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News and Media Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

News and Media
Christy
Published in Unknown Binding by Avon (1976-07-01)
Author: Catherine Marshall
List price: $7.99
New price: $3.25
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Too many coincidences.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-18
Sorry, but the glut of coincidences and melodramatic writing was just too much. I'm going back to my nonfiction now.

Only the most amazing book ever
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-07
I just read this book and what can I say except that it was amazing. I actually prefer Neil to David. David was never very consistent in his faith he was good talker but he had no understanding. I recomend this book to anyone who already has faith or is struggling to find theirs. Read this book! You won't be sorry!

Moving and poignant book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-03
I really enjoyed this book. I also enjoyed the fact that many of the events in the book are in the series released on DVD. I would have preferred if certain subjects had not been discussed in this book so that it would be more appropriate for younger ages. Other than that it was a really enjoyable read.

Wonderful Book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-22
This is one of my very favorite books! I've read it over so many times and never get tired of it. It's just so interesting, captivating and touching.

Loved it!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-07
This is one of those classic novels that you could read again and again. I hadn't read it since high school twenty years ago and just re-read Christy last week. I like it even better now than I did then (and I loved it then, too). I would have loved to have had Catherine Marshall's version of a sequel (hopefully it would have consisted of a continuation of Neil & Christy's romance), but I guess we get to imagine the "happily ever after" instead. It's a great read!

News and Media
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Published in Paperback by Random House Books for Young Readers (2000-10-24)
Author: Louise Gikow
List price: $4.99
New price: $0.01
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

A Holiday Classic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-11
This was one of my favorite holiday stories when I was a child. Now I share that classic with my children, and I hope someday they will pass that along to theirs.

It's a wonderful, funny, and heartwarming story.

An ageless classic, a lifetime favorite!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-16
My mother read it to her kids, I read it mine, and I've even shared it with those who'd never heard of it. What? Never heard of it? Shame...but that was resolved.

No Christmas should go by without revisiting one of the finest classic Christmas tales of the ages. And it's so convicingly Seuss, you just have love it. How could we not love all the Whos down in Whoville! While my kids are beyond reading this story now in the off-season, they still like to have their dad pull it out and read the story while assuming the appropriate voices for the characters.
Quite simply, every household that celebrates Christmas should have this story as part of the holiday traditions...whether the kids are 2 or 20 or 40.

"His heart grew two sizes that day"
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-11
Can you imagine growing up without the Grinch? In my country we collectively had never heard of this funny little fellow until the advent of the film. Fortunately I was introduced to him the Christmas of 1990 (still way past childhood, of course) and have enjoyed the story every year since. My children were so taken with the story that at one point we read it daily, no matter the hot summer sun beaming through the windows and there being no Christmas tree in sight.The easy, typically Zeuss-ian rhyme meant that we could recite it off by heart, without the need to actually read. Since, we have widened our library of Zeuss-material to include many other favourites.
There are plenty of reviews detailing what happens in the tale, for me it is important to share the sentiment that accompanies it, especially with the advent of Christmas. The sentiment of Christmas being about sharing, about having peple around you who matter, about enjoying togetherness and being happy.
Final note: I wonder if anyone has explored thematic and plot- similarities between Zeuss' story and Dickens' classic 'A Christmas Carol'. To what extent was Zeuss influenced by Dickens?

Classic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-25
A classic story that everyone who even slightly appreciates Christmas. Dr. Seuss tells a convincing story of the true meaning of Christmas and gives us a surprisingly complex character at the same time, someone who discovers he hates Christmas for all the right reasons. The illustrations are Sessian-wonderland, and the lyrical read is an artistic blast.

Classic for a reason - accept no substitutions!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-15
Like everybody else, I know the story of the Grinch. It's even better in print than on screen, so, yes, buy this book if you haven't.

News and Media
Requiem for a Dream: A Novel
Published in Paperback by Da Capo Press (2000-08-15)
Author: Hubert Selby Jr.
List price: $15.95
New price: $6.10
Used price: $3.76

Average review score:

Disturbing and bleak, yet resoundingly perfect; an astute depiction of inherent imperfection...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-14
The definition of the word `requiem' is a musical service or hymn in honor of the dead. How fittingly that word rests with the subject matter of this novel. `Requiem for a Dream' is just that, a musical hymn in honor of those crushed and shattered dreams. When reading Selby's phenomenal (and I mean that in the most extreme sense of the word) novel about abolished hope and sheer desperation the reader is forced to face the ugly truth about our horrific society.

