X Books

I enjoyed D. L. Cannon's novel (first in a trilogy) very much. She has a remarkable grasp of Native American history and mythology. The Haida and Samish cults of the raven, eagle, and salmon are brilliantly intertwined in a modern-day story of romance, mystery, crime, and intrigue. I can't wait to read the next book and the last to see how she carries the suspense and characterization over into a more global context.

The Raven's pool is a fast-paced, emotionally invigorating read recommended to anyone with an interest in archaeology or native lore. Author Deborah Cannon's fast-paced prose and engaging characters make this intellectual thriller an unforgettable read.

The Raven's Pool is a fast-paced, emotionally invigorating read recommended to anyone with an interest in archaeology or native lore. Author Deborah Cannon's fast-paced prose and engaging characters make this intellectual thriller an unforgettable read.

Todo lo que traiga informacion de la mejor y mas grande banda de rock del mundo es bienvenida. Siempre sera sabroso conocer detalles de su historia y de su largo caminar en el mundo del rock. Gran libro.

Este es un libro que vale la pena leerse, escrito por un verdadero fan y conocedor de los Rolling y no por un articulista cubriendo un encargo. Conocí muchos nuevos aspectos del grupo que me eran desconocidos y me queda claro que su aportación a la música y a la cultura es algo que tendrá que estudiarse algun día en las universidades. Los Rolling fueron una gran banda, con un legado tan grande que cuando ya no estén, el vacío será difícil de llenar. El día de ayer los Rolling agotaron las entradas a sus conciertos en Irlanda en seis minutos, lo cual me hace recordar un pasaje de la introducción del libro que recuerda cómo en los años noventas aparecieron fantásticas bandas alternativas, nuevos actos en el pop que hacían uso de su legado, pero ninguno de ellos fue tan bueno como los Stones. Cuando todos los daban por muertos, volvieron más viejos y sabios. "Ahora somos unos fascinantes viejos de mierda", en palabras de Keith. ¡Este libro captura la esencia de los Rolling Stones!

¿Cuántos libros más sobre los Rolling Stones hacen falta? Considérese que hasta Tony Sánchez ha empezado a anunciar la segunda parte de su famoso "Up and down with The Rolling Stones", y pareciera que ya existen demasiados. Sin embargo, ya desde las primeras páginas, este libro nos hace opinar lo contrario . Muchos trabajos literarios sobre los Rolling Stones prometen contarnos su historia "como nunca antes la habías escuchado"; para los conocedores, esta promesa por lo general queda sin cumplir, pero "Bailando con el diablo" efectivamente se lee distinto, en ocasiones como crónica, en ocasiones como historia de suspenso y en otras con suficiente buen humor. Dividida en cuatro partes, el autor desarrolla una propuesta en la primera de ellas, dedicada a la historia, señalando cómo los Rolling Stones vivieron de la provocación en todos sus niveles y de hacer señalamientos que no siempre resultaron muy cómodos. La narración está intercalada con palabras muy reveladoras de los propios Stones, lo que demuestra un gran trabajo de investigación. Los pasajes son vívidos e intensos, por ejemplo, cuando el propio Bill Wyman relata como Keith Richards se retorcía en el piso del dolor por falta de droga, o el propio guitarrista, cuando narra como conocieron a Muddy Waters en su primera visita a los estudios Chess (la leyenda del blues les cargó sus maletas). La segunda parte es la más extensa y está dedicada a comentar disco por disco, yendo siempre más allá de la simple enumeración de las canciones. En cada disco hay suficientes párrafos para hacer buenos análisis sobre la trascendencia de las letras, los acontecimientos personales de la banda y los momentos históricos que produjeron sus mejores obras, etcétera. El autor conoce lo que está haciendo, abundando el libro con información que no había encontrado en otras obras. La tercera parte es una semblanza de cada uno de los miembros que han pertenecido al grupo, aunque se extraña la presencia de Darryl Jones y Ian Stewart. La cuarta parte completa la obra con un ABC de la banda, hablando de todos los aspectos que no alcanzan a cubrir las tres primeras, como su carrera cinematográfica y un analisis sobre los temas inéditos. Primera vez que me entero que los Rolling tambien grabaron "Roll over Beethoven". En general, un esfuerzo muy original que será indispensable en toda buena bibliografía sobre el grupo. Es de agradecer la exhaustividad con la que se presenta. Definivo que no habíamos tenido la oportunidad de ver una obra tan completa sobre los Rolling desde el recordado libro de Jordi Sierra I Fabra. Atte. David H.

