New York Books

I discovered this book in the library. I read the first few pages and was captivated. Christopher Priest will introduce you to an impossible world - and make you believe it.

Years later, the book was out of print. I searched the internet to find a copy. When I got it, the book did not let me down, though I already knew its secrets.

Probably the finest sci-fi book I have ever read.

Hey you guys that loved Ringworld, Dragon's Egg or A Mission of Gravity, you will be HOOKED by this one! A REALLY original alternative world, VERY nicely hidden under a bulk of myth and a secretive guild system. Sociology - B+; Mathematics - A; Physics - B. The ending is the only minor flaw, but after all the real thinking starts after reading...

I was looking for The Glamour and noticed unfortunately that most of Priest's books are out of print...how sad, as most are truly original. I then noted that The Inverted World had only been reviewed 4 times and wanted to add my thoughts. READ IT. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!

Imagine an encapsulated city trying to survive in a strange world where mysterious "optimum" is moving and the city has to keep moving on it's tracks trying to reach it. Every natural obstacle in this unfriendly environment has to be solved and the city has to keep moving or else... People in the city refer to the landscapes ahead as "the future" and to the landscapes behind as "the past." Everybody is working hard, for the optimum must be followed at any price... Is the ending of the book (which is one of the best endings in SF) going to reveal the real truth? What is the real truth anyway? The one you perceive? Or the other one, the one you can't see...

This book is listed among David Pringle's top 100 sci-fi novels, and deservedly so. The story immediately captivates, as Priest introduces us to the large moving vehicle-structure called "city Earth". The vehicle is continuosly moved upon rails, through a series of winches and cables, and the tracks are laid as the vehicle progresses. The permanent residents who live inside are organized into many guilds, each responsible for various functions vital to the community's survival. The reader is only gradually given hints about the seemingly strange world that is the setting, and only gradually learns the reasons why the vehicle must continually move. A fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable book, this story keeps you guessing about the nature of reality until the very end.

I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this book... I liked the premise, I enjoy memoirs (especially of the mother/daughter variety) and the author seemed interesting.

I devoured it in about two sittings and highly recommend this book! Ms. Burns writes with such honesty, and her descriptions of emotions many times had me going back and re-reading certain lines thinking "Yes! That's exactly it!"

I'd love to read more from this gifted author... perhaps a follow-up to hear how her mother and daughter are doing these days...?

Catherine Lloyd Burns is not only a phenomenal actress, but one of the best authors that I have ever read. This book was insightful, poignant, and honest. It makes you laugh, and then on the next page, you're bawling your eyes out. Her bluntly descriptive writing style sets a highly unusual but very interestingly unique tone to the book, which I, personally, love. She has since become one of my favorite artists in both of her fields, and anyone who has read and liked this should watch Everything Put Together with CLB and Megan Mullally who I also adore and who is friends with CLB via an episode of Ned & Stacey. It Hit Me...Bricks is outlined by Megan on her website supremestoryprogram.com which is phenomenal! <3

This is the author's first book and it is truly an amazing biography. In fact after reading it I purchased a copy for each of my (grown) daughters! It's an important book in that it depicts the tug and pull between mothers and daughters as they grow in their relationships with each other. It's real; it shows the pain and the worry and the acceptance of their quirks. I especially love their honesty of feelings even when things aren't "pretty".

It's a beautiful story; I hope the author continues to write. Her sensitivity and depth are striking.

I was gonna wait and think about this book for a while I after read it... but RM's sister's review annoyed me. (Although, the sister did give Catherine 1 Star instead of the lowest possible 0 stars.)

I'm not the most objective reader of this book, since Cathy Burns (to use the name I knew her best by) was my friend during a period which was for me the great adventure (as of mid-2006) of my life and for her a dark period so depressing that she mentions it only fragmentarily in this otherwise lively and detailed memoir. I was in her orbit especially while we were both students at Columbia, during the years chronicled (with many fictional inventions) in my epic novel "The Forgotten Liars.") She also turned up frequently in my life in the late 1980s (which is covered in the book.) And I haven't seen much of her since her life really began after her acting and writing career took off in the 1990s (though I think she did introduce me to her wonderful second husband back when the two of them were just acquaintances.) Even during the 1980s there was (understandably) a lot of stuff I forgot or didn't know in the first place: even the first marriage was news to me.

(DIGRESSION: She actually went to Barnard College, which technically is an autonomous institution in its own right. However, for all practical purposes it operates as one of Columbia's many Schools and Colleges. It's kind of a moot point, anyway, since she eventually transferred to NYU.)