You ever read that novel or watch that film that just eats away at the pit of your stomach and pains you to your very core? You ever struggle to turn the page or fight to watch the screen because the onslaught of negativity is picking away at your spirit and bringing you to a dark and lonely place you never wished to visit? That is the feeling experienced when reading (or subsequently watching the Aronofsky film adaptation) this novel.

The novel opens by introducing us to four people. We have Sara, an older Jewish woman who lives for television. The opening scene depicts her son Harry, strung out as usual, stealing her television to pawn it for money in order to get his next hit. Harry also has a girlfriend Marion as well as a best friend Tyrone C. Love. The three of them enjoy a nice taste of heroin every now and again and will do just about anything to get it. Sara dreams of one day being on television, and when she gets to opportunity she grabs it by the horns. She is convinced to lose enough weight to fit into her favorite red dress, the one she wore to Harry's bar mitzvah. This leads her to diet pills which she quickly and dangerously forms an addiction to. Harry and Marion on the other hand begin to develop a plan to buy and sell heroin for a profit, that way they can one day by that little coffee shop and make a life for themselves. This little plan involves Tyrone as well, and as the dope starts pouring in, their idea of a small taste begins to grow until they can't stomach the thought of selling any of it but feel compelled to keep all of it for themselves.

The novel brilliantly portrays the mind of an addict; the `I'll never get that bad, I can stop whenever I want to' mentality that cripples the mind and fortifies the very essence of the domination of the soul. All four of these individuals are taken over and beaten down by the disease that is addiction. There is a scene where Tyrone is arrested and spends some time in the jail cell with an elderly addict, a man who is so far gone Tyrone is disgusted by him. Tyrone is determined never to be that man, never to become that dependant on the taste, but the first thing Tyrone does when he gets out is cop him that taste. He doesn't realize that he is already there.

The novel, like I mentioned, is horribly depressing and utterly frustrating, especially as the novel comes to a close and everything begins to spiral into oblivion. As we watch Sara, Harry, Marion and Tyrone's lives completely fall apart in a gradual yet perpetual tumble towards rock bottom we are left with the bitter taste of pain and misery in the back of our throats. Experiencing Sara's mental deterioration at the hands of the pill; watching Marion degrade herself to escape the sick feeling of withdrawals; seeing Harry cast aside his own well being in order to keep that high; watching Tyrone come to realize he is no better than the men he despises; all of this eats at our very being and transports us to a place unlike any we've ever been.

Like the movie, the novel excels when focusing on the female characters. Sara and Marion are by far the most sympathetic and interesting characters in the novel; with that said they are also the most depressing and utterly devastating to read about. Their final outcome is far from pretty and makes the reader feel helpless and alone; much like these characters.

`Requiem for a Dream' is far from pretty. It is dirty, gritty and at times unbearable; but there is no denying that it is a masterpiece; literature at its finest. Hubert Selby Jr. is a deeply controlled and phenomenally capable writer who understands the appropriate darkness of his subject; an author who takes something so terrible, so bleak and painful and makes it quite frankly one of the most important novels ever penned. In my humble opinion this is the type of novel that should be mandatory reading at any substance abuse rehabilitation center. After reading this grisly novel (and of course watching the equally grisly film) I could never even stomach the idea of drug use. In a world that glamorizes any and everything harmful to the soul, `Requiem for a Dream' stands apart as a very real depiction of all you stand to lose.

Harrowing and heartbreaking
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-20
If you've seen the film, better fasten your seatbelts. Aronofsky went easy on you. I can't adequately describe what Selby achieved in this novel, or in "Last Exit to Brooklyn". He is capable of describing the most brutal things with apparent (but ONLY apparent) objectivity, but at other times he writes with astonishing delicacy. I can't even think of another writer who can do that half as well as Selby.

If you found the last 20 minutes of the film as horrifying as I did, Selby's account of the fates of Harry, Sara, Marion, and Tyrone will make you want to cry for all of them.

This is not going to be an easy read for a lot of people, but it's a masterwork.

It's just that good.

If you've read "Last Exit to Brooklyn," you'll be familiar with Selby's habit of not using quotation marks when he writes dialogue. But even if this is your first exposure to Selby, you'll figure out who's saying what pretty quickly.

And don't skip Selby's prologue.

As an aside: ELLEN BURSTYN WAS ROBBED! (As Sara in Requiem for a Dream, she really should have gotten an Oscar. I'm just saying.)

One of my favorites - simply, amazing
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-30
Hubert Selby Jr writes with in a way that is astounding. Bringing a story like this so heavily to life, to a point where it completely envelopes and engrossing you, all the while disgusting you is a great fete. I saw the movie, which is great in its own right, but not near comparison to the language of the book. Definitely recommended!