In this, the tenth volume in the critically acclaimed series "The Story of Civilization," Dr. will & Ariel Durant have compiled a masterful dramatic exploration of the European climate and the events which paved the way for the French Revolution.

The reader will be exposed to a vivid recount of the acts of: Rousseau, who confessed his most embarassing sexual and emotional episodes. England and the rise of her overseas empire. Catherine The Great of Russia. Frederick The Great of Prussia. The German Enlightenment. Marie Antoinette. France's impotent and frustrated King Louis XVI. And much, much more including plates and maps.

Written to stand alone or within the series, the Durants have composed an unparalleled historical prose in smooth flowing narrative that is easy to read and understand by both professional and layperson alike. In short, this book is for everyone. I rate it as five stars. Bravo!

...continues the excellence of the series. Originally intended as the final book of the series, "The Story of Civilization", in ended up being the penultimate volume.

The Durants lucidly and eloquently summarize the philosophy, life and influence that Rousseau had on the 18th century and, indeed, continues to have to this very day. Rousseau may be regarded as the creator of the Left-wing sensibility. This may seem anachronistic and, in a sense, it is. Rousseau died before the French Revolution, which created the modern political division of Right and Left. Nevertheless, it is accurate to see him as the Fountainhead for relativism, communism, and the worship of feeling as opposed to reason (debased and emptied of all intellectual content this is now called building "self-esteem" by the modern leftist).

Rousseau created most of the modern ills of political fanaticism and airy, absurd idealism as the Durants so ably note.

The rest of the period is not neglected and vivid portraits are made of Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, the Elder Pitt, Diderot, D'Holbach, Samuel Johnson and many, many others help this book to shine.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize--which should have gone to the entire series as opposed to just this volume--this book gives the reader a complete (if necessarily synopsized) account of the End and Failure of the Enlightenment and how what Rousseau and Voltaire intended in their attacks on the social structure (Rousseau) and religion (Voltaire) lead to disastrous consequences in the French Revolution.

The writing sparkles with vivid wit, pith and lucid beauty. It is a book to be read for a lifetime and bequeathed to children. In an age where smarmy, intellectually empty, political fanaticism is attempting to erase the past in favor of the PC fantasies of the moment, the Durants offer a vivid account of the Truth. European civilization is presented here in all its glory and with all its warts. Slavery, religious fanaticism, exploitation and the horrors of the penal system and warfare are all presented here, in their proper place and in context. The modern academic community has attempted to destroy the ideal of context and balance. As long as these books are around, REAL history and historiography are available to anyone who simply opens a copy and reads it.

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...continues the excellence of the series. Originally intended as the final book of the series, "The Story of Civilization", in ended up being the penultimate volume.

The Durants lucidly and eloquently summarize the philosophy, life and influence that Rousseau had on the 18th century and, indeed, continues to have to this very day. Rousseau may be regarded as the creator of the Left-wing sensibility. This may seem anachronistic and, in a sense, it is. Rousseau died before the French Revolution, which created the modern political division of Right and Left. Nevertheless, it is accurate to see him as the Fountainhead for relativism, communism, and the worship of feeling as opposed to reason (debased and emptied of all intellectual content this is now called building "self-esteem" by the modern leftist).

Rousseau created most of the modern ills of political fanaticism and airy, absurd idealism as the Durants so ably note.

The rest of the period is not neglected and vivid portraits are made of Frederick the Great, Catherine the Great, the Elder Pitt, Diderot, D'Holbach, Samuel Johnson and many, many others help this book to shine.

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize--which should have gone to the entire series as opposed to just this volume--this book gives the reader a complete (if necessarily synopsized) account of the End and Failure of the Enlightenment and how what Rousseau and Voltaire intended in their attacks on the social structure (Rousseau) and religion (Voltaire) lead to disastrous consequences in the French Revolution.

The writing sparkles with vivid wit, pith and lucid beauty. It is a book to be read for a lifetime and bequeathed to children. In an age where smarmy, intellectually empty, political fanaticism is attempting to erase the past in favor of the PC fantasies of the moment, the Durants offer a vivid account of the Truth. European civilization is presented here in all its glory and with all its warts. Slavery, religious fanaticism, exploitation and the horrors of the penal system and warfare are all presented here, in their proper place and in context. The modern academic community has attempted to destroy the ideal of context and balance. As long as these books are around, REAL history and historiography are available to anyone who simply opens a copy and reads it.

