Games Books

This is THE definitive book of New York City trivia. More than just informative and intelligent, it's truly fun. It's a great gift for an NYC smart aleck who thinks they know everything about the city, or for anyone who wants to learn a whole lot about what is, of course, the capital of the world. Apparently the author biked from Queens to Manhattan across the 59th Street bridge at an age when most kids wouldn't be allowed to walk to school on their own. So this is clearly a 40-year or so labor of love. Most of all, it's fun. A great buy.

Celebrate New York City with this book, one of the best ways to explore all of what is special about New York City! From the novice to the tourist, from the born and bred to the commuter who works in New York City or just for the curious planning a visit...this book has it all. Little known interesting facts will make your every day stroll down the block into a history lesson. Fun for the holidays to quiz your friends and family.

You won't be able to put it down. Test your own knowledge. Written in an easy reading style, yet thorough and detailed enough to challenge and entertain at the same time.

Enjoy!!!

Definitely a fun and interesting read. It doesn't take a trivia lover to enjoy this book. Volume 2 has its way of sparking your interest on triv-bits about NYC (even those that you normally wouldn't care to know). Once again, only John Barbieri can show you how to really appreciate NYC.

John Barbieri makes the 'second time around' even sweeter, with Mr New York's Trivia Quiz Volume 2. Mr. Barbieri has a talent in bringing us tid bits of information about the greatest city in the world, but with his own unique and entertaining spin. Run, don't walk, and buy this entertaining read.

I give this book a "10". I just couldn't put this book down. You think you know New York, but now you really know New York after reading it. It's a must have even if your not from New York. This book is proof of why there's no place like New York. New Yorkers are the most wonderful people in the world. Only a true New Yorker could write such a wonderful book. This book brings back such great memories growning up in New York. You cover 38 topics, 563 pages on sports, boroughs, politics, theatre etc... I had to go and buy another book because my friends took it and they won't give it back. Thanks for writing it.

I agree with all of the positive remarks in the previous reviews.
This book is magical. I still remember the names that Larry Evens
gives to each game some 30 years after reading the book. This one
chess book was responsible for me to go from a novice 1600 rated player to a expert almost overnight. The clarity of Fischers approach to the game and his marvelous annotations completely changed my understanding of the game. It is a pity that such a gifted player and writter turns out to be such a creep in real life.

This is the first non-beginners' chess book I ever read. Since it was the only chess book I had at the time, I read it over and over until I inadvertently memorized most of it. I can't say that it's the best chess book ever written. There are a few I like better, but this book was the right one for me at the time (1972).

I was a terrible player when I first read this book. Eventually I went on to become a pretty good one. I don't know how much credit Fischer gets. He probably would have told me to get a real job, but I loved the game no matter how awful I was.

I had the Descriptive Notation version in 1972. Sometime I lost it, but a few years ago, I managed to get a copy of it in hardback at a used bookstore for a couple of bucks. No, I am not offering it for sale.

My edition is Faber paperbacks 1972 and covers the period 1957-1967. I always tell people that it is the best (money) that I've ever spent! IM Larry Evans introduces all of the 60 games with titles like "Slaying the dragon", "Peekaboo strategy" and "Meat and potatoes". Although, of course, it is the annotations given by Fischer that make the book - highly recommended.

'My 60 Memorable Games' is a fantastic collection from one of the great players in the history of chess. But, if one happens to run into the Batsford edition of the book, don't trust it at all. Fischer has publicly spoken as to how Batsford has ruined his book. Here is the website where Fischer talks about it. http://home.att.ne.jp/moon/fischer/
It is true. It seems like the people at Batsford are purposely trying to ruin his credibility. They are trying to make him look like an idiot, like a no-good potzer. Nonetheless, the games are awesome and immortal. Fischer should publish a new edition of this book with 40 extra games. He should add the games from 1968 to 1972 and the games from the 1992 rematch.

