Shooting Books

There is a part of me that is constantly amazed whenever I turn on a television or slip a DVD into the player and see something actually materialize on the screen. All we ever see is the end result of a process that is so convoluted, illogical, and laborious that it's a wonder that the only thing that ever shows up on a movie or a television screen is a test pattern (of course, I have the same reaction whenever I crack the binding on a new book and actually see something in print, but that's another story).

There are a lot of projects, however, that start off as a good idea and never happen. Ever see a film called LaBrava, starring Dustin Hoffman? Of course not. Didn't happen. It almost happened, but as my firearms trainer once told me, "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Another project that "almost" happened is a legendary film by Jerry Lewis --- yes, that Jerry Lewis --- titled The Day the Clown Cried. Clown, a rare dramatic vehicle for Lewis that was filmed in 1972, may never see the light of day, for a variety of reasons. Naturally, everyone who knows about it wants to see it. And that, of course, would include Roy Milano, Laurence Klavan's film-obsessed creation, who makes a welcome return in THE SHOOTING SCRIPT.

The general object of Milano's obsession is film trivia, to the extent that he is able to think of little else. Indeed, odd pieces of trivia pop into and out of Milano's consciousness, unbidden, at the most inappropriate times --- including, but not limited to, moments of near-death. Milano encounters several of these moments in THE SHOOTING SCRIPT, almost from the minute he receives a cryptic call from a stranger concerning a long-sought copy of the Jerry Lewis movie. The call leads Milano to a somewhat manic and madcap pursuit of the film, from New York to Los Angeles, to Amsterdam and back again, shadowed all the while by a mystery man who will stop at nothing to get the film for himself. Milano reprises his role in 2004's THE CUTTING ROOM as an almost-lovable nudge who would get a life except for the fact that he is enjoying his neurosis too much to do so.

Klavan, while not a deep literary writer, is an extremely entertaining one, and his plot holds together, hilariously, as a vehicle for the presentation of arcane film facts. In THE SHOOTING SCRIPT Milano's fixation is with what actor/director replaced what actor/director in which film. The trivia is extremely interesting if you have even a passing interest in film history, and if you are as obsessed with it as Milano, you will find the narrative to be riveting as the facts come flying at you.

THE SHOOTING SCRIPT establishes that Klavan has a winning franchise with Milano and this series. Given that Klavan has several decades' worth of film history to work with, we hopefully can look forward to much more of Klavan, and Milano, in the years to come. Recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Laurence Klavan's THE SHOOTING SCRIPT is a lot of over-the-top breezy, gonzo fun. Like a Janet Evanovich novel for boys. While the plot engages and the pace brisk, my big problem with this novel was the absence of women who weren't either boinking main character Ray Milano or somehow related to him. Though I guess some readers might find this a plus rather than a minus.

Roy Millano considers himself a "Trivial Man", a person so obsessed with movie arcane that he doesn't have a life and his only source of income is a newsletter he produces. He considers himself a movie detective after finding the original long lost version of the movie "The Magnificent Ambersons" (See THE OUTING EDGE) even though he was almost killed while pursuing it.

Now Roy's mother is ill and his aunt wants him to get a real job to pay for her care. When he gets an e-mail from an anonymous person telling him that he has a copy of the Day the Clown Cried, a Jerry Lewis drama, that was never released, Roy rushes to meet the man. When he arrives at his hotel room, the man is dead and there is no tape. Forgetting about his mother's illness Roy follows the trail to the tape and is stalked by another "Trivial Man" who is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way of finding and keeping the tape.

THE SHOOTING SCRIPT is a story of what happens when obsession is taken to extreme; Laurence Klavan has a protagonist with a refreshingly unique voice who can quote movie trivia at the drop of a hat especially when he is nervous. The dangerous situations Roy finds himself in pursuing the movie does not deter him from going after what he wants even though he knows he might get killed by his obsessive stalker killer.

Harriet Klausner

Paul Cody has a fantastic idea for a novel in "Shooting the Heart", he really...really does. Upon quoting "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor to begin this saga, I was immediately thrilled. I envisioned the Misfit in a more modern, lengthy work. Something where a character could really develop their psychosis. That's what we got from "Shooting the Heart"....sort of.

It's in the execution that the idea falls short. The psychosis appears forced from the onset. Whether or not this is based from factual experiences, the wording itself fails to adequately enthrall the reader to a point of believing. This leads to a lack of sympathy for the main character- something that is drastically necessary for this novel to work.

The novel manages to skirt around major questions for some time, as many good novels do. However, the author manages to find a way to leave us on the fringes and call it "closure", so to speak. If the author wanted no beginning and no end, he succeeded. Note: He should read "Rules of Attraction" for an adequate in and out sans beginning/ending.

