Reviews Books

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.

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.

I was introduced to West through her book The Thinking Reed. I liked her obeservations of rich Europeans, as seen through the eyes of an American, in the era before the first world war. The Fountain Overflows takes place in Edwardian England and tells the story of an educated but impoverished family, told through the eyes of one of the young daughters. Whereas The Thinking Reed was a pleasurable, almost fluffy read for me, The Fountain Overflows raised issues that I feel it didn't answer. The father is a gambler and not emotionally dependable, and the effects on the children are alluded to at the end of the story, but then dropped. I would have liked West to stay more superficial, describing the fascinating details of family life, and leave the emotional analysis out of the story, since she didn't follow the emotional analysis through. This is a quibble, however. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Fountain Overflows, and will be moving on to Black Lamb and Gray Falcon soon.

to be savored - a real treasure.
This book is hard to classify because it is both densely written, and yet, it is like cotten candy. If you like to be transported to another place and time, and enjoy writers who know how to use the English language, this is a book for you!

This was my first encounter with Dame Rebecca West's writing, but it won't be my last. Nearly every paragraph stood alone, as a description to savor or an emotion remarkably described. The characters linger long after the book is closed. I believe that someone has suggested that they are somewhat Dickensian, with which I would agree. The plot conveys to the reader a deep understanding of the frustrations encountered by women whose lives are held in thrall by men who are indifferent to their wellbeing.

The only thing that keeps this book from being 5-stars in my mind are occasional spots where you want it to move more quickly. Its subtlety and richness make it a book well worth revisiting.

A general comment about the Classics series of the New York Review of Books. I am particularly pleased to have discovered this series for two reasons. First, because of the beauty of the books themselves; the cover art is of a very high quality and the paper, printing and binding is as well. The books themselves are pleasurable to experience. Second, the series is introducing me to literature that I would otherwise have never read. I just finished "A High Wind in Jamaica," have begun "Indian Summer" by William Dean Howells (and my middle-school introduction to "The Rise of Silas Lapham" would have predicted that I would never have picked up a book by Howells again, which would have been my loss - I might even tackle Silas Lapham again), and have ordered a few more. I recommend that readers explore some of these treasures.

The header says it all. If pressed, I will have to admit that this is my absolute favorite novel of all time. There is something so haunting and so human and so memorable about this book, I can't stay away from it--I must have read it 20 times, and I never grow tired of it.

I had heard of author Rebecca West, mainly as the young woman who had a long term affair with a much older H.G. Wells and produced a child out of wedlock, back when things like this were considered shocking. I stumbled across a copy of this book and decided it might make an interesting read.
I never imagined that I had found a true classic, a book that uses the English language to a degree unsurpassed by any other author I have ever read. The story of is simple, that of a down on their luck family, living in London during the early 1900's. Their trials and tribulations are faithfully described, as are the multitude of characters they befriend. Actually to describe the plot, one might assume that not much really happens and to be honest, the plot is not the main attribute of this novel. But the language! I have often thought that I would some day like to write a novel but after reading this book, I would not even attempt it! This is how language should be used...clear and concise but also able to convey atmosphere and emotions. Page after page of luscious words, all combining together to create an unforgettable reading experience. If, like me, you wanted to read more, please note that the sequel, This Real Night is almost as good. A third book, Cousin Rosamund is much weaker since it was not completed at the time of the author's death.
Please do yourself a favor and read this book. I think this ranks with Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights as books which define the best that the English language can offer.

This is a good FRIENDS book on series 1, although it needs more stuff about the actors of FRIENDS. It would be a lot better if we were given a behind the scenes look at the sets etc. However it's got loads of quotes, and in depth episode guides for series 1.

This book brought all the fun and laughter you remember from the episodes it covers, and more! With absolutely beautiful color pictures of the stars, as well as black and white pictures of some of the scenes from the episodes, and also candids of the stars themselves, a true Friends fan/addict can't go wrong with this one!! Every time I pick it up, it brings a smile to my face and heart! Fantastically written, I enjoy this book from first page to last no matter how many times I have read it. Just like the shows re-runs, I can't seem to get enough!! Thank you David Wild!! and the creator, director, and cast of Friends!

This book could not be more enjoyable, it is the perfect accompaniment to the best TV Show in the World of TV. If you think you know everything about Friends, well you dont know until you've Read this book.

I recently got a chance to read, Friends: The Official Companion and it was great. Everything you wanted to know about the first season of Friends was there. It was packed with all different pictures and side information that normally people wouldn't come across. This book was entertaining and was a lot of fun. I am really looking foward to reading the next one.

