Reviews Books

I am studying for the COMLEX 1 right now and it is a great review of everything...I wish I had had this book for the first two years of medical school, I think it would have helped me understand the basics. In addition, it would have helped me for OMT practicals, because you can never talk your way through OMT enough! Always keep talking! I think this will definitely help me out, glad I bought it and I will definitely use it for the future Levels of COMLEX.

When studying for the COMLEX, osteopathic medical students have always been short on finding alternatives. COMLEX Review finally fills the void for high-yield, easy to read and understand review books for the osteopathic manipulative medicine portions of the osteopathic boards.

I wish I had this book to use during levels 1 & 2... trust me, it is definitely excellent for level 3. The last time I seriously looked at any OMM was during my 3rd year at Des Moine, and let me tell you, now near the end of my intern year, not only did this book refresh all the OMM I had forgotten, but it explained stuff better than I ever understood it. Nobody wants to spend too much time on OMM, but it is quick and easy read - great to fill in the spaces when you don't feel like studying and want to read something "light".

I was bit skeptical when I borrowed this book from our school library- it seems it was written by two students. But after reading the first 2 chapters, I immediately bought my own copy. The beautiful thing about this book is that it finally correlates anatomy with OMM- so it actual covers those "in between" questions that the other review books fail to discuss. The pictures are EXCELLENT! They actually help to make sense of some of the more difficult concepts. I'll let you know how my Step II exam goes- but I would have loved to have this book around when taking Step I as well. Also, the beginning of the book has a little chart that tells you what chapters to read for each COMLEX exam- takes the guess work out of studying. I am definitely doing better on my practice exams- wish me luck for the real deal.

This review refers to the original volume that I have sitting by my TV. In these days with cable and satellite available many vintage TV shows are aired all of the time. A quick thumb through the book not only gives excellent overall view of the show but the cross reference of stars and other shows is suburb.

I have used this book since I "found" a copy on book stand in NYC back in the 80s. Worth the purchase price.I use it all the time. The 1992 version should be better.

Used in conjunction with the Prime Time Stars book, this makes an excellent cross-reference of TV programs and stars for the period covered. My hopes are that the authors write a update for both the television shows and stars. The format is excellent showing all aspects of the shows including dates televised, stars and their roles, and interesting facts about the production.

I purchased this book when it was first published over a dozen years ago and still refer to it several times a week. Not only is it comprehensive but Tim Brooks often gives short biographies of the stars, listing other shows and related areas for which a particular actor or actress might have been known. I'm sorry that it is currently out of print because I would like to have an updated version of the book.

This is an accessible, well-written review of Italian grammar -- remarkably thorough for the price, and well laid out with usage examples. A particularly useful feature is coverage of conventions of contemporary usage -- such as E-mail conventions -- that are rarely covered in a traditional grammar. It would benefit from a more extensive dictionary section but at this price it's hard to complain.

the item was in excellent condition and it took little time to get to my address.

This is an excellent book. Un buon libro! Mi piace molto. It is very helpful.

A complete overview of grammatical terms, parts of speech, and how they work together.

Studying the grammar of a foreign language is often perceived as torture by many, but there is no way to avoid grammar. To master any language one must know how its parts work together.

This book takes away the torture out of studying grammar, by providing a user-friendly practice and review manual. The complete book is written in a "conversational style", so is friendly enough to be used as a self-study guide.

The book is divided in twenty chapters that cover everything from the structure of simple sentences to writing e-mails. At the end of each chapter there is a "culture capsule" completely written in Italian with a glossary, which is designed to give information on a major component of Italian culture and civilization. This capsules can be consider at least useful reading material, but in fact they give information of which no intermediate or advanced learner should be unaware.

At the back of the book is a list of the most frequently used words in the Italian language, verbs charts and the answers to all the exercises.

Absolutely a must for anyone who wants to master the Italian language.

This is one of the few books that I have laughed out loud until tears streamed down my face!!! When trying to share the funniest entries, I can't even read them without laughing again. From analyzing the famous "Yeti on the lou" Pertwee phrase to including a table of contents containing only the letters of the alphabet, this is humor and wit at its best. I have never found a funnier Doctor Who book and I am hard pressed to name a funnier novel in general. If you do not have this book you don't know what you're missing!!! A++++

This book is an incredible collection of phrases and Whoisms that have appeared throughout Doctor Who's many years on the air. The authors have managed to poke fun at the good Doctor while assuring the reader that they're really on our side. It's a lot like making fun of your family - only another family memeber can get away with it. If you're not family, watch out! From "AAH" to "ZORG AND ORG," it's all there - every last tasty fun morsel that makes Doctor Who a worldwide institution.

