Reviews Books

It's Friday night, you're tired after a long work week, and you're wandering the aisles at Blockbuster looking for a good family film. No need to go through the brain damage of reading millions of obscure DVD sleeves when you have Michael Booth's fine book, which recommends some little-noticed but still-great films appropriate for the schoolkids in your house. Screenit.com is OK if you have a specific idea for a rentable movie, but Booth's book is much better when you need recommendations (and for the fun writing, too).

This book is both helpful and enjoyable to read. The commentary addresses its audience with insight and intelligence. Best Family Films has been really helpful - particularly with concerns on the wide range of whether PG-13 movies are more of a PG or an R rating. This book has taken away parental angst.

Booth has a great feel for which movies work for which audience/age group. His recommendations have been 100% when selecting movies for our family.

Michael Booth is the thinking person's alternative to that other Michael (Medved) who professes an interest in family films. Booth's reviews are informative, helpful, witty, and a real pleasure to read. Highly recommended!

This guide's succinct reviews are really useful. Every review is on one page, with an entertaining tidbit, age-appropriateness and run-time on the facing page. I found several of my all-time favorites, but what's better is that I found a few gems that weren't on my list yet.

I don't normally write reviews, however in this case I felt compelled to do so. If you're looking into the topic of family films, let me save you some time. Get this book. As others have noted, Mr. Booth's reviews are entertaining, informative and spot on. His selections include films off the beaten path. Good stuff!

I really like this book, it goes way back to the radio programs...
I love seeing and reading about the people who played the parts years ago and have since passed away or left the show.
It is a great book for Guiding Light fans.
If you don't have it GET IT!

i have the hardback version of this book. This magnificent book came along in 1997 when "Guiding Light" was celebrating it's then 60th Anniversary. This month marks the show's 67th Anniversary {it having began on radio in January 1937 as a 15 minute sermon from various reverends from the Little Church in Five Points}. The radio show expanded to traditional serial melodrama by 1948 with the introduction of the German immigrant Bauer clan, a family that's STILL a part of the show to this very day, plus a host of other families. The book talks in-depth about each and every storyline that had a major impact or is at least memorable to fans. Admittedly, the first generation of fans who recall when the show was on radio are either no longer with us or are in their 80s or 90s by now. And so, this book, as i see it, was also designed to highlight the radio years for the contemporary fans of today who might've started watching in the mid '80s or the early '90s and afterward. The show moved to TV in June 1952 (continuing on radio until 1956). By now the Bauers were the focal point and the storylines were written to revolve around the Bauers and the conflicts they had with each other and the community. Bert was a social climber at first but she out-grew it by the early '60s after she had a pap smear, one of the first storylines in a soap opera to deal with such topics; Bill was a womanizer and an alchoholic; Papa Frederich was the German immigrant patriarch; and as the decade grew, Bill and Bert's son Ed became a doctor and an alcoholic while brother Mike became a womanizing lawyer. The book really gets "juicy" when the '70s section rolls around. 1971 was the debut of Michael Zazlow as Roger Thorpe, the scheming corporate ladder climber who was always being over-shadowed by nemesis Ed Bauer. And so, the '70s were dominated by the quadrangle of Roger Thorpe/Holly Norris/Ed Bauer/Peggy Fletcher. Storylines like that, plus the 1977 arrival of the wealthy yet sinister Spaulding clan would prove to be the show's success, causing ANOTHER very popular triangle of Alan Spaulding/Elizabeth Spaulding/Mike Bauer. The book gets vague in the mid '80s section because i recall things that the book leaves out: like 1986's return of Alan Spaulding. The book says Alan made his return with help from Baron von Halkein...which is true. But the book leaves out Alan's missing years (1984-1986) and never lets the reader know that Alan had been living life as 'Gregory Samuels' in San Rios after having been shot and presumed dead by the FBI, who were hot on his trail in early 1984. Alan had managed to seize control of several emerald mines and use an alias to avoid detection. If fans see this review they'll now know about Alan's missing years. Apart from that bit of history left out of the book, i have no complaints. The back pages of the book give histories of the families that were currently on the show: Bauer, Spaulding, Lewis, Reardon, Chamberlain, and Cooper. There are two tributes to the two most popular characters: Roger Thorpe and Reva Shane. Charita Bauer, the actress who played Bertha "Bert" Bauer from 1949-1984, is also given high praise. All of the awards from the industry to fan-voted are also shown. There's even a section where favorite couples are highlighted: Phillip and Beth; Mike and Elizabeth; Rick and Abigail; etc. Jerry ver Dorn gives the introduction and he holds the record for second longest running cast-member. He's played attorney Ross Marler since 1979. The record holder is Charita Bauer, of course, with 35 years as Bert. The other person with the most consecutive years behind Charita's 35 and Jerry's 25, is Tina Sloan...she's played Nurse Lillian Raines since 1983, this is her 21st year on the show. This book is dated, of course. A lot has happened on the show since late 1996/early 1997. seek out back issues of Soap Opera Digest for re-caps of action post 1996. This book is a must for all fans of the show both young and old. Until someone comes along with a potential 70th Anniversary book in 2007, this 60th Anniversary is an excellant introduction to the show.

