Television Books

The title of this book is somewhat misleading. "Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles" is as much a biography of Henson as a gallery of his artwork. Admittedly, the biographical details focus on Henson's career, rather than his personal life, but the fact still remains that the text still takes up about as much space as the pictures themselves. I think that this is something that people should be aware of if they are thinking of purchasing this book. I, for one, was hoping to see more of Henson's artwork, and was somewhat disappointed at the sparseness of it. Nevertheless, this is still a worthwhile book.
This is the first (and only, as far as I am aware) book to contain Henson's early sketches and artwork, and any fan of the Muppets is likely to find this fascinating. It is possible, through these pictures, to see how many of the Muppets have evolved. For example, in Henson's original sketches, Oscar the Grouch was purple with a long, skinny neck, a far cry from the green monster who now appears on "Sesame Street". Furthermore, in spite of the fact that I wish there was less text and more pictures, I did find the text to be of interest when I finally sat down and read it.

Hopefully, there will one day be a second book, featuring more of Henson's artwork. However, until then, this is all that is available and provided that you are aware of the limitations of this book, you shouldn't be too disappointed.

I ordered this book for my daughter who loves Jim Henson & the Muppets as a birthday present, and is a professional puppeteer inspired by Jim Henson. She absolutely loves this book and I highly recommend anything Jim Henson related as he was a pioneer in this area and one of the most creative people on the planet.

This is a must for all you muppet fans!

The wonderful new long awaited book, Jim Henson's Desings and Doodles is almost a museum on paper. It shows Jim's best artwork, from storyboards, to puppet desingns, even a very early Kermit sketch. The book also features a never before seen look at the never produced special, "Johnny Carson and The Muppet Machine" which was to be a physcedelic trip into the 1960's. The artwork is very detailed, and even has a stone carving of Ed Macmahon! The book also shows some of his early work, including silkscreen images of meloncholy (which was inspired by the death of his brother , Paul) and concert posters and crazy characters who were soon to be Frackles!

One of the best parts of the book is Henson 's early commercial storyboards, which feature the two popular commercial Muppets ,Wilkins and Wontkins, Hansel and Gretel Muppets, and Kermit, The Snerfs and Rowlf (the IDEAL doll ad where Kermit sings the unfamilliar jingle"Oh buy us, oh buy us, oh buy us we beg! If you do not buy us, we'll bite you in the leg!!!) . Early drawings of the La Choy Dragon, and Nutty Bird(Royal Crown soda ads, precursor to Big Bird) are also featured.

The book brings us for the first time many illustrations of show ideas that never made it to the small screen. The Zoocus (The Zoo Circus), The Entertainers, and Martian Landing are all examples shown by illustrations from Jim's fertile imagination. The Zoocus was to be a show full of new Muppets such as Mr. Ripple and Carbourator Jones and had a guest star on each show (Sound like TMS to you?). The show would be a variety but would mostly ,as shown in Henson's drawings,be a talk show with the guest, where the Muppets would lounge behind large alters and other sets. The Entertainer was to be a show about a travelling vaudevillian show where Muppet men (and a can can girl) would sing popular songs at the time. This was also to be a Variety type show. Martian Landing would feature Muppet Koosebaine like creatures that would swap jokes and do skits on another planet. It was to be a Live variety show. It ashame these didn't get aired.

This book has so much I haven't mentioned yet, (I don't want to spoil it!) and it is definetly worth every penny. By far, one of my favs. among a long line of Muppet Books. Enjoy!

I have always been a Jim Henson fan. After all, I grew up with Sesame Street and the Muppet Show. I was always fascinated with the strange and creative creatures that he came up with. This book is a gold mine of his ideas and sketches - some that you will recognize and some that you have probably never seen.

This is sort of an odd book for me to have. I don't collect books based on movies or TV shows. But this one doesn't really fall into that category at all. It's more of an artist's diary and sketchbook. I enjoy just paging through it to look at all of the wonderous things Jim Henson imagined. His work seems to have something "odd" to it that I can somehow connect with and be fascinated by it.

I think anyone who has enjoyed Jim Henson's productions will probably enjoy looking through this book. It's an adventure to page through time after time.