Unrelenting...
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-19
Selby's ability to capture inner monologue is incredible. You not only empathize, but you believe with each one of the characters. You hold on to the dream and it crushes you. Should be read in highschools everywhere.

Prepare yourself before you read
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-30
You need to be ready before you read this book. Upon finishing this little dandy I was physically shaking. I can't think of any other book that has made of shake. The manic style and never ending punch in the face flow of this Hubert Selby Jr. masterpiece will stay with you for the rest of your life. If you saw the movie and so decided to not read the book, you are making a mistake. The book is a totally different experience then the movie. Each is a masterpiece in a completely unique way. It's amazing how real this book is. You will feel insane compassion for the lowest of individuals. You will want to reach out to these amazing characters. I don't know how Hubert Selby Jr. does it. His mind must have been a dark but beautiful and loving realm. If you want to be a book this one will make you its own. Read it.

News and Media
Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Books for Profit with Print on Demand by Lightning Source and Book Marketing on Amazon.com
Published in Paperback by Shepard Publications (2007-01-01)
Author: Aaron Shepard
List price: $12.50
Used price: $500.00

Average review score:

Required Reading for Every Author
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-22
When I received this book, I sat down and read it cover to cover, running my highlighter over all the key points. Now, I use this book, frequently as a resource. Shepard does a great job of explaining the concepts without being too wordy. It's only about 165 pages, but absolutely filled with valuable information.

If you want to learn how to sell more books on Amazon, this is the best book I've read on the subject. Shepard teaches:
How to title your book for Amazon search engines
How to create a book cover that favors Amazon sales
How to use several free tools available on Amazon to boost the
visibility of your book.
How to set discounts that work to the author greatest advantage.
How to go about self-publishing a book with Lightning Source
The reasons not to publish an eBook version of your book.
A pricing strategy for selling your book on Amazon.

Thanks to books like this one, self-published authors have a chance to succeed against our traditionally published competitors.

A Must Have for someone who wants know how to self-publish
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-10
This book clearly dispells many of the myths and exposes the secrets of the publishing and the self-publishing industry. He does not day how to write your book, rather how to get it into print and distribution. He has terrific ideas about promotion and boosting sales and ultimately profit. He has 95% of submitted manuscripts, pays low royalties (approx 10%), and take up to three years to get your book into print, all the while usurping all the control of the content and layout.

This book was written for me (and you)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-28
I am a self publishing author myself and always researching ways to market books, especially here on Amazon. I thought I really knew all the tips, tricks and tactics of Amazon marketing...boy was I wrong!

Aaron Shepard lines it all out in an easy to understand guide to marketing your book to the best of your ability on Amazon. But, please do not let the name of the book fool you; it goes way beyond Amazon marketing, including how to actually build and create a book from scratch, covering concepts such as researching before writing, naming the book, interior design and which printing company to use.

If you are a self-publisher or aspiring author, add this book to your shelf. Mr. Shepard has years of experience in the writing field and is generously passing it on to us. I actually have it by my computer as I write for quick reference. I was so impressed by his simplistic and informative writing style that I am now ordering his other books.

Best Book Out There!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-24
"Aiming at Amazon" by Aaron Shepard is my favorite book right now because I successfully used it to create my already written book, "The Magi of Futurity", and have it listed on Amazon. After checking with others and reading the reviews for Aaron's book, I was very impressed and couldn't wait to order it. Within two months after reading this book, along with Aaron's "Perfect Pages" book, I had accomplished my goal. Thank you, Aaron, for producing such wonderful guides for aspiring authors!

FASCINATING LOOK INSIDE THE SELF-PUBLISHING INDUSTRY
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-28
Aiming at Amazon is the most valuable book I've ever read. It will save you money during the production of your book, and make sure that you make more money after it is produced. Highly recommended for anyone thinking about self-publishing.

News and Media
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Dell (1988-06-01)
Author: Harry F. Saint
List price: $4.95
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

I'm only giving this 4 stars because.......
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-11
it's been over a decade since I read this and can't justify giving it 5 when it's been so long. That said, I enjoyed this quite a bit as I recall. What makes this a good read is that it is about an ordinary guy finding himself in an unbelievable scenario and how he faces the challenges. Many authors would be tempted to turn Joe Schmo instantly into James Bond or any other fantasy hero with all the smarts and moves. Fortunately, Saint avoids this and presents us with a story that we can almost believe is fact, not fiction. This is actually more a review of the film than the book. If you've seen the abomination of a film citing this novel as the source material and thought it was good, you should probably pass on giving this a read. Much like Bonfire of the Vanities, this was horribly miscast and butchered. How this ever fell into the hands of John Carpenter and Chevy Chase, I'll never understand. Someone else mentioned that Harrison Ford would have been better cast as the central character and I think that's pretty much dead on but the screenplay would have to have been trashed and put in the hands of someone who wanted to create something that actually represented the original and also in the hands of a more capable director. John Carpenter may be good at what he does but he was way out of his depth with this and was probably incapable of controlling Chase. Bottom line, the books very good if not great and the movie is a huge disappointment that really sucks.

