Television Books


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Television Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Television
Blood Memory
Published in Hardcover by Macmillan (1992-03-20)
Author: Martha Graham
List price:
Used price: $49.99
Collectible price: $50.00

Average review score:

interesting autobio of a true pioneer
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-14
This is an interesting book if you are into modern dance. Graham was, of course, one of the great innovators of an entirely new genre of artistic expression, modern dance, and she is very open about her constant struggles and triumphs. She is a true American original.

In this book, you meet St-Denis, Eric Hawkins, and Merce Cunningham, and manz others, all of whom were influences on her and whom she influenced. They are fascinatingly placed in both personal and historical context.

While the content of this book is exceptional and extremely valuable, it is oddly structured, kind of a series of vignettes that are not even broken down into chapters. This was disconcerting to me and it made the thread of her narrative hard to follow at times. It was edited by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, opne of her last books.

I recommend it to those already interested, but not to those who are not deeply hooked on dance. This work is full of love, some pride, and the obscure tragedies of her life.

An Athlete of God
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-25
This is my favorite book ever. Martha Graham claims that she is simply a dancer but she is an excellent writer. And, from what I read from Blood Memory a formidable woman. An "artiste" whose thoughts, both deep and candid, are very profound. In all aspects she is truly an "Athlete of God."

read this book!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1997-02-27
I heartily recommend this autobiography to anyone who loves dance, or simply loves life! Martha's unique sense of humor and her trademark style make this book well worth your while

a great woman's state of mind
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2000-11-15
Reading this book, I found myself eagerly copying down quote after quote of Martha Graham's philosophy. Although I'm not a dancer, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Martha Graham's perspective on modern dance, art, and life in general. Moreover, I have great admiration for a woman who has been said to encourage *vagina* envy. You go, girl!

An introduction to a legend
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 1998-04-11
This book was an excellent introduction into not only the dance world, but the world of a dancer. I was given the opportunity to read this for a beginning modern dance class in college and I completely enjoyed it. It provides a wonderful view of not only the style of dancing as a textbook would normally do, but provides a lens for the reader to understand what kinds of reasons an incredible woman such as Martha would have for creating her works of art. I highly recommend this book for anyone, not interested in dance even, as it is also a wonderful story. It made a great impact on me and especially in my reasons for creating a piece. I highly recommend this book.

Television
BLUEPRINTS: STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION NCC-1701-D (Star Trek Next Generation (Unnumbered))
Published in Paperback by Star Trek (1996-07-01)
Author: Sternbach
List price: $24.00
New price: $34.77
Used price: $5.38
Collectible price: $27.00

Average review score:

Quite a teaser
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-10
Yes, for any trekie fan, this is a must have item...though it makes one wish other star ships had blue prints as well.

Great Blueprints, Almost Flawless!!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-08-06
The Star Trek: The Next Generation Blueprints are great, except for one thing: they don't show where the brig is. Other than that, they are great!!!

True Trek Excellence
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 1998-07-04
This book/set of blueprints is the most detailed I have ever seen... I spent hours and hours studying them, they were so detailed! They even show the location of the turbolift shafts, and the computer panels! The blueprints cover things not shown in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual... Like the ship's aquatic life tanks, which house dolphins and various other fish and sea animals, or the Main shuttlebay... which is so massive, it could house a football stadium.

I reccomend this book to any 'Trekky' who wants to know more about the Enterprise than they are told by the Television Series.

Trekkie? Then BUY THIS BOOK!!!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 1996-07-05
Developed by Rick Sternbach, senior illustrator at Paramount for the STAR TREK franchises, The USS ENTERPRISE BLUEPRINTS give STAR TREK fans a whole new way to explore this facinating universe. Inspired by Franz Joseph Designs STAR TREK BLUEPRINTS from 20 years ago, Sternbach and his illustration team have, for the first time, given the fan a way to explore the massive vessel from television's STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION deck by deck. Ever wonder exactly where LT Worf's quarters were? Want to know how to get from the Conference Lounge to Ten Forward? With these highly detailed blueprints, now you can find out. The plans consist of 13 sheets. Each sheet is lovingly drawn, and minutely detailed. But perhaps the crowning jewel in this package is the 16 page booklet accompanying the plans. The booklet, which contains a forward by Robert H. Justman, a producer of the original STAR TREK as well as THE NEXT GENERATION, is the record from a round table discussion featuring Sternbach and several other people who were key in the production of the television series. There are many facinating insights into how the series came to be, how the starship was designed, and several other topics sure to appeal to every STAR TREK fan. A sure fire collectable, the USS ENTERPRISE-D BLUEPRINTS are a must for the bookshelf of every STAR TREK fan.

Amazing detail !!!!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-10-31
I have to say that the Main Shuttle Bay is really an amazing slant; I never would have figured the entire middle of the saucer section was 'hollowed-out' like a space going Aircraft Carrier - amazing! Always wondered where those 'Runabouts' came from on the series . . . sure wish there was set of these Prints for the Enterprise-E.

