Games Books

This is the ULTIMATE drinking book ever. It's got like every game possible and details of how to play it. A must have for any college kid! I have used the book countless times!! Definitely would recommend it for anyone who enjoys playing drinking games!!

Eric - Arizona State

The Imbible is a must have for any fraternity man across America. It tells you everything you need to know to be the ultimate frat-star. Every possible drinking game you can think of!! If you are in college, BUY THIS BOOK.

I really enjoy this book. It's nice that have all of the good drinking games in one book. I own about 4 drinking game books and other games that say "100 Drinking Games", "Best Drinking Games", etc. I have also read and played about 5 more. Out of all of the them, "The Imbible" has the best games including the classics. Every game in the book will start one of those times that you'll never remember with friends you'll never forget.

Fellow Studs,

No joke this book is actually AMAZING! I had to have a diaper on when I read this book. 1) Because it was so funny I about pissed myself and 2) I got so drunk I about shat myself(gross and yet so awesome)! Truly this is a great book to have on your bookshelf and a amazing reference guide. I cannot stress this enough, just read this book... You will get addicted.

Justin B.
Kansas State University

The Imbible is a riot! I thoroughly enjoy learning while drinking, and Alex's book certainly promotes both. The only downsides to the book are that (1) it has contributed to a sharp decline in my GPA this semester and (2) it could use a more durable cover: having been passed around a fraternity house for several weeks it is beginning to fray at the edges. The reality, however, is that both these downsides are in fact positive... and I'll certainly drink to that.

I love the Iron Kingdoms and you may say that there are comparisons to Eberron but all I have to say is that Eberron never did anything like this for me! I love the feel of The Iron Kingdoms and to me that is very very important.

Iron Kingdoms Character Guide: Full Metal Fantasy, Vol. 1 is packed to the brim with great rules and source material for the Iron Kingdoms campaign setting. The book has been laid out in an easy-to-read and easy-to-find information format. This book covers all the essentials in rules supplements to really give your campaign that "Full Metal" feel.

This book was also designed to go with Volume 2 to create an 800 page arsenal of amazing background information and rules for Iron Kingdoms.

My favorite d20 product thus far ! At least until the World Guide appears. Slick presentation, beautiful artwork, and a completely original idea.

Okay since everybody has written alot about the book already I'll give the "bullet points." The book has a very diverse feature of races which I found as a breath of fresh air. The rules and added classes are well written and easy to understand. The new weapons and armor are interesting along with a truck load of information of the iron kingdoms. I'd say it even rivals Forgotten Realms in history and culture. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is due to magic creation section, you thought the DMG was tough this took me about a 5th reading and compairing the two books to figure it out. This section of the book was the only unflowing part but other than that I would HIGHLY recommend getting this book.

If your looking at Eberron I'd look here first. Eberron doesn't even come close!

From scanning the reviews, I think everything I would say has already been said. This book has been the most enjoyable d20 sourcebook I have ever read. The artwork is fantastic and the content is awesome. For a rule/source book... it's a page turner. Well, page turner in a role-playing gamer way. Odd to say that, but there are various devices throughout the book that keep you interested - adventure hooks in sidebars, enlarged quotes and narratives, and really great, off the wall ideas. The paper is thick so the book looks incredibly thick; print is unfortunately in black and white (off topic: the Warmachine tabletop books (printed in full color) from Privateer Press are on par if not better than Games Workshop's tabletop books). I only noticed slight problems in some character class modifications detailed; otherwise the book appears to be spelling-, punctuation-, and grammar-error free.

I finally found a campaign setting as immersive and interesting as al Qadim... I am once again excited to DM.

Highly recommended.

My daughter is almost 6 and she loves doing these puzzles. It was a nice surprise to give her during our recent vacation to keep her busy in the evenings. She needed extra help in the beginning to understand how crossword puzzles work, but now she just needs help when the clues are a little confusing to her. If your child can read well, he/she will probably be able to learn how to do these quickly.

I gave this book and the other KAPD book, Crazy Critters, as gifts recently to a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old. I was kind of worried about the older boy, but he thought it was cool. The 4-year-old might still be a bit young for it, but when she see's her brother doing it with Mommy or Daddy, she'll want to get into it. The themes, travel and animals, are so universal, you can't go wrong.

My 5-year old requests these every night and cried when I lost the first one while we were travelling. He loves getting the answers (and you'll be surprised by the ones they'll get). These aren't challenging for parents--kids will often get the down ones, too--but that's not what this is about: it's about doing puzzles with your kids.