I'm not really in the book at all. There is a passing reference to an incident I was involved in, when we had a pyramid-scheme party at her mother's apartment on Washington Square. And there is also a passsing reference to the great love of my life (once again as of June 2006), who was the girl who introduced Cathy to Tavern on the Green and who started her on her career as a well-dressed bulimic and who gassed herself in her apartment. (The story I heard was that our friend ODed on her prescription meds, but that's the story I remember hearing. Other people remember hearing other stories, and what the hell, it was a long time ago and we're still here and she's not. And moreover, even if I had actually been present when our friend killed herself--- which I was very much wasn't--- I would have remembered something different from what the other observers remembered.)

I suppose there are things I remember differently than she did, but the only factual error I spotted was that she said she was a "drug-using, bulimic, failed Barnard student" with dirty hair and dity clothes. She was not a failure. Her hair and her clothes were always tres stylish. And the bulimia and drug use were just endemic to the time: she may have been a little nuts but everyone was nuts back then. She was actually less insane than the vast majority of those around her. I don't if this just goes to show that I was even more messed up than I thought I was, or whether I didn't know how badly off this particular friend was, or whether she remembers things as being worse than they seemed at the time. Probably a little of all three.

It's just as well I'm not in the book: she's way more interesting than I am. She's kind of young to be writing her memoirs, but the book does cover almost the entire life cycle. This is the story of three generations of Burns women--- Red (originally Goldie), Catherine and Olive--- all three of whom are infuriating at time but (almost) always delightful.

The story begins when Catherine is in grade school and her mother in her 40s and ends when Catherine is in her 40s and her daughter is just about to head off to school. Cathy's childhood sounds like it was rather lonely, especially after her father died when she was about 9 years old and her mother started pursuing her own life. Her mother is, by this account at least, one of those people who cares about other people a lot but finds them difficult to get along with. And after her husband died, she may have forgotten at times that her daughter Cathy (who had three siblings who were much older than her) was just a little girl. So there's a lot of sad moments in the early part of the book. But as the book progresses, things get better, and Cathy finally becomes much closer to her mother after her mother also becomes her daughter Olive's grandmother.

The book is worth reading just for the author's vivid descriptions and off-beat observations, by the way... She perfectly captures the looks and smells of everything from big stuff like giving birth to little stuff like waiting in line at the supermarket.

I gave this book to my mom for mother's day, and it was even better than expected. Burns is a WONDERFUL writer, with great images and a strong eye for detail, and the autobiography is powerful, heartwrenching and moving. Both Mom and I loved it -- and then we shared it with all 3 of Mom's sisters, who are also mothers, who then shared it with their children (also mothers). Not a bad review in the bunch. One of the best books I've read in a long time -- I've even considered writing directly to the author (like some crazed fan) to tell her to PLEASE write more books!

My daughter loves cats so I got this to give her for her 6th birthday. The characters in it are a hoot.

Another sweet story involving that shy, black kitty named Jenny Linsky. I can't imagine a little kid not loving this story and wanting to read it again and again.

I was delighted to find these books again. For years I have been searching for the books about the little black cat, Jenny.

Recently, I was at Books of Wonder and was jokingly testing the salesperson's knowledge. She knew! I couldn't believe it.

These books were a pleasure to me as a child and spurred my love of reading. I intend to buy all of them for my daughter.

I first read Jenny's Birthday Book as a shy kindergartener. I picked it out of the school library based on my love for cats, the wonderful colors on the cover and because my birthday happened to be coming up. There was no way to know the impact of that library visit.

The following Septembers spent at Berkeley Street School, I would take out Jenny's Birthday Book as a special birthday ritual and read it slowly and mindfully, taken by the gentleness of the language and illustrations. The book was not only a comfort at the time, but shaped my sense of aesthetics and love for language. Even as an adult I am taken by the beauty of the scene where Jenny and her rambunctious friends "... danced the sailor's hornpipe in the moonlit park."

Anyway, never forgetting this book, I had been on fruitless search for it for the past 15 years (I thought it was titled Jenny's Birthday Party and didn't know the author) and happened upon it in a friend's shop. With a little girl on the way, I can't explain how thankful I am that it has been republished and now own it with the plan to read it to my own daughter.

Well Oct. Is not only my Fav. month.
Buuut also my friend Jenny J.J.I.'s
Birthday! For those of you who know
Mrs. Fab. She is really GREAT! She is
a New Yawker and a loving wife/mother.
She gives WONDERFUL reviews on all
sorts of books and film with her
own,own....pizazz! So Jenny girl
from the bottom of my heart hope
you and your family are enjoying Friday!
Stay who you are and never change!
Your friend Clint!
By the way Jennys Birthday book
is a fantastic read for youngsters!
Thank you.
p.s. Oct. 5th what a SPECIAL day. I remember when
I turned 23 yrs.old Take care J.J.I.

