Editorial Review

It's been 25 years since Garrison Keillor first began charming audiences with the goings-on of the strong women, good-looking men, and above-average children in his mythical Minnesota town. Keiller's storytelling alchemy (part literary orchestra, part gossip), gentle humor, and deadpan (or is that just Midwestern?) delivery are what have made Read more

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Reviews (9)

More Fun Than A NPR Membership Drive
As someone who has relied heavily on NPR almost since its inception in 1970, I've logged many an hour on the banks of Lake Wobegon, smiling as Dusty and Lefty chewed on cowboy philosophy and thrilling at the adventures of Guy Noir, Private Eye.What I found most alluring about Prairie Home Companion was the format itself, homage to the great days of radio when audiences imagined pictures for themselves.This was a marvelously collaborative process whereby, as Stan Freiberg once observed, it really was possible to fill the Grand Canyon with Jell-O.
Narrow Slice of the Pie
I purchased this 25th anniversary collection with great anticipation and, have to say, I was surprised and disappointed to find that this compendium consists ONLY of Garrison's monologues with a few musical selections thrown in.This collection has none of the short skits, Guy Noir bits, or cast-inclusive pieces of brilliance that punctuate and vary the pacing of the live radio show.Don't get me wrong, Garrison's stories are wonderful in themselves and quite enjoyable, but I feel that a 25th anniversary collection should consist of more than just this one aspect of the show.If, like me, you want a more rounded Prarie Home experience, you'll need to buy some of the other Prarie Home CD releases to suppliment this purchase which, I think, is a shame.This collection should be clearly labelled as monologues & music, not as an overall collection of the show.

Great Entertainment for a Road Trip
We listened to this CD set on a recent trip between California and Colorado.The time just flew.Garrison Keillor moves so smoothly from hysterical silliness to poignant truth-telling.He's an absolute master storyteller... we keep thinking he just can't get any better, but he does. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Books On Tape    2. Form - Essays    3. Unabridged Audio - Humor    4. Religion / Spirituality   

Reviews (5)

STARTACHAIN REACTION !
Barrie Zwicker's carefully researched masterpiece is an eye opener for open-minded people with compassionate hearts and bright reasoning that haven't yet been searching for the truth about 9/11. Barrie Zwicker provides convincing evidence that beyond any reasonable doubt the truth about 9/11 is that we don't KNOW the truth about 9/11. And Barrie Zwicker is definitively right to suggest that it is high time to ask elementary questions about the many anomalies in the official story of 9/11, since the American people and the families of those who died on 9/11 deserve the truth that we do not yet know. Therefore it is undeniable that only a truly independent investigation of 9/11 can provide an answer to the crucial question if there was a wider conspiracy (- if this is the case, those responsible for 9/11 should be indicted for treason and complicity in murder and those who covered up these crimes should themselves be indicted as accessories after the fact. On the other hand, if the new investigation finds that the government's current story is essentially correct it would be imperative to assign responsibility for the inconceivable failure of the air defenses to protect the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, since so far nobody of the allegedly "incompetent" people has been fired or demoted or court martialed - shouldn't there be accountability?).
Zwicker, Barrie, Towers of Deception: The Media Cover-up of 9/11.
Five years ago and still in the news? This is because the issues are painful and because there is stillso much suffering arising out of the horrific events of September 11, 2001. Much healing has yet to happen. Conspiracy theorists have had a wonderful time with 9/11: 'The CIA did it,' 'It is Reichstag 9/11,' and so on, but if you speak to many Americans in this vein they still respond with pain and then outrage or simply, rage.
Nutroots whack job
These are the ravings of a brain dead moonbat. Don't waste your time reading this trash. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    2. General    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Mass Media - General    5. Performing Arts    6. Performing Arts/Dance    7. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Controversial Knowledge & Mysteries    10. Political Science / General   

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

Reviews (4)

Turthful?
First of all, I am one of many hundred of thousands who are wannabe screenwriters/writers. I do not live in L.A. and have no intention to. That being said, I am still learning the "industry".
To be brief, I liked it
Briefly -- I enjoyed this book immensely.Whether it's any good as advice to aspiring writers I couldn't say, but I hope its audience won't be limited just to them.It's made up of short punchy bits that didn't tax my attention span, and many of them were laugh out loud funny.It won't be appreciated by those who don't care for rough language, but, having read two of the author's previous works, I was pretty well prepared for that and found it actually rather milder than expected.It had little relevance to my own life & hard times, and it won't revolutionize my world.Nevertheless it was worth the time and money.

