Arts Books

This book really engrossed me. I don't know the first thing about skating, and I'm a mediocre runner at best, but I'm an avid armchair traveller, and I loved hearing about what the author went through. It was a nice structure for the book to see her grow up and go from young skater to disillusioned older skater to fulfilled triathelete. Good job! Can't wait to read the next one!

An absolutely amazing story of a strong athletic girl with amazing talent forced to weaken herself in the name of show. Here we have a beautiful, very talented figure skater with--gasp--muscles of all things! Not anything like a female body builder or such, but a beautiful streamlined athleticism that anyone would envy. Unfortunately, in order to skate professionally, she was forced to lose her muscles, her strength, and dignity as a athlete in order to fit into the preconceived notions that female ice 'professionals' should look like pre-pubescent sticks on skates, pretty much by starving themselves..and to match a specific weight far too low for the performers. Nevertheless, our heroine (with the help of 'Captain Graceful') overcomes the inconceivable tortures that her mind and body had to overcome to become one of the strongest female athletes today. This behind the scenes look at the beautiful/ugly world of professional skating is an absolute must for those who skate, or parents of little girls wishing to fulfill the ice princess dream. Only Kathryn Bertine could tell such a horrowing story, while keeping you laughing. Thank you, Ms. Bertine, for sharing this with us!

Delving into more than just figure skating, All the Sundays Yet to Come poignantly portrays the story of a woman coming to terms with her inner demons as she discovers the type of person she wants to be. Her story demonstrates that things are not as great as they seem when she is accepted into a professional skating tour, her childhood dream. Skaters are not judged by their ability, but rather by their looks. Ms. Bertine's height and muscular build are looked down upon, which spurs her into the dark depths of eating disorders and low self-esteem. She carries you from a world of despair and unhappiness into a world of self-fulfillment and happiness. Anyone who has had a mental disorder of any kind can easily relate to her struggle, and can experience hope for themselves by witnessing her triumphant recovery. Her writing is mixed charmingly with a unique humor as she pokes fun at herself as well as life, keeping the story from becoming too dark. Ms. Bertine shows you that even when one dream dies, another comes to life, and a fulfilling existence is always within reach. Considering her successes in writing and triathalons since her professional skating career, she has made a very wonderful life for herself.

Kathryn Bertine's book about life as a professional ice skater is both humorous and heartbreaking. Written in an engaging style that makes you feel like she's sitting across the table from you, sharing a cup of coffee, and giving you the inside scoop on the world of ice skating, ALL THE SUNDAYS YET TO COME, is an honestly written memoir that strips the sugar-coating from a sport that appears to be all beauty and grace and sequins and spandex--and allows us to glimpse how it can be ugly...the constant weigh-ins that force healthy young women to starve themselves so they can look like stick figures, the behind-the-scenes addictions to drugs and sex, the physical violence that happens between couples and is ignored by management. Ms. Bertine doesn't hold back, allowing us to see the beauty and the ugliness, even as she struggles with her own self-esteem which is stripped away by management and their weekly weigh-ins. You'll laugh and you'll cry as you read this amazing book--and you'll never look at the sport of figure skating in the same way you did before.

I enjoy good sports writing, but I never thought I would be reading a sports book about skating. However, I have been reading Kathryn Bertine's blogs posted on espn.com about her attempts at making the olympics, and I enjoyed her humorous, somewhat self deprecating style, so I figured I'd check out her book. I was glad to find her book was just as well written, and an interesting read (especially considering I knew virtually nothing about the subject beforehand). I would reccomend it.

The space race of the 1960's was a crossroads in time that will never be repeated.

Walt Cunningham had a crow's nest view of that period. As a member of Apollo 7, the first Apollo mission and the first successful flight after the catastrophic Apollo 1 fire that almost disbanded the space program, he was able to see the inner workings of the American space program. He has recorded this unique perspective in "The All-American Boys."

"The All-American Boys" is a rare document of what really happened in the early days of the space program. In my opinion, most other astronaut memoirs are cleaned up versions of the truth--all "flag waving" and "ballyhoo." One gets a sense in the All-American Boys that the space race is being presented warts and all, including the social and political quirks of being an astronaut.

This version is an unabridged audiobook of Walt's book, which was first published in 1977 but thoroughly updated for this version. It covers Mercury/Gemini/Apollo but also shuttle/MIR/ISS. Walt himself narrates the audiobook, which is a great bonus. His pleasant narration makes the 22 discs go by very quickly

Unlike most other astronaut memoirs, you get your money's worth with this book. Highly recommended.

