Bridge Books

Are you fed up with iopponents weak (awful) overcalls?
This is the book for you!

Great Intermediate level book on when to convert Takeout and Negative Doubles to Penalty doubles, as opposed to bidding 3NT or a new suit.

The style is entertaining, with a ficticious student, progressing through some lessons and table experiences. You are shown some hands and asked what to bid (pass for Penalty or bid something), then how you would lead and play teh hand as the dummy comes down. Then teh author reveals the hand and explains some of the pitfalls, and the optimal way to gain every trick.

This is highly practical and can easily be applied.

What was especially interesting is the overcalls (that went for -500 or -800) used in the book were sound! None of these stupid 2 Diamond overcalls on KJxxx. These were sound and still got murdered through proper defense.

The crappy overcalls will go for even more.

There are 2 types of penalty doubles - those based on trump tricks (even A 10 9 8 - which can benefit from trump promotion), and thos ebased on high cards.
The author discusses how to handle low level penalty doubles vs. high level doubles.
At the lower levels you want to cash your side suit winners, while keeping an eye on dummys ruffing potential.
At the higher level you want to pull trumps fast since you ahve the balance of points.

The authors other book (Private Sessions) is also excellent. Very well presented.

Having enjoyed Mr. Boehme's other book, Private Sessions, I was looking forward to more. I was not disappointed, although this new book is much more for intermediate (or advanced intermediate) players. The book is well written and logically organized along the lines of Mr. Boehme's teacher-student dialogues. The quizes in the middle and at the end provide a good opportunity for the vicarious student (i.e., the reader) to self-test the knowledge acquired.

Good, logical progression from the basics of good defense to higher-level principles that manage to avoid being gimmicky. Not a compendium of all bridge knowledge, obvioulsy, but worth several hours of study--and enjoyment. Hope we see more books by Boehm.

This is a great book. I recommend it for anyone interested in Dianetics. Read it from cover to cover and then maybe reread it! But at least read it once!

This is the first book written on this subject, (Dianetics) written almost 50 years ago. It's put forth in a manner that is easy to understand and will give you an understanding of why people continue to use this information to improve their lives and why this subject continues to grow in popularity

Wanting to know the history and begining of scientology, I was directed to this audiobook. I found it very intreging and and easy to follow, The paperback book that accompanies it has all of the terminology and definitions. I would recommend it to all.

I expected this would be a good book when I first picked it up, but it turned out to be way better than I expected. It's written with the savvy and competence which you expect from such professionals, but without the hard edge. It's got lots of real heart. Where they go beyond is in creating for me the clear sense of their compassionate understanding as well as in offering concrete ways for constructive and healthy resolution. It's really very positive. I also very much appreciated the design of the book, which made it very accessible and easy to read and use. Totally first class in every way.

I read very few books--unless they're about golf or business. But this one grabed me. It makes sense and gets to the point quickly. As a divorcing man I thought many of my thoughts and feelings were unique to me. Some of my behavior has been destructive. I've never met the authors but they must know me somehow because my experience and feelings are in every chapter. It's been a big load off my mind to know I'm not alone in how I've been reacting to messy divorce. But now I'm learning how I can do much better. It's like my friend threw me a life raft when he told me to take a look at this book. This is the best help I've received since the bad times of my divorce began almost 9 months ago.

Wow! This is the most helpful and practical book on Divorce I've read. And God knows I've read as many Divorce books as diets I've been on. This is an easy read and yet it goes deep. I cried through the first half and smiled the rest of the way. This is first one I've seen that doesn't bash either the male or female gender. It creates a welcome approach to understanding--and it's about time.

This is a must read for people who are serious about putting a smile back on their faces and boltstering their self-esteem in healthy ways.

I'm passing this book on to 2 of my friends going through divorce, one male and one female.

A delightful review of the world of Doctor Who as it stood in the 1970's. It includes many rare pictures from the series as well as publicity shots and behind-the-scenes photos. From Adams, Douglas to Zygons (Terror of), this is a wonderfully produced Master-piece! A truly great book for all Doctor Who fans!

