Walsh Books

If you like fighting and hot blonde girls you will love this game and this guide; a must for who use Nina in Tekken series! In fact you will find lots of fight moves that you will surely recognise!

Death By Degrees Official Strategy Guide is a full-color, in-depth video game guidebook to the recently released game "Death by Degrees", exclusively for the Sony Playstation 2 entertainment system. Death by Degrees is a unique action game starring the blonde, beautiful, and utterly lethal female assassin Nina Williams, known among fans as the bone-breaking mistress of martial arts in Namco's wildly popular "Tekken" fighting game series. "Death by Degrees" takes place before Tekken 1, and follows Nina on her mission for the CIA, with Nina's equally deadly half-sister Anna and the enigmatic millionaire mogul Heihachi also making an appearance. Death By Degrees Official Strategy Guide goes into explicit detail concerning the control system (which relies almost entirely upon the analog joysticks of the PS2 controller), the strengths and weaknesses of various power-ups, ideal strategies and tactics, and a mission-by-mission walkthrough to aid the neophyte gamer or allow a veteran who has already beaten the game once to discover every last hidden secret. Appendices allow for quick and easy lookup of the requirements to earn extra rewards and unlock hidden artwork pictures after the main mission is complete. Completely living up to the high BradyGames standard for its video game guidebooks, Death By Degrees Official Strategy Guide is the perfect companion for anyone seeking to get the most out of this exciting, action-packed game.

I would give this book 4 1/2 stars if I were able. I don't give any book a five unless it just totally blows me away, which has yet to come. This book is a great collage of wit and campy humor. Shannon Wheeler steps outside all of the seriousness of the world and lets us laugh at our own perplexity and stupidity. I keep this book on my desk at work to cheer me up when I'm down. The story is only part of the reason this book is worth buying. The artwork is well drawn and very humorous as well - a definite must have for fans of comic humor!

This is a book. It's deep, it's funny, and it laughs at almost everything that most people take seriously. When TMCM explains to his friends how we live in a society that tolerates violence more than nudity, they reply, "I'd rather get hit in the head than see you naked." Many people would agree with this, but wouldn't dare admit it, in case someone accused them of being politically incorrect or some other daft notion. And speaking of daft notions, the whole "missile defense shield" concept is put under the microscope and shown for the silliness it truly represents. But, as the astronaut who is welding it together tells TMCM, at least he'll make a lot of money building it.
The point of all this: Amusing Musings is a solid literary achievement that mixes social commentary with existential philosophy and creates something that is just as funny as real life, but more interesting. This book belongs on the table of anyone who finds parties to be boring as hell and knows that if God knows everything, he can't have faith in anything, and therefore is an atheist. Those who take this kind of stuff seriously would be well advised to stay far away from this book, and go buy something written by Maya Angelou instead.

In summary, I ordered this book for a leadership class (MBA class) in order to discuss a leader and his particular leadership style and what I could learn. To reiterate, this is not a leadership book, but you can extrapolate a leadership style. In fact, it's a good book balancing the political, social-economic situation of EL Salvador during his tenure as Archbishop and the theological letters he wrote. But if you have little knowledge of theology, this book can prove challenging.
Actuall, the introductory essays provide enough background and summary of the theological letters to make purchasing this book worthwhile.
Overall, I learned enough of him, through his own letters and background provided by the introductory essay writers, to make up my own opinion on the matter, instead of listening to the same rhetoric that has permeated his work and legacy.

This substantial book, published by the great Catholic publishing
house Orbis Books, is perhaps the most important book within the Romero penumbra, as it contains his written treatises most intended for wide public distribution ex cathedra, and thus presents some of his most developed, detailed and formal theological, ecclesial and political explanations.

This thick book therefore collects official statements by the Catholic martyr Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero who was sacrificed immediately after his homily in a hospital chapel March 24, 1980. In fact this collection ends with that final intimate homily, which, in such an small setting not intended for broadcast as were his Sunday homilies, spoke most personally of the anniversary of the death of a friend's mother, and her strong example of faith in action, rather than, for example, the strong address he had given at Mass in the Cathedral the previous Sunday, ordering the Salvadoran National Guard to stop killing. The Archbishop nevertheless mentions shortly before his own assassination the total self-sacrifice our Faith calls for, as seen again eight months later in El Salvador with the martyrdom of four American churchwomen.

