Amateur Books

Each night after i returned home from a long nursing shift i
couldn't wait to take my bedtime bath and settle down into bed
to read my next page or chapter.I read his first book but this
one gave me a more inside depth as to who Mr Bernie Mac is and
how he truly came to be.I would recommend this book to anyone whom wants to take his journey!! It's worth the ride and the adventure!!

Personally, I've never found Bernie Mac funny at all. It's unfortunate that I picked up this audiobook read by him. Now I think that not only is Bernie Mac not funny, he also sounds like a Jerk. This book is the story of his life, it's a sad life punctuated by the loss of his mother when Bernie was 16. It's obvious that Bernie had a rough life, and his rise to stardom was an impressive one that included doing stand up at church at age 8. However, it's so depressing throughout the entire work you'll want to throw the tape out by hour 2 of this 4 and half hour abridgement. At no time is any part of this book funny, and the reading by Bernie Mac is delivered so flat as to seem monotone. I don't think Bernie was trying to make himself sound selfish, but that's really how it feels towards the end of the work. I feel bad, but I have to recommend not spending your money on this product.

I appreciate every word shared in this book! Bernie Mac exposes the readers to the hardship, loss, and struggle that he endured on his road to success. Many would have given up years before he saw success. Throughout the book, he reiterates the depth and strength of his mother and the many lessons (MACisms) that she engrained in him. I never expected to experience the range of emotions that were stirred within my spirit throughout the reading of his story. Great big shoutout to his wife, Rhonda, you are an inspiration and a motivation. A difficult but beautiful story. Thanks for not giving up during your journey. I greatly appreciate your story.

Bernie Mac did it again. He made me laugh and cry all at the same time. He took me through his journey and I felt like I was right there. I can't wait to read his other book.

Bernard (Bernie Mac), has done it again. "Maybe You Never Cry Again" is one serious novel into the life of the Mac Man. This book showed me another side of Bernie Mac that I loved reading about. The man through victorious triumphs, love, and haters...he bet all odds to show he was determined and made it. I have a new found respect for Bernie Mac and his career of comedy. He is one of the best comedians out in this world today. I love the "Macisms" throughout the book, they help me overcome some obstacles in my life. He became a man in my sense at an early age. He knew what he wanted and went for it after defeating life's set-backs. I give this book five stars it is truly what Bernie Mac stands for and is today because of it.

Wonderful, wonderful book. I am inspired to find some land and build my own little haven... I guess that makes this the most expensive book I've ever bought.

I love this book because Michael allowed me to feel I could build a place of my own, and because I experienced the process so thoroughly and vicariously through him, I probably won't. I loved reading of the balancing of reality and desire, of architect, builder, and setting. I am amazed at what Michael is able to do, and I savor and share his rightful pride in being able to do so. I appreciate my own home more and view other structures with more curiosity as a result of reading this book. Michael entertains, and makes the process of home-building accessible to any one of us. I sit and look at the cover, wanting a little home of my own, and, as I say, I feel satisfied with what he has built, and the creation of my own little nest within a home that is already mine. And if I change my mind, he is here as guide.

First, I enjoyed reading this book. I'm a carpenter turned cabinetmaker that aspires to build spec homes per my own designs, from bottom to top. Given my existing interest in the field, I most enjoyed his discussion of the various architectural movements and the philosophies thereof. It provides a broad overview of different theories of design and how they result in pleasing (or not so pleasing) structures.

However, he definitely goes overboard - especially with the obnoxious use of esoteric vocabulary. Synecdoche? I'm pretty well read and I don't think I've ever even seen that word written before. It goes on and on like that, and it's unfortunate because it really distracts you from what's otherwise a pretty interesting read. He also seems to slip into a bit of stream of consciousness about the theory behind some detail of construction or another (like muntins). Be prepared.

It was also tiring to read about the conflict between the architect and the builder. If it was indeed as tense as he claims, then he's probably in large part to blame, getting wrapped up in the drama (which I believe he does).

Overall I gave it a 3, because it definitely provided a lot of good information. But I was dragging by the end, and it really felt like once he hit his quota of pages he just stopped. He takes you all the way through the process of construction, but doesn't tell you how it ends. How's the building feel? What worked and what didn't? Is it great in the spring with the windows open, or is it too buggy? Freezing in the winter? By dropping 30 pages of theory and putting in an equal amount of reality it would have made this book a real winner.