I've just read this wonderful book and it is WELL worthe reading so dont think twice about buying this book

This is my favorite non-fiction Doctor Who book of all time. The book is loaded with some never before seen footage and insightful data. The layout is wonderful and captures the decade that brought us Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. My favorite chapter of the book features merchandise from the 70's -- so far the only Who book that addresses this aspect of the show.

When I first flipped through this book at an Albuquerque bookstore in November 1996, I was shocked to learn that Jon Pertwee, my favorite Doctor Who, had died back in May, twelve days after he had finished his memoirs.

I finally got the book a year later and it was a treasure trove. One learns a lot more about Jon Pertwee behind the role of the Time Lord. He's a man overflowing with anecdotes and he has at least one for every Doctor Who story he made. My favorite one is when director Lennie Mayne, a colourful Australian who constantly swore a blue streak, told him and the cast of The Curse Of Peladon to react with more feeling at a monster. Instead of "oohing and ahhing like a bunch of fairies," they were to say, " me, will you ing well look at that?" Well, they did just that at a rehearsal. Unbeknownst to them, producer Barry Letts had invited a priest friend of his to watch, so needless to say... Another is his remembrance of working with The Time Warrior's director, Alan Bromly, in a play back in the 1930's.

He sure knew a lot of people. Most of them liked him, there were a few who didn't care for him or his acting technique (e.g. Nina Thomas, Anthony Ainley), but even so, he never hated them back. He was fond of people. Many that he knew died young, such as directors Douglas Camfield and Lennie Mayne, actors Neil McCarthy and Duncan Lamont, and his good friend Roger Delgado (the Master).

The rapport he had with Patrick Troughton was interesting, in particular the anecdote of how the two of them went places where they were given free gifts, much to Troughton's delight. He himself was shy, but so was Troughton, and he helped his predecessor overcome his shyness and enjoy public appearances. Given that Troughton died of a heart attack during a Who convention still in his Who costume, Pertwee's help was invaluable.

What really made the Pertwee years work was the team and the rapport they had. There was Jon, of course, then the UNIT family of Nicholas Courtney, Katy Manning, Richard Franklin, and John Levene, and on and off, Roger Delgado. Producer Barry Letts and Script Editor Terrance Dicks rounded things off. The Daemons is a perfect example of that camaraderie. The end came when first Roger Delgado died and Katy Manning left. With the news that Letts and Dicks were moving on, it was a good time for Jon Pertwee to leave. He played the Doctor for five seasons, second to Tom Baker's record seven, so that wasn't bad.

Other things: his hobby of nurgling, i.e. taking stuff from abandoned houses, which extended to props from Who, such as the polystyrene statue of Bok, made him quite a pack rat. His practice of giving his fellow actors notes on anything they felt they could improve during rehearsals, etc. all for the sake of improvement, is actually a useful idea. I thought that the melody of the lullaby he used in The Curse Of Peladon was familiar until I read that it was "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen." Well, duh! I should've known that! He liked the action that arose from the earthbound UNIT stories. Me too.

Jon Pertwee's final memoir reveals an actor who enjoyed what he did, whether it was the Navy Lark, Doctor Who, or Worzel Gummidge. Heck, he enjoyed life itself. Like Troughton, he died as Doctor Who, in spirit if not in costume. The last sentence of his book is poignant: "I don't want to rust away. I want to fade away. Like the TARDIS. But not just yet." Below, he signs his name with "Who?" Under that is printed 7 July 1919-20 May 1996. Thanks for the memories and memoirs, Jon.

I'm not sure what is better in this book. Jon Pertwee's rememberances or the photos that come along with them. Either way this is a must for any fan of Doctor Who or Jon Pertwee. Jon was a wonderful story teller and he lives up to that in this his final words on his years as the Doctor. Besides the great stories about his years in the show the book is full of many photos from it as well. Many I personally had never seen.

