Art Books

I purchased this for use at home as we home-educate our children. I thought this would help me to brush up on my grammar skills, but my kids immediately picked this book up and started using it on their own. It is very user friendly - an easy read for any age, and a great review for middle and high school students. My 14 yr old uses it as a reference when she is writing. Highly recommended!

Painless Grammar is completely different from any typical grammar stuff! We tend to label grammar as boring, but I noticed something totally different from what we learned at school; it doesn't involve any dull and/or old-fashioned structures at all. What really intrigued me was the last chapter dealing with how to e-mail! Actually, I like that chapter best in this book. That was the least I'd expected! Facial expressions and abbreviations drew my attention because both of them are expressed differently from Japanese. I think using them sometimes helps you enjoy e-mailing your friends. Of course, I know too much use of them confuses readers, though. I bet dealing with e-mail is a down-to-earth and up-to-date approach to attract readers!

Read and then keep at your desk within arms reach when you write. This book is perfect for those grammar stumpers.

Even though this book is geared for the 6th-8th grade student, it offers sound advice in a clear, easy-to-understand style. Who needs a grammar book that's full of long, linguistical answer that no one can understand. If I'm stumped by a grammar question, I don't hesitate to pick up this fun reference tool.
Karen Reddick, author of Grammar Done Right!

Before ordering this book I've read many reviews. Those reviews helped me a lot to make the right decision. This book is just amazing for sharping your English grammar skill. You polish your English by learning little details. I'm a Junior in High School. I thought that my level of English grammar is pretty high, but till I started reading ''Painless Grammar" with all these small, tiny detail. My dad, is educated 52 years old teacher, who is a bookworm! Even he found this book very exciting. So right now, when I start to read this book he is always next to me. The book is written with good humor and explanations to every aspect of the grammar. I read 10-15 min. per day, that's enough.

I think this book should be a "hand book" for every single person, no matter how old you are. Folks, don't even hesitate! Just go for it, buy it, and have pleaser by reading "Painless Grammar."

This book is a absolute necessity for anyone working with beads. This book is sure to be a vital and well-worn fixture on all bead tables - it already is on mine! Margie clearly understands the magical and complex interactions of color and light and she presents her knowledge to the reader in glorious and vivid detail. The book rates a top review just for its eye-candy value alone but it is much more than that. If you have never worked with a color wheel before you will gain a thorough understanding from this book. And if you have worked extensively with color for years, you will still come away from this book with new insights and inspiration. The book is written in a user friendly manner and the illustrations and artwork combine very cohesively with the text. The result is an absolute treasure of a book.

_The Beader's Guide to Color_ by Margie Deeb is not just for beaders, it is for anyone (sewers, interior designers, quilters, or jewelry makers) who wears or uses color.

The major sections of the book are:
- Color Theory & Design
- Theory-Based Color Schemes
- Emotional & Symbolic Color Schemes
- Inspiration & Technique

Each section has numerous subsections, such as "Blue & Cyan", "Color & Design", and "Color Harmony" (and others) in Color Theory & Design; or "Natural", "Luxurious", and "Clashing" (and others) in Emotional & Symbolic Color Schemes. Each subsection typically covers 1-4 pages, making this an excellent book to browse through or to read in smaller parts.

And I am quite glad that the book is broken up into so many subsections, as there is a HUGE amount of information, with a lot of depth to it too. I still find something new to think about or consider each time I read it, and I've owned my copy for at least two years now.

Some of the things that I am personally very grateful for are:
- Explanations of both the artists' pigment color wheel and the ink color wheel, the differences between the two, and frequent reference back to the color wheels in the Theory-Based Color Schemes.
- TONS of very professional and detailed photographs of beading projects done by Deeb and many other artists. There are wall hangings; jewelry with glass beads, seed beads, stone beads, metal beads, and combinations of those; loom-woven and freehand seed bead projects; tabletop pieces such as vases or bowls. Some projects are center on a single large bead or stone, some revolve around a certain type of bead or stone, and some focus not on the feel of the overall piece. Some pieces are very structured and geometric, some are organic and portray flowers, leaves or animals, and some are very freeform. Whatever your particular style or project, you will probably be able to find a palette or a photograph that you can relate to.
- The pages devoted to some of the individual colors. While you may not always agree with Deeb in what emotions and connotations each color evokes, it will still be worth your time to consider WHY you don't agree and what the color mean for you.
- Demonstrations of how the mood and feel of a piece can change just by going to warmer, cooler, brighter, or dimmer colors, and why it's important to decide at the beginning of a project if you want something that is eye-catching all on its own, or that will blend well with something else.
- Numerous Delica seed bead palettes as examples of what can be done with each color scheme. While I don't use seed beads myself, the examples help me understand how to take theory and turn it into something real.