The lengthy introductions by Reverend Fathers Ignacio Martin-Baro and Jon Sobrino, both Jesuit theologians and university professors, provide ample sociological, political, historical and theological context for the life and words of Archbishop Romero. Both introductions are comprehensive and academic studies, complete with footnotes.

My only frustration in fact throughout this book, as one who is trilingual, lies in the choices in translation, with the necessary compromises which come with any translation, but that is often more a matter of taste, as this translation proves more than adequate for understanding. The writings themselves are lucid, objective (as noted in another review here), and complete, and more than fulfill their duty of introducing us to the totality of the Archbishop. The discussion by Father Martin-Baro is very revealing of all aspects of the Archbishop and his spiritual significance and development, and is itself poignant as we now realize this Reverend Father himself would be sacrificed by the same earthly powers in December of 1989 along with several of his companions.

The Four Pastoral Letters discuss themes of the Resurrecting Church, the Church as the Body of Christ at work in history, The Church at work with the people, and the Church's mission within the National Crisis, and the NAtional Security State whic sacrifices people, their rights and their lives for the interests of a powerful few. Clearly and independently from the mystery of the martyrdom of Archbishop Romero, these four documents have much to tell us today therefore about our own present situation, about ecclesiology and the prophetic obligation and mission of the Church in the modern world, and they more than merit our close reading now as we struggle still as an oppressed and a pilgrim Catholic Church in America.

The remaining four official and public statements, not counting the final intimate sermon reviewed above, include an address at Georgetown University, a pastoral message to the National Council of Churches, an address in Belgium's Louvain University regarding the Church's preferential option for the poor, and the letter to the President demanding an end to all military involvement, which was killing his most vulnerable people and priests.

In its entirety this book demands to be read well by American Catholics today as we contemplate our meaning and mission in the world and our nation today. We can find no stronger, more theologically orthodox, more courageous, more holy and brilliant a voice than this, silenced far too soon. Hear him now. Hear what the Holy Spirit tells God's people today.

My 8-year old requested these books, and hasn't been able to put them down. They're difficult enough for chapter books, but entertaining enough to keep her reading.

I had read these books, and my friends were fans of W.i.t.c.h. and they were a lot younger about 8 and 9, and had a difficult time reading them. I myself am 24 and had no problem except they were a bit confusing. NEeds more info and work to catch up the comic book series.

This book made me want to cry the whole way through it. Don't read this if you are looking for a fun chick lit book. not as good as the other marian keyes books. this book made me depressed the whole way through.

This is the second book I read written by Marian Keyes, the first was Watermelon and from there I fell in love with Keyes' wiriting. Keyes' has published four books regarding the Walsh Sisters: Watermelon, Anybody Out There, Rachel's Holiday and Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married - these books have became my Summer 2008 reads. Anybody Out There in particular is a delight - you will not be disappointed - it's funny, real and a great escape from your day-to-day life.

In this latest installment of the Walsh sisters, we discover what happens to Anna. She is the flighty sister, who always picks the wrong boyfriend, never has money, can't figure out her life, etc. Yet in this book we discover that she has in fact pulled her life together and is living out her dream job with her dream husband in the dream city of NY. However, the thing about dreams is that the person has to awaken and when Anna does, reality hits her in a pretty hard way. Having read the previous stories of the Walsh sisters, beginning with Watermelon, this read was good as a visit to the past. It is intense at times and difficult to get through due to the plot, but it is completely worth it.

I love Marian Keyes, especially the books about the Walsh sisters. I was really happy to have one about Anna, the "flighty" sister. This book was wonderful: I laughed out loud, and cried. I recommend this to anyone who wants a great book about characters that actually have depth and feeling to them!

I love Marian Keyes, but by this book, the Walsh sisters are starting to feel forced. This book was not very believable, which I'm sure is fine for some, but for me it didn't ring with her usual charm. Still worth a read, though.

