Reviews Books

My newly discovered hobby is tucking this book under my arm, stuffed with an array of bookmarks, old business cards and straw wrappers -- to help seek out these cinematic gems when I enter my video store. Author DiLeo has unearthed a wealth of fantastic performances in films that I never would've thought to view or even knew existed! I actually called in sick to work one day after viewing three of his recommended classics back-to-back till the wee hours. What a glorious night! Mr. DiLeo... you're gonna cost me my job! BUY THIS BOOK!

John DiLeo's opinions and quips are quick, tart, and fun. But this book wouldn't be as fascinating if that was all that was going on. The depth of his film knowledge, his obvious love of movies, and the acuteness of his recommendations make this a wonderful book for anyone--from cinemaniac to cultural reader.

My newly discovered hobby is tucking this book under my arm, stuffed with an array of bookmarks, old business cards and straw wrappers -- to help seek out these cinematic gems when I enter my video store. Author DiLeo has unearthed a wealth of fantastic performances in films that I never would've thought to view or even knew existed! I actually called in sick to work one day after viewing three of his recommended classics back-to-back till the wee hours. What a glorious night! Mr. DiLeo... you're gonna cost me my job! BUY THIS BOOK!

Anyone who loves watching classic movies should buy this book! The author gives thorough reviews of all one hundred movies. He doesn't focus on just one genre and there is a good mix of comedic, dramatic, and musical performances. Some of my favorite performances are here including Jeanette MacDonald in Naught Marietta, Vivien Leigh in Waterloo Bridge, and William Powell in Libeled Lady. After reading this book there are many more films I want to see.

Overlooked performances from the movie stars of old or the present crop, take your pick. Whichever you prefer make sure you read John DiLeo's book. He captures the performances in such a way that you feel you are watching the film while reading his eloquent, captivating description. It is an absolute joy for any movie buff.

I recently bought all the box sets of X-Files DVD's and have been watching them in order when I came across this book on Amazon. It was a valuable source of information and trivia for all the episodes for that season. I only wish I had gotten the earlier volumes of this series and that it had continued for seasons 8 and 9.

After a much anticipated wait, I was glad to have this book appear in my mailbox shortly after it delayed in publishing. Happy as a clam I thumbed through the pages, seeing each episode written in a "short story" style with dialougue taken from the scripts. I am also glad to see that they kept the title "all things" in lower case, as Gillian Anderson had when naming the episode she had written and directed. I have all season guides and I must say this is one of the best ones put out.

This Book would have to be my all time favorite that only adds to my collection of vol.3-6 now. If you want more x-files, and want to learn more about Season 7, I suggest buying this book. Of course, like the other volumes it has in-depth details of each episode as well as black & white pictures to accommodate them. There are eight pages of color pictures: X-Cops, Je Souhaite, Fight Club, FPS, and, Hollywood A.D.. Very Cool! I enjoy this book very much, despite the delay in publishing, but beleive me, it was worth the wait. There's also the back story of why the ending of Requiem was kept a secret, why Chris waited until the last day of shooting Requiem to write the finale, and why only 2 people knew of it's true ending. . . . All in All, an Excellent Book to add to your X-Files Paraphernalia!

This book has great photo, dialogue each show, the cast, interviews, and intersting facts about the show. This is a must have in any one x-files colection.:) :) :) :) :)

I had some apprehensions about this book before it even came out. First, the release date for this volume was pushed back, which is not typically a very good sign. And second, this volume was being drafted by Marc Shapiro and not Andy Meisler (who did such a wonderful job with the previous two volumes). But after having read through it, I can happily allay any apprehensions about this book not living up to its predecessors. Volume 6 in this series is just as good, if not better, than those volumes that came out before it.

Marc Shapiro does a great job in delivering the goods behind every episode. I was very impressed with this from Andy Meisler, and Marc Shapiro doesn't disappoint. There is interesting background information on all the episodes - things like the time-crunch in making "Requiem" and the fact that Gillian Anderson had to wear a wig in a car scene in "The Goldberg Variation" because it was shot after her hair stylist had sheared off her lovely locks.