All friends fans will LOVE this book, It has a whole chapter "written" by Marcel the monkey, Quotes from season one episodes, a summery of season one episodes and a BIG friends quiz, chock-a-block with brain teasers.Not to mention interviews of all the cast-If you havent read this book you're missing out!

Along with every other reviewer below, I have to start by saying that this is my all-time favorite film review book, bar none. I picked up a copy back in 1986, read it so much it fell apart, and finally bought a "new" used copy last year. Like Melanie (below), I wrote to Danny Peary--sending a photo of my fallen-apart copy!--and received a lovely letter back. He said he's "delighted that people still read my movie books", but admitted to getting burned out on movies after writing GFTFF, and said that as much as he'd love to write a sequel, he thinks it would "kill him".!! Apparently his new editor may encourage him to reprint the first three Cult Movie books in a massive edition along with adding 50 newer movies.

[...]

I stumbled onto this about 14 years ago. At the time I thought it was just some HO-HUM fluff I could read at work. Reading it, though, I was impressed at Peary's 'everyman' take at film. He was also the first person in print that I'd read to see the merit of John Waters. Eventually this became known as "The Book" to friends and myself. I'd rent movies and instantly consult "The Book". I had other film guides, but this was THE take on movies. I think I've disagreed with him three times. At present, the book is in two parts, the binding giving out years ago. But it's still "The Book". I've wished for at least 10 years for an update and am still waiting. For an 'everyman' take on the classics, both cult and traditional, you can't go wrong with this one.

Well, Mr. Peary couldn't have picked a better title--this really is THE guide for the genuine film fanatic! It is a shame that the book is out-of-print. Anyone at all seriously addicted to film should read it (whether or not you always agree with Peary's opinions), so track down a copy any way you can.

I probably picked it up somewhere around 15 years ago, so my copy is really worn. And I'm still checking movies off as I see them. The main 'problem' is that there are, I think, 4200 films listed in the book, all told. I think I still have around 500 to go (the number of movies I've seen -- and this book lists only a fraction of them! -- qualifies me as a genuine fanatic). A large number of this 500 are titles that Peary admits are not 'musts': mostly low-budget horror and porno. Still, a good number are...simply impossible to find! They are not on video (not that I've found, and believe me I've looked) and are never shown on tv.

For example, who the hell knows where to locate 'Cuban Rebel Girls'? I've sent email to Turner Classic Movies, requesting such films as 'Storm Warning' and 'The Chapman Report' but, years later, they still haven't been shown. So, when you get near the end of Peary's list, good luck trying to complete it.

Maybe someone with resources should start a website for film fanatics and put all of these titles on it. Maybe there could be some sort of exchange system for people like myself (obviously I'm not alone here) who have been able to find movies on the list that others haven't.

Danny, are you reading? After all, you got us all into this!

But, seriously...dynamite book. Granted, it includes films that I can't believe I actually sat through but, on the other hand, there's a considerable number that I thoroughly enjoyed and never would have considered watching if this book hadn't introduced them to me.

One more thing: it's interesting that 1986 ends up being the cut-off point for this book, the year movies in general started causing me to hum 'Who Let The Dogs Out?' to myself on a regular basis. Although I'd be curious to see an updated version of this book -- one that would include reviews of such 'gems' as 'Showgirls', other 'must-sees', and those before 1986 that Peary somehow overlooked -- I think the book closes on a significant year.

I'm thrilled that so many people enjoy this book as much as I do. This book was a gift someone gave me as a teenager (that was over 10 years ago) and I still refer back to it at least once a week. In fact I have two copies.

I actually have a little story for fans. Probably about 10 years ago I decided to write a fan letter to Danny Peary. I basically told him how much I loved the book, and that I thought some of his reviews where actually more enjoyable than the movies themselves. I also begged him to write a sequel. To my surprise he wrote back to me! It was a very nice, hand-written letter thanking me and talking to me a little about the other books he's written.

This is a great film book and I would recommend it to everyone. The only complaint I have is that there really should be a Guide 2.

When you see multiple rave 5 star reviews for a book that has been out-of-print for ten years you know something is up. I picked this book up in the bargain bin section of a Waldenbooks many years ago and it eventually became the MOST tattered and abused film book in my library. Literally, pages were missing from the 'checklist' in the back, and the book had peeled away into three separate sections held together by a thread of a binding. Fortunately, I was able to pick up a mint condition copy from an online used book service last year and so I have a perfect copy that's just like new. I enjoy reading Pauline Kael, Stanley Kauffmann, Andrew Sarris, Roger Ebert, David Thomson...all the usual suspects but for sheer agreement, I tend to share Mr. Peary's opinions more often than possibly any other film writer.

