News and Reviews Books

This small book offers some good samples and adjective suggestions. Some of the advice is a bit dated, the whole thing could use an updated edition to deal with changing norms and new situations. I was just looking for something easy to slip into a tote to help me work on thank you's while traveling when a computer wasn't handy, this book fit the bill.

I bought this book because I was dreading writing the same thing over and over again for thank yous. This book has been very helpful. It addresses tricky situations (e.g., something arrives broken, two guests give the same thing, you don't know what something is!!), which is very useful. There are also some good examples of thank yous that you can use as a foundation. The introduction also explains why they are so important. I am planning on hanging onto this book and when our children are old enough to write their own thank you notes (Christmas, birthdays, etc) to show it to them and teach them how to write a very nice message.

The task of writing 50-100 thank you notes for wedding gifts can be a little daunting, and this book was very helpful. They outline the anatomy of a thank you note and offer suggested wording, which I found more useful than the actual sample thank you notes. The language in them seems a bit dated.

This book was very helpful to get us through our huge stack of thank you notes!!!

I was really excited about this book but it was a huge disappointment. It really needs to be updated.

This is one of my favorite books. I just re-read it recently, and found it just as fascinating and well written. Mitford really manages to capture the interplay of myth and history played out on very human people. This is one of the greatest periods of history, with so many brillant figures flowing in and out of the story. 2 minor MINOR quibbles. 1) As a musician I was disappointed that music doesn't seem to figure in Mitford's world... with Lully, Rameau and the music wars that existed during this time, it would have been nice to hear how that figured into the other arts which she gives good account of. 2) Many quotes not translated. I speak french, but some of these are extensive and really need some translation. Minor quibbles in one of my very favorite reads.

Not much of a scholar of French history, but a huge fan of Nancy Mitford, I ordered this book as a tribute to the author. Once reading it, I found out much more about the French court of Louis XV and the intricate rules it observed than I ever thought I'd learn. And am very glad I learned them. The interesting, well-written biography hold the reader's attention and bring compassion to the often reviled lead character.

This biography was a refreshing and fun, written by a sympathetic aristocrat. The flavors, entertainment and relationships of the court come to life. It is hard not to develop a deep respect for Madame de Pompadour in the course of the book. Highly recommended.

Mitford was a writer who specialized in describing the intricacies of court life at Versailles , from fashions and decorum to architecture and romance. She was not quite as adept at the political situation of the time; while she doesn't gloss over it, there is no pizzazz in discussing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book very much. It's colorful and conveys a sense of what Madame de Pompadour endured to become the most powerful woman in France and how she gained that power by being not only beautiful but very intelligent and alluring.

Anyone who has enjoyed Nancy Mitford's novels "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate" will appreciate what a deliciously witty writer she can be, especially when describing the lives of the privileged class. Reading her biography of Madame la Marquise de Pompadour (Mitford is strong on the use of proper aristocratic titles) one is not certain where Nancy's life ends and la Pompadour's life begins. Some of her comments are so ultra-sophisticated so as to be hilarious, such as calling the Parc aux Cerfs, where Louis XV kept his women, a "nice little brothel." This book may not be at the top of my list of serious scholarly tomes, but it is not without merit as a work of history, and one is given a colorful glimpse of another world.

I read a news article that this was one of Walid Jumblatt's favourite books, he presented it to Robert Fisk, with the above inscription. http://news.independent.co.uk/fisk/article3010168.ece
This is hardly a good reason to read a book, but there you are. It is written by an Italian diplomat, who had the freedom to travel through Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. There are many shocking things in the book, initially the casual treatment of dead bodies in war-zones, but eventually the absolute lack of morality at many levels of society. Through all this, the author, Curzio Malaparte, moves with an air of studied neutrality, despite the barbarities he witnesses, and the psychopaths he interviews.
In terms of style, there are many flashbacks and references, which can lead to layers of removal and make the narrative difficult to follow. In the end I became quite immune from the shocking barbarity described. I think the book is useful in the sense that it shows the accommodations which occupied societies engaged in during the way years.

I am truly shocked at the reasons people have given Kaputt a negative review: too icy? too removed? too horrific? What are we talking about here, Disneyland or war?

I have read many, many novels, memoirs, and essays on World War II and never have I encountered anything quite like Malaparte's accounts. The problem with this book, if there is a problem to consider, is how beautifully Malaparte describes absolute horror. The honey-like flow of his writing fades in and out like one's breath in winter. A particular scene of frozen horses, as another reviewer pointed out, will leave you stunned and emotionally wounded. For some reason everything in the book has a cold, yellowless-blue tint, so particular to the North, which makes what's happening all the more chilling.