In some parts a too religious perspective, but contains some ok exercises to help you identify your skills and wants, and gives your more insight into the complete picture of your ideal job. Book is mostly about job finding/applying/negotiating tips. Nice illustrations.

this book is a great tool to have when looking for a job. it helped me to feel confident at my interviews and to negotiate a great job that i KNEW i wanted.

The book was shipped in a timely manner, however it was in horrible condition. At some point it must have been dropped in the water and the whole book is a mess. Not happy with this. The book was advertised as in good condition.

The books and workbooks (I bought 2 of each) arrived in new condition, and timely (within 5 days). Excellent service.

This book is short, but it will support you in generating a lot of valuable information about your values and a career tailored to fit you. Expect to invest about 20 hours in the self exploration exercises in this book.

You get two products from doing this work:

(1) A baseline self-assessment that you can keep for life and update as it suits your needs.

(2) A compelling, pull-to vision of what you want from your career and life that will operate on you consciously and unconsciously to propel you towards getting exactly what you want.

I used a version of this book in 1992 to create a vision of the career and life that I wanted. Then I put everything away and didn't look at the work I had done for ten years.

In 2002, I looked at the exercises I had done in 1992. I got goosebumps! Without ever having looked at what I had written again, I had created what I had envisioned ten years previously. Amazing!

As an executive search consultant, I talk daily with people who are in the process of reflecting on their career choices. Because of my own positive experience, this is my favorite print resource, hands down, to share with people who want to generate more self-awareness about their values and a vision of what they want from their careers.

Good. Doesn't grab the reader as much as some of the other Stephen White books I've read

Kirsten Lord is a district attorney who became accustom to threats directed at her from criminals she helped convict. All meaningless threats until, Ernesto Castro, a big shot in the drug trade, didn't threaten, but promised this: "Every precious thing I lose, you will lose, two." Soon after that promise, Kirsten Lord was burying her murdered husband. Soon after that, the Witness Protection Program gave Kirsten and her daughter new identities, a new life, and the promise of safety.

Typically, Kirsten was smart, at least she had enough smarts to know she couldn't hide forever, and had the intuition to know who to befriend and who not to trust. However, when at least one legitimate source and a few questionable ones threaten your life, and when you feel totally out-of-control, can you really trust your own intelligence and intuition?

Kirsten needs a place to voice the terror she feels every minute of every day, she needs to spell out the guilt she feels for her part in her husband's death and the dangerous situation she has now caused for her own daughter, and she needs to deal with her obvious issues of trust. The U.S. Marshal assigned to her case, refers her to psychologist, Dr. Alan Gregory. Dr. Gregory takes on this new and interesting patient without a clue as to what is in store for him and his wife, Lauren.

This was a great addition to Stephen White's thrillers about Dr. Alan Gregory, maybe a little bit longer than it had to be, but I would still recommend it as possibly the best the series has to offer thus far. For me, it was one of those books where you get to the end and not realizing it's the end you turn the page only to be disappointed that what you see is not more storyline, but the acknowledgments. I wanted more story!

4 ½ stars

This is the 9th book in Stephen White's series with psychologist Alan Gregory and a cast of characters that we have come to know over the previous eight books. The difference with this book is that it has little to do with Alan Gregory or any of the other characters. It was a risk in my opinion for the author to make his main star a minor character in someone else's story. And, the risk paid off.

I'll admit, I started reading this book because I was reading the series and thought it would be a good read since I already knew the characters. When I realized that the book was totally about someone else and their entrance into the Witness Protection Program and eventually their run from it, I decided I would not like the book. I kept reading anyway and soon I was caught up in the story just like all Stephen White's other books.

A different read, but a surprisingly good one.

The Program starts with one hit man and ends with another. Along the way it's an exploration of the Witness Protection (Security) Program and two participants who come from different directions. Kirsten (nee Peyton) is a prosecutor forced to seek help from the agency she has ridiculed to hide her daughter and herself. Carl Lupo is a hit man informer. Both lives take interesting and different directions when they both end up in Boulder Colorado. I enjoyed the way Carl "picked up" Kirsten. This is the first I've read of Alan Gregory, White's psychologist protagonist. He has a relatively small and tangential part in the story that unfolds. He and his pregnant wife play a bigger role at the end. If anything, their involvement in the story is it's weakest point. I found the story to be very well written. This felt like a Thomas Perry book, well written, nice characterizations, interesting story line, tension building . . . Recommended to me by my friend George, and I'm recommending it to you.