Col. Cunninghams's audio CD version of The All American Boys is, simply put a great listen! Having read the hardback, I thought that there would be little to gain in buying the CD version, but I was wrong. His carefully spoken rendition has laugh-out-loud moments, and his tough but thorough thought provoking commentary on the space race, NASA, the Russian's, the International Space Station, and the future of man's involvement in space is a must have. I don't know why, but hearing it 'first person' and in the spoken words of someone who was there, and who made this history, is a remarkable thing. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Absolutely Fantastic!
Walt's voice resonates through you as he recounts his life experiences before, during and after his NASA years. This is a wonderful way to learn about Americas Space Program from the ground up.
Whether you have read the AABoys or not, nothing matches hearing this incredible story with the true life passion only the author and main character, Walter Cunningham, can convey.
A great joy, and true and exciting find! A must have for anyone interested in space history and space exploration. What fun it was to replay parts to hear the subtle inflections in Walt's voice just to gain a greater insight into how this space hero must have felt during the space race years, through to the changes that are on the horizon today.
A most favorite addition to my space collection!

I got the title of this review from Apollo 11 astronaut Mike Collins who described fellow astronaut Walt Cunningham this way. Only a few people have flown in space, and so we would expect astronaut auto-biographies to talk about this, but unfortunately, only Mike Collins book "Carrying the Fire" does it. After reading a few other autobiographies I finally came to the conclusion that it is not really worth the time and money to get their books, with them spending most of the pages discussing petty jealousies, practical jokes, celebrity golf tournaments, and their success or failure in the world of business.. Thus, I was somewhat reluctant to purchase Cunningham's, but the reviews convinced me to give it a try. Fortunately, it was worth it. Cunningham does share the flaw of the others in that he also doesn't describe his Apollo 7 flight in any detail, but the uniquness of his book is that he does give an interesting perspective on the American space program, and his fellow astronauts, not seen in the other autobiographies.
Part of the reason is, as Collins pointed out, that Cunningham received a rigorous scientific education and was involved in scientific research before going to work for NASA. This gave him a greater ability to objectively judge the qualities of his fellow astronauts.
The original Mercury astronauts were good pilots, but one of the most important qualitites that they were chosen for was ability to stand immense stress, because at that time, it was not known how spaceflight
would affect the astronauts, physically or mentally. After Project Mercury proved the stresses were not as bad a feared, new generations of astronauts were chosen who had better education, better ability to understand the increasingly complex Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and a greater appreciation of the importance of the exploration of space in a scientific sense, something the Mercury astronauts did not have so much.
Cunningham also shows that the grind of training took a toll on the Mercury astronauts, and he says frankly that the commander of his Apollo 7 mission, Wally Schirra, who flew outstanding missions in both Mercury and Gemini (piloting the first rendezvous mission with another vehicle) didn't really have his heart in his Apollo mission and it negatively influenced his performance. Schirra repeatedly lost his temper during the mission which gave his whole crew a bad reputation leading to both Donn Eisele and Cunningham being banned from further flights (everyone admits Cunningham got an unfair rap in this). Cunningham also frankly points out that although the crew indeed proved that Apollo spacecraft was flight worthy, they didn't really accomplish nearly as much as they could have during their relatively long-duration flight in a scientific sense.
Other interesting things I learned from this book was that, starting with the two-man Gemini flights, the Mission Commander was the astronaut who controlled the abort initiation sequence, so he had to be significantly better, and management required more confidence in him than in the other astronauts who flew along, and in borderline situations, he had to have the best "feel" for how the flight was going and the spacecraft was performing.
One surprising thing Cunningham reveals was the most astronauts felt that
in the Gemini 8 mission (first docking of a manned spacecraft), astronauts Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott made a serious mistake leading to their spacecraft to spin out of control. Fortunately, they got it back under control and made an emergency reentry. Most histories of the space program say it was a mechanical glitch and that Armstrong's cool response gave Deke Slayton the confidence in him to assign him to be the commander of the first landing on the Moon.
Cunningham feels that ultimately, although all the astronauts were talented and qualified, the flight crews were chose based on Slayton's
feelings of friendship
for the fellow (although it should be pointed out that the great success of the space program shows that Slayton did generally pick the best to fly) and this was more important than ability, physical fitness or other objective considerations. Famous examples was Slayton giving Alan Shepard the Apollo 14 mission without him having served as a back-up crewmember on a previous mission. Although Shepard did an excellent job landing the Lunar Module very close to the desired target, his subsequent performance during the lunar EVA left a lot to be desired and much possible scientific gain was lost. Another example was Gene Cernan crashing his helicopter while he was ogling sunbathing girls. Many people
thought this would wash him out of his Apollo 17 command position, but Slayton covered up for him (it should be pointed out that Cernan did an outstanding job both piloting and carrying out his scientific duties on that flight).

