Cameron Books

Things are beginning to come together, after several incidents earlier begin to make more sense. No-one can accuse the overarching storyline here of being told at a breakneck pace, that is for sure. This, you presume, is deliberate, so each one of these can happily be told as a stand alone, while still developing the main thread.

this title basicly summs it up, what is it like beeing a minutman. and here we are...holding in our hands so far azzarelo's best piece of work! the story of most tragic minutman wylie Times and his confrontation with his past, with his decisions and with his teacher, mentor, father's figure - Agent Shepard. the story is split into several time frames and jumps from one to another with such a cinematic simplicity. This book is definetly for readers that are already familiar with 100 bullets mythology.
This book is one of those that keeps you thinkink about it days after reading it,and makes long months between 100 bullets trades even longer.

Collecting issues 50 - 58 of 100 Bullets, The Hard Way solves the Wylie Times plot. After given one of the famous guns and briefcases from Agent Graves, Wylie was told to kill Agent Shepherd.

Additionally, by the end of the book, two of the Minute Men sleeper agents are activated. If you've been following the books, you already know the characters, although you may not know who they are.

As always, the writing is top notch. The characters are developed in layers and the plot continues to unfold as everything falls into place.

I'd like to go more in depth into reviewing this, however, it's difficult to explain to someone unfamiliar with the series and those that are familiar with the series aren't going to want the details of the stories from me. They're going to buy the book, regardless of what I say. Because it's that damn good.

If you're unfamiliar with the series, but are a fan of comics with great stories, this is something you can sink your teeth into, but you'd do best to start from the beginning.

Brian Azzarello, 100 Bullets: The Hard Way (Vertigo, 2005)

Every time I pick up another Brian Azzarello book, I finish it thinking "there's no way he can top that." And, so far, every time I've been proven wrong.

The Hard Way takes us into the second half of Azzarello's epic 100 Bullets, and it contains his finest creation to date: Gabe, a little man with a very big trumpet. Gabe is not a main character, but he ends up being, from the standpoint of the book's quality, its most important asset.

What the book is actually about is the mission given to Wylie Times at the end of Book 6, the one that caused every 100 Bullets reader's jaw to hit the carpet. This mission puts Wylie back into close contact with Dizzy, and much of the book's pace comes from the back-and-forth between the two of them, the secrets they need to keep from one another, what they choose to reveal, and the times in which they find themselves forced into partnership. Gabe is just a part of the scenery, most of the time, a kid who finds himself in a complex relationship with Wylie, the only person who ever stood up for him.

The first three-quarters of the book is setup; as with all of 100 Bullets, though, the setup is always fun, as Azzarello is capable of keeping the reader interested with a minimum of verbiage, letting Eduardo Risso's wonderful artwork do much of the talking. Then, once the dominoes are set up, Azzarello gives them a nudge, and everything comes toppling down in a design that looks nothing like what you expect it to-- but that ties everything up anyway.

The Hard Way is more than just an installment in a series of graphic novels (or comic books, depending). Where 100 Bullets has often been passed off as a genre noir title-- and in a number of cases, it's simply been satisfied to rise to that level and float-- The Hard Way transcends both graphic novel-dom and noir, in the same way Watchmen or the best issues of Love and Rockets did. The Hard Way is good, solid literature. There are a number of excellent entry points into the world if graphic novels, if you've dismissed them as "just comics" up to this point; while I'm not sure 100 Bullets is one of them (because of the series' weaker volumes), once you've got a few Watchmens, Sandmans, and Preachers, under your belt, tackle 100 Bullets. When you get to The Hard Way, you'll be able to experience it in all its glory. I envy you the chance to experience it for the first time. **** ½

This has got to be the best volume of the infamuos series.It has the seven-part story arch 'wylie runs the voodoo down' and one shot stories Prey for reign and coda smoke.In this volume we finally find out the history of the trust and the minute men,we also get introduce to a new character and minute man Victor.We also finally get to see wylie as a re-awakened minute man and more pieces of the puzzle get put together,once again the 100 bullets team wraps up another masterpiece.This is the best book in the series and one of my all time favourites,the best ongoing series out there.

This is an amazing book with photographs of not only San Francisco, but of the bay area including San Jose, Napa Valley, and San Mateo. I lived in San Jose 12 years ago, and haven't had a chance to go back and visit. This book, however, will use as a reminder of how beautiful this area is!

You cannot be disappointed by this or any other book by Robert Cameron, as I have stumbled upon the 'Above Chicago' book. You will be dazzled with every flip of the page.

Whenever we have friends or relatives visit from out-of-state or overseas, we give them a copy of this excellent picture book. This works particularly well for our non-English speaking visitors who may peruse the pages - remembering all the exciting places we've visited during their stay!

I have always been a big fan of Robert Carmeron's work, I really feel he is the best at this kind of photography. This book is amazing, San Francisco never looked better and that is really saying something. Mr. Carmeron is from the Bay Area so he saves some of his best work for this book, which has been gloriously updated. The views and angles he gets are nothing short of spectacular. San Francisco is one of the worlds most beautiful cities and it's really saying something when a book can guild the lilly like this one. I highly recommend it to anyone with a love for this great city or just a love of great photography.

'Over San Francisco' may have been Robert Cameron's first essay in an album of aerial pics of a great city, especially as his publishing company is based in San Francisco. Unfortunately, I come to review this book after doing a review of his treatment of London, which I found simply spectacular.

I think the first problem is that Cameron starts out with pictures of the Bay and the two famous bridges, plus the equally famous Alcatraz Island and prison. Now blue water on a clear day is certainly nice, but just not that entrancing as, for example the City Hall, the Civic Center, or the Presidio.