Great idea.

This is really different! My first grader LOVES doing these puzzles with me. She feels great knowing answers that Mom isn't quite sure of without her. I think she likes even better sitting close, shoulder to shoulder when we do the puzzles. It is really helping with her spelling and encourages her to focus on something other than TV. They're great for "quiet time" or for the long family road trip, too. ... Plus, there are STICKERS in the book. Those are fun for my preschooler, too.

What a smart concept! These puzzles challenge parents and kids alike, while encouraging thought and discussion. But most importantly, the books are fun. They make great gifts. Afterall, what's more satisfying than completing a crossword puzzle?!

This book flows like the campfire. From gathering the supplies, to lighting the fire, to the blaze, to the dieing fire, to the embers it's an enjoyable experience.

It has lots of activities: stories, songs, skits, etc. to make your campfire an enjoyable experience.

I wish I had owned this book when I taught a Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation for teaching Cub Scout Adults about making a successful overnight campout.

This book has been added to my library and will be suggested at all future BALOO trainings.

This book gave a lot of information and ideas. We liked using it!

I just bought this recently, and it is much better than I even expected. I have a bunch of camping books in my library, and this one is better than many more expensive adult books. It has great advice even for adults, but is indespensible for camping with kids. It teaches you how to build a fire safely, cooking on the fire, (great kid favorites recipes), dealing with bugs, how to pick a camp site, what kind of Lots of safety tips too. The fun drawings make this a pleasure as well.

The authors show you how to make a reflector oven. The main feature if this book is the fun activities for around the fire such as stories songs, games, etc. Teaches kids how to identify the stars easily and even identify features on the face of the moon. I plan to use this with our Cub Scouts.

I recieved this book in the mail... Then used it two hours later that is how useful it was for me... If I could give it 10 stars I would. It is written in a way that is easy to understand so that if you wanted to give it to a child you could, yet it is comprehensive enough for an adult... I would rate this as a good use of my money...

When our family decided to go camping this year, I felt a little bit overwhelmed with the idea that my 5 year old son would not have anything to do. I went on line and bought several books about camping with children and found that this was my most helpful It not only covers the basics like making a fire and food preparation but also the fun side of camping like the games and sing alongs. It gave me a refresher course on camping and at the same time opened up the door to have some camping fun! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has children. I can't wait until we go on our trip next month. This book has given me so many ideas that I know my son will not be bored.

This is a great book full of many categories to stretch your mind, including math, science, and story problems. Many of the questions can be played in a group, like 20 questions. Then you also have to arrange things like pencils and coins certain ways. This book is a great introduction to lateral thinking puzzles!

If you are a fan of lateral thinking puzzles, this is a wonderful book you can take anywhere to tantalize your brain.
Lots of fun to try to solve these intriguing challengers! Be a logic detective to come up with a solution. A true delight for fans of all ages who love lateral thinking puzzles!

This is a brilliant little book that can be used for party games or just to while away the time if you enjoy puzzles. It has something for everyone and apart from the entertainment value I have also found some of the puzzles to be quite educational. What is most fascinating is that although many of the puzzles seem to be impossible to solve there is always an answer. A little gem and an ideal fun gift.

One day my Language Arts teacher said that we would try something fun today. Yeah right I thought, but he read us some lateral thinking puzzles, and I just loved trying to figure them out. I bought this book and read every one, some were hard, and some I could figure out after thinking for about 5 minutes. It is a perfect thing for boredom, and is just fun and interesting. A man was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister, and was perfectly normal. What was going on?

This is a collection of puzzles designed to be solved quickly using only thought. While it is true that for some it may help to construct a diagram or write options down, for most the answer is just a matter of using the right approach. Most of the puzzles are not new, I recognized over fifty percent as having appeared elsewhere. Examples of such puzzles are:

1) If you are in a boat and throw something overboard which immediately sinks, does the boat rise or fall?
2) When in the last 200 years has there been a year that reads the same upside down?
3) A woman has five children and half of them are boys. How is this possible?
4) There are several problems where matches are to be moved.
5) The problem of a three-cornered duel where the odds of each hitting their target are different and the poorest shot shoots first.
6) How to arrange five circular coins so that they all touch each other.
7) If everybody in a family always votes Republican, then how come one person did not last election?