The only criticism I have of the book is Deeb seems to have a preference for purple; purple, mauve, and lavender seem to be in a disproportionate number of the example palettes. However, that is a very minor criticism.

I would probably have had to take at least one or two college color-theory classes to gain as much as I have from this book. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone who uses color for personal adornment (clothing, jewelry, etc.) or for their surroundings.

A definite must have book for all Delica beadworkers AND for those that really want a useful, classic book on color theory applied to beading. Deeb's book uses Delica beads (and their appropriate numbers) to provide stimulating examples of the best uses of color for a multitude of designs. However, you don't have to use seed beads to appreciate the HIGH quality of this book when in comes to color wheels and color theory. What I learned in one or two semesters of fine art in college design classes is in a few well-written pages of this book followed with examples that you can apply directly to bead/jewelry art. Deeb's writing style keeps you interested and clearly describes how the color wheel works. Plus her beadwork designs are exciting (so are those from her other books - a few pieces of her artwork from those bead books are in here) and tempting to try in other color combinations using her recommendations for producing stimulating beadwork. This book is an excellent reference or guide to help make your own projects sizzle with color.

Last month during a beading class, both the instructor and a classmate mentioned this book when I said something about how I always struggle with color. I was eager to purchase it, and am really pleased with all the information it gives!

As other reviewers mentioned, Margie Deeb spends a great deal of time talking about color theory, and she does so in an easy-to-follow way. She also talks about how certain colors evoke certain moods and feelings, and provides many color photos of examples so you can see what she means.

She also provides a fantastic overview of how to use a color wheel. For instance, I knew about using a color wheel by looking at the squares and triangles where three or four colors meet, but I didn't realize all the other ways you can use a color wheel to find complementary colors. For me, this information alone was worth buying this book for.

Another strength of the book is that she provides bead numbers for Delica color palettes. This was very interesting, but I tend to use size 11 and size 15 seed beads more frequently, so I'm not sure if the color numbers will help me as much as a future reference. Her inclusion of these color schemes is still great, though, since they give me something to base a design around.

The only downsides (and they are small ones) is that the sample projects are not really to my liking (they tend to be things like wall hangings) and that the writing can be a bit overkill when she describes the moods that certain colors evoke. Overall, though, I would definitely still purchase this book since it contains so much information and is reasonably priced and because I bought it more for the color theory than for the included projects (and I know we all have very different tastes). It's definitely worth the cost of the book!

I bought this book for information on color combinations for beading and jewelry making. I have found that I keep picking it up and reading and re-reading sections, the book is very inspirational. I also feel this book is valuable in other areas in which I use color, for instance stained glass and painting. Don't just consider this for beading, consider it if you are an interior decorator or if in your hobby or work color is important, I believe this book will be a go to book for years to come. It has been a long time since I have found a reference book that was so useful. You won't be sorry you bought it if you have a passion for color but feel you need a little help in combining colors or even choosing a main color for a particular effect.

One of the more informative photography books i've purchased yet. Aside from giving great techniques , it actually gives settings of photos in the book (much easier). GREAT BUY!

I like this book, learned a lot from it, it will help you take better pics! Some parts maybe a bit to much for absolute beginner but if combined with another reading or class you will appreciate it. Contains valuable info to any photographer.

This book is very nice, it has beautiful pictures and very clear techniques of how you can take amazing photos. In it, you can find how to take great landscape photos, macro photography, wildlife photography and much more. It's a book for begginers and for professionals as well. I think i made an excellent decision on buying this book

Zen of Watering Your Garden

This book is what Tony the tiger would call Greaaat!!!! It really teaches the basics off nature photography. I found it very useful even though my interest is in flora and not fauna and in flowers plants and gardens rather than landscapes. It helped with composition and technique. i would recommend it highly to anyone ready to jump head first into the digital portal to Mother Nature. Matt cohen

I am in the process of reading about 20 guides and books related to Nature Photography (Landscapes, Macros, Wildlife, etc)...everything from the older Shaw books to new digital books such as this one.