Not only is this book a must-have for all of the lovers of short stories, it's a discovery of some of the finest works out there in the World of Literature.

The artful styles and imaginative imagery are only the beginning of this collection, of which I have recommended to everyone inquiring on my favorite reads.

I recently read a review of the KGB Bar Anthology in the Hungry Mind Review by Gary Amdahl, and as a consequence I went out and bought the book to read the stories he spoke highly of, Christine Schutt's "Sickish" and Lydia Davis's "Old Grouch," and he was right: they are the best of the lot and teach us the difference "between working a trick and the trick working you." The anthology is worth buying for these stories alone. Then go out and find other books by the same authors. I plan to do just that.

Thank you Ken Foster! A must for any serious reader's collection

Though individual pieces may seem forbidding, this collection coheres - with story after story giving you the momentum to read on. By the end, you reach short pieces that actually teach you how to live - something stories and memoirs rarely achieve, even for those of us who consider ourselves serious and openhearted readers. Here is an anthology for the long haul.

I bought this after reading a great review in The New Yorker, and found the writing much more exciting than what I've found lately in the annual 'Best of' anthologies that come out every fall. Jacqueline Woodson's opening story "Fire" is stunning, and each piece that follows took me into another writer's world. This is what my friends will be getting this Christmas.

This book is a reflection of when I had a really really good relationship with one of my friends and how Maizon and the other girl just always stuck together no matter what would happen. They were like paper and glue, just no seperation. Even through their trials and tribulations, they are like really close sister. Over there summer time, they went places together, spent time with each other. Went shopping with each other.

IF YOU ARE A GIRL AND LIKE BOOKS ABOUT FRIENSHIP, THEN YOU WILL DEFINITELY LOVE LAST SUMMER WITH MAIZON. IT A LL BEGINS IN A FRIENSHIP THAT WILL LAST FOREVER. MARGARET AND MAIZON HAVE BEEN FRIENDS SINCE THEY WERE LITTLE AND THEY SHARE SO MANY THINGS LIKE WEARING THE SAME OUTFITS AND IN THE SAME CLASS TOGETHER. SUMMER IS COMING UP AND THEY ARE WILLING TO SPEND IT TOGETHER, BUT WILL ALL THIS CHANGE WHEN MAIZON TAKES A TEST FOR A SMARTER SCHOOL?
I LIKED THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT HAD ALOT OF DETAILS ON MANY DIFFERENT CHARACTERS AND IT MADE YOU GET SO INTO IT THAT YOU COULD NOT PUT THE BOOK DOWN AND STOP RDEADING BECAUSE ONCE YOU GOT INTO A CERTAIN PART , YOU JUST COULDN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. LIKE WHEN MAIZION TOOK THE TEST, I JUST HAD TO READ THE NEXT PART TO SEE IF SHE HAD GOT IN AND WAS GOING TO THE NEW SCHOOL.
IF I HAD A CHOOSE I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE I KNOW BECAUSE I WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE TO GET THE WORD OUT TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE SO THEY CAN AGREE WITH ME THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY A VERY GOOD BOOK. IF YOU DON'T READ THIS BOOK THEN HOW CAN YOU SEE FOR YOURSELF IF YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.