The new WGA guidelines.... (psych)
Okay, this book has been out long enough for there to be more than one review, so to show my support, I have to add one here since I missed his book tour in SF by a mere TWO days. I can't believe it. I just don't read newspapers at all anymore. Didn't the book come out in August? But they wouldn't tour him in August. It's like December: business shuts down like a Jewish girl after her wedding night. Just as well. What would I have done, anyway? Lurk? Smile? Try and say something unusual and charming? Not gonna happen. Book tours are exhausting so speed-dating an author with a series of blurts is too much. Best to read his blog on his site of his own name. I'll remove this review later on because I like to be private (I remove all my reviews), but this is a cockfight of a book, quick stabs, perfectly designed for actual writers with attention spans too short to actually READ real paragraphs anymore. It's got so much teeth-baring energy and the irreverence of someone who can handle running into anyone on the street. We're talking COURAGE, baby. No cowering here. [By the way, writer/artist friends, read Rollo May's THE COURAGE TO CREATE to see this all diagrammed out.]
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Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. California    3. Cinema/Film: Book    4. Film & Video - General    5. Film & Video - Guides & Reviews    6. Los Angeles    7. Motion picture authorship    8. Motion picture industry    9. Performing Arts    10. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    11. Performing Arts / Film / General   

Reviews (37)

D&D Spell Compendium
An excellent resource for gamers - more spells for arcane and divine casters.Note that druids, always a force to be reckoned with, are now quite formidable.

Awesome
I've been playing dungeons and dragons for nearly 8 years and i own a plethora of tomes regarding this subject.This is by far the best out of all of them.I give it full stars because i'm not big on specifics of where the spells were located from and which book, but more on how to make the best possible character.I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone, espically those just starting out.

A let down.
I should start by saying that I believed this product was, infact, a compilation of pretty much every single spell from all the books and dragon magazines of the last few years.Thus, I bought it to use as a quick reference for ANY SPELL.Unforunately it is not.While it does update some 3.0 spells, and gives some descriptions of some of the spells in the core books, it does not, infact, present most of the core book spells again.
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Subjects:  1. Games    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Games/Puzzles    4. Role Playing & Fantasy - General    5. Games / Role Playing & Fantasy    6. Role-playing & war games   

Reviews (16)

Great Book for Boy Scouts and Work Groups
I have several book the ideas for team building activities, but none have had so many good ideas. Not all work well with every group, but there is something for everyone in this book (and its follow-on "More Team-Building Activities for Every Group."

Lots of ideas
I found this an excellent book. A lot of physical activities so not suiable for all but an excellent variety

What can I say I love this book!
This book gave me a lot of useful ideas.I modified the games to fit my needs but the ideas where there. I borrowed it from the library and had to buy a copy for myself.What a great investment! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Family & Relationships / Activities    4. Games    5. Games / General    6. Group games    7. Group relations training    8. Human Resources & Personnel Management    9. Management - Teams    10. Activities    11. Economics, Finance, Business and Industry    12. Educational Games    13. Family & Relationships    14. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    15. Teams in the workplace   

Reviews (1)

WOW WOW WOW
NICE TO KNOW HOW THE OTHER ONE HUNDREDTH OF ONE PERCENT LIVES! I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. NOT FOR THE FAQINT OF HART ....ALL THE TRASH ... I COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED AND MORE. NEVER HAD SO MUCH FUN. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cinema/Film: Book    2. Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    3. Film & Video - General    4. Human Sexuality    5. Love / Sex / Marriage    6. Performing Arts    7. Sexuality    8. Biography & Autobiography/Entertainment & Performing Arts - General    9. Health & Fitness / Sexuality    10. Psychology/Human Sexuality   

Reviews (1)

Nice
Was anyone ever described to you as "nice"?Scary isn't it.I am an ardent fan of Deadwood and a fan of David Milch.This book is a `nice' coffee-table addition that succeeds as a way of fondly recollecting the characters and singular moments of Deadwood.I was hoping for an extension and an amplification of Deadwood -more great Black Hill's tales from Milch's magic pen.In that respect, the book is disappointing.
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Subjects:  1. Photo Techniques    2. Photography    3. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    4. Reference    5. Television - History & Criticism    6. Photography / General   

