Berry Books

He has many great fiction writings but I would start with this one. Solid, clear, continuously beautiful. 'Fidelity' comes in second place but this by far is leads. Should replace lots of other nonsense in the American lit canon.

My first encounter with Berry's fiction rekindled my appreciation for this genre of writing. These stories are filled with love and emotion while conveying Berry's ideals of community and cohesiveness. They decry materialism and champion mankind. I was inspired to be a better person during this walk through the Port William Membership

...and their sense of place, that runs through his readers like an umbilical spirit to the Earth. Making those connections in ways that move us emotionally and profoundly, from complacency to caring, about how we relate to each other, our communities, and the land that nourishes, sustains, and gives rise to this, and all life. In six finely crafted stories of character, conscience, and enduring values, the author inspires and challenges the reader to think of responsibility beyond their own mortality and how that caring strengthens and enriches their existence and gives it meaning.

He has many great fiction writings but I would start with this one. Solid, clear, continuously beautiful. 'Fidelity' comes in second place but this by far is leads. Should replace lots of other nonsense in the American lit canon.

About a year ago a teacher/performer friend asked me who my first guitar teacher was. Larry McCabe, quite a few years ago. My friend looked surprised, and told me he uses Larry's books in his own teaching, and that Larry had written something like 80 books to date. I had no idea, as Larry was in the process of writing his first book when I had lessons with him. So when it came time to brush up on some basic blues licks for a band I'm in I ended up obtaining some of Larry's books.

This book of blues turnarounds is where I started. What a great book - full of excellent turnaround licks. At this point I've only played through about half of them note for note, but have used those as a basis for coming up with my own licks. And to me, that is the mark of a great book - lots of useful information if read note-for-note, but can also be used as a springboard for creating new ideas.

The licks I've learned from the book thus far are all in the key of C, but can be easily used in other keys if one has a basic knowledge of the notes on the fretboard. I'd highly recommend this book for a beginner wanting to learn stock blues licks, or intermediate players who need to expand their blues vocabulary.

An Excellent Choice for the Early Intermediate Blues Guitarist

A turnaround is a lick played at the end of a section of music. A blues turnaround would be played in measures 11-12 of a 12-bar blues, or measures 7-8 of an eight-bar blues.

Electric urban blues turnarounds are fairly easy to play, and the difference from one to another is subtle. Having the ability to play a variety of turnarounds is an important skill in blues guitar playing. This is the best book I know of that addresses exclusively the subject of electric blues guitar turnarounds.

This a book for a VERY ambitious beginner, or an early intermediate guitarist who has an interest in Chicago blues in the classic style of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, etc.

The licks are all arranged in the key of C. This is for ease of analysis and comparison. The user is encouraged to transpose the licks to other keys - a worthwhile project for exploring and learning the fingerboard. Very, very good practice for learning the art of blues phrasing.

Great book from one of our leading authors. My students (and myself) have consistently benefited from the interesting instruction contained here.

My students and I work from several of Larry McCabe's guitar books and find that the books produce consistently high results.

This book, like the others, is exceptionally well crafted, specific in intent, and the guitar lines are accurately written exactly as they are heard on the CD. Larry McCabe books are the work of a dedicated teacher who has achieved a high level of respect nationally in the field of music education.

Larry asked me to write a review for this book, and I am happy to do so. The object of this book is to teach the art of playing blues guitar turnarounds to a guitarist who has some prior experience but is just beginning to explore electric blues.

If a student knows how to bend the strings and perhaps play slurs, slides, and hammers, blues turnarounds are not difficult to play. What is important is to play them authentically and with conviction. This book does a very good job in advancing those objectives.

A component of this book that is quite effective is that every phrase is written in the Key of C. The student should then transpose each lick to other keys, a desirable skill that encourages individual incentive and ability to solve arranging problems.

The turnarounds sound exactly like the ones played on classic blues recordings by the great artists from Chicago and other urban areas.

I know other teachers who swear by Larry's books, and I am one of them. Great book- effective in its aims, ambitious content, fun to work through, and a great value.

This very fine book has been in print in one form or another since the early-to-mid 1980s. Not many music books remain in print that long, but this is an exceptional collection of model solos in the urban blues style.

The book is quite popular with music teachers (as evidenced by the other reviews) and it is enjoyable and productive for students as well. The book is aimed at the ambitious early intermediate student, and a few of the solos will challenge an intermediate guitarist.

There are 25 full-length solos in the book, each written in notation and tablature, and each recorded note-for-note on the accompanying CD. The band on the CD is excellent. There are five solos in C, five in G, five in D, five in A, and five in E. The solos are played to standard blues progressions, meaning that they may be "plugged in" to similar blues progressions that are found in many, many songs.