I own the Faber paperback version. Love his chess. Pretty balanced, down to earth style. Not dry and dull like Capa or Botvinnik, neither is it too speculative and complex like Tal. More like a aggressive positional with scope for tactics - an in between of the above players. I have modelled my play on his style and i had been playing better chess. I dislike studying all those opening books with plentiful variations and theories, but through this book I learnt something about The Sicilian Najdorf and the KID and Sozins which I still play, and develop my own ideas based on the way Fischer handled those openings. Have to admit that this book is full of heavy analysis and variations which my limited abilities cannot fathom everything or visualise too far ahead, the analysis notes helps in the practice of calculating variations in the manner prescribed by Kotov in his book Think Like a Grandmaster as not many games books are filled with all kinds of variations and sub variations. Apart from the book being more for the stronger or advanced player's study, lesser players like myself can gain quite a fair bit of ideas and insight in just playing through and appreciating the games and ideas as played by Fischer or his opponents. If you are only going to own just 1 chess book, then own this one. Pity it is no longer in print. Get hold of the Faber version if you can. Its the original one.

Rec'd book on time; cheaper than area bookstores. This is not the first time I purchased items from Amazon and I plan to continue. Great job! Thanks!

This is a book that you'll love. There's a lot of things to learn in it and some terms you probably can't listen anymore. A perfect book for a really baseball fan !

This baseball dictionary is clear, concise and helpful, particularly for people like me. I love baseball, but when I was growing up, girls weren't raised on sports, so I became a fan with sketchy knowledge of the rules and nuances of the game. Since I bought this book, I've learned a lot about pitching maneuvers, stats, history of the sport, slang terms and dozens of other things that make baseball more and more interesting to watch. I'm very glad I own it.

This is a book that you'll love. There's a lot of things to learn in it and some terms you probably can't listen anymore. A perfect book for a really baseball fan !

In baseball, what is a crackerjack? A cradle? A drawing Card? Feel the apple means what? What happens when you go to the pump? Who made up Murderers' Row? Open the New Dickson Baseball Dictionary and you'll find out.

This A to Z complete listing of baseball term is about the best book on the subject there is. Paul Dickson has put together over 570 pages of facts, terms, definitions and trivia that are sure to please every baseball fan.

Filled with over 100 photos and illustrations you are sure to find just about every baseball word you can think of. Also included are a thesaurus, a section of abbreviations and a fully annotated bibliography.

The baseball purest is sure to love this book as a gift, and it is priced to meet most budgets. Overall this book is great reading and makes the perfect handy reference book!

Excellent book. I am not a golfer, but admire Phil Mickelson because it has always seemed to me that he has his priorities straight. His wife and his children are uppermost in his list of what life means to him. Must confess that I merely skimmed the details of the hole to hole play in the Masters tournament being described since I had purchased the book to read about his personal life. However, my husband, who IS a golfer, very much enjoyed the "play by play" in addition to more information on the personal side of Phil. This is an athlete children can look up to and admire without parents fearing an ugly, hidden side. That simply doesn't exist in this athlete. I have always enjoyed watching him play; now I will enjoy those tournaments even more.

This was a very personal book that brought you very close to the life of Phil Mickelson. When he describes his final round at the 04' Masters you feel like you were there with him every step of the way.

It was so good I got a audio copy for my husband.

i find this book very good , iam a golf player and i think that every golf player will enjoyed to read this book , phil mickelson biography is very interesting for a golfer , phil teach : thinks can do when you work hard .

If you are a golf fan, this is a must read. My wife read it too and she doesn't even like golf but she loved it too. Great insights into Phil's personal life, family, and values. Definitely worth the read.

I picked up the Corax book when I grabbed three or four other Breed Books at my local game store seeing how they were three or four dollars each. Of all the books I bought that day, this was by far my favorite. The Corax are a changing breed in Werewolf: the Apocolypse, but have a completely different feel than anyone else I have tried. Corax are bird-brained scouts. Their style is great if you are the one at the game table constantly cracking jokes.