Reviews (1)

Classic Pilkington
For those of you who are familiar with the Podcasts done by Ricky Gervais, Steven Merchant, and everyone's favorite round-headed idiot, Karl, this is a great book, albeit somewhat redundant but never tiresome.It is comprised primarily of the transcripts from the show, yet there are many pictues and musings straight from Karl that are very funny.I thought it was great and I never get tired of listening to Ricky and Steve gang up on Karl, and reading it was great too, especially when you only have to imagine Ricky's high-pitced cackle as opposed to letting it rip through your ear drums every 10-15 seconds.
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Subjects:  1. English Satire And Humor    2. Form - Essays    3. Humor    4. Humor / General   

Reviews (2)

I can hardly wait!
What a great item!I am buying this calendar for my entireChristmas list.The countdown has already started in my house, and perhaps this calendar will help make it go by faster.

Just counting the days!
If you can hardly wait for a new administration this calendar will help you count down the days! It is peppered with many Bushisms that will make you smile (or cringe!). Plus there's still plenty of room to write your own appointments. I can hardly wait until January so I can begin using it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Calendar    2. Calendars & Diaries    3. Non-Classifiable    4. Topic - Political    5. History / General   

Reviews (8)

Great present for girls
I gave this to my sister for her birthday and she loved the fact that I'd bought her a suitable girlie present. I definitely earnt brownie points.

I could have survived without it
What you have here is the book that's described as "the book that every woman needs to buy". Sold? Yeah, but only if you can get it cheap enough. And I'm talking DEAD cheap. Thankfully, my copy was cheap, and I also didn't buy it.
The Ultimate how to guide
This is possibly the best how to guide I have ever read.It covers just about anything you could ever want to do. It shows how to be stylish, polite, knowlegable, and classy.I absolutely loved this book and I encourage anyone who wants to better themselves to read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Conduct of life    2. Etiquette    3. General    4. Life skills guides    5. Personal & Practical Guides    6. Reference    7. Reference And Information Services    8. Young women    9. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (44)

More appropriate for intermediate to advance readers
For someone who is new to probability theories and statistics, you might consider something else more basic and introductory.I've had classes in probability and number theories in college.This book stumped me.It could be retitled: Cartoons for Statisticians.Definitely not a book for beginners as it may have been intended.

Excellent Intro to Stats
Stats isn't an easy thing to learn, but the Cartoon Guide to Stats is the easiest way to learn the basics.In particular it makes hypothesis testing clear.Hypothesis testing is often one of the more difficult areas for new stats students to understand.
Fun & worthwhile
This book is, in fact, full of cartoons but, even so, is actually a useful statistics book.I am a chemist who has long forgotten her math and this book was suggested to me by a co-worker who was given the book (earlier edition) by her sister (a medical person).So, this book has a long history of being helpful to those of us in technical fields who are not math experts but who need occasional help with stats. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Caricatures and cartoons    5. General    6. Mathematical Statistics    7. Probability & Statistics - General    8. Statistics    9. Humour    10. Probability & statistics    11. Social research & statistics    12. Study Aids / General   

Reviews (27)

good intro but boring
this course is good for beginners it is quite step by step. however, the songs are quite unattractive for repetitive practing. I am looking for other lesson of this level now.

This is a very good book!
I bought this book along with the Adult All-In-One Course. And I love it. In one week I have learned to play four songs and can recognize the music notes by sight instead of trying to remember the letter/number of the keys. It also teaches techique and theory at the same time.This is a great beginners book for anyone who wants to learn how to play the piano.It is well worth the money. I definetly recommend this book.

Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course:Lesson Book, Level One
Excellent. Very easy to understand. I have bought a lot of "How To" books but this is the best. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Music/Songbooks    2. Musical Instruments - Piano    3. Keyboard instruments    4. Techniques of music   

Editorial Review

This Squaresoft-sanctioned book on one of the most highly anticipated console games ever does not disappoint. Those who have managed to obtain a copy of the game (descriptions of rioting and fighting upon the retail release of Final Fantasy IIV sound like sheer hyperbole, but probably aren't) will find plenty of helpful clues, maps, and general game play advice. Those less fortunate can at least take solace in--or further whet their appetites with--the hundreds of beautiful glossy screen shots that fill each chapter. ... Read more

Reviews (271)

No Good At ALL
This is one of the worst game guides I have read in my life...and I've read a few. I got it back in '97 when the game first came out and spoiled everything (even THE big event at the end of the first disc). I later got the guide from Versus Books and it blew this pathetic book out of the water. It spoiled nothing and had twice the amount of useful secrets (including materia combos). Don't waste your time (and money) with this joke. Thankfully, BRADYGames realized its idiocy, fixed it, and got it right for FFVIII's guide (which basically aped FFVII's Versus Books' guide's style). Then they ruined it again with that awful, useless FFIX guide. I guess money grubbers never learn. And guys, you're supposed to be reviewing the GUIDE, not the game...

Terrible...
I guess this is an okay guide if you just want to get the game over with, but why would you waste your time doing that? This guide misses out on so much. I've found items on my own that weren't even mentioned in the guide. The bestiary has no organization and it's still missing many monsters/enemies. You can tell that they tried to make it in the order that you'll encounter the enemies, but many of them can be found before and many of them aren't even listed at all. The weapons, items, and materials information at the end is not detailed enough. "Side Areas" lacks organizations and it isn't very helpful. Where is the help on Enemy Skills? On the walkthrough section, they don't even tell you the right buttons most of the time (not that you need it, though). The numbering/lettering system gets a little bit confusing. A lot of their "strategies" are based on the same party that they like to use. Not everyone likes to use Aeris, especially if they have played the game before. I could go on and on but I don't want to bore you. On a side note, the PC version (black and white, I can't find it anywhere anymore) by the same author was so much better. Everything that this guide lacked was in the PC version (except for color, but they made that up by having color maps and stuff in the back).

Product damage
The service was great I recieved my package within a week, but when i opened it i noticed that the book was damaged due to the poor handling. I guess if your looking to just have the guide for reference then you won't have a problem but if you want it for keeps then you might want to order it with some bigger stuff so it doesn't get damaged on the way. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General    2. Computers - Games    3. Video & Electronic - General    4. Computer games    5. Games / Video & Electronic   

Reviews (8)

The best video book out there
I have several excellent books on video, and I have to say that this book is easily the best.Charles Poynton covers all of the basics in a very understandable and readable fashion.Video is a complicated topic, and one that is not well understood.There are many facets of video that are commonly confused, such as the differences, benefits and drawbacks of interlaced versus progressive scan video, or the difference between pixels and lines of resolution.Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms and Interfaces is very well written, and is a must-read for any serious video professional or hobbyist.

Outstanding book on video technology
"Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms and Interfaces" is definitely the best book on video and television I have ever hold in my hands.
Not easy
I bought this book to understand basics and fundementals , it's quite organized and has a lot of info. in it , but you must have a good background to keep on reading and even you must have a lot of refrences to go back to while reading this book, at the first chapters there are instants that you need to go to chapter 16 to read then come back, I say this book is wonderfull if you have a good solid background ( mathematically and numericaly in Video standers and transforms... ). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Desktop Publish    2. Computers - General Information    3. Digital television    4. Digital video    5. High Definition Television (Hdtv)    6. High definition television    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Programming - Algorithms    9. Programming - Software Development    10. Technology    11. Television & Video    12. Computers / Programming / General    13. Image processing: video    14. Television technology   

Reviews (10)

Covers everthing
This is a goodf book. But the lessions were not as fun as they could have been. But if you want content and relative ease of understanding, it here.
Recommended
Being a long time Logic user, i still happen to not utilize the App to it's fullest. What I like about this book, is the Structure, with the chapters and the Tasks to fulfill. So it get's me closer to a streamlined workflow.

