Rock Books

MiMi'S GARDEN iT'S A KiD THiNG! is a wonderful gardening experience for KiDS of all ages. Not only is there valuable gardening information, but there is a great story line that teaches little gardeners to grow in so many ways. I love this book and look forward to sharing many garden experiences with my 8 month old daughter who currently loves to taste all the colorful pictures. MiMi'S GARDEN will be cherished in our household for many years to come!

I just love this book, not only are the illustrations beautiful but Maria makes the joy of gardening with children a wonderful experience for both of us. I really enjoyed how the process unfolds in a simple manner with an educational quality! We can't wait to see our flowers in bloom and learn more about Mimi's adventures. I highly recommend this book to anyone young and old who loves great illustrations, a wonderful story line and remembering to be a kid while playing in the dirt!

What a special gift Mimi has brought to young and old alike! It is colorful, fun and so easy to understand and follow with the special symbols and information that help you understand what tools you need to use and how to plant. This is not only a perfect gift for children of all ages, but for adults and senior citizens as well. I highly recommend this book to all!

I love this book, my sons love this book, and so does every child I have ever given it to! When my youngest boys read this book, they begged for their very own raised beds in our existing garden. Teachers at their school have used Mimi as an inspiration and jumping off point for life science units. One of our favorite gifts for birthday parties is iT'S A KID THiNG! with child sized gloves and other gardening items. The information is clear, and the illustrations are gorgeous!

Long live Stephen and his mineral fact-filled mind. Stephen B. Castor weaves a passionate and hypnotizing tale using his cunning and ingenuity in this exciting epic. I especially liked the part where he said "rock rock rock, rockrockrock!" These proverbial words really reached deep inside of me and changed my emotional state. Before, one might have compared my status to that of a hopeless stray kitten stumbling about the streets of brooklyn, drenched in rain and tears of sorrow. Now, I find myself overwhelmed by a sensation of bliss, or possibly even sublimity. I am a new and better person because of Stephen B. Castor. Thank you Stephen for all you have done. We salute you!

I must say that this book is difinitive in it's completeness and revelence in Nevada. The authors have done a marvelous and thorough job of data collection and presentation. Nevada's mining scene has changed dramatically from the early 70's when I was an undergraduate in Geology at the University of Nevada, Reno. This book ties that scene with today's mining activities, and is complete and extremely useful for those foraging in Nevada for mineral and mining history and for collectors as well.

Patrick M. Walker
MS Geology - UNR

This is a book from GOD. Stephan B. CastorBoBastor, the master of disaster, has truly written a gem here. WE cannot compare to his geological PROWESS. all must bow before the bearded, exquisitely handsome face of stephen. WE must put his picture up across the country on walls, grinning at all the people as if to say "Hello world! I like rocks!how about you!?" Stephen is God. we shall go into the places of worship and place idols of Stephen upon them. we will carve his face onto Mount Rushmore. ALL HAIL STEPHEN!!!!!! He has led us through the dark ages, and heles us get through the cancelation of the show "Growing Pains" He will give those with him the power to breath fire and grow a really hot red beard. BOW TO THE MASTER OF ALL EROSION, OF THE MOUNTAINS, OF YOUR LIFE, AND BOW TO THE MAN WHO'S PET IGUANA SPIFFY WILL DETERMINE WEATHER YOU GO TO GEOLOGICAL PARIDISE IN THE AFTER LIFE, OR BURN FOREVER IN THE FIRE OF ASTROLOGICAL HELL!!!!(geologists and astrologers are mortal enemies.satan is in the face of every astronomer)

This book is a gift from God. It touched my heart to the very core. Stephen B. Castor Bo Bastor, Master of Disaster, has really given us a gem here. I say that the handsomely stubbled face of Mr. Castor should be placed upon the gleaming slopes of Mount Rushmore so his visage can beam out to the mountains around with an expression that just says "Hello World! I love rocks! what about you?" His romantically red beard should be placed on posters everywhere, so all may wonder at the vastness of it. I want to be Stephen B. Castor. I want all sceintific reasearch from now on to be devoted to a machine which can make me into stephen B. Castor. I am going to get plastic surgery to make me look like him. He is God. We should have his face placed on each and every religious figure in THE WORLD! think you have been touched by God? well, it was Stephan B. Castor, IN DISGUISE. yes, in order to preserve his secret identity, Stephen B. Castor must disguise himself. but we know your secret now, Mr. Castor! ALL HAIL STEPHEN!!!!!

My son that is 9 years old really likes the multiplication country CD. He listens to it almost every night in bed. He surprised is sister the other day when she came to visit. She ask him what 5x5 was and he got it right. We also use flash cards.

