Language Arts Books

My family has a story... or really, multiple stories. And every family has an archivist.... even if they don't know just yet who that is. When I gave this to my aunt, I found that there were two things necessary to making a family history - an archivist with the passion to tell the story, and guidance on how to actually do it, and not get frustrated by or lost in the process. The analogy for me is great cuisine - it takes a passionate chef, and a recipe. What's different from meal to meal is the ingredients.

Carol Franco and Kent Lineback's book is a terrific tool for transforming the archivist into a historian. Every family needs an historian to pass their story down the generations. Already, my children know little or nothing of my grandparents, and scantly more of their grandparents. I firmly believe every family has an archivist somewhere. With The Legacy Guide, every family now has an historian.

This well-researched and well-written guide encourages and supports individuals and families who want to review and preserve not only their history but also the meaning they find in that history. Whether you are interested in "a three-ring notebook entitled My Life Story," or are making a scrapbook that includes not only words but also "photos, letters, and memorabilia," you are likely to find the process easier and more satisfying with the help of this thoughtful book.

Carol Franco and Kent Lineback have created a useful and practical guide to life story writing. The process is seen as a series of life stages, each with specific facts and memories that can be woven into a coherent memoir. If you have been thinking about telling your life story but have felt overwhelmed or inadequate, this valuable book will give you the confidence to pick up a pen and start writing.

I keep going back...and back, and back to The Legacy Guide.

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When I first got it, I thought to myself: "I don't want to write my story. But at least I'll understand what the authors are trying to do".

So I perused the book, put it down, and concentrated on moving to Santa Fe. That's whee I had met the authors.

This week, finally, I picked it up and started REALLY digging in.

Here are my NEWEST thoughts:

1. This is NOT a "how to" book. This is a guide to one's life...by great writers who have the ability to make the reader take an introspective look at life details we normally ignore.

2. I would almost call it a "Life Guide", except that sounds pompous. But that's what it is...a guide to make the reader really understand what she/he has (and is) experienced in life. Example: the older generation...middle, late adult, elder. I learned more about what it means to get older than ever before...things I never realized were happening to me...WHY we see the world differently...HOW others treat us differently, etc. Every older person should read this.

3. One of the keys to keeping the reader's attention is the use of the many quotes...that were so personal to those quoted...and always right on target. .

Yes, we recognize people such as Alan Alda, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn ...and of course the great Jim Botkin. But every quote was right on target, regardless of the notoriety of the writer. Each quote made its point...and I feel the quotes brought the book more alive than any other system might have done. Ever.

Again and again,I find myself going through the book and reading the quotes/articles. The use of italics on the quotes makes that job easier to accomplish.

I could go on and on.....even get effusive.

But somehow this book should be on everyone's bookshelf. You'll just keep referring to it, time and again.

It's worth the trip.

Life-writing books abound, but it's rare to find one as thought provoking and incisive as The Legacy Guide. Carol Franco and Kent Lineback have delivered an excellent resource. Best of all, it's not necessary to work it from first page to last--jump in anywhere and the memories begin to flow. As a professional personal historian, I try to stay abreast of what's available to recommend to clients, classes and in presentations. This now ranks in my top three, right along with Your Life as Story by Tristine Rainer, and Keeping Family Memories Alive, by Vera Rosenbluth.

This easy to read grammar book fit the bill for me when I needed to brush up on some basic rules quickly for an exam. There are plenty of examples to help cement each concept and the authors also use comic strips to emphasize each point. I highly recommend this book the anyone who wants to learn how to write a paper correctly.

This book, the authors' second, is just as great as their first. Who knew grammar could be so fun? The text is enlivened with hilarious cartoons, and the grammar rules are arranged alphabetically so it's easy to find what you're looking for. It's a great tool for both students & teachers!

On this cold, winter day in January, I'm reading More Nitty Gritty Grammar. Who would have thought that a grammar book could be entertaining? Edith Fine and Judith Josephson have found the perfect formula. Similar to their first book, Nitty Gritty Grammar, this one is organized in an appealing, accessible way. I actually enjoyed testing my grammar skills with the quiz. Their compilation of nationally-syndicated cartoons addressing grammar issues adds visual interest and levity. They explain the rules, state the exceptions, and give plenty of examples. It's an excellent resource guide for yourself or for a friend. I highly recommend it.