Wonderfully detailed account
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-25
Saint's narrative of how an invisible man survives in an urban setting is very credible because of the amount of details provided. Nick is forced to become a true survivalist because government agents are after him with the intent of making him a laboratory curiosity.
One reviewer commented that Nick appeared rather wimpy in his response to Colonel Jenkins' persecution (that is the best word for it) and this is the only aspect of the book that put me off slightly. If I'd been in Nick's place, Jenkins' life would have been much, much harder.

This book is awsome
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-14
It takes you on a journey in your mind. You feel like you are the character. Fighting for survival. It's an amazing book. Fascinating. Awsome, What else can i say?

What would life really be like for an invisible man ?,
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-09
Edgy, nail-biting, darkly humorous, sexy, paranoid, and brilliant speculation about what life might be like for a man who is accidentally turned invisible.

This is light-years better than any of the many other recent attempts to build stories on this theme, from books and TV to films, and sadly including the distinctly average Chevy Chase comedy which was actually inspired by this book.

The narrator and central character is Nick Halliwell, a 34-year old, single, securities analyst working for a New York firm, who is completely ordinary except perhaps for an overactive sex drive. As part of his campaign to seduce a beautiful New York Times journalist called Anne Epstein, Nick invites her to a demonstration by a company called MicroMagnetics of their new type of magnetic fields.

Unfortunately Anne has cartoonishly stereotypical left-wing/liberal views. She decides that the magnetic fields must be intended for nuclear fusion containment, and tips off a buch of lunatics called "Students for a Fair society" about the event. These idiots decide to stage the other sort of demonstration, which includes cutting off power to the building.

As Nick puts it later, he should have paid more attention to what the students were about to do and what effect this might have on the process which the head of the company describes.

"I knew that someone was about to shut off power to the building ... And this man was telling me that he had some loopy subatomic process roaring away, which sustained itself but whose control system used outside power. It is important to listen to exactly what people are saying ..."

Shortly afterwards Nick is in the toilet when the building is evacuated as someone realises what the students are about to do: perversely ignoring a security guard who asks if anyone is there, he remains in the building and consequently is still inside when the control system has its power cut off, and the equipment blows up, turning everything else inside the building invisible.

Nick is knocked out by the effect. He comes to his senses a few hours later, and realises that he has been turned invisible, by which time government investigators are looking at the building. He calls out to the nearest investigator, expecting them to offer help, and is astonished when the man speaks into his radio and even as he promises medical help, Nick can see that an ambulance and some paramedics are being told to leave. Then the investigators come towards the building with a net. Nick realises that they see him more as an invaluable asset than as another human being, and falling into their hands might be a very bad idea ...

The main plot of the story is about the determined efforts which the investigators, led by the horrible Colonel Jenkins, make to capture Nick, and Nick's equally determined attempts to stay out of their custody. The sub-plot is that invisibility does not affect Nick's considerable libido, and he misses female companionship more than anything else about his situation. And as if it were not difficult enough for an invisible man to find love, any attempt Nick makes to do so is almost certain to offer new opportunities for Colonel Jenkins to catch him.

The dramatic tension in the book is sometimes unbearably strong, and there are some very exciting action sequences: there are also some moments of extreme pathos and some hysterically funny or embarrassing scenes.

Contains a lot of speculation, much of it highly plausible, about how other human beings might react to an invisible person. He is still solid, still needs food, water, sleep & shelter, and has to open doors to pass through them, so he cannot avoid leaving evidence that a person is around. Some people confronted with evidence of Nick's presence assume he's a ghost, or that a burglar has been and gone, but other people who become aware of him react in much more dangerous ways.

"Memoirs of an invisible man" is one of the best novels I have ever read. As I prepare to post this I see that the number of Amazon.com reader reviews is now up to 64 and 62 including mine are five-stars, which must be almost unprecedented. But the book really is that good.