Included in this book are eight full-color pages of images from the seventh season. Those images selected are fine enough, but they only focus on about four or five episodes, which doesn't do such a great season justice. It would have been nice to see more of a mix - some mythology episodes ("The Sixth Extinction" and "Sein Und Zeit") and stand-alone episodes ("En Ami" and "All Things"). But this is a minor detraction from an overall sharp-looking book.

Any fans of the series should have this volume sitting on their bookshelves. This is a must-have, and it is an enjoyable read. Well worth the wait in the time it took to get it published.

Very good, very concise, especially with radiology. Get it - I think it is out of print but you can find it used. Good luck studying!

I found this book to be pretty good review for Part III. It helped with summarizing all the stuff I learned in chiropractic school. It gave good reviews of the clinical impression or diagnosis, physical examination, neuro examination, etc. I also used the following which was just awesome for showing me the type of questions to be prepared for on the Part III and Part IV chiropractic Boards:
National Board of Chiropractic Part III Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations by Patrick Leonardi
National Board of Chiropractic Part IV Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers (Volume 1) and (Volume 2) by Patrick Leonardi.
In fact, Dr. Patrick Leonardi's and Dr. Jeannette Gibson's study guides helped me to pass the boards. I advise getting these four study guides. It's better than taking these boards over again.

I agree that this book is a great asset, and would recommend it to anyone in Chiropractic school, having previously stipulated that it will not prepare you for part IV. The book does indeed review Part III is great detail, but the part four review - with the exception some medical stuff, abdominal exam, thorax, etc. and some others, does not fully prepare you for Part IV. I found the last section on technique extremely lacking, there were no pictures, and very little on the method with which National Boards test you on (vertebral malposition listings [national listings]) since most of us were taught Gonstead (at least at Life West).

In conclusion, I recommend the Irene Gold review seminars. They may help more than this book will. It is a great book, but let's be real here, with the expense of Part IV National Boards ($850), it is cheaper not to buy this book and go to a review and get a passing grade, than to save in the beginning and fail the exam. That's the opinion of someone who used this book and studied in detail and failed the first time around.

4 Stars!

Buy it, study it, and then take some time to relax while the rest of your class tries to learn that which you've mastered. This text allows you to optimize your time studying. No more wasted hours organizing; it is already done for you. Great book. Worth much more than the price tag. I can't endorse it enough. I gave it to my son, a chiropractor for Christmas, and it proves as useful in practice as it is in school. Much thanks to the authors for writing this book. Well done.

At first I thought this was too much information, then I realized it was everything I needed to know for my clinical studies as well as my academic studies. It is hard to understand how this book was written by doctors. I think professional editors would have a hard time negotiating this level of complexity. You both made it look simple and easy to follow. The amount of organization it contains is awesome. I am finishing up school now, and I only have one complaint about this text. It should've been handed out to the students on the first day of class with a schedule of which sections to learn for each year of study. It should be a required text for everyone. My life, my family, and my peers all would have benefitted from the decreased stress associated with a properly organized course plan. I probable could have saved thousands on coffee and actually slept instead of cramming this information for hours on end. This is an entire education between two covers. Thank you, thank you, thank you. My younger brother starts school in September and he is studying this book already! His life will be so much simpler because of it. I not only studied this material for boards, but due to the ease of which it is laid out I actually had time to learn it. You should write a business text next!

I rate this book just a slight notch above the KQED AYBS book, simply because the creators of AYBS had input in this project. It also highlights the bit players who appeared on AYBS, otherwise the two books do a fine of episode, character, and actor bio's. But the before mentioned book does a slightly better job at reviewing 'Grace and Favour' and the Australian AYBS version..., so you have to buy both :-)

For those of you who have the Are You Being Served? book by Adrian Rigelsford--are you free? For those of you who don't, are you also free? Well, gather around everybody, and that also includes special Grace Brothers board members.