There has never been a friendlier invitation to master English usage basics than Nitty-Gritty Grammar until its new companion, More Nitty-Gritty Grammar. I recommend them for all my community college students. Not in the ivory tower crowd, authors Fine and Josephson are, however, astute observers of language ills and, if laughter is the best medicine, most-palatable healers. Their topics are relevant, their well-researched explanations straightforward, their examples fresh and funny. My students agree.

Better organized and more comprehensive than even the popular _Transitive Vampire_ series or _Woe Is I_, this second book by Josephson and Fine is whimsical and easy to use. It's packed with humorous examples that are current and uncontrived. This is the only book I've found to cover some of the finer points that have always bothered or confused me--such as when British convention differs from that in America. Indispensible!

My 15-month old son LOVES this book ever since he was 9 months-old. We read it every night before he goes to bed. Taro Gomi has captured simple creatures in life and have made them animated and good teachers. The illustrations are purely magical. I highly recommend this book to kids, young and old.

Our son loves this book - and we love reading it to him. It's such a great sentiment, that we can learn so much from those around us. We're connected to our friends, and each one has a gift that we can appreciate. And the illustrations are fantastic.

I have been collecting bilingual books to read to my children and to help our whole family learn Spanish. This is one of our favorites and one the kids will listen to without complaining about me reading in Spanish (which is a problem with some other books with more words on each page). I highly recommend this book and have been buying copies to give to friends.

If you have a toddler, you know how much they enjoy hearing the same story over and over again. This book is sure to be one of your little one's favorites. The simple pictures and truncated text make this a great book for toddlers. And because there's no real storyline to follow, you can skip a few pages here and there if you need to... at least, until your little one is old enough to catch onto you.

My Friends by Taro Gomi is a beautifully illustrated book about learning simple skills...with a little help from your friends. And in this story, all creatures (from the tiniest ant to the teachers at school) are your friends. My daughter loves this book, reciting page after page which friend teaches her what task. The overall message of this book is that a child can learn something from everyone and everything.

The artwork is delightful: colorful, simple, and crisp. The language sounds lyrical, even poetic, as you read it aloud. This book will capture the imagination of your child. Whenever we read it, my daughter gives me different examples of who has taught her what. It is a great conversation starter!

I recommend this engaging book for all toddlers, beginning readers, or anyone who enjoys a sweet story.

I needed a book on grammar. There are so many different rules it's hard to keep them straight. I needed the basics and I needed a quick reference guide. I did not need one of those huge books that had 300 plus pages. They were filled with nonsense and radom rules that only English professors need to know! This book is easy to understand. Don't know the difference between bore and bore? Or altar and alter? There is a quick guide in the back to show you what to use. Get confused with lay, and laid? There is also a nice chart that shows you the difference between present, past and past participle. There is so much packed into this little book it will amaze you.

This book is excellent. And it's so easy to understand. It doesn't bog you down with unless information. This is a must have for everyone!

"Nitty-Gritty Grammar" is an outstanding book. I read it prior to having its authors Edith Fine and Judith Josephson on my talk radio show on WRKO Radio in Boston. They were informative and funny and the phone lines were full the entire hour they were on my show. The key to this book is that it is both educational and entertaining. In someone else's hands, this book could be a real snoozer. In Judith and Edith's hands, it is a work of art. If you read this book, you will stop making up "irregardless" and other words which don't exist (see page 85.) You will stop mispronouncing words like "asterisk" (it's not asterick-- see page 72.) And you will never again misplace your apostrophes, dangle your participles or commit other high crimes and misdemeanors against grammar, spelling, punctuation and pronunciation (see pages 1-102--the entire book.) The book includes many cartoons which will teach you while you laugh. The section on "Ways to Tame the Spelling Monster" is indispensable with clever ways to remember the correct spelling of words including "dessert" (it has two s's--think strawbery shortcake). If you only read the "ticker tape" which runs throughout the book at the bottom of each page, you will learn more than you did in twelve years of boring English classes. The amazing part of this book is that it can be used by children, teenagers and adults. I suggest you buy copies for your entire family and all your friends and coworkers. They'll speak properly when they thank you.

Bob Katzen, WRKO Radio, Boston, Massachusett

As a writing teacher and home schooler, I haven't found a more enjoyable grammar reference book. My 11 year old son picked it up one day and read straight through the entire book in one afternoon. The appeal of the cartoons, the easy to understand explanations and the user friendly format make this the grammar reference of choice for all grammar-impaired parents who teach their own kids. I highly recommend it!

Our child brought home grammar for the third grade and we had forgotten half of what we had learned in school. This book really helped us out greatly and I am sure we will get a lot more use out of it in years to come.