I will say I could not, was absolutely incapable of, finishing the book all at once. Even for those with strong stomachs, the book is nearly indigestible. I had to shut the book, more than once, and ask myself, how does one get so far and deep into darkness? It truly doesn't seem possible. Yet one walks away from the book thinking, "I could have been one of those people---on either side of the fence." It is this that probably most upsets readers of this book.

I highly recommend readers to browse the NYRB collection for brilliant literature.

This book was published in 1944 in Italy and in English in 1946. It covers events the author claimed to have observed in 1941-43, presented in seemingly random order, while he served as a war correspondent for a major Italian newspaper, accompanying the German army on the Eastern Front.

Malaparte (1898-1957) was an early member of the Fascist Party in Italy. A man of letters without political influence, he was expelled in the early 1930s and spent some years in internal exile. Between 1938 and 1943, he was arrested several times and imprisoned briefly in Rome. Still, his party connections, earlier diplomatic experience and status as a writer of note enabled him to work from 1941 on the Eastern Front for the Corriere della Sera. He's been called an enigma, contrary, opportunistic, a political chameleon who changed allegiances several times in the course of his life.

His book began abruptly in Sweden, with no background or context, but after a chapter or two his method became clearer. Most of the chapters were devoted to highlighting one or two locations and powerful images that supported the picture of barbarism he was trying to convey. The Leningrad Front ca. 1942 and frozen enemy soldiers used as traffic sentries. The Ukraine in summer 1941 and a foal born from a dying horse. Finland in April 1943, a frozen lake full of dead animals, and a dream of a crucified horse. Krakow in 1943 and a dinner with Hans Frank, the governor-general of conquered Poland. A banquet in Warsaw in February 1942 with German leaders, contrasted with the desperate conditions he observed in the Warsaw Ghetto. A pogrom in Jassy, Romania in June 1941, and so on.

His descriptions showed the German leaders blinded by their racist ideology, capable of playing Chopin with feeling in an afternoon and shooting at a child hours later. And a Balkan leader expressing his love for his homeland and detailing a high-minded political program while keeping body parts of enemies on his desk.

Initially, Malaparte alternated his description of horrors with memories of better days in prewar times, spent in Paris, Capri and elsewhere with cultured friends from many countries of Europe, and with friends in the diplomatic corps of Spain and Sweden during peaceful interludes in wartime Scandinavia. His description of the culture and civilization shared by upper-class friends from many nations was contrasted implicitly with the breakdown of values observed nearly everywhere during the war.

There were many interesting passages, such as when the German governor-general discussed his policy in Poland toward the church, aristocracy, middle class and workers. Moving passages, as when Malaparte observed the Poles' veneration of the Czestochowa Madonna. And terrible ones, as when he and others searched the countryside for an injured Jewish man who'd been taken away during a pogrom. The description of this pogrom must be one of the very early appearances in literature of the Holocaust.

In contrast to some other readers on Amazon, I felt that Malaparte did express shock and outrage about many of the events he experienced. His feelings were demonstrated, for example, in his remarks to the police chief in Jassy, his admiration expressed for another who denounced the chief, his joining the search to help find a victim, his compassion for girls kept in a brothel, and his frequent mockery and sarcasm in reported conversation with the Germans.

In the book's first half, as the gruesome events and images accumulated, cataloging the cruelty, suffering and betrayal of human values, they brought to mind the darkest paintings of Bruegel or Bosch, depicting the triumph of death or the chaos of hell. Here, the book was capable of searing images into the brain. For me, the most forceful example of this kind of writing was found about halfway through, in a chapter titled "Cricket in Poland," which contrasted a banquet of German leaders in Warsaw with the brutal expression of their thinking in a Romanian village.

The chilling atmosphere and focus weren't sustained. Many of the later chapters were devoted mainly to describing long drinking bouts during stopovers in wartime Finland and Sweden, and recording aimless conversation and gossip at parties in wartime Germany and Rome. He was showing the morally indifferent, pleasure-seeking members of the smart set back home who were well insulated from the war and concerned only with who was in and out of favor, and maybe the reality of alternating wartime horror and civilian boredom. But for me, this could've been described at greatly reduced length and with a far more balanced sense of proportion.

The book concluded with absurd situations such as a general's hunt for the last salmon in Lappland and minute analyses of the qualities of Mussolini's son-in-law and various others in Italian society. By the end, I was left with the feeling that the book was grossly uneven, written by a man who gave equal weight to the terrors of war and the table talk of the upper class in wartime, a man with a descriptive gift who lacked a sustained sense of moral outrage.

It is an exquisitely written novel about the complicity of high European culture in the atrocities of World War II, about responsibility, about guilt, about disillusionment, about human nature, and about self-consciousness. There is no novel like it in terms of its power and scope. The author is simultaneously an historical actor and narrative voice that does not forgive the author his own complicity. It may change your life, and if it does not, it will change your sense of what and how literature creates....