Great book! Lots of information about GL. I enjoyed reading what happened in the episodes before I was an avid watcher.

Hopefully, there will be future update editions of this wonderful missive on the history of daytime's oldest soap. Not just for fans, either!

I have been a huge fan of GL for a few yrs now..the only thing that sux about this book is that all the great gl stars have left.. wendy moniz as dinah marler and cynthia watros as annie dutton will greatly be missed..

it is a great show...but the WRITING DESPERATELY NEEDS to improve...but the memories from 1990-1997 were truly spectacular...finally we see THE LIGHT!

very efficient delivery.
product in very good state.

This is the standard by which most other Cardiology board review texts are measured. This new version is not as readable in my opinion as its previous version. The whole reason I bought it was to avoid the Brunwauld-esque style, but alas I think this text book is becoming like the Braunwald text which certainly is not a review book. On the other hand, the ECG section in outline format was too bare bones. All in all, not the greatest review book in the world but not too many viable alternatives when trying to review for Cardiology Boards. I guess it's the only game in town.

I bought this book as a resident transitioning into a cardiology fellowship. The content is between a board review book and a more comprehensive text, i.e. Braunwald. It is an excellent resource for a focused, yet thorough, review of most cardiology topics.

Strenghts are that it is very readable, has key points emphasized in outline format throughout text, is sufficiently detailed to learn a topic relatively well, has pertinent cardiology trials integrated into the text, and a nice very focused key point review at the end for last minute board prep.

One con is that there are no references to journal articles for more detailed reading.

I would recommend this book to any resident wanting a good cardiogy text or for fellows in training. Also a nice review for practicing cardiologists.

Excellent resource book that is written clearly enough for people who are not necessarily medically trained. Reading the chapter on my own heart condition allowed me to have a great conversation with my cardiologist that went beyond the usual "this is what you have, take these pills, see me again in 6 months....". This book is great!

Very good review for Cardiology Boards. Not necessarily an easy read but the review books which are as such tend to be too simple. This is probably a good happy medium between the quickie review books and a Braunwald's

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK TO GET READY FOR THE TEST , AFTER BEING COUPLE YEARS OUT OF THE FIELD I USED THIS BOOK AND THE Q & A BOOK, AND I PASS WITH AN 85%. IT HAVE SOME MISTAKES BUT THEY ARE OBVIOUS.. ITS A VERYYYY GOOD BOOK !!

Arrived very promptly in perfect condition. great book for review. gives you need to knows for boards.

I would totally recommend this book to anyone who is going to be taking the ARRT registry. It's a great review from the x-ray program. A must have!!

This book helped me pass the ARRT Exam. I haven't been in school for a couple of years...plus I went to school overseas. I had the old version of this book but I needed to buy the newer one. It lived up to it's title "Radiography PREP". This book together with the Lange Q&A - Radiography Examination were the only books I needed...now I'm a Registered RT.

I have been out of school for 32 years and recently needed to renew my ARRT license which I unfortunately had let lapse. I studed this book and the Appleton & Lange review and passed the test with a 90. I highly recommend this book for confidence in taking the registry.