This is a MUST set for anyone who's ever wondered what it would be like to walk the halls and decks of the Starship Enterprise.

Television
Bob Marley: Spirit Dancer
Published in Paperback by W. W. Norton & Company (1994-10)
Author: Bruce W. Talamon
List price: $17.95
New price: $63.61
Used price: $1.99
Collectible price: $17.95

Average review score:

Proud Spirit
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-15
The photographs and the written text of this book compliment each other
perfectly. This book is put together not just for the Bob Marley fan but
any style music fan and also for fans of photography.

GOOD PICS
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-21
AUTHOR WAS OBVIOUSLY A CLOSE FRIEND OF BOB'S!

ITS SO WONDERFULL READING THE BOOK
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 1999-06-08
MY ONLY SUGGESTION IS THAT THOS BOOK REALLY POTRAYS CLEARLY THE LIFE OF A LEGEND.

BEST POINTS TO MY BROTHA
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 1998-05-14
Pi up this book put the record on and get into this love and obscurity of "Slave Driver". Enjoy it.

One Of My Favorite Biographies
Helpful Votes: 25 out of 27 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-19
One of the most surprising things you'd expect out of me, a 15 year old skate punk kid, is my collection of books. Big and small, short and long, all of my books are spanned on a shelf system that runs around my room. An those are just the good ones. The really good ones go in my night table drawer. This is one of them. Bob Marley is and was one of the most inflential people not only in my life, but in many others as well. This book not only shows that, it also shows the feels and vibes of Caribbean life during his time. It richly illustrates reggae in general, racial boundaries, and social problems of Marley's time. It is a vividly painted portrait of one of the greatest musicians of our time. With facts from his birth to his death and everything that happened to him in between, it helps you (the reader) to fully understand this great person. Bob Marley was truly influential, and this book illustrates that fact completely. You will read it over and over and over again.

Television
Breaking News: A Stunning and Memorable Account of Reporting from Some of the Most Dangerous Places in the World
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Dunne Books (2008-03-04)
Author: Martin Fletcher
List price: $24.95
New price: $10.61
Used price: $5.52
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

Great stories of History-Making news from an excellent reporter
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-12
I couldn't put this book down, and read it in one day. Martin Fletcher takes you where most reporters won't go, or can't go. You'll read of the intense competition between the networks, and what ranks as "go" or "no-go" story; which amounts to the number of people dying or killed as being newsworthy.

Stories of fellow journalists who are killed and wounded (including his own first-person account), in attempts to bring the stories of war and its victims to our television screens. How Fletcher identifies with the suffering of the victims of war in Somalia and the "Ethnic-Cleansing" of the conflicts in Rwanda and Kosovo; with his own family's suffering in The Holocaust.

From the Arab-Israeli Wars to the present Palestinian struggle, to personal interviews with a warlord, suicide bombers and refugees (one very touching story of a young girl). There'll be stories that will make you laugh, cry, and some that will anger you. But they are all presented within a very personal and moving context that almost makes you feel as if you're right there, experiencing Fletcher's witness of history in the making. And that indeed, this is a very dangerous and evil world in which
live.

SUPERB!
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24
An amazing, POWERFUL, insight into the world of Martin Fletcher. I read the book in two sittings, four days ago, and I am still thinking about it. He tells his story in a 'mostly' chronological order, leaving me breathless at the end. It's an incredible journey and I am so thankful he took the time to tell it!

Breaking News - refreshing, human, timely - a great read
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-08
This is a very different, deeply-impressing account by a very special reporter - and if this book hadn't been thrust under my nose with the recommendation to read it, I would have assumed it was the usual set of star-turn anecdotes from someone who thought they were the star-turn. Not a bit of it. Unlike some, Fletcher is never, ever bigger than the news on which he reports.

If this was only the most brilliant account of exceptional, award-winning TV war-reporting journalism, which, incidentally, it is - then that in itself that would be something. But it's much more than that; it's about the moral and ethical dilemmas that people like Fletcher face daily on our behalf in reporting serious news - and, refreshingly, nothing to do with the soulless ephemerals of providing 'entertaining' so-called, 'news' features between adverts.

Fletcher is one of the last vestiges of conscience and soul in the digital age when it comes to serious news reporting. Breaking News is likely - and rightly - to be considered core-curriculum stuff for anyone considering serious journalism as a career - but it's also likely a must-read for anyone who wants to share Fletcher's personal 'take' - and the chance to share in his very human enlightenment - through his reporting of a truly extraordinary series of world events over 30 years.

Breakng News - a gripping, intense, must read book
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-05
Most of us will never know the inside of a war correspondent's job. We should be thankful that veteran war correspondent Martin Fletcher has provided that glimpse for us.

Fletcher is currently serving as NBC Mideast News Bureau Chief in Tel Aviv.

Fletcher has written beautifully, movingly and tragically of his 30-year career, covering the strife in Israel, Zaire, Afghanistan, Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, and other war torn areas of the world.

At times, the descriptions are brutal, graphic.

At times, Fletcher breaks your heart. But always, Fletcher tells it like it is.