I have been reading literature for almost 50 years and have been teaching it for many, many years. In all of these years I have not found a novel more powerfully written about the horrors, absurdity, and perhaps sheer insanity of WWII and war in general.D M Thomas' Pictures at an Exhibition, among a few others, like Grosssman's Life and Fate, comes closest, however.

This is not to deny the power of Homer, Euripides, Tolstoy, Mailer, Vonnegut, et. al. They are all great. But the beauty of Malaparte's images, his enormous power of description, the depiction of our inhumanity to one another and the animal world--the title of each of his sections is an animal, Horses, Mice, etc.--is stunning. Much of his enormous imact is created by a profound sense of irony, as when one of the Black Guard, a nordic "angel" follows him through the Warsaw Ghetto, or the deer with the Nazi flag stuck in its back at a Nazi dinner party, falling under the carving knife of Malaparte's "gracious" hostess, for example.

This is a book that should be read slowly and thoughtfully.
Malaparte's literary talent will elate you even if the subject matter horrifies you--as it should.

This is one of those little-known books that deserves to be universally read and seriously thought about and discussed. Malaparte was one of the great writers of our century and it is wonderful to see his brilliant work back in print.

well i loved the real world hawaaii season. i thought it was one of the best seasons. i loved the cast except for kaia. the book goes into depth of all the romances,the trip to india, the cast, and the incident of some guy breaking into the real world house and taking matt's daily planner. this is a great book and i recommend it to both people who watched rw8 and people who didnt watch.

This book was every thing you wanted to know about the show Real World. It gave all the details of the number one show on MTV. It was interesting and very informitive. It even had an application for the show. I recommend this book if your in to reality tv. I mean it's the show that started it all. You will be amazed by what all happened in this crazy house in Hawaii.
It Includes Ruthie, Colin, Amaya, Kaia, Justin, Matt and Teck and there wild and sexy time in the Hawaii. Anybody will like the book, and its easy to read. If you didn't like the Real World Hawaii they even include the Real World Seattle and all of its secrets.

I take it every where I go in every time,it's hard for me to put
this book down,I love Colin,Matt,teck,Ruthie,amaya,and Kaia the best,Justin is gay and rude,and I don't like when Ruthie throw
the glass on the floor and broke it(when Ruthie is drunk),I aready got this book,NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!!!!! I don't
like see naked people on this book either,I just want the pitchers of the cast's faces and Info of their favorits,Birthday,
where they from,etc...

I would rather stick needles in my eyes than to watch the real world or read their books. Im sure that the 14-year-old giggly-girl demographic will probably love reading and watching a show about boring college students, but the average 18-40 year old will not find this interesting. For anyone out there who hasn't seen the real world and is thinking about purchasing this book, I will sum up the real world for you. It is about 7 spoiled brats, under the age of 25, who live in a million dollar mansion and tell every boring detail about their lives to the cameras. Sound interesting? Then buy this book.

The book gives a relly good insight on the Hawaii cast! It has sections written by each cast member (including Justin) about the experience of the show. Then, all the other cast members share their thoughts on each other! Colin comes with some really good info! There is a section that tells about the house they lived in, w/ an intersesting article about a theif who broke into the house. There are sections written by Becky (N.Y), Jason (Boston), and Neil (London). There is another section that tells the favorite hang-outs of the cast. There are parts that talk about major events that happened. It is cool, because each cast member narrats the section. There is an update on the Seattle cast to! The Seattle cast (Irene isn't in it) narrates their section, and they tell about their embarassing moments, fashion flops, who the stayed in touch w/, and etc. There is an application for the show to! There are tons of nice pictures!

The most obvious flaw of this book is that it doesn't include Revenge of the Sith material. So critical things like Anakin's fall to the Dark Side, Padme and Count Dooku's deaths, General Greivous entirely, are all casually left out.

The more annoying flaw though, is the lack of coverage. A good amount of characters are covered, but too many are just left out entirely. Nearly all the members of Rogue Squadron simply aren't mentioned, just as one example. It's hard to expect them to fit in every character ever, but there are far too many missing for this resource to be able to be considered comprehensive.

Their main mistake was restricting themselves by format. Every character received at least one whole page of information, plus a full, detailed, color illustration. At the end, a few dozen other characters got a short blurb, and some got a facial portrait. They should have gone for a more encyclopedic approach, allotting as much space as was necessary for each character, and not restricting themselves to a page by page format. Then they could have included a lot more people and amde the book a lot more satisfying.

This book does very nicely in what it has done, I'll certainly give it that.
But as it stands, a few years after it's release, it is in need of a serious update and a total revamp of included characters.

I really like this book. Seldom do you get the opportunity to read about Star Wars characters, all compiled into a single volume. Every page in this book is fun to read. Character illustrations are pretty good and the descriptions on each characters are quite detailed and well-constructed.