I purchased this text book for my sixth grader to use with a private Spanish teacher. It is a very comprehensive and well compiled textbook. It covers all necessary topics (grammar, reading/comprehension & writing) in a organized and easy to understand format.

If you had Spanish in high school but it's been a while since you've used it,then this is the perfect book for you! It begins with the simple present tense then progresses to the more complicated preterite and subjunctive. At the end of the book you will find interesting cultural tidbits to enhance your experience of learning the Spanish language. Have fun!

Although I agree that this book is certainly a bargain when compared to the standard textbook options that often cost 3-4 times as much, I was disappointed to find that no solutions to the exercises are provided. One must purchase ANOTHER book before the exercises in this book can really be said to be useful. I am a firm believer in immediate correction when it comes to language review and acquisition--spending time on exercises without knowing which you did wrong will only reinforce what are your misunderstandings of grammar. However, if you are willing (and able) to buy the solutions manual along with this book, then it will make a good review--though it won't be the bargain that it at first appeared.

As a Spanish 2 and 3 teacher I highly reccomend this book. I use it as a reference myself because it has great explanations and the order of the grammar structures is useful. I would reccomend getting an answer key along with the book. This is a great book to refresh your memory on grammatical structures.
I am glad I bought this book!

Repaso was used as my school textbook for higher level Spanish courses in high school. Everything is great about it. The instructions are in English which makes it even more compatable. The book is able to review old concepts, but has enough to teach the little proper things about Spanish. It is a great purchase for any student that is just learning Spanish or has been taking it for many years and needs a reference.

It's no wonder this short little novel stood in the Argentine bestsellers list for about 27 WEEKS. I too read this book in one sitting, but not because of its lenght,(even though it helps)but but because its so good and so well written that I literaly went out and bought a copy for each of my friends for christmas last year and each one stated that it was the best gift they had recieved. The cover might be a bit tacky but hey never judge a book by its cover. there are so many things to say about this novel that there isn't enough room to write about it. All I have to say is buy it, it's worth every penny.

No wonder the novel won the price for best novel in 1983 in Mexico....it is superbly well written, misterious, erotic and captivating.

Read this in one sitting...Wonderful plot and great characters. This is what finding new authors is all about.

I have read in the longest time . I was going to write that he is the best writer form argentina , but that statement does not do him justice . I too read this book in one sitting and since then giardinelli has become one of my favorite writers . I own every one of his books . The ending is surprising and also genius. Get this book you definitely will not regret it .

I love short books that pack a wallop, pull you in and just refuse to let you go, demand that you read them at one sitting - I think of "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" by Thornton Wilder, "Night Flight" by Antione de Saint Exupery, and "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink. I have now added "Sultry Moon" by the Argentine writer Mempo Giardinelli to this exclusive club. This is a gripping tale of one man's fascination with crime - a fascination which leads him to commit several crimes during three days under the hot "sultry moon" during December 1977, in the early days of the Argentine military dictatorship, which is a background to this story but not its central focus. Ramiro, the central figure of the story, is drawn into a vortex of crime, conscience and punishment as ineluctably as was Raskolnikov in Dostoyevksy's "Crime and Punishment". Looking for something a little bit off the beaten track to grab you one rainy (or even sunny) afternoon? Go read this extraodinary book. I think you may be repulsed but you will definitely be fascinated.

Alex McNeill's "Total Television" is one of those reference works which is useful both for settling trivia arguments at parties and for helping those engaged in serious scholarly study of television programs and their impact upon popular culture. As of this review, "Total Television" is in its fourth edition.

The book is basically an alphabetical encyclopedia of thousands of television programs in every possible genre: dramas, sitcoms, game shows, cartoons, and more. Each entry lists the series' air dates, principal performers, and other relevant data.

In addition to the main body of encyclopedic entries, the book includes a wealth of supplemental features: lists of Emmy winners, a chronological gathering of one-shot specials, and more. Particularly interesting are the programming grids, which show the nightly lineups on each network for each night of the week. You can turn to a season (say, 1951-52) and see what choices the American TV viewer had each night! This feature is great for historians.