Still a great book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-02
I first read this book almost 20 years ago, and remember at the time recommending it to everyone I knew who loved books. They recently had a re-run of the dreadful film ( movie) of this great book, which prompted me to get my 15 year old daughter to read it - she loved it!

ps anyone ever find out who actually was H.F Saint?

News and Media
Down These Mean Streets
Published in Turtleback by Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media (2002-02)
Author: Piri Thomas
List price: $22.29

Average review score:

Perfect Condition!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-29
This book was in perfect condition when I received it. My only issue with my purchase was when I received it. The only option for shipping when I ordered was standard shipping, not sure why?? Anyway it took about two weeks to get to me. All in all, it was worth the wait.

This my personal favorite
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-19
If you want to hear the truth about the old days, here it is. This was a perfect example of what many people in El Barrio saw and/or did. Its so real that if you read certain passages slowly, and then close your eyes, you could actually see how it went down. This book can help you look deep and realize that we, in this day and age, have it 50 times better than our fathers and grandfathers. Lets thank our stars and our parents. Praise to you "Don" Piri.

Forever a classic
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-11
Down These Mean Streets is the story of Piri Thomas' journey into adulthood. The book is set in Spanish Harlem in the 1940s. The author's writing style is refreshing and lyrical. He uses some Spanish words here and there(readers might find the glossary in the back of the book helpful), and kicks in a few slang words as well, which makes the dialogs that much more genuine.

Piri struggles through poverty, family troubles, and desperately wanting to belong. He fights with being a dark skinned Puerto Rican during a time when racism was strong, and trying to find his place as neither black nor white. Piri did some not-so-good things in his life, being in a gang, drug addiction, and armed robbery among other things, but throughout it all it is easy to tell that Piri is a good guy at heart.

Overall, this is a captivating story. You might find yourself wondering what you would have done faced with the same situations. I even found myself rooting for Piri at times. This book is still a very accurate depiction of "the hoods" of New York, despite being published for the first time about 40 years ago.

I was sad to have to finish the book, and in the end I felt like I knew Piri. I look forward to re-reading this book over the years. It is truly a classic. Everyone should read it. Anyone can find something in the story that they will be able to relate to.

an exciting nonfiction book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-28
This book really told me what it was like to live in Harlem in the 40s. The discrimination and racism is real and raw (although Mr Thomas does get a little jaded and think all white people are bad). The way he describes coming off heroin is realistic, colorful, and explosive. This whole book is very alive, as a memoir. It was funny to see the slang they used back then!

One of the best memoirs ever written
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-10
I've read this book more than a few times and have taught it to different level readers a few extra times. There was one high school student who came to me after the book was done and told me, "This is the first book I ever finished." Even if it's not the first book you've read, you'll find writing that is fearless, honest, and powerful. You won't forget it, and if you're really lucky, you'll get to share it with someone else.

News and Media
Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 1
Published in Paperback by VIZ Media LLC (2003-10-07)
Author:
List price: $7.95
New price: $0.70
Used price: $0.01

Average review score:

The only way to go
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-23
Everything about this is great. Besides the story, which mixes action and comedy in the right amount, the printing and paper quality is SO much better than most "normal" manga. With artwork this beautiful, you need it to be larger so you can really drink in the details and immerse yourself in the story. I only wish more manga were printed in this high quality format. Plus it's cheaper than buying them individually in an inferior format! Now if they'd only release them quicker...I hate waiting to see what happened next!

New to manga? This is the way to go!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-27
As a dabbler only in the manga field I was familiar with the ttile but decided based on the price, this was a good try out book. I was not wrong!! Defintly worth your money as you get alot of story for the money. Actually cheaper than buying the individual books. Printed on strong paper with a handful of color pages at the front this is a compact beautiful apckage with a great starting story and I intend to buy all of the VIZBIG editions!

"Even in the Meiji era, the name of Hitokiri Battousai still commands fear"
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-25
There are many manga that use themes that are similar to this one, but among all these, Rurouni Kenshin stands out as one of the best. Part of what makes this series so good is the great set of characters. There is also the wonderful recreation of the era in which the story develops; we truly feel like being at a different time in history. The impressive drawings are also a trait that makes this a successful series, and I particularly like how they use the distorted facial expressions for humorous situations. Finally, there is the story in itself, which has many layers and the deeper we get into it, the more mesmerized we are. The fact that this volume is not at the level seen later, in terms of the complexity and richness of the plot, is the only reason why it gets four stars instead of the top rating.