... this book is much too wordy and self-consciously "word-crafted." A Place of My Own: 3 stars.

I have loved his other books: The Botany of Desire in particular. He is an excellent writer and great to listen to in a radio interview. However, this book, it seems to me, was written for his former colleagues in the "word industry" as a proof that he can write more intricately structured sentences, more erudite vocabulary, more commas generally THAN YOU CAN!!

I began reading the book with great hopes, and I hate to rate any of his books less than a 5; but I immediately bogged down. It has overly complicated, assertively complicated, prose. It has an immensity of nested clauses delimited by a blizzard of commas. I started looking for a sentence without a comma. I couldn't find one for at least a page and a half. Immensely long, self-consciously crafted sentences. Nothing is just a thing: It's possibly the strangest, most meaningful thing, except that his wife, when in the kitchen, though not generally not on Tuesdays, used to enunciate, with a wry expression on her lips -- a rather inappropriate expression I thought, that it was the opposite of the physical object, in spite of Plato and Aristotle, because her cabalistic, pernicious, atavism. (You get the style?) I think he was trying impress himself that his life, decision to write full time and his little studio were worthwhile. To me, it's navel-gazing at its worst.

If you like the kind of sentence I parodied above (though trust me, it's not that much of a parody) you will like this book. Otherwise, not. As noted, I like Michael Pollan. I could not read this. Thank goodness for his more recent books.

[edited for spelling and grammar 28FEB08]

this book is elegantly written, erudite and entertaining. I'd recommend it highly both to the carpenter who would like to know more about the ancient roots of construction and to the armchair traveller types. It examines the dynamic between builder, client and architect in a manner reminicient of but definitely different from the classic Tracy Kidder "House".

This is a well written book. Everything is neatly arranged. The author provides explanations of common terms like focal ratio, eye relief, and many more. He also provides a history of the various types of telescopes as well as a comparison of the various uses. Phil S. Harrington did a excellent job of compiling a reference of the various telescopes, accessories, and manufacturers. It also contains some information on observing. As an added bonus, purchasers of the book can go to his website for updates and corrections (and some other useful stuff). This book is definitely worth the money!

I took an astronomy course about 20 years ago back when I was 15, and I find myself only now with the time and money to seriously pursue the hobby. So, I ran across this book in several forums as a way to introduce myself to the hardware needed for the amateur astronomer, and the book delivers all it promises; I ended up buying the right telescope and accessories for my level of knowledge and have it right next to the scope's manual for reference. I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about purchasing a telescope or related hardware, as a must-have guide to star ware shopping.

After reading Phil's book Star Ware, I would not think of buying anything for my telescope without looking it up in his book. I am about 402.00 in the hole because I didn't have a copy of this book. I have since picked up a better scope for less money. The difference in price would have gotten me a really good wide FOV 13mm eyepiece and money left over.

I now own the last 3 editions of this. An excellent and extensive introductionj to astronomical equipment and accessories definitely worthwhile for the new astronomer. Even worthwhile for many more experienced astronomers. Includes a section featuring many DIY accessories.

I have found this book to be a veritable wealth of information with the uncommon aspect of actually giving critical, unbiased assessments of the wide and varied array of astronomical hardware available.

While you might not agree with all his observations, the assessments appear to be based on actual hands-on experience, and I find it refreshing to see reviews that don't uniformly praise every single item under scrutiny!

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to future updates.

I have only owned this book a couple of days, but I like it! It's got great directions for finding objects of interest in the sky. The book is divided into sections that describe what can be seen during the different seasons. The book covers a wide range of sights within our solar system and beyond (even giving lots of details for lunar features).

I am sorry to give this book two stars. It is probably a good book, but it is NOT for beginners, so I gave the low stars to get the attention of people who were on the fence or wondering whether it was appropriate for beginners. It is not motivating or engaging at all for real newbies. Not for people who have never cracked a book on astronomy. It is filled with the kind of details that bog down someone trying to gauge investigate interest. I share the sentiments of the other person (so far) who gave it two stars. No photographs. Nothing really basic. I highly recommend NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe. It has all the things this book does not: beautiful photographs, comprehensive but understandable content, and an engaging tone.NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe

My boys are 6 and 7 and they are getting interested in stars and things in the heavens. We have tried to combine this with a beginner telescope to locate and check out the night sky. I love science and this is a nice companion as elementary schools can't always cover all the topics there are to learn about in this life. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in stars and the skies.