After this disappointment, I go further into the book and realize that compared to London, there are remarkably few airscapes of note. The one I expected to be done up well, the Palace of Fine Arts, the current home of the physics museum, the Exploratorium, is given short shrift. Somehow, San Francisco's airports and Oakland stadium just don't seem to make as strong an impression as the pics of London's Gatwick airport or Wimbleton Tennis stadiums.

This is still a great souvenior of a visit to San Francisco. It is probably much more interesting than a coffee cup, tee shirt, or tote bag, but it isn't London!

This is a great photo book of the San Fransico bay area. It includes just about every area around, including San Jose, Oakland, Stanford, etc. It has photos of the city, Silicon Valley and most of the major Computer companies and chip makers such as Intel and AMD. Living in this area, I really like this book as I can see what my area looks like and there are a lot of photos, including every major bay bridge.
...

The book is an excellent source of combinatorial insights and techniques for researchers, especially those who are not mathematicians. The book is comprehensive but not too dense. Puritans would complain that it skips details, but details can always be found by referring the bibliography. An excellent source of problems, with solutions for earlier versions provided by the author on his web-page. Should turn out to be a classic if not already one.

I am M.Sc.Computer Science student and work for software company. I needed a book covering aspects in Combinatorics and this is the book.

This is a graduate level text that presents advanced material and yet is easier to understand than most high school texts and could probably be used without trouble at the undergraduate level. The writing is vibrant and lucid; it is a pleasure to read. I could come up with a few minor complaints about the presentation of this or that but these comments would be silly and not very relevant.

The book contains an absolute wealth of topics. There is an interesting combinatorial approach to groups, and the book's presentation of certain topics, such as matroids and quasigroups, is among the best I have found; many books make these structures appear painfully abstract and difficult to grasp. The book is organized so that it's fairly easy to skip around, but I actually like the order in which the topics are presented.

This text makes an excellent addition to the collection of anyone interested in combinatorics, and if someone were to buy only one book on the subject, I would recommend this book. I think this would make an excellent textbook--it was used as such in one of my graduate courses, and would probably be suitable for an undergraduate course as well.

This isn't your usual "urn-has-3-red-balls-and-5-white-balls" sort of combinatorics book. It's sigma notation all over the place, if you know what I mean.
The first part can be used for undergraduates and the second part is more advanced. The book is broad in scope because, as the author explains, so is the subject matter.
The chapters have "techniques" and "algorithms." It's not a book that has a slew of examples of combinatorial problems (like so many), but leans toward mathematical sophistication in formalizing the techniques. This is either a feature or a bug, depending on what you needs are. For instance, it's not very often that introductory books present derrangements next to Fibonacci numbers. Or explain how calculate the average number of comparisons that Hoare's Quicksort does with a differential equation for the recurrence relation in the context of finite fields. It sounds scary, I know, but if you look at the explanation, you'll see you should have been born a nephew to this author.
In case you like Knuth's Concrete Mathematics you will like this book too (there's some overlap, because both are concerned with the analysis of algorithms). Knuth's book works more on skill-building, and I think Cameron's book is better for theoretical explanation.
Disclaimer: I haven't worked with the whole book (because of a lack of time - "Ars long, vita brevis", as they say).

Combinatorics is a bit of an oddity. Although a few principles (like pigeonholing) apply in many cases, every combinatorial problem has unique features. Attacking a new situation is almost like starting all over again, unless you can recognize an old problem in your new one.

This book gives a number brief case studies. Its 18 chapters (not counting intro and closing) span a variety of interesting topics. Cameron doesn't write down to the reader - it takes serious thought and some mathematical background to get full value from the reading. The examples are nowhere near as concrete as you'd expect in a popularized version. Still, the author avoids opaque references to specialist terms, and keeps the text approachable.

I have personal reason to like this book more than it's high quality warrants. I was thumbing through it in a store, and skimmed a page that described Kirkman's schoolgirls (a two-level problem in selecting subsets). Quite abruptly, I realized that those charming young ladies exactly represented a problem I had in connecting the parts of a multiprocessor. One or two references later, I had a practical way out of a potentially ugly quandry. This material is not just fun for its own intellectual challenge, it has application to real engineering, too.

Mae West (1893-1980) was well known in her day as a leading sex symbol. But, she was more than a pretty face and a set of wild curves. Ms. West had a mind of her own, and a great deal of talent - she was an actress, a playwright and a screenwriter. Her on-screen personae featured a great deal of double entendre, and she considered discussing human sexuality to be a basic human right. In 1959, she published her autobiography, which was designed to tell her story, from her angle, and this is it!

Overall, I found this to be a fascinating read. Mae West was a fascinating woman, and led life the way she wanted to. Now, whenever any writes an autobiography, it is so that they can put their own spin on things, presenting themselves as they want to be presented. Well, that's the fun of an autobiography, and I must say that Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It is a lot of fun.

Plus, I must say that I loved her particular take on Broadway and Hollywood. So, if you are interested in that golden Ms. West (diamond would be closer to the truth), then this is the book for you. Also, if you are interested in early 20th century Broadway or early Hollywood, then this is also a book that you should read. I give it two thumbs up!

Originally written in the 1950s and later updated in the early 1970s, GOODNESS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT is the autobiography of the celebrated Mae West, one of the 20th century's greatest stars of stage and screen. It is an entertaining read, and in her writings West perfectly captures that unique tone and way with words that made her world famous.

But whether she intended it to be so or not, the most interesting thing about the autobiography is its revelation of the incredible ego that drove her. To hear her tell it, West was born with absolute self-awareness, knew what she wanted from the cradle, and was well on her way to getting it before she could walk. Be it saving the life of a drowning child, doing a lion-taming act, or living out the life of sex goddess to end all sex goddesses, Mae West did it first--and if not first, at least better. And if either of those are a matter of opinion, there is clearly only one opinion that counts with West: hers.