Jim Henson was a man who managed to sum up the whole intire feeling of what it was to be young, and full of energy in his fantastic creations. His work, from Mupets to films such as 'Labyrinth' and 'The Dark Crystal', showed us that he could tap that part of our minds that wanted to let go, and be free to live in our fantasies. This book, unlocks the back door to the mind that created our most cherished characters from the Henson world. It shows us where these characters came from, and also gives us an insight to the man who made it all happen. I found this book to be a real Gem, and an adventure. Just seeing the doodles Jim did as a child, or a teen, and some of his non character based art work, was fascinating. Buy this book If you are a fan of Mr hensons work. It is not the most complete book, as far as his other projects go, and some people may wish that some of his film work had got into the book. But for those that like to get closer to their idols, and want to feel like a close friend looking through his old scrapbooks, get this book. You won't be dissapointed.

If you are an opera fan, you will probably enjoy a lot of the behind the scenes anecdotes in this book. Most interesting for me were the parts that discuss working with high-maintenance divas and conductors (especially Karajan). There is also a very disturbing section about a stalker who followed Nilsson around the world for 9 years.

There are also many paragraphs of the form "In 19xx I performed such-and-such opera in such-and-such theatre alongside so-and-so who was a wonderful singer and so-and-so who was really good on stage etc etc." These get kind of boring --- except in those cases when the performers played practical jokes on each other. Because of the boring parts, I found it a little hard to motivate myself to read through the whole book, but there are a lot of good stories in there.

Nilsson fans will also appreciate the discography. She was an awesome singer.

This autobiography by Birgit Nilsson was originally published in Swedish in 1995 and in German two years later. This 2007 English translation of the German edition is by Doris Jung Popper, an American who was herself a former Wagnerian singer in Europe. It is for the most part in graceful, witty and seamless prose which catches the informal and down-to-earth way Nilsson spoke. We are taken from Nilsson's life as a farm girl in Sweden through her discovery locally, her schooling in Stockholm, her first breakthrough there and then internationally and her acclaim as the greatest Wagnerian soprano since Kirsten Flagstad. We get backstage stories about performances in New York, Milan, Stockholm, Vienna, London and, of course, Bayreuth. We read about her long happy marriage to Bertil Niklasson, a veterinarian. She shares funny and warm stories about her colleagues, not sparing those with whom she crossed swords -- most notably Rudolf Bing and, much more so, Herbert von Karajan, for whom she is particularly disdainful while admitting that he could draw magnificent music from his performers. She relates the details of her having to deal with her stalker, Miss N., a story well-known in opera circles but which may come as a surprise to some readers. One senses that Nilsson withholds some details in the interest of sparing the feelings of some opera world luminaries who are still with us. This reflects positively on her genuine concern for the feelings of others but might disappoint those who are looking for 'dirt.' There is a discography and a detailed chart outlining events in her life, as well as a compendious index. As well, there are over 60 black-and-white photographs from all periods of her life.

Warmly recommended.

Scott Morrison

This is a wonderfully entertaining read about a thoroughly gracious and unexpectedly humorous lady. I knew that she reportedly had a lively sense of humor, and this book chronicles that fact. It is especially nice to know that this book was not "ghost written," but was just translated from the Swedish.

I was never privileged to meet or know Madame Nilsson personally, but her memoir, _La Nilsson: My Life in Opera_ makes me wish I could! She was a bright spot in the world and her death in late 2005 was a huge loss. I have certainly been an admirer of both her singing and of the woman herself for many years. I do own her earlier book, _My Memoirs In Picures_, which is largely a wonderful collection of photographs from her life and career, and whetted my appetite to know more about her. If you can find a copy, I recommend that book as strongly as I recommend this longer memoir.

That appetite has been mostly--if not completely--satisfied by La Nilsson, an easy, accessible and "can't-put-it-down" fascinating account of her life. This book is just what I would expect of Birgit Nilsson, unpretentious, friendly and conversational in tone, but awe-inspiring in terms of her artistry and long career; her great accumulation of knowledge and experience, and about comic moments onstage and off that made me laugh out loud. Some of the funniest of these deal with language barriers, and the difficulties of correctly interpreting foreign musical terms that were misheard, or misunderstood. She is never mean in spirit, although she doesn't sugarcoat her personal difficulties with von Karajan, and sometimes with Karl Bohm, and Rudolf Bing. But in all cases, she writes in detail about what she admired about them, too. She gave as good as she got in the area of verbal self-defense.