This book has a lot of good information. I enjoyed the mentoring style of the book and thought the LCD (Lighting, Composition and Digital(Eposure) approach to each of the sub topics was well presented. There are good ideas for assignments also.

I only have one fairly minor flaw with the book and it is a rather subjective one...while the photos in the book were good examples of the topics being discussed, not a lot of them were jaw dropping and inspiring to me personally. Obviously this is a subjective point and others may disagree. After reading the Shaw and Audubon and acouple of digital nature books prior to this one, the photos in this book just didn't wow me as much as the others I have read.

I don't feel the above is enough for me to knock the book down to a 4 star so I am still giving it a 5 star rating although if there was a 4.5 star option, I would probably select that.

Don't get me wrong, though, I still feel this is quite a worthwhile book to buy. The approach is friendly, encouraging and refreshing and the author obviously knows his stuff and has produced a good book.

One further note...I also liked the fact that this book is definitly about nature photography and doesn't spend an over-abundance of time on generic photography priniciples that one has more than likely picked up from other general photography books. Some nature books are general photography books with a splash of nature thrown in. This one is a nature photography book with just the right amount general photography thrown in. An honest approach to a nature photography book.

The book was interesting although I do have to admit I wish there were better photos and close-ups in the book. Seemed to focus too much on the negative, hear say of this wonderfully talented gentleman. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the actor. It saddens me that his contributions have gone mostly unnoticed in the film industry. The proof is that there are hardly ANY DVD's or even VHS available of his best films? It would be fantastic if there were a film made today of this great actor, that is as long as it was as close to the real Mr Novarro as possible. I'm afraid it would focus too much on the negative, gossipy parts of his most private life.

This what saddens me when any person passes away, others can swoop in and destroy their reputations and if no living relatives are around to stop it. the story becomes gospel truth. Such an injustice.

The book is worth buying but lacks movie still, etc that most BIO's have.

Re: Krebsman comment:

In "Beyond Paradise," it is stated that Franklin was located just north of El Paso del Norte, not El Paso. (We're talking 19th century here.)

It says in the book that El Paso del Norte would be renamed "Ciudad Juarez" or "Juarez." Needless to say, Franklin would turn into (or become a part of) what is today known as "El Paso."

If silent movie star Ramon Novarro is remembered at all today, it is for two things: his starring role in the original film version of BEN-HUR and his brutal murder in 1968 by two alleged male hustlers. Andre Soares' biography of Novarro, BEYOND PARADISE, is intelligently written and sympathetic towards its subject. Novarro seems to have been a nice Mexican boy who was devoted to his family and his religion. He was also homosexual, which caused him a great deal of spiritual torment in a time when such things were not even mentioned among nice people. He had a rapid rise to stardom in the embryonic motion picture industry and was one of the few silent screen stars to survive the transition to talking pictures (despite his Spanish accent), when he played opposite Greta Garbo in the sound feature MATA HARI. But miscasting combined with a conflicting desire to become an opera singer brought about a slow decline and ultimate obscurity. He also became an alcoholic and, perhaps because of his homosexuality, a virtual recluse. This is a sad story.

There are some factual errors early in the book that made me doubt the accuracy of the other points in the book. For example, he says that Franklin, Texas is slightly north of El Paso when it is actually 300 miles to the East. However, he does set the record straight about the means of Novarro's death. In the 1975 book HOLLYWOOD BABYLON, Kenneth Anger states that Novarro choked to death when his art deco styled artificial phallus was stuffed into his mouth by his assailants. Soares gives the lie to this myth when he quotes official evidence that Novarro not only died from being bludgeoned to death, but that no such object was found among Novarro's possessions, nor did it ever exist.

The trouble I had with the book is that actor biographies are all fairly similar. After reading dozens of them over the years, I don't find most of them very interesting. The best parts of the book for me were the final chapters dealing with the murder and its aftermath. But for those who already have a keen interest in the silent movie era of Hollywood and are already familiar with the actors and directors of the period, BEYOND PARADISE could be compelling reading.