Sometimes she is factually inaccurate, as in her assesment of the box office success of MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (it was not a big hit at the time.) Sometimes she simply ignores an unpleasant fact or two, as when she declares that her film work ended because no one could offer her a good script (in truth, her screen career ended because public taste had changed and her films simply weren't living up to box office expectations any more.) But the truly astonishing thing about her various claims is how often they really are correct: yes, she really did save Paramount from bankruptcy; yes, she really was the highest-paid star in 1930s Hollywood; yes, her stage work was every bit as legendary as she says it was.

If West's autobiography often comes off as boastful, it has reason to be so; even so, the tone of unending self-praise does have a way of wearing a bit thin after a while, and now and then a little humility would not have been amiss. And if you're expecting a litany of lovers and bedroom details, you will no doubt be disappointed in the book. West gives few details and names no names.

Even so, it is a fascinating--or should I say fascinatin'--read. It was a indeed a brilliant career, a remarkable life, a memorable personality. If you're a fan, this is a must have.

--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--

Mae West considered writing her autobiography as early as 1957 and several publishing houses had already approached her. A flood in the mid-thirties destroyed documents of her early vaudeville appearances stored in the basement of her Hollywood apartment building, The Ravenswood, and other papers stored at her ranch house were eaten by rats.
Since arriving in Hollywood, her film career had been well-documented, but West had only a faint recollection of what happened and where. She asked Larry lee, who assisted her with the novelization of "Diamond Lil" to research her early stage career. Lee suggested they try writing a few chapters to see how things went. Eventually Stephen Longstreet, an author who ghosted other star biographies came on board to help West pull together her book, and was given credit for his "editorial assistance." West apparently supervised everything and pointed out, "Nobody can write about me except me," a remarkable feat considering she barely completed the third grade.
The driving force in West's decision to pen her memoirs was that someone else might try to write an unauthorized account of her life and there wasn't much she could do about it since much of her life had been spent in the public domain. Initially West protested that she had so much more to do with her life, but friends pointed out she could write a sequel in the future. Some of the the early working titles West had in mind for her memoirs were "Queen of Sex," and "Come Up and See Me Sometime."
Although West's autobiography went through several printings in hardback and soft cover, critic's reaction to her account of her life was mixed. Theatre Arts stated "the heart of gold is outweighed by the purse of gold and the gloating over box-office grosses," while the New York Times reviewer found West's tome "theatre wise, basically clean, sometimes corny, often entertaining yarn."
Perhaps Mae West's self penned novel, "Babe Gordon," published in 1930 and later rechristened, "The Constant Sinner," was closer to the actual events of her life, that she dared not reveal in her later biography. The inside panel of the original cover proclaimed, "Constantly sinning and constant to her sin, Babe Gordon, the heroine of this vigorous story belongs to that rare type of woman who uses her beauty and sexual allure as a soldier uses his weapons - without mercy or scruple. She is irresistible to every type of man, from the bruisers of the prize ring to the sensitive sons of aristocracy. She is canny, worldly wise, quick thinking. All her art , her wisdom, her will is to love; and when her passion for one man cools, she kindles it in another.
In a classic example of life imitating art, Mae West was outraged when Confidential magazine featured an expose on her private life alleging her sexual proclivity for black men. Chalky Wright, "a bronze boxer" whom West had met was "invited up to see her sometime" and ended up living with her for a year. Confidential magazine claimed "West's favorite color combination, as only the men in her life know, is black and white."
As a result of Mae West's appearance in Myra Breckinridge in 1970, interest in her was at an all-time high, and MacFadden-Bartell published an updated edition of her biography in paperback.
West asked George Eiferman, a former 1948 Mr. America, and 1962 Mr. Universe title holder, to write an eight page appendix entitled "My Story," explaining the events that led to Chuck Krauser aka Paul Novak knocking out Mickey Hargitay. West sagely secured affidavits from the other bodybuilders in the act supporting her statement that she had never shown romantic interest in Hargitay. When asked why it would possibly matter years after the fact, West pointed out, "That's where you're not thinkin' clear. It's when he gets desperate that he'll try to peddle a story, '"I was the One Man Mae West Wanted but Couldn't Get."
West's prophesy was realized when Gordon Mitchell, one of the muscleman in her Vegas act was quoted in the July 2001 issue of Premier : "Mickey won't tell you this but I will. Mae was crazy about him! He was the first guy who ever rejected her." Other chapters in West's updated memoirs dealt with the filming of Myra Breckinridge and outlined plans for future projects.
For the serious student of Mae West lore, "Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It" is an excellant starting off point to discover why Mae West can be considered the most fascinating woman of the Twentieth Century.

"Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" takes its title from a line in Mae West's first film, 1932's "Night After Night". By 1959, when the first edition of this autobiography was published, Mae West had conquered stage, screen, and Las Vegas and not lost a bit of sassy style in her 66 years. "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" is an unabashedly self-aggrandizing tour of Mae West's professional life and loves, but it's nothing if not entertaining. The story begins with a self-possessed -if not self-obsessed- child from Brooklyn who made her stage debut at age 7 -barely, since she refused to go on stage until the spotlight was on her. Mae turned professional at age 8, debuted on Broadway at 18, caused a sensation soon thereafter with her wriggle, began to write her own plays in the 1920s, was jailed for "corrupting the morals of youth" soon after, followed with films in the 1930s, a return to the stage in the 1940s, and Las Vegas night clubs in the 1950s.

"Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It" focuses more on the conception of West's plays and movies than on other aspects of her life. This might be explained by West's passion for her career above all else, but she never did like to discuss her personal life. West believed that personal confessions amounted to overexposure and undermined her value as an entertainer. That may have been true when she was a huge star, but a candid autobiography could do her nothing but good in 1959. Mae West spent a lifetime creating and reinforcing a persona, though, so that's what she does here. She speaks fondly of the men in her life, but without many intimate details. Ironically, Mae West eschewed vulgarity, always preferring insinuation. But that sometimes left me wondering if she was a libertine or a tease. And surely her ego and inflexible nature frustrated a few of her lovers, whom West would have us believe all worshipped her unfailingly. I'm not sure how literally to take "Goodness Had Nothing to Do With It", but Mae West always did put on a great show, and this book is no exception. Her fans won't want to miss it.

Though sugar coated and boastful, it covers a great deal with photos only she could/would provide. A must for any serious Mae West collector, especially if you can get it with it's original cover.

This is, simply put, an amazing work. From the stage production to the written play to the movie adaptation, it is an incredible, gender-blowing glam rock force to be reckoned with. Maybe people will see themselves in Hedwig, and her emotions and beliefs are expressed beautifully, as are the underlying themes in the work. This is truely the only rock-n-roll musical that rocks--or even matters.

A fellow reviewer left a detailed description of the sheet music/vocal score/piano and guitar score for "Hedwig". This item is not that. It is merely the book of the stage play, and while it is a wonderful collector's piece DO NOT ORDER IT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SHEET MUSIC.

John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's Hedwig and the Angry Inch debuted off Broadway in 1999, then gained widespread popularity in 2001 when a film version of the queer-themed rock musical hit theaters. It's a wonder why then fans had to wait till 2004 for a songbook to be released. The bitter wait aside, finally here is Hedwig and the Angry Inch: piano/vocal selections published by Hal Leonard, and if you're a Hedwig fan, better snatch one of these before they're out of print!

THE BASICS:
--Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask.
--Contents: Tear Me Down (6 pages), Origin of Love (12 pages, Sugar Daddy (8 pages), Angry Inch (6 pages), Wig in a Box (9 pages), Wicked Little Town 9 pages), The Long Grift (4 pages), Hedwig's Lament (2 pages), Exquisite Corpse (5 pages), Wicked Littel Town Reprise (5 pages), Midnight Radio 6 pages).
--70 pages. (Music starts on page 4.)
--No pictures/photos.
--The cover is the Hedwig MOVIE art, but the songs are printed from their 1999 form. So for instance in "Sugar Daddy," there is an "extra" monologue music interlude by Luther that isn't in the film.
--The title says "piano/vocal selections." But note that there are ALSO guitar chords and diagrams for every song!! Songs are arranged so that you have the melodies intertwined (the songs are not just piano accompaniment), and you get all the lyrics too. You get spoken dialogue too in the songs as in Wig in the Box and Tear Me Down.
--ISBN 0-634-06881-4. Not to be confused with the other Hedwig books/libretto/making-of.

OVERALL: ***1/2 stars out of 5.
A great piano solo songbook for lovers of the Hedwig play/film. The songs are arranged from the play, so there are some "extra" lyrics not seen in the film. Arrangements are rich, though at times not very sophisticated. Driving rock beats frequently are arranged as humongous chords. This might sound a little strange in songs like Tear Me Down and Exquisite Corpse, but it works out decently. Songs originally with a piano or piano-based melody like Wig in a Box, WIcked Little Town, and Origin of Love sound beautiful in their piano arrangements here.

Songs are very challenging with heavily-sharp'd/flat'd keys, quirky rhythms and frequent jazz triplets (the quarter-half note combo). In the end of Midnite Radio, the pianist is told to "ad lib" the ending, which something for the novice. The book is too difficult for a beginner, but has potential to sound super for a very skilled pianist. But get the timing down and the melody comes right through. Worth owning this music book while you can still get your hands on it, even if it ends up being too tough to master.

Well, I guess what I really have to say is, "wow!" I've been listening to the Hedwig soundtrack since it came out, but I never got a chance to see the play, and, consequently, I missed out on a GREAT deal. While this book doesn't replace seeing a show, it does contain the entire script. So now I've caught up and know more exactly what all of those fabulous songs are about!! And what a story . . .

Buy the soundtrack, and if you are at all moved, the next logical step is to buy the book. You will not be disapointed.

For some people, the stage production of Hedwig And The Angry Inch was this greally great Off-Broadway musical. For others it taught them a little bit about themselves, about those around them, and about their lives. John Cameron Mitchell's text laces beautifully with Stephen Trask's lyrics to dish out an emotional beat down that hurts so much you love it.

If you haven't seen it, I'll admit, reading the script isn't going to do it for you, but if you've at least heard of it, go out and get yourself the CD and read along between the songs. There's also some incredible photography to look at, many of which haven't been seen before. You get a semi-decent idea of what's going on on stage, anyway. It's quite a show by some extremely talented people. I will never forget Hedwig or her brain parents as long as I live.

This cowboy memoir is a bit different from the rest. It is more about ranch work than the open range, and the cattle business there is in milk cows rather than raising beef. Notably, "womenfolk" also figure into the picture, a change from the usual all-male accounts of early-days cowboying. Written more like a novel than a memoir, the book tells of Moody's summer as a very young cowhand on a ranch in the foothills of the Rockies, outside Colorado Springs. The year is 1911 and Moody is just 12 years old, already helping to support his widowed mother.