I had this book as a textbook for a literature course and absolutely loved it. The stories are so entertaining and deep leaving you want to read them again. The authors include:

Sherman Alexie
Margaret Atwood
James Baldwin
Toni Cade Bambara
Andrea Barrett
Donald Barthelme
Richard Bausch
Charles Baxter
Anne Beattie
Robert Olen Butler
Raymond Carver
John Cheever
Junot Diaz
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Louise Erdich
Richard Ford
Barry Hannah
Gish Jen
Jamaica Kincaid
Bernard Malamud
Rick Moody
Lorrie Moore
Alice Munro
Antonya Nelson
Joyce Carol Oates
Tim O'Brien
Flannery O'Connor
Grace Paley
George Saunders
John Updike
Eudora Welty
Tobias Wolff
Richard Yates

Once I read the forward and first bio, I knew this was going to be the new short story textbook for the literature and writing classes I teach. Not only are the stories carefully and thoughtfully selected, but the order and importance of each is highlighted and informed by the introduction from other accomplished writers. I have used many short story collections in my classes, and this is by far the best and most thorough anthology I have seen. Beyond that, my students love it (no small thing)!

This book is a great idea. Not only does it offer more than one story for each writer, but it also asks current writers to introduce the work of their favorite authors. Hence, Charles Baxter introduces Antonya Nelson, who introduces Flannery O'Connor. With its focus on the contemporary short story, this book will be of use to many readers--especially to young writers trying to teach themselves the fiction craft.

While it's hard to quibble with these 33 choices, there are probably just as many deserving writers who were left out. Perhaps there will one day be a sequel -- 6 X 66 -- though the numbers on the cover might scare the religious right.

Actually, that's another reason to root for a sequel.

I LOVE this book. I bought it to use as a journal and the pages are well bound and thick enough to write on both sides without the ink showing through. I highly recommend this book for art or journaling or both like I did! :)

The size and design of this sketchbook is perfect for tossing into the back of your car or truck, tucking into a tote bag, or slipping into an oversized purse. It also lends itself well to an illustrated journal, which is why I bought it for myself... two, in fact, as I'm sure I need to practice and polish very rusty sketching skills! Affordable, portable and (I'd think) giftable, though not recommended for water color. It's a sketchbook with pages that will not take much moisture (even dry brush), and I don't think Prismacolor markers would work either, as the colors would definately bleed. For colored pencil, charcoal, graphite or pastel pencils, though, it should be perfect!

Sketchbook is priced well and also has a cover that self-supports. No need for travel desk or other support.

I was very fascinated with the book and enjoyed ever minute reading it. I truly enjoyed reading about the Native Americans, their stories, and their adventures. A truly inspiring book for all.

This book is a delightful satire in the tradition of Voltaire and Swift, a fact that definetly (sic) eluded critic wannebe Imhof.

This is a book for the intellectual who wants a break from their busy life. The reader will enjoy some great Native American myths through the travels of an Indian brave.

I am an inveterate dog-earer, often bending the pages unconciously, and I find, after reading Robert B. Shaw's SOLVING FOR X, that I've folded down the corners of 17 pages! I haven't messed up a book of poetry this badly in a long, long time.

Many of the poems in this book are metrical, and quite of few of them employ perfect rhyme. One of these, my favorite in the book, is "A Roadside Flock," a poem ostensibly about copper weather vane roosters, which concludes:

" . . . their giddy doom to pivot, / prey to the winds that flounce about the sky. / It's not the life we'd live if we could live it.
And gleam gives way to verdigris, raised high // to weather drably, exiled from the ground . . . / Feel that? A hint of breeze. Birds of a feather, / their regal beaks shudder without a sound, / and all the copper flock turns tail together."

But "A Roadside Flock" has a lot of stiff competition. I also very much enjoy "Airs and Graces," "A Field of Goldenrod," "The End of the Sonnet," "Dec. 23," "Espalier," "A Paper Cut," "Ant in Amber," "Seed Catalogues in Winter," "A Flashback," "Letter of Recommendation," "Out of Character," "Static," "September Brownout," "Other Eyes: Hurricane's," "Remainders," and "Living past 19."

I'm struck by how casual Shaw's style is, how downright funny at times, without being the least bit loose or nasty. It's a tricky way to write, but Shaw has mastered it, and I think this is his best book to date.

And that's saying something when you consider his excellent previous books or poetry: THE WONDER OF SEEING DOUBLE, THE POST OFFICE MURALS RESTORED, and BELOW THE SURFACE. But don't trust me. Read everything he's written, including his superb study of the poetry of Herbert and Donne, CALL OF GOD, and judge this intelligent, accessible, witty writer for yourself.

I am an inveterate dog-earer, often bending the pages unconciously, and I find, after reading Robert B. Shaw's SOLVING FOR X, that I've folded down the corners of 17 pages! I haven't messed up a book of poetry this badly in a long, long time.