I bought this book at the behest of a friend and have since reread it twice. I am a severe critic of biographies, having read more than I can number. Happliy, Andre Soares' book is a well-written, intelligent and well-balanced account of the life of a man who was both complex and not always very smart in his choices. The book does what all good biographies SHOULD do: make you want to go out and find out more about the subject.

Among the many positive attributes to BEYOND PARADISE are:

* A balanced appraisal of Novarro's personal and professional strengths and weaknesses (this is a hopeless, gushing tome by a misguided fan)
* A willingness to analyze the facts without sensational exploitation of them
* Detailed research and substantive factual foundations
* A sincere (thought not always likeable) portrayal of Mr. Novarro
* A well researched documentation of the studio system that made and ultimately destroyed one of it's brightest stars who is, today, largely forgotten

I cannot recommend this book highly enough - it is one of the best biographies I have read in some years.

This is an incredibly riveting compelling read, and beyond being entertaining and informative, it's also a balanced thoughtful sensitive portrait of a fascinating human being and actor. Some celebrity biographies seem to have been written by people who can't stand their subject and some are written by people who are too in love with the subject to think clearly, but this one gives a nicely balanced account. We see here a man who was a very fine gifted talented actor, but who eventually became a has-been, for various reasons, who didn't always give his all to selecting the best projects because of his conflicting desire to have a career as an opera singer, and who was deeply torn over his genuine deep committment to his family, his Mexican roots, and his Catholic faith, and how he was also a gay man in a time and a society where that subject was strictly taboo. Even at the time of his murder by two young hustlers, gayness was still considered a psychiatric disorder. Because Ramon kept so much of his life private, this biography can't tell us everything about his personal life, but it is made clear he was:

A very talented actor (he was allowed more range and depth of roles than some of his other romantic leading man counterparts), a man who played to perfection a number of dream roles, most notably that of Judah Ben-Hur in the 1925 version of the screen adaptation of the General Lew Wallace novel, as well as starring with a number of great leading ladies;

A talented singer (even though his acting and singing careers conflicted multiple times and mutually hindered one another);

A devoted family man, deeply religious (he seriously wanted to enter a religious order at several points in his life), becoming the head of the household after his family immigrated to America, as the oldest surviving son in a family of originally twelve children, stepping into the shoes of his father, who had once been a successful dentist but became too ill to support his family during much of his life;

A good human being in spite of natural human flaws (such as his problems with drinking in his later years and several car accidents caused by his heavy drinking);

Someone who sometimes wasn't always the most agreeable person, as evidenced by when he was touring a play in England in the Thirties and getting catcalled by the audience who couldn't hear him, since Ramon had never learnt how to project his voice, being a screen and not stage actor, and actually stepped out of the play to catcall back, "Now, *I* can't hear *you*!"

Even though he is most remembered today for playing the title role in 'Ben-Hur' and for being murdered in his home on Halloween Eve 1968 by two young hustlers, which finally exposed to the public that which he had worked so hard to keep hidden and private (i.e., the fact that he was gay), he was so much more than either of those things, a deeply talented and flawed man. This biography truly does his life and character justice.

I just love reading this book to my children. They enjoyed it more than I did. This is definitely tagged a classic in my book and I won't be getting rid of it like I do other books that kids grow out of.

This retelling of an ancient moral story along with the superb pictures make it a necessary addition to the select library used by grandparents and parents for reading aloud, over and over again, to the young ones.

This book is a great read for all ages. A strong life lesson and a touching story that will reach out to those who are interested in a book that teaches something about life.

I love this book. Five in a Row has a great unit study on it. My children (3 yrs and 6 yrs) love it too. It has juggling to appeal to children and it has a beautiful ending. I have bought it for gifts as well as having my own copy.

I remember this tale from my childhood when it was read to me by a nun. Tomie De Paola has beautifully illustrated this story and retold it by placing the events in medieval Italy. Since this is one of my favorites, I have purchased several copies for my grandchildren, and a gift to other grandparents who like reading to the little ones. Be prepared to feel the emotion of this story, it gets me all the time.

Begin with Hero Archetypes and learn about the Chief or the Lost Soul or the Warrior. See what might make them tick.

Move to your Heroine Archetypes to visit with the Free Spirit, the Nurturer or my favorite the Spunky Kid. Learn how they got to be who they are.