This 25th anniversary book by Richard Webber with the two co-creators of the show, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, is basically an update of the previous book, but in a slightly different format. The story-by-story synopses are there, but instead of the * to **** ratings, there are memorable dialogue bits, that are always good for a laugh or two.

New material: familiar BBC performers who made guest appearances (mostly as hapless customers) on the show, with a short bio on each one. However, why was Gorden Kaye, who later starred in Lloyd and Croft's French Resistance comedy, 'Allo 'Allo, excluded from this section? Also, an episode-by-episode list of guest appearances.

What really perks me are younger photographs of the stars. They are recognizable but it's interesting to see how they looked before they joined Grace Brothers. And Lloyd and Croft's personal observations on the stars are filled with the fondest and highest respect.

There are bios on some of the minor but regular performers, such as Vivienne Johnson (Mr. Grace's nurse), Milo Sperber (Mr. Grossman) and Benny Lee (Mr. Klein), as well as those in Grace And Favour.

There are some updates. Inbetween books, Arthur English, who played Mr. Harman the packing department head, died in 1995, as did Billy Burden (Mr. Moulterd), in 1994.
However, the icing on the cake is the list of hot dolly bird secretaries who appeared throughout the season. My favorites: Penny Irving, the luscious redhead who appeared during the show's peak era, Louise Burton, and the Barbie Doll Candy Davis, who now got a Master's degree and is teaching. Wow, brain and beauty! How rare! Another hottie, Debbie Linden, sadly died in 1997.

My recommendation: get this AFTER the Adrian Rigelsford book to get the optimal enjoying effect. You'll be right as rain then.

This lovely and indeed comprehensive tribute book commences with an introduction by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft (co-writers of the series) and a foreword by Lloyd's ex-wife (and two-time guest), Joanna Lumley, and it is sure to be treasured by fans of this entertaining British comedy.

What makes this book so enjoyable is the amount of participation author Richard Webber has received from everyone involved in the production (from writers, directors, costume designers, etc., to the actors themselves), and the book is filled with their many anecdotes. In the case of deceased actors Harold Bennett (Young Mr. Grace) and Arthur Brough (Mr. Grainger), assistance has been provided by their son and daughter, respectively.

The book includes a detailed history of the series--how it came about, how the actors were chosen, why certain actors left the show, how certain effects were achieved, and so on. Also included are chapters on the stage show, the movie, the 90's sequel (Grace and Favour also known as Are You Being Served? Again!) and a look at the success of the show (and its US and Aussie spinoffs) abroad.

My favourite parts are the four-page bios of the original cast, which includes b/w and sepia photos of the actors at various ages and stages in their careers. (A priceless inclusion are the childhood photos of most of these actors). This is followed by one-half- to one-page bios of "other memorable characters"--the maintenance men, the replacements for Mr. Grainger and Mr. Lucas, Old Mr. Grace, the nurse, and the canteen manageress. There are separate chapters for the secretaries and the lift girls with brief quarter-page bios and tiny b/w photos of each. Finally, there is a chapter devoted to "familiar faces" which contains brief quarter-page bios & tiny b/w photos of every actor to have appeared as a guest on the show.

The book also includes a complete episode guide, often with a particularly memorable snippet of dialogue from the episode being summarized or a "memory" from one of the cast of crew. An episode guide and brief quarter-page bios are also provided for Grace and Favour. Finally, there is a detailed index.

The book is a 10" x 7 3/4" 176-page hardcover printed on thick, good-quality paper with a matte finish, and it contains many b/w and colour photos throughout.

In conclusion, this is an attractive, well-researched, well-written, comprehensive and thoroughly enjoyable look back at one of Britain's most popular comedies and at the cast and crew who made it so memorable. Very highly recommended!