Nevertheless, I read through it with interest, even when I was only checking my memory rather than my wits. Solutions to all puzzles are in the back and there are some real sneaky ones. It is a good book for the beginning puzzle solver, although veterans may not be impressed.

Published in the recreational mathematics e-mail newsletter, reprinted with permission.

"...an interesting foray into the world of fantasy football and the high stakes of gambling." The OHIOana Quarterly, Volume XLIX, No.3, Fall 2006, p. 148

A fast paced story line that takes a fresh approach to sports nonfiction. Turns a fantasy football league into a nightmare.

I'll admit that I've read only a dozen, or so, novels. Most of them are time consuming and have too many dead spots.

After reading this book, I was completely blown away! This is right on the money. There's never a dull moment. Anyone will love this novel.

Mark Barnes is an author on the rise. I can't wait to see what's next!

I am a fantasy football fan ( makes my wife nuts ). I also enjoy a good mystery. These two elements are brought toghther in fine fashion in this book. I enjoyed the tempo and the depth of the characters. While no threat to the great works of our time, this is a fun book.
I always measure how much I like a book by if I am happy I bought it or if I wish I had taken it out of the library. I am happy I bought this book.

This is a great book whose time has come. The topic in question is high stakes fantasy football, a "sport" which is peaking to new heights every year. What kind of madness could possibly go on behind the scenes? Find out in this thriller.

The League keeps the pages moving with nonstop action and plot movement. Easy to read, but contemplation is required. The crescendo of mystery and suspense culminates in the final pages: lives hang in the balance during a flurry of heart-pounding insanity.

A must-read for both suspense readers and fantasy players.

Warning: you'll have a hard time putting it down.

This is a wonderful book. The photography shows every detail of the exquisite designs, which are breath-taking. The commentary is very interestsing and gives an insight into life in the 1800's according to the way women dressed. I would love to be able to wear any of the fabulous dresses shown.

If you're into miniatures, or just fabulous seamestry, you will love this book and this man's work with textiles, and fashion of a romantic era like none you've seen. These are fashions we will never see again in our society, (thank goodness - can't imagine wearing this stuff). But at the same time, I love to see how elegant and fabulous ladies looked in these garments. This man was responsible for making some of the most fabulous wedding gowns in our country for over a decade and now has preserved for us a fashion era that won't be brought back in it's entirety ever again. A must see for those that are into preserving a culture and miniatures.

I found this book very useful as a source for inspiration. Good quality pictures of very Victorian looking dresses. It is not a "how to" book, but if you have some experience in sewing, there you can find good ideas how it all must look then finished.

This book by Mr. Burbidge is a feast for the eyes. The book features dozens of 29-inch fashion dolls wearing costumes from the 1850s to around 1914. Being oversized dolls, each costume can have incredible detail. Mr. Burbidge has labored to create accurate period detail in each dress. Each doll is shown in a full-page picture with period hairstyles and accessories. Each accompanying page includes a description of the outfit, small inset pictures of close details, an interesting quote from historical sources about the time period and usually some tidbit about where the author found the material for the gown. Frequently the author will explain things about high society of the era and how certain items would be viewed - for instance, whether a gown would be considered racy because of its color or how young ladies didn't wear expensive jewelry with a gown until after they were married.

There are only 2 things that I found lacking about this book and they are really trivial items in my mind. The first is that the color of the full-page images is sometimes a bit "off". The dolls often feature very soft colors and the images have a warm tone that can wash them out. The inset detail shots usually have a better color representation.

The second is that the reader should not expect accurate period undergarments on the dolls. The crinolines and petticoats are fairly accurate, but there are no corsets shown.

All in all, the book is beautiful and informative. If you didn't know better, you would almost think the images were of full-size mannequins dressed in real period costumes. And the accompanying text is suitable for anyone, even if they have no knowledge of the eras shown.

This book is a total delight for fans of couture, especially La Belle Epoch. Nothing will compare to seeing the exquisite Les Petites Dames in person, but this book comes close! I was fortunate enough to acquire some of these pictures when they were marketed in small groups, so I was thrilled to find that Mr. Burbidge had since expanded the collection and subsequently published it in its entirety (also the book goes into more detail). Just loved it!!

After the first 20 pages, I was making 20-point plays
in games that I would never have seen before this
book. Whole categories of life and death problems
can be reduced to simple questions about the shape of
their potential eyespace. Having this in your favor
is something that every player needs to know.

Some of the problems are fairly tricky at the 10kyu level.