Fletcher began his career as a cameraman who had grown bored with his BBC desk job, and describes his constant yearning for more as living a life always on 'fast forward'.




Fletcher's father, Georg, was a young lawyer in Vienna in 1938 who fled Austria with his wife after escaping from a Nazi jail. Martin was born in London and Georg changed his name to George and the family name from Fleischer to Fletcher. Very few in Fletcher's parents' families survived the Holocaust. Martin Fletcher writes in his introduction that:


"I am proud to say that I have rarely interviewed a head of state or a chief executive officer. I don't care what the generals have to say...Nobody with a story to sell or a policy to spin interests me. What I care about are the people who pay the price, as my family did."


And that is what he tells in Breaking News - the stories of people who have paid the price; most often, with their lives.

Sometimes, those who paid the price were journalists. In August 1967, Fletcher and other journalists were in Cyprus:

BEGIN EXCERPT:

"...As it was August 7, the first day of renewed peace talks in Geneva and we needed to show what was happening on the ground, we said thank you and drove off. Nobody's going to shoot just when their leaders are sitting to talk, we thought. And we were right. Nobody shot. But we didn't think about land mines...


..."Ted, in the backseat with the camera and sound gear, looked out the window.


"The main road along the coast of northern Cyprus has many gentle bends, with fields on both sides and occasional narrow slip lanes to the right that lead to villages on the slopes of the low Kyrenia mountain range...It is a beautiful drive, with cows grazing in green fields, sweet-smelling bushes with butterflies and birds, and ancient gnarled olive trees...Here Lawrence Durrell made his home and under a sweeping lemon tree in the village center wrote much of his famous book Bitter Lemons."


..."Simon drove slowly, no more than fifteen miles an hour. All three of us scanned the road for mines and peered into the bushes ahead for Turks...


..."This time there was no barbed wire, and there were no warning signs. Simon and I spotted the mounds pushing up on the tar road at exactly the same time, and we shouted almost in unison: 'Mines" They were about a foot apart, arranged in 3-2-3 formation, and stretched forward as far as I could see. Some were just bumps in the earth, others were in plain view...


"Even at such slow speed, there was no time to jam on the brakes...

..."Here I'd like to describe how I felt, but I have no memory...[multiple cars went through the minefield]...

"The yellow car at the back pulled out. 'What's up? Why'd you stop?' the New York Times guy yelled. He began to overtake the car in front, heading toward us and the mines. There is no word I know to describe that instant of sheer terror. The fucker was going to kill us all. Then the car stopped. ...

..."Then Ted opened his door and got out. He held up his arm and shouted a warning, telling them to get back. That's when Ted trod on the mine. It was a Bouncing Betty ...'an antipersonnel mine that, when you tread on it or hit a trip wire, leaps into the air and explodes at chest height. It can blow your head off'...."

END EXCERPT

You will not be able to put down this book.



At the heart of photojournalism is the ability to capture humanity in its most human moments; in war, this often means death. Correspondents were told to take pictures as close to the subject as possible. In war, that often meant photographing people in the act of dying.

Fletcher argues that a journalist should put aside, for the moment, the very human difficulty of 'exploiting victims in order to save them', as Fletcher writes, or of 'cozying up to the perpetrators.'

As cruel and insensitive as that may seem, it can be necessary, simply to bring the story of cruelty to the public. And by bringing the story to the public, more lives can be saved.


Of his experiences in Somalia, Fletcher writes that by 1993, the drugged-up teens chewed 'khat' the drug the Somali warlords supplied to the children to keep the children's crusade killing and dying, dying and killing.


BEGIN EXCERPT:

"The oldest boy looked maybe sixteen. They were all shiny with sweat and had yellow-green teeth from the constant mashing of khat. One had dirty white bandages seeping blood wrapped around his shoulder to cover a bullet wound...

"...Twice on our journey gunfire broke out. Our boy-guards whipped their machine guns around to the source of the shooting while our driver trod on the gas, hurling us against the hard metal...

END EXCERPT


Here Fletcher arrives at one of the most gripping episodes in his entire book, the death of Fida Ibraham and the filming of it on camera - and of the moral dilemma one faces, Fletcher writes, that directs 'good people to do bad things for a good reason.'

That issue is at the crux of the human dilemma in this type of journalism.

To bring to light for all of the television watching world, Fletcher and his film crew - an assignment originated from Tom Brokaw - decided to film someone dying, to let the world know what it is like to die of starvation.

Inside a hut in the village lay Fida Ibraham, who was a refugee from Baidoa and who had walked 120 miles to Mogadishu.


BEGIN EXCERPT:

"She had survived for four days, but now black flies buzzed around her bulging brown eyes, and her thin lips drew tight against her yellowing teeth as she cried. Her long bony fingers dug weakly at the worms under her dry and wrinkled skin, but she didn't have the strength, and her skinny arm dropped suddenly and dangled over the side of the broken wooden barrow Annette used to carry away the dying."