For those of you who have the Are You Being Served? book by Adrian Rigelsford--are you free? For those of you who don't, are you also free? Well, gather around everybody, and that also includes special Grace Brothers board members.

This 25th anniversary book by Richard Webber with the two co-creators of the show, Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, is basically an update of the previous book, but in a slightly different format. The story-by-story synopses are there, but instead of the * to **** ratings, there are memorable dialogue bits, that are always good for a laugh or two.

New material: familiar BBC performers who made guest appearances (mostly as hapless customers) on the show, with a short bio on each one. However, why was Gorden Kaye, who later starred in Lloyd and Croft's French Resistance comedy, 'Allo 'Allo, excluded from this section? Also, an episode-by-episode list of guest appearances.

What really perks me are younger photographs of the stars. They are recognizable but it's interesting to see how they looked before they joined Grace Brothers. And Lloyd and Croft's personal observations on the stars are filled with the fondest and highest respect.

There are bios on some of the minor but regular performers, such as Vivienne Johnson (Mr. Grace's nurse), Milo Sperber (Mr. Grossman) and Benny Lee (Mr. Klein), as well as those in Grace And Favour.

There are some updates. Inbetween books, Arthur English, who played Mr. Harman the packing department head, died in 1995, as did Billy Burden (Mr. Moulterd), in 1994.
However, the icing on the cake is the list of hot dolly bird secretaries who appeared throughout the season. My favorites: Penny Irving, the luscious redhead who appeared during the show's peak era, Louise Burton, and the Barbie Doll Candy Davis, who now got a Master's degree and is teaching. Wow, brain and beauty! How rare! Another hottie, Debbie Linden, sadly died in 1997.

My recommendation: get this AFTER the Adrian Rigelsford book to get the optimal enjoying effect. You'll be right as rain then.

I have watched this show for years and this is such a great book. There are episode details and bios, and even customer bios. Joanna Lumley from AbFab was in the show a couple of times.

If you like AYBS, get this!

This book and its sequel, "Between the Woods and the Water," is truly a classic of the personal odyssey genre. Together they are the report by the English author of a diary he wrote between the ages of 19 and 22 while he walked from Holland to Istanbul. But he writes his report after a lengthy career in military service and, among other things, in journalism. The result combines the enthusiasm of a young student with the measured and spare prose of a seasoned and skilled veteran. The author as student is amazingly well schooled, even though thrown out of his public school. His reflections on what he sees are both erudite and almost poetic. (Read, e.g., the chapter, Prague Under Snow.) They don't serve as a normal travel guide, but they'll introduce you to the lands he traverses in a way that will make your own visit unusually well informed.

This is the continuation of, "A Time of Gifts." The English youth continues his walk across Europe to Constantinople. He picks up now in Austria, on to Hungary following the Danube valley. I wanted to quit reading this - page after page of allusions to east European history from Roman and pre-Roman times, Hungarian geography, reflections on Slavic languages. Esoterics I cannot appreciate. Still, they lured me and challenged me. These are places and these are people - Magyars and Gypsies - we seldom find in writing. We are introduced just as an era is about to end and everything is to change. It can be a book to go to bed with.

I got this book before Amazon existed and I've bought multiple copies since then.
Buy this and treasure it, give it to your friends.

`Between the Woods and the Water' is a delightful travelogue, even though the sites and sounds are long gone. Fermor paints a picture of the life every young man wants to lead - well-funded itinerant travel, nearly effortless sociability, and a seemingly endless nightlife. This is the ultimate "Wish You Were Here" card, well worth the read for anyone interested in travel, history, and tales of pre-war social frivolity in Eastern Europe.

The narrative structure took me by surprise. Almost every region receives a minor academic treatment prior to Fermor's personal tales: history, language, architecture, nature, fun and games, repeat. I found myself skimming past descriptions of birds and trees, but fascinated by the author's insights into the interplay of geography, language development, and regional history. And, of course, it is impossible not to be won over by the author's late nights, fleeting loves, and brief stays with forgotten royalty.