Once you become familiar with the constellations and some of the brighter stars, you will find this book one of the best introductions to deep-sky objects ever written. Get a decent pair of binoculars and you are in business. I like the layout. Harrington is one of the better popular astronomy writers. The charts are great and the descriptions of deep-sky objects are accurate for the instrument used. Naturally, begin with that pair of binoculars. Then grab of 6" or 8" dobsonian. You can spend many good hours under the stars with this book.

Star Watch is a great book for your Astronomy library for those with small telescopes or binoculars with more information than several other books aimed at amateur astronomers. The author has done a remarkable job at introducing the wonders of the Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy for us to explore. It a wonderful book for any armchair astronomer and a pleasure to read.

This book is like all other books in the "Teach Yourself Visually" series. If your computer skills are limited, it is a great tool to learn the basics of Front Page. However, once you are done with it, you are done with it. It is essentially useless as a reference, and since you are now beyond the basics, it is now little more than a space holder.
Using sets of colorful and clear diagrams, you are walked through each step in the process of inserting a particular feature into your page. The chapters are:

*) Getting started
*) FrontPage basics
*) Work with web pages
*) Edit text
*) Format web pages
*) Add images
*) Customize images
*) Create links
*) Create tables
*) Work with navigational structure
*) Create frames
*) Create forms
*) Add web page effects
*) Manage web pages
*) Publish web pages

In summary, if you are unable to learn how to use the fundamental features of FrontPage from this book, then you probably can't learn it.

I got this book when I decided to start my own website. I knew nothing about web design or Frontpage. This book helped me create, not only a thorough and informative site, but one that is visually stimulating and easy to work with. If you get only one book to help you with simple web site design, get this book!

Simple, to the point, and very user friendly. This book has great, step-by-step screen shots, clear graphics, & simple explanations. Avoids long winded explanations. Instead of just telling you it SHOWS you. Great for visual learners for myself. Give you all the basics of building and publishing a web page. Best for beginner to intermediate users. The amount of time you'll save by having this book as a reference is well worth the purchase price. Highly recommended.

I learned how to design a basic website strictly by coding HTML by hand, rather then using Front Page, or any of the other WYSIWYG editors out there. Once I had a basic understanding of what HTML is doing behind the scenes, I thought it was time to find an easier way to code and design web pages, so I decided to start using Front Page.

As other reviewers have noted, the book does not go into deep detail and much of it is very basic in its design. I found it was just perfect for what I was looking for though. I had the basic HTML foundation and wanted to know how to set up frames quickly and easily or how to layout an entire website using the setup wizards in Front Page. This book allowed me to skip around to exactly what I wanted to find and learn how to do it quickly and generally with very little problems. The examples are laid out nicely and are pretty straight forward and easy to understand and follow along with.

I can't say how good of a text it is for a person with no knowledge of HTML or any type of web design experience to use. It was just perfect for me to get a basic understanding of a new tool to use. If I have any complaint, it is at times too basic and it would have been nice to go at least a little bit into examining the things that can be done with Front Page extensions.

I bought this based on the rating and the reviews. I wish I hadn't. While it is not a bad book, it is so basic that anyone who has ventured into beginning web page development will not benefit from this.

There are large sections on how to use the program's dictionary, or how to cut and paste words, how to use the mouse, how to change the font, etc, etc.

The whole concept is a bit of an oxymoron. It takes a very simple "Dummies"-like approach but instructs primarily via pictures rather than text. However, by the time someone gets to where they actually want to have a web page, are savvy enough to know that their ISP allots them web space, or even knows what an "ISP" is, and knows that Frontpage is a web development tool, they don't need to be taken step by step through how to add a column to a table. Sheesh!

If you just turned on your computer for the very first time yesterday, and you want to learn the basics of web page authoring today before you take on SQL database managment tomorrow, then by all means buy this book. But if you have average computer skills and you have basic word processing familiarity but you just don't find Frontpage intuitive and want to know how to use the program, buy something else.