..."Yossi was crouching crablike by Fida's side, his wide-angle close to her face, so the world would see in close-up her pain, fear, and humiliation...Fida whined and gasped in pain as the aid workers lowered her carefully onto a blanket on the bare concrete floor and inserted an IV drip into her vein. Every bone stuck out. She looked like a box of matches. "

END EXCERPT

Fida had TB, malaria and scabies. Her father, Mohammed, sat by her side, her aunt sat at Fida's head and the cameraman, Yossi, kneeled by his camera. Annette fed Fida small drops of water from a spoon.


BEGIN EXCERPT:

"We were the voyeurs of death. It was hard. I knew we were abusing poor Fida, but I felt this was a scene the world should see and understand. If the viewer felt sick, good."


END EXCERPT


Fletcher's gripping account of his years as a war correspondent does not end with Somalia. He takes the reader to civil war torn Rwanda with the savage killing of the Hutus and the Tutsi, and then on to Kosovo.


He ends his book with a brief discussion of why anyone, rationally - would choose such a career as his has been, and provides an answer that in this world obsessed with 'celebrity, wealth and success', he worked to tell the story of 'those left behind' of 'those who paid the price', and offering words from the Bard, echoed by Faulkner that he hopes his efforts will be counted as more than "'Life's but a walking shadow...it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'."

Fletcher tells a powerful story we all should read. His memoir signifies much on the stage of world affairs.

Intense, gripping, superb.

Martin Fletcher's Amazing "BREAKING NEWS"!
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-08
Hanging my boots up last year after my final trip to Afghanistan was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make in my life. It was done at the insistence of my daughter and my knees. I finally had to realize that I could be a liability to those around me in a war zone. With that in mind, I was quite intrigued when friends contacted me and asked if I would read and review Martin Fletcher's book, "Breaking News". Martin was starting his career with the Yom Kipper (October) War of 1973 just as I was ending my Navy Combat Camera days with the very same war. Martin's account of this war is "spot on"! I wish he had written about this many years ago when I got asked to leave a Political Science class in college for telling the professor he didn't know what he was talking about. When the professor asked me how I knew, I replied with the only answer I could give, "because I was there"! Where were you when I needed you, Martin!

"Breaking News" is a MUST READ for anyone interested in international conflicts and what it is like to cover these conflicts as a cameraman and as a broadcast journalist. In his 35 year career, Martin Fletcher has pretty much seen it all, and this book is his very personal account of what life is like in the day to day world of the Foreign Correspondent. Part of what makes this book great is that it does not focus on world leaders, and "their" stories. It focuses on the day to day struggles of the average person caught in the middle of these conflicts. It gives an excellent account of the journalistic integrity of one man working in the trenches of so many conflicts, Martin Fletcher.

I am always reluctant to give too much detail in a book review because I hate to give out "spoilers". Once again, I will just say, "READ THIS BOOK"! Martin takes us on a journey of adventure and personal growth from the October War of 1973 to the Coup in Cyprus just a year later, to the Rhodesian War that gave us what today is known as Zimbabwe. He gives an excellent account of life in Paris for news reporters and takes us to Algiers and Iran for an insider's look at the Hostage Crisis in Tehran. From there he takes us to Afghanistan and covering the Afghan/Soviet War. He gives us a very telling account of life in Israel during the first Gulf War with SCUD missiles falling in Tel Aviv.

I could go on and on about his coverage of the Middle East, Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Bosnia and numerous other places of conflict and genocide. But, once again I will simply point out that Martin's book is really about his own personal and professional growth. There is some humor here, but there is a huge amount of sorrow and pain. One does not do this kind of work for 35 years without it taking a toll on your soul.

Martin closes his book with the following: And I can only hope that Shakespeare wasn't referring to storytellers like me when he wrote "Life is but a walking shadow...it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"! Rest assured that Martin's book is anything but this! It is a glimpse into one man's continent crossing dedicated life as a Foreign Correspondent, a glimpse into hell, and hopefully an offered understanding of "conflict" on the average person, as well as what covering such conflicts does to those who report them.

Please...READ THIS BOOK "BREAKING NEWS"!

Television
Bruce Lee: The Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon (Bruce Lee Library)
Published in Paperback by Tuttle Publishing (2000-11-27)
Author:
List price: $24.95
New price: $5.90
Used price: $3.00
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

Life and times of the true master
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-08
There are no limitations , save those that we create for ourselves... Bruce Lee

This is a great book if you are looking for a compilation of rare photos and facts.. Unlike most books out there that beat around the bush , This book showcases the man as he wanted to project himself to the world .The perspectives are variable throughout the book , giving the reader a vast panoramic view of the life and times of the much hyped martial arts superstar..

Frankly, if you're looking for a detailed description of his persona , you will find exactly that and more.. Full of great photos that give a realistic insight on the master , this book is a good buy if you are interested in the glam..

If you are a martial artist however , I would strongly suggest that you do not buy this book . There are various other books that will serve your purpose, books like 'The Tao of JKD'.