Although most of the entries on each series are brief, McNeill spends more time and space on certain series of outstanding impact. These extended articles on "All in the Family," "CBS Evening News," "Dallas," "The Ed Sullivan Show," and more are truly fascinating.

TV has been derided by many with such epithets as "the Boob Tube" and "The Idiot Box." On the other hand, it was praised in an episode of "The Simpsons" as "teacher, mother. . . secret lover." McNeill captures TV in all of its facets: from the depths of inanity to the heights of cultural significance. This book is a great achievement whose reputation, I believe, will increase with future editions.

This reference is superb in it's completeness. Anything you want to know about any program broadcast from 1948-1996 is in this 1251 page book. The 88 page index of names of performers appearing during those years is unbelievable. It includes specials, miniseries and the top 20 rated shows for each of those years. I use this reference at least 2 to 3 times a week.

Where this book is not as easy to use as Brooks and Marsh's "Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows"(see my review for this one), it offers more-as far as the addition of daytime shows and more explanation of the entries. I like the other guide mainly because it's a good quick reference for prime time. However, if I'm really interested in detail or, again, a daytime program-like some Saturday morning cartoon of my childhood-then this is the one to get. I have both books, actually-for reasons specified here.

First, we might note that "... To the Present," in the book's title, means through late 1995. So nothing in the last ten years is included. For years, I have enjoyed "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present" by Brooks and Marsh. I prefer the format of the Brooks and Marsh book to that of the NcNeil book--e.g., the cast is in list form, which makes for easier and quicker reading; the showing time is also included. The chief advantage of the McNeil book is that it includes daytime TV, which the Brooks and Marsh book does not.

Alex McNeil's "Total Television" is the Mother of all TV reference volumes. If you can't find it here, it ain't worth knowin' about. How he was able to compile all this information covering 50+ years of TV is beyond me. Crack open this book at any page and you will be reading for hours, probably days.

Seriously, I think a lot of this book. The artwork is wonderful; the story is wonderful. We had to buy this copy because we wore out our first one.

Another great book by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson. Nice story and great artwork. Recommended if you already own and like Ferdinand.

So glad it's back...this classic book on how different people can get along. Not just for kids.

"Wee Gillis" is a classic of children's literature, and this is an excellent new reprint. There is no dustjacket, but the book has a very strong cardboard cover and good quality paper.
The book combines an interesting commentary on the cultures of the Scottish highlands and lowlands with a simple and rather old-fashioned story of how a boy takes his place in the adult world.
The black and white illustrations complement the text beautifully, and almost tell the story on their own.

Originally published in 1938, this one is a delight to see back in print thanks to New York Review Books. The Scottish setting is charming and the central message, to be who you are, is important. Not content to be a hunter like his father's family or a farmer like his mother's family, Wee Gillis finds his own place in this world as a bagpiper. Baby boomers will be familiar with Robert Lawson's illustrations from such children's classics as Rabbit Hill, Ben And Me and The Story of Ferdinand, also written by Munro Leaf. I adore this book so much I named my dear and very independent Cairn Terrier puppy Wee Gillis.

I find that I agree with all of the positive reviews, but indeed what most haunts me about Mutis is his deeply introspective writing style. I read the book in Spanish (my native language, btw) and the language is enthralling and personal... If you took away the background, most of Macqroll's fears and feelings are rather universal, and as you read the book (especially that WONDERFUL! first chapter) the book becomes an introspective exercise, made bearable simply because Mutis takes you there with the gentleness of his writing, the magic of the geographical settings (and their descriptions) and the company of the most human and flawed characters (Ilona being my personal favorite).

Ah, this is a wonderful book for a sunny or rainy day. It is so perfect in all does. The stories are fascinating and amusing -- often poignant. You will never forget ANY of the characters, especially Maqroll. And Bashur. And the Mirror Breaker. And Jamil. If, since childhood, you have dreamed of tramp steamers and ports around the world, as I have, your ship truly has come in in this book. Well, I could go on just spitting out adoring adjectives, but, like all the other reviewers here, I enjoyed this book immensely. It won't be long till I pick it up and read it all over again. A book I'll always remember. A classic.