My father often told me that `On the Road' had a profound effect on him as a youth. `Between the Woods and the Water' has a similar effect on me, only later in life. After the reading the story I was offered a brief trip to Hungary which I could not pass up. Far from Fermor's experience, I was greeted with mindless business meetings, post-communism industrial architecture, a robbery, and small-scale street riots. In the end, my disappointment with reality deepened my appreciation of the book - a memorializing tale of a geography and way of life that no longer exists.

The title above is German for "Absolutely nothing!", Fermor's droll reply to "What are you studying?" when visiting a scholar with his newfound Transylvanian friend Istvan, who laughs about such blasphemy all the way back from the visit. The polymathic Fermor had contemplated his answer a few moments before answering-"Languages? Art? Geography? Folklore? Literature? None of them seemed to fit." The truth is, of course, as anyone who has read of anything of Fermor's knows full well, that Fermor has been studying all of these things, but with his own assiduous, unacademic zeal. This time he spent in Transylvania (The country's name meaning, as any first year Latinist would know, "Across the Woods") is by far my favourite: His escapades with Istvan, the fleeting amour with Angela, the effortless historical erudition about the region all make it exemplary of the book as a whole - which is not to slight the rest of it at all!

I disagree profoundly with the reviewers who take umbrage at Fermor's "esoteric" use of language and historic allusion. For the armchair traveler, these qualities make the book just that much more fun - Diving into the OED and various encyclopedias to thresh out some of the references.

The overall effect of this book, as with A Time of Gifts, is best likened to a friendly punch in the gut by an old chum. It takes you at unawares but leaves you invigorated and happy to be alive in the world. Yes, there are sadnesses to the book, not the least of which is that the beautiful View of the Danube near Regensburg on the cover of the NYRB edition is now underwater, lost forever; But as Fermor contemplates as his time with Angela draws to a close, "There are hours in life worth more than diamonds." This book is full of them!


And all these youths chain-smoking cigarettes! Perhaps the Surgeon General should put a warning label on the book lest a youth of today discover the vibrant meaning of carpe diem!

A theatre writer, Riccardo Molteni, cannot write anymore because his wife, Emilia, does not love him anymore. Moreover, she despises him, all of a sudden.

The search for the reasons which led to this sudden change of feelings, makes Moravia rewrite a modern versin of Ulyse's myth. In a few words, Penelope did not love Ulyse anymore, though she remained faithful to him even before he left for Troja. Why did she not love him? Because the king's behaviour was not masculine enough towards her admirers at the court.
Therefore, Ulyse wins his wife's contempt and consequently leaves for Troja to free himself in a way. After the war, he postpones sine die his return to Ithaca, obessed by the same thing: Penelope's contempt.

When he finally decides to go back home, he knows he has no other solution but to violently kill all Penelope's admirers, in order to get her admiration and love.

And this is how Homer can be well combined with Freud. The moravian style, vivid and direct, manifests itself in this novel, keeping alive the pleasure of your reading.

I think Alberto Moravia is one of the greatest Italian writers of all times. All his novels deal with important issues our society has to face, problems we all have. Many of us will recognize ourselves in his characters.

It will be a very challenging reading that will make you ask a lot of questions about yourself and your life. Enjoy it!

After a second reading of Contempt, I feel compelled to call the short, tautly written novel a masterpiece. Told from the perspective of a neurotic egotist, the narrator accounts how he "sacrificed" his literary writing career to debase himself in the tawdry task of writing screenplays so that he can afford to lavish his wife with a bigger more opulent living quarters. The narrator convinces himself that not only does his wife not appreciate his "sacrifice," but that she no longer loves him. It's horrifying to read this narcissist's account of his marital disintegration because you begin to realize that he is projecting his own lack of love toward his wife (a pefectly fine, loving woman) and you realize that he is so emotionally arrested that he is incapable of loving anyone. Further, a close reading reveals that the narrator never sacrificed his writing career for his wife's opulent tastes, but rather is debasng his writing talents for his own greedy materialistic acquistion.