Finally, although he wrote the book before the Space Shuttle first flew,
he points out that many of the astronauts felt too many compromises were made in designing it and that it wasn't safe. Cunningham points out that fighter pilots and astronauts find taking life-endangering risks to be exhilirating IF THE RISK IS NOT TOO GREAT. However, they oppose taking foolhardy risks, and not a few astronauts felt the Shuttle fit into that
category. Subsequent history has unfortunately shows that was the case, and the new Orion spacecraft is going back to an Apollo-like design and getting away from the "space-plane" concept.
All-in-all, I found the book a good read and a pleasant reminder of the
glory days of the manned space program that led to man walking on the moon.

This guy is one opinionated s.o.b. - but this book is all the better for it. Because Walt Cunningham is aware of his limitations, and has the virtue of being right in his strongly-held opinions.

I'd recommend this book even for those not interested in space flight. To see the cut-throat office politics behind a smooth veneer... it's something that relates so much to many walks of life. The fact that it is told here in the golden age of space flight makes it all the better. Wow! A great book.

Everything!

The Star Trek Deep Space Nine Companion is an "absolute must" for any DS9er or Star Trek fan. I owned this book for several years and would occasionally read about specific episodes. But this summer, I decided to watch every episode and then read what the author wrote about it. Now, I know why it's called a companion.

The book supplies, what I believe to be, an appropriate amount of information to introduce the reader to (or remind them about) the show and then continues with a behind the scenes "peek" from the perspective of the writers, directors, cast members and crew. Frequently, the author reveals the inspiration of the episode. And it is a very common occurrence to learn that the finished product was not always what the writers originally imagined. Without saying it, the author conveys all the hard work, patience and persistence associated with each episode and a glimpse into the Star Trek universe.

The companion contains numerous quotes from the writers, actors and directors. Included are their assessments of whether they considered the episode to be good, great, or not-so-great. The opinions and experiences of the guest stars, supporting cast members and even the stunt guys are also included. And the author delays revealing the back-story until the very end of a story arc, on those occasions when a particular story spans several episodes, to prevent the reader from getting too much information. Special treats include "close ups" on secondary characters, maps of Bajor, drawings and pictures of artifacts used in the show. Even a pronunciation guide for one of the episode titles is included.

This book is the perfect complement to the series. It's more than an episode guide. Future Star Trek companions will find this book to be a tough act to follow. I highly recommend it!

Love this in my Star Trek collection. Helps you to remember all of the great episodes of this series.

This book really set the standard for me for what a companion book for a TV show should be. A nice essay on the shows creation, lenghy season overviews, detailed synopsis' for each episode, and at least a couple pages (note these are big pages) of behind the scenes information on every single episode. With all due respect to a previous reviewer I don't understand how one could say there isn't enough behind the scenes information. This book is basically everything you could ever want to know about the TV show Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I now only buy companion books that follow a similar format. For anyone who likes DS9 this is the book to own.

This book is just too good for words - I actually was a little stunned to see it existed, and when I received it, I could not have been more pleased with the content. In-depth articles on each episode, illustrated by nice B&W photos and great interviews with cast and crew up and down the list.

Definitely NOT for the casual fan, but for those rare DS9 fans among the Trek fan base, this is the one.

Also, for those of you who enjoy the current "Galactica" series, this is a good window into how Ron Moore learned to write serialized, relevant sci-fi. If anything, this show is superior in many ways to "Galactica," if only by allowing a few rays of light to shine through the perpetual gloom.

Only complaint, and a very minor one: no interviews with either Marc Alaimo (Gul Dukat, nose-to-nose the best villain in Trek, along with Khan and Q) or Cirroc Lofton.

I'll just add to the heaps of praise for this massive work covering the complete Deep Space Nine series. The plot of every episode is described in detail, as one would expect, but this volume goes much further, devoting a great deal of text on each episode and season, primarily offering points of view from the writers, story editors, producers, directors, and other production staff, and occasionally from the actors. What's especially great, aside from all the detail that fans salivate over, is that everyone involved with the production is generally pretty candid about what does and doesn't work, so the less-inpsired episodes aren't subjected to faux praise for the sake of selling DVDs.

It's not flawless, however. Too much detail is sometimes given about how a story evolved into what finally aired, whereas there are often other questions about plot and character development, or lack thereof, that would've been more compelling to read. Also, there are spoilers in some of the behind-the-scenes info that could've been better disguised; it makes it difficult to share the book with someone who is watching the series for the first time. Those are small nits to pick, though. No other Trek episode guide comes anywhere near the level of depth and quality of this one, and I can't recommend it highly enough to fans of the series, even those who don't consider DS9 their favorite part of the ST franchise.

