Reviews (98)

He knows more than I thought...
A few weeks ago, my husband turned to me out of the blue and remarked smugly, "I can't believe how some guys don't know anything about pregnancy."
Short? Yes Worth it? Yes Useful? Yes
As a first time expecting father everything has been confusing, even looking for a pregnancy guide that's shorter than The Bible. This was my first book I've read on the subject so I didn't want something overwhelming. This is exactly what this book is good for. It gives relevant information that one can digest in a few hours and come away knowing more than they did. This book is simple, informative, and humourous. I remember quite a few times where I would point a part out and show it to my wife.
Breath of fresh air
My wife and I read this book together while expecting our first child.Our doctor, friends, and family inundated us with medical/psychological/technical books that increase your stress levels as much as your knowledge about pregnancy.This author manages to inform and entertain at the same time.It is a quick read that provided a welcome break from the other content-heavy pregnancy books, although I would recommend reading one or two of those as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    2. Family/Marriage    3. Health & Fitness    4. Humor    5. Popular works    6. Pregnancy    7. Pregnancy & Childbirth    8. Family & Relationships / Pregnancy & Childbirth    9. Parenting & Families    10. Men    11. Father and child   

Reviews (340)

Superb Read
This true story really takes you into the hair raising lifestyle of Vegas, and then propels you into the blackjack world and the realities of getting caught at counting cards.Hell of a read, makes me want to learn to count cards.

Novel-like
Bringing Down the House tells the story of Kevin Lewis and his teammates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who formed a team to win millions from Las Vegas by counting cards at blackjack.The story focuses on "Lewis" and chronicles how he is brought into the group and becomes entranced by the excitement and the money.
Bringing Down the House
When I read a half of the book, I can imagine the rest half.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Boston    4. Cardsharping    5. Gamblers    6. Gambling    7. Gambling - General    8. Gambling - Table    9. Games    10. Games/Puzzles    11. Indoor Games    12. Las Vegas    13. Massachusetts    14. Nevada    15. Other Miscellaneous Crimes    16. Personal Memoirs    17. Games / General   

Reviews (1)

Basic Blueprint Reading and Sketching
This book is excellent for teaching the basic's of blueprint reading.Great illustrations, and assignment sheets. Would highly recommend it for employee training !! Read more

Subjects:  1. Blueprints    2. Construction - General    3. Drafting & Mechanical Drawing    4. Freehand technical sketching    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Handicrafts    10. Hobbies, Quizzes & Games    11. Technology / Technical & Manufacturing Industries & Trades    12. Technology: General Issues   

Reviews (7)

Another gem
I have loved Klosterman's work for a while now, and IV does not disappoint. Funny, sad, cynical, bitter, but a wonderful reading experience. I don't think I understand what anyone is talking about any more, but I come closer to understanding Chuck than anyone else.
Don't waste your time...
Read all of Chuck's other books and this is the worst of the bunch.SD&CP was funny.This is just a bad collection of articles that he has written.If you want to read about femal cover bands, or the scene in Fargo ND when he was 23, go right ahead.It feels like you are reading the Village Voice cover to cover...one crappy article at a time.Torture.

Chuck's Common-Sense Is In Short Supply In the Culture
The title of "Chuck Klosterman IV" hearkens back to Led Zeppelin's classic untitled, "Stairway to Heaven" album.It's typical of Chuck's approach, which is to examine our significant pop culture landmarks with ironic, self-deprecating wit.This book collects some of the highlights of Klosterman's journalism over the past decade.He has been hailed as the successor to Hunter Thompson, but I think he has a quality that Thompson lacked (as much as I admired the work of the Good Doctor).That quality is American common-sense, in abundance.Klosterman's method is to examine pop culture with the close reading usually reserved for so-called "high culture."And then he takes the contrarian view, which can yield some surprising insights.A lot of these icons have been only worshipped their whole careers, so the combination of Klosterman's ruthless scrutiny and heartland human sympathy produces strange and wonderful new wisdom.
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Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Essays    3. Literary    4. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    5. Popular Culture    6. Popular Culture - General    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Reviews (5)

Excellent Product
I looked around for a long time for a decent intro to theory book and tried all sorts of things - this product is far and away the best I've found.