The book is, as per the norm for a White Wolf supplement, almost completely written from the perspective of an older Corax explaining the world to a younger bird. I personally found myself laughing on regular occasion at this narration. However, the history, purpose, style, and techniques of Corax were well covered.

The book also carries its standard comic in the front, something that was lost with the Revised editions of White Wolf games. This story gives you a short tale surrounding one of the supposedly legendary Corax, Raina. She is more deeply detailed toward the end of the book as well, if Storytellers want to include her in their story.

Overall, this book is quite possibly the best Breed Books White Wolf put out. Its humor, mechanics, and concepts will sell a player on the Corax quickly, and it will give STs something to play with that can both save their werewolf players' lives and annoy them to no end.

I have used this book many, many times to either make a Corax Character for myself, or to help others make their characters. The book is well written, and takes a turn away from the normal kill first and ask questions later style of the Garou (werewolves). The book is very informative and had a lot of background info for the Corax. If you are looking for a different type of character to play in your tabletop or LARP group, this is a great choice. Besides, how can you go wrong when you can have a character that can FLY?

Honestly--I picked up this book because I was going to be creating a character to help a friend out and I was immediately hooked! I read the thing from cover to cover and have several times since. The text is written with a great sense of humor and gives valuable insight to the workings of those wacky little were-ravens.

The wereravens are the messengers and scouts in the world of Werewolf. The history of the breed is narrated by a humorous Corax, who takes things that you think to be written in biblical style writing, and translates it into modern english (VERY funny)
I suggest this book to anyone who plays Werewolf but is getting tired of strictly garou and wants to add some color to the game.

I'll say openly that I'm no fan of Werewolf. Don't get me wrong, I understand the system and I've played my share of the characters, but werewolves always seem to be played a bit to slash and kill for my taste. Well, you can imagine my surprise when a friend lent me this book and told me, despite my less the cheerful comments on the subject of werewolves, that it wasn't like the others. He was definitely right. Not only are were-ravens extremely interesting, and the book it's self amusing. It's a wonderful change of style from the typical werewolf characters. Were-ravens aren't slash and kill characters, but they have other interesting skills that lend depth to any game I've seen them in. Not only would I suggest this book to were-creature fans, I would suggest it to people who aren't (like me) because if you think that were-wolves are all about death, be prepared for a wonderful surprise.

I bought this game to suplement a Spades group I run. When we have 6 people, 2 have to sit out while the others play. So now with Wizard accomodating anywhere from 3 to 6, I can have everyone play, no matter how many people! We've had 18 playing - 12 at Spades, and 6 at Wizard. It's a lot of fun.

Wizard Deluxe Edition Card GameThis is a great game with no sure winners. It has become our favorite game for our RV group. It is easy but competitive. Probably good for kids but great for adults

This is a fun card game especially for families with older children (10 and up). It's a trump game that requires concentration and confidence, but not difficult like bridge.

This is a fun game. The strategy changes a lot based on the number of people playing. It is like Hearts, but less frustrating to those of us without much luck.

AS a family we have played this game many times. It's fun for ages 8-80. The rules are simple and easy to follow. One does not have to be a card shark to enjoy this and it works for any number of players from 3 to 6. I would highly recommend it for those who enjoy having family around the table.

EXCELLENT book. A Coach or parent must read . Easy to understand with a vast amount of effective baseball knowledge with great illustrations . I especially like section that covers understanding kids emotions and psychological effects of ups and downs on players . Most parents and coaches do not realize how they can have a long term negative effect on a player. This book brings a whole new light on to the subject.

Very well written, very informative down to earth explanations and philosophy.

Gives insight that can be used for any age player. Breaks down to a fundamental level. Recommend for any youth coach.