The ilustrations in this book portray you to another book that perfectly capture the original paints.

I read Edgar Rice Burroughs novels as a teen and will never forget the impact of the Frazetta covers. His heros, the settings and the creatures were so wild and vivid; plus I think he definitely set my ideals of feminine beauty for life. This collection is a must for anyone who wants a good biography of F.F. along with some great reproductions of his best work.

Frazetta is great and this book is swell... however (as one other reviewer also experienced) the cover came off my book after I had it for only one week! I couldn't believe it! To credit of the publisher they did send me a replacement. I think I will buy the sequel now. Too bad it's only available in hardcover, but at least that way the cover is much less likely to fall off. As for the third book, it seems to be completely unavailable except to those who are willing to pay over a hundred dollars for it!

Words cannot describe the beauty and passion in Frazetta's work; This book is filled with amazing art, from the original sketches to the final product; Lots of personal photographs and insightful narratives help to make this a satisfying package, but the artwork alone makes this book a must have. From his early career doing comic books and movie posters, to the grand scale of his fantasy art, this is a book that is sure to excite any and all who have a shred of creativity within them. Totally inspiring book!!!

When people think of fantasy artwork, they might think first of those Conan and Edgar Rice Burroughs paperback covers, or a berserker warrior on horseback, corpses of foes beneath him and dripping weapon above him. People think of Frazetta first, whether or not they know it's him they're thinking of. He's also done recognizable work for Mad magazine, Little Annie Fanny for Playboy, posters for Peter Sellers movies, and lots more.

Frazetta has done plenty of work in ink, especially for a range of comics, but his oil paintings are best known and most heavily represented here. It's easy to see how he became the inspiration for an entire generation of fantasy artists, and probably well into a second generation, too. No one captures the rippling sinews of barbarian warriors like Frazetta does, or beasts, half-men, dungeons, jungles, and every other fantasy-scape that he's rendered. Above all, no one comes close to the lush, rounded figures of his female characters. They can be warriors and wizards in their own right, or eldritch spirits, or even savable maidens. Some, as in "Moon's Rapture" or the standing figure in "Rogue Roman", show a rich and womanly figure at rest, but somehow promising as much raw physical power as any man.

I recommend this collection to anyone passionate about illustration or fantasy art. Any one of his paintings can be an entire course of study for a budding artist. They can also be seen as powerful narratives in imagery, or as a jumping-off point for dreams of far-away worlds and heroic adventures.

-- wiredweird

The Never War was better than the first two in the series put together. This book was much more realistic than the first two.

The Never War (Pendragon Series #3) This book came as part of a box set containing the first 3 books in the series. They are quality paper backs. They will probably stand up to a lot of re-reads. I had been in search of a series to fill in the void left from the conclusion of the Harry Potter series. I have found that D. J. MacHale's series about time travel by a teenager and his friends to be an excellent transition from Harry Potter. I am currently finishing up book 8 in the series. I have purchased 7 of the books from Amazon and will buy books 8 and 9 when they come out in paper back. I would highly recommend this series to fans of Harry Potter. Trust me, you won't be disappointed and you will love the adventure.

The Never War is the third book in the Pendragon series. I thought this book was amazing this book I think was the best of all of the pendragons. This book brings back the characters Mark, Courtney, Spader, and Bobby and a new traveler Gunny. This book brings you back into 1937 on first earth. At the start of world war two and ends with a big ending that may shock you.
I would totally recommend this book because it envolve your own world and it makes you brush up on your history. This book is definitely the greatest sci-fi I have read. The Never War is a book that you never want to stop reading it keeps you on the edge of your seat through out the whole story and this book always has you thinking of what could happen next.

This is a really interesting book for probably one reason: the historical fiction.
This book takes you to First Earth, where life is eternally 40 yeaers behind our Second Earth. The plot of this story is where Saint Dane is trying to alter things that have already happened to cause chaos throughout Halla. This is about the Hindenburg. Saint Dane offers Bobby a chance to save the Hindenburg from crashing but what will happen if he doesn't?
This is book is chalk full of good historical fiction. I liked it, A LOT!

D. J. MacHale wrote for television for years before turning his attention to novels. He created ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?, a long-running series on Nickelodeon in the United States, but it also showed in Canada on YTV and Cinar.

For the last few years, he's been writing the adventures of Bobby Pendragon, a boy who's destined - hopefully - to save the world. Several worlds, actually. Bobby is a Traveler, one of those who have the power to "flume" from world to world. He's brought into the adventure by his Uncle Press. As Bobby was growing up, Uncle Press also took Bobby scuba diving, mountain climbing, to martial arts, driving, and several other things that gave him skills he needs to survive against enemies he encounters. All during that time, Uncle Press was training Bobby to be a Traveler.