While described by other reviewers as "wholesome" reading, suitable for all ages, the book is also full of closely observed details about the day-to-day work of ranching with horses. A reader becomes easily immersed in this world and its routines of rounding up, cutting, sorting, and driving cattle, picking and using a string of horses, and the adventures occasioned by dust storms, a flooding stream, and getting lost in the mountains while cutting trees for fence posts. The other hands are well drawn, including a villainous character who starts a vividly described fist fight in the bunkhouse. For the fatherless Moody, the boss and foreman provide the nurturing support needed by a youngster becoming a man. Meanwhile, the foreman's strong-willed daughter (to whom the book is dedicated) cuts her own wide swath through the story's narrative. Moody, who took up writing in his later years, is a masterful storyteller and makes this bygone world come to life for readers interested in the West of 100 years ago.

You will Love this series........ Something the whole family will love to listen to.

What a grand adventure for a 12 year-old boy to work in a real man's job, earning a real man's salary, working for a cattle rancher/trader Mr. Batchlet. Moody skillfully portrays the cast of characters who compose the ranch crew and the owner's daughter Hazel who is a commanding figure in the book and in Ralph's young heart.

This is a never to be forgotten look at a old west that was rapidly changing and would soon be forever altered, but here it is preserved forever for our enjoyment and education.

But is is more than an interesting story or an enlightening look at a historical time, it is a sotry that reads like a novel, and yet carries the authority of truth while embodying timeless values and demonstrating how character is formed and maintained.

A delight for the whole family and as with nearly all of Ralph Moody's books it retains the read-a-loud quality that makes these stories so treasured among those who still read in the family circle.

This book will remain in my memory for a long time. The writing style, the vividness of setting, emotions, relationships, and timeframe, all come together to pack a powerful punch to the reader. My son and I could not put it down.

This is the third in Moody's autobiographical series, but is best read (if you're a continuity freak) between Chapters 25 and 26 of the second, "Man of the Family." It follows young Ralph (12 years old in the summer of 1911) through his first "man's job," riding for Mr. Batchlett, the livestock dealer, for 100 days at a dollar a day--big money to a boy who is lucky to get five cents an hour around his Littleton home, and who feels keenly his obligation to support his widowed mother and five siblings. Like Ralph, the reader plunges right into the job in the second chapter, and the story doesn't let up from there on out.

In 1911 the Colorado cattle business is changing, and Mr. Batchlett, who owns a big ranch, is changing with it, dealing heavily in dairy cattle, trading dry for freshened stock, then letting the drys bear their calves and selling them in turn. Ralph has worked cattle before, but those were range stock, and as he humorously explains, dairy stock is a different kind of animal entirely. Still, there are some things that don't change: picking out a string of horses, cutting out stock aboard Clay, his boss's prize cutting horse, and once getting lost in the mountains for 24 hours. What's more, the book is packed with unforgettable characters, both human and animal: old Hank, the boastful windbag cowboy who is humbled by his and Ralph's ordeal in the mountains, then redeems himself when he saves crew and herd from a flash flood; Blueboy, the half-wild roan gelding Ralph can't resist adding to his string; Jenny Wren, the schoolteacher moonlighting for the summer as home-ranch cook, and Sid, the cowboy who worships her; Zeb, the tall gangly cowhand who by preference rides a diminutive mule; Clay, the cutting horse who can practically do the job all by himself; Trinidad, the troublemaker of the crew; a constellation of dairy cattle, each with name and personality; Watt Bendt, the ranch boss, and Hazel, the oldest of his four daughters, a redheaded, freckle-faced tomboy who prefers rooting cattle out of the brush to wearing a dress (and proves to be better at it than Ralph), and who cleverly manipulates him into choosing a string that will keep him close to the home compound so he can (she's resolved) teach her to do his trick-riding stunts.

Moody evokes a time not yet a century past with love and skill, and paces his tale as well as any novelist. Anyone who loves or is curious about the Old West and how it has come to be what it is today should read this book.

Cameron Abbott?s sophomore novel, ?An inexpressible State of Grace,? is the only novel of hers that I have read so far. I was pleasantly surprised by her writing style. I find, too often, that many lesbian romances lack any other points of interest. Abbott masterfully intertwines four plot lines giving each one enough time and development to stand on its own while allowing them to interact with each other, to form an overall narrative arc through out the story. The differences between plot and story aren?t made in a haphazard way like many immature authors. The montage of scenes expertly paints protagonist Ashleigh Moore?s past over the reader?s perception of the present world she is living in.

Unlike another reviewer I found the details of Ashleigh?s professional life to add a depth and reality to Ashleigh?s world. An integral part of Ashleigh?s identity is tied up in her professional life; it effects the way she interacts with her family, her father in particular, and it is responsible for introducing her to her love interest. Ashleigh?s method of reacting to the world is, in every way, the work of a legal mind. As Abbott is a lawyer, readers might compliment her for writing what she knows, rather than failing to truly understand the way other people think.

This book was a joy to read. I utterly enjoyed following Ashleigh as she discovered and finally confronted the truth about herself, learned the causes behind her family?s dynamic, fell in love with Renee, and confronted the ethical failings of people professionally close to her. I highly recommend this book.

Abbott?s passion for what she does is beautifully apparent in the way that she writes; enjoy it.

If all books of this genre were this well written, I wouldn't feel the need to throw some of them away. Great writing and a great book.

I was really really looking forward to reading this second novel of Cameron Abbott's and was really disappointed. (Ms. Abbott's first novel was 'To the Edge.') The storyline and characters are almost identical as the ones in her first novel (To the Edge). However, in this second book, the characters were much less likable and romantic/sexual. I turned this book into my local gay bookstore for a store credit as soon as I could.

I would NOT recommend this book and I hope Ms. Abbott's next book has more likable characters and does not get into the nitty gritty of 'the law' and concentrates more on developing the romantic relationship between her characters. I usually have this same gripe (the lack of developed characters) when i read mysery novels, which is why I hardly read them anymore.