This book reveiw is on a book named Last Summer with Maizon. This book is about two best friends named Margarate and Maizon who lives on Madison Street. Her friend Maizon was accepted to Blue Hills, a school where really educated people go. Margarate does not want them to be separated. Every night she wishes Maizon will not get accepted. But when Margarate's father has a second heart attack, he dies and now all Margarate has is Maizon, her mother, her little brother Jay and the people around. Margarete was having a rough time anyway and then Maizon got accepted to Blue Hills. When it was time for Maizon to leave Margarate, her mother and Maizon's grandmother dropped her off. When Maizon wasn't there with Margarate her whole life changed. At school she was becoming popular, she was liked now. Days passed by and Maizon still didn't call. When Margarate went to go get her brother at her neighbors house, that's when Maizon calls. Margarate was so excited that Maizon wanted to come home. Margarate ran to the grandmother's house telling her the news. Margarate said Maizon wants to come home, the grandmother says that she would go get her. When Maizon got home it was like old times, they ran into each others arms. They then went to their favorite spot and started talking. Maizon said she came back because she wasn't being treated right, she didn't feel the same. So they sat there and talked and felt like old times with my best friend Maizon. I think that this book should have gotten an award or five stars. This book has mostly everything of real life. It deals with best friends, for example like my friendship with Kiena. It has separation, like my sister and me. It has a lost loved one like my godfather and it has a lesson like when you do wrong and learn your lesson. I think that this book should have five stars because it really relates to real life,it shows friendship and it shows and explains what happens in real life. I like this book because it reminds me of my life, me and my friends, how we argue and lose our friendship and then gain it back with a little talking. It reminds me of how I lose people in my family and then cry because I miss them. If I could buy this book, I would let my whole family read it, I would make it our reference book for when we need advice or something to do. This book is so good that all my friends wanted to read it. It is so good that I really read it because I don't really read books and when I read the book it made me think of when my best friend Ariel was going to move and how it made me feel, and how I compare it to Margarate and Maizon. This book is excellent, the author really put their heart in it and that they were depressed and needed a friend. If you ask my best friend Johnniece, she'll say that she really enjoyed the book, that it should get five stars, because the author really put thought, confidence, respect, love, care and her whole heart into this book. When I say she put confidence in this book I meant that she wrote it knowning that it will be a hit. The author thought about the words, thought her life and compared it and started writing it with compassion. I think that this book should be the book of the month in my school, because it shows and teaches a lesson. With the summary I wrote I put my heart in it because when I read it, it touched my heart. I won't want my friend away from me. I think that I mostly relate to Maizon, because when she left Margarte was beginning to be liked, and the girl was talking about Maizon and Margarte sat there and watched and listened instead of doing the right thing and telling them to stop doing that to their friend. I relate to Maizon, I relate to her because if people don't like me, I don't care. If people want me out of somewhere, then I'll leave and if people love me, I love them back and that's how Maizon is. She doesn't take junk. Alot of people relate to Maizon. This book is interesting and gets interesting as you read on. This book is really a good book that shows you friendship, break-up and everything else that deals with real life. I love this book, it is really good and I think that if most people had this book then they wouldn't be out doing the stupid and illegal things that they are doing. This book really didn't grasp Dr. Kings dream because when Maizon went to Blue Hills, the whites were treating her bad, they saw her different. Brenliniqua, Class 7-512.

The Wonderful Friendship that will Never End
By: Johnnise Lopez

This review that you will read is about a wonderful book called "The Last Summer with Maizon" by Jacquline Woodson. This book is great I would recommend it to readers that likes to read about best friends relationships. I can relate to this book because I'm going through the same thing. Oneof my best friends, Aerial is leaving to Westown boarding school when we graduate from 8th grade. I will miss her alot but when she comes for vacation we will be together.
Now let me tell you more about the book. This story was mainly about two best friends Maizon and Margaret. Maizon lives with her grandmother. Her grandmother wants to to get her into a gifted J.H.S. in Connecticut called "Blue Hill".She thinks these schools in New York aren't challenging enough so she wants Maizon to go to boarding school in Connectitcut.
The next main character is a girl named Margaret which is Mazion's best friend. Maizon lives with her mother, her father, and her little brother Lil'Jay. Margaret doesn't want Maizon to go to Connecticut. She prays every night for Maizon to stay here on Madison Street.
Maizon and Margaret has been together since they were babies they both grew up together on Madison Street in New York. They have went to school on Madison Street they have carved their names on that street and did many other things that they will always remember. Its like their life is on Madison Street and Margaret doesn't want Maizon to leave.
Maizon's grandmother took Maizon to take the test for the gifted J.H.S. Maizon was hoping she failed the test but she then changed her mind. Everyday she would check the mailbox hoping the test was there. Margaret did the opposite she prayed everynight hoping Maizon failed the test. Margaret felt that if Maizon left she will then be alone and Maizon will find a new best friend, and forget about her.
A few months later Maizon looked in the mailbox for the millionth time and found a letter that was from Blue Hill. Maizon went up stairs opened the letter read it and spread a big smile across her face because it said "Congratulations Maizon you've been excepted to Blue Hill. Maizon told her grandmother then quickly called her best friend and told her the good news but Margaret thought of it as bad news. Margaret went and told her mother and she said "oh great". Margaret's mother didn't know how she felt about Maizon going to Blue Hill which meant leaving her. These two girls were so close that they promised each other not to go to Manhattan without each other.
Time then came for Maizon to go to Connecticut. Maizon, Margaret, Lil Jay, Margaret's mother and Maizon's grandmother went on the train to Manhattan to take Maizon to Penn Station. Maizon gave Margaret a huge hug said good bye and did the same to the others. On their way back to Madison Street Margaret asked her mother will her and Maizon become old best friends. Her mother said "no" never that made Margaret feel so much better but she still worried.
Hours later Maizon got to Blue Hill settled down met all her teachers and classmates. After a few days of being in the school Maizon got the message from her classmates. Maizon felt that they didn't like her, no one talked to her, no one payed her any attention, or even tried to be friends with her. Maizon didn't call anyone in New York for days because she wanted everyone to think she was okay. One day she couldn't hold it anymore and decided to call. She called and and spoke to Margaret told her how she felt and she wanted to come home. She told Margaret to tell her grandmother because she didn't want to disappoint her. she thinks her grandmother might think she just said that because she doesn't want to be there. Her grandmother found out called her and told her "it was going to be okay" and she can come home. A few days later Margaret was looking out the window and saw Maizon running to her house. Margaret went outside hugged her and told her how much she missed her. They then walked down Madison Street and talked about everything they did when they were younger.
I hope you enjoyed the review. I also hope you saw that there were two problems in the story. The 1st problem was that Margaret didn't want Maizon to go to Blue Hill. The solution was Maizon went but she didn't like it so she came back which made Margaret very happy. The2nd problem was that Margaret didn't like the way her classmates were treating her and she wanted to leave. The solution was that her grandmother made plans as quick as possible to get her here and she did. Maizon and Margaret was happy again.
Now that you have read a wonderful book review about the book "The Last Summer with Maizon" by Jacqueline Woodson, I hope you check it out and read it. Once you read the first page you will fall in love with the book.I hope you read the whole book and check out the 2nd part of the book "Maizon at Blue Hill". This book is just as good or better. The second part of the book talks about when she goes to Blue Hill and how she feels that she is different from the white kids, in the school. At Blue Hill there are only 5 black children and Maizon is the only 7th grader. Imagine how interesting this book will be "you can't know without reading it". I hope you read it and, I hope you liked the review.