However, there are some typo errors in the book and I was left wondering why did the publisher (Del Rey) decide to revise this book before Episode 3 was released. Some of the key characters missing from this book include General Grevious and many other important figures in Episode 3. In my opinion, this book should have been revised after Episode 3.

Nevertheless, its still a great book to read. I recommend it book to both fans of Star Wars and RPG gamers. A job well done to the author of this book - Mr. Daniel Wallace.

The book has a lot of good information and is up to date.

I don't own this book, I just read through it at a local bookstore. I didn't buy it because there was just too much missing. Some major characters from the films and EU are omitted or receive only short (one paragraph) descriptions, while other minor characters get full 1-2 page entries.

For example, mad clone Joruus C'Baoth gets one paragraph (nothing on the original Jorus), whereas Boss Nass and Sebulba from Ep I have full entries. Most of the Jedi Council from Eps I and II get one paragraph each in a collective entry, with a few omitted completely. The podrace competitors get about the same coverage as the Jedi Council, if not more. And a personal quibble, I would have liked to have seen an entry on Captain Tarpals. He's at least as important as Sebulba.

Surely this will be revised to accommodate Ep III and Tartakovsky Clone Wars updates. Hopefully it will also include many expansions on older characters as well.

New edition of Guide to Characters is no doubt better than previous but still it has too many defects. Pictures are OK but what really annoys me is completely lack of key SW characters
both from Prequels and Expanded Universe. It just looks like authors choose accidental heroes and forgot about others. NJO fan will be enraged that there's no real description of Tenel Ka, Zekk, Raynar Thul etc. Ancient Era fan will be enraged that great Nomi Sunrider is barely mentioned. KOTOR fan will quickly notice the absence of Bastila Shan and so on. Besides what sense is publishing (after 6 years) new edition of Character's Guide shortly before the premiere of final Star Wars film - Revenge of the Sith? After 2005 newer edition will be needed anyway and let's hope that this time it will live up to our expectations

The Young Entrepreneur's Edge is not so much a how-to book on starting your own business, but is really a "how-to-cope-with-life-while-starting-and-succeeding-in-your-own-business-book." I have read many books on starting your own business and this book has some very unique advice because it is geared towards younger entrepreneurs. Jennifer Kushell offers some practical advice about selecting the right business for you, writing a business plan, getting funded, etc. But what sets the book apart are its sections on not having any credit or not having good credit, using interns instead of full time employees, how to get mentors and advisors, how to present a professional image despite of your youthful looking appearance, dealing with family and friends who don't support your decision, how not to starve, etc. The only complaint that I had about the book was that some sections were not very complete on their advice. It is true that there are lots of other books out there on subjects such as marketing and business plans and so on, but if the author was just going to recommend that we look elsewhere, why did she include a chapter on that topic in the book in the first place? Some of the information is a little dated, but not too bad. I also would have like to have seen more resources to go to in the back of the book as to where to go to get that information that she doesn't cover in the book. Regardless, if you are a twenty-something or younger entrepreneur, there are some really helpful hints to be found in this book and it is well worth your time to read for Jennifer Kushell's upbeat attitude and encouragement. She is absolutely right in that there is no better time for young entrepreneurs to go into business then now, when we have little or nothing to lose.

If you are thinking about it, this book will ask you the right set of questions that will let you decide whether you are or should be an entrepreneur.

I'm very disappointed with this book. Very vague and broad examples and not a lot of the nuts and bolts of success. Jennifer Kushell is the self crowned princess of the young entrepreneurial spirit. She claims to have launched successfull business ventures but never elaborates anywhere in her books or websites and instead offers page after page of fluff and filler on how to get ahead. After wasting my time with this book and two of her other books, I'd be skeptical of allowing her to run a lemonade stand. Please save your time and money. There are many better choices by PROVEN success stories. Multiple streams of Income by Robert Allen and How to Buy a Business: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition by Richard A. Joseph are two of many that are a much better read for your time and money

I dont really think that this is a good book. I didnt know anything more after reading this book then I knew before reading this book. I found the most valuable information she provided was telling about how she saved money using interns, yet this was something that I already knew also.

If you've ever wondered what running your own business would be like you really only have two choices: look towards the sky and daydream or give it a shot. If you choose the later, Kushell's The Young Entrepreneur's Edge can help you along that path.

The book is basically a "how to" for starting a business. It presents and answers all of the questions that you might really need to know the answer to, but felt too stupid to ask. It also touches on many things that a first-time entrepreneur may be unaware of or forget (like IRS withholding, etc.).

The book is primarily for someone planning to start a business for the first time and will offer little advice to the seasoned business-owner. Of value, though, especially to younger readers (of all levels of business experience) are the sections on dealing with perception of youth in a business context which may get a more thorough treatment here than in any other manuscript. Entrepreneurs of all ages and experience-levels will also enjoy the start-up-stories that pepper the book.