Many of the poems in this book are metrical, and quite a few of them employ perfect rhyme. One of these, my favorite in the book, is "A Roadside Flock," a poem ostensibly about copper weather vane roosters, which concludes:

" . . . their giddy doom to pivot, / prey to the winds that flounce about the sky. / It's not the life we'd live if we could live it. And gleam gives way to verdigris, raised high // to weather drably, exiled from the ground . . . / Feel that? A hint of breeze. Birds of a feather, / their regal beaks shudder without a sound, / and all the copper flock turns tail together."

But "A Roadside Flock" has a lot of stiff competition. I also very much enjoy "Airs and Graces," "A Field of Goldenrod," "The End of the Sonnet," "Dec. 23," "Espalier," "A Paper Cut," "Ant in Amber," "Seed Catalogues in Winter," "A Flashback," "Letter of Recommendation," "Out of Character," "Static," "September Brownout," "Other Eyes: Hurricane's," "Remainders," and "Living past 19."

I'm struck by how casual Shaw's style is, how downright funny at times, without being the least bit loose or nasty. It's a tricky way to write, but Shaw has mastered it, and I think this is his best book to date.

And that's saying something when you consider his excellent previous books or poetry: THE WONDER OF SEEING DOUBLE, THE POST OFFICE MURALS RESTORED, and BELOW THE SURFACE. But don't trust me. Read everything he's written, including his superb study of the poetry of Herbert and Donne, THE CALL OF GOD, and judge this intelligent, accessible, witty writer for yourself.

Robert B. Shaw's newest book of poems, Solving For X, possesses two qualities that are not always found together: lyric virtuosity and emotional depth. Few poets write so securely in their sense of line and stanza; few poets write with as much moral insight and emotional persuasiveness. Very few, indeed, combine these two qualities so happily, as in "Ant in Amber," which I quote in full:

Ever since Fate's undeviating thumb
englobed this ant in aromatic gum,
eons of weighty chafing in the earth
have milled it to a bauble of some worth.
Nature expended quite some enterprise
in getting this poor sap to fossilize.
Now honey-hued, translucent, it displays
intact the forager of former days:
every last leg the little soldier needed
is here embalmed, or we might say embeaded.
Didn't the Greeks believe such beads were spawned
as tears of sunset, hardened as next day dawned?
Knowing the source (a long-gone, weeping tree)
makes this a different kind of prodigy-
a model instance, maybe, of renewal-
interred as ant and disinterred as jewel.
Thus in our scale of values, though we can't
be sure it would appear so to the ant.

The poem displays throughout the sobriety, lyric self-awareness, and precision of the middle style. The sober clarity of the poem is a function of the diction, especially the qualifying adjectives, and of the way in which the syntax drapes the couplets: subject/predicate/subject/predicate in lines 1-4, and then a quickening of the syntax in line five, followed by the expansive adverbial phrase with the groan-worthy pun in line 6. Never is there syntactical displacement to accommodate the rhyme. It is obvious that the poet is composing by the line and the couplet and that the form has not distorted the syntax but sharpened it. The poem conveys a sense of lyric self-awareness in the self-corrections: "...embalmed, or we might say embeaded" and "a model instance, maybe, of renewal." These self-corrections or hesitations are an aspect of the almost Ciceronian rhetorical structure of the poem, with its four line introduction, its general thesis, exposition, conclusion, and peroration in the final couplet.
For all its cleverness, the poem is not light or exhibitionistic. The final couplet combines litotes and the informality of the rhyme on "can't" to prevent the rhetoric from rising beyond the level that is appropriate to the emotional weight of the argument. Although we may notice that the amber is analogous to the poem itself, this analogy is not imposed on readers.

At some point a reader wants to construe poems in relation to the poet's intentions, insofar as they can be discerned. Some of Shaw's own ambitions for his poems might be guessed from "A Paper Cut":

Whatever first impressions may allege,
this poet's work does, after all, have edge-

Witness my finger, slivered to the quick
as payback for its disapproving flick.

Granted, I turned the page with reckless haste,
calling no halt to justify my taste.

But does the stuff deserve a second reading?
Feel free to guess. It stings, but there's no bleeding.

If "bleeding" signifies the strong emotional response of a reader, this seems to be something Shaw expects to experience in poems that merit a second reading. In any poet who seeks such a response to middle style rhetoric there is much restraint and ellipsis. "Style," after all, is not the representation of a persona's emotional state, but the representation of a persona's emotional state as he is speaking. The emotions in Shaw's poems are often reflective, their sufferings and pleasures not stated but powerfully implied.
Robert Shaw is one of the wisest and most skillful poets now writing in English, and this is perhaps his finest collection yet. Anyone with a modicum of interest in contemporary poetry should seek out his work.