This book introduces different life and death situations and variations of them. Actually the book has 36 groups of different shapes of life and death situations. Every group has the same vital characters which are explained with few words and examples. After that thera are a few problems and pretty good answers to problems. This happens again in every chapter.

This is a book you HAVE TO READ WITH GO-BOARD! You should try to solve problems, that gives you good overview what is important in every shape. I found it educationnal to "play" problems with someome. Both try to kill or save a group. That worked for me and my friend.

This book is good for a player who has already played a few games and notices he/she is loseing groups which he/she thinks should be alive.

I learned to notice new good and bad shapes in my games.

Having recently read a few books that tried to answer the question, "What is Life?" I was glad to find this one! The answer is simple. Life is two eyes! If you have only one eye, you are dead.

That is why the door group is as dead as a, um, doornail. It only produces one eye.

You can't enjoy a game of go unless you have a pretty good idea if your groups are dead or alive. And this book is good at teaching you to see which shapes can form two eyes and which shapes can not. The chapters and quizzes in this book are excellent training. If you can answer the "status?" questions correctly, you are well on your way towards doing some serious damage to many of your opponent's more dubious formations.

Once you have learned the elements of go and have played some games, what comes next? Well, you need to learn a little about fuseki and joseki. And tesuji (or you won't be able to understand this book). But the first topic you need to learn really well is this one. And that's where this book comes in handy.

If you are a Go beginner, I recommend studying (as I did) the book of Go problems for 30-25 Kyu before this one.

But after that and Richard Bozulich's book, this is certainly the next book to turn to.

I'm currently studying this book, "Life and Death," and another book in this series by the same author, "Tesuji."

"Life and Death" is a step easier than "Tesuji," although counter-intuitively they are volumes 4 and 3 in the series. Although the techniques used to kill or save groups come from "Tesuji," the positions in "Life and Death" are simpler, more basic and far, far more common. The problems are a bit easier. So I recommend studying this one first.

Introduction:

Life and death is one of the critical elements in the/a game of go, but what exactly is it? It is simply whether a player's stones are captured or prevented from being captured (though I won't go into a deeper explanation here). It's simple, yet very important. To become a strong player, an important fundamental is to be strong in life and death, and if you ask any go player (amatuer or professional) how, the answer will be "Solve lots of life and death problems."

Solving problems helps strengthen a go player's reading ability, and with repetition, the shapes in the problems will be more familiar to the player when they appear in his games (reading is when a player mentally forsees how the game will continue, thinking about different continuations, and to the find the best result possible for both sides). These fundamental shapes also appear in life and death.

The Book:

Content:

Normally, books about life and death are simply "problem books," which simply contain life and death problems. Life and Death (the book) is a bit different, and is mainly concerned about the fundamental shapes that appear.

The book begins with a small introduction about life and death, and defines some common terms that the reader will need to know. Moving along, each chapter is devoted to a specific shape, or theme. A chapter is begun by introducing the reader to the shape and showing them some of the common continuations that can occur. On the next page, the reader is put to the test, and is given some problems to solve.

Difficulty:

N.B.: The content in this book is aimed at stronger players who are at least in the single digit kyu range (9k up), and will not be suitable for beginners. For beginners, some books I recommend are the Learn to Play Go series by Janice Kim, to learn about the basics of life and death, and for life and death problems, the Graded Go Problems for Beginners series by Kano Yoshinori and 1001 Life and Death Problems by Richard Bozulich.

Summary:

Pros:

* Smooth process: I like how the reader is introduced to the shape and it's continuation, then is given problems to tackle himself.

* It is kind of a quasi-reference book, especially for the corner shapes, but is definitely not a life and death dictionary.

* Size: Though it's not related to the content of the book, it's a small book, which is a handy thing.

Cons:

* Price: My major gripe is the price, which unfortunately is the norm for go books translated into English. But still, $15 for this tiny book...

Conclusion:

Life and Death is an excellent book for the stronger kyu player to learn about the more difficult fundamental shapes that appear in games.

This book is a must read. The writing was crisp and intelligent. The storyline was smart and sexy without being vulgar. The characters were well developed but at the same time the author leaves you waiting for more. This is among the best novels I have read in a very long time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book Lights Out, Game Ova. It was truly one of the best books that I have read thus far this year. I thought the characters were very much a depiction of what you have in real life. Cousin Mike had me cracking up. I also like the unique words used to avoid making this book a dirty book during the erotic scenes. I thought those words spoke of the style and class of the author and I was very impressed. I also like the way he showed how men and women talk one way to each other and talk more formal when in a forum. Loke was a serious trip! I cannot wait for the Carterchronic. All eyes are on you Galuminatti!