If you like country music you will love this CD. The songs are not irrating to listen to. The songs even have other lyrics to break up the songs a little. Great CD!

Unlike most kids music, this one has meaningful content. My 2 year old daughter is now singing the multiplication tables!

Unlike most kids music, this one has meaningful content. My 2 year old daughter is now singing the multiplication tables!

This book has a ton of photos and is so tiny! It's like having your own diary about them. It says all sorts of stuff about there lives and what they do in there free time. AHHHHH. I love it!

When I read this book I was like cool. I was so into this book I finished this book in one day. the pictures are great and justin oh my god he is so hott! that is why I got engaged to him.

I just got done reading this book. It was great, it had all this new stuff about N Sync I didn't even know!!!@ It was great I would recommened anyone to read it!!!

I have to say this is a great little book. I don't want to give too much away because the element of surprise is always the best. What you see is what you get. I love it so much, it made me laugh and I'm getting a second copy of it for my collection. If you are a serious NSYNC Fan this is a must have. NSYNC FOREVER, Love you guys!

I heard of the name of the author because this year Japan is coming out with a tv drama serie about some of her hidden letters. This is a passionate observer/participant of life who articulates prose with clarity and ingenuity of an accomplished writer, and with subtle modesty representing a women of the last century.

Reviewed by Deb Shunamon for Reader Views (7/06)

"The Name of the Flower" by Kuniko Mukoda is a wonderful book that would be of particular interest to those who think they know and understand Japan. While I can envision a Japanese reader nodding his or her head and muttering over these brilliantly translated snapshots of male/female relationships, a lot of "gaijin" will likely be quite bewildered as to what is going on much of the time. The reader quickly learns that this is not going to be an easy read. That's exactly what makes this book such a delight - it's a great, emotional reading experience that will show Westerners how little we truly understand Japanese society.

Kuniko Mukoda was a prolific scriptwriter for Japanese radio and television, and at the time of her death in a plane crash in 1981 she was well into a career as a popular essayist and short story writer. The Afterward by translator Tomone Matsumoto is an interesting piece on just how popular and hard-working Mukoda was. So much can be learned and enjoyed from this collection, the least of which being that Japan is now, of course, a very modern, westernized society. That this modernity can be unrecognizable when it concerns human relationships, or that Westernization does not necessarily mean the North American way, is repeatedly revealed in Mukoda's book. In addition to outright bewilderment, feelings of being insulted or angry can be indicators that you've encountered a cultural difference, and these strong emotions are evoked by many of the stories. "Small Change" is guaranteed to make any independent, Canadian woman scream in frustration. "The Carp", "The Fake Egg", and a few others still have me puzzled, while "Half-Moon" and "Otter" will break your heart.

What will non-Japanese readers take away from this book besides knowing that they may never fully understand Japanese society? This will likely be answered differently depending on whether the reader is male or female, and could be the start of some great discussions. However, seeing the familiar importance of marriages, families, and lovers in these stories, as well as the struggles we all go through to understand our own lives, keeps you riveted to this cross-cultural reading encounter to the last page. Modern works such as Kuniko Mukoda's "The Name of the Flower" will leave all readers with a great deal of respect for how similar relationships are between men and women around the world, yet how truly different.

There is a fairly silly comment in the Publisher's Weekly review above that Kuniko Mukoda's stories "mix Eastern tradition with Western values." Another reviewer on this page states that this short story collection will demonstrate how little Westerners understand Japanese society. I couldn't disagree more. The late Mukoda wrote closely observed stories about domestic dilemmas set in Japan of the 60s and 70s. Although there are naturally references to Japanese traditions and cultural practices, I did not find them a barrier to understanding--and I don't think that's just because of my long acquaintance with the country. Mukoda's characters are typically experiencing a crisis in their family life that is illuminated or complicated by memories of past events. These characters, their emotions, and their struggles are very recognizable to Western readers, not because Mukodas wrote about "Western values" but because she is a talented observer of human nature, which remains a constant everywhere.

I picked up this book for some light reading over the weekend. I am doing research for an essay and I wanted a book of short stories to read while I was in between sections of the books that I am supposed to be reading. Unfortunately I found this book so interesting that I finished it in a couple of sittings. I am pretty sure that this book gets lost between the cracks left between the works of Mishim, Tanizaki, and Kawabata and those of Yoshimoto and Murakami. I'd certainly had never heard of the writer and when one reads the bak of the book one learns why. Kuniko Mukoda only wrote prose fiction for a very short time because soon after she started writing her short stories she was killed in a plane crash, before that she wrote radio and television dramas. The translator points out that she wrote over one thousand radio dramas.