I read this book in order to prescreen it before giving it to my beloved 8-year old niece. It held my adult attention with no problem, but is still age-appropriate as marketed. The fascinating story of Maizon and her best friend Margaret unfolds largely on their block in the big city. These two have grown up together and are as "thick as thieves". The story follows them over the course of a summer when Margaret faces a personal family crisis and Maizon deals with the uncertainty of moving away from her beloved grandmother, family and friends (including Margaret) for the very first time.

Jacqueline Woodson crafts a fine story that is so real you'll believe it could have happen to you or some beautiful brown baby girl you know.

I'd highly recommend all of the books in the trilogy.

This is a great book to read. As soon as I started reading this book and could not stop. When I was reading THE TEDDY BEAR HABIT it felt like a movie and if I stopped reading, I missed the whole book. I also read the sequel called RICH AND FAMOUS and it was also good. I think that THE TEDDY BEAR HABIT is better because it has a new character and a new plot. This book is funny and sad. Once again you should definetly read this book-and it's sequel!!!!

George Stable has a problem. George is twelve and still needs his teddy bear to make him not nervous when he sings. George wants to become a rock starbut on his journey he discovers a problem. There's a case of stolen jewels. I really liked this book because it was like a roller coaster. There were some really good parts and some really bad parts. You can't tell what happens around the corner! I would recommend this book to people who like teddy bears. I can't wait to get the sequal.

This is my favorite book from childhood.
George Stable is an amazing character. He is introspective and self-depricatory, creative and extremely perceptive. Somehow Collier makes his character believable despite George's young age.
I love the humor in the book; the crazed bohemian artist of a father, the strange world inhabited by child performers and their dreadful parents, and criminals who can never seem to do anything right.
The illustrations by Lee Lorenz are wonderful. Mr. Lorenz was a cartoonist for the New Yorker AND had graduated from my high school. I decided to use an excerpt from the book as my Senior Year Book quote.

Back when I was in grammar school (I'm 45 now), my teacher asked me what I would like to read. I had friends who liked Tom Swift and Nancy Drew but I did not have a preference nor a love of reading. She handed me this book and said I would like it. She was absolutely right. I was so wrapped up in it that I read it over one weekend and asked if I could borrow it again. I read the book three times and was hooked. It was the first time that I was able to "see" the story as I was reading.

Within a few months I was devouring every book I could get my hands on and have every since. Seeing this entry made me very nostalgic. A great, great book for getting your kids to read.