Over the years I've fallen into poor grammer habits. This little gem of a book has helped me clean up my act--or should I say mouth! Keep it close by so you can consult it often. The fun layout makes it easy to grab a quick lesson here and there.

I read this book years ago and it still sticks with me. As a reporter in Vietnam, Halberstam was a thorn in the side of the Johnson and Nixon administration. He was watched by Nixon's plumbers and the FBI; Nixon thought he was a subversive. What he is is an exceptionally perceptive historian. In this book he follows the growth of the media industry from newsprint to magazines, radio and television. He told the Edward R. Murrow story before anybody else and his details on Watergate are even more frightening than Woodward and Bernstein's "All the President's Men." Halberstam seems to have that unique capacity to crawl inside the heads of people like Luce who gave us Time magazine. From their perspective, and those of everyday reporters, we see the struggle to balance grasping for the truth and the glory of the headline. We begin to understand how McCarthy could rise to power by using the deadline to sneak in enuedos about people. The author does a masterful job of showing the frustration of reporters and editors and how they finally overcame McCarthy's sinister power. This is an excellent book, not only for journalist but also for those who wish to understand the power of the media in shaping our world.

Please rate this review. Thanks.

This book is big and thick and it is hard to put down. It opens the reader to the media-the reporters-the owners-the news broadcasters and the men and women behind the scenes. He tells in vivid detail how the reporters all over the world as well as covering wars are supported or not by the publications that put them there. And he vividly relates the love-hate relationship of the above people with the various presidents of the USA. I have recommended this book to everyone who will listen to me. I would go on a book tour to get people to read it.!

David Halberstam proves again what a thorough and engaging journalist/historian he was. He presents a detailed account of the rise of the great media families and individuals of the 20th century without being pedantic or tedious. Anyone who wants to understand The L.A. Times, The Washington Post, Time or CBS should start here. The book unfortunately highlights the huge loss that Halberstam's death represents.

Author David Halberstam takes us behind the scenes as he analyzes U.S. media from the 1940-1970's, showing many factors and internal squabbles that influence the medium. The author shows how a mix of professionalism, sloppiness, arrogance, and favorites affects what the media reports, plus how it reports. We see how the media sometimes kowtows to corporate sponsors, and often allows itself to be manipulated. Consider the 2004 campaign, when the media routinely filmed President Bush before cheering crowds, but never his secret service illegally detaining silent dissenters at rallies. Readers also learn about skilled leaders like Edward R. Murrow, capable if imperfect executives like William Paley (CBS) and Katherine Graham (Washington Post), and shysters like Henry Luce (TIME) that avoid truths when they don't fit the agenda.

This book arrived in 1979, before the advent of Internet and most cable news. Still its lessons remain appropriate, even if media often fails to live up to the hopes of the founding fathers and the First Amendment. Halberstam is a talented observer who capably follows George Selby, Theodore H. White, and many others with a critical eye towards the media. I gave the book just four stars because the prose is a bit thick, but this remains an important read.

Read all the other reviews for the media impacting intent which is only a small part of Halverstam's real message in spite of the title of this epoch. Halberstam's media message ranges from imformative to scarry.

But that which will stick with me forever is the way Halberstam delivers the frailty and fate of America to a mere mortal, the President of the United States. Eisenhower fiddles, Kennedy charms, Johnson screams and Nixon frightens. It took Halberstam seven years to research and write this book and after you read it you will wonder how he did it so fast, a monumental effort.

Fortunately the truth is often downright funny. Nixon's twenty eight year old publicity man making a side comment that Nixon looks like he drops down out of his closet every morning in the same rumbled suit and badly in need of a shave.

Halberstam conveys how power was for the taking and that those who had it developed it primarily in accordance with their own agendas, personal or family politics and use it and us in the process.

No matter that this is now just history ending with Watergate. Halberstam's real message is that the circumstances he describes will remain the same in any generation.

The Powers That Be may change the way you think of power and how it affects you.

As a teacher of students who are struggling readers at the high school level, I was somewhat disappointed by Nancie Atwell's latest book. Her approach assumes many things that simply not always possible in the public school class room, especially at the high school level. I applaud her devotion to providing students with time and space to read, but she doesn't understand the time and MONEY constraints that most of us have. For example, I have to spend my own money to provide my students with a classroom library and my department can only afford to provide us with $25 per teacher for classroom supplies like chalk and staples. The $250 that the IRS allows for is usually what I spend just to have art supplies, extra pens and pencils available for my students. I have to reach deep into my own pocket to purchase books.