Informative. Great Pictures. A Great Addition.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-10-13
This book is a great addition to my collection of Bruce Lee books of pictures, filmography, philosopy and techniques. It has one of the best picture collections of all the books I've seen. The content isn't bad either. Talking about the life of the Little Dragon and some of the deep thoughts he had in his short life in this world. My fan-ography of the Jeet Kune Do Sifu is just starting, even if I have been a follower for years. This book is not a dissapointment. It will be a great addition to any collection.

Like looking through a family photo album
Helpful Votes: 15 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2000-10-12
What an intimate look at the man behind the image! The book is highly visual--the text is very limited--but the photos are like none that I've ever seen in other books on Lee. I'm talking about the baby pictures of Bruce and Brandon, photos of Lee from behind the scenes in his movies (a kind of spooky one of him and Sharon Tate from what must have been just before she was killed), and pictures of he and his wife just sitting on the couch at home. It makes you realize that there's a man and father behind the superhero that appears in his films. I loved it.

The Way of the Intercepting Fist
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-01-07
Many of the documentaries and biographies out there about Bruce Lee were unauthorized and created by shysters trying to cash in on his sudden death. This book, based on the recent video documentary "Bruce Lee: In His Own Words" is not only superior because it really is based on the master's own words, but the book and video are also endorsed by Bruce's widow and daughter. Here we get plenty of great photographs from Bruce's films, training, and family life. Meanwhile, Bruce's thoughts on acting, family, and his martial arts style (or, according to him, its dismissal of style) are true revelations for any fan of Bruce's classic movies. His thoughts on being a serious actor, rather than a martial arts "superstar," are quite a surprise; while his personal philosophy and attitudes toward martial arts mastery are both fascinatingly Eastern but surprisingly down-to-Earth and accessible for Western enthusiasts. So instead of fighting your way through all the frauds and fakes out there, get it from the master himself. [~doomsdayer520~]

a must
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-25
Bruce Lee was his own man.he had so much style&smoothness about him.this book highlights his world in front of the public&behind it.very detailed&very upfront.you get a very insightful look into his world&vision.a man who forever changed the world with his talent&craft.a man who was trying to make sense of his surroudings&the things that were in placed around him.He will never be forgotten.

Television
Bruja
Published in Kindle Edition by Simon Pulse (2004-01-07)
Author: Mel Odom
List price: $5.99
New price: $4.79

Average review score:

Road to redemption
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2004-07-19
"Bruja" is another excellent novel in the "Angel" series. It was a fast read, had a little insight into family, was action packed all the way. Taking place in the first half of season one of the TV show, Angel has been on the case for a local band of vampires who have human slaves they draw blood from and then sell; kind of like a pizza delivery service for other vampires. Meanwhile, Doyle has a vision of a young woman and a baby in trouble, and sets out to find out more information about that. And Cordilia is asked by a major TV producer to help find his missing wife. And while the gang is split on their different missions, a mysterious Woman in Black has apperared out of nowhere to terrorize children in the Latino community. If "Bruja" sounds like a busy book, it is. Three out of the four plot lines are actually connected, and it makes for a very long day for Angel and the Fang Gang (it all takes place in about 24 hours). All the characters are very true to their TV counterparts (well, maybe Cordilia is a little nicer than usual, but that isn't bad); and then they are expanded on. They are all lonely in their way, and the Woman finds ways of exploiting that as a major weakness. The theme of family comes up a lot. Angel feels guilty for murdering his whole family when he first became a vampire; Cordilia is angry at her father for losing all the money they once had; and Doyle misses his ex-wife. All of the new charaters are very convincing, and I must say I was especially proud of Adrian Heath, the TV producer. He could have been a slimy one dimentional character, but great care was taken to establish him as really nice guy; though not in a too good to be true, perfect man. I recomend this book, I really enjoyed it, and I think fans of the show will too.

Bruja Casts a Spell
Helpful Votes: 19 out of 21 total.
Review Date: 2001-08-05
Mel Odom presents the reader with an action packed Thriller. Angel: Bruja is an excellent addition to the Angel series. The plot is complex. A gang of vampires is running a 'Meals on Wheels' operation. Stolen game software leads Angel and Doyle to an underground dot.com company complete with demon telemarketers. Cordelia tracks a missing wife. Doyle has a brain draining vision of a young mother in trouble. Kate is searching for a weeping woman in black who is killing cops and children. Mr. Odom weaves them all together into an excellent story, which explores guilt and insecurities. Angel is reminded that while you cannot forget your past you should not live in it. It is not only the lesson he must learn but also teach another if he is to succeed. The book also has a strong sense of family.

I recommend this to all fans of the series as well as readers who enjoy good horror fantasy

The Revenge of the Weeping Woman
Helpful Votes: 29 out of 30 total.
Review Date: 2001-09-16
A priest is attacked in the cellar of a church and suddenly a new horror walks the streets of Los Angeles. Appearing as a beautiful woman, weeping for her children, she is drawn to scenes of conflict. There, equipped with both incredible strength and magical power, she takes lives with impunity. Especially if those victims are children. On the other side of town, Angel is cleaning up a demonic Internet pornography site when he discovers that a group of L.A. vampires are running a fresh blood delivery service complete with people on tap.