She writes warmly about all her many long-time friends and colleagues on the operatic stage, most notably Wolfgang Windgassen, Set Svanholm, Jon Vickers, Astrid Varnay, Leonie Rysanek, and Hans Hotter. She was a trouper through some harrowing experiences, and while she did not put up with a lack of professional consideration from anyone, she did not just wilfully indulge in "temperamental diva" behavior. No wonder so many of her colleagues loved and respected her!

Madame Nilsson also writes about her parents and her beloved husband, Bertil Niklasson, with great warmth, although she doesn't gloss over some of her frustrations with both parents during her childhood and adolescence. The twelve years she had to deal with her stalker, Miss N. filled me with sympathetic dismay, as I had no idea Madame Nilsson had had to endure that persistent, threatening intrusion into her life.

I highly recommend this memoir to any admirer of Madame Nilsson's in particular and of any interested opera fan in general for the insight into the career of one of the great singers of the 20th century in her own, very witty words.

Melissa Houle

At last an English translation of this wonderful biography. It is written by Mme Nilsson herself - no ghost writer here. The book is filled with lots of interesting details from one of the most spectaculare careers ever on the international opera scene. Behind every word you can feel the sympathy and warmth of a really great but also earthbound star with great intelligence and - a great hearth. When famous film director Ingmar Bergman red these memoirs he tells in an interview, that he had never laughed so much and so often when reading a memoir before. That says a lot. A must for all opera fans.

Abby Lewis has never been comfortable with her weight. But when her father dies and she moves in with her comfort-food cooking grandmother, the problem begins to take hold of her life. In LESS IS MORE, the third installment in Wendy Lawton's Real TV series, a grieving Abby must start all over without her father and adjust to life in the big city. Grieving the loss of her father, friends and everything she once knew, Abby begins to eat away her feelings --- quite literally. As she continues to pack on the pounds, her self esteem begins to plummet. She is excited to receive an invitation to the local youth group but is soon given a cruel nickname by her fellow students, causing further pain.

Luckily, Abby begins to develop a friendship with kind football star Parker and nutrition-crazy Isabella, who help her to reexamine her choices. She decides that she must start to shed some pounds, but with each thought of her father, the binging continues --- and it sure doesn't help that her grandmother is constantly feeding her with some of the most fattening foods on the market.

However, everything begins to change one day when Abby is mysteriously summoned out of class and gets the surprise of her life. Unbeknownst to Abby, new best friend Isabella and gym teacher Coach Matthews submitted an application for her to appear on the hit reality series "Less is More." On the show, contestants undergo a holistic approach to weight loss. Each is assigned to a personal trainer and a nutritionist, and the causes of the weight problems are examined and addressed. "Less is More" has long been Abby's favorite program, and she can't turn down the full scholarship offered to her if she reaches her goal weight. With Coach Matthews as her trainer and Isabella as her nutritionist, can Abby finally drop the pounds that have so long troubled her and reverse the negativity she's constantly surrounded by?

LESS IS MORE gives a fresh and relatable perspective to an issue that many teens struggle with. Not only will readers enjoy the exciting, though at times heartbreaking, plot of the book, they also will take something away from it. The novel aims to teach both those who struggle with weight issues and those who have never even considered their nutritional choices. It offers solid advice on maintaining a healthy diet, without dieting, and keeping fit through regular exercise, which is valuable to any reader. Lawton is careful to encourage a healthy body image, no matter what someone's weight might be. At the same time, the book addresses the unseen consequences of so-called harmless teasing.

The focus on a reality TV show is merely the backdrop for a much larger and more poignant story. Readers undoubtedly will be inspired by Abby's journey and begin to more carefully evaluate their own decisions.

--- Reviewed by Jennifer Crosby

Sixteen-year-old Abby Matthews battles grief after her father's sudden death. Then, when she and her mother move from Suwanee, Georgia to San Francisco, her emotional cocooning and unhealthy eating packs on more weight than she expected. This makes the first days at her new school and in her new youth group miserable. Through her new friendships, she's chosen for the weight loss show, "Less Is More." If only we all had such good friends! This entire book series is based on the current reality TV shows, like Trading Spaces and Discovery Health's National Body Challenge. It's difficult to pick a favorite as Lawton's Changing Faces (Book 1,) and Flip Flop (Book 2,) are also written with a keen insight into relationships, personal struggles and how God doesn't desert us in our troubles, large or small. I've enjoyed all the books so far.