I had this book (1973 edition illustrated by L. Lorenz) as a child and recently dragged it out to read to my 9-year-old son at bedtime. He typically prefers nonfiction (yes, we read that too), but I thought he might like this one. He's loving it! I've had to explain a few things -- like the late 60's slang sprinkled through, and why live TV was such a big deal, and George's dad's obsession with Jackson Pollack -- but he gets it, and we've had some great discussions about popular culture, modern art, self-confidence, placebos, and what makes a family. We are both amused by George's frequent exaggerations, like "Pop would have me drawn and quartered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and tortured on opposite days." And then, of course, there's the gripping story of George's run-in with jewel thieves. Will he get out of this alive? Will the teddy? Will George ever become a winner? Of course -- and so is this book.

I bought this set on tape for my son's 6th birthday so we could listen to them in the car while travelling. The stories are well-done and made him use his imagination. We enjoyed trying guessing what dinosaurs were being described and he wondered if the kids could see the moon and stars while they were in the castle. Even my 3-year-old had a good time listening. They can't wait to go on another trip to hear more of the stories.

I AM A GRANDMOTHER OF A 7 YR OLD BOY. I WISHED THAT I COULD
DEVELOP A LOVE OF BOOKS IN HIM LIKE I HAVE. THE TREE HOUSE SERIES HAVE DONE JUST THAT. MY GRANDSON AND I TAKE TURNS READING EACH CHAPTER. I AM NOT SURE WHO ENJOYS THE STORIES MORE ME OR HIM. WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THE WEEKENDS SO WE CAN READ TOGETHER.

How would you like to ride on a pteranodon? Now you can! You could ride a pteranodon when you read magic tree house dinosaurs before dark. Annie's brother Jack did. Jack and Annie were also chased by a Tea-rex, and Annie tried to make friend with a duckbilled Dinosaur she was trying to talk to the Dinosaur. Jack kept taking notes. Jack and Annie now there is a magical witch or wizard because Jack found something that had an M on it.

Dinosaurs Before Dark

The Knight At Dawn

Mummies In The Morning

Pirates Past Noon

THESE BOOKS ARE THE BOMB BECAUSE I LIKE JACK AND ANNIE. THE ADVENTURES START IN THE TREE HOUSE. THE TREE HOUSE WAS FILLED WITH BOOKS. THE BOOKS TAKE THEM ON ADVENTURES.

The Magic Treehouse books are good for kids who have missed out on some reading skills. It is also good for 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders. Jack and Annie, the stars of the book, get into a lot of adventures and it is fun to read them. Mary Pope Osborne reads the books on the tape. She makes it so you really hear Jack and Annie's voices. I think kids will like this tape and grown-ups would like to hear the stories with their children. -- Munroe Woodward, Age 8

During his weekly trek around Manhattan, 14-year-old Sam meets a street person named Elijah, who asks him for his shoes. The kid complies, and then fantastic (I mean truly fantastic) things begin to happen. Like lush vegetation growing over the buildings and the streets turning to rivers.

The book is actually a series of vignettes set at various places around the city (FAO Schwartz, the Metropolitan Museum, even the Board of Education) as Sam and various companions, including the bronze bull and bear from Wall Street, set out on a quest to rescue lost souls and restore the city's spirit. If all of this sounds too whimsical for words, trust me, it isn't. I have a low tolerance for whimsy, and this wonderful little book moved me to tears.

Mr. Hoffmann knows the classic Quest story, and here he makes it fresh. There a few minor bobbles, but he writes with such conviction and affection for his characters that it doesn't matter. This would be a great book for kids 12-14, but this, ah, shady-side-of-35 skeptic just adored it.

Magical Manhattan is a truly magical book! In this debut novel, author Gregory Hoffman transforms the city and transports the reader to a world where anything is possible, if you truly believe it can be.

The imagery and descriptions of the characters, the interplay between the children and animals,and the powerful writing all contributed to the success of the story. It is reminiscent of the C.S. Lewis series, "The Chronicles of Narnia". I was immensely impressed with the beauty and honesty of this inspirational tale.

I will definitely be on the lookout for more work from this talented author.

funny on many levels
an urban fantasy with a lot of realism to uncover
looking at the light side of very heavily embedded themes
including capitalism and beaurocracy
mixed in with subtle skewed politics
theres just enough whimsy to keep the kids truly entertained
this book will grow with the reader
as the reader matures and realizes the duality of the meaning of the plot
and the authors quest for enlightenment

I'm buying 5 copies for young friends. The visual imagry of this story knocked me over. I kept visualizing it as a movie such as the incredible feature length cartoon, Swept Away. Can't wait to pass it on to the young people I know who are passionate about reading! Lori Barth, mother of 5

I was swept away by this wonderful story. Gregory Hoffman's book is an allegorical tale filled with life lessons for young and old alike. It's
an inspiring and exciting adventure overflowing with imagery.
"Magical Manhattan" captures the heart of New York and it captured my heart as well.
I am highly recommending this book to all my friends and aquaintances with the caveat to buckle up and then read.