Cordelia finds a paying case for Angel Investigations when she is approached by Adrian Heath, a well known TV producer. His wife has disappeared without a trace and he desperately wants help. And finally, Doyle is suddenly struck with a vision of great danger for a mother and her young son. As all these threads come together Angel finds himself constantly reminded of his own guilt over the murder of his family. To resolve this case he must learn how to make peace with himself.

It is characteristic of the writing of the Angel series and many of the Buffy stories that there be many layered plots. The challenge for the author is to keep all these threads moving without losing control of characterization. No doubt it helps that the main characters are well established, but even so the believability of the novel hinges on how well the other characters are developed as well as the successful management of the plot. "Bruja," benefiting from a very fine author, is a classic example of what a good Angel story should be.

Mel Odom, the author of 4 books in the Angel and Buffy series, several in the Shadowrun series and many others has established himself again as a respectable writer of science fiction and fantasy. He has a natural skill with his characters, an ear for dialog and builds his stories almost effortlessly. In "Brujah" as in many others he manages to sustain a complex plot and completely involve the reader. While the book does make reference to previous Buffy and Angel adventures, there is nothing here that would prevent a newcomer from thoroughly enjoying the tale.

Really Good!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2002-06-25
I loved this book. So much that I read it in one day. These "Angel" novels keep getting better and better. The way all the separate cases came together in this novel was great. Can't wait to read the next. Highly recommend this novel, especially if you're a fan of "Angel".

La Llorona comes to claim the innocent children
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2002-08-14
After the funeral of a young boy a priest is attacked by a woman who confesses to having murdered her own son. Meanwhile, Angel Investigations is hired to look into the disappearance of the wife of a big-shot Hollywood producer, Doyle has a vision of a young mother and her son in danger, and Angel stumbles across some enterprising folk who delivery blood to your door (please specify type desired).

"Bruja" is one of those novels where most of the plot threads come together but not all of them are part of the fun filled climax so you are left guessing which one is going to end up being the only legitimate subplot. This works much better than you might think, because the way Mel Odom ends up putting all the pieces together is never obvious. Consequently, "Bruja" is one of the few Angel stories where Angel Investigations ends up doing some good old fashion investigating even if it means the laconic one has to speak in complete sentences for an extended period of time.

Plotting and pacing are two of Odom's main strengths as a writer, at least as revealed in his "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" original novels. "Bruja" presents a fairly complex plot and the novel moves from scene to scene and plot thread to plot thread without losing momentum. This time around I especially liked how each of the scenes without the main trio (Angel, Cordelia and Doyle) were fleshed out. There are really no nameless corpses in this book, because vampires leave tiny dust mounds behind rather than corpses and Odom take pains to invest each human life lost along the way with some individuality and significance.

Odom also does a nice job with characterization and in this story he manages to work in some significant reflections from each of the main characters on their families without it becoming formulaic, mainly because the self-examinations come in the context of the developing story. However, some readers might consider the amount of dialogue in this novel to be too much given the main character.

There are some pretty horrific moments in this story and I can legitimately say that Odom pushes it as far as he is willing to go simply because there is a scene where he stops short of something that he clearly thinks would have been going over the line. Odom seems to have done some research on his titular villain, which is a way of saying that if he made all of this stuff up from scratch he sure has fooled me. "Bruja" is a solid "Angel" story and while it does not involve moments of epic significance for the soul laden vampire and his compadres, it does tell a tale that has some special meaning for all of the characters.

Television
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 2008 Wall Calendar
Published in Calendar by Universe Publishing (2007-07-01)
Author: Universe Publishing
List price: $13.99
New price: $6.99

Average review score:

Glad they still make them!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-22
I'm glad they keep making the calendars despite the show not being on anymore. Keep it up!

Yearly Must Have!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-08
I love getting the calander every year, because although life goes on after Buffy, this is one way to enjoy the memories again and again!

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 2008 Wall Calendar
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-18
For the past few years I bought this calendar.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer was my favorite tv-show.
The pictures always are great.

Greetings,
ilja

great
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-29
I love this! i couldn't be happier than having tara (Amber Benson) gracing august (my birthday), fianlly i get what i want!

The best one in years
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-14
I love the 2008 Buffy Calendar! All of the pictures are very good. My favorite part is that Cordelia finally has a month of her own! I feel she's not recognized as much as she should be. I guess most people associate her with Angel, but thats no reason for her to be absent from so many Buffy products.

It's deffinetly worth buying.

Television
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Script Book, Season Two, Volume 2
Published in Paperback by Simon Spotlight Entertainment (2001-11-27)
Author: Various Authors
List price: $14.00
New price: $5.49
Used price: $0.87

Average review score:

Good Episodes
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-09-28
This was the first scriptbook I bought and I was really excited to read it. Some of the dialouge was wrong but most of it was correct. The episodes were spectacular and immediatly I got my freinds togethar and we acted it out.