I have been an anime fan now for about 6 or 7 years, and like most here in the U.S., I got my anime roots through undam Wing (I am still a HUGE Gundam fan). Anyway, I saw features about this book in some magazines I read, so I went to my local comic book store to buy it. It showed me EVERYTHING I needed to at least get a basic understanding of the themes and different variations of anime. Now, I enjoy all styles of anime and am even beginning to build a small collection. I would also recommend at least checking out "What's Japanese in Japanese Animation". I know I sure will.

This is an excellent book about the Anime genre. It describes not only the history of anime but the various styles and elements that make anime unique.
The author includes recomendations in the different anime styles and makes parental recomendations as well.
Elements of Japanese culture are woven into the descriptions making this an all around good read and reference book.
There is also a video animation called "Otaku no Video" which complements this book and has a similar cover.
If you want to learn more about anime or are a fan pick both of these titles!

I love anime! Drawing Japanese pictures is awesome. I don't have many friends, so drawing pictures keeps me entertained. This book was great for me because it had lots of Japanese pictures in it. People call me a nerd for drawing Japanese pictures and listening to country music, but I don't care!

This book is much better at talking about anime fan culture than anime itself. If you're interested in knowing more about the films, there are better resources such as "Anime Explosion", "Samurai from Outer Space" or, for the more academically inclined, "Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke"

I'm too old to have discovered Japanese manga and anime in my youth, but I've made up for that the past few years. Being interested in Japanese culture and literature generally, I had some understanding of why anime is the way it is, and why it's so much different from American or European graphic art, but reading this well-written book, I found there was a great deal I had missed. Poitras writes from the fan's point of view, so he knows what questions he should be addressing -- everything from the "big eye" mania, to the difference between hentai and mainstream manga, to the nervousness among the U.S. morals police about "foreign" art, to actually setting up and publicizing a fan group, plus the ins and outs of model kits, imported publications, and so on. There's also an excellent rundown of recommended anime titles and series, which I've photocopied as a checklist. This book doesn't tell you everything you need to know, but it's a good place to start.

After reading this book, I was able to build my own 22 by 12 ft. deck. It contains lots of plans for various deck types with lots of pictures showing you how to do everything from cuts to bolting. I couldn't have built my deck without it.

This book contains all the essential information to build a great deck. It even specifies parts for the decks that they show from top to bottom to help you get an idea of how much a deck may cost. The pictures are especially nice (glossy and clear in the meaning). I recommend this deck book for people of experience levels ranging from the dead beginner to the high intermediate.

The last time I did much carpentry was 30 years ago, so not being much of a carpenter, I'm having a deck built for me, but I still wanted to get some information on how its done, so I'd have some idea of what to look for in a well designed and built deck, and how to maintain it. This book was fine for that. It covers all the basics, the different parts of the deck, siting the deck, materials to choose from, design ideas, important things to consider, plus of course how to actually go about building a deck. I learned that many decks these days are actually more of a particle board or composite material, which is low maintenance, which lasts longer and is easier to maintain. I had always liked the idea of a cedar or redwood deck but decided that the other material was the way to go. It doesn't have the nice grain of natural wood, but better resists stains, water, and the elements. Overall, a helpful book, especially for a beginner with not much previous knowledge and expertise. I also liked the book: Building a Deck: Expert Advice from Start to Finish. These two books were the best of the many that I looked at.

A great book for deck building. My only complaint is there was a bit too much info on the exotic style decks that can be built. More regular first time info would have been helpful. Overall though a great book for the price.

This book was ok, but I was still left longing for something more comprehensive, with more examples and more pictures.

If you're interested in ideas for interior woodwork, this book offers some nice photos that may inspire a project ... and sometimes inspiration is just what's needed to get us out of the chair and actively working. However, if you're interested in executing the work that's shown, an inexperienced carpenter will be hard pressed to succeed based on the information here. No book can substitute for experience, and this book is great for dreamers, but there are better carpentry guides out there if you actually want to do the work.

I just recently purchased this book to trim out my house with Crown, base and window trim and decorative caps between rooms.

while there are better boooks for pure trim carpentry skills, Jim Tolpin's book comes to mind, I find myself reaching for this book over Tolpin's as it has great color pictures, concise instructions, good organization, and most importantly, ideas.