Over all this book left me disappointed, because Nancie Atwell needs to see what it's like for people like me who are just as devoted, but left with little money to supply my students. How are we supposed to do all the great things she reccommends if we can't have the same resources that she is lucky enough to have?

This is an excellent book that shows how students can become great readers when they are given the chance to have independent reading time and be in control of their reading choices. This is a must read for all teachers!

How does a kid learn to read...by reading. Get your students into the Reading Zone. I was sucked into the guided reading, small groups, centers, rotations, strategies method of teaching too. However, my students just were not progressing or developing that "love of reading" that I wanted for them. Within a month of reading this book and changing my approach, almost all my students have jumped into the ZONE. This book will change how you teach. It's the next step in your evolution as a reading teacher. Happy reading!

Another great work by Nancie Atwell. So inspiring and logical. Filled with practical suggestions. I wish my teachers had read this when I was in school. Will challenge all teachers of reading and literature.

Although Ms. Atwell teaches middle school students, this book applies to grades K-12. She devotes a chapter to high school teachers. The Reading Zone occurs when a reader becomes completely immersed in and engaged with a text. Atwell is convinced that this can happen only when students are given time to read and choice of books. She provides compelling evidence that "the only delivery system for reading comprehension is reading" from published research as well as her many years' experience in the classroom. There is healthy controversy for discussion to be found here, as Atwell argues that the place for reading strategy instruction is in the content area classrooms. With the plethora of reading strategy books out there, this is A MUST READ!

The book was excellent in detail, beautifully designed and gave page after page of hidden items. It provided hours of searching for alphabetic pictures and was very entertaining.

At first I wasn't sure I liked the book. I didn't like some of the darker pictures like 'Y', or the rhymes that didn't really make any sense to me, but I proved myself wrong. This book is sooo addicting! You could sit down for hours scavenging for words. There are so many!
Some people may mistake this for a little kiddy alphabet book. It couldn't be any less kiddy-ish! It's hard because it's not like the 'I Spy' books, where it has a little rhyme telling you what to find. There aren't many guidelines there to tell you what's in the picture. You have to figure it out yourself. Also, a lot of the words are pretty hard.
This book is definitely worth buying. Buy it and you'll never EVER be bored again!

The Ultimate Alphabet is a very good book. It has 26 pages of every word you can think of. It might take looking in a few different books like a flag, animal, fish, bird, and flower book to do the page. The only thing I don't like is they say there is so many words in a letter and I never find close to that many. I don't know if I sould count the word plural if there is more than one of the thing. I mean paint is not the same word as paints is it? The B's, J's, and P's are my favorite. I would get somewhere all those books the flag, ect. and a dictionary. It's very good. Now let me go back and type the J's on the computer.

If you've never seen this book, you dont know what your missing. This is by far one of the best Art / Puzzle / Alphabet books ever writen (or in this case, painted). Mike Wilks is amazing. He paints hundread of things starting with each letter into each picture. Its great because you have to be creative to figure out them all. If you can find this book, buy it, its totally worth it. I hope the republish it sometime soon.

I first heard of Mike Wilks when I was nearly 16. We saw a video about him in my art class at school back in 1992. All the kids looked pretty impressed, I certainly was. The film showed the way Wilks produces his pictures. We saw his studio in the Pyrenees mountains, an obsessively clean, sparkling white room, where the artist works in complete silence. The video made it quite clear that Wilks is a perfectionist, treating every image with the utmost care.

I finally bought "The Annotated Ultimate Alphabet" about five years after seeing the video. The quality of the artwork is incredible, there aren't many books like this around. Not only is this book entertaining, it is useful as well. Apparently Mike Wilks was influenced by Salvador Dali, but I think he is better than that. My favourite page is the letter "S", a room filled with more than 1000 objects beginning with that letter. I still can't name everything.

There are all kinds of objects in this book, ranging from the very common, to the really obscure. Some things are instantly recognisable, others will leave you completely baffled. It would be no exaggeration to say that anyone who reads this book and absorbs it fully will become an excellent Scrabble player.

In these images Mike Wilks demonstrates exeptional ability, particularly with the airbrush. Here we see draftsmanship of the highest order, just about every member of the animal kingdom is represented accurately. Pen and ink drawings accompany the word lists, giving additional nourishment to a growing vocabulary.

This book gives new meaning to that phrase about a picture saying a thousand words.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat. One that you can;t put down. The Author has a real talent.Get ready for a mystery that keeps you quessing.