An indispensible book!

Just read what everyone else has written...

She needs to climb out from those piles of ramie/cotton blends and update her book for us!

"If You Ask Me" collects 61 of Libby Gelman-Waxner's (aka Paul Rudnick) comedic movie columns from Premiere Magazine's first 5 years, 1988 until her 5th Anniversary column in 1993. Balancing roles as Assistant buyer in Junior's Activewear, East Side yenta, and "American's most beloved and irresponsible film critic", Libby lambasts movie cliches, aging movie stars, and directors who suffer from Auteur's Syndrome. She swoons over hunky actors and fixates on actresses' coiffures. She keeps us current on the movie-going adventures of her orthodontist husband Josh, perfect daughter Jennifer, tragically single friend Stacey Schiff, and cousin Andrew. Libby is laugh-out-loud funny.

Those who followed Libby's career until the demise of Premiere Magazine in spring 2007 can see how she became the critic we know and love and revisit some long-retired features like "The Libby Awards" and "Letters to Libby". It is amazing and hilarious how seriously some readers took her. Libby's first five years were more manic and plagued with run-on sentences than her later years. This book witnesses the point at which she hit her stride as a critic, about 2 ½ years in, with an article entitled "The Entertainment Factor". Before that, Libby was scattershot and not quite a reviewer.

Of course, Libby's foremost intention was always to entertain. But in those cases when more serious reviewers all got it wrong, which occur like clockwork twice a year, Libby set us straight. Those columns are among her best, and they earned her my respect as a critic. Libby's gossipy wit was also on hand to observe the cinematic transition from the 1980s to 1990s in her column "Making Nice". Her scrutiny of '80s Greed versus "'90s New Niceness", i.e. hypocrisy, is another example of incisive commentary in a deceptively shallow package.

"If You Ask Me" is a wonderfully entertaining volume that no movie buff should be without. Libby could get away with saying what other critics couldn't, because her comments were shrouded in humor. She got even better than this, so it's unfortunate that the other 14 years of Libby are not available as a book. The Introduction refers to this as "Volume 1", so I hope that Paul Rudnick has not completely forgotten about that implication and we can expect the rest of Libby soon. Although the movies are listed under the article titles in the table of contents, an index of movies would have been helpful, as would dates on the articles.

With the demise of Premiere magazine, the time has come to update this hysterical tome and bring every last one of Libby's incisive, razor-sharp observations together into one volume. Surely her devoted fanbase deserves that much...

If you ask me, Libby is the best thing - and sadly often the only thing - worth reading in Premiere. This book is a collection of some of her earlier columns.

I remember picking it up in a bookstore, and reading the part about "Rain Man" and laughing so much I was helplessly bent over and terrified that I would be thrown out or carted away by men in white coats. Luckily, I wasn't.

Hollywood badly needs someone to prick its enormous bubble of egotism, and Libby is always up to the job. Many movie stars are in desperate need of a reality check, a reminder that their hangnails aren't on the same level as say, world peace.

In addition to Libby, we meet her adorable children, Mitchell-Shawn and Jennifer, her friend the terminally single Stacy Schiff, her husband Josh (like Bill Clinton he can balance a budget, then jog over to pick up a bag of donuts), her mother, and her shrink - all of whom contribute columns.

Equally funny if not funnier than Dave Barry at his best, this book is a worthy addition to anyone with a slightly warped sense of humor's shelf.

You'll come for the hysterical observations, but you'll stay for the depth of thought. In reviewing Field of Dreams, for example, in between tart and hysterical observations about Kevin Costner's ambit, we get the incredible telling and onpoint observation that James Earl Jones' character seems oblivious to the fact that baseball was segregated in 1919. Whoa, Libby, you snuck that one in on us. Libby's humor is premised in her unabashed shallowness in movie tastes--she doesn't want to see Calcutta, she wants to see a cut up Patrick Swayze (one of the studs of her era)--and in her understanding of the Hollywood culture that movies reflect. In noting that the jobs women have in movies shift from art gallery director to caterers, she observes that these are great things for Hollywood wives of movie executives to do for "fulfillment" for a month or two, but not the way that the average woman in the real world will be pulling in the bread. Well, she makes that observation in a less heavy handed and much more hilarious way. Libby, forgive me, I lack your craft.

The most important thing about this book is that it is always fun and never self-important. Paul Rudnick, the man behind Libby, had fun with it, and so will you. In Libby fashion, I should note that my adorable mother, Mary Christine Motes, recommended this book to me. Thanks, Mum.