Of all the Speed Racer graphic novels or comics I've seen so far this has to be the best of the best!

Gripping story line with fantastic art, others pale in comparison.

You MUST have this one if you are a Speed Racer/Racer X fan!

I think that this version and look was the best I have see for speed race yet. Its not the original but for neo-graphic styling that still accurately gives the whole Speed Racer feel, this is one of the best graphical references I have seen yet.

I purchased both of the original mini-series and couldn't wait to relive the "thrills, spills and chills" all over again.

Nearly a decade after their respective releases, the material stands the test of time. While the art by both Tommy Yune and Joan Chen is breathtaking, it is the modernization of the Speed Racer/Racer X mythos that truly astounds.

Core concepts integral to the series are re-imagined in an updated sense while still paying homage to the source material. It's obvious Mr. Yune respects the material and is also a fan of it. My only regret is that this book leaves one salivating for more, particularly in the wake of that abominable movie.

I have asked this for years and will ask one more time. Why couldn't Tommy Yune's work been used as the basis for the Speed Racer film?!?

I work in a small planetarium, and Martin Ratcliffe's "State of the Universe" is a terrific resource for us. We don't have the budget to have a real astrophysicist on our staff, so for us, Martin's book is an ideal way to stay relatively current on cosmology. Anybody with an interest in astronomy would love this book. Can't wait for next year's edition.

When I read about the book I was quite excited and when I received the book, a few days ago, I was not disappointed. The book has a part dedicated to brief news and other with in-depth articles about very interesting topics (gravitational waves and LIGO, supernova 1987A remnants, gamma ray bursts...) and appendixes with data about current and future telescopes and extrasolar planets. I have still not finished it, but it won't take me long to.

Only slight cons is that I expected it to cover 2006 news and, because editorial schedule, it covers march 2005 - march 2006. Then maybe State of the Universe 2007 was not the most proper or accurate title. Other con was that I expected glossy paper, and it's not, Mate astronomical pictures are not so spectacular, but I guess this way it's cheaper (and more ecologic?).

I hope next year will bring a new State of The Universe, and I sure will buy it,

I read the Martin Radcliffe's book "State of the Universe 2007" and I think it was a good idea to write a book like this. It is informative, well documented, comprehensive and provides you a good vision of what is going on in the different areas of the Universe whicha are under investigation. I think he should publish it every year, to keep un up-to-date with the latest discoveries. We could collect them and follow up different researches and their results and novelties. Superb.

What can I say? It's a well-written, beautifully illustrated, informative book on the tarot. For most of the cards, the author gives a two to three word synopsis of the card's meaning, followed by a more in depth discussion of the card. I think this format helps the reader to remember the meaning of the cards. The author really goes into great detail to tell the reader about the mythological and astrological backgrounds behind the meanings of the cards. I bought my book second-hand at a bookstore, and I'm glad I found it. You will probably have a hard time finding a copy, because I would think that most people who bought it would want to keep it in their library. Sorry....I don't plan to part with mine anytime soon, so you'll just have to find your own.

What can I say? It's a well-written, beautifully illustrated, informative book on the tarot. For most of the cards, the author gives a two to three word synopsis of the card's meaning, followed by a more in depth discussion of the card. I think this format helps the reader to remember the meaning of the cards. The author really goes into great detail to tell the reader about the mythological and astrological backgrounds behind the meanings of the cards. I bought my book second-hand at a bookstore, and I'm glad I found it. You will probably have a hard time finding a copy, because I would think that most people who bought it would want to keep it in their library. Sorry....I don't plan to part with mine anytime soon, so you'll just have to find your own.

Tarot, by Jane Lyle, is an extremely descriptive and enlightening book written in an easy to read format. This book has wonderful preparatory information for the beginning tarot reader, and is an essential reference source for the master. Filled with in-depth background information, the author shows the reader how each of the cards is linked with astrology, numerology, mythology, and alchemy, as well as psychology. This knowledge in turn helps to make it easier for the reader to interpret the cards within a spread. Beautiful illustrations abound throughout this remarkable work, which help the reader to understand the all the knowledge given by the author as they read. There is also a step-by-step guide to help the beginner to get started with reading different tarot spreads (this includes samples of each of the spreads contained therein). I have found this book to be a most helpful resource when interpreting tarot readings. It is truly a shame that it is out of print.