles in a few simple steps. For larger transformations, and to understand just how color works, see what Connie does with "Blue Sky Thinking," "Red-Hot Excitement," "Golden Opportunities," Pretty in Pink," and other shades. Answers to commonly asked questions will solve almost any design dilemma. A Selection of the Homestyle Book Club.
Average customer rating:
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Color Your Home Beautiful: Recipes and Ideas
Rockport Publishers
Manufacturer: Rockport Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Remodeling & Renovation
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Decorating
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1564969274 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from American Jewish History, published by American Jewish Historical Society on December 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1199 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Complex Identities: Jewish Consciousness and Modern Art.
Author: Lauren B. Strauss
Publication:
American Jewish History (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2001
Publisher: American Jewish Historical Society
Volume: 89
Issue: 4
Page: 464(5)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This book chronicles one man's battle to earn respect and an education, only to discover in mid-life that his severe mental "fog" was a serious learning disability. "Abe Schmitt's towering portrayal is rich, meaningful, and poignant."
Customer Reviews:
What a great find.......2007-08-01
THis book was so so helpful when I found out my daughter was dyslexic and gifted. This man's journey is amazing and inspiring!
this book changed my life.......2007-04-11
I always thought everybody struggled like I did until I read this book. For the first time in my 37 years of life, things made sense. His struggles, fears and victories were all things I could relate to. It was as if I was looking in a mirror. I took the 71 question quiz at the end of the book and scored high on all but two questions. I always thought dyslexia was the inablility to read because of transposing letters. Now I know it is far more than that. I have purchased a copy for each of my loved ones in hopes they will be able to understand me and my learning disorder. Best of all, I can use Abraham Schmitt as proof that I don't have to stay within the walls of my fear and limitation. I highly recommend this book to every school teacher, everyone who struggles with surmountable odds or fear of any kind, and people like me, who label themselves "a stupid genius". Not only is it an eye-opener about dyslexia, but it is an unforgetable story about an unforgetable man.
Brilliant is Right!.......2004-11-06
Dyslexia was not the only barrier Abraham Schmitt faced. Dr. Schmitt also had to adapt to the modern world of the mid 40's after having lived his whole life in a German-dialect Mennonite community that had not evolved in 200 years. His willingness to take large risk, leave behind his community, language and culture while doggedly working towards a college education is beyond admirable. His chronic fears and anxieties over being perceived as an idiotic 'peasant' are wrenching; as are the accounts of the cruel treatment he frequently received. There were thoughtless people, and beautifully caring people who are marvelously drawn in this book. His biography shows the miracles that will, faith, and determination to find your 'place' in the world, can acheive. It needs to be required reading for the chronically discouraged.
Everyone needs a lucky-giver!.......2000-03-16
I could not but help reading this book over night.As a teacher in junior high school in Taiwan, I am quite accoutomed to kids have the same problems as Abraham described in this exotic book. I am absorbed by his tremendous effort to overcome his hereditary setback and use his right brain hemisphere to achive great success in a society designed by and for the left brain people. And I learned an important lesson in this book, a word in time is really a great help to people around you. Without the encouraging words, Abraham might have given himself in his early life when he felt frustrated and embarrassed. After reading this book, I am deeply concerned that I can help my students with my words just like those wonderful guys in Abraham's life who gave him kind concern and help. And those concern and help turned out to be a blessing to a poor yound man and make him be someone. Gee, that's great.Everyone needs someone else to encourage him, and everyone can be someone else's lucky-giver.
Know first-hand what it's like to be dyslexic.......1998-10-28
This book is excellent. I couldn't put it down. It is refreshing but sad to see how a dyslexic person struggles through even the smallest tasks. Mr schmitt tells about his dyslexic life. He is the brilliant idiot--he holds several college degrees but can't tie his shoes and can't teach school. Anyone who knows someone with a learning disability will enjoy this book. It will bring a better understanding of what a learning disabled person has to overcome--and provides proof positive that it can be done! It is a truly sad but remarkable journey that Mr. Schmitt will take you on if you read this book. You will laugh and cry and your heart will break. But such a happly ending.
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- Disappearing into View
- Doctor Ouch
- Drown Them in the Sea
- Eleanor Rushing: A Novel
- Everyone in Silico
- Five: Five Short Novels: A HOme for the Highland Cattle,The Other Woman,Elodorado,The Antheap,Hunger
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- Helen Halsey, Or, the Swamp State of Conelachita: A Tale of the Borders (Selected Fiction of William Gilmore Simms, Arkansas Edition) (Simms Series)
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