Ice Cold and very Bold

I found the book to be a great book and it was given to me after it was read by my wife and she flat out read the book in a record 36 hours. She literally enjoyed it and demanded that I read it. Although there were a few errors in the book (I've yet to read one book that did not have an error), it did not detract away from the awesome storyline and character development. I have read many books and I am so tired of reading about how bad black men are and how much male bashing that goes on with us. I since in Sirocco's review the similar type of male bashing. I appreciate an author who takes the time to write some "real" but yet some positive energy about males within our society. We live in a sex crazed society and thus I support the storyline and saw parts of myself in this book that I had never heard of. In addition, my wife could also relate to the female insights and found the book on target. I applaud Galuminatti on his work and I think his book will be great discussion for both male and females alike. In addition, my son is a 25 year old, and guess what one of his favorite dances are?...That's right...the cabbage patch. Now, he can also dance to many of the ole school dances so I thought that example by Scirocco was somewhat ineffective in attacking the editorial assessment of the book. Some people go to great lengths to attack and criticize. Overall, the book is a very positive, page turning, exciting book and I really think Scirocco totally missed the boat. It really makes you wonder if she even read the book. I don't know this guy Galuminatti but I don't have to. Nevertheless, I strongly recommend his book to both men and women as the insights are right on target and the book is a great entertaining piece of literary art. I am also highly impressed that this is his first book. Galuminatti, I look forward to purchasing your next book.

I bought the book upon a recommendation from a good friend. After I started reading it, I couldn't stop! It was as if I was addicted to some sort of drug! Oftentimes, when I read, the plot encounters slow parts, but not this book. The plot never slowed down, it kept moving and moving. It dealt with a variety of adult situations which the author handled with erotic passion and truth. I actually finished the book in a matter of hours, finally completing it around 4 am! If you MUST read one book this year, don't check out Oprah's Book Club, check out Lights Out! Game Ova! I'm recommending it to all of my friends.

I pick up this book and could not put it down. The author's unique style of writing grabs your attention and you just hold on for the for ride. I completely read the book in one day. The love scenes were awesome, the Characters came to life, especially the Main Hero JR. As the story unfolds, you are held in suspense as to which direction JR will turn. You can't help but cheer him on as his life transitions from much pain to much gain. The book ending leaving you craving for more. I can't wait for next.

My wife is Jewish and I am in the process of conversion. I bought the book version and each year, I've faithfully bought the calendars and have given them as gifts.

They're informative, respectful, sensitive, hilarious, and I often feel I'm given a little bit of Judaica on each page.

A superb and highly enjoyable work!

I highly recommend this series.

Alan Lennox, Va

I recommend this calendar for anyone interested in Jewish culture and humor. As a history and trivia buff, I found it loaded with unusual and interesting facts and figures too.

Extremely well-edited, this author has a gift for picking just the right material, and blending beautifully to give the reader a rich experience.

More a book than calendar, I suggest you buy two: one to use, and one to keep as a reference.

Marilyn Shoen

NYC

FUNNY, FAT, FULL!!! OK, IT'S NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT TO BE ETHNIC. WHO CARES? THIS IS AN ETHNIC BOUQUET OF A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING. I WAS PARTICULARLY IMPRESSED WITH THE INFORMATION ABOUT NON-JEWS WHO CAME TO THE AID OF JEWS.

A WINNER. I LOVE GETTING AND GIVING IT.

IRV SACKOFF,
WEST VIRGINIA

Ususally calendars are simplistic -- a gimmick behind a date. A Little Joy, A Little Oy was a shocker. It's a superb blending of date and facts, humor, sentiment. Filled with information that many books don't offer, it far exceeded our expectations.

For anyone interested in Yiddishkeit I recommend it highly! A unique offering.

Ernie Small, LA

I received the book version as a gift, then I went out and bought the calendar in 2002, fell in love with the thoroughness of the entries. Then again in 2003 and now in 2004.

It never fails to disappoint. Frankly, I'm amazed that the entries are not only fresh, unusual, hysterical, but keep getting better and more seasoned.

It's full of a variety of Yinglishisms, which are my favorites, along with history, literature. Something for everyone.

I'm buying them up as great gifts.

More please!

Jason Blauvelt