Wonderful book! Real life. Real issues. And reality TV! Wendy Lawton provides a delightful read for girls -- and the moms who love them. Highly recommended!

Wendy Lawton knows how to reach teens, illustrating through relationships among family and friends, the power of words, the power of understanding, and the power of grace. Some things are more important than fame and the perfect figure.

Wendy Lawton gives us a real heroine in Abby. She and her Mom move across country to live with Grandma Cece after Abby's Dad dies. Abby, like most of us, eats to deal with the pain of all the loss and change. She puts on some weight. A student leader of her new youth group gives her an unflattering nick name, but she bears it with grace. She makes new friends. They help her grow spiritually, even the one who's not yet a Christian. This is a great story of the power of words, the power of Grace, and the power of friendship. Great read.

This book was absolutely hilarous. It captured the life of a 11 year old genius surrounded by his family of idiots. Including the dimwitted Reese. The overbearing screaming Lois. The somewhat dumb dad named Hal who's just a bumbling big kid at heart. The cute(or so they say)little brother Dewey. The eldest brother Francis who attends military school after his reckless behavior in the past. And it all comes down to the kid with the IQ of 165! This book is all about the normal----did I say normal?--family of the Wilkersons.
[...]
So in a complete summary of MITM, This book is definitely in my top ten. 5 stars!

It was really funny. It had cool and funny moments just like the show! You so will not regret reading this book. Every moment is worth it, no dull moments! Check this book out!!

Based on the "Pilot" and "Krelboyne Picnic" episodes, you can re-live both episodes just from reading the book, which is why i loved it! Experience the humilation and humor Malcolm goes through, just from reading the book! I am 14, and i love the series! (well maybe cuz im a big fan of the show but ya know...). The reading level is very easy, so it is a "kick-back-and-relax-while-you-read" kind of book. It is not confsuing so you don't have to think while you read. I'd recommend this book as well as the other books in the series. Definitley check out the "Water Park" book in the series. (#2) You can surely re-live that episode easily!! :)

I love to watch the show which is HILARIUS. So I got this book which is one-hundred times more hilarius. There was not one chapter where I wasn't laughing my head off. It was the funniest book I had ever read. If you buy this book I guarantee you will laugh just as much as me.

"Life is Unfair!" is a novelization by Tom Mason and Dan Danko of the first two episodes of the Fox television series "Malcolm in the Middle." The authors do a very nice job of taking that initial pair of teleplays for "The Pilot" (by series creator Linwood Boomer) and "Krelboyne Picnic" (by Michael Glouberman & Andrew Orenstein) and turning them into a seamless whole. Thus we are introduced to Malcolm, who is horrified to learn that he is not simply weird but a certifiable genius. This means being untimely ripped from his relatively normal classroom and being sent to the class for the "gifted" students, which is just a way of hiding the fact that everybody in the Krelboyne class is a nerd a freak or possibly both. Malcolm gets off to a bad start with his new classmates and the prospect of a talent show in front of all the parents does not make our hero any happier. Besides, we have not even mentioned Malcolm's parents and his brothers, who are all apparently conspiring to make things even worse.

There has also been a definite effort to clean-up things a bit for the juvenille reader in this first "Malcolm in the Middle" book. For example, we no longer have the litany of past offenses for which Francis was banished to the Marlin Academy in Alabama and Lois greets Ms. Miller wearing a bit more than she actually did in the pilot. Such things are to be expected I suppose. However, . . . I do . . . not think . . . that Stevie . . . ever spoke . . . in bursts . . . of only . . . one word . . . I think . . . he always . . . does two . . . words at . . . a time . . . Although I . . . may be . . . wrong about . . . that. Ultimately this book is an interesting trade off. On the one hand, Mason and Danko have provided a more realistic version of the television show, but on the other hand it is the manic zaniness of this collective of crazed individuals that makes the show so compelling (just think of the opening of the episode shown after the Super Bowl where Hal and Dewey try to get a spider out of the house only to succeed in pitching it out the front door and right into Lois's open mouth). However, there is really no way to capture such inspired lunacy on the printed page, which means the authors made the right choice. Then again, maybe the show has become more surreal as time goes bye and maybe this is something we must remember.