Among the club of lesbian authors who can actually write, this author is one of a small handful whose books feel original. This time she concentrates more on the legal plot than some readers looking for the usual romance-by-numbers might like. But I thought the depth in this area really added to the story and made the characters more real. This is a good story with plenty more to offer than the predictable slumber party before the happy ending formula.

This is a really great book. It's not the light romance that most of lesbian books are, although there is a lovestory in it. But it has much more depth then just a lovestory. And I love the way she writes. It's so easy to read. This book gives you great value for your money.
And I can't imagine that it won't be nominated for a Lambda-book-award.

Federico Garca Lorca vi la luz en el mismo ao cuando su pas se vea enfrascado en lo que muchos han llamado la primera guerra imperialista de la poca moderna, la guerra hispanoamericana, en Cuba, donde Espaa perdi su ltima adorada colonia a los Estados Unidos de Norteamrica. Naci el 5 de Junio de 1898 en Fuente Vaqueros, parte de los pueblos de soto de Roma, no lejos de la ciudad de Granada, llamada sta por muchos, como un lugar de ensueos por su contraste entre la Espaa cristiana y la musulmana, ya que esa ciudad medieval presenci, quizs como ninguna otra, la fusin de dos mundos, el cristiano y el musulmn, viviendo ambos por algn tiempo en armona.

Se dice que de pequeo Federico era hbil y conversador, amador de la msica, convertido mas tarde en poeta y recitando abiertamente en lugares pblicos. Como muchos de su poca decidi estudiar Filosofa y Leyes, en la Universidad de Granada, pero finalmente lo abandona para dedicarse al estudio de la literatura, el arte y teatro, en Madrid. Lorca es incluido en el grupo de artistas conocidos como "La Generacin del 27", que incluye a otros como Salvador Dal, Luis Buuel y Rafael Alberti. Muere asesinado el 19 de Agosto de 1936, por un Falangista-Franquista en tiempos de la guerra civil espaola, acusado de peligroso por sus ideas favorecientes a los republicanos, y despus de ser obligado a cavar en tierra su propia tumba. Hoy es considerado por muchos como el poeta y dramaturgo ms grande del siglo XX. La pieza teatral "La casa de Bernarda Alba" fue su ltimo e interminable escrito.

La casa de Bernarda Alba es un drama que termina en tragedia. La trama y su estructura sucesiva empieza con la muerte de Antonio Mara Benavides, el segundo esposo de Bernarda, exponente del matz histrico padre-patriarca, y sta grotesca personaje, liberada ahora de su yugo, lo impone casi vengativamente sobre el resto de su casa, ms que nada sobre sus propias hijas; bajo sta opresin se encontraba igualmente Espaa, la cual se haba liberado un da aparentemente de la monarqua, pero ahora estaba subyugada y oprimida por una nueva dictadura hogarea, en vuestra propia casa. Los personajes llevan un dialogo que le da a todo un doble significado, abrazando el impacto social. Es interesante ver como son cinco hijas, y nos hace pensar, que como simbolismo, Lorca tuvo en mente la divisin de Espaa en cinco regiones. La diferencia de clases es un constante en esta obra teatral. Bernarda le echa en cara a La Poncia que ellas eran de diferentes clases. "Los tengo porque puedo tenerlos. Y t no los tienes porque sabes muy bin cul es tu orgen." Esto, como en todas las sociedades, egostamente se transmite de generacin en generacin, y as vemos mas tarde a su hija Magdalena expresando: Cada clase tiene que hacer lo suyo!

Las diferencias no son meramente sociales; Lorca, con su estrategia textual, nos deja ver el sello patriarcal de la vida rural en esa Granada de aos turbulentos, y a su vez es una denuncia al desequilibrado trato hacia la mujer en una sociedad donde el hombre estaba exento de pecar a su antojo, mientras la mujer deba conformarse en silencio sin exigir sus derechos como esposa, madre y persona, a ser respetada con igual dignidad. "Los hombres necesitan estas cosas. Se les perdona todo. Nacer mujer es el peor castigo."

Dentro del hogar de Bernarda vemos una tirana enclaustrada entre sus propias paredes, de la misma forma en que los Falangistas comenzaban a llevar de su mano a Espaa, encerrada en sus cuatro vientos y plagada en su privacidad de falsos conceptos puritansimos alejados de la verdad que Dios nos quiere transmitir. Recin en poder, Bernarda, como los Falangistas y Franco, imponiendo y tratando de controlar el destino de su gente: "Con perlas o sin ellas, las cosas son como uno se las propone". A su vez vemos a Federico sabiamente criticando a una iglesia alejada de aquella que naci un da en Beln, cuando Cristo trajo la Luz a ste mundo. No por casualidad llama a la madre de Bernarda, Mara Josefa , llevando en s misma los nombres de Mara y Jos, padres terrenales de Jess, cargando inexplicablemente en sus brazos al beb-ovejita, que en el sacrificio antiguo-testamentario semejaba al nio que un dia iba a nacer y sacrificarse por el pecado de la humanidad. Aqu Mara Josefa lo trae a la vista porque Lorca nos dice que para l quizs sea una esperanza, de ah que el canto de ella simbolice al de los ngeles celestiales, y el camino ofrecido: "Vamos a los ramos del portal de Beln", la ltima esperanza predecesora de la tragedia que se acercaba.