Many see Moravia's novel as the quintessential example of "modernism," the movement that emphasizes the human limitation for self-understanding and the understanding of others. Also, the novel explores Freudian themes of projection, paranoia, and the powers of the unconscious.

The novel is fast-paced save for a few chapters where the writer and director indulge in long-winded discussions about the mythical exposition of their film but overall the novel is a real page-turner full of suspense and psychological realism.

If you enjoy this suspensful novel told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, I recommend Asylum by Patrick McGrath, Despair by Vladimir Nabokov, and The Horned Man by James Lasdun.

somehow there is a new found celebration for contempt and everything associated with it. a year and a half ago, godard's contempt was finally re-released; a couple of months ago, two new books about casa malaparte allowed us to view the importance of the film's setting, most notably capri and it's culture, but now this new publication of moravia's contempt will allow everyone to view the masterpiece it truly represents.

Finally, someone had the common decency to reprint Moravia in translation. And they also picked the best titles. Il Disprezzo (The Contempt) is the best, most honest, unflinching look at the disintegration of a relationship that I have ever read. Last released in the States in the 1950's under the title A Ghost at Noon, this is the same excellent translation by Angus Davidson, who translated almost all of the authors works up until his death in 1990. If you've ever experienced the conclusion of a long-term relationship and for some masochistic reason want to remember what it was like, this is the book for you. I guess that's not a ringing endorsement. But trust me, Moravia's penchant for psychological details is so devastatingly on-point, you'll find yourself nodding nauseatingly at the pathetic delusions and convoluted rationalizations taking place between the couple. It should be noted that this isn't the book's only focus. Quite uncharacteristically, Moravia tackles popular culture and the highbrow-lowbrow dichotomy in a darkly humorous fashion. I haven't seen Godard's film adaptation but I understand that it is an incredible achievement in itself.

Moravia's writing which I would not have encountered were it not for these elegant new paperback versions of his work is open to the bone. His honest revelations through his all too human characters are poignant, pointed, and penetrating. To any one interested in looking deep inside themeselves and their relationships: I recommend Contempt. Prepare to squirm.

I love princeton review series. they are the best best best. I used this book sophmore year to prep for AP bio. I didn't read the whole textbook only up to chapter 25, but this book helped me get a 5. You need to know everything in this book to do well. learn all the diagrams and every vocab. good luck

I would recommend this book to anyone taking the test. I used it to study for the AP exam in 2006 and crammed 90% of the book the day before. I'm really happy with the result because I got a 5 from it. This was the only book I used.

This book is really great just like all of the other princeton review book. I took the AP test yesterday, and just want to point out to everyone that as long as you read this book and do the practice tests, you don't need anything else. It's a great book with great info and great everything. Even though there are some mistakes on the practice tests.

I basically paid $13 for a 5 on the AP Biology Exam.

At my school, there is no AP Biology course. Instead, there is simply an honors course. A few friends and I, enrolled in that course, decided that we would take the AP Biology Exam. We all bought this book and we all studied. People doubted us, as taking an AP test without the class is often a recipe for failure at our school. In the class, due to an adaptation in the schedule, we didn't even cover plants, protists, fungi, photosynthesis, or respiration. Most of the body systems were left up to us to study, as well.

Fast forward to July 1. Being impatient, I call AP to find my scores. I'm praying for a 3 in Biology, but lo and behold, a 5. How?

The book goes over everything. Every subject that the book could test for it covers. In addition, the tests help prepare for the same kind of questions. I didn't incur the same problems as another reviewer, who said there were incorrect answers, but all the answers are explained and I really did not have a problem. In any case, the AP exam doesn't ask for the correct answer; it asks for the best answer. This book even goes over the experiments, which we didn't even have a chance to do, and thus helped me do well on the essay section even though I hadn't ever done the experiment.