This book is awesome!!(although im biased, my uncle wrote it..

This book totally kicks butt dudes !!!!! Specially if you are a true Ghostbusters fan or should I say Ghosthead !!!!!!!!! It has like a hundred pictures in it !!!!! I recommend this book to all Ghostbusters fans around the WORLD !!!!!!!!!

wo

Imagine yourself back in New York in 1983. It's about 5:30 in the morning. You're a regular pedestrian walking down the street near the New York Public Library. A large crowd of people are gathered there. Equipment such as cameras, lights, and microphones are everywhere. Soon you find yourself standing next to Bill Murray.

You ask, "What's this production?"

Bill says, "Production? This is a madhouse! These cameras are just getting in the way!"

You step back and see odd statues and robots crafted into obscene and terrifying figures. Suddenly, a voice shouts, "Action!" and you're pushed aside while Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd walk into the magnificent library with a huge camera dolly following them.

Finally, you spot a small card table packed with coffee, donuts, and Styrofoam cups. Tired and thirsty, you pour yourself some hot coffee from an electric pot hooked up to a small generator. As soon as you touch the pot, a kid jumps from behind the shadows and screams, "Don't move!"

"I just want a sip of coffee!"

"This is Dan Aykroyd's coffee table. Only he gets anything on it, ya' hear? I'm his assistant!"

"You've got to be kidding!"

The kid whips his arm from the shadow of a tall streetlight and points with a shaking hand, "And that table is Bill Murray's!"

Not willing to argue with this crazed assistant, you begin to walk away from the mass of moviemaking paraphernalia and out of the area. Before leaving, you spot a short, nerdy man sitting at a small card table by some sound equipment. The table is filled with art supplies, and the man works on carefully molding a green goblin the shape of a spud. "I've got to get out of here," you think to yourself as you skip over a roadblock and scuffle back into the reality of non-fiction.

In 1984, the next summer, not knowing what to do with your friends, you go to a movie called GHOSTBUSTERS, for it's been getting a lot of hype in the media and you want to see what the fuss is about. As the first scene comes into focus, you let out an involuntary shout of amazement. That was the New York Public Library! Soon enough, the pieces fall into place. You had witnessed the partial filming of one of the greatest comedy films in history!

After the movie, as you walk into a bookstore to kill time before a party, there in front of you is a large book entitled, "Making Ghostbusters: The Screenplay." Ecstatic, you pass up cab fare to attend your party and buy this magnificent book, pouring over it until dawn. You realize that you're a Ghostbuster fan for life. The book is a possession you cherish, for it's like a souvenir of time you spent unknowingly with some of the greatest moviemakers in film history, not including that overprotective assistant.

The movie GHOSTBUSTERS means a lot to many people. One way to sum up their incredible fondness of the movie is "pure cinema magic." Most first impressions of the movie quantify its resounding quality: the wizardry of the special effects, the amazing cast, and the taught, well-written script. And it's largely a comedy! How many comedies have accumulated such a fan base? It's almost unheard of! How many comedies are enjoyed as thoroughly and extensively fifteen years after their original release? Almost none, I'd bet.

Here, in Making Ghostbusters: The Screenplay, the behind-the-scenes secrets and the complete shooting script are here, but the book is more than that. It's a complete sentimental scrapbook that materializes the movie's greatness and encapsulates its craftsmanship and artistry like a time capsule of moviemaking blood, sweat, tears, and creativity.

What this classic volume needs badly is a reprint, but for now, Amazon.com is probably your only hope. With the magnificent re-release of the movie on DVD, this book in its entirety would be a wonderful companion. So let's get this message out; let this be the manifesto! Hear that? Get those printing presses cranking, and bring back the magic!

Making Ghostbusters contains hundreds of exclusive concept sketches (many by legendary horror artist Bernie Wrightson), details of which scenes were deleted and why, color photos (though not nearly enough), and more. The book is built around an annotated script, with enlightening comments from Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, and others from the creative team. Few hit movies have had their creative process so wonderfully documented from genesis to box office--for Ghostheads, it's a must-have.

This book is a wonderfully engaging, well-written autobiography; it also brings vividly to life a crucially-important part of recent US social history. Charles Halpern worked at the heart of an era of progressive change in law and society that started in the 1960s, and he stayed creatively active even throughout the subsequent period of reaction--which arguably has lasted down to the present day.