This text is the funniest book I have ever read... Poking fun at not only Doctor Who, but the fandom of Doctor Who, this book is a laugh-riot from the introductory debate over stories' names, to the final index page which lists simply the letters of the alphabet and the Dedication to Godzilla. My favorite parts: the description of Season Eighteen as an "amusing omission from The Doctors: Thirty Years of Time Travel" and the description of Lazar's Disease as a syndrome whose main symptom is removing one's clothing... Lyons & Howarth are to be commended for such a devistatingly funny work.

Hilarious & irreverent, the useless encyclopedia looks unflinchingly at the schitzophrenic british fan base, the shoddy "classic" episodes, the ludicrous "new adventures", and just about everything and anything "Who" and useless. Written by fans for fans.

Arts/Entertainment

An Insider's Tale
Book Review by Denise Cassino

Betty Jo Tucker is in love. She always has been. From early childhood, Betty Jo has been smitten with the silver screen. Her love started as an infatuation and grew into a mature study of film and renown as a world-class movie critic.

In her book, Confessions of a Movie Addict, Betty Jo takes us through those early childhood memories of movies, covering her eyes at the scary part, acting out the roles of her favorite stars. Then she landed herself some real jobs as a film critic which gave her a pass into all of the biggest movie events from premieres to the Academy Award Presentations.

This book takes us through many of the hilarious adventures of a movie critic, from embarrassing moments to dining with the stars. Betty Jo shares with her reader many of her best and most clever interviews, sometimes with animated characters! Betty Jo also includes a plethora of reviews on dozens of movies giving the reader a critical, but fun summation of everything from box office hits to cult sleepers. This is a real insider's tale of seeking, meeting and interviewing many of the hottest movie stars ever to flash across a marquee.

If you want to know what it's like to dish and dine with the Hollywood crowd, this book will do the trick. A great gift for any movie lover, Confessions will make you green with envy at Betty Jo's inside access to the stars.

Reviewed by Jill Cozzi,

Recently I received a press release announcing a Malcolm McDowell retrospective at the Walter Reade Theatre. I forwarded it to a friend, along with a message:

"Gee, do you think I should go to this, walk up to
Malcolm McDowell and say, 'I saw A CLOCKWORK
ORANGE at my college auditorium and three weeks later
was deflowered by a guy who looked an awful lot like
you did then?'"

Now, of course I would never do such a thing, because such an occasion would reduce me to a babbling idiot. But then, I'm not Betty Jo Tucker.

If I WERE Betty Jo Tucker, however, it wouldn't even be an issue, for she would just walk up, make her confession without batting an eye, and two hours later walk away with notes from a truly killer interview. That's just the way she is.

Tucker is arguably the most unique presence among the many film critics on the Web today. In a world dominated by snarky teenagers and twenty-something self-anointed cineastes, Betty Jo Tucker is a gleeful, unabashed movie-lover; not a film buff, but someone who loves the experience of filmgoing. At seventy-plus, she retains the same joy in moving pictures projected on a screen as she did that first time she walked into the "picture show" to see FRANKENSTEIN -- in its first run. A critic who came into the business late in life after raising two children, one divorce, one remarriage (to the same husband), and a distinguished academic career, she is an anomaly among Web critics in that she does NOT subscribe to the Alice Roosevelt credo of "If you can't say something nice, come sit by me."

In her new book CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT (Hats Off Books), Tucker shares her infectious joy in the moviegoing experience with the rest of us. It is truly "a life story with everything but the movies edited out." Written in a breezy tone, CONFESSIONS is truly a snark-free zone. Tucker, who has set herself up as the premier lobbyist for the Return of the Movie Musical has even managed to find the good in such crap-fests as the Britney Spears vehicle CROSSROADS. She doesn't love everything put on film, but you've got to love a critic who's eligible for Social Security but can still laugh her way through the likes of the surrealistically sophomoric CABIN BOY and who reacts to the ghastly THE PRINCESS DIARIES by remembering to call her granddaughters and tell them how terrific they are just as they are.

Where CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT falls short is in Tucker's underestimation of our interest in the journey of a woman through academia, homemaking, and into film criticism at an age when most of us have long since given up our dreams. This may be "a life story with everything but the movies edited out", but many of us would love to see what's left on the cutting-room floor.

Whether she be recalling a mishap at an X-rated film, admitting she laughed out loud during 'Cabin Boy', or taking an imaginary film festival trip, film critic Betty Jo Tucker's novel 'Confessions of a Movie Addict' will have you envisioning her tales of a life at the movies as if she were talking directly to you. Betty Jo's stories are vivid, enthralling, and quite often amusing. Not only does it provide one wonderfully detailed story after another, Betty Jo's book comes with several of her to-the-point film reviews, a collection of celebrity interviews, a photo gallery, an index of movie-related books and websites, and a checklist to see if you indeed are a movie addict. I have read 'Confessions of a Movie Addict', and as a critic myself, I can proudly assure you that Betty Jo Tucker is one of the finest critics out there and a person who flat-out loves the movies, from the good to the bad. 'CoaMA' is an excellent slice of cinema life.