Then you will learn how to use the Archetypes to Create Characters. As most writers understand, great characters are not one-dimensional and flawless. It is their layers that make them truly intriguing. Indiana Jones' fear of snakes made him believable.

Finally play with Archetype Interactions and see how the Waif might react to the Professor type. What if the Waif were layered with the Librarian and the Professor had a bit of the Swashbuckler in him. What would these two encounter? Where would they take your story?

Tami et al's book is invaluable to me. If I had no other book on characterization, I would be fine. My only quibble is that we didn't get the Villains, but Tami teaches a Villains Archetype class online as well as face-to-face. I just recently had the pleasure of taking that class with From The Heart Romance Writers.

Put this on your "must have" list if you want rich, complex characters.

In the quest of refining character, I have devoured a number of psychology texts and writer's guides, and I do believe that this one may be the best book on that topic I have ever discovered. I would quibble with Cowden, LaFever and Viders in their assertion that the 16 Master Archetypes are the only archetypes, but it's such a small point that it doesn't detract from what they present. Peppered with easily accessible examples, their book breaks down character into strong, clearly sketched components and then discusses how the palates may be blended--in individual character development and interpersonal relationships. I don't know if I would ever use any guide to create a character from scratch, but I'm always happy to find something to help me ensure that my characters behave consistently once they've been created. I expect this book to prove valuable for that, and I highly recommend it.

I started using this book for my writing the very day I received it. It's great--I can't recommend it highly enough

The book is a great tool for aspiring writers and screenwriters. It offers great insight into the different archetypes. That information is presented in a dictionary type form. Anyone can look up a personality type and find its virtue, flaws, style and background. I highly recommend the book to all aspiring writers.

I can't say enough good things about this book. Fantastic character profiles. I wish it had been available when I was studying Sociology at university! I own two copies so I can always have it at hand when I need some help. My ONLY complaint are the pop culture references as archetype examples. But, overlook Dr. Spock and Ally McBeal and this book is priceless!

Another wonderful cloth doll book by my favorite author in this area. Great illustrations. Thank you!

Excellent book! Great instructions on how to draw a face on cloth and how to paint and highlight facial features. I haven't made my first doll yet, but I have it on my "to do" list. I really like Patti Medaris Culea and Anne Hesse's dolls as they seem so realistic with the beautiful colors and embellishments. I make handsewn beaded jewelry and I look forward to making my first cloth doll creation. One of the things I really like about Patti's books is she also includes other dollmakers work so you can visually see all the different styles of the designers and it makes your own creative juices start to flow.

Creative Cloth Doll Faces: Using Paints, Pastels, Fibers, Beading, Collage, and Sculpting Techniques
Using many photos and easy to follow directions and diagrams, Patti has reduced the terrifying and difficult task many feel unable to acheive to its basics and allows the artist in you to come alive!

The book has dolls from a number of different artists and demonstrates each of their approach to making the face come alive! The tips are portable and not limited to just Patti's own dolls, but ones you can save in your head for future use on a new project.

I highly recommend this book for both beginning dollmakers as well as for advanced artisans who want to improve their work or techniques.

Creative Cloth Doll Faces is delightful, inspirational and visually stimulating. It takes the idea of an art doll to a new level of elegance. The directions are easy to understand, even for a beginner. It is amazing how much diversity can be made from one basic face. Each artist gives the face his/her own creative identity. I highly recommend this book to folks who wish to get into the making of elegant art dolls. Bravo for Patti Medaris Culea for a fine tutorial that includes paints, pastels, fibers, beading, collage and sculpting techniques.

That's what this book is good at. Easy to follow directions, great patterns, that can be changed to fit - your doll. But most of all, a easy way to get that face looking, like a face. Not a blob of colors, where the eyes are not in the right place, or are too big on one side, and smaller on the other. This book also has great tips for those who are more experianced. The face intimadates most begainers, and some who have expriance too. And this makes it fun to come up with your own doll face. Where you'll know it will look like a face. Enjoy - this books is tons of fun. You'll find yourself going back to it, again and again.