The books one real lack, however, may be in the accuracy department. For example, Kushell gets the IRS 1099 and W2 form confused, which may seem like a simple mistake but could inadvertently subject a business to a variety of liability (W2 employees are the traditional salaried/wage employees where the 1099 form is used for reporting income for independent contractors - [website] has extensive information on tax forms). The book, thus, is a good overview and may alert you to things that need to be looked into further, but additional research will be required to verify and understand each topic.

Overall, the book is a must-read for anyone under 30 starting a "real" business for the first time. For others, it may serve as a refresher or provide an amusing read, but will be of limited usefulness.

This book was well worth the wait! And it would have been well worth the money if it contained nothing else than the incisive interview with David Henesy that forms the emotional centerpiece of Dark Shadows Memories. He was the little boy in the Collins mansion who always gave me the creeps, he and his sister were obviously being coached to channel Miles and Flora in Henry James' TURN OF THE SCREW, and he has a great memory for details of his life as a child actor and an obvious relish for remembering his brief period of stardom, that makes the interview as delightful as it is penetrating. Kathryn Leigh Scott, who was appearing with the two Dark Shadows features recently at a horror weekend at the famous Castro Theater in San Francisco, has her own memories as well, but for some reason they don't seem as vital and hard-edged as that of the unnervingly possessed (in every sense) little boy who was the heart and soul of the soap.

This interview took place a number of years ago, when Henesy was a grown man and (according to Kathryn Leigh Scott) a successful New York restauranteur. Wonder what he's doing now? I loved his story about his chain smoking (at, what, age nine or ten), with the little girl who played his sister sister out on the New York fire escape, and how nobody ever called him on it. Sounds like he hadn't a chaperone or a tutor, but he had the native smarts that allowed him to realize that Joan Bennett's heavy signature perfume, "Jungle Gardenia," was strong enough to hide the tobacco smoke. The kids also whipped up tuna casserole in their dressing room and sold it to the older cast members--a bit more sophisticated than the Koolaid stands in my neighborhood.

This book incidentally tells the whole story of Dark Shadows, though understandably it skips the sad last days a bit, for Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) decamped early, in order to try her wings in London. There's an appendix listing all 1,245 episodes of the long running serial which, now that Twilight is a certified hit, will continue to entertain lovers of the supernatural (and fine acting) for generations to come.

Thisis another book about Dark Shadwos that brings back memories of days past. I think any Dark Shadows fan would enjoy this book.

you will really enjoy this book so buy it!!!!!!

This book has out-of-focus pictures and misinformation on the original DS soap opera. A total bummer!

This is a great book for those wanting to learn more about "Dark Shadows", whether the show is new to you or you're rediscovering it after years of last seeing it. Behind-the-scenes information, a short synopsis for each episode, and memories of the other cast members by the author. Kathryn Leigh Scott really enjoyed her time on the show, and it comes through in the book as she talks about the hectic shooting schedules, almost with a fondness. It's nice to read that over 30 years later she is still friends with her "Shadows" co-stars. How many people can say they are friends with their ex-co-workers after that many years? I recommend this book to anyone who ever had or still has a fondness for the show.

The odd grammatical and printing error aside, this is a well-produced and easy to use guide to some of the best film-making of the last ten years or so.

It's worth noting quickly that despite the glossy cover, the book is entirely black-and-white inside with pictures that are of an acceptable rather than brilliant quality. Personally, I find this to be a very minor quibble.

I was already very enthused by recent Korean cinema before reading this book and have enjoyed it very much, but it would also make an ideal introduction for someone only just thinking of dipping their toes into the invigorating waters of the Korean New Wave.

I can't fully appreciate the frequent comparisons made with Hong Kong film-making of the 1980s having seen very little of it, but it hardly matters; this book puts across in no uncertain terms just how exciting the film scene in Korea has been for the last decade, and it would be a hard-hearted person who isn't stimulated to seek out a DVD or a viewing of some of the films reviewed here.

This is not to say, however, that the book is unbalanced. The author's enthusiasm for Korean cinema is obvious, but does not stop him criticising those films - some, even, that have done very well at the box office - that he considers do not come up to scratch.

The book is sensibly laid out to make it easy to either read straight through or dip into for specific information. It begins with a brief - and NOT heavy-going - history of the Korean film industry coming right up to the beginning of the 21st century. There then follows a chapter of in-depth reviews of 10 of the best Korean films that 'Everyone Should See'. After that the chapters are divided up by film genre (Action, Horror, etc.), and there are 87 (yes, I counted!) high-quality reviews in all. The last few chapters introduce some of the rising stars of the industry, give some assistance to those wishing to find and see these films, and look to the future of Korean film-making.