The solos sound exactly like the solos heard on real blues records. They are varied and performed with taste, authenticity, and feeling. You can hear why the author was a columnist for Living Blues Magazine and why his work has received consistently high reviews in a number of guitar magazines.

Great book, highly recommended.

I wish all music instruction books were written in this format. The song tabs just go from one page to the next without a bunch of talking/writing in between, and the song numbers in the book actually match the song numbers on the cd...what a rare and unique idea! Of course, none of that would matter if the material were bad, but that's not the case, the solos are great - quite diverse too. There is a lot of helpful information in this book: theory, writing your own solos, a guide to blues styles and artists,etc. - but it's all in it's own section of the book, not sprinkled throughout the book here and there making it impossible to find. As a full time guitar instructor I would just like to say "great job", "great blues solos" and "great, easy to use format". Thanks.

The author of this book, Larry McCabe, is re-releasing books that have gone out of print for one reason or another. This particular book is an old friend. After I received it, I went into my library and found a copy. It has been in print in one form or another for 25 years. Most instruction books don't last anywhere near that long. First, this book (as the author warns) is not for beginners. You need to be familiar with the movable blues scales we all use. If you are playing out, and feel comfortable with the whole neck, get this book. The style of lead is closer to Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King than anyone else. If you don't know who these men are, buy their CDs. You are in for a treat. Please read the author's introduction. There is a lot of good info there. The Tab system is the older style. It should take about 30 seconds to adjust. It's actually easier to read than the current form. If you consider yourself a Rock guitarist instead of Blues, you really could use this book. If you use these solos as a "how to", instead of just memorizing them, they will give you some new weapons. You know, for scaring the heck out of other guitarists.

The AmapiPro documentation, probably translated from French, is totally useless for us Americans. This training program, on the other hand is very useful. I bought the software at a big discount before Smith Micro had it for sale but I didn't use it for a long time. It really is good software but not for the full price. This training made me use it more and avoid buying like software. Be forwarned, AmapiPro is a modeling software. Don't plan on using exotic materials or rendering in it. The trainer in these vids also admits to that. All in all a good investment for the new AmapiPro user.

This training video is one of the very best I've ever seen! I've used Amapi since version 5.0 and have always had difficulty understanding the interface and workflow. I currently use version 7.52 and felt that I could be getting better results for all of my modeling efforts. After getting Marcus Berry's VTC training CDs, all of my questions were answered. Marcus walks you through the entire product, beginning with the basic setup on your computer, an interface tour, and then a deep-dive into polygon modeling. Once you've got a good feel for the tools in polygon mode, he switches gears a does an equally in-depth discussion of nurbs modeling -- which is really the heart of the product. I've spent roughly 20 hours watching individual lesson videos and now I always have one of the CDs loaded in my drive so that when I'm working and need to review something, I can just switch to the video. Marcus's presentation style is very easy to follow; it's like he's invited you to pull up a chair next to his workstation while he shows you how it's done. If you use Amapi, this training course is a must-have. It is far better, more complete and thorough, than the paper manual. My only ding against it is that it comes on two CDs instead of a single DVD -- and of course, the lesson that I want to watch right now is always on the other CD. But the information in the videos (30+ hours worth) is invaluable; if you want to get up to speed and get the most out of Amapi, buy this training!

Amapi is a 3D modeling tool. It was formerly developed by Eovia and now belongs to e-frontier.

This 13 hours long video course contains both individual lessons about how to use a particular tool and long step-by-step explanation of NURBs modeling (10 lessons).
What I like in it. The most important tools and features are explained many times - briefly for a first time and in more datail lately. Some lessons may seem boring, but each of them contains some trick. This makes this course very good for beginners. Much better than 500 pgs reference.

For a first time I studied this course at VTC in an interactive web mode, I decided to purchase the "hard" edition, because it contains too much information, and I need to watch it again and again. And I bought it.
Five stars, no doubt.

I was amazed to find out that this book has virtually disappeared from the Chicago Library System---that really oughta be remedied! This book was a Newberry Award winner and as such, contains lessons that possess lasting value for readers.

I read the book in the 7th grade and was looking for a copy for my daughter. I discovered that it has been allowed to lapse out of print! This is astonishng, since it is a priceless story about the entrenchment of bigotry in contemporary American life and how it is experienced through the eyes of a young boy.

The vehicle of mom's entry into real estate provided a plausible and realistic framework for lessons about prejudice and inequality in American life, and how much farther we all have to go. This book should be required reading in today's elementary and middle schools.

I read this book when I was 10, and still remember the lessons learned from the story of Berries, his mother's jaunt into real estate, his family's response, Sidney's accident, etc. The civil rights movement was in its heyday when I read Berries for the first time. Berries brought the true lessons of the time home in a timeless manner. Berries still lives with me. Its lessons were timely then and it's timely now. I am now buying a copy for my youngest daughter, and I expect for it to become a life-classic for her as it remains for me.