Bobby's greatest foe is a villain called Saint Dane. Saint Dane has the ability to change his appearance at will and constantly hides in different worlds while working his nefarious plans.

THE NEVER WAR is the third book in this exciting series. In it, Bobby travels to First Earth, which takes place in the year 1937. The gangster era isn't new by any means, and I was slightly let down when I discovered I wasn't being taken to a new world. I especially loved Cloral, the world Bobby went to in the second book, THE LOST CITY OF FAAR, and I look forward to returning there hopefully in one of the later books.

Still, I'm older than the average Pendragon reader. The 1930s and the Hindenburg are familiar to me through several other books I've read as well as history I've researched.

For all the familiarity with the time period, though, MacHale tells a fascinating and fast-paced tale. Bobby and his new best friend Spader land in the 1930s while pursuing Saint Dane. They're immediately met by machine-gun toting thugs that try to kill them. Bobby figures out how to escape and gets Spader out as well. Spader is way out of his depth because he's never seen anything as "technologically advanced" as the 1930s.

One of the best things about the Pendragon books is that Bobby usually gets to save the day in a down-to-earth manner. He doesn't have any really special skills or powers that help him. At this point, he's fourteen years old and can do what most kids that age can. This makes the series more believable in some ways, and I think it draws the Pendragon audience in a little closer.

MacHale's sense of timing and pacing is excellent. The story moves quickly, and I got a real sense of urgency throughout the book as Bobby tries to figure out what Saint Dane is really doing. Many of the chapters end up on cliffhangers that will draw you rapidly into the next chapter. The dialogue is fantastic and sounds real.

One of the other facets of the series that I really enjoy is Bobby's friendship with Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde. The closeness they share, even through Bobby's journals, feels real.

MacHale also mixes in adult heroes with his young champion. Vincent "Gunny" Van Dyke was an excellent grown Traveler in this novel. He was kind and gentle, and guided Bobby and Spader throughout the adventure.

I did miss the world-building in this novel, but I know MacHale gets back to it in later volumes of the series. But for kids who haven't researched the 1930s much, this should be a fun book and on equal footing with fans of Artemis Fowl and Alex Rider.

The past few years I've been practicing various types of meditation and decided I wanted to combine meditating with movement, so I turned to the internal martial arts (Qigong, Tai Chi, Xiang Yi, Ba Gua). After speaking to several internal arts teachers from sound linneages, they all recommended starting with Qigong, and to spend at least half a year only mastering several postures before moving on to the other forms of the internal arts. I bought this book because Master Lam's method seemed in tune with this belief, and I was pleasantly shocked at the results of this book:

--The book says to expect changes over a span of weeks; after the first day alone my back felt more loose, stress free and relaxed then it had in years.
--I no longer have the need to drink caffeine in the morning to keep me up throughout the day.
--I've slowly started to be able to detect an actual physical presence of chi throughout my body (this is coming from a fairly rational/logical, non new-agey type of guy).
--My overall mood and energy has improved.
--I have a much more peaceful state of mind.
--My hypertention has been completely erased; I can calm anxiety driven behavior down much more easily, and have learned to control and regulate my breathing.
--It has helped my cardio activities, long distance running & basketball, immensely. I feel I have more endurance, more balance, and more confident in both sports.

I owe a huge thank you to Master Lam for publishing a book that is simply written and easy to understand, while containing a wealth of information about the forms, postures, breathing, visualizations, anecdotes, meridians, and other information about Qigong, and Lam's specialty of Zhang Zhuang in particular. I'm still shocked at how much learning these postures has improved my life and brought me both physical relief as well as inner peace. Highly recommended.

This system of movement has assisted me to release old tensions that I was unable to access or release in any other way. Truely a way to rejuvenation.

This book really does a good job of explaining standing (Zhan Zhuang) and Qigong to the beginner. My sifu had recommended that I do standing practice, and had taught me a qigong set, and I found that reading this book helped me along. Some of the things (such as the Ba Duan Jin qigong set) differ slightly from the way I was taught, but basically the book is right on the money, and does a good job of helping you understand what everything is for. I also like the warm up exercises before standing that he shows, they really do help. The book is very well illustrated also, which is a plus. Highly recommended, especially for anyone into internal martial arts.

This book is arguably the very finest introduction currently available to the practice of QiGong, especially for those who do not have access to a trustworthy living teacher. QiGong's burgeoning popularity has generated a plethora of both violently skeptical and credulously New-Agey essays. Rather than taking either on faith, you can actually experience internal Qi for yourself and make up your own mind as to its value, using this volume as a guide. Lam Kam-Chuen is one of a tiny handful of QiGong teachers who are fully qualified to write a practical instruction manual geared to the average Western person. For those who want to actually experience the truth about Qi for themselves rather than chew an academic cud of pre-digested dogma, this book is worth its weight in gold!