Dr. Alan Gregory is a durable hero. He's been shot, stabbed, pushed off of cliffs, almost pushed off of cliffs, stalked, variously assaulted, and attacked by at least one wild animal. And yet he remains a mensch - tiresomely physically fit and over-addicted to healthy living, perhaps, but still a mensch. He admires his wife, cherishes his friends, and generally respects his patients. He loves his dogs, present and past. The supporting cast is equally attractive/compelling: Lauren Crowder's independent intelligence and relentless bravery, Sam Purdy's common sense and generosity, Adrienne Arvin's dementedly charming chutzpah, Diane and Raoul's wit and whimsy, all serve to anchor the series. And the presence of Grace in the later novels promises to develop into a great child character, possibly rivaling Lucy Karp in the early Gruber-authored Tanenbaums. The incidental characters are vivid and generally believable, almost without exception. Some authors are better at male characters than female, or the reverse, but White is excellent at people, all people. Most of the books are first-person narration by Gregory, but White can shift to third-person with aplomb.

Aside from the great characters, the plots of this series are outstanding. We learn about a private end-of-life corporation, cold-case volunteer groups, the Mormons, DB Cooper, the cult of personality, Grand Canyon adventures, and the fallout from the JonBenet case, all without stretching the seams of the community based in Boulder, CO. When the plots call for suspense, the books are literally terrifying, real white-knuckle reads. White is witty and insightful and the very best craftsperson of the English language I've read in years. His casually correct use of the subjective fills me with delight, as do his always-agreeing pronouns, and his elegant but unpretentious syntax. His prose is a pleasure to read.

The settings are wondrously vivid - views, trees, coffee houses, the streets and walks of Boulder and environs. White brings food to the table and vistas to the eye. You can track his characters on GoogleEarth and see just what he describes. I fell into this series at a gruesome time for me, professionally, and reading them all in a period of a couple of weeks has been an exercise in staying sane. Some are, of course, better than others - Kill Me, The Program, Higher Authority, Manner of Death - and there are some weak links (Cold Case, Private Practices), but I can't imagine reading 15 books by any other contemporary author sans break and still wishing for more.

The Program gives us a new main character, Kristen Lord, who comes to Boulder and Alan Gregory's practice as a protected witness. Kristen is a interesting character, brave and cautious at the same time; worried about her daughter and her own life, her fear/panic is palpable, but we never see her as a victim - quite an accomplishment for White. There are some nifty minor characters and a great new dog in the mix, as well as a chance for Lauren and Alan to work together.

Logical sequence of events given to plan everything from organizing your home to organizing a trip to organizing a run for the White House! As entertaining as Mr. Walsh's TV program. A good reference manual to keep - you never know when you'll need to plan a safari or a trip to Europe (or a baby nursery!)

My goal was to get organized and this book helped!

It has over 500 suggestions on how to organize everything, from the pile of papers in the office to the laundry room to the family schedule.

It's full of little organizing tips that I would have never thought of.
This book is great for the person who wants to be organized but just doesn't know where to start!

This book has its good points and bad points.

THE GOOD: The 500+ lists cover a number of organizational topics including organizing your spaces at home, organizing your finances, preparing for life events (sending kids to college, wills, etc) and just miscellaneous tasks (organizing a block party, preparing for house guests. The sections on organizing spaces and paperwork/finances contain quick lists on how-to organize your life, which I will probably use. These contain some good information since I would assume this is the area of the author's expertise. Other lists have fun and inspirational ideas, like "Decorating for the Seasons", which provides some suggestions of how to freshen up your home's look as the seasons change.

THE BAD: With so many topics covered, I just can't imagine that the author is an expert on them all. If I am looking to prepare for childbirth, I would be more comfortable reading an entire book on the topic written by someone who is an expert in the area, rather than reading a one-page summary. I had similar thoughts about the list for Feng Shu. Many topics are really too complex to be adequately covered in a short list, but the lists could serve as a quick refresher for someone who already knows something about the topics. As other readers have mentioned, some lists I'd never use and seem almost silly like "Become a Movie Director" (not one of my goals in life) or "Win the Tour de France" (not likely for me).