The vegan recipes offered in this book will excite your taste buds and rekindle your passion for good food. A wonderfully health conscious collaboration of recipes, from various chefs, authors and the people at Friends of Animals with a great personal touch from Priscilla Feral. Family friendly recipes like Wheat free wild rice pancakes (pg.8) and scrambled tofu (pg. 11) keep the kid's complaint free through breakfast. There is a great range of sophisticated to super simple recipes to satisfy any taste.

While i personally tend to simply wing it when cooking and rarely use recipes or cookbooks, my friend Heather Steel also from Victoria, BC asked if i could post her review of Dining with Friends since she s had such positive experiences, which has inspired me to want to crack it OPEN as well!

Here s Heather s review:

When I m trying to decide what to bring for a potluck, this is the first book I take off the shelf. So far, every recipe I have tried from this book has been a huge success! This is the first recipe book I can actually make such a positive statement about. No matter how accurately I try to follow a recipe there are usually at least one or two recipes in a vegan cookbook which flop - especially in the baked goods section. I ve tried over half of the recipes in Dining With Friends are they have ALL turned out ultra delicious. Most are quite easy to prepare with common vegan ingredients and yet their presentation is really quite unique. I m particularly impressed with the dessert section ... the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake, for example, looks unbelievable elegant and is a unique addition to vegan and non-vegan tables alike. It is fun to prepare these dishes for non-vegans and totally change their mis perceptions of vegan food. Another bonus about this book is the Raw Foods section which contains yummy, enzyme-rich treats for the tummy. Even if you re not into raw, most of the dishes in this book contain relatively healthy ingredients so you can feel doubly good about eating them as their good for you and for the rest of the animals on the planet.

As a NYC resident, there are fantastic restaurants and prepared food geared towards vegans here, so it takes a lot for me choose to create my own gourmet meals.

Dining With Friends inspired me to spend more time preparing some truly delicious and classic recipes and to share them with others. The first recipe I tried was the Cashew Cream Lasagna, and not only did it knock my socks off, it impressed several non-vegetarians at a holiday gathering to no end. One taster refused to believe it was vegan, due to the exquisite and rich cheesiness of the dish. I'd formerly thought of vegan lasagna as rather boring until this recipe-now it's my first choice for bringing to events and for impressing those wary of plant-based cuisine.

My latest favorite for winter months is the Vegetable Bisque-a delicious and comforting soup which melts in your mouth and has just the right amount of texture and creaminess. As someone who was never a big fan of tempeh, I've since changed my opinion after making the Tempeh London Broil. This dish is simply spectacular and goes will with almost any side dish you can think of. As for desserts, I can guarantee that anyone who makes the Key Lime Pie will adore it as much as I do!

No kitchen is complete without this cookbook, so I encourage anyone to but a copy (or several) as gifts for friends and family. It just might inspire you the way it inspired me!

Dining with Friends has many great vegan recipes that my family and I have enjoyed. The Lentil Orzo Casserole is fabulous and the Cashew Cream Lasagna was a huge hit. My teenage sons lapped up the Cream of Broccoli soup. The recipe for Braised Brussel Sprouts is a tasty new way to prepare this often overlooked vegetable. They were so good that my son and I ate them all and had none to bring to the Thanksgiving dinner we attended. Aah, the vegan cookie dough! Very easy to prepare and the Thumbprint Cookies were gone within hours. I had planned on making the Snowy Almond Crescents however, those same teenage hands got into the dough and that was the end of that. At least I didn't have to worry about salmonella poisoning since this was vegan dough after all and contains none of the cruel and unhealthy animal products. I look forward to trying many more of the recipes in this beautifully prepared cookbook.

Dining with Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine

Dining with Friends is truly an inspired cookbook. I have shelves of vegetarian cookbooks and this cookbook stands out as a favorite of my family's due to the simplicity of the recipes and the flavorful results. When I've prepared dishes from this cookbook and taken them to events, inevitably people ask me for the recipes. I'm always anxious to purchase this cookbook for others who may not be vegan because I know they can find the ingredients and follow the recipes. Dining with Friends is a winner.