The Way of Energy provides a step-by-step, almost month-to-month introduction to the practice of Qigong.

Many Qigong books are too "Eastern" for Westerners to read, or are too technical/textbook like, spending many pages going over the meridians, cavities, times of day and orientation. This is required knowledge for advanced practicioners, but gets in the way and is intimidating for introductory students.

The Way of Energy starts of with a simple, straightforward standing meditation. After a brief introduction to Qigong, Part One introduces two standing positions, discusses how to start with a few minutes then work your way up to many, a good section on breathing and has an excellent section describing the sensations most people experience when starting Qigong practice (this section is worth the price of the book for most beginners).

Part Two (which the text recommends proceeding to after a few months) introduces the Eight Pieces of the Brocade Qigong exercies (called Ba Duan Jin in this text) and introduces three additional and advanced standing positions. The reader is instructed on how to integrate these two new pieces into their practice. While the Eight Pieces of Brocade positions vary slightly from other texts, their descriptions are excellent and their purpose briefly but clearly explained.

Part Three describes four advanced standing positions and imagery exercises for the practicioner to begin managing their Chi. The last part of the book describes how to integrate these disciplines into everyday life.

In summary, an excellent introductory step-by-step guide. For more technical works, I would recommend the Qigong Meditation series by Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming (Embryonic Breathing, Small Circulation and the forthcoming book on Grand Circulation).

I ordered this item and received it within a week. Very good timing.

I love this book!When my friend got a Calvin and Hobbes book, I did'nt really like it because it was not in color. But once I got this book I loved it! I colored in the ilistrations so now I don't have ANY problems with this book! I want to collect all of the Calvin and Hobbes books, but right now I only have 4. I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes funny books. They are so good my dad reads them! Other good Calvin and Hobbes books are Revenge of the Baby-Sat,Scientific Progress Goes Boink, and Attack of the Deranged Muntant Killer Monster Snow Goons. Well, I guess that's it. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

This is a funny book about a kid named Calvin and his stuffed tiger named
Hobbes. They do funny stuff and they have adventures. Calvin is a funny six year old. Hobbes is a smart tiger! YOU NEED TO READ IT!

This is the second of three little books, published in the UK, that contain the exact material of the very first Calvin and Hobbes book. I bought this book thinking it had something new in it, but I didn't realize it contained the same material as a book I already had.

It's probably a better investment just to go ahead and buy the first Calvin and Hobbes book (titled Calvin and Hobbes). Everybody loves C&H; who doesn't know a little boy somewhere "just like Calvin"?

Forgive me if my review runs a bit on the sappy side, but I grew up with Calvin and Hobbes, and I sometimes think they are among the best friends I've ever had. Bill Watterson's comic is gentle, sincere, and magical. At its core it is an examination of what it means to be human, and the value of friendship. Watterson's philosophy of the comic strip was that it should be based around characters rather than gags; we should feel as though we know the protagonists as real people, rather than as interchangeable vehicles for jokes. That comes through on every page, even from the very beginning. Calvin's world has a cast you can probably count on two hands, but every character (except possibly Moe, the bully) has at least a hint of fully-rounded personality. Watterson's world is one of simple pleasures shared with good company.

As with any comic strip, the first collection is rather crude in pretty much every aspect--the drawings, the humor, the personalities--but as a prototype for what would come later, it is not without its own charms. Even at this stage I would hardly call Calvin and Hobbes a forgettable, generic strip. It still has heart and a sense of profundity, even if Watterson had not yet figured out the most effective way to illustrate these things in his strip. It's interesting to see the origin of Hobbes (even if this version was discarded later), the genesis of Calvin's relationship with Susie (the love-hate romance, which will later be toned down, is at the forefront here), the first appearance of Spaceman Spiff, the introduction of a then-unnamed Rosalyn, and so forth. Also, early Calvin and Hobbes are somehow a bit more adorable here than their later incarnations, but you didn't hear that from me.

In an age of disposable comics, Calvin and Hobbes is one of the few childhood experiences of my life that I can actually appreciate more with age. I would not find it an exaggeration to say that Watterson's perspective of life heavily shaped my own, as I find myself much less concerned with superficiality and the plastic culture of Hollywood than many of my reality-TV-addicted, Nike-sporting, iPod-blasting peers, and more appreciative of the little things in life that we tend to take for granted. All Calvin needs to be content is a good friend and a search for adventure, and even as I grow, kicking and screaming, into adulthood, I find I can still relate.