Alvaro Mutis wrote several superb short novels about the travels and trials of his creation, the wandering sailor Maqroll, gathered here in one volume in an excellent translation. Adventure, friendship, obsession, loyalty, bad judgment, and hilariously (sometimes tragically) desperate situations play out in obscure and exotic locations. "Maqroll" is an excellent companion for your own world travels.

It is densely written and discursive . . . relentlessly so, for 700 pages. Perhaps you will find this poetic, profound, or even titillating. Perhaps not. Perhaps, instead, you will think that Mutis is a brilliant, verbally gifted man in need of lithium and a good editor, or both. In all fairness, he gives plenty of warning up front. Page 17: "Our mistake is to think it's going somewhere, . . ." Page 19: "makes his sentences difficult to understand until we grow used to the rhythm of a language intended to conceal more than it communicates." Page 20: ". . . filled with long, rambling circumlocutions that made no sense." I think this award winning "emperor" is feeling a bit chilly, but laughing his chillies off.

Yes, I agree with the other reviewers who have asseverated that this is a great book. But they don't seem to want to spell out why exactly it is a great novel, or, rather, series of picaresque adventures. - Perhaps they're simply tired due to the 700 page literary trek. - But, come now, a great novel because of tramp steamers and the sea? While the sea is certainly the element in which Maqroll feels most at home, there are, literally, hundreds of novels about the sea and the love of it (In particular, there's one author who's made himself into a multi-millionaire by churning out these books like a sausage-machine).

No, what makes this book great is the underlying fatalism of the work sweepingly on display in Maqroll and the several other characters, and in the finely wrought passages on what this life offers us, picaresque vagabond or not. Many comparisons have been made to Don Quixote. - But not in the right way - Maqroll is Don Quixote's Twentieth Century doppelganger, or spectral double: Spectral, as is the case with many doppelgangers in fiction, in that he is the Knight's opposite. Where Don Quixote is chaste, Maqroll is licentious, where Don Quixote is naïve, Maqroll is instinctively wise to the ways of the fallen world etc. etc. --- In literary terms, Don Quixote is a Romantic. Maqroll is Tragic.

I wonder, reading the other reviews, if the other readers may have just possibly skimmed over the philosophical passages that glower at one on every other page or so. It is these passages, these lyrical, defiant, essentially dark reflections that make this much more than any mere sea novel or rollicking picaresque.

For Example, for starters:

"...it's not worry I feel but weariness as I watch the approach of one more episode in the old, tired story of the men who try to beat life, the smart ones who think they know it all and die with a look of surprise on their faces: at the final moment they always see the truth - they never really understood anything, never held anything in their hands. An old story, old and boring." P.24

And again:

"He thought that the real tragedy of aging lay in the fact that the eternal boy still lives inside us, unaware of the passage of time. A boy whose secrets had been revealed with notable clarity when Maqroll withdrew to Aracuriare Canyon, and who claimed the prerogative of not aging, since he carried that portion of broken dreams, stubborn hopes, and mad, illusory enterprises in which time not only does not count but is, in fact, inconceivable. One day the body sends a warning and, for a moment, we awake to the evidence of our own deterioration: someone has been living our life, consuming our strength. But we immediately return to the phantom of our spotless youth, and continue to do so until the final, inevitable awakening." P.261

And again, and again, and again...

Yes, there are mad illusory enterprises throughout the book- And jolly fun they are to read - But, like a requiem continually droning in the background, we are given, in Maqroll's reflections, that he is aware exactly how mad and illusory these enterprises are.

Fatalistic literature has never been popular, in America especially, which was founded on principles contrary to it, and where the recurrent mantra is, "You can be anything you want to be." This book shows, time and again, that you can't. It's no wonder Maqroll is enamoured of, among others, the Ancient Greeks.

Summing up, this is a great book because Mutis does the seemingly impossible here, giving us the pleasurable, lilting melodies of the sea yarn and adventure story, all the while beating the steady drumbeat of mortal doom.