Hitokiri Battousai is a warrior that with the help of his sword slew many rivals of the imperialists and contributed to entering the Meiji era, and then, he disappeared. A few years later, in the eleventh year of the Meiji era in Tokyo, times are such that carrying swords is forbidden, and Kenshin, the former Battousai wanders around with a reverse-blade sword, after having vowed not to kill anymore. Soon Kenshin runs into a murderer impersonating the Battousai and trying to discredit the Kamiya Kasshin School. Luck has it that before running into the killer, he met Kaoru, the young woman who is in charge of the school, and therefore, soon gets involved in helping her clear her name. This is the first bond that will stop Kenshin's wandering, but there are even more to come.

Kenshin is a man with deep convictions, and nothing can steer him away from the goal he set after abandoning his previous life: to build a world where people can pursue happiness. He is one of the most interesting characters I have met in the world of manga, but he is not the only notable character in this series. Far from it! In this first volume we meet Kaoru, a brave young woman that provides the series with some fine humor, and there is romance to come. And we meet Yahiko, a kid that has somewhat of an attitude problem and that hopes to become a samurai and become strong. Maybe most importantly, towards the end, we encounter Zanza (Sagara Sanosuke), the street fighter who will become a central character in this series, so pay attention! He is a very complex character, with an unconventional weapon and a baggage from the past that makes him hate the Ishin-Shishi (imperialists).

This is the start to a wonderful series, and one that goes way beyond the fighting, humor and romance. The quality of this volume should be enough for most people to want to read further, but even if that is not the case, trust me, this series gets much better, so I urge you to keep reading the next volumes. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Have a Big Time Winner Here!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-03
A mysterious warrior named Hitokiri Battôsai arose in Kyoto 140 years ago. A fiercesome warrior, he slew countless men, his efforts helping bring to a close the Bakumatsu era and bringing in the age of the Meiji.

Then he disappeared.

In the 11th year of the Meiji, a rurouni--a vagabond--named Himura Kenshin surfaces in Tokyo and befriends the spunky Kaoru, the owner of a student-less dojo.

With the aid of young new friend Yahiko, a boy wanting to be a samurai himself, Kenshin and Kaoru must ward off those looking to kill them.

And so the story begins...

Despite its label being a "romantic comedy," this is by far the most serious out of the manga I read. Nobuhiro Watsuki has crafted an incredible tale, an important story, one that had captured my full attention the second Kenshin showed up in Tokyo (which is pretty much the first page of the book).

His art is stellar. The detail is astounding (even after the first 22 pages when the art goes from ultra detailed to "just" super detailed). His rendering of Japan from 140 years ago is believable, each panel transporting you directly to the past.

The big deal about this book is the fight sequences, each chapter in this volume containing at least one battle. I've never seen action like this before--so huge, so intense, so detailed, so explosive, with speed-lines everywhere--AMAZING!

This volumes also includes a special bonus story that was originally published about a year before the now-complete-twenty-eight-volume series began.

This is a great opening story to what is sure to be a fantastic saga this reviewer looks forward to finishing. (I'm also now eager to check out the anime for this.)

Language warning: Cursing

Big Edition Brings Big Entertainment and Savings!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-01
Applauds should be given to Viz for taking a step in this direction, we can only hope they add more series to their VizBig line up!

In this book, you get the first three volumes of the series (Vol I: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Vol II: The Two Hitokiri, and Vol III: A Reason to Act). Pages 11 - 32 are in full color, which adds another dimension to the story, I was sad the color had to end. The last few pages also give us some wonderful color pictures from the original volumes, without text. We also get 2 end of volume specials, the first occurs a year before the series begins and the second is, as the author describes, sort of the 'pilot' episode of Rurouni Kenshin, where the details are a bit different than the actual story, but it's still the Rurouni we all love!

The size of the book allows us to look at the detail a bit better. Another feature I noticed was page numbers, which are great if you lose your place.

If you're new to the series, I recommend buying this version over the original 3 volumes as you get more for your money.

News and Media
Angel Sanctuary, Vol. 5
Published in Paperback by VIZ Media LLC (2004-12-14)
Author:
List price: $9.99
New price: $3.09
Used price: $1.97

Average review score:

4.5 stars if I could
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-24
This was actually an amazon suggestion based on some other manga that I had searched for and some that I bought, and I picked up volume 1 to see if it was any good. I found the story and characters to be interesting and the artwork to be superb as well. I am interested to see where the story progresses at least enough to buy volume 2 and see where it goes from there. This is more than I can say for the "Loveless" series which is also a five-star rated item on amazon. The author/artist breeches some interesting topics and you can tell while reading that the imagination behind this story is vast and there will be much more creativity poured into the rest of the series as well. I give this one a high reccomendation, 4.5 stars if I could. The 1/2 point deduction is only because i had a bit of trouble following some of the characters, but i think this is a fault of my own for being a newbie manga reader.

an epic journey and beautiful
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-16
i was leery at first about this manga being so complex with so many character, i had to read each book two times slowly to get all the details. but this is so worth it, it has depth and even the secondary characters are great and filled out. i love kira and kato and set.it takes some concentration and effort but what a great story. i'm a vampire kind of a girl, i never knew heaven could be so evil.ha!if you only read one manga in your life, this should be it. it's totally TASTY!