If you love C&H, you'll like this book. For me, Calvin is like pepperoni pizza... when it's good, it's really good, and when it's bad, it's still good.

Unfortunately, I say it rather cynically.

My, there are so many monsters peopling this strip. The kid's a monster. His parents are monsters. The tiger's a monster. The teacher's a monster. The babysitter's a monster. And the only character who's not a monster (and more of a victim) is naturally enough, a young girl who is never bad or gets into any trouble. And the strip, while a rugrat's fantasyland, also smacks of extreme adolescent rebellion.

The strip is so overrated even after its demise a decade ago that it's been ensured that no cartoonist alive or yet to be born would ever create a strip as well-worshipped as it is for all eternity to come. So why not just remove the whole comic section from the news for good?

This book combines material from both Yukon Ho! and Weirdos From Another Planet!. Perfect to read with a blanket and a cup of tea on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It lifts my spirits up and makes me laugh, even when there's no one around. Really, that could be said about any Calvin and Hobbes book, though!

Whether the collection is the "Indispensible" or "Essential" or "Quintessential" Calvin and Hobbes, it doesn't really matter. Watching this hyperactive, hyperimaginative child and his willing though wise accomplice, Hobbes, take on evil babysitters, Susie Derkins, the class bully and all creatures (real or imaginary), is a pleasure and laughter without stop. "The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes" is another in a long list of the great comic work of Bill Watterson. This is an indispensible/essential/quintessential collection for all Calvin and Hobbes and humor fans!

Calvin is a beam of light, a dinosaur, Spaceman Spiff, a pollster on the election of new parents, a robotic explorer from Jupiter (in search of chocoloate) -- well lots of things. He's all the best and all the worst a boy about five can be, and that covers a lot of ground.

If the others around him never quite see things Calvin's way, that's really not his problem. Hobbes will always understand, and generally offer some understated commentary on events. I prefer not to say too much about Hobbes. It's really best if you let him introduce himself.

This book is a treasury of daily and sunday color strips. It captures a part of one of the best strip comics ever. If you already know C&H, you'll surely want this collection. If you missed the strip when it was still in the papers, this will give you a wonderful introduction.

It's never too late to have a happy childhood, and Calvin offers his for your enjoyment.

//wiredweird

Having worked in the alternative health industry for 12 years, and studied it for 17 years, I read the book having been on a similar journey as the author's. His is a very unique telling of such a tale. The first time I read the book when it was first published, I didn't agree with or understand some of his points on health or the way he was presenting them, but experience has shown me more clarity.
His is not a 'how-to' instruction book, and he gives clear reasons for why it is so. His is rather a book on his own ideas, and someone following in his footsteps will have different experiences and find different truths working for them.
And his insigts into why he still experiences physical discomforts provides great words for dealing with those types of questions one on this journey encounters from those outside.
And ordering it from Amazon is a great idea. [...]

Having now dealt with cancer in my family three times over, I was curious to read other literature about others who have dealt with cancer. My uncle currently underwent a new form of prostate cancer treatment, and is doing very well. What I find interesting is my uncle probably lives as close to Mr. Benedict's way of living, and has throughout his whole life. That did not prevent cancer. That did not cure it.

I am a daughter of a research scientist. I am a country girl and work with horses/ride/train/compete. I am also a writer(when I have a free moment). I like to think of things, read things, expand my knowledge. Knowledge is key to curing anything. The more you know, the more you can fight something.

I've watched my stepfather die of a radical cancer in short of three weeks, at the ripe age of fifty(dying on Christmas day. A rare blood cancer). He never even knew he had it. He was highly atheletic, ate healthy, never smoked. He still died.

When writing a book, I feel an author does have a certain responsibility to the public in showing a balance of information to the reader. This is the only place I found this book lacking. It was very one sided. If you eat a certain way = bad. I don't disagree with the theorires of Mr Benedict, but rather the lack of other information available out there. Truth be told, doctors CAN help patients. Patients can help themselves. There can be a yin and yang of both.

My grandfather just passed away at 93 years of age. He ate beef and eggs daily. He never smoked, was physically active his whole life, and stayed that way until his mid eighties.(perhaps because he had a vacation home in New Hampshire and retired there was part of that well-being? I've often felt of New Hampshire as a healing place and loved visiting there my whole life!)

What worries me about this book are some of the medical goings on in mr Benedicts life, and his lack of concern to reporting to a medical practitioner. There are many medical reasons of what was happening to him, not just mediphysical(excuse spelling, not my strong point).

Fact---your body will metabolize food eatten. It does not stay in your system longer than your body is able to eliminate it. There fore, the problems given(physical) were more likely due to stress, life style and other things(I believe Mr Benedict smokes cigars. Sorry, but right there, I Can give you a million reasons for why that could cause every ailment given).