All in all, even with these nuances, the book could have managed. After all, the realist in me wanted to say, "Ok, this could happen," and accept it. In fact, aside from poor word choices, the story really could have ended up believable. Unfortunately, the words come short elsewhere. It simply leaves the reader stumbling over sentences, sometimes needing to read twice. This breaks the illusion and authors are aware of that. The author must have been looking for a new method, but what comes out is a less-than-par Palahniuk knock-off. The double usage of nouns such as, "She. Joan, she " becomes tedious and hard to plunder through after the first few times. Fragmented sentences can sometimes serve to speed up places, give a passage a feeling of panic, or such- however, the overusage in this book once again breaks the illusion and sends us back into reality where we have to analyze the words, not as someone genuinely a part of the story, but more like a reader of a textbook.

"Shooting the Heart" is a decent book for someone fascinated with serial killers who wants to see information put in a more artistic sense. A teenager who liked the awkwardness of Palahniuk may resort in a book like this. Outside of that, it will most likely fail to charm the reader.

This is a must read for fans of Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King or The Sopranos. Cody's latest novel about thwarted, desperate love is elegant, creepy, beautiful, disturbing, rhapsodic and masterful in its ability to capture the essence of a lost soul. Enter Earl Madden's world, a compressed place where drifters and yearners, sadists and crumpled dreams reside. In prose that is distinctly poetic, you'll find a dissection of the human race in all its darkest glory. The marriage of violence, sex, love and death form an oceanic outpouring that is scary and wondrous down to the last aching words. Cody's creative imagination is fifty yards ahead of the pack.

Jessica Keener, Boston Globe Correspondent
Brookline, MA

"What is hell?" asks Father Zossima in Dostoevski's "The Brothers Karamazov". "It is the inability to love." Paul Cody maps the coldest part of hell, the ninth circle reserved for those who betray intimates and benefactors, in this powerful, brilliant, and timely novel. Earl Madden, the mentally disturbed teacher whose obsession with serial killers may or may not have driven him to murder his wife Joan, is no mere clinical case. He is very much a man of this historical moment, a lost soul mourning his alienation from everything he loves in an America that glorifies and sexualizes violence. In a culture where pornographic snapshots of naked and tortured Iraqi prisoners and the footage of Nat Berger's decapitation permeates the Internet, Earl's struggles to maintain his sanity and decency will be all too familiar to most readers. His final defeat after a harrowing inner battle is both a tragedy and a warning. As Oscar Wilde noted, "Each man destroys the thing he loves. The brave man does it with a sword, the coward with a kiss." Cody tempers his novel's bleak naturalism, however, with moments of haunting lyricism, as if he were Theodore Dreiser scattering haikus throughout "An American Tragedy". Some passages demand to be read aloud. All in all, an unforgettable book from an important contemporary writer. Read it and tremble.

but for some reason I expected this to be a book with Marine Corps combat photography in it. There are very few pictures- it's mostly text. Maybe I didn't read the review well enough, but it wasn't what I expected. It might be a good read, but I'll be returning it to get something with combat photos in it.

Soule's book is a must read. It not only demonstrates great heroism of Marines and Marine photographers busy documenting the Pacific War, it also conveys a series of valuable anacdotes derived from his personal diary of the time. These are valuable to readers who might be engaged in dangerous endeavors such as reporting or documenting events in hotspots around the world today. Truly an exciting, pleasant and informative book well worth your time.

This book gives the reader, in hair-raising detail and gentle humor, the story of a green-horn photographer turned battle scarred fighter for freedom, in the days before and after Guadalcanal. The "can do, will do" spirit of the American troops in spite of all odds, is beautifully depicted. Thayer Soule was there and his word pictures are as good as his photography, which won many awards. Well worth reading.

This handy reference should be part of every firearm collectors library. Anyone interested in firearms should have a copy of this book. Included is Colt's Manufacturing Companys discontinued model alerts, changes by UPS and other common carrier in shipping, a list of the firearms included in Clinton's ban on "assault style" firearms, an article on the firearms world in review for 1999, arrticle on selected class three firearms, explanation of the grading system..

Some of the firearm manufacturers listed are American Derringer Corp., American Frontier Firearms, Auto Ordnance Corp., Ballard Patent Arms, Bretta, Browning Arms Co., and many others too numerous to list in complete detail.

A bkack & white photo accompanies many of the descriptions to make identication easy. Every fireams is listed with the estimated retail value depending upon condition. Background information is listed when available as to when a model was introduced as well as when it was discontinued. Detailed information is given such as to the style of pistol grips, type & length of barrel, type of ammunition, and type of stock. There are new sections on Webley autos, Seville and El Dorado revolvers. Firearms covered are from 1838 to 1999. One of the most comphrensive books available on the market today.