If you are taking the AP Biology Exam, buy this book. With a little bit of work and this book, getting a 5 really isn't too difficult.

I had a horrible AP bio teacher this past year and I pretty much had to study on my own to learn this stuff. I also bought the AP Bio Cliffs book, but I used that as a review after I finished each chapter in the Princeton one. The Princeton one gives great descriptions and teaches you in essay format, while the Cliffs just gives you bullet points, so the information doesn't quite flow as smoothly. Also, Princeton's "words to know" and quiz questions at the end of each chapter helped me so much! I scored a 4 on the test, which would have never happened had I not got this book!

I took the Calc BC Exam this May. I do not know what else I can say besides that this book will get you a 5 on calc BC. Of course, I got a 5 on it, with the subgrade also being 5. I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!!

I can't say quite enough about how much this book has really helped me with calculus. The teacher I had over the summer at a community college was crap compared to this book, I highly, HIGHLY recommend it.

After reading the Amazon reviews, I purchased this book and the Kaplan version. I quickly set aside the Kaplan book and focused on "Cracking the AP Calculus AB & BC Exams," though. The review information is comprehensive yet abbreviated, as most of the concepts are taught in class. However, enough information is given to fill in any knowledge gaps. The practice after each chapter is good, and the solutions are fully explained. I was particularly impressed with the practice tests. The problems mirrored those on the actual AP Calculus AB exam exactly. There were only a few problems I didn't encounter in this book that were on the AP exam. This book did the trick... I got a 5!

My school does not offer AP Calculus, but by AP rules, you can take the test despite not having the class. So, my son decided to use this book to help him prepare. My son is very good at math, so he was able to learn from the way this presented the material. He ended up getting the highest possible score.

If you have the class-imagine what you can accomplish with this aid.

I ordered this book about a month before I took the AP calculus BC exam and it was a life saver. It had everything in it that I wanted. The practice tests were slightly harder than the real AP exam and that is a good thing, because then you are prepared. If you are going to be taking the AP calculus exam I would highly recommend buying this book.

EASY READING AND TO THE POINT. I OWN A FEW DIFFERENT REVIEW BOOKS AND THIS IS THE MOST HELPFUL.

fast shipping!!came on time and the book was as described! i'd defitely order from them again.

I would have to say that this is the best CCRN review book out there. It is easily readable, comprehensive, and includes many practice questions to help you determine if you understand, can apply, and can remember the material. I have bought other review books, but unfortunately, they have been in outline forms and not as valuable. They get boring quick too! I have no problems with the little bits of extra infomration included in this book that may or may not be on the exam as it helps you comprehend the other information and serves as a review. I have bought other books that only have questions for review and I must say that I tried some of them without this book and did so so, but not great. After reading the sections of this book, I went back to those questions and others I had not done and did much much, much better, as I had reviewed the information and had a better understanding of the material! I certianly think this is a good book for anyone planning to take the CCRN exam or wishing to brush up and learn more about critical care nursing in general! I definately believe this book is the book I need to help me pass the CCRN. I am planning to take the exam in September- I will leave and update to how I do after! Thanks again for this book.

I too thought that the first chapter was hard to get through--the cardiovascular section is extremely thorough and has quite a bit of information that really isn't addressed on the exam. The remaining chapters, however, were much easier reading, and the explanations are so much better than what I have found in other books. The book also has an extensive collection of practice questions, and while it does not give rationales for the correct answers, it does direct you to where it was covered in the book. I used several resources to study for the exam and this one was by far the most complete. I am currently in a graduate program working on my CCNS and I still use this book all of the time as a reference for my assignments.

I attended AACN's NTI critical care conference in 2007, and had the privilege of attending lectures by Thomas Ahrens. After studying tons of material in preparation for the exam, this was the last book I purchased. It should have been the first and only one I purchased. Ahrens simplifies complex concepts in an interesting manner, and covers material you WILL SEE on the exam. This book was the most helpful resource I utilized! He presents hundreds of scenarios and practice questions, which were priceless when I sat for the exam. I passed the paper-and-pencil, full-length CCRN exam on the first try. Great prep indeed from Ahrens - a valuable and brilliant critical care expert.