OK... but...
I find this book/CD set to be ok.However, it is a bit vague at times and lacks detail in some areas to the point where I found myself having to search the internet for more in depth explanations... for example.. Ties and Slurs.Also, I'm not sure if I just got a bad copy or if this common but the binding of the book seems poor.The pages began falling out after only 2 days of normal use.
Very good complementary learning.
As a drummer I was needing something like this material. There are many jokes about drummers and one of them is the typical : "Drummers are the best musicians friends". So in some way it used to be true for me, because I was always feeling my lack of knowledge in terms of music theory and all the stuff that you are supposed to know as a musician. So I've found in this book (even though I've just started studying it), despite of the basics, that I already know , that all the others issues inside it are very clear and very easy to understand, as well as the cd that is very useful to clarify every exercise or example in the book. So, in my opinion, this is a great material to take advantage, and I recommend it for those who want to improve their ability to understand music. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Instruction & Study - Theory    2. Music    3. Music/Songbooks   

Reviews (59)

Expert Advice for the Little Guys
Contrary to popular belief, most Hold'Em poker is not played for high stakes.In addition, most Hold'Em poker is not played in a tournament style.Indeed, quite a lot of Hold'Em poker is played for small stakes, such as $2-$4, $3-$6, and $4-$8--and this is exactly the type of poker for which this book provides expert advice.
The very best.
This is BY FAR the best book on limit hold 'em available. If you could only read one hold 'em poker book in your life then this truly would be all you need. Everything, and I mean everything is covered in this book. I can honestly say that this is the book that turned my game around and made me a winning player after I was badly mislead in my introduction to hold 'em by reading the IDIOCY of Phil Hellmuth. (Yeah, raise four or five players on a flop of AK9 with pocket sevens to "see where you're at").
My Favorite Book In My Collection So Far
I live not too far from Atlantic City.I was playing limit hold 'em online for quite awhile before I made the jump to playing live.If you want to not only survive playing the smaller stakes, but consistently win, you need to read and apply the information in this book.I have a friend who plays a much higher limit than me, and the strategies are NOT the same.This book targets the games where you have multiple people limping in to see the flop (6-8 people on average).Not a higher stakes game where most people will raise to come in, or fold.The same concepts work for loose passive games online also.Sklansky also covers what to do if things do tighten up a bit (4-6 on average to the flop).If you're starting at the smaller stakes games (as you should be), you should definitely read this book.Just stay away from my table afterwards lol. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Card Games - Poker    2. Gambling - General    3. Games    4. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    5. Games/Puzzles   

Reviews (27)

Piano Man is two thirds of a page long
In Billy Joel Complete Vol. I, Piano Man is five full pages long.In the Ultimate Fake Book, it's about two thirds of a page.Similarly, the sheet music for Webber's All I Ask of You is five full pages, but exactly one page in the Ultimate Fake Book.The Titanic Love Theme is one page in this fake book.I find the comb binding to be strong, and the print large enough and clear and everything is neat and accurate as far as I can tell.I am having SO MUCH FUN playing songs out of this fake book, I can't believe it!!! I'm almost giddy with delight -- I can't believe I'm playing some of these songs that I always wanted to be able to play!!!

Great collection, lousy binding
A "Fake Book" has just one staff, typically a synthesis between the melody and vocal line, so that you can play it on pretty much any instrument and get something recognizable as the song out.So you can play these songs on a piano, flute, harmonica - any C instrument really, which is most instruments (though not trombones or trumpets.)And the words are printed too, so you can sing it or at least know what would be sung.
The Ultimate Fake Book : C Edition (Fake Book Series)
This book contains many of my favoriate songs.ANd I like the way it indexes the songs in several ways.Alphabetic, by era, and by artist.
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Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Pop Vocal    2. Music    3. Music/Songbooks    4. Musical Instruments - General    5. Songbooks - General    6. Songbooks - Popular    7. Music / Songbooks   

Reviews (54)

A must for Wicked lovers
I read the book and saw the Broadway Play recently, so I was dying to get my hands on the Grimmerie.I was not disappointed.The photos are fabulous and all the information is even better.If you want to know all the behind-the-scene tricks of the play, more about the characters in the play, and how it was adapted from the book, then you definately need this book.My favorite part is the script in the back of the book.As a teacher, I plan on using the story along with the music to teach my kids about personal strength, friendship, and the consequences of bullying.I LOVE this book!

The Grimmerie - Wicked (The Musical)
The Grimmerie is a must have for all Wicked fans. It is a GREAT collectible. This is a deal of a price! This was being sold for twice the amount at the shows. Buy it NOW.....you will be happy you did.