The only major disappointment for me was that due to the book's having been published in 2002, wonderful films such as A Bittersweet Life, Memories of Murder and Save the Green Planet! are not included, having been released from 2003 onwards. It would be silly to complain about this type of issue since it is inevitable, but here's hoping for a new edition of Korean Cinema: The New Hong Kong sometime soon because the cinematic gems just keep on coming!

I received this for Christmas from my boyfriend and read it from cover to cover by New Years: its that good. Its like reading a magazine dedicated completely to Korean movies. Now when I go to the local Korean video store, I know which movies are worth renting and which ones to stay away from. Whoever wrote this, thank you for helping me appreciate some of the best movies in the world.

KOREAN CINEMA: THE NEW HONG KONG is clearly the product of a genuine convert to the form. Whether Anthony C.Y. Leong has remained so is anyone's guess as of late, but it indeed comes as a small surprise that this book was written by a regular contributor to Thomas Weisser's execrable ASIAN CULT CINEMA magazine, a publication that has done more to pigeonhole Asian cinema into one gigantic bowl of sex and sadism than any Pink-film-loving pervert could do in a lifetime.

From evidence provided here, though, Leong's passion for movies (which is also evidenced via various online review portals, the style here being little better than that) is better served by self-published efforts such as this than it is sandwiched between the salacious and error-ridden pages of Weisser's rag. Weisser's ASIAN CULT CINEMA book, a late-90's reference guide to Hong Kong cinema that has disseminated more MISinformation to the world than any fifty amateur fanzines could circa 1990, is still being peddled to an unsuspecting base of newcomers (I've yet to ascertain whether Leong was a contributor, but it's likely), so it's refreshing to know that viewers curious about Korean cinema at least have a reference guide that, while not blessed with particularly great prose, is at least honest and forthight in its appreciation of its subject matter, without resorting to the cheap putdowns and mysogynist leanings of the Weisser material with which its author, perhaps unwittingly, has previously been associated.

Leong is, however, WAY WAY OFF BASE in labelling Korean cinema "The New Hong Kong." The assumption that one country's cinematic fare is so lacking in cultural identity that it stands only to supplant the fare of another country - following that all Asian cinema somehow "blends" together in the eyes of outsiders - is simplistic and ill-informed to say the least. Leong, who is Chinese, makes repeated commentary about the downfall of Hong Kong cinema while holding Korean cinema up as the natural successor to the throne. Hong Kong cinema, however, is still very much alive and kicking, and while Korean cinema has certainly enjoyed a renaissance of sorts (both domestically and internationally) since the release of the high-tech action thriller SHIRI in 1999, nearly seven years on, many Korean films are still plagued by tired concepts, poorly-plotted screenplays, crass histrionics, and various culturally-specific idosyncracies that may yet be their undoing in the international market once the demand for genre pictures has dried up (as I write this, the Korean DVD market is in a serious state of financial decline). (2007 EDIT: much of this has come to pass: Korean films are garnering fewer distribs at film festivals, and they're lucky if they get one or two breakout smashes a year; DVD sales are nearlly dead in the country. They're still making films worth watching, but the industry is in serious pain right now.

However, Leong's book generally covers films from 1998 to 2002, which any Korean film fan will tell you is the period they first "discovered" Korean cinema, too. And as such, the book clearly is/was a labour of love. More scholarly books have been written on Korean cinema both before and since Leong's self-published tome, but none have ventured to simply provide straight-up reviews of the many varied films that came from this period, so depite his web-forum-worthy writing style, Leong still managed a small victory for the fanboys.. Mind you, scholarly works on Korean cinema (and Korea itself!) are virtually required reading--I strongly prefer them to a book like this--if one is to truly understand the cultural subtext running through much of modern Korean cinema. Thus, Leong's book stands as the best place to START your journey, but once you've seen the films, and if you truly want to know more, then it might be good to augment this book with a more serious cultural, cinematic or even socio-political study.

The format of Leong's reviews is a bit too structurally consistent (intro-synopsis-opinion-rinse-repeat), which means they're best digested a few at a time, preferably just before of just after watching the film in question, which will at least grant the book an extended shelf life as the reader builds a Korean DVD collection. Also, the reviews are grouped into "categories," which is restrictive, particularly as many of the films aren't so easily pigeonholed. It's a small gripe, admittedly, but straightforward alphebetical listings would be much more user-friendly.

Since the book's publication at the very beginning of 2003, however, Korean cinema has produced an incredible number of feature films -ranging from derivative-but-pretty junk like MY BOYFRIEND IS TYPE B and RED EYE to international arthouse darlings like OLDBOY and TAE GUK GI - that would be well served by an update to Leong's manuscript, something which has yet to take place but would firmly cement his position as one of the few non-internet-based reviewers to tackle the subject matter in this way. One hopes that the visible reduction in his output might mean he's working on a revised version of his book, but as he's not one to return emails from interested supporters (especially those who are, at the same time, like myself, openly hostile towards his previous "employer," Miami-based bootlegger and "author" Thomas Weisser), we may simply have to wait and see what comes next, if anything...