Volume 13 of a great series
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-10
I'm assuming that if you are reading a review for volume 13 of this series, you've already read volumes 1-12 and so a) know how great the series is and b) don't need any particularly good reason to read the next volume rather than skip straight on to volume 14. That said, I'll stick to an important and helpful matter: this is the North American English edition from Viz. Despite the cover art shown on the product page, which is from the Japanese edition, this is actually the English translation. Enjoy.

Keeps the story rolling
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-16
The series is still strong. If you have gotten this far you'll buy this manga.

Angel Sanctuary Series
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-21
I was turned onto this series just by it's beautiful artwork. The syle is truely unique and angelic...no wounder it's about angels.

The story starts off as a young teenage boy soon finds out that he is in love with is sister! As if that could be strange wait till you here this. The boy, Setsuna, is the re-incarnation of one of the most powerful angel's in history; and now people all over heaven and hell want him.

What will it take to convince Setsuna, that he is greatly needed by humanity...

I hope you thought this useful...

Hypnotic~

News and Media
Red Sky at Morning (Perennial Classics (Turtleback))
Published in Turtleback by Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media (2002-09)
Author: Richard Bradford
List price: $22.35
Used price: $17.88
Collectible price: $89.95

Average review score:

Best of that genre
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-17
This is by far my favorite book from that genre. I first read it in high school and have gone back several times over the years. I just purchased it again to give to my 13 year old daughter.

Farolitos and chamisa
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-02
I grew up in Santa Fe, reading this book, serving Mr. Bradford coffee at Zook's Pharmacy on the Plaza. Mr. Bradford's book reassured me that my turbulent adolescence was do-able, by lighting the way.
I have not been back there in thirty years. Santa Fe has been taken over by the rich and the entitled and they have squeezed the soul out of what we knew growing up there, though there is plenty of beauty and spirit left to be sucked dry by the commercial people. But if you want to know the siren song of Santa Fe, read this book. Sagrado is, indeed, Santa Fe. This was what it was like there even in the 1960's and 1970's.
I mean, where else could you have that unforgettable horse AND world-class opera AND the mountains AND the humility of entertaining the Native Americans by just being white people on the Plaza?
I read this book, I can smell the pine wood burning in the farolitos, and the breeze in the chamisa after the Summer afternoon cloudbursts.

An All-Time Coming of Age Story
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-06
This is a wondrous short novel. Read it if you'd like to be a teenager again. Buy an old paperback copy showing a teenage boy and girl standing facing each other with their foreheads touching--a very sweet illustration.

Now a good review (recommendation) doesn't have to be long, so let me give you a few lines of description. A boy moves from Alabama to New Mexico during World War II, and while his father is away in the war, the boy finds friends and a home in the small mountain town of Sagrado. One of his new friends is an sculptor who carves stone heads and places them on a hillside.

On the great book cover: Sometimes book covers actually decline in quality with the many printings of a book. This has happened with "Red Sky At Morning," but remember you are buying the book for the story.

Another example of the decline in a book's cover is seen in the early cover for "Summer of Night," by Dan Simmons.Summer of Night (Aspect Fantasy) The 1991 "Warner Book" edition has a window with a cut out. Through the window you can see some boys riding their bicycles at night. When you open the book, you see a mysterious school in the background.

The later covers of "Summer of Night" were not half as mysterious or fun.

My copy is literally falling apart, I've read it so much.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-16
As many others have said, it's impossible to get tired of this book. My parents gave it to me when I was 18 and (again, like several others) the first time I read it I found it a little slow and disjointed. It gets better and better with every read - each time I pick up on the subtleties of a scene for the first time.

Rather than boring the reader with a bunch of obnoxious capers and hijinks, Bradford envelops you in his characters' community, and it's this day-to-day banality (which turned me off so much the first time) that really draws you into the story. Josh's adjustment to Sagrado takes time, but when it comes it's so natural and amusing that you're almost completely unprepared for the sobering conclusion of the story.