This is the first in what I hope to be many in this series. Linn Random has taken us to the small town of St. Gabrielle, Florida. It is the perfect setting for the contrasting worlds of Sage McCall of chaotic Los Angeles and Police Chief Jon Maddux of peaceful St. Gabrielle, Florida. Sage McCall is on a security assignment with a reality television crew from Hollywood, California. St. Gabrielle is buzzing because Hollywood has graced its presence on them.

However, not everyone is happy to have them in town. Head of Security, Sage McCall and Police Chief Jon Maddux are constantly butting heads over because of the show. They don't see eye-to-eye until the two are thrown into a sultry and intense investigation of passion, longing, and mystery.

This is yet another great novel from Linn Random that will leave you on the edge of your seat and biting your nails until the end. So grab a chaise, a glass of wine, some chocolate and smile for your close up with another Linn Random novel. Cheers!

I could tell you about how great the characters were, how enticing the book is but not only do you have to read this book as it is so worthy of a look, Make sure you get this book!

For some reason every book I have read by Linn Random seem to be getting better and better. This author is on my must read must have list.

Her stories take you into worlds that alone make you love her. Every thing scene arouses you making you forget every thing around you as you get so involved in the story. It is as if you are watching a movie run in your mind.

I for one am awaiting her next book to take me away.

Sage McCall is providing security for McMasters Studios, who is in Florida taping a new TV show. Things were going along fine until she discovers the body of a member of the production crew and has to call the Police Chief in the middle of the night! They go down hill fast after she finds the second body!

Police Chief Jon Maddux doesn't want the studio people in "his" small town - they bring back too many bad memories of his days as a DEA agent. When he receives a call in the middle of the night about the dead body, it just confirms his suspicions that his peaceful life is over, until they get done filming and get out of town!

Linn Random is one of the best when it comes to combining romance and suspense. I loved Sage and Jon and the "sparks" that flew whenever these two were together! Looking for a good romantic suspense to read? Grab LIGHTS. CAMERA. MURDER! It'll have you begging for more!

Sage McCall knows that she can provide security for the reality t.v. film set but it now seems that someone has a grudge against someone working on the film crew. Sage is unsure of whom to trust but now because of all the stranges happenings the local Sheriff, Jon Maddux is involved. Now they must join forces and discover who the culprit is before someone ends up murdered.

Lights. Camera. Murder! by Linn Random is a book that gives you spine tingling suspense and edge of your seat action. Linn Random is a talented author whose characters seem lifelike and so real, reading them is like being right there with them. Her detailed account of the scenery and surrounding area also gives credence to the story making it seem that you were almost watching it on T.V. I wholeheartedly recommend Lights. Camera. Murder! to those readers' who love the romantic suspense genre, it is a must buy!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, MURDER
ISBN 1-932866-77-9
LINN RANDOM
Rating 5 stars

Lights, Camera, Murder by Linn Random, is a spine-tingling, suspense filled, sensual romance. This story combines suspense with the most titillating sexual tension between the two main characters that it kept me riveted and at the edge of my seat.

Jon Maddux is the Chief of Police of the small coastal town of St. Gabrielle, Florida. When McMasters Studios decided to film their, popular reality show Murder in Florida, in St. Gabrielle, Jon was opposed. He did not want his small quiet town over run with Hollywood people and for it to become a tourist attraction; well that is, until he has the opportunity to meet Sage McCall the head of security on the production set. Will Jon be able to keep his cold "business only" demeanor? Moreover, will he allow Sage to show him that not all people in the entertainment industry are all bad?

Sage McCall is the head of security on the set of the much-anticipated Reality show Murder in Florida. Sage is one of three daughters of the famous Jack McCall, the owner and founder of a prestige's security firm in Los Angeles. Sage is very aware of the Chief of Police's strong dislike for the production company, and she knows the he tolerates them because he has to. When Sage has to wake him up in the middle of the night to report a murder on the production set, the last thing she expects when Jon walks onto the set is to feel this strong attraction for the gorgeously rugged Chief of Police. Will Sage be able to put aside some of these intense feelings in order to help find the killer?

Linn Random is a wonderfully talented and creative author. Lights, Camera, Murder is a story that begins with a murder on a television production set. It instantly grasps you; then keeps you riveted and guessing as to who the killer is. There is even one point when all clues lead to one person, and you, the reader think, that you got it, well then comes Ms. Random's ingenuity to foil your solution and expose a completely different twist. Ms. Random also has the delicious ability to intertwine a heartwarming love story in the midst of this murder. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series; I hope it will be about Mallory McCall, one of Sages sisters. If you, like me love a suspense packed story, with a little romance then this book is for you. You will not be disappointed.