Tip: If you want in-depth info (down to the cellular level), try using the "Core Curriculum" from AACN as an added source. Although Ahrens' book is the most in-line with the actual exam, if you desire advanced pathophysiological data, you will require another source.

I am such a huge CSI fan and this book is the most fantastic book for fans of the show. It has lots of information about ever episode from season 1 through to 4 and information on the characters too. For each episode, it's headed up with the name of the episode, original airdate, special guest stars etc. Then it goes into depth about the storyline (something the dvds don't do on the cover at any length) shows a few pictures and ends with a side piece about how the creation of that episode came about. Throughout the stunning glossy-ish book, there are case files on the CSI's themselves and their fields of expertise (and great pictures of Nick).
It's really a coffee table type of book in the fact that you look through it once or twice, keep it aside and flick through it again every now and then. It's interesting and fun to look at and I highly highly recommend it to any fan of the show like I am and you'll be so happy with your puchase for sure.

This is a spectacular book for all CSI fans that covers Seasons 1 - 3. Each episode is summarized in order of airing for each season with highlights of the case, investigator(s) involved, evidence found and tests performed (DNA, autopsy, facial reconstruction, fingerprinting), suspect and victim information, and the status of the case, i.e. solved, unsolved. If more than one case is handled during the episode, each plot is summarized separately, going between the cases as they do on the show.

Some case summaries include a couple pages of graphical information relating to the case and provide more details, such as investigator reports, evidence and chain of custody tags, evidence and DNA test results, investigative reports, etc. Some of the contents of these pages are difficult to read but give you an overall picture of the actual "case file".

Then on blue tinted pages, the producers, directors, writers and actors make comments on the episode. There is some great information on how some scenes were filmed for maximum effect. Actors also provide insight to their characters as they relate to that particular case and in general. This is really nice since for the most part there is not much character history on the show. It's also in these pages that we learn that some of the cases are based on real life cases by one of the writers.

It is also mentioned by writers and actors (William Petersen and Jorja Fox) that the sexual tension between the characters of Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle has been part of the plans from the beginning of the show. Also, details are provided of how certain scenes and dialog are planned out for specific episodes to highlight that tension.

There is also a character profile provided for each of the main characters of the show. This profile gives background information of each of the characters, including family history, education, work history and other pertinent personal information.

I give this book "two thumbs up".

Just what I wanted- very quick shipping and all ready to wrap for Christmas. Thank you so much. I would certainly rate this transaction A+,A+,A+,A+
I'll be back!

Now that the CSI series is into its seventh season I keep hoping that a second volume of this fantastic book, covering each program of the first three seasons, will be followed by a second volume covering the 4th, 5th and 6th season's programs. I can only hope that the author, Mike Flaherty and the publisher, Simon & Schuster's Pocket Book Division, will not disappoint this volume's legion of fans!

If you love C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation - The Complete First Season (which I do) then you'll love reading through this companion book (which I did)! Covering every episode in the first three seasons of the hit show, this book takes you behind the scenes with details you might have missed while watching them on television.

Besides listing the writer of each episode, the director, and all of the guest stars and parts they played, you get an overview of the case, the evidence and facts, and the conclusion.

One of the most interesting aspects of this book are the pictures and illustrations. Taken from the actual "case file", you can see up close and personal the evidence that the CSI's collected from the crime scene and used to find the perpetrator. Many of these items were never shown on the actual show, or if they were, it was done so quickly I must have missed it!

I really hope that they come out with another companion for the succeeding seasons, as this is one show I can't get enough of. You'll definitely be happy you purchased this book, and the only thing I can think of that would make it better is to also put out a CSI: MIAMI companion!!