Un personaje que no habla pero esta all, presente, con una constancia imprescindible es Pepe el Romano, simbolizando sin temor al Papa Romano. No est-pero est, representando, como el enamorado de las hijas de Bernarda, a una institucin plagada por escndalos lascivos y acciones ocultas tras el poder, y el magnetismo que sto representa entre un gallinero sediento por la visita del gallo. Es interesante ver como Pepe el Romano, comparado incluso con un caballo garan, no estaba-pero estaba. No hablaba pero sus acciones repercutan dentro de la casa, fomentando el idlico amor de todos hacia l, aun siendo perverso, pero necesitado entre un mar de desesperacin y ardientes deseos. Visto entonces, como un santo hermoso , era digno de adulacin y adoracin. As el Papa Romano, no estaba en Espaa, pero estaba. Visto como el santo de los santos, usurpando el titulo de Vicario (substituto) de Cristo y Padre Santo, honores pertenecientes solos al Hijo de Dios, influa no obstante, aunque en un Latn que nadie reconociera, a un pas que se vanagloriaba de Catlico, as y todo, so pena de vivir bajo un doble yugo: el de Roma y el de Franco, el supuestamente espiritual y el secular, el de Pepe el Romano y el de Bernarda.
En esta obra vemos el uso de tropos, y as metforas tales como "habla...me tienes preparada la cuchilla" , es decir, la lengua; o "En el subi la voz que pareca un cntaro" . Hiprboles tales cual "Era la una de la madrugada y suba fuego de la tierra" . Smiles como "He sido arrastrada por una maroma" o "Tiene el cielo unas estrellas como puos" . El estribillo y la rima asonante estn presentes en la obra igualmente:

Ya salen los segadores
en busca de las espigas;
se llevan los corazones
de las muchachas que miran.

Aqu vemos rima asonante y encadenada (abab), versos octoslabos, llanos, de arte menor y estrofa cuarteta. Hay estribillos repetitivos como "Descansa en paz" . Las acotaciones de escenas son muy importantes en las tres que representa ste drama teatral, ellas nos ayudan a entender la dimensin escnica, ya sea escrita o hablada, trabajando en el plano textual para representarnos el plano espectacular. Estas acotaciones nos dan un significado directo en el entendimiento de la casa de Bernarda Alba, as como del desenvolvimiento fsico de los personajes durante el transcurso del tiempo. El dialogo va construyendo a los personajes hasta que nos lleva a compenetrarnos con ellos por sus acciones, y en casos, por su descripcin fsica, como cuando Magdalena (una especie de Mara magdalena), nos habla de Angustias frente a Martirio. "Porque si con veinte aos pareca un palo vestido, qu ser ahora que tiene cuarenta!" .

El verdugo de nuestra historia no se pierde aqu. "El dinero lo puede todo! Tampoco el sueo de pureza, como en la acotacin del comienzo del Acto Segundo, cuando se nos describe la habitacin blanca interior de la casa de Bernarda. Maria Josefa, como personaje, se manifiesta alegricamente cuando narra cmo su vecina tena un nio al cual ella le daba chocolates, y Adela no interrumpe su crtica social como "perseguida por los que dicen que son decentes" .
Hay un incidente o complicacin en la obra, entre acciones y palabras que ponen en conflicto fuerzas antagnicas como el amor y el odio, la hermandad y la enemistad, todos entre caldos de pasin y violencia humana. El tope o clmax, lo vemos cuando Adela, la hija menor se suicida. Su canto de rebelin, tan repetido en diferentes ocasiones, no le vali para afrontar el futuro que le esperaba en su comunidad. Estara embarazada de Pepe el Romano? Si vamos a las fras y casi finales palabras de su madre "Mi hija a muerto vrgen!" nos podra parecer que el falso honor de la sociedad haba sido finalmente preservado en medio de los murmullos malintencionados, pero si recordamos cuando al final del Acto Segundo Adela se estremece frente a La Poncia y le dice: "Un hijo?", o seguidamente en la conversacin la acotacin nos indica como Adela se contrajo "cogiendose el vientre", entonces no menos que podemos entender su final trgico. Las fuerzas oscuras, malignas e hipcritas que la rodeaban eran superiores al amor y comprensin que poda haber esperado al menos de su madre; no se diga ya de la sociedad con su conciencia indiferente; prefiriendo ella pues, abandonar este mundo antes que tenerlo que llevar de por vida sobre sus dbiles y humanos hombros. El escritor nos dirige a esas fuerzas que se oponen a la condicin humana, asi como la inaptitud para tolerar y sobrepasar su tragedia fisiolgica colectiva.

Federico Garca Lorca, llevado tan jven de entre los vivos, nos deja con sta en nuestras manos, el sabor amargo y absurdo de nuestras sociedades acaparadas de influencias sociales, polticas y econmicas, arrastrndonos entre ignorancia y miedo, aniquilando nuestra dignidad humana con abusos, y desterrndonos injustamente la esperanza de mirar al Cielo, y que como Martirio, tengamos que desesperadamente gritar: "A m las cosas de tejas arriba no me importan nada" Todo nos debera importar, si es que queremos ser parte importante del dilema de la vida.

Alejandro Roque.

Bibliografa:

1- Friedman, Valdivieso, Virgilio. Aproximaciones al estudio de la literatura hispnica 5.ed. The McGraw-Hill companies. 2003.

2- Salvatore J. Poeta. Poetic and Social Patterns of Symmetry and Contrast in Lorca's La casa de Bernarda Alba. JStor: Hispania, Vol. 82, No. 4 (Dec. 1999).

Hola,Como estan?:

Definitivamente puedo decir que Garcia Lorca es uno de mis autores preferidos,como estudiante de teatro,esta es una de sus mejore obras y de verdad que se las recomiendo. Personalmente amo el Trabajo de Garcia Lorca y por eso le doy un 5 stars. Espero qu ele guste esta obra tanto como me gusto a mi.

This is an incredible play, and it is hard to imagine that it was written so long ago, for it has an everlasting effect... It deals with culture, bitterness, love, loss, tragedy and family.

It is above all a book about the great expectations a young girl has with life, and how her mother and sisters destroy them. It is a sad tale, but it is written in such a powerful way that you simply cannot put the book down without finishing it.