This is a wonderful final memoir from the late, great, Jon Pertwee. This book shows his accounts of his Doctor Who days from his own memories and it does not disappoint. A good plus is that it reveals other parts of his long, storied career. But the main focus is, of course, Doctor Who. Its very exciting to read his memories behind each story of his time on the series. The best parts are the funny moments that he recalled. Other things are that we learn where the cool Whomobile came from. It was Jon's idea. Its very heartbreaking to know he died after shortly completing this book's manuscript. This book leaves behind an excellent memoir from a very gifted entertainer. This book also helped me learn more about him. I'm from Canada and the book really helps someone like me as I'm not familiar with his career beyond Doctor Who. This book accomplishes that. From the Navy Lark to Doctor Who to Worzel Gummidge, Jon Pertwee entertained us in every way. What a fitting tribute from this man, in his own final words.

This book is great, and filled with photographs you probably won't find anywhere else. The photographs are diverse and often truly astonishing. You will often find yourself staring at a photograph for a long time in amazement.

I, too, saw an outdoor exhibition of the photos from this book and also could not resist buying it, even though I had to lug it all the way from Vienna around Austria and then back to San Francisco! But it was worth it! I think is more interesting than the "Earth from Above" series, since the images are unusual and all come with a detailed explanation of the cultural or ecological meaning they convey.

I was wandering along my way to the Natural History museum and I found that outside there was a photo exhibit. Massive prints from this book were displayed, and the work is excellent. After seeing it I was compelled to buy the book. The photos are beautiful and it is certainly worth it.

"These stories are at once bittersweet, tender, and funny without ridiculing. We recognize ourselves or know someone in those shoes and they touch our hearts. We root for or pray along with them as they try to unravel the puzzle of their lives. Romo skillfully maintains and heightens the momentum and allure of the story with folkloric intrigue: how and why has the Rio Grande turned red?" -- Liz Raptis Picco, for El Andar.

Imagine Joyce's Dubliners set on the Rio Grande. Like life itself, this book is sweet, sad, beautiful, astonishingly interconnected, and all too short. When Tomasita burns the beans, she sets in motion a series of events that touches the lives of a dozen other women, and attracts the notice of millions. Romo employs a series of brief vignettes to tell powerful, emotion-packed stories of life and death and love and pain, and ties them all together into an exquisite package. Short, but delightful in its richness and complexity, this is a perfect gem of a novel, and one of few works of fiction this reviewer has read recently that didn't cry out to be edited down. All of the main characters are Mexican-American women, so women and Latinos may find this book especially endearing, but such is the power of Romo's achievement that this slim volume can readily be appreciated by everyone.

"Romo has a pleasing, unpretentious writing style, and he sometimes exhibits a real eye and ear for the ordinary moments that give life meaning. Throughout EL PUENTE, I was frequently reminded of John Steinbeck. Romo isn't as obsessed with social and economic justice, but he has a similar knack for describing the lives of plain, simple folk on the street.... EL PUENTE shows a lot of promise."--Steven Robert Allen

In 1891 Alberta, Dr. Virginia Waters waits for her fiancé Mounties marksman Zack "Bulls-eye" Bullock to come home. The couple has not seen one another in years, but he felt obligated to offer marriage when his brother, engaged to Virginia for six years, married someone else. When the train arrives in town, an explosion occurs. Two Mounties are killed and Zack is wounded as someone shot him during the chaos.

As Zack heals, he realizes that his fiancée is a target of an enemy James Stiller, whose brother he killed. To keep Virginia safe, Zack publicly breaks their engagement though that breaks his heart to do so. However his actions fail as someone tries to shoot Virginia. Admitting the truth to her, she tells him that once Stiller is stopped she never wants to see either of the Bullock brothers again. Zack plans to change her mind with three kisses as the Mounties always get, in this case, their woman, but first must keep her safe from Stiller.

Virginia makes the tale as she is intrepid and feisty as expected of a female medical practitioner in the late nineteenth century. The action never slows down from the moment the dynamite strikes the train until the final confrontation between the villain and his cohorts vs. Zack and his supporters. Fans of historical romantic suspense will appreciate this warm bridge back to Calgary during a bygone era and will want to read the author's first Canadian tale THE SURGEON.