This is a very compelling novel! I was unable to put it down until reading every page! Really keeps the reader intrigued all the way to the end. The authoress has done a fine job in keeping the reader guessing the identity of the killer until the very final chapter of the book. It is spell binding and well written. I would highly recommend it for reading by all. Looking forward to many other novels by Anne Garber. I enjoy her style of writing.

Anne Garber's book, Voices, is phenominal! The pages kept turning. The characters seemed so real. I loved John, disliked Allen and was annoyed with Anthony. The women; I admired Carol's devotion to her children and have known women like Linda and Debbie. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This is no doubt one of the best books I've read!! I literally could not put the book down. It kept pulling me back to read more. I would compare Garber's writing with Patricia Cornwell. While reading the book, just as you think you have the murderer figured out, you begin doubting yourself. The book takes many turns and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's one of those books that you are sorry when it ends. You want more, and I for one can't wait for her next book. I highly recommend this book!!

Voices is about a serial killer & the lives he touches. It's also about the investigators trying to find him & the family & friends of the suspected killer. It is written from different angles & the author has created believable characters - likable & not so likable.

The book begins with the investigators at a crime scene & Garber holds nothing back in her descriptions of the scene. The killer's signature is an "X" carved over the victims mouths & eyes & a rope around their neck, held in place by an old style clothespin. Gruesome!

The tidbits about the killer's movement are strategically placed so it keeps you guessing. As soon as you think you have it figured out Garber throws another curve at you.

This is Garber's first book & I hope it isn't her last. This writer has talent!

I've been a big fan of Jerry Weinbergs writing (and he wrote a lot). A book about writing is exactly what I needed, so my expectations were high. However, I ended up slightly disappointed. I almost feel guilty about giving this just four stars out of five with all the other people writing reviews about how excellent this book is.

Weinberg on writing: the fieldstone method is a book about writing books. The whole book is build around the analogy between writing a book and building a fieldstone wall. Building a fieldstone wall takes practice and you have to find the right stones (ideas) and put them in the right place to make a great wall. Not all the stones fit, some need to be shaped and not all walls will be great.

For me, personally, the analogy didn't work well. I felt it was more confusion than beneficial. It's created very clever, nothing wrong there. It's just hard to see, plus normally an analogy is made from an easier domain to understand. I found the domain of building fieldstone walls not much easier than book writing. I'd preferred more direct writing and talking about e.g. ideas instead of stones.

The book consists of 20 chapter about writing. Most chapters contain really really useful tips. Weinberg (with 40 books) has lots of experience and, as always, has done his research. The book is written in a similar style as most of his books. Easy to read and full of stories. (a coal mine...)

To mention some of the ideas in the book. Don't write when you have to. Use your energy. Play solitaire with idea. How to gather ideas. How to store ideas. How to use outliners. And the list goes on and on. Many ideas, some conceptual, some very concrete.

Near the end of the book, Gerry very smartly explains the techniques he introduces on this book. He talks about writing, while writing. Though done very well, I found it somewhat confusing.

Overall, Gerald Weinberg did a great job writing yet another book. It's worth reading and contains a huge amount of advise. I'm sure this book is useful for every writer. Recommended.

This is THE book on writing. Short and sweet: in a thin paperback, Weinberg covers the entire spectrum from mechanics of organizing paragraphs to how to gather and integrate your ideas. Weinberg comes from the software field, but knows how to write a book I couldn't put down. It has automatically become one of my "toolkit" books -- one of a few I'll keep on my shelf to refer to regularly.

Other reviewers have done a fine job explaining what this book is about, and extolling its many virtues, so I'll keep my comments brief.

Jerry Weinberg's "fieldstone" method is a powerful concept and technique, but what stands out most about this book to me is the way in which, between the lines, Weinberg addresses the *emotional* difficulty of writing, and the way in which things like buried memories of scolding grammar teachers and other childhood traumas can weigh down our writing efforts, or even prevent us from putting words on the page at all. I don't mean to suggest that this is some kind of self-help or pop psychology book--it is fundamentally a book about writing. But Weinberg's Fieldstone Method is not only an approach for getting things written; it is also a way of thinking about writing that makes it easier to overcome the many "invisible" obstacles, to forgive ourselves, to give ourselves permission to write.

Weinberg on Writing is well worth your time, no matter your particular writing interest.