Berries Goodman is a book that I read in my youth and continue to remember well into my adulthood. It is a story about courage and growing up as a minority in a world that is troubled by difference. It is a wonderful book for people of all ages and one that I will have in my library for my children. Don't miss this treasure. You will be happy that you have read it.

As a pediatrician myself, I cannot say enough about Touchpoints. It's a must have for both pediatricians and parents. After reading his works, watching his videos, and listening to him speak in person, I have the utmost respect for Terry B. Brazleton and his work. He is a gift to pediatrics and children.

I have loved all his books and this one is no different! It's a great help in understanding where the child is coming from during their development.

Brazelton as recently been in Portugal and gave some interviews for some portuguese broadcasting outlets. I heard one of these interviews as I was driving on the highway from Coimbra to Lisbon, by night. I was fascinated with Berry Brazelton and his extraordinary insights in developmental pediatrics. Soon after that, I ordered Touchpoints through Amazon (simply the best!), which I use fo monitor the development of my five year old girl and my eight months boy. Love and discipline are the main pillars in Berry Brazelton's approach. The appeal of it, lies in the fact that, these are exactly the ways in which God deals with us, his children. Without knowing it (or believing it, for that matter), Berry Brazelton's approach is truly powerful because it has eternal and profound wisdom behind it.

Loved this book! Going through a divorce is an emotional roller coaster for ALL family members. It's easy to forget about the little ones when the parents are going thru so much turmoil also. This book give lots of examples, which are extremely easy to relate to. And it gives practical advise that is easy to follow and to remember. I was done with the book in one night....couldn't put it down!

Authoritatively written by Diane M. Berry (a former family law attorney turned psychotherapist who has personally experienced divorce), Child Friendly Divorce: A Divorce(d) Therapist's Guide To Helping Your Children Thrive is a straightforward examination of the crisis and trauma that divorce brings to children's lives, and what divorcing parents can do to ease the burden. From helping children adjust to long-term difficulties; to forming a co-parenting partnership with the "other parent"; to when and how to introduce children to a new partner, Child Friendly Divorce is a quality guide, practical and intuitively written. If you are considering or involved in a divorce where there are children involved, then you need to give a careful reading to Diane Berry's Child Friendly Divorce.

Going through divorce is an emotional experience that can make people who've shared life's most gentle moments turn on each other like rabid beasts. The statistics reveal the need for a book like this one: 50-60% of marriages fail; and one third of children under 18 live with only one parent.

Author Diane Berry brings unique qualifications to her book project; as a young attorney practicing family law, she recognized a flair for helping deal with the emotional upsets caused by divorce. She went back to school, earned a Masters Degree in Social Work, and began a counseling practice specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy. When she developed an informal class to educate parents about handling some of the difficulties of divorce, a court official saw its value and made it mandatory for all divorcing parents in their county. Five years later, the class is conducted 24 times a year and filled to capacity.

The subtitle of the first chapter sets the book's tone: What Happens to the Children? Fond memories and children or not, divorce is the inevitable outcome of many marriages, and despite their best intentions, couples unwittingly do very harmful things to their kids while in the throes of splitting up. Berry describes how separation and divorce affects children in different age groups emotionally, and suggests how to deal with problems that arise, both short term and long term. She recommends setting up a system of nurturing, open communication, and stresses the importance of organization and scheduling.

Berry's therapy experience comes to play often, such as her explanation of the behavioral technique Emotional Regulation to change habits and improve outcomes. She encourages utilizing outside counseling and urges parents not to feel overly guilty. Children are resilient and actually grow emotionally through dealing with stress in small doses -- they need not be totally sheltered from the reality of life. Berry recommends sensitivity to the needs of the "other" parent balanced with protecting the children and building their self-esteem. Divorcing couples must travel a path toward cooperation, forgiveness, letting go of the pain -- and moving on.

By rendering good advice infused with positive thinking, humor, and an upbeat tone, Berry gives parents an encouraging roadmap for accomplishing divorce while inflicting the fewest emotional scars on their children.

Don't be misled by this book's title. I started constructing crossword puzzles about 18 months ago. I've read everything I could find about constructing. If you only read one book, this is the one I would recommend. Patrick Berry is a highly regarded constructor, and he does a great job of explaining what goes into the making of professional level puzzles.

An excellent book with wonderful puzzles by Mr. Berry. Lots of helpful suggestions for constructors as well.

30 Jan 2007

Not only do you get a plethora of entertaining crossword puzzles, you are even introduced to the art of creating them.