Harriet Klausner

Setting - Alberta, Canada 1891 --- This is the second novel penned by Ms. Bridges featuring the Canadian Mounted Police. While it is part of a trilogy, it can most assuredly stand-alone. Dr. Virginia Waters has traveled to Alberta from Niagara Falls to marry - not the brother, Andrew, she had been engaged to for six long years - but his older brother Zack Bullock, i.e. `Bulls - eye' - aptly named for his precision as a `sharpshooter' in the Mounties. While, she had not been madly in love with Andrew, they had been childhood friends and it was a comfortable arrangement, with Andrews's parents even paying her tuition for medical school. Now, several months later after finding out that Andrew had married a woman he'd known for less than two months, she was being getting ready to marry his older brother Zack in two days! She'd arrived four weeks early hoping to reacquaint herself with her intended groom, and two days before the nuptials he'd still not shown his face - one could certainly understand her anxiety over the possibility of being jilted -- once again!

Zack, knew that he would have to get married some day and while this would not be a love match he remembered well the attractive young girl that had tagged along behind his younger brother Andrew. It would prove to be a good match, knowing that she would have her medical career, and would more than likely leave him to his duties. He'd never been in love, and never expected he would be. What he did not expect, was to have her administering to his wounds after a failed bomb and gunshot left him immobilized and weak the day before the wedding.

As someone had to make a decision, and the groom would never be up and about to marry her the next day, Virginia postponed the wedding. Later, Zack would remember hearing a threat against his pretty bride to be. Knowing that his enemies were vicious enough to harm her he had to make a decision as well - one that would truly get the point across to his enemies that Virginia meant nothing to him. So he publicly and loudly proclaimed to all at a pre-wedding get together, that he was breaking off their engagement and she should get on with her life elsewhere! Well, I guess it's a `guy thing', because wouldn't you guess, now he's having a heck of a time trying to act uninvolved when he wants nothing more than to be VERY involved with the very desirable Dr. Virginia Waters.

Ms. Bridges has penned another devilishly delicious and witty novel based on the men and the woman who loved those daring and irresistible Canadian Mounties! She develops the characters extremely well with what must be a good amount of research and very descriptive prose that gives the reader a picture in their mind of life in that era and engages your emotions writing with compassion, humor and sensuality. This is a great little book that I can recommend for people who like a warm and fuzzy after feel served up with their favorite novels. Can't wait for the next in this trilogy! --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com ---

This alluring Canadian tale is a smart enjoyable read. The characters are strong and well defined and the storyline keeps your attention from the first page to the last.

Next must read is The Surgeon, as it has some continuing characters from Engagement. Another soon-to-be released is The Proposition.

Richard S. Dunn examines the British colonialization of the West Indies. Dunn considers numerous colonies, but Barbados takes early preeminence. Dunn discusses the adventurers of the first twenty years, mostly small-scale farmers; the cavalier-planters of the 1640s and '50s, Royalist exiles who fled the English Civil War; and the slaves who became a majority of the population in the period Dunn considers.

Dunn offers a detailed contrast between the lives of the planter elite and the enslaved majority. This is a landmark work in the history of plantation agriculture in the West Indies.

The work should also interest readers of Southern history. Dunn compares the rise of a cavalier elite in Barbados to the same development in Virginia. Planters from the West Indies, especially Barbados, dominated the early years of the colony of (South) Carolina.

Other works on this period of West Indian history are Richard Sheridan's Sugar and Slavery and Gary Puckrein's Little England. Works by Hilary Beckles examine the lives of women and Blacks in this period of West Indian history.

Dunn does an excellent job of explaining the planter class in the West Indies. His research is excellent and his writing style is clear and devoid of that crazy academic jargon so often found in history books. This is my first book on planters and it gave me a good fund of knowledge on the histories of Barbados, the Leeward Islands, and Jamaica, and it outlined in detail how the planters made or lost money. For me, it's Dunn's careful unraveling of the planters' financial arrangements and entanglements that made this book absolutely hard to put down!