Dianne Nogueras

Reviewer for eCata Romance
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Linn Random
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As we know, there 's a popular film showing in US named' The

Lizzie McGuire Movie'. Unluckly, I'm not in US, so I can't

watch the film.I've watch the preview and I like it very

much.This book is full of imagination, it's a bit similar to the

book' The Princess Dairies'. It's the best book for all the

girls who liked to dream(including me) ------being a famous pop

star, having all the clothes and food you want. I like the

ending best, because it is unexpected. I think that it will be

one of the favourtes of the girls who liked to dream !!!

- Lucia Lee, one of the readers of this wonderful book

This book was really great. I would reccomend it for ages 11 or 12 and up because it has a bad word in it and it has the word sexiest in it. So if you know any 11 or 12 or older person get it for them if they are a Lizzie McGuire.

This is the best book around! It tells the exact same story as the movie. There aren't differences in this book as the movie. I read the first two pages of the book when I first bought it

i'm a big fan of lizzie, i think this book was very cute, it's very funny. i hope the movie turns out the same way.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie by Susan Estelle Jansen is an awesome story about one girl that is to clumsy to do anything and then she goes on a trip to Rome and finds out otherwise.

Lizzie is just about to graduate from junior high and she messes up real bad! Her brother tape records it and sends it to Good Morning America. Then she goes on a class trip to Rome and she tells her best friend Gordo that they need to find adventures. Then Lizzie bumps into pop superstar Paolo and she does find adventures. He tells her that she looks just like Isabella the girl he sings with. He tells her his story and she agrees to help him. She becomes Isabella for a couple of days dodging her new principal while doing so. Gordo covers for her and gets himself in tuns of trouble. Read this wonderful story and find out what happens with Lizzie and her singing career and Gordo and Isabella.

The characters really jump out at you. Lizzie is so clumsy and she seems to always fall down. The characters were really believable and the story seemed to be real to me. This book is really hard to put down you always want to know what is going to happen to Lizzie and her friends. You have to pay attention very closely so you aren't lost or confused. The plot is so interesting and the ending will blow you away. I really believe any girl who reads this would want this to happen to them.

I loved this book. It is every teenagers dream. This is such an exciting book it really lets you feel like you are leaving the `dream'. I would recommend this book to teenage girls looking for a good read because they would enjoy it and keep it as one of there favorites. The book will be enjoyed by all whom read.So read this book and please with all means `enjoy'!!
-Patricia Harnish 13

In this 5th istalment of the "Love Comes Softly" series Janette Oke continues to take her characters to new levels. Each having their own strengths, weeknesses, and trials. As always a great read and hard to put down. I just want to read from start to finish and start the next book.

Marty and Clark are home from Missy's, and the re-adjustment takes time. Luke has finally left home, studying to become a doctor. Arnie and Anne have married. Nandry is withdrawn and refuses to be a part of the family anymore and Marty is unable to find out why. Clare and Kate are super-anxiously awaiting the birth of their first baby. Are they prepared if things go wrong? Will their faith survive? The LaHayes have decided to visit Willie and Missy in the West, and much to everyone's surprise, they love it! In their absence, we again meet Lane, the humble, trustworthy, handsome young cowboy who works at the Hanging W. Missy and Willy now have three children and Clae and her preacher husband are in the east.

This particular book focuses on Ellie, her strong points and her dreams. She has adequately assumed the role of homemaker and caregiver in spite of the fact she is probably the prettiest, most eligible young woman in the area. Her heart is pure, her motives are right and she is a real blessing to her parents. Will this continue? Or change when she is faced with a life-altering decision? This book makes the reader hurt with Ellie, dream with her, and finally, well, you need to read the book.

There is one major bombshell in this book, but that would spoil it for future readers. Way to go Janette Oke, and keep the books coming in, they are a wonderful escape to a simpler, quieter time. This book ends with the Davis family in awe of passing on UNENDING LEGACIES....not just material, but spiritual as well.

This book was focused on the other children of Marty and Clark.
Very little was mentioned of Missie and Willie, and I didn't know if I would be interested in it. I was!!! I love Ellie and Lane. There were heartbreaking moments, also. Overall, must read again.