I have always admired Marcia Wallace. Although I was not around to see the original broadcasts of the "Newhart Show", she made a permanent impression on me through the countless hours of reruns that I've seen over the years. She has endlessly been called a 'one trick pony' - inasmuch as she is only really known for one role, that of Carol Kester Bondurant on the "Newhart Show". And Marcia herself admits that she has never really gotten good reviews for any of her other work (save of course for the also iconoclastic Ms. Edna Krubappel voicethrowing that she's done on "The Simpsons" for years.) Nonetheless, the character of Carol was a significant contribution to television history. She was very much her own person, and Marcia's comedic talents made her unforgettable. Carol Burnett, a genius herself, has said that 'if you're too pretty, you can't be a comedian.' Such was the case with Marcia. No, she wasn't that attractive - but she had a perfect look that lent itself perfectly, even if it was only for that one role. She never even had to read for the part - she was hired instantly by MTM Enterprises.

Marcia's life has indeed been a rocky one - and the tone of this book is fine. She's a survivor and she isn't full of self pity. Despite the rags, she's gotten plenty of riches, which included a brief marriage to a man who was very much the one-and-only for her, and a great kid.
However, I think the book overly emphasizes her marriage, the adoption of their son, and her husband's subsequent death. Virtually no details are given about her work on the "Newhart Show", "The Simpsons", or much of anything else. And in that regard, the book is a disappointment.
If these things were added, it would be an absolutely killer book.
Hopefully someday a second edition will be done. Nonetheless, what is presented is a very enjoyable read.

Marcia Wallace-what can be said? She is a woman on the umpteenth wit and full of honesty, always saved from being too sorrowful with her God-given ability to bring humor to situations that would bring the regular person to their knees...but Marcia isn't one of those "regular" people. I love this book because it tells anyone, no matter what circumstances they find themselves in, with a bit of keen-sighted observations and an always open pot of humor, they can achieve all of their dreams one day at a time.

I just finished reading Marcia Wallace's autobiography. This is an incredible read. She opens the door to her life for us as if she were opening the door to her closest confident and friend. I laughed out loud at her many mishaps and cried during the deepest loss a person can experience. This is a great gift for anyone who has had cancer touch his or her life, and who hasn't. It is also a celebration of life, friendship and family. This is a wonderful gift to share with girlfriends of all ages.

This book is NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER material. Marcia Wallace's book is as deeply profound as it is silly. It doesn't matter if nothing or everything has happended to you in your lifetime, you will relate to the humanity in her stories.
The book is bursting with self empowerment and triumph over tragedy and it's one of the funniest books I've ever read.

Look, if everyone who wrote a memoir was a literary writer, would we all be devouring memoirs like we are? Heck no--we've already heard that story. Marcia's story is... well, it's not your typical, 'here's-my-life-as-an-actress' kind of story. Marcia acknowledges indirectly that who we are has a lot to do not only with where we came from but also what we've been through. And heaven knows, she's been through a lot. But somehow she manages to remain a genuinely sincere person who seems to have a rainbow hovering quite near her at all times--something I will now try to be aware of in my own life after reading her book. Unlike many memoirs currently on the market, this is not an outpouring of self-absorbed angst (as it would be if I were writing it). It's a riotous celebration of the absurdity of human life and the power of the human spirit to triumph against all odds. Marcia writes the way she talks, and she's hilariously funny. Buy this book and read it all the way through the next time you have a "life sucks" day. That's my prescription for happiness.

I love Chris Van Deusen's books! The story is cute, the wording is poetic, and the illustrations are so vivid and intricate! My daughter and I have read each of his books more than 100 times and we still find little animals or objects subtly added into the drawings. I anxiously await another book from him!

This is a great read-aloud book. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is a lot of fun. I love that the whale makes right his wrong in the end of the story! I hope Van Dusen writes more books, my kids just love them.

I first read the book, A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee. How much my 5 year old loved this book prompted me to look for others by this author. If I had to choose, I would pick Camping Spree over this one, but this book is just as cute and fun to read as the other.

We checked out one Chris Van Dusen book (A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee) at our local library and wanted more. We love his "retro" illustrations and his clever rhymes. Our kids ask to read this book over and over again. It is a cute story, told and illustrated well.

This is a beautiful book with Seussian rhyming text, and appeals to children of all ages, and young boys in particular. The rhyming text helps children who have difficulty reading stay engaged. There is so much to look at in the illustrations, and grownups interested in the color palette and trappings of the 1950s will find all of Van Dusens books welcome additions to their children's book library. This one will never go in the giveaway pile - you'll want to keep it forever.