This book isn't bad. I have not finished reading it, but it does give quite a bit of useful information. However, Cal seems to repeat himself several times in the book. There are many books out there that offer adequate, if not better, knowledge of how to play the game. Louisville Slugger's book is good as well as Coaching Pitchers. I would suggest only buying this book if you are a die hard baseball fan and plan on collecting many books. One good thing about the book is that Cal does give that sense of how to be a good teammate and maybe even a great family member.

I picked up this book at the local sporting goods store while I was buying gloves, bats, socks, pants, and etc. for my two sons who were starting little league baseball.

Just a few weeks earlier, I had declined a spot as an assistant coach due to not being "athletic", and I saw Ripken's book as an opportunity to learn some of the things that other dads had learned as kids.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have not read it cover-to-cover, but have browsed and spot-read it throughout the season.

As a result, I now understand more of the things other dads are yelling out. For example, for those in the field, "keep your eye on the ball" means watch the ball from the beginning of the pitch, all the way to the bat, as it connects with and leaves the bat, then all the way to the glove.

Chapters are given for each of the aspects of the game, pitching, fielding, hitting, catching, running, and so forth. Text narratives are easily understood, avoiding or explaining the sports "jargon" that confuses many beginning players (e.g. "choke up on the bat", "take two"). Pictures explicitly illustrate concepts such as batting and fielding stances.

Ripken's narrative also provides fun training excercises used by coaches (both major and little leagues) to develop baseball skills.

I have kept this book within an arm's reach in my office all summer long. Ripken's baseball insights have enabled me to help my sons develop their own throwing and batting skills.

Maybe next year, I might take that assistant coach position!

"Rainy Day Games" by Andy McGuire proves that children's Christian books can move beyond educational to just be plain ol' fun.

McGuire, who is a fiction editor at a large Christian publishing house, is also a superb illustrator, and this (his first picture book) is a delight for the eyes. McGuire's (mostly) rhyming text is also funny and - in its way - thought-provoking. The first page of the book gives a four sentence summary of the story of Noah and his ark; then the author wonders aloud what it would be like to stay indoors for 40 long days. What, he asked, did all those animals do to pass the time?

Next we meet a young boy, bored on a rainy day. To make the day go faster, he imagines what Noah's animals might have done to amuse themselves on their long journey. He envisions playing hide-and-seek with a chameleon, mice using a zebra's stripes as a maze, a rhino lending his horns for a ring toss (and a not-so-thrilled snake acting as the ring), beavers playing Ping-Pong with their tails, a game of Twister among two giraffes, connect-the-dots with a cheetah's spots, and much more. Then we see the boy trying to imitate one of the games with his dog before settling back with a book until the rain subsides and "God's rainbow paints the sky."

What I Like: There are plenty of funny situations suggested in the book - things that both parents and kids will find amusing. The illustrations are detailed, realistic (or as realistic as an image showing yaks playing jacks can be!), and of high interest to children. As a bonus, the book encourages children to imagine what it might have been like to be stuck on Noah's ark for a long time.

What I Dislike: Although my three year old really likes this book, she's not familiar with many of the games mentioned (including Twister, jacks, Ping-Pong, tic-tac-toe, and tiddlywinks). Therefore, slightly older children will enjoy this book even more. The only trouble is the text is so simple it may be too "young" for some older children.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Kristina Seleshanko
Managing Editor
Christian Children's Book Review
www dot CCBReview at blogspot dot com

Rainy Day Games: Fun with the Animals of Noah's Ark is a unique children's picturebook loosely based on chapters 5-9 of Genesis. When a flood covered the world, the animals on Noah's ark had to entertain themselves through rainy days - how did they do it? Rhyming words and soft, captivating color illustrations in a realistic style enhance this wonderful read-aloud story ideal for parents and children to share during rainy days. "Pretend that Noah's ark floats by, / And watch the games that they would try. // Hide and seek can be a treat. / Chameleons can be tough to beat. // To tease your brain on stormy days, / You have to try a zebra maze."