A true buyers guide should include a thorough look at each model of various firearms made by various manufacturers. All variations must be noted and all differences/similarities should be spelled out for the readers. Every calibre of every type; the uniqueness of a particular make (the hardness of the frame, the type of slide rails that were developed and when; etc,etc,etc); a glossary for novices and professionals alike (eg, what does parabellum mean?) and the list goes on. All commentaries on manufacturer's and their products histories were too brief and will disappoint everyone except for the resellers and novices. If you don't care about pricing and the historical values of a particular piece, take a look at a publication like GUN DIGEST. DO not make the mistake of thinking this is a true reference however. This is strictly a pricing catalog and nothing more.

This book has a great many listings and while a very thick book it is not very wordy. Only the bare facts are presented, enough to identify the the gun and then the prices that are based on the "Gun List" publication. I have found the prices to be on the high side when compared to local (Indiana) gun show prices. This is to be expected since the price is based on national buyer exposure. It is still just a guide and a good one, I would have given it five stars, but for the fact that it lacked some details in the description that I would have found useful as a amature gun buyer.

I'm not a pro in this field, but as a former infantryman and well read practical shooter I thought the book clearly reflected the hard won wisdom of an old master. Lauck makes a good case for practical and highly professional equipment, training, and staffing of police tactical teams, with absolutely no tolerance for ladder climbers and others whose mindset makes them less than ideal for these crucial jobs. He advocates that the life critical nature of this work deserves only the finest in all regards. He then lays out what he believes to be the best in rifles, calibers, optics, training methods and tactics. This is a fairly advanced text for the tactical professional, those aspiring to be such, or the dedicated practical shooter. The beginner to rifle shooting would be wise to first study "The Art of the Rifle", by Jeff Cooper.

Lauck places a heavy emphasis on equipment in this book and talks very little about deployment and tactics. Not only does he emphasize equipment but absolute top-of-the-line custom-built one-of-a-kind equipment.

I think that most precision rifle scenarios could be resolved with something less than the equipment that Lauck describes in this book. I suspect that with proper deployment an expert rifleman with high-quality factory-made equipment would be able to resolve the issue.

The book does not address the questions "when is the tactical marksman the right tool for the job" or "how should a tactical marksman deploy" in any depth.

Lauck really does seem to have an extensive knowledge of precision shooting equipment. But I would not call the book a "complete training manual."

I am an active shooter. I have heard about this book for years, and finally got a copy. Like the promo material says this is a book for police officers and competitive shooters. Mr. Lauck has a very solid background in this area as a gunsmith and tactical officer. He included many tips that I never anticipated. Minor things like fitting scope rings to scopes, using a quad scope rings, the use of handloads, and other minor things that can make your rifle more accurate and durable. The section on ballistics alone is one of the easiest to understand on this topic that I have ever seen. The book is divided into sections for bolt action rifles and semi-auto carbines. The book is filled with black and white pictures of Mr. Lauck's custom guns. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the pictures are in lower-quality black and white, and most of the rifles are painted in a camoflage pattern, making them hard to see.

Most methods of dog training rely heavly on the use of force. This method is an excellent alternative. The techniques are simple and effective, but will require a lot of hands on work for the handler. This is not a twenty minute program that will have you walking with a perfectly trained pooch. Rather a life time of commitment by you and your buddy. Mike Boehm

My heart was filled with joy when I began reading Bill Tarrant because I had found an author who does not believe in using physical abuse to train a dog. However, as I read further, I discovered that some of his methods lean toward emotional abuse, which is just as bad. How can a man consider starving his dog to gain obedience a sound, humane method of training(Chapter 4, Pg. 74)? And then to turn around and call the electronic collar inhumane?

I like Bill Tarrant's style for the most part, and I like his writing, but I think some of his methods border on torture. He may shy away from the physical abuse, but he is not shy about being cruel.

Why, oh why can't someone write about a training method that lies somewhere in between? I have a GSP who I have trained myself, and I have combined the methods of Bill Tarrant with those of others to get my desired results. I do not beat my dog, nor do I stake her in the yard putting her on a water-only diet, and she seems to be responding just fine. This is a good training book with solid ideas, but it is a stretch to call it humane.

this is the best book on training a retreiver i have ever read. i agree wholeheartedly with the author's views on the use of force in dog training, and most other methods dictate that some force be used. mr. tarrant has helped america one step at a time to become better trainers and better friends to the dogs that share lifes. very well done.

This is an excellent book full of useful information. I don't understand the first review at all. I didn't find any "adds" for anything. I did however find a well written book with a number of ideas I haven't seen in other books.