I attended Jerry's Writer's Workshop in 2004 and it increased my skills and confidence enough to go back to prose-writing after several years of "death by powerpoint" writing. I've now published my first book (CMMI Survival Guide: Just Enough Process Improvement) and finally took the time to read Weinberg on Writing. I truly wish I had taken the time to read it while in the process of writing my book. Not only did it remind me of things we did in the workshop that are useful; it also presented some new tools and gave background on some of the things we did in the workshop that enriched my understanding. I wonder how different my writing life would have been if my freshman English teacher in college had had access to Jerry's book as a text. I can't answer that question, but I can say that my writing life has been changed by Jerry in person and by Weinberg on Writing, for the better in each case!

<18 months later>
I'm still writing more than I did before reading Weinberg's book. I should have a few chapters published in Robert Martin's next book Clean Code.

Part of the writing is from my new jobs, which requires it a bit more. Even so, I had a full year after reading that book where my work did not require it and I did so anyway. So something stuck. Way to go Jerry.


I was asked to write a proposal for JBoss World by my company. The request also included suggestions on what to propose, which I did not really like. I had read far enough into this book to have the first rule about; only write stuff in which you are interested.

I took that rule to heart, took what I could of the suggestions, formed it in to something in which I was interested, and wrote the proposal. My boss took my general outline and approach and wrote a second proposal. He was accepted as a presenter, I was not.

However, I took the work forward and then presented it at the Oklahoma City Java Users Group and the Dallas/Forth Worth JBoss Users Group.

The book discusses Jerry's metaphor for his writing approach, which is suggested in the subtitle: The Fieldstone Method.

You collect fieldstones or little gems. You then use these little gems by organizing them, shaping them and forming them into comprehensive works. Since you have so many gems (you collect them all the time), you never have writer's block because if you get stuck in one place, you work somewhere else.

This is important. You don't just work on one thing. You work on many different things and there are many different kinds of activities you can do when you "slow down." Those other activities might be collecting or reducing your current active field stones, organizing those field stones, refining other fields stones, etc.

You never have to stop writing, you just stop writing on the one thing that is blocked, let your subconscious deal with it and go on to some other, possibly mundane, but important, activity.

I've taken much of his book to heart and now that first presentation has blossomed into several different things, some finished, some not.

Let this book work its magic on you. The changes seem obvious and subtle. However, they've seemed to work well for me.

This book is a bit of a contradiction, insofar as it is very entertaining reading, yet you learn a great deal almost by accident. I also intuitively feel I'd like the author; whether as an instructor or just a nice guy to share a cold beer with. If you are interested in how to make humor "click," this is the place to look. Highly recommended.

Produce winning comedic screenplays using fiction and nonfiction alike with Brad Schreiber's What Are You Laughing At?: How To Write Funny Screenplays, Stories, & More. Included are over 70 excerpts from top screenwriters and pairing them with writing exercises and details on the differences between writing comedy for TV versus stage. There are eleven modes of comedic dialogue, 13 common problems screenwriters encounter and valuable insights into the rhythm and sound of words in What Are You Laughing At? Brad is himself a L.A. screenwriter, so his tips come from an insider's hand.

This book is funny -- even if you don't feel like learning anything from it, you'll laugh. Writers will recognize themselves in the examples for sure. I like that the book is about *writing funny* as opposed to writing screenplays or columns or novels or [insert genre here]. Schreiber breaks down the principles of humor writing and gives you guidance on applying them to any type of project.

This is a wry, dry, witty and comprehensive piece of work which is excellent reading in itself as well as being essential for the aspiring writer. Schreiber draws on his experience as TV development executive, teacher, script consultant and actor to hand on a wealth of useful information on everything from Aphorisms to Yiddish Sound Theory and from the Author's Voice to Vulgarity - and for the really keen student there are 'Do This Now' exercises at the end of every section. This is a high quality publication by Michael Wise Productions. It has a useful index and an excellent introduction by Christopher Vogler. I enoyed it hugely.

So someone once asked me, "Pamela, do you write comedy?". "Not on purpose", I replied.

But now, with the help of a really funny guy who wrote a really helpful book, I can make a good go at it.

Like Brad Schreiber himself, this book is intelligent, witty, accessible, inspiring, and fun.

It offers overviews of various forms of humor, theories of humor, examples of humor, excerpts from humorists, practical advice on writing funny, and even provocative exercises that guarantee at least a giggle, most often a guffaw.

As a story consultant myself, I recommend Brad's book to my writing clients.

As a reader, I recommend Brad's book to anyone -- writer, speaker, performer -- who wants to lighten their life and the presentation of their message with humor.