But Halpern's autobiography goes further even than providing a vivid, personal chronicle of our recent past. It also gives readers a present-day model of and incitement to progressive change-making. It models change-making as an intensely creative and imaginative activity, as it charts Halpern's succession of activities as an architect and leader of Center for Law and Social Policy, the nation's first public interest law firm; then as the designer and first dean of the CUNY Law School, an educationally and socially innovative institution that focused on public interest law; and ultimately as head of the progressive Nathan Cummings foundation. The scope and sheer variety of Halpern's constant, ongoing innovation and institutional invention is fascinating and even breathtaking.

At the same time, Halpern writes of what informs and grounds this unusual creativity. His book is also an account of intellectual and spiritual growth, as Halpern experiments with and incorporates contemplative practice in his life--drawing on it to sustain and empower him in his public career. Halpern then feeds back personal discovery back into institutional creativity, as he sets up a series of programs devoted to transforming intellectual and professional practice in a wide variety of fields--in law schools, colleges, universities, and social movements.

Making Waves and Riding the Currents takes a life well-lived and transforms it into a book that will interest, involve, inform and inspire generations of readers.

I highly recommend this engaging memoir, which is an inspiration and fast read. Charles Halpern graduated from Harvard and Yale, and parlayed a legal career into the first public interest law firm and law school. Upon discovering meditation, Mr. Halpern, incorporated his practice into his life's work. As a result of Halpern's efforts, oil pipelines were put in Alaskan soil sustainably, DDT was banned, public interest lawyers found their needed education, and graduates started influential environmental groups such as EarthJustice. The ripple of Halpern's positive wave continues, and you can catch it by reading Making Waves and Riding the Currents.

No matter what your political persuasion or your profession, this book is a great source of wisdom and insight. Beyond a fascinating history of the birth of public interest law, Charlie Halpern provides a deeply personal and affirming account of how to pursue one's ideals in a way that is nurturing of our deeper selves and respectful of others. A key lesson of this book is that it is not just what you stand or fight for, but who you are and how you act as you do it. By cultivating an awareness that allows a deeper wisdom to emerge, Charlie points to ways we all can contribute to the world in a way that contributes to far greater tolerance and balance, without compromising our effectiveness. And in the process, we also become healthier and more loving and also create a world that reflects this.

Making Waves and Riding Currents is a book that everyone should read. No soft tale here but a journey not unlike rafting white waters. Charles sees the real and the ideal, the what "could be and is not yet", takes time to grasp the whole, sees the way and then takes it. He combines courage, a genuine interest in life and a willingness to "live and learn" both on a professional and personal level. This is a story of major entrepreneurial ventures that impact our own lives, created and co-created, experienced and shared in ways allowing every one involved to learn, use their experience, as well as to question and relinquish old patterns, recognize blocks and crack open into wider realms of understanding and living that center on Wisdom. This book documents changes in thinking that have make our society more humane and just. This is not your usual "lawyer" story. This is speaks to everyone's potential to develop wisdom, played out large, and saying: Come on, you can do it! I can't stop thinking about what one life can do.

From the beginning of this tale of Charles Halpern's remarkable accomplishments, it was obvious that he was an intelligent, effective individual with many skills. But competent doesn't necessarily mean wise. Fortunately for us readers, interwoven with the story of his doing is the story of his psychological/spiritual development -- the story of his growth in wisdom and the integration of that wisdom into his many activities.

Halpern had the courage to place himself in a wide variety of challenging, often uncomfortable, growth-fostering situations. Too many to recount here, they included a winter camping adventure in the Adirondacks, a week-long vision quest based on Native American traditions that included many hours in a sweat lodge, and a five-day mindfulness meditation retreat led by Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. This last was a watershed event, about which Halpern wrote: "The experience of extended meditation practice...awakened my interest in exploring the connection between meditation and wisdom. Could I undertake to practice wisdom, living the wise life that would generate wise actions and decisions? Could this be a new way to approach activism, to start from the place of wisdom and compassion rather than the place of anger and insistence on legal rights?"

Meditation became a central focus in his life, and numerous retreats followed. To some extent facilitated by the Nathan Cummings Foundation of which he was now President, he met and got to know many of America and the world's foremost spiritual teachers. "Longtime meditators and respected teachers," he wrote, "gave me a new model for a way to be in the world--committed to serving others, cultivating wisdom, being open to changing themselves, and exposing their own vulnerability." Currently, Charles Halpern is Chair of The Center for Contemplative Mind and Society.

MAKING WAVES AND RIDING THE CURRENTS is a truly inspiring and uplifting book. It is the tale of a life marked by great accomplishment and developing wisdom, told with an engaging frankness about his own vulnerabilities by the man who has lived it.