As a recently retired college professor who can go to more movies now, I was delighted by this substantive insiders tale told with such happy and light-hearted grace, candor, and humor. The sophisticate and the novice, young and old, will find Betty Jo Tucker's "show-don't-tell" approach solid, informative, and entertaining. She charmed the socks off me! Betty Jo takes us into her fascination with this dimensional art form, with her life story deftly stitched into the background. "Because confession is good for the soul," she tells us, "I admit enjoying films mostly for their escapist entertainment qualities. But I also love to be enchanted by cinematic artistry, enlightened by a great story, and inspired by memorable performances." We grow together with this unpretentions, knowledgeable professional hooked on movies as she moves from going it alone, to being mentored by the best, including the famous "UK Critic" Ian Waldron-Mangani--who, she tells us, could have been her grandson. I found "Confessions" to be a great three-in-one deal: HerStory, terrific interviews, and crisp reviews. We meet some of the greatest names in film from the U.S.--directors David Lynch and M. Night Shyamalan, Oscar winners Anjelica Huston and Angelina Jolie, and the legendary Debbie Reynolds, along with top international figures, including British actor Sir Ian Mckellen, French actress Judith Godrech, Japanese filmmaker Masayuki Suo, and Oscar-winning Czech director Jan Sverak. Stellar interviews include those with Annette Bening, Willem Dafoe, Tony Shalhoub, and Aidan Quinn. Among her top reviews are "Chocolat," "Bridget Jone's Diary," "Mouline Rouge," "Planet of the Apes," "Legally Blond," and "Scary Movie." Along the way, she tells some delightful stories on herself: great gaffs--foot in the mouth, clear to the knee, as Josh Wise, one of my former students, once wrote. After enjoying "Confessions," you'll never read a review the way you used to!

This book is about two boys that run away from home and go to Venice, italy. Prosper and bo end up finding a closed down hotel.If you like to read about adventure and mystery than you will like this book.it has alot of excitment , it is about the survival of very young boys and girls.If you like to read about survival,faith and modesty than read this book right away.i liked this book because i thought that it was interesting to read about survival, i liked this book because i like to watch tv shows like unsoved mysteries .if you do not like mysteries or adventure than you should not read this book. But if you do than this is the book for you .Also i found if you do not pay close attention than you will not have a clue what is happening and miss the beat parts of the book.

the book is about theft [obviosly] and sorrow plus some pain. this book was very very good because it keeps you on your seat at all times and youll want to keep reding and reading.there are also very magical things that happen that you will never believe in your entire life time.so you and who ever knows about this book shall be eager to read this book and maybe encoraged to read the other magical books that cornilia funke has wrote.

I say that The Thief Lord is one of the best books that i've ever
read. It was a New York Times bestseller. A USA Today bestseller.
It got a 2003 book senss book of the Year Award. It got a Parenting Magzine book of the year award. And it was a winner of the 2003 Mildrid L. Batchelder award. That's alot of awards don't you think. I think that you should try it out I did and I loved it. So if you like stories of adventure and magic than The Thief Lord is the book for you.

this book was very good because theres alot of sorrow and crime and alot of violence.people who like liying cheating and survival would really like this book a whole lot.
this books all about theft [obviosly] and fighting and mischief
and some laughter along the way with some charity and plagerisim and annoance. MIKEAL of bardstown.

Huge book cheaply priced on amazon. Hundreds of great review problems that helped me review for the upcoming test. Great buy!

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.

Solutions to every problem is a major plus. Has worked out solutions to each practice set, as well as the practice tests. Major improvement from previous versions.

I am very content with this book. It has helped me alot with many topics of calculus. It explains everything thouroughly and makes topics seem very simple.

I agree completely with the reviewer above in that using this book alone almost guarantees a 3. I used it without the courses and got 4's on both the macro and micro exams. Write those note cards for small concepts and study past AP extended response questions! They are all basically the same, so study the graphs and you'll do well.

We don't have economics at my school, but it's my intended college major.

Using THIS BOOK ALONE, I made note cards, went over them, and got a 4 on the Micro exam in my junior year. If I'd put in a little more effort, I'd have gotten a 5 (didn't begin studying until mid-April). I'm going to take the Macro this May.

There is a really clear review of all the concepts you need to know, presented exactly as they will appear on the test. It's concise, straightforward, and explicates the necessary graphs. For extra Free Reponse practice, check the AP website.

I'd strongly recommend it.