Overall, it's an okay book that I'll probably refer to as a starting point for some of my organizational projects. But, I'm not looking to it as "expert advice" in all areas since some topics just can't be covered in a short list. Certainly there are a number of sections that I will never use or read at all because they're just not relevant to my life.

I was so disappointed in this book!! I read almost every chapter unless it was something that would obviously be a waste of time like "How to Become a Model or Movie Director", what does that have to do with getting organized? 98% of this book is just plain stupid. The only good tip I got was to use a cross stitch fabric to hold earrings, ha! This book is huge, but has very little real advice on getting your home organized. I'm glad I borrowed it from my library before purchasing it!

My every-day life seemed chaotic after the birth of my second child in August. Being a mother of another 2year-old girl and with my husband working for many hours, I needed a really working-out day-to-day program,not to mention some absolutely necessery tips to run my home smoothly.
The book gave me excactly what I was looking for:step-by-step solutions and not only theories about how to manage with clutter,kids' all around the house mess, and every day's meal planning.I have already created my own Household Organizer and I've stocked my diaper bag according the very practical steps suggested in the book.And it worked out!
My life as a working mother won't be the same again:it will be more organized and eventually more happy,because I will always have this book as a referance.

I found this book a rather interesting counterpoint to other accounts that I have read.

I was particularly impressed with the bits showing that the so-called "imposters" may very well have been real. The particular evidence that convinces me was not even what he said on the subjects, but the pictures: the portraits of Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV, and Perkin Warbeck.

For those who have not seen these, Perkin Warbeck looks almost exactly like Edward IV from the nose down, and like Elizabeth Woodville from the nose up.

Given that it's unlikely that whoever drew the portrait of Perkin Warbeck would have ever have seen Edward IV live, it's likely that those resemblances are genuine.

And of course, the one bit that I have never heard anyone on either side admit is that the whole traditional premise is clearly physically impossible.

We're supposed to believe that Richard III was a hunchback, an assassin, and a successful general. That last bit is the only real confirmed fact.
Hunchbacks make bad assassins because they are automatically conspicuous; they would also have extreme difficulty with medieval warfare. A male hunchback suffers a muscular contracture that interferes with his control of his center of gravity. That being the case, a male hunchback is lucky if he can walk unaided, much less ride a horse. Riding a horse with any speed while wearing full armor and carrying a shield would be totally out of the question.

Beth

The main thing I liked about this book was Fields' focus on the actions of the various people involved rather than on words written about the events. If the church can edit the gospels, then anything written is suspect, and most especially words written at the behest of kings with an motive to distort. For example, it was in the best interest of the Tudors to denigrate Richard the III, so how can any "historical account" sponsored by Henry Tudor be considered a reliable source? One might as well believe in the validity of drug studies sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. The perspective here is most certainly that of a defense lawyer, but that in itself is an interesting and different approach to history. Fields is passionate in defending Richard, but spends too much time attacking Alison Weir - by doing so, he gives her more importance than he probably intends. A well-written book, and I would read other books by Fields on historical events.

This book should really be read after Weir's "The Princes in the Tower." In this work, Fields works to shed new light on the disappearance of the sons of Edward IV. Interestingly enough, Fields uses his particular background, that of law to pursue his thesis.

Fields' work is refreshing in that, while he advocates for Richard, he is never completely convinced that Richard may not be guilty. In other words, this might be the most straightforward account of the mystery and the possible suspects. It is a faster and more enjoyable read than Weir's work, and his "What If" chapter is entertaining, if not fairly idealistic. A unique place to stop in a survey of the tragedy of the Princes in the Tower.

The most contentious mystery of English History. This book is the case for the defence. Superbly written and very compelling, Fields brings to life a more probable account of events than those offered by the numerous anti Ricardian authors such as Alison Weir and even Shakespeare.