Its been about 3 months and my script book is starting to curl at the ends. :( But thats alright because its still in good condition .... I dont know why I'm telling you this ...

If you love to act this is for you!! This is ALL SCRIPT!! Unlike, Once More With Feeling -- this is a bit of a better buy. :)

Awesome, Great, Spectacular, Fabulous, Except One Thing...!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-29
This was the first Buffy script book I ever bought and I thought it was pretty good. I could now act it out with my friends (I was always Buffy he he ) and stuff. The only problem was that it was the original script and some of the dialouge wasn't right. (as you will see with all the other Buffy scripts) but I think its totally worth your money!! Its brilliant! Awesome! Amazing! You'll capture Buffy, Drusilla, Spike, Angel, Kendra, Willow, Xander and GILES' humor, peronsality and everything that makes Buffy great!! BUY IT BEFORE THE RUN OUT!! ITS THE BEST!!!

Possibly even better than the scripts that preceded these
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-11-22
Although BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER had been a first rate show from its inception, it was during the shows based upon the scripts that it started moving towards something approaching genuine greatness. Before these shows, it had been a superb series, but after these it became something considerably more. The most unbelievable thing is that as great as these six episodes (well, five of them anyway) are, the ones following were even greater, so great as to place Buffy among the greatest shows in the history of the genre, and arguably the greatest. The two episodes following these six would be ?Surprise? and ?Innocence,? and from that moment on Buffy would exist on an artistic level unmatched on television.

?Lie to Me? was written by Joss Whedon, and as fine as many previous shows had been, it is one of the first truly great moments in the series. Billy Fordham, played by Jason Behr (who would shortly after this achieve television stardom playing an alien in ROSEWELL), an ex-boyfriend of Buffy?s from L.A., shows up unexpectedly in Sunnydale. Eventually we learn that he is, in fact, dying, and has cut a deal with Spike and his crew to turn the Slayer over to them in exchange for being made a vampire. The episode has many funny moments (such as when Angel, Xander, and Willow go to a faux vampire club, and Angel remarks that none of them know anything about vampires, including how they dress, when a wannabe walks by dressed exactly like Angel), but even more poignant moments, like when Ford explains to Buffy his reasons for betraying her.

?The Dark Age? was written by Dean Batali and Rob DesHotel, who co-wrote a number a number of episodes of Buffy during the first two seasons. This is the best script they produced. Ethan Rayne, to whom we were introduced in ?Halloween,? makes his second appearance in the series. By far the most interesting aspect of the show is the way that we manage to learn more about Giles background, all the way to learning that his former mates had called him ?Ripper.? I enjoyed the few episodes that featured Ethan Rayne, and was always perplexed that he appeared in only four shows??Halloween? and this episode in Season Two, ?Band Candy? in Season Three, and ?A New Man? in Season Four. There was talk on a couple of occasions of Anthony Stewart Head doing a show set in England based on ?Ripper,? and if he had, I?m sure Robin Sachs would have been his ?Lex Luthor.?

?What?s My Line?? is a phenomenal two parter, and is notable not merely for introducing Kendra, the second slayer, but for the writing debut of the great Marti Noxon, who would become one of the greatest writers in the run of the show as well as co-executive producer, eventually running things when Joss Whedon ceased the day-to-day overseeing of the show. She co-wrote the first half with Howard Gordon, and then wrote the second by herself. One of the major themes of Buffy during the first two seasons was her hesitancy to embrace her calling as slayer. Although she wouldn?t fully accept the role until the first show of the third season (?Anne?), these two episodes stress her reluctance to be the Slayer more than any other shows prior to them (and even after ?Anne,? although she has accepted who she is, she struggles against her fate). These are exceptionally well-written shows, and one can engage in endless discussion the Kendra/Buffy relationship. Kendra, unlike Buffy, has completely accepted her fate, and while Buffy can never be like Kendra, she does learn from her to accept her calling.

?Ted? (written by David Greenwalt and Joss Whedon) is not as strong on paper as it ended up being onscreen. Although it is a first rate script, John Ritter absolutely nailed the part of the psychotic robot Ted, and turned in one of the most memorable guest appearances in the entire history of the show. This is the episode that contains Giles famous quote about subtext rapidly becoming text. No other show in the history of TV has ever contained lines as clever as that one.

?Bad Eggs? was Marti Noxon?s third contribution to the show, and unfortunately perhaps the weakest script she ever did. One of the most amazing thing about the Second Season is that while the strong episodes established it as one of the great shows in the history of television, it nonetheless had a surprising number of pretty rotten episodes. Also, some of the strongest shows are preceded by the weakest. Just as ?Becoming? would later be preceded by ?Go Fish,? so ?Surprise? is preceded by ?Bad Eggs.? This might be an accident, but I doubt it. I suspect they realized it was a weak script, and wrapped the season-long story arcs around it. After this season, each season had considerably fewer weak episodes.

These six scripts show Buffy, which was already a very good show, in the process of becoming a great one. The scripts that immediately follow the ones in this collection are arguably as strong a group of scripts as any show in the history of television.