What a great book! Everything you need to know about Korean movies all in one package. With lots of background on why Korean movies kick ass right now, what movies are worth watching, and which ones should be avoided, you definetely get your money's worth here. I hope he writes another one soon!

I have been interested in Korean cinema ever since I worked in Korea as an ESL teacher. My first Korean DVD purchases were Shiri and JSA, which I brought more for novelty and and as a momento of Korea than anything else, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised at the production values of both these movies. As a result, I have become a firm fan of Korean movies, and have added a number of titles to my DVD collection. This book will help me select some more good titles to add to the collection.

"Korean Cinema" fulfills a useful niche as it is basically a primer for Korean movies from 1998 to 2002 for newcomers to Korean cinema. The author reviews and rates a number of the movies made in this time span, from "Attack the Gas Station" through to "2009: Lost Memories", plus a couple of titles a couple of years older. The author also rates and discusses 10 Korean movies from that time period which he rates as must sees. It would be a good start for building a DVD collection. There is also a section devoted to the major personalities of the Korean movie industry, actors and directors. It is illustrated but only in black and white, any many of the pictures are of poor quality.

Ignore the low rating reviews of this book - the reviewers obviously brought this book expecting a serious textbook of Korean cinema, which if you actually read the advertising blurb for the book, it is most certainly not. There are books out there discussing the full history of Korean cinema, but make no mistake, this book is not one of them. It is strictly for the newcomers to the genre, and who has little knowledge of the Korean movie industry. It does have a chapter on the history of the industry in Korea, but it is only superficial, and it isn't the reason I brought the book anyway.

Especially ignore the twit who is critical of the author basing his movie reviews on english subtitles. Korean is a particularly difficult language to learn and to become sufficiently competent in the language to be able to follow a Korean movie without english subtitles is beyond the abilities of all but the most dedicated of people. The author of "Korean Cinema" does make it quite clear he is only a recent convert, and thus a beginner, in Korean movies.

This book would lend itself to an update every 3 or 4 years or so. There has been some considerably significant Korean movie releases since this book was first published, not least of which is "Tae-Guk-Gi". I also recommend checking out the website www.koreanfilm.org which has movie reviews, talent profiles and other useful informative articles. The author of the site, Darcy Paquet, is listed in the bibliography of "Korean Cinema" a number of times.

Two weeks before the FE exam, I find out that I am missing pages 183-230. Thanks a lot!

This book is great. The organisation of this book is very simple to follow. I studied for only 1 entire day, and this was the day before the exam. I never felt that I needed more time for preparation. I recommend it as the perfect buy, if you have less time for preparation .. and even otherwise. Good Luck!

I was kinda feeling bad as the examination day approaches after I discovered that the Lindeburg Book contains a lot more contents than this book does. Finally, I took the test with the exclusive aid of this book and could conclude that we really do not need to cover all the contents that Lindeburg book has, if our only purpose is to pass the exam. The test was not digressed from asking the questions regarding "fundamentals" of engineering, not the complicated application of it. In this context, this book will definetely help you to get a score barely enough to pass the exam. Good Luck!

This is an excellent book for the Fundamentals of Engineering
morning and afternoon session (General Engineering). It has
outstanding coverage of electrical circuitry and higher math-
particularly differential equations. The coverage of thermo
is comprehensive. There are many good problems in statics,
dynamics and fluids engineering. This work should cover most
of the material you'll need for the FE examination. I would
recommend studying the areas you know first and then spending
the remainder of the time on weak areas. If time permits,
hammer away at all the areas in the weeks preceeding the exam.
Some of the official publications of NCEES contain good problem
sets which frequently appear on present and future exams.

I have taken the EIT twice. The first time I was single with loads of study time and I used the Lindeburgh book. I failed the exam. The second time, I had limited study time unless I wanted to stay up till wee hours of the morning, which is hard with a young child. I got this book based on other reviews that it covered the basics in a user-friendly format. I was not disappointed. It was easy to follow, and although I studied for 6 months prior to the exam, I was able to maximize the 2 hours a day that I spent.
And the most important part - I passed the exam!!

I personally enjoy memoirs so I jumped at the chance to read this book when my study abroad program had it listed as required reading. Although it seems a bit dated, since it's from the early 20s, Ackerley presents an awesomely sympathetic view of the Indian people mere decades before the Partition during a time when the British weren't so keen on the Idian culture (as Ackerley makes the reader aware of with his portraits of resident British). I thought Ackerley wrote a stunningly entertaining book, giving candid portraits of various Indians and British alike. As long as you don't mind reading about the everday goings-on then you'll love this book. Apparently it also gives a very accurate description of India at this time, or my program wouldn't have had it on its list of required reading.