I used it when I was studying econ independently and I found this book to be very helpful in sumarizing all of the major concepts found on the ap macro & micro exams. Like one of the reviewers above, I also made notecards, which were very helpful.
I would however, recommend that you also buy an old edition of McConnel & Brue to go with the book as it expands on the basics. For example, the international section lacked depth as did the section on labor markets. The practice tests are very helpful and do a good job in mirroring the actual exams. Other books (like Barrons) have practice exams that are too easy.
Finally, I took the micro & micro exams this year (may 2006) & got a 5 on both tests.

This book is truly the same caliber as the Princeton Review's other test prep books. It shows everything you need to know for the AP Micro and Macro Economics tests and explains the concepts behind the economics. The knowledge gained from reading this book is equivalent to what any GOOD AP course can offer. Thanks (in large part) to this book, I got a 5 on both Macro and Micro Economics- something that hasn't been done at my school for many years. THANK YOU PRINCETON REVIEW!

this was such a helpful book. the practice test is a must- because you will find VERY similar questions on the AP exam. I dont think i would have been ready for the exam without the book. it tells you exactly what you need to know and how to use it. This book is flawless. If you're taking the AP US government you need to buy this book.

i think this book goes in to the right amount of detail for a review... it give's you all the main point, ideas, and definitions without any nonesense.
also the practice tests were pretty good.. fairly similar to the ap test i guess.

The Princeton Review for Government and Politics was an excellent book--well worth the price. I got a great score on the exam from all the review I did using this study guide--in fact, quite a few of the exam questions were ones that I had done before in this study guide. It provides an excellent layout, and an easy way to find exactly what you're looking for. I took seven AP exams in high school, and used four different test prep companies--always stick with Princeton Review, the layout and explanations are so much easier to understand, and I actually scored higher on the exams where I used the Princeton Review books. Just a point of advice, don't waste your time with the "Peterson's" AP review books, I have never bought anything so worthless, their explanations confused me more than before I used them, not to mention that quite a few specific subject areas were never even covered to any depth, leading me to believe that those areas were not as "important" in the grand scheme of the AP exams--man I was wrong. Always stick to Princeton Review, they havn't steered me wrong yet, I'm getting their MCAT review book next.

As with most The Princeton Review study guides, 'Cracking the AP US Government Exam' begins with a very informative 20-30 pages simply about the exam itself: topics breakdown, percentage covered on the exam, performance range for specific scores, multiple choice strategies, free-response essay breakdown, etc. Unlike other publishers, this informative briefing on the test is especially particular to Princeton Review study guides, and extremely helpful. More than 80 pages cover the details and general concepts of the subject material of the AP US Government course. Concise and well organized presentation of a large amount of material is a remarkable talent of The Princeton Review. A thorough and active reading (highlighting, underlining) of the review one week in advance should prepare the competent student very well. Displeased with my class textbook, I never read an entire chapter (or took notes) but felt very confident after completing the study guide and practicing with copies of former AP exams. One minor drawback is a lack of review questions at the end of each chapter, yet the practice exams are almost exactly identical to former AP exams I received from my teacher. In addition, thorough explanations for each question and free response section make the practice exams great learning and review exercises. One note: If you are particularly interested in purchasing a study guide for the practice exams, my experience as a very study-guide-dependent-honors-student has led me to the conclusion that The Princeton Review and Kaplan create the most representative practice exams for AP, SAT II, and SAT exams. In that respect, I do NOT recommend: Barrons, Petersons, Teach Yourself, etc.

I gave this book to my daughter and she stated, "Book was a great help in preparation for tests - in Teaching "

An excellent guide to pass LAST ATS-W. I am not an educational major and I took the tests only once. This book has the right information you need to pass.

I cannot say enough about this prep book. I studied for one month prior to the test, and I only studied this book. I scored a 279 out of 300 (220 is passing).
Yes, I do have brains, but I feel that I owe most of my great score to the awesomeness of this book. I hate surprises - of just about any kind. This book tells you EXACTLY what you need to know, and shows you EXACTLY what you will see on the test. There are ABSOLUTELY no surprises on the day of the test! The prep test you take in the book will show you how to answer the questions. The L.A.S.T. isn't hard. It is tedious. Knowing what the questions are going to look like and how to maximize the 4 hours you have to take the test by ignoring erroneous (and time consuming) text is a big key to success. I do not recommend doing "outside studying" because if you are planning to be a teacher and have four years of college already, you will not have trouble passing. Don't make yourself crazy brushing up on all your old textbooks - it is a waste of time. Most of the questions have the answer embedded in them already. You just have to fish it out. This book teaches you how to do that. Buy it.

I used the Princeton Review test guide among a few others. These guys truly have the NYSTCE "nailed." It was accurate in its strategy recommendations, but more important, it represented the types of questions on the exam very accurately. This is the only guide you need or should use.