When I was choosing how to make my base moldings, or build the decorative cap, I needed guidance on which moldings to choose, what size they should be proportionally, and how to build them. This is where this book becomes worth every penny--its descriptions and pictures, along with techniques for different styles such as neo classical, victorian and Arts and Crafts, with suggestions on how to put all the components together on walls, floors and ceilings.

Overall I highly recommend this book for anyone that's going to trim their house themselves.

This book is wonderful. Starting with some carpentry skills of my own, I was able to design and trim out my entire dining room with crown molding, chair rail, wall frames etc. This book was invaluable in helping me design and execute the project.

Well, I should have known. The title "Decorating with..." tells it all. It is first and foremost a decorating book that the wife would love. This book has the best and sharpest color pictures of any decorating book and is very tastefully presented. But it is skimpy or just plain bad at helping you to DIY. There is little that is useful in technique and little that is useful for tackling the complexities of say installing crown moulding. But, I can't fault the author. After all, the title is "Decorating with...".

This book will provide the Do-It-Yourself crowd with the knowledge necessary to tackle a trimwork project with confidence. With excellent organization, information and pictures, it is hard to imagine a better book for this purpose.

Even if you do not plan to do it yourself, the book will provide excellent pictures to help you select the type of trimwork you would like, and will serve as a starting point in a project discussion with a carpenter. The example pictures alone are worth the price of the book.

Not bad, but I have read better. It does have a lot of good pictures of the effects they are teaching and all in all this book is not bad, there are just so many others that I feel are better. Check out The "DV Rebel Guide" by Stu something or other or "101 Digital Video hacks", both I feel are better than this.
Enjoy!

I read through the book which was very informative, form ohh so thats how and TV never really was the same after. I have also tested out good part of it and got good resuslts. I would recommend it highly

I was looking for a video book that shows methods of filming ideas. Just searching I ended up with very complex cinephotographer books that contained tons of detail but too complex for casual person like myself. Just happended to stumbled across this book and was really surprised at the clear writing style and easy to understand images. For making a simple film project with no budget I thought this was the perfect book.

If you are looking to improve your video skills or making a large student project, I would highly recommend this book. For the film student or professional these tips might be already covered in school. Many of the project require nothing special, just a standard video camera and basic editing software. This is a nice change from other books that almost require Adobe After Effects to produce a good special effect.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will keep this in my video bag to spark any ideas I might need during filming.

There are a view techniques described in this book that might come in handy someday, but the descriptions are not particularly thorough. The bottom line: this will make a good coffee table book but don't expect to learn too much.

very practical way of showing how to do multimedia effects at minimal or no cost. Good illustrations & straight to the point. very clear bullet points under the photos, No boring bulcky paragraphs.

I recomment this book, it's Excellent.

I am so thankful for the insightfulness of Mr. Aronson. I have done more conceptual video work in the past when I was a graduate student in photography. I am looking a doing another educational project and wanted to brush up on my skills. The book provides me with the knowledge I can use to feel much more confident in the upcoming project as well as exploring my own fine art projects. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in digital video.

este es un libro que explica de manera didáctica ,todos los procesos que tiene una producción audiovisual.
Muy bien ilustrado, con ejemplos que ayudan al nuevo realizador audiovisual a enfrentar sus primeras producciones de una forma segura, buscando que éste no cometa errores que luego pueden demeritar su trabajo.
La única crítica que tengo para hacer de esta obra, es que los ejemplos de montaje los realizan en programa específicos , como Final Cut, algo que de alguna manera deja sin posibilidades a aquellos que manejamos plataformas de edición diferentes.

The first half of the book is very thorough in going over the basics of film and digital video. There's also some description on some basic equipment you'll need to get off the ground.

The second half talks about basic editing in Final Cut, which I mostly skipped since I don't plan on using Final Cut. Honestly, for filmmakers who plan on using Final Cut, this would've probably made 5 stars.

Have fun and good luck on your film!

"DV Filmaking from Start to Finish" is a !!MASTERPIECE!!. It is a book I
recommend to anyone interested in Digital Video. Reading the book was like having Mr. Ian David Aronson in your room sharing with you all of his knowledge.

This book it's not a 18 chapter tutorial on learning Final Cut Pro or After Effects. It's more like traveling back in time and learning from the history of Digital