What an absolute charmer this journal is. This is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for a number of years, but for one reason or another had never got around to. I'm so happy I finally did. Not at all what I expected. I've enjoyed a number of books covering the theme of East meets West culture clashes such as Orwell's brilliant "Burmese Days," Ruth Jhabvala's "Heat and Dust" and Forster's "A Passage to India" and "The Hill of Devi." Still, I think it is Ackerley's whimsical reminiscence I like best.

Published in 1932, I know that some will find this book dated and politically incorrect. I prefer to accept it as a product of its time. The journal covers the six months that Ackerley served as a private secretary to a Maharajah. The author pokes fun at the many arcane traditions and myths of the Hindu culture, without ever becoming malicious. The Indian King is somewhat of an incorrigible lech and maker of mischief as depicted by Ackerley. The stuffy British aren't spared the barb either. I particulary loved this exchange: "...'Do you like India?' Mrs. Bristow asked me. 'Oh, yes. I think it's marvelous.' 'And what do you think of the people?' 'I like them very much, and think them most interesting.' 'Oo, aren't you a fibber! What was it you said the other day about "awful Anglo-Indian chatter"?' 'But I thought you were speaking of the Indians just now, not the Ango-Indians.' 'The Indians! I never think of them.' 'Well, you said "the people," you know.' 'I meant us people, stupid.' 'I see. Well now, let's start again.'"

Openly homosexual, Ackerley has great fun documenting his flirtatious encounters with a number of the Maharajah's servants - "....And in the dark roadway, overshadowed by trees, he put up his face and kissed me on the cheek. I returned his kiss: but he at once drew back, crying out: 'Not the mouth! You eat meat! You eat meat!' 'Yes, and I will eat you in a minute,' I said, and kissed him on the lips again, and this time he did not draw away." Altogether disarming and delightful (and not at all exploitive). Highly recommended.

Ackerly is a naughty naughty man. I agree with another reviewer who said that he was honest in his depicitions of the people he encountered as well as himself. Ackerly understood the hearts of the people he knew. Often he made fun of what he saw in people, but he knew them and knew when to put away his naughtiness. This was a great book. It was funny and charming. It gave me a glance into what India was like and may still be. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an open mind.

This is one of those books that I will always keep by my bed as a reminder not to take myself too seriously in any capacity. I found this a terribly funny book, mostly becuase it rang so true. Ackerley is fabulous company, shockingly observant and brutally honest, even when it plunges him into bad light. We tip-toe so carefully around so many of the subjects he faces head on - racism, homosexuality, class and privilege. He doesn't flinch.

A journal of Ackerley's stay in the Indian province of Chhatarpur during the 1920s, "Hindoo Holiday" records and mocks the muddled morality and intellectual immaturity of both slothful Indian rulers and equally pampered British colonialists. After Ackerley returned from India, he spent several years touching up his diary for publication; he changed the names, toned down the sexual content, and removed passages that might be considered libelous. This recently published version is the first unexpurgated American edition, with all the cuts restored.

Ackerley's intent was to be mischievous and outrageous and comic; and his book became both a critical hit and, to everyone's surprise, his most commercially successful work. The book is at its best in its humorous depictions of the Maharajah, his private secretary Babaji Rao, and the contingent of valets, including the endearingly sweet Sharma and Narayan. For the most part, Ackerley's portraits are nonjudgmental and fond; he reserves his venom for the British guests and, to a lesser extent, for his sycophantic tutor, Abdul, and clumsy servant-child, Habib.

Throughout "Hindoo Holiday" there is a disconcerting, even creepy, undercurrent that revolves around the sexual despotism of the Maharajah, whose predatory advances are directed towards the "Gods"--his name for the boys in his employ. "Boys" is Ackerley's term; at least one is identified as being twenty and several are married, so it's possibly more accurate to call most of them young men. But, whatever their age, these youngsters are compelled to have sexual relations with the Maharajah--and with his wife while he's watching. Complicating this issue is the subtly hinted possibility that the ruler is suffering from the advanced stages of syphilis. (The paternity of the palace's heirs is a great mystery, as well.) Only a few of the youths seem able to withstand his advances, and Ackerley often must come to the defense of Narayan, one of the "Gods" who refuses to comply.

Ackerley reports these incidents with disquieting aplomb. His own role in these matters is rather innocent; according to biographer Peter Parker, he limited his affections to kissing and holding hands: "If he had sexual relations whilst in India, he left no record of the fact." (And Ackerley was not known for being shy about such matters in either his journals or correspondence.) Nevertheless, intentionally or not, the goings-on in the palace are emblematic of the corruption, indolence, and decadence of the British Raj.

Most modern readers, then, will find much of the tone and material and humor in "Hindoo Holiday" a bit dated. Yet Ackerley's memoir is still an accurate portrait of the time--and there are moments of brilliant hilarity.