The simple fact is that Fields hasn't perjured himself in this witness stand, Richard had less motive to kill his nephews than Henry VII, Richards succesor and the first monarch of the Tudor Dynasty for whom we have to thank for the evil and twisted image we have of the last Plantagenet King of England. Put simply, Richard had no need at all to murder his nephews. By the time of their death, he was already king, accepted by many as such and the claim of his eldest nephew, Edward V had already been discredited through his father's marital precontract to a woman he had met prior to his marriage to his wife Elizabeth. This bastardised his offspring with Elizabeth and under English Law in 1483, left Richard as the legitimate heir as the laet King Edward IV's eldest surviving male sibling. Henry VII, having discredited Richard's claim and reinstated Edward V's, needed to remove Edward so that he could claim the throne. Fields then goes on to inform us how Henry and his successors tarnished Richards name to justify their actions and lay the blame on him.

Now on the balance of probability therefore, Richard must only be found Not Guilty on the weight of this evidence.

Outstanding stuff! If you have any interest at all in history, law or the character of England's most fascinating king, or if you just simply like a good read, buy it now!!!

The biggest problem with Bertram Fields' book is that he has little to add to the question of the Princes in the Tower. It is thoroughly covered territory, and what he has to bring to the table - an 'impartial' perspective - is not enough to save his book, especially as his stance (that Richard is innocent) is not particularly well concealed. In a final attempt to preserve judicial integrity he declines to give a verdict, merely stating that it is probable Richard did not kill his nephews, which is a disappointing ending to a promising start.

Fields is also plagued by his antipathy towards Alison Weir. It is true that she has been known to wildly distort fact in favor of her own theories, and her conclusions are nothing short of ridiculous, and it is annoying that she claims to have solved the mystery when so many others have failed, but his own work suffers from his constant focus on Weir.

While his approach to the problem is interesting, it fails in this book. If you really want to know about Richard, skip Fields and Weir and go straight to Paul Murray Kendall, whose biography (perhaps because it is not about the princes) provides the foundation for drawing your own conclusions.

If you're as big a fan of this late, lamented band as I, then you know that you have to read this book. Paul Westerberg is one of the best songwriters to ever commit words to melody and this book filled in a lot of the blanks for me. I knew the basic story of the band but this gave me some insight into the formation of The Replacements that I wasn't aware of. It also provides a lot of information regarding Bob Stinson after he left the band that I hadn't heard before. Plus, it gives you a sense of the day to day pressures that bands/musicians face and a real idea of why so many bands fall apart. The Replacements should have been huge but weren't. Some of their problems were self-induced and some were the result of less than stellar management, music trends and just plain bad luck. But we still have the music and now we have a good portion of the story as well. Until the band members themselves write their own versions, this one will do just fine.

A great book.
We needed it so much.
Hope others will follow but, in the meantime, relax, take it easy and remember.

It wasn't just a waste of time.

I believe that this book is a wonderful companion to a chapter about Replacements from Michael Azerrad's book "Our Band Could Be Your Life". Indeed, some of peculiar facts/stories about Replacements told by Azerrad can be seen in this book, as well.

Whereas Mr. Azerrad provided somewhat brief and compressed (albeit, vivid) biography of this explosive band, Jim Walsh did it a bit differently. The whole book is, basically, nothing but a number of questions and answers, yet he managed to keep it entertaining/interesting enough, which is not an easy task by any means.

To me, much of success is based on anecdotes/stories like the one where Jon Bon Jovi sent a letter to an editor of Rolling Stones wondering why he never even heard of Replacements and how they ended up on top of their charts. Then there's naked Bob Stinson, sloppy song covers and general "we don't give a flying f" type of attitude.

Yet, behind all of their drunker behavior/crude jokes and anything else, you can still see something real - in particular, a part about Bob Stinson and Peter Jesperson struggle with post-Replacements period (which, unfortunately, ended in tragedy for Bob) is particularly hitting hard.

All in all, this is one well-deserved biography for one amazing band. Now ,Mr. Walsh, can we have few more books on the likes Big Black and/or Minutemen? Please? Please?