In "Sugar and Slaves," Richard Dunn shows not only the brutality of the West Indies slave trade that revolved around sugar, but also how slave owners "created a society...radically different from the one they left at home." He notes that while these planters brought with them to the islands their laws, church and social institutions, these settlers early on "developed their own lifestyle...bent by their eager embrace of African slavery." (46) Dunn persuasively argues that European planters who came to the West Indies traveled literally and figuratively "beyond the line" of normal, British social conventions, and created a world in which "everything goes," particularly the exploitation of slaves and natives in the creation of a dominant master class. These rapacious men, he argues, quickly adapted to harsh climatic conditions by abandoning the use of lower class but white indentured servants in favor of exploitable, controllable Negroes once the sugar boom created a demand. "The rape's progress was fatally easy," Dunn notes: "from exploiting the English poor to abusing colonial bondservants to ensnaring kidnaps and convicts to enslaving black Africans." (73) Unlike his Chesapeake or Lowcountry counterpart, the West Indies sugar lord produced nothing but his staple crop, and relied instead on imports for all other necessities. "In short, the English sugar planter was more strictly a businessman than the senhor de engenho of Brazil." (65) This was a marked difference from other English settlement and colonization patterns, which Dunn concludes is evidence of the atypical class of planter the Caribbean islands fashioned.

There are some books which stay with you after long you are done reading them and Shono's "Evening Clouds" is one of them. With haiku-like prose, and an almost Zen like approach, Shono narrates the day to day happenings in the life of Oura, a guy who moves to a new house on the top of a hill with his wife and 3 kids. The beauty of the book lies in the fact that while nothing really "happens", the reader can really connect with the family and feel life's rhythms in the written word.
This book is meant to be read slowly and savored without rush and haste.
Also, somehow after reading the book I felt that it gave me the same vibes as "My neighbor Totoro" by Miyazaki. I think that is because both are about families moving to a new house set among trees, wind and babbling brooks. And because both touch you in the same way, with the warm fuzzy feeling that I cannot begin to describe.

This is one of the most uneventful novels I've ever read. No drama, no storyline per se, no extraordinary characters, no deep symbolism to speak of, and devoid both of extreme emotional impact and pseudo-sophisticated postmodern detachment. Sounds boring, right? Wrong, strange to say. "Evening Clouds" consists of a number of loosely-related episodes that focus on the little day-to-day happenings in the life of a fairly ordinary family (okay, the father is a self-employed writer, so not exactly representative per se) narrated in a manner that, while straightforward and deceptively plain, is quiet, thoughtful, and engaging. At first the episodes and images seem random and disorganized, though with a little attention one catches on that most of them in some way or another suggest the family's transplantation to a new location and its gradual maturation there. Shono unfolds this theme according to organic rather than strictly linear organizing principles, and does so with an eye for detail and a knack for making the quotidian suggestive in a warm-hearted though unsentimental fashion, all of which slowly grows on the reader. It is almost as if Shono has taken the old abandoned prewar "I-novel" with its autobiographical fixation and confessional tone, subtracted out the weak points and hackneyed aspects (such as the impulse to drag oneself through the dirt), and refined it anew into a concoction of his own that actually is a joy to read and savor.

Lammers' translation is top-notch, catching the casual tones of the novel nicely, and the secondary materials he has appended to the work are short and to the point, doing a fine job of introducing this fine author and his novel to the English reader without impeding the novel from speaking for itself.

Evening Clouds is an incredible book that should be read slowly. This is not the kind of book to stay up all night with; the tranquility and closeness of the Oura family should be enjoyed over a week or two. Once reconciled to the idea that nothing "exciting" is going to happen, the reader can sit back and savor the beauty that may or may not exist in his own life. A person leading a particularly stressful existence would benefit from a few weeks mentally on top of a windy mountain in Tokyo with a loving wife, three adorable children and ample time to work in the garden. The only threats to peace are that developers are encroaching on the surrounding hillside and the children are growing up; this hint of sadness in an otherwise happy novel makes it a perfect reading experience.