Wicked Fun!
Being a rather HUGE fan of Wicked, I have been anxious to purchase the grimmerie for some time. I have never seen the musical, however I listen to the CD religiously and have watched the play [...]. Today I finally got the book at 2.30, it is now 8.15, and I have read through it twice. The Grimmerie includes how the writers were able to write the script, the set designers, the wig and costume directors, as well as a chapter about the various cast members on playing their characters (it has the original cast, as well as members from the national tour and the cast that took over on Broadway).
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Subjects:  1. Librettos    2. Musicals    3. Performing Arts    4. Performing Arts/Dance    5. Play Production    6. Schwartz, Stephen.    7. Theater    8. Theater - Broadway & Musical Revue    9. Theater - Stagecraft    10. Wicked    11. Musical theatre    12. New York    13. Performing Arts / Broadway & Musical Revue   

Reviews (4)

No Spark in this book...
After watching one of their performances, I wanted to read this book to find out more about Cirque du Soleil but this book left me frustrated.
How much of The Spark is contrived?
I picked up this book at my library and as I read through it, found myself excited and inspired - at first.Then doubts began to creep in.Why was the narrator addressed as Frank (this was supposedly a first-person account by a sports agent named Frank Castle) when, on the book's coverit says "Created by Lyn Heward and written by John U. Bacon"?According to the inside-back cover of the dust jacket, Heward is "the former President and COO of Cirque du Soleil's Creative Content Division and is currently acting as executive producer for a variety of special projects."Bacon, is (same dust jacket inside-back cover) a veteran journalist and public speaker who's "won numerous writing awards and is the author of three books."Apparently this is his experience.But because this book chooses to give him a phony name, from here on in "Frank Castle" will be in quotation marks for your protection.
Great for managers in any type of business

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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business Life - Inspirational    3. Circus    4. Creative ability    5. Creativity    6. Imagination    7. Leadership    8. Personal Growth - Success    9. Self-Help    10. Business & Economics / General    11. Business & Management   

Editorial Review

Star radio storyteller David Sedaris presents his collected works in one audio box set. The longest (at five hours) is his latest, Read more

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (25)

Hilarious
I would've given it 5 stars but it should get about 4.8 stars.
Lost in Translation...
While it's great hearing David Sedaris' voice, it ultimately takes away from the experience.Sedaris' books are amazingly funny and dark; very witty stuff.They are best enjoyed in print form though, when the reader can inject their own tone and inflection into the words of the printed page.Hearing David Sedaris' interpretation somewhat lessens this experience.
How Can You Beat This Price?
As a big fan of David Sedaris, I have loved listening to him read his stories on NPR even more than I have enjoyed reading his books. While I had wanted to purchase some of the audiobooks, they always seemed so pricy.
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Humor    2. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    3. Audiobooks    4. Fiction    5. Form - Essays    6. Short Stories (single author)    7. Fiction / Short Stories (single author)   

Editorial Review

Writing for the screen is quirky business. A writer must labor meticulously over his or her prose, yet very little of that prose is ever heard by filmgoers. The few words that do reach the audience, in the form of the characters' dialogue, are, according to Robert McKee, best left to last in the writing process. ("As Alfred Hitchcock once remarked, 'When the screenplay has been written and the dialogue has been added, we're ready to shoot.' ") In Read more

Reviews (142)

By far the best book on the subject
I don't have much to add to what has been written about this remarkable book, except to say that McKee has more brains and more common sense than any writer I've seen on the subject.He spells out principles rather than rules, shows how they apply equally to a Hollywood blockbuster and a Bergman film, and most remarkably explains how things that appear to be exceptions to these principles are in fact, not.Start your reading on the subject here; everything else is just a footnote.

Robert McKee is Truly a Master of His Craft
'Story' has helped me immensely. This book is to all writers what Stephen King's book ("On Writing") is to novelists.
Great book on screenwriting, great presentation
I am a writer, not a screenwriter but found this book, that was recommended by a friend, to be outstanding for writers as well. The author takes you step by step, in incredible, logical detail, through the process of communicating and screenwriting. The concepts he uses, the style, it is all very easy to understand and while it takes a will to read it, an interest in the craft but it is well worth the read if you're interested in the topic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Play/Scriptwriting    3. Film & Video - Screenwriting    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Motion picture authorship    6. Motion picture plays    7. Performing Arts    8. Screenwriting    9. Technique    10. Creative writing guides    11. Performing Arts / Film / Screenwriting   

Subjects:  1. American Essays    2. American Satire And Humor    3. American wit and humor    4. Essays    5. Form - Essays    6. Humor    7. English    8. Humour    9. USA   