The stories in this little book seem to follow under one main theme infidelity. The reader gets to see both sides of the relationship. We see the husband who is being eaten up inside because of his outside relationhips, and we see the wife's side in which wonders if in fact her husband is cheating on her. Interesting stories of daiily life that makes one wonder how Mukoda made such mundane things so interesting.

i am a diehard cure fan since about 1985, but this book told me so much info i really feel like i did my homework! excellent stories, amazing detailed, fairly balanced on controversial issues, great photos. if you wish you'd been in on the cure during their teenage years, this book will fill you in to a serioius level. truly entertaining read.

i'd recommend this highly...but please avoid In Between Days: An Armchair Guide to the Cure unless you really just want to read discographical info.

This book was absolutely amazing. I have been a serious Cure fan for over 25 years and I must say this book was a fantastic read. The author really did his research. Its definitely a must read for anybody who wants to know the whole story or at least all that the author could get out of the boys.I'll probly read it again there was so much info. The behind the scenes of a band whose career has spanned over 30 years in detail like you can't imagine.....

A Great!! GREAT! Book. Starting from when Lol Tolhurst, Mike Dempsey, Simon Gallup, and Robert Smith joined and from other band join ins and outs. Talks an awful lot of Robert Smiths life as a child with his childhood friend and former bandmate Lol Tolhurst. Incredible book!! There is alot more tho that I would have wanted to see. THe author cut off at some songs when introducing an album to speed up the book. Alot of songs were left unspoken of which kinda ticked me off but other than that I LOVED it!!

For Cure fans alike this book is a MUST read!!! It's great! Don't hesitate, buy it!! You will love it!!

It's nice to have a Cure biography and there is a heck of a lot of history to go through. In a way it's nice to have the book to make sense of all the different line-ups, who did what when, and how and why everyone came to be in the band.

Also the story in the beginning about Robert's brother taking him to the Isle of Wight festival is priceless. I won't say anymore here so that you'll go get the book!

It probably could be better but there's still enough good info in there for Cure fans that they won't be dissapointed. Another important thing to mention is that he interviewed Lol Tolhurst, and some other former members, so you get more than one perspective on the old days, which is cool.

This book is by far the nicest Nirvana book I own. It's a beautiful, thick paperback, with fantastic rare photographs. For a long time, the only Nirvana books around were information heavy, and focused a lot on Kurt's death. This book captures exactly what they were, A great band. Pure punk rock, pure soul, pure energy. It's a wonderful memory of a great band. You'd be mad not to buy this book.

I love photography, and Nirvana is my second favorite band, so therefore I love this book. I feel that this book captures the essence of Kurt Cobain. It just doesn't show him all sad and depressed as the press tends to state he was, it shows his happier side, which very few people expose. There are all sorts of pictures, mainly of Kurt, but also of the band as well. If you don't like photography, don't even bother buying the book. However, I think it's totally worth it.

Nirvana fans will love this (although, be aware; most of the photos are of Kurt Cobain). The photography is excellent and candid; displayed in a "coffee-table" book style- large pictures and lots of them. Lots of black & white photos as well as color. The photos of Kurt with Frances as an infant will tug at your heart.

Absolutely beautiful book.

Not being a big fan of Nirvana, I wasn't sure what to get my sister for her birthday. My sister is a huge fan, you see, and she loves books with pictures. After searching far and wide for a book with Nirvana and pictures of Nirvana, I discovered this one.

If you are looking to buy a book with photos from the days of Nirvana, then this is the one for you. Not only does over half the book contain large pictures, they are all (most, there are a few in black and white) in color, and they are rare photos that don't appear as often as most others do.

This book is a great buy for the Nirvana fan. If you love Nirvana, you've got yourself a book.

The tablature in this book is incredible if you're just starting out playing guitar and you love the band Nirvana this book is for you. ~peace,love, and empathy~

In rating a collection of sheet music, I would consider the most important issue to be - is it transcribed accurately?

Have no fear. Hal Leonard has done a great job. The sheet music is not only accurate, but incredibly accessible for relative newcomers to the guitar: there's also tablature that has been just as carefully transcribed as the notes. This is great if you're like me (still a fledgeling to understanding music theory) and all you want to do is play some darn music, not get thrown by all those flats and sharps that keep cropping up!

While totally not necessary, the black and white photos of Nirvana's band members goofing around (the pictures are sprinkled throughout the book) are a nice touch.