I had no idea the book was so loved until I read these reviews. There are so many special moments in the story - the big wet snowfalls that ruins Chamaco's fiesta, the horribly backward residents of La Cima, the refreshing "white trashiness" of the Cloyd sisters, even Parker Holmes tearing an elk sandwich apart with his teeth.

I wish these characters existed in real life, and I wish I could be their friend.

Wonderful Read
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-20
I thouroughly enjoyed this book, I do not know how I missed it for so many years. It was recommended in Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust" (which you really should buy if you are an avid reader.) I have never been dissapointed by her recommendations.

Josh, as the narrator in "Red Sky at Morning" is a 17 year old high school senior at the end of WWII. His dry wit mad me laugh right out loud several times. I loved his sensibility and humor. The cast of characters in this book reminded me of some of the characters in "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving.

This is one of my favorite reads of the year, so much so I will probably hunt down a hard cover edition for my collection.

News and Media
Small Miracles: Extraordinary Coincidences from Everyday Life
Published in Paperback by Adams Media Corporation (1997-03)
Authors: Yitta Halberstam and Bernie S. Siegel
List price: $12.95
New price: $0.50
Used price: $0.01
Collectible price: $12.95

Average review score:

about ALL small miracles books by these authors
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-27
Hi, I have read many of these amazing books and they are all true. It is beyond uplifting to read these stories because they are about love, about serendipity that is often so beyond amazing we call these things, "miracles" surely as miraculous as dawn, the sunset, the smile on a baby's face, a tree in the full glory of autumn, LIFE itself! Now I am experiencing massive astonishing synchronicity and once contacted these authors, because by now, in my small life I have a Library of such incredible but true events and they do, they must, involve us all, and also bring us into a new understanding of the cosmos and our place here. There is no way any thinking person could characterize these connects, called also "beshert" in Hebrew, "random" when they occur so frequently and so obviously that it is a hail of story. I am recording this. I do believe in aggregate this is Proof of the existence of a prime mover, and in fact this is how it all began for me. With Give me More, I can Prove YOUR existence by way of a life.

I am saying something deep. Parts of my Diary, about such synchronicity, about friendship and love, are now at Brown University, the Hay Library, the Mel Yoken Collection of Letters.

Back to these books: READ them. They are inspiring and spirited. They are entirely about a miracle, that's occurring right here, right now. I am saying these coincidences are leading us into a new way of perceiving ourselves and this "journey" that is part of all of our lives. Share the Road! We all are storytellers and we all need to do this, NOW, and we may be sure that we are leaving profound footprints, all of us, wherever we go but that this story about footsteps in the sand, is more true than we ever thought possible.

A real uplifting treasure!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-08
This is a little treasure chest of wonderful stories that truly are uplifting. I really did enjoy reading this book!

SMALL MIRACLES
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-18
I read SMALL MIRACLES, some years ago. This seems to be the same book, exactly, although, when I ordered it, I thought it was a sequel. I liked it better the first time around, when the anecdotes sounded more "golly-gee-wiz" than they do the second.

Fabulous, cherish each story!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-22
Miracles happen every day. Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal are angels themselves, bringing these fantastic stories to millions of people. Buy and read every single one of their books. Not only are they hard to put down, you won't be able to look at your life with the same eyes ever again!

enjoyable, heartwarming, universal, read a story every night
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-18
I found this unique book of coincidences to be remarkable. While the authors relate it to Jewish principles, giving a moral or rule at the end of each 'episode,' their statements are applicable to those of all faiths.
There were short, short stories, short stories and those a few pages long. But all showed the positive human spirit that exists in everyone of us if we give ourselves a chance and don't close our minds. Sometimea a bad choice becomes a great move. An ordinary act becomes heroic to those on both sides. And, almost always, WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. There are no stories of coincidences that backfired, although one can be sure scores of these exist too. But the purpose is to bring joy, hope,
confidence and more open-mindedness to the readers, with the desire that they will share this with many more. A brilliant person with a promising
future suddenly gets terminal lung cancer. But the person telling it mentions some small act that was done, often out of common courtesy. And in this case, one of the six items the dying person wanted in his casket was a letter of encouragement from the teacher.

This is a book for teachers, educators and all who desire to be educated.
I acquired it for $.50 at a flea market booth, after just noticing the
colorful (but also bland) yellow cover. This is the best $5.00 expenditure
I've ever made. I'll share my copy with others and have ordered another
version. Whether you are in the dumps or feeling great, the stories will
heighten your consciousness and create more appreciation for your present lot. I am fortunate to have found it. Please consider my words. Advice
is worthless. Words from the heart can be meaningful. My heart speaks.


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