McGuire explains the games that the animals must have played to pass the time in the ark. For instance, he mentions raccoons using their tails to play double dutch, giraffes playing twister, and tic-tac-turtle.
The tic-tac-turtle was Parish's favorite. They failed to see the humor in "Name That Stink" game. I thought that was hilarious. Isaac liked the snake that rolled up into a hoop to play ring toss.
Each page is a lot of fun. Of course, this is a great way to introduce Noah's Ark to toddlers and pre-schoolers. This is great for children's at-home library, Christian school library, and nursery library. It also would make a great gift.
Early readers will be able to sound out most of the words. Both boys and girls will equally enjoy the humor. We recommend this.

Rainy Day Games by Andy McGuire is a fantastic "read it again" story. The short couplets telling what the animals did to entertain themselves while shut up in Noah's Ark during the long rain are ideal both for reading to a young child and for early readers to enjoy themselves. The illustrations, cleverly drawn by the author, are enchanting and creative--imagine giraffes playing Twister and beavers using their tails as Ping Pong paddles! Highly recommended.

Not only is this an adorable, hilarious read-a-loud that practically guarantees quality time (after time, after time) with a child, this book could also stimulate creative ideas for other fun things a child could do (or imagine they could do) when stuck in-doors.

The book could also lead to deeper, more meaningful discussions with a child.

I found myself surprisingly and delightfully emotional at the end of the book (no worries, no spoiler here) because at its conclusion, it spoke much more than the story line of a little boy's house-bound imagination on a rainy day. My emotional response came out of the fact that there is a promise contained in a visual element at the end. A promise that, despite the storms and less than sunny times of life... well, you'll have to see the book for yourself.

I used to work for a Christian bookstore and have seen dozens of children's Bibles by various publishers. This is the best I've ever encountered. Why?

1) Accurate Bible accounts. (no extra-Biblical nonsense, like "Joseph loved his new coat so much, he even wore it when he slept!")

2) Key details of the Biblical accounts are NOT withheld or edited out. The accounts have the original meaning. (I've seen Adam and Eve stories where they just lived happily in the garden and slept under the stars, or David and Goliath stories where Goliath was smiling as he was hit with a stone.)

3) Culturally/historically relevant illustrations. Even though they are still "simple" illustrations they are the most true to the time period, culture that I've ever seen in a child's Bible for a young reader. There are some exceptions but the pictures are far from being absurd. (Another review mentioned the "bulgey-eyed" characters of another Bible. I'm familiar with it. Women are almost always depicted with pearl "Barbara Bush" earrings, Joseph sleeps on a mattress and boxspring with an orange tabby curled up at his feet, and Noah's wife carries Red Delicious apples in a basket to smiling, rather than ferocious animals. Another children's Bible we have depicts evil characters smiling sweetly while engaging in wicked activities, like trying to kill someone.)

4) Readable text in a simple-understand style for wide age span. This Bible was a gift to my 2-year old when, exasperated with our numerous but inferior children's Bibles, I commissioned my father-in-law with the nearly impossible task of finding a "good" children's Bible. Well, he came through! She loves having it read to her nightly. She loves paging through it independently and remembering the accounts. I find her doing this almost daily, unprompted by me. And I know it will serve her well until she can read the text for herself. It even has parent pages. Great for the family.

5) Rather complete. This is one of the most complete collection of Bible accounts from the Old and New Testaments that I've ever seen.

6) Fantastic price.

The other types of Bibles may seem innocent enough, but I worried about what they would imply about history or culture by their anachronistic and Western (and at times cheesy) text and artwork. To conclude, I feel this Bible does a good job supporting my goal of teaching my daughter accurately (by what is said and seen) from the very start.

(Thanks Grampa. You've done excellently!)