Es un libro conmovedor que hable de la cultura, la familia, la tragedia, la separacion y el amor...
Los personajes son muy reales, crudos y a veces muy crueles.
Habla sobre una joven y sus suenos, asi como las consecuencias de sonar y de querer lograr mas de lo que se esperado.
Es una historia triste y tragica pero escrita y manejada de una manera incomparable por un escritor brillante.

this book is about a family all women who live in spain , and who fight family traditions, genertions, and woamns rights.

i have read this play 3 times in classes for spanish language literature, and i just can't get enough. it is tough at times, vocabulary and such, BUT well worth it! tugs at the heartstrings and takes a good look at the way women were treated and considered in those times. buena suerte y si alguien quiere platicar conmigo de esta obra, mandame un email a tcherepashka@aol.com!

Unlike the Mac and Windoze world, installing software on Linux can require typing several text commands into the terminal. Even with Ubuntu, you have to use the terminal from time to time. This book explains it all from tarballs to RPMs, and compiling. This book is for EVERYONE, not just administrators.

I purchased 4 Linux books and this one is the best. I couldn't find some basic Linux commands in the index of the "Linux Bible 2005 Edition " but they do appear in the index of this book.

I wish there were more Linux books like this one!

If your the type of person who handling Windows for a couple of years now and want to discover the infamous Linux great potential and save TCO of your company, then try read this book first and see for yourself =), it's awesome!!!!

This Book is well writen, explains subject in detail, in easy to understand language. I use this book as quick refrence. I wish this book was in pdf format.

The authors did a good job of introducing newbies to Linux. I found it very easy to follow. The book makes Linux easy to understand. Granted there is a lot more to learn, but that is not the scope of the book.

This is the book I've been looking for. It has most of the "need to know" stuff from the man pages along with easy to understand explanations. I'm working my way through it but it makes a great reference too. I've seen too many books that spend way too much time on installation and not enough on operation. This one gets right to the CLI from adding users to setting up dns and fetchmail. If you're looking for a book on xwindows, this ain't it. If you're a newbie looking to learn the command line...get this book.

Briliant, dedicated and driving me away from this author. This book was boring and was written in such a stiff manner that I nearly cried. The reviews led me to believe that this book was entertaining and wonderfully written. I have never read a fictional book about archeologist/detectives that was this humorless and this dull.
Ms. Cameron ... I suggest that you read Elizabeth Peters (her earlier ones) or Beverly Connor (who has an anthropology/archeology twist) to see how to combine archeology and murder into an enjoyable read. It did not have to be funny but at least it should have been interesting.

This book has ALMOST everything I want in a good mystery.It starts off with a great opening paragraph, always a good sign in my opinion. The characters are engaging, and there is an interesting subject to learn about in the form of the archaeology and the academic atmosphere.
What is missing is a good mystery. There is only one suspect, and the denouement is completely predictable, a real disappointment. (It didn't help that the back of the book gave away too much of what little suspense there was.) I was enjoying the other aspects of the book so much I had looked forward to something a little cleverer.
This was Dana Cameron's first book, and if she can learn to plot a better mystery, I think she'll have a good future as a mystery writer. Otherwise, perhaps she should consider a different genre?

Emma Fielding is trying to find the site of Fort Providence. The Fort is the first known English settlement in the United States, predating Jamestown by a few years. By good chance the likely site is on the property of her old friend Pauline Westbrook who gives her blessing to the dig. Shortly after arrival Emma finds a body on the beach and is threatened by a pothunter with a gun. Strangely, a senior colleague with no interest in New England archeology stops by to examine the site. Worst of all, Pauline's house burns down with her in it. She had just changed her will to benefit Emma, so now she is a suspect. There are also alot of strange things going on in the anthropology department at her college. Emma has to get to the bottom of things, hopefully without adding her own corpse to the body count.

This is a very quick moving mystery. The author takes the reader into the world and work of the archeologist. She goes into just enough detail for illustration and not so much that you are bored. The characters are very vivid and there is alot of action. It wasn't too difficult to solve the mystery, she leaves alot of clues, but it is alot of fun getting to the solution.

1st book in the Emma Fielding series, featuring female archaeologist turned amateur sleuth in New England

During an archaeological dig in Maine, archaeologist and professor Em encounters a thoroughly unpleasant man. After two murders, Em finds herself trying to clear her own name by finding out who was responsible. She's also worried about the effect the case may have when her position comes up for tenure at work. An above average amateur sleuth mystery with an engaging heroine who has both good and bad points in her personality, some other well portrayed characters, a twisty but satisfying plot, and a plausible device for having the character investigating murder.

Emma Fielding is an archaeologist trying to succeed out of the shadow of her famous archaeologist grandfather. She's returned to her childhood home to work on a site that could guarantee her receiving tenure, but her discovery of a body could destroy that chance.

Soon more deaths follow, and although the sheriff believes she's innocent the town's suspicion of her grows. Emma must also deal with a cockey student worker, another sullen student who seems to wish that he were anywhere but on the site, and that student's father who sees Emma as a rival to his position at their college.

Emma herself is a wonderful character. She's impulsive, decisive, and survives the academic politics through her sardonic sense of humor. She also has a great relationship with her husband, who happens to be Asian (yet this is refreshingly treated matter-of-factly and never made an issue). Other characters are as well entertaining and believable, including an ancient medical examiner who ironically sees Emma as a morbid invader of the dead.

Emma's struggle to retain her sense of humor as well as retain control over her career at the college, her site, and the students who work it creates a fast-paced read that also provides a fascinating glimpse of an archaeological excavation. My only disappointment with this novel was that it had to end. I look forward to the next Emma Fielding mystery, Grave Consequences.