I LOVED this book. I read a lot, and don't love most of what I read, but I loved this book. Kamla quickly and steadily emerged as the wise and quiet commentary over the unstable and difficult struggle faced by the family she came to love (and not love).

I swear I could SMELL and TASTE India while reading this book.

I am exhausted. I have just spent the last week racing around India in the late 1940's, struggling with the loss of love, fighting to keep faith and belief alive, and despairing at the imperfections of the human heart. Aimee Liu's Flash House is a myriad of subplots all rolled into one dazzling central theme - fighting for what you believe in and never giving up on what or who you love.

Joanna Shaw met her husband Aidan in a 'Maze of Mirrors' attraction at a beach-side carnvial. From word go, his interests in the world, his unique beliefs outside of Joanna's previous "Pleasantivlle" life were a gasping, sweet breath of fresh air for Joanna. When Aidan follows his journalism career to India, Joanna packs up their home and their son Simon and dutifully and happily follows. Settled in New Dehli, Aidan leaves Joanna asleep in their bed to set out on what she has been told is an 'assignment'. In his absence, Joanna goes ahead with her employment in New Delhi - running a Safe House for rescuing child prostitues...one of which becomes elemental in ironically rescuing Joanna. From the minute little Kamla, the girl with the turquoise eyes, rests her sight on "Mrs Shaw" she "claims" her as the physical entity of her freedom. After suffering a savage destruction of her innocence, Kamla runs to the only place she can think of, Joanna's residence. Amidst highly volatile political unrest, Joanna takes Kamla in after learning of her history and decides to deal with the consequences of personally rescuing an Indian orphan later. Just days later, Joanna receives a telegram of Aidan's disappearance after his plane went down in the Karakoram mountain range and Joanna's entire existence gets thrown off course.

So begins this wonderful, wild adventure told with scissor-sharp precision by the glorious writer, Aimee Liu. As it increasingly appears to the reader, the circumstances that Joanna met Aidan in, the maze of mirrors, may have laid the groundwork for what Liu slowly reveals of their smoke and mirror marriage. Accompanied by Lawrence Malcolm, an Australian friend of Aidan's and little Kamla who proves to be a talented translator, Joanna packs up her son Simon and does the only thing she feels sure of - going after Aidan.

This novel explores the strength, the stubborness, the fraility and the invicibility of unconditional love and all of the complicated mess of emotions that are unable to be contained, that don't fit neatly into a clean little box. Liu's language and descriptions left me breathless and shaking my head - walking alongside these beautifully crafted characters was an absolute joy...with the ultimate question of Aidan's location dangling above me like a carrot for the entire journey. Flash House is a convicting satsifying and unpredictable read and overall was a perfectly paced tale of adventure and love, a combination that Aimee Liu has pulled off with great skill and authenticity.

If I could give this novel ten stars, I would because this is everything that a novel should be. The twists and turns in the plot capture your interest and hold you captive yet it is the rich lyrical use of language that truly make the book memorable. This is an author who uses words like magic to weave you into a spell of love and intrigue.

The epilogue of this plot-driven novel is satisfying at all levels and the author does the reader the great service of truly wrapping up the novel to a lovely and believable ending.

The only negative that I would caution about is that on occasion the jump from the novel being told in the voice of Joanna to the voice of Kamla is not a smooth transition. However, it is hard to conceive of any way in which the author could have made the transition less jarring.

In the beginning it is somewhat disappointing that Aidan is not a fully drawn out character that would allow the reader to fully understand why Joanna is so driven in her search for the truth. Yet as the novel progresses, it becomes more clear why the author is so clever in slowly revealing the complexities of this character.

The insights into history and culture whet your appetite to learn more about Asia in the post World War II era. This is a book that will capture the delight of book clubs for the foreseeable future!

Set against the backdrop of The Game in which the U.K. and the Soviet Union strive to influence India's future, this historical espionage novel is a terrific read. The story is a good one, the writing better than usual and the detail and ambience superb.

I loved this book! I picked it up on impluse, just liked the look of it. I had no idea when I finished it, I would put it down as one of my favorites. Joanna Shaw and the people who make up her family and life are unforgettable.