I love this series but this is one of my favorite books only because it is so full of fun and surprises. I think that love that Ellie finds is sweet and true. I also love the biggest suprise of all.

This fifth book of Janette Oke's "Love Comes Softly" series continues the story of main characters Clark and Marty Davis. In her dealings with the issues surrounding the family's acceptance of Clark's new handicap and the occurance of other difficult events, Janette Oke gently teaches lessons of faith readers can apply to their own life. Whether describing the emotions of a mother sending her grown children off to fulfill their dreams, or tackling the agonizing question of why God would permit tragedy in the lives of those who serve him, Janette Oke's writing draws the reader into the story and plays those emotions directly upon the strings of the reader's heart. Unlike many lukewarm prarie-era stories, this book does not shy away from unpleasant subjects. Instead it tackles them head on, forcing the reader to grow in his/her own assurance as s/he identifies with the characters in the book, and with their tragedies and triumphs. A must read for anyone who has ever asked the question, "Why, God?"

The Queen of the Nile will soon be battling for historical significance with the Queen of Pop very soon. A unique take on the influence of Madonna beyond just hit records to a whole social expression that inspired other artists, feminism, and what it means to be an ambitious woman without apology.

Like so many, I find Madonna interesting. And I agree with the positive reviews of this book -- I really like it. The unique contribution here is the way the author discusses Madonna in ways that make "postmodern" an interesting, understandable, ans useful concept. And believe me, I am no fan of academic writing of or about the posrmodern. But this book can be highly and widely recommended.

Madonna:alot can be said about Her but Boring isn't one of them.thsi Book Explores the Many things that relate too the Artist&personna that is Madonna.this Book is Challenging&also puts Madonna into a Complete Perspective from start too finish.just like the Woman Herself it will keep you wondering more&what lays around the Corner.

In this book GC Guilbert shows how absolutely everything Madonna has ever done is packed with clever references. He doesn't mean that she's a plagiarist, far from it: she just uses her vast knowledge of (popular) culture, in a "postmodern" way. A fascinating read.

At last a book about Madonna that can be enjoyed by academics AND fans. There have been two or three collections of highbrow essays by various university eggheads that were a bit too hermetic. "Madonna as Postmodern Myth" is "intellectual" but crystal clear.The subtitle pretty much sums it up: Georges-Claude Guilbert does show the way the diva "rewrites" just about everything -- always cleverly -- and especially old Hollywood stars. Besides, it's a very feminist book, but a sexy feminist book (yes, it is possible). I'm sure every Cultural Studies professor is going to want to read it, as well as every Madonna fan who's ever wondered why it is exactly that makes her / him adore the "self-constructed" star, beyond the obvious: she's unique.

This is a wonderful book on the blues never mind being one of the best resources for mando blues. The back story to the history and development of the mando blues is very well done. However in my mind it is the tunes tabbed out and well performed on the CD that make this book shine. They are fun to listen to and fun to play.

I am relatively new to the mandolin but as I have several years of guitar behind me, it is coming quickly, but it is certainly not for beginners to stringed instruments. There is enough here for months of learning pleasure.

You have to hand it to Rich Delgrosso- he's written a well thought out book on the history of the blues **as played on mandolin** and goes in-depth with historical blues mando players (who knew there were any?), the evolution of the genre, and the application of the blues basics to a more contemporary context. I've seen him on stage and met him at a mando workshop- great guy- and you can tell he strives to carry on the mando blues tradition as seriously as Eric Clapton does for guitar- paying full homage to all of those who came before him (Yank Rochelle is the mando equivalent to Robert Johnson). It's probably safe to say that guitar will always be the dominating instrument of choice for the blues-- and I think it may have an edge over mando because it just sounds better on guitar-- but if you want to expand your mando horizons and be a well rounded player who understands the mandolin in a blues context, you would be hard pressed to find a better book--

This is a really great piece of writing. It starts out teaching you how to play 12-bar blues in the keys of C and G (there are two nice duets in the key of G). Next comes sixteen beautiful blues songs written in traditional music and tablature.
Everything is played nicely in the accompanying CD.
The book also contains some interesting information about mandolins and about the composers of the songs used in the book -- and a list of blues mandolin recordings that are (hopefully) available.
I am VERY happy with this book.