You would think that no other band would have better stories than the Replacements. That may be true, but you wouldn't know it after reading this book. The chronology is a little sloppy (you'd expect that, wouldn't you), but the real flaw is in the stories. There are a few nuggets that live up to expectation, but on the whole I don't know that much more than I did before. How did Paul take over Bob's band? What was the real reason Bob was kicked out? Was there a moment when Paul and Tommy officially decided to go on hiatus? (They're not officially broken up, which was news to me.) At the end, the author (a friend of Paul's) said it was intentionally an unauthorized biography. There might have been some good things that came out of this approach, but there are a lot of holes. Too many clippings from Mpls papers, not enough long interviews. But hey-- it's the Replacements. How could it not be (at least a little) interesting. Not exactly Studs Terkel, but maybe that will be the next great Replacements book.

So says Bob `Slim' Dunlap shrewdly of the effect his recruitment to The Replacements' ranks in 1987 had upon his daughter. Emily's discomfiture however, is indicative of the love-the-band/hate-the-group relationship that many have with the `Mats, and this is certainly one of the most enduring impressions left by Jim Walsh's oral history, All Over but the Shouting. As Paul Westerberg himself famously sang, "the ones (that) love us best are the ones we'll lay to rest," and Walsh's account certainly bears out the notion that the closer you got to the band the harder they were to love.

Herein, Walsh has collected a multitude of accounts from band members, associates, contemporaries, scenesters and onlookers and aptly synthesized them into an affectionate and engrossing chronological account of the turbulent history of one of rock's great bands.

A positive feature of the text is that Walsh has assembled much varied discourse from Westerberg, as well as from the 6 other major players: original lead guitarist Bob Stinson, teenaged bass player Tommy Stinson, drummer Chris Mars, Bob Stinson's replacement Slim Dunlap, roadie Bill Sullivan and original manager/mentor Pete Jesperson. Favourably, he also avoids falling into the trap of merely reiterating previously available information on the band - most notably in the Sire-years greatest hits collection All For Nothing/Nothing For All and Michael Azerrad's compendium of epochal independent 80s bands Our Band Could Be Your Life in which the `Mats figure prominently.

Ironically, given his rather paradoxical position within the band's history it is Slim Dunlap whose sensitive, articulate and altogether rational recollections provide the most objective and absorbing reading, detailing the highs and lows of living alongside the band as a close friend and respected contemporary to living within the band as the oft-maligned replacement to the elder Stinson.

Westerberg's accounts, on the other hand are more inconsistent, ranging from an initial reticence to discuss his band in anything other than vague peripheral terms to an eventual realisation that printed word could be used for his own means - seemingly too late. Tommy Stinson is more ambiguous still - disappointingly he is not greatly represented - but generally shoots from the hip, yet even his fond memories are always tinged with a sense of ambivalence. An overriding sense of each of the pair's striking ego pervades much of the accounts on them also, with instances of commendable actions few and far between.

Bob Stinson, predictably is portrayed as the fallen hero of his generation; a gentle-giant of a man with no discernable assets beyond his ferocious lead guitar skills and a big heart. Touching testimony from former partners rounds this out but also repudiates the cultivated image of him as something of a simpleton. The comparative lack of comment from or pertaining to original drummer Chris Mars however, serves to further marginalise him from the Replacements' myth.

An integral problem the book suffers however, is that there is a striking sense of Twin Cities' `in-crowd cool' to it in that responses to the `Mats from an audience outside of Minnesota are not well documented (save for two scathing snippets from (journalist/Big Black/Shellac frontman) Steve Albini, and the ubiquitous hometown-hero reverie demonstrated toward Prince is misplaced. A further problem with this issue is that the scope of those interviewed is neither great nor varied. Minneapolis' own Soul Asylum (Dave Pirner & Danny Murphy) and Hüsker Dü (Bob Mould & Grant Hart) are two of too few bands who made it beyond the indie ranks to contribute and the Hüskers' testimony is disappointingly non-revelatory considering the rivalry between the two. However, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck does offer some insightful backstage anecdotes - yet again, there is a simultaneous longing to read something attributed to Michael Stipe.

Despite some of its short-comings however, the positives outweigh the negatives substantially, rendering All Over but the Shouting an engaging and comprehensive chronicle of the life and times of one of rock's greatest and most shambolic bands.