Please ignore the first reviewers comments. He must be reviewing the wrong book. This book as NO advertisment in it so it must be another book he meant to review so I will not fault him for giving this book such a poor rating. This was so good that I had to look it up on Amazon and write a review on it. I bought it at the store but I do a lot of shopping on amazon. This book has tons of factural information and a lot of good stories about hunts and how they were planned and how they went. The author of this book was very subjective in his words and appears to be an expert on the subject. I would reccoment this book above all others on this subject.

I'm very glad I found this at the library before ordering it. This book is essentially a bunch of commercials for companies whose products the author uses and/or which are owned by his hunting buddies (e.g., the section on blackpowder which is one big ad for rifles made by pal Tony Knight) interspersed with yarn after yarn which relate ad nauseam what a deadeye Richey is in a ground blind or treestand. I understand that an instructor has to establish his credibility AND illustrate that his lessons work, but the me-great-hunter stuff gets old in a hurry. If you were to cull the useful information out of this book of stories, it would amount to about two type-written pages.

This Lyons Press edition is also a retread. The work was originally published in 1986 by Outdoor Life Books as Hunting Fringeland Deer. That was a much more accurate title; I'm afraid this one isn't the "Ultimate Guide" to anything. See any of the Greg Miller books instead.

First of all I decided to buy this book because I red lots of good thing about this book on other forums.

Unfortunately this book wasn't as well. My main problem is the history : there are 10 pages about the early origin of the breed. You can read 4 versions, but all different, so it is not usefull. There is only 24 (eleven) pages on the english history in this 320 page book ! There are only a few old photos, but there are tons of photos about the today labradors. After the usa history there are 30 (!) pages nothing but photos ! But why ? If i want to buy a book with nothing but lab photos i choose an other one !

There is only 5 pages about the show scene with usa lab photos. But dont expect any usefull info here, no advices about how to show your dogs, no "tricks", there is nothing about how to set up your lab to the show, and so on.

Also, there are lots of unusefull pages about general dog stuff, what can be usefull for a doctor, but not for a breeder/owner. And there is only some sentences about the real breeding, with no photos, as usually.

The book is missing a good description about the labs (why choose this dog, are they good with the ppl, etc).

And the biggest problem : this book is very usa-type book. If you like the very-very easy to read books, with 90% usa infos, and very limited english informations, this is a book for you. But if you want a real lab book, i recomened to choose a different one.

This book was recommended by the breeder whom I acquired my Labrador companion. I found this book to be very thorough and precise. Some of the text did become overwhelming for an average fancier such as myself. Overall, this was a GREAT material for those who truly loves the breed!!!

In my opinion, this book is the best of the books on this breed published in the last 5 years. It is an extremely comprehensive book. People deeply interested in the breed would probably appreciate some of its points more than those who are "just looking."

In particular, this book has a lovely, detailed overview of what exactly we do know about the development of this breed in the 18th and 19th century. She does not attempt to formulate a single theory out of the information, but presents it, contradictions and all.

This book also goes over the basic show and field history, as one would expect of these types of books. But in addition, there are detailed chapters on the versatility of the Labrador Retriever. Extensive chapters on Search and Rescue, Narcotic detection, Guide dogs and the amazing variety of other things Labrador Retrievers can do. Sports are covered as well -- there are chapters on obedience, tracking and flyball.

There are also some extensive chapters on health problems in this breed.

The book is very well edited, cohesive and comes highly recommended for those who are seriously interested in the breed. The only way to improve this book would be to add more pictures (of which it nevertheless has a decent sampling of).

As you can tell, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I thought this book included some F/Xs but when opening the book I realised the book does not include any tips and tricks of F/X. Anyhow, for a beginner this book can be useful but for an advanced user it's useless.

This book offers strong advice and training for novice Graphic Arts Professionals delivering completed projects to vendors. For all beginners in graphics arts, desktop publishing, and computer design and graphics.

I recommend this book to anyone interested to take a forward step toward Design.

Herge, The Shooting Star (Methuen, 1942)

An odd little book, quite different than the rest of the series. In this one, a shooting star falls to Earth bearing a new metal, and Tintin and friends race to claim it before a greedy corporation gets their hands on it. Critics have speculated that The Shooting Star was a great deal more political than most of Herge's work, which makes sense given the time during which he was drawing it (the Vichy government ascended in France in 1940). Still, it's typical Tintin in that it's packed with action and intrigue. Fans of the series will enjoy it. ***

One night a star appears to get larger and larger and a strange heat wave strikes. Tintin goes to the observatory to inquire, where he finds that the falling star, a meteor, will soon strike earth and cause the end of the world. The meteor strikes but earth is still OK, and so a scientific expedition is launched to find and study the meteor. What will they find?

As you can see they find huge mushrooms. This adventure is very humorous with an insane astronomer. Captain Haddock and Snowy play slightly bigger roles than usual for some comic relief. Spiders, which terrify Snowy, keep pooping up throughout the story. Its pretty weird, but fun as always.