Reviews (36)

Digging for Gems
This is such a fabulous book taking a coffee break with the who's who of big producers.If you do music, you'll know there isn't really a shortcut to everything.That is why GREAT production work is such an art and everyone's got their way to make it sound..sound off effortlessly...if they're good.
The Lightbulb Came On
I've been recording at home for 20 years.For much of that time, I relied on Recording Magazine, tips from friends, and my ears to get by.My system was fairly simple - cassette-based multi-track, simple dbx compressor, and a few mics and digital effects.Then, it was time to move up.
A Must Have Book
This book is a definite must have if you are getting started in audio recording. I produce hip-hop & R&B beats on a Protools set up. This book has helped me turn hollow sounding music into a full sounding production. The question and answer section of the book gets some of todays best mixing engineers thoughts behind mixing. If your mixes dont sound the way they should and your seriously interested in making professional sounding music then read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Music    2. Music/Songbooks    3. Recording & Reproduction    4. Songbooks - General    5. Stereo & Audio Equipment    6. Computers / General    7. Music / Reference    8. Music recording & reproduction   

Reviews (41)

you're wrong
Scrabble is not about words, and someone of your rating should know that.

book is very helpful
Ising this dictionary has helped me to become a better player.

The "official" word on what's acceptable
The official scrabble dictionary (OSD) serves its purpose: it is the authority when settling disputes. The make quality is that of your average mass market paperback, and so is the price. The definitions, on the other hand, are really perfunctory (but what do you expect?). Some words in the dictionary, like Za, Ka, and Ai, are surprising because they're not found in the commonly owned dictionaries. This makes playing with the OSD a different game, one in which it pays to memorize these little words.
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Subjects:  1. Children's All Ages - Games    2. Games    3. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    4. Games/Puzzles    5. Reference    6. Word & Word Search    7. Board games    8. Dictionaries   

Editorial Review

With his Read more

Reviews (71)

Hilarious
Funniest book I've read in a long time, had me laughing aloud through a flight from Boston to Dublin.

What? Is this supposed to be funny?
Another east coast know it all making fun of the things Americans hold dear, even 9-11.
First book I could not listen past the first CD and even that was difficult
I have listened to 15-20 audio books during the past year and this was definitely the worst and perhaps the only bad buy I have had.There is no humor here.I was looking for ideas and styles of telling jokes since I do many keynote talks at conferences but I found nothing here except a style to avoid.What a bunch of totally worthless crap this is.Unless, you are teaching a course on how to generate creative names for things, I would pretty much say pass on this one.The people who like this book must sure be patient or have nothing better to do with their lives, since I had difficultly listening past the introduction.I got through the first CD and could not stand anymore.I tried to put the next CD in to have a go, but by mind kept telling me not to.I am spending more time writing this review than this book deserves.If I was the publisher of this book, I would be embarrassed.If I was Jonathan (John Hodgman's friend), I would be embarrassed too.Stop yourself from buying this book. Please!
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Subjects:  1. American wit and humor    2. Form - Essays    3. Form - Parodies    4. Humor    5. Fiction / General    6. Humour   

Editorial Review

This Revised Edition (also called 3.5) of one-third of the Dungeons & Dragons trinity of core rulebooks (the other two being Read more

Reviews (105)

This book got me interested in D&D again
I have not had much D&D experience. I only played the game a few times with friends when I was a kid. Now as an adult out of college I am revisiting my childhood games.
A must have for D&D players
I have only recently started to play D&D and I have found that having a copy of the Player's Handbook has made playing much easier.This book provides most of the information that is essential for players to start out with.Information covered includes the basic races of D&D, classes, skills, feats, equipment (non magical), combat information, adventuring, magic, and spells.

3.5 or 3.0? That is the question.
If you have never played D&D this is the edition you want to pick up. It has all the basic information you need to play or run a Dungeons and Dragons campaign/adventure. Of course more books won't hurt either, but this book is all you need. I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for about 16 years. I've played first, second, and 3.0 editions. 3.5 is by far the best edition to date. This edition is really easy for a new gamer to pick up and play. This edition is also complex enough to peak the constant-gamer's intrest. The difrence between 3.0 and 3.5 is not that big, but what difrences there are are good changes to a great edition. I will say that by the time you read this review Wizards of the Coast will most likely have a new edition out, and we''ll all have to go upgrade again. Until that happens though 3.5 is the best and most recent edition to date. All of the new material that comes out from WOTC is 3.5 so you might as well join in the fun of discovering the difrences between 3.0 and 3.5. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dungeons and dragons (Game)    2. Games    3. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    4. Games/Puzzles    5. Role Playing & Fantasy - Dungeons & Dragons    6. Role Playing & Fantasy - General    7. Games / Role Playing & Fantasy    8. Role-playing & war games   