I love this book. Not only is it outstanding music instruction, it's also a great (and interesting) history lesson. The book is short on theory and technique, focusing instead on teaching by example, which suits me just fine. The transcribed tunes are stylistically comprehensive and run the spectrum from easy to fairly challenging (I would say this is an intermediate level book). I particularly liked the author's funky-blues composition at the end. Very cool.

The mandolin has its place in so many styles of music and it's a real pleasure to see an instruction book that focuses on something other than bluegrass or celtic music (not that there's anything wrong with bluegrass or celtic, but I think the market's a bit saturated!). If you like blues, this is a very fun book.

Mandolinist Rich DelGrosso is a self-professed "blues freak." After first hearing the strong, expressive blues mandolin of Johnny Young, he began a journey to research and revive that type of music. Nominated by The Blues Foundation for a 2006 Best Instrumentalist Award, DelGrosso has put together a charming overview of music, history, lessons and photos. "From Memphis to Maxwell Street" is the story of America's black mandolinists who nurtured the growth of blues music, complemented and energized jug and string bands of the South, and inspired such composers Scott Joplin and W.C. Handy. In the early 20th-Century, Memphis was where touring mandolin players like Vol Stevens, Will Weldon, Eddie Dimmitt and Charlie McCoy played. In nearby rural areas, W. Howard Armstrong and Carl Martin and their Tennessee Chocolate Drops played medicine shows, parties, picnics and fish fries. In the 1960s, they revived their string band sound in Martin, Bogan & Armstrongs. From rural Tennessee, Yank Rachell travelled with guitarist Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon. In this book, "Yank Rachell's Blues" and "Early This Morning" show how his music was more modal than melodic.

After introductory info about the style itself, DelGrosso's clear perspective focuses on blue notes, harmonies based primarily on seventh chords, predictable 8- or 12-bar progressions, and rhythms driven by back beats. Three kinds of rhythmic dance music (rags, drags, stomps) are demonstrated. Using standard notation and tab, the author gives us some great melodic examples of these forms (Dallas Rag, Jackson Stomp, Knox County Stomp, State Street Rag, Vine Street Drag). Many of these tunes are derived from the music of Howard Armstrong, a man who befriended, inspired and mentored DelGrosso until Howard's passing in 2003. "Betty and Dupree" illustrates Armstrong's masterful melodic technique with double-stops. The book also explores the music of others in the Memphis collective of musicians. "Vol Steven's Blues" is a good study in phrasing and how to use flatted and natural notes. Also playing the Memphis and saloons of the 1920s and 30s were Will Weldon, Eddie Dimmitt and Charlie McCoy. Strong, hard-driving, passionate blues from each of these guys are offered. Phrasing, syncopation and the use of blues notes were their strengths.

As blacks migrated north, so did their music. Chicago's Maxwell Street became a center for blues folks. Carl Martin and Johnny Young were seen playing with guitarists and harmonica players from the windy city's South Side. Originally from Mississippi, Young moved north in search of work about 1940. "Johnny Young's Blues" and "Young's 8-Bar Blues" are taught. DelGrosso concludes the book with his own "DelGrosso's Blues (It's Funk)" and a selected discography for further exploration. Through the pages of Mandolin World News, I was familiar with blues mandolin and some players examined. However, this book pulls it all together into one place. It's a joy that may open up new doors for you and change your direction in music, just the way it did for its author. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

If you've read all their interviews you probably have read the book in its entirety. Still, I think it's worth a read--it arranges the quotes in sections which keep the quotes related. And it contains the sentences that you may have missed buried in a hefty paragraph, but which spring out on you when they are isolated on the page. A great book.

This book is simply a collection of quotes from the Manics.If you`re a fan you will love reading the toughts and theories of Nicky, James, Richey & Sean at their very best.If you`re not a fan, why not?

This book is simply a collection of quotes from the Manics.If you`re a fan you will love reading the toughts and theories of Nicky, James, Richey & Sean at their very best.If you`re not a fan, why not?

This book is simply a collection of quotes from the Manics.If you`re a fan you will love reading the toughts and theories of Nicky, James, Richey & Sean at their very best.If you`re not a fan, why not?

Your standard compilation of quotes from the boys. Especially apt for the Manics considering Nicky's big mouth, wee Sean's bitter take on everything and James' frankness. Very few bands merit a collection of "dumb-things-we-said-to-the-press" book, but MSP do.