HOWEVER, I am not dissing this book because I believe in it's message. HEALTHY living is key to being healthy. Enjoying your life, living your dreams, and making sure you eat a balanced diet and exercise. This is a key component that is ever disolving in today's life for kids. Childhood obesity and diabetes is on the rise, and you can thank fast food chains and their super-sized meals for that. While I do have to eat on the go with my job, I do not eat at those fast food places...the mere sight of them make me ill. When I do go with friends, and they grab a bite there, I am amazed at the portions now from when I was a child.

There are many pearls of wisdom in the book---do not fear. Many revelations that only a truly deep hearted person would want to share, and share he does--with his heart and soul. That's a GOOD thing, and so rare these days. People seem to want to profess something only if it benefits them. I did not see that in this book at all. I saw someone who went through something so huge and so overwhelming, he wanted to share that. That is to be commended.

In the end, what Mr Benedict is saying, and what I also believe in is live a healthy life. Eat right, exercise and above all else, enjoy and don't lose sight of your dreams.

I read the book, and I fell in love with it, and I hope that everyone would take their health seriously, and I hope that if someone you know is getting into health, please give them the book, it's a bible to the health-concious people everywhere, so please do take some of the things that Mr. Benedict is saying, it might save your life someday.

I believed in what Mr. Benedict is saying, and I hope that every one is taking their health seriously, and if someone is in trouble or confused with health, give them the book, if you do that you will be make making a great investment, people should take actors who have been through hell serious enough.

This is an excellent book. Dirk is an excellent author. This was the quickest read of non-fiction I have had in years. It is great getting a point of view of others, especially, when they write in a down-to-earth style you can understand. Dirk seems to be that kind of guy.

If you are looking for a bit-by-bit blow from Battlestar Galactica or the A-Team...forget it. He only tells us a little about his work. I wish he would have written more because the few parts there were a great read.

This book is mainly about how Dirk fought cancer using macrobiotics. After reading this book I am not a convert, but I learned a lot. I learned that I and most Americans need to greatly reduce our intake of fatty meat and triple our intake of good vegetables. More veggies, a balanced diet and less caffeine and alcohol all lead to a healthier person.

I do not totally agree with him on his views on modern medicine. Yes, there are many quacks out there who think that they can solve any problem you have with a pill, you get addicted to that pill and then you're hooked. But evidence shows that we are living longer today despite our intake of unhealthy food. I think we can thank some doctors and scientists for that.

For me, the power of this book was the fact that Dirk took control of his life that, to him, seemed out of control. And it does seem like his method helped beat his disease.

I hope we have more offerings from Dirk, not only on the screen, but more literary works as well.

I just recently decided to dabble in polymer clay. I bought a previous book on "how to" and techniques. Then I bought this book. This is not a book for someone who has never dealt with polymer clay. She gives ideas on how to make dragons. As for things on mixing clays, tools, etc you will need to find in another book. After I read the first book I bought, I then read this one. I started and finished my first dragon last night. I used Christi's directions from beginning to end and was extremely pleased on how my dragon turned out. I couldn't believe that I made it myself. Christi's book is very detailed and explains what you need to do step by step. She also adds some humor to it which makes it a lot of fun to read. I highly recommend this book.

Christie Freisen/s claying books are entertaining, informative but above all, she encourages you to explore your own creativity and it works. I love all of her books. They are an entertaining read and a great how to books, full of humor and other good stuffs. Keep up the good works Christie....... We clayers here in St Louis, MO love you.

Such a fun book! Christi is highly entertaining. Her lovely personality comes shining through Loud and Clear!!! I have a great time pulling out these books and following along with her step by step. I am always very satisfied with the results. And usually I am not a step by step kinda person. I am more of the no rules/color outside of the lines kinda gal but, Christi makes it fun to follow along! I can't wait for the rest of the series. So far I've made a few frogs, a dragon, a sea-horse, and some flowers, vines and foliage.

I recommend the entire series. Even my young nieces and my mother-in-law creating projects from these books!

Wow, this book is fun from front to back. I have it on my work table open to a favorite page even if I am not working on "whimsical, small creatures of polymer clay" at the time. It has very good directions and clear colorful pictures. It is "user friendly" and I hope there will be more like it. I would like to have a collection of her books. KF

This is the 3rd book I bought of this artist and it was just as much of a joy to read and study as the other 2. Her writing and her instructions make it a real joy to read and study. She really makes learning fun. Isn't that what we would like everything to be?! Fun?
I wasn't a big fan of dragons until I bought this book. It just might change your mind too!