Reviews (8)

Oh. My. God.
Calling this dragon incredible just doesn't do it justice. The CRD is a beautiful master piece of work. Calling this thing a "mini" is just silly. I would recommend this sculpture to anyone who likes dragons.
Colossal Red Dragon is Magnificent
The Colossal Red Dragon is nothing short of magnificent.The translucent red wings drape over the sides of the 6" x 6" colossal base.The dragon stands poised and ready to breathe well-sculpted resin flames down upon its miniscule prey.It stands over 13" tall from top of base to top of head spikes.
Colossal Red Dragon - D&D icons
Simply put: WOW! This is one of the best figures I have ever seen. It's huge with a lot of detail. The flames could be better designed but that is my only negative and a small one at that. Amazon had the cheapest price I have seen for this figure. It is nothing less than amazing, even if you don't play the game! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Role Playing & Fantasy - General    5. Games / Role Playing & Fantasy   

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Private    3. Motivational & Inspirational    4. Popular Culture - General    5. Self-Help    6. Self-Help / Motivational   

Editorial Review

In 2005, two tragedies--the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina--turned CNN reporter Anderson Cooper into a media celebrity. Read more

Reviews (148)

Astonishing
I read this book, which is not very long, in one sitting, and half the time I had to read through the curtain of tears in my eyes.Like Anderson Cooper, I am a television journalist, and like Anderson Cooper I have learned to divorce myself from the stories that I am telling.And yet I understand, God, how I understand his feeling of shrieking despair underneath the veneer.I live in Latvia, which is the Old Country for my family, and the first year that I was here, I was asked by the Soviet Latvian Parliament to translate for foreign journalists when Parliament was voting on Latvia's declaration of independence.When the vote began and it became increasingly clear that the necessary majority would vote "yes", I was staring hard at the carpet, because I knew that if I met anyone's eyes, I would weep for the triumph of it all.Anderson juxtaposes the tragedies on which he reports (Somalia, Sarajevo, the Asian tsunami, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina) with the tragedy of his own life -- raised in a goldfish bowl as son of Gloria Vanderbilt, losing his father at the age of 10, losing his brother, who committed suicide by jumping off a penthouse balcony in front of his mother's eyes.This personalizes the stories which journalists tend to dehumanize -- one body, two bodies, three bodies ... you have to get the story on the air, and you remember what you were taught in journalism school -- "On television, if it bleeds, it leads".God bless Anderson Cooper, who lets the story into his heart.God bless a man who is not afraid to tell the entire world about his torments and his weaknesses.Men are taught not to do so.I so appreciate that this one did.I recommend this book with every fiber in my being, not just for journalists, but for anyone who still sees humanity in the technological world in which we live today.

Live thru this--personal tragedy to personal accomplishment
Anderson Cooper writes in the style of describing his life in one sub-chapter and then switching to an experience in an international war zone during his press coverage. This is a well written book and the way Mr Cooper details his family's personal tragedy is compelling and vulnerable. It provides inspiration as you read thru all of the details. Then his need to find his place in life in poltical war coverage is brave and risk taking. This is a book which is both smart and sensitive. Recommended.

A New Appreciation for Anderson Cooper
I learned a lot about the CNN Anchor. He's the son of Gloria Vanderbuilt and Wyatt Emory Cooper.His father died when he was ten and his brother committed suicide when Anderson was in college at Yale.I learned that he went out on his own, with faked news credentials, and journeyed the globe freelancing stories in places of tragedy, hunger, and war - just him and a camera.I respect that.I respect following your dreams despite personal danger and discomfort.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Cooper, Anderson    6. Editors, Journalists, Publishers    7. Journalism    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Television - General    10. Television Journalism    11. Television journalists    12. United States   

Reviews (1)

Wonderful Book!
A must-have book.Informative and excellently written.Gives all the information you want on Public speaking. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Language    3. Language Arts & Disciplines    4. Performing Arts    5. Public speaking    6. Speech    7. Theater - General    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Speech    9. Language teaching & learning material & coursework    10. Phonetics, phonology, prosody (speech)