Mark F. Berry's Dinosaur Filmography is wittily and entertainingly written and based on thorough knowledge of both real dinosaurs and the special effects used to recreate them. Berry has pulled together information from many little-known fan magazines, but he does not rely on recycling old material. He has done original research by interviewing several filmmakers, mostly effects artists. Berry's commentaries are full of infectious enthusiasm about the better films, but he is also
genuinely critical. He understands what makes dino movies
tick.

There are about 200 illustrations, about two dozen of them in color. Each entry includes a brief synopsis, critical commentary, notes on participants and the production of the film, and a section on special effects. Berry includes films but not TV; thus he has entries on the two Flintstones theater films but not the TV series. He includes animated features and some of the most important animated shorts, such as Gertie the Dinosaur, but not all cartoon shorts featuring dinosaurs. Documentaries are omitted.

Appendices briefly cover films with brief dinosaur scenes or minor saurian plot elements, abortive projects and the Japanese giant monster films. There is a major bibliography of books, magazine articles and online resources. Dinosaur Filmography
puts in the shade all previous dino movie books, except for
Stephen Jones' Illustrated Dinosaur Movie Guide (1993), which
has much shorter entries than Berry and is nine years older, but
is still worthwhile for Jones' sharp comments and excellent illustrations.

Mark Berry's 'The Dinosaur Filmography' is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in some time. It is meticulously researched and extremely thorough. It is also engaging in its analysis, which is often accompanied with first hand anecdotes from some giants of the dino-film industry. It is the kind of book I dreamed about having when I was a kid. Every dinosaur movie I've ever heard of, and some that I haven't, are here. Many are accompanied by photos that I've never seen, which is a real treat - especially for some of the classics, such as King Kong, where I thought I had seen them all. This is one of those books that you will never get tired of. It is equally entertaining whether reading for a couple of hours or paging through for a couple of minutes.

The timing of this review coincides, not so coincidentally, with the time of year. Every October I pour over TV guides to see if any of the classic (and not so classic, but I love them just the same) dinosaur or giant B-monster movies will be on. Unfortunately for at least a couple of years running, I've seen all too few. Since there seems to be a specialty cable channel for just about every subject, why couldn't there be one on dinosaur and giant monster movies? I'm sure I'm not the only one who waxes nostalgic for the charm of these films - whether they be classic Harryhausen flicks or the rubber suit jobs that thrilled us as kids regardless (Unknown Island and The Land Unknown come quickly to mind). In addition to being a great read, Berry's Dinosaur Filmography book is the perfect resource for such a channel. Next October I'll be scanning the channel guides again in the hope that somewhere a cable programmer came to the same conclusion.

As a kid growing up, like most kids , I loved dinosaurs. That affection let me into a life long love of films in general, and that wonderful sub genre, the dinosaur movie. From Knig Kong and Harryhausens magnificent creations to the drek of Bert I Gordons enlarged Iguanas, I saw them all *(not to mention all the wonderful distant radioactive relative from Japan!) This book has all the well known (and not so well known) films of this genre. Filled with synopsis, commentary on the films and FX, great photos, and a lively, informative and wonderfully readable text. Never stooping to wild over intelectualization of the films, this book is a great treat and deserves a place of honor on any film lover, science fiction, or dinosaur fans shelf! Some Japanese kaiju fans might feel slighted, but Godzilla and Company are more fantasy creations than dinosaur, but there are listings of those films in the appendix. Another great McFarland book, and THE book on Dinosaur movies!!!

With apologies to the NY Times for this title, this is the book to have on all things moose. Everything is coverered in this comprehensive bible of the moose. From habits, descriptions, pictures, diagrams, and charts to a study of this fine creature's impact on our culture, this is the definative study of a subject that could not be any more worthy of an examination this extensive. The moose is really about all that is good in this world. Brave, handsome, strong, and yet loveable. What more could you want? Don't let the price scare you away reader. Be like the courageous moose and plunk down the 65 bills(plus shipping and handling) for something that will enrich your life time and again.

I would like to take this oportunity to thank all of the people/scientists, biologists, volunteers, etc. who helped put this awesome book together. The information in this book is coming from hands-on time consuming experience. This book is truly a mooselover's bible. I hold the men and women who devote their lives to researching this beautiful animal in the hightest respects. I just hope someday I may be part of the group of people contributing their knowledge into a future book as great as this one. I would like to say a special hello and thank you to the people of the Moose Research Center (MRC) at Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. I hope to be offered the wonderful opportunity of being able to volunteer at MRC. Moose and this book combined have opened up whole new doors to life's avenues for me. Again, thank you for your time and efforts in bringing this great book to us. I love it

If you're a moose-aphile, then this is your book! Every aspect of the moose is covered and includes great pencil drawings and photos. While written for scientists, most of the book is still quite readable for the layperson. I haven't read most of the book, but I do thumb through it regularly, and I always read something else that I never knew about the moose!