Apple Logic Pro 7 Training Level 1 is Essential knowledge
Very good for beginners, or more experienced users who are switching to Logic from another platform. The lessons are very basic, but they provide the backbone of how Logic works, and help speed up the workflow quickly. Recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Apple/Macintosh    2. Computer Graphics - General    3. Computers - Other Applications    4. Data Processing - Speech & Audio Processing    5. Hardware - Personal Computers - Macintosh    6. Interactive & Multimedia    7. Microcomputer Sound    8. Music    9. Recording & Reproduction    10. Sound Recording And Recordings    11. Computer Software Packages    12. Computers / Interactive Media   

Reviews (20)

Tasty!
Wells is the first person to attempt this kind of beer book and I think he succeeds wonderfully. Neophites can learn a lot about beer and the craft brew movement (not to mention a nicely delivered short history of beer in the world and America) and the beer savvy will like his chapters on Extreme Beer, yeast rustlers and a home brewing contest. Meanwhile, if you like travelogue there's lot of tasty stuff in there. The first chapter on a "beer spill" at a legendary Florida beach bar is funny and informative and Wells' trip down the Mississippi River in search of the perfect beer joint is a nice ride. Perusing the reviewer before me who declared the book "awful" I can't help but think: it's not that Wells can't write. It's that some reviewers can't read!

The Cheap American Pale Lager of Beer Books
Simply awful.Though author Ken Wells may not have succeeded in finding "the perfect beer joint" (as the "premise" of this book seems to have been), he certainly succeeded in writing an awful book about a delightful subject.
Entertaining look at Beer Culture
Even though it was stated that a goal of this book was to find a perfect beer joint, the true essence of this book (as the TITLE depicts) is to show Beer Culture in America.
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Subjects:  1. Bars (Drinking establishments)    2. Beer    3. Beverages - Beer    4. Breweries    5. Cooking    6. Cooking / Wine    7. General    8. History    9. Popular Culture - General    10. United States    11. Cooking / General   

Reviews (1)

THIS IS SURPRISINGLY ENTERNTAINING!
The authors spent about four years collecting doodles from as many presidents as possible. The results are presented here. Did you know Hoover's doodles were used for a line of baby clothes? Did you know Johnson's administration was filled with doodlers? The authors give context to each president's times along with the reproduced doodles. I read about this book online, but when I actually saw a copy and picked it up, I was hooked! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American Satire And Humor    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Government - Executive Branch    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Subjects & Themes - General    9. Topic - Political    10. United States - General    11. United States History (General)    12. Drawing & drawings    13. English    14. Political leaders & leadership    15. USA   

Editorial Review

In a time when school music classes (if they exist at all) teach their students the finer points of the themes from Read more

Reviews (29)

A very good entry level book
This is a very good entry level book, about classical music.
Learn & Enjoy
My music education, having been neglected, is in better shape after I read this book.The appendices direct the reader where to start buying good classical music, the names of the various works, and their difficulty.
Awesome
Okay, so some of the jokes get a little lame or overused, but holy cow, when I read this book the first time, I was crying with laughter - and dangit, I even learned a thing or two!I've recommended this book to my orchestra students (7th and 8th graders) and not only have they read some it, they've enjoyed it as well.And if something like this can impress middle schoolers, you know it's good. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Genres & Styles - Classical    2. History & Criticism - General    3. Instruction & Study - Appreciation    4. Music    5. Music Of The 18th Century    6. Music appreciation    7. Music/Songbooks    8. Music / Classical    9. Reference works   

Editorial Review

A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. Read more

Reviews (244)

A major disservice to the book
The book THE LOST CONTINENT is an amazing captivating read.Bryson is truly brilliant in his descriptions.This CD totally KILLS that.First of all the narrator reads at a mile a minute, sometimes to the point where you can't understand him.And second, they abridged the CRAP out of it, cutting some of the most interesting commentary and actually cutting the entire SECOND HALF of the book!While the book is amazing, this particular recording of it should be avoided at all costs.

NOT HIS BEST WORK
I think Bill Bryson can be very funny. "In A Sunburned Land" was hilarious, whereas this was pretty much trite and dated humor. In fact it reminded me of the kind of humor undergraduate English Majors at overated eastern liberal arts colleges would find funny. The beginning of the book is an ongoing insult of everyone, the middle he calms dawn, and he ends really trying to force some funny. It's a very dated and poor effort by a usually funny man. Skip it.

dark job by a whiny hatchet man--read the later works
My overall recommendation is to read Bryson's brilliantly funny recent works, then go back to less recent works, then stop before you get to this one.As other discerning reviewers have noted (especially Amer-Aussie, whose spot-on review you really must mark as 'helpful'), Bryson looks for the worst in America and, surprise, he finds it.Sure, there's much that's funny here, but the humor gets swallowed up by the mean.
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