My Review
Helpful Votes: 10 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2001-12-16
This book is great for fans who haven't seen the first six episodes of the second season. It gives the lines and stage directions to them so you feel like you've seen the actual episode. It even includes scenes which may have been removed from the original episode.

This book chronicles the first arrival of Spike, whom is now an important character. It also has "Halloween" which includes some funny stage directions from Joss Whedon.

If you haven't seen the beginning of the second season of Buffy or if you want in-depth information on the episodes' scripts, you should definately buy this book.

Great Buffy Script
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2002-03-04
I happen to like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and I love reading through the scripts when I'm bored with watching the same episodes over and over. Its just nice to be able to read.

Television
Bye-Bye, Bottle (Muppet Babies Big Steps Book)
Published in Board book by Golden Books (1996-08-27)
Author: Tom Cooke
List price: $3.49
New price: $14.00
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $13.99

Average review score:

bye bye baba
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-26
I love this book and I'm so glad I found it again.I had one when my son was little (18 now!) and we lost it so I was thrilled to find it on Amazon since I have a toddler once again!It's so sweet and the little rhyming page is adorable.Who doesn't love Kermit?

Wonderful book for saying bye, bye bottle!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2000-06-21
We tried for a long time to get our daughter to give up the bottle at nap time. Since she never took a pacifier or had a special toy or blanket, this was very hard for her to give up as it was her only "comfort" for nap times. She loved this book, having me read it to her again and again. We followed saying bye, bye to the bottle just like they did in the book - making an event of boxing them up and saying bye, bye. She felt very proud making the decision that she was a big girl and it made what had been a such a hard thing, much easier!

Bye Bye Bottle
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2001-07-10
I bought this book for my daughter who is 191/2 months old. She was still taking a nightime bottle. The day this book came we read it several times. The next day I asked her if she was ready to say "Bye Bye Bottle" and she said she was. We packed up the bottles as Kermit does in the book and said bye bye to each one. She has not had a bottle in almost three weeks!

Babies Are On the Wagon, Says Muppet
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2001-02-06
For a long time "Bye Bye Diapers" was my favorite Muppet Babies story (I could recite it in at least three languages) but this book has grown on me until it threatens to overtake that tale.

"Bottle" features Kermit, who--although Ms. Piggy would no doubt argue the point--has always been the leader of the late Jim Henson's muppets. Kermit loves his bottle, and although the motivation seems a bit shallow, he has an epithany of sorts midway through the book and decides to try drinking from a glass. Realistically, it would be wise proceed slowly, perhaps moving up to a sippy cup, but of course Kermit is a dreamer and, by the end of the story, imagines that soon he will be drinking from any cup he chooses. Don't each of us have these kinds of simple, distilled dreams? When I think of my own personal quest to become a top-ranked reviewer at ..............--how impossible that seems at times, particularly since my reviews don't seem to get published--the story of the little frog who dares to dream of drinking like a grownup never fails to inspire me to charge on toward that distant horizon!

WOW What a suprise!
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2000-03-02
I bought this book and read it to my 26 month old daughter. She only took a bottle at night and I told her she was a big girl now and she needed to say bye bye to the bottle. I read her this book twice and handed her a bottle of water instead of milk and she looked at me and I said bye bye bottle. She said bye bye and has never had one since that night. It was so easy I wish I had done it long ago. Now she even sleeps all night!

Television
Caillou Is Sick (Abracadabra series)
Published in Paperback by Chouette Publishing (2005-10-01)
Author: Roger Harvey
List price: $4.95
New price: $1.92
Used price: $2.82

Average review score:

Caillou is Sick
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-05
My grandaughter, under 2, wants me to read it everyday. The pictues in the text teaches her the beginning skills to reading. The stickers are rewards when she is able to read the picture.

And stickers too!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-24
My daughter, Skyelar, spent all morning putting little red polk a dots all over Caillou! She thought it was so funny-anything that encourages my child to read, it's so important!

Caillou gets the chicken pox
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-08
Most American kids won't ever get this disease now that it's part of routine immunization, so it does make the book seem a little dated. But the kids don't know that, and they certainly can relate to being sick. Caillou comes down with a fever, followed by chicken pox and lots of hot baths. Mommy puts red stickers on his dinosaur so that it "has chicken pox too." At the end, Caillou gets better and gives his dinosaur to his sister Rosie, who of course has caught the chicken pox from him. This is a sweet, real story that even a young child can enjoy...my son is two and he loves it. The stickers are unnecessary...the age of kids who would enjoy this book won't be putting them in the "right" places (but they can be a fun art project).

My little girl loves this book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-06
My daughter sleeps with this book every night. I've had to repair the cover and pages so many times that I've lost count because she's worn it out so fast! A nice story that helps kids get over some of the fear of being sick.

Good Book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-07
My 2 yr. old daughter loves Caillou and was very happy with this book when she opened it on Christmas. She loves the stickers but has taken them off the correct spots and placed them in other areas. I wish they stayed where you put them the first time.


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