This is incredible my man!
This book contains only perfect tabs including solos, you will hear it , you will see it, you will play it...
The best tab book I've found on market considering I've got only Nirvana books.
Thanks for cooperation Hal Leonard staff.

This is a great book for any Nirvana fans. You can see that the publishers have put a lot of effort into it and the tabs are 100% correct.

a beautiful music book from a very opinionated photographer. both text and images are the top shelf material.

As post teeners in SF's North Beach, Jim and I caroused the jazz clubs in the 50s with his first Leica. Always caustic, ever insightful, Jim progressed from raw talent to brilliant. This book is super to those who lived it !!!! Jack Bennett

So MUCH ink has been spilled about the 60's & early 70's, most of it overblown or off base in someway. Marshall's black and white photos (most of them taken by a Leica without flash!) get to the heart and soul of the times in ways most writers can only dream of...I can't wait until the color volume comes out. Powerful stuff (like a shot of great whiskey), a must have for any music fan. The HIGHEST recommendation!

One of America's pre-eminient rock photographers surfaces. Jim Marshall's work was a fixture of the '60s and some of the '70s, especially when it came to the Summer of Love and SF. But then like Flower Power & the '60s, Marshall indeed "faded away." His later output in the '70s and '80s is devoid of post-'60s icons as Springsteen, who had a huge pre-Time/Newsweek magazine following here, as well as others. I first met him 12 yrs ago when he sold me one of his photos. I was familiar with his work with Life (Stones 1972 tour) and before and was thrilled to be able to meet the man. At the time I wondered why he hadn't published a book yet. Now here it is and for the most part it delivers bigtime. Great insights delivered via the photo captions; sometimes when Marshall compliments an artist ("so-&-so was the greatest") it might come off a bit on the light side but you can't really complain. His work speaks for itself. It was powerful and awesome. Also in the book are photos of recent performers such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Maybe it's the Times...maybe it's the Subjects...but these recent photos didn't belong in this book at all. It's great to see Marshall's more current work, but I think quite a bit of the magic was missing. Marshall himself acknowledges this. If anybody can conjure this old feeling back through the art of photography, he can.

I never want to have to stop reading this book. I love it

This is the book for you if you first fell in love in the 50's or 60's. It gives you a time line, from the perspective of one of the original Four Freshmen, of what went on in those great years. Love songs were really love songs. The Four Freshmen have put together a book of music that covers the whole spectrum - not just 50's & 60's, but right into the year 2000 with the 21st group combination still out there singing (they are a lot younger now - 20's & 30's - but haven't lost the blend of voices that made them a favorite on jazzman Stan Kenton). Ross Barbour chronicles the whole thing and, if you were there, you can't help thinking back to what you were doing at a particular moment. It's not fancy writing, but hits home - hard.

My copy was the first edition, published 1995. Since then there have been two or three MORE Freshmen personnel changes, resulting in (sez Bob Flanigan, and he ought to know)"the best vocal blend in our(Four Freshmen)history." This is both the strength of the book and the weakness of any 52-year-old vocal group: the almost mandatory changes, and the tough task of keeping track of the whys and wherefores. This Ross Barbour does to perfection.

Barbour also intends "Now You Know" as a personal paean and thank-you to the late Stan Kenton, and this he brings off with class and accuracy. Life on the road for a jazz group, a necessary evil if they want to maintain recording contracts and sales, has eaten up the best, Kenton included. (The joker in the deck is, jazz itself does not "sell" in America, at least not in sufficient strength to afford its musicians more time at home with families.)

The Four Freshmen, we learn, were free of drugs, although booze is hinted at, and both certainly were problems with Kenton and his bands through the years. The FF, like the Kenton outfits, have largely been white guys (and girls) singing and playing for mostly white fans, and this has been a knock over the years, at least on Kenton. None of this is touched on in "Now You Know," perhaps wisely.

But no matter. As a chronology of the sound and the songs, "Now You Know" is must reading for every serious jazz fan.

Who better to write the history of the longest-running vocal performing group in history? Ross Barbour (one of the original four) kept a journal for the nearly 40 years he was an active member of the Four Freshmen. Ross' stories are entertaining and form a historical, easy-to-read record of music touring and performing in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. If you remember hearing Graduation Day or their signature hit Blue World on your AM radio in high school or college, you'll find this book more than a nostalgic look at those times. For a while, you'll remember even more of what your youth fun... And the Four Freshmen are STILL performing today (as the group nears its 50th anniversary). At the Four Freshmen Convention in Sharon, PA on July 18th, you can meet Ross and shake his hand. Mo' info on www.opms.com/4fres