I happened upon this Bible at a Scholastic Book Fair that was held at my workplace and bought it on a whim. I had been disappointed in the past with other children's Bibles that I had purchased because none seemed to hold my child's interest. This one, however, is completely different. My 5 year old son LOVES this Bible. He asks every night for stories from the Bible, even over other favorites like Pokemon. I like how the book is broken up into "chapters" that flow together. It really reads like an adventure book. The stories are accurate but written at an appropriate developmental level for preschool and young school age children. The pictures are very well done as well and really keep my son's attention. Sometimes he will just sit and look at the pictures and "read" the stories that he has memorized. I HIGHLY recommend this Bible to anyone with young children. You will not be disappointed!

My 4yo son LOVES this!! He kept after us until we read it from cover to cover in about a week at bedtime! He lies in bed and looks at the pictures. Can't say enough about the illustrations - beautiful and well done. I initially found it at Walmart and picked it up. It is so simple looking on the front but on the inside it is beautiful!(hmmm) I did not realize it was going to be my BEST childrens Bible ever! I have not found one that I like better. You won't go wrong with this one! I am ordering more for my church Sunday school class to be given away.

Most childrens' Bibles either oversimplify the stories in the Bible, or change them so they are inaccurate. We were looking for something to start teaching our three year old the stories from the Bible and a friend lent us this book. Our son didn't want to stop reading it. We liked it so much for its accuracy yet understandability for younger children that we gave it as Christmas gifts this year to several friends and all our family with young children.

We gave this book to a little girl in our church. Before we wrapped it, we started reading it and determined that adults love it too because we couldn't put it down. The colored pictures are fantastic and make you feel like you're right there with the characters. The stories are explained really well. We got our money's worth.

If you are interested in developing new skills in how to do the relationship dance, this is the book for you. Fearless Loving is a must read. It doesn't matter whether you're currently in relationship, whether you would like to be in a relationship, married, single, recently split up, or divorced. Rhonda has a talent for bringing together concepts and distilling them into bit size, chewable skills for taking action, which most any one of us can implement, given our commitment.

This book is a valuable tool for me, personally and for my sixteen year marriage/partnership. I'm finding new ways to really listen, communicate, to set boundaries, to clarify perceptions, to honor my feelings and to play.

Fearless Loving also offers an insightful and helpful protocol for people who are interested in a new way to date. I highly recommend this book to my friends and anyone interested in Love.

Rhonda Britten just gets it. This book is so wonderful. She can guide you along your path to loving in a way you never thought you could, but always wanted to. The most poignant truth for me is that everyone is innocent. That's so hard to think and act on, but she's so right about it. I would have everyone believe me innocent until proven guily, so it only seems fair for me to believe that about everyone else. This book will help you with understanding any type of love and how to do it best! She never coaches you to be someone you're not, and even highly discourages behaving as if you were playing a game. She teaches you how to test your prospective partner, or current partner so you can hear what they're not saying (which is more insightful than what they are saying). Rhonda will fill you full of courage and you will feel that you can love confidently without ever sacrificing who you are, or ever compromising what you need from a loving relationship.

Fearless Loving is well-written and packed full of useful tools that if followed will send you on your way to building new love relationships, enhancing the one's you already have and uncovering and discovering the ways in which we block or deny ourselves love. The author jumps into the trenches with you as she reveals her own personal experiences. This approach made it feel real and tangible. The best self-help book I've read in a long time!!

If you've ever been through divorce -- if you've ever had a failed relationship and aren't quite sure why things couldn't have worked out better -- if you're tired of playing relationship roulette -- READ THIS BOOK!! It's the guidebook for finding and keeping love that you've been looking for. And don't forget to read Fearless Living, too! It's your ticket to freedom and to the real YOU!

ok, i only first heard of Rhonda by watching the TV reality show "starting over" + then got hooked onto watching the amazing clarity with which she brought women from all walks of life to.
so my roomate bought this book to assist her from dating another jerk, and boy, is this book stellar! its not thick, not complicated, but really packs an emotional + mental punch. i have even more respect for this woman, who has been through so much + has found a way to positively help others. i've been telling all open-minded pals of mine who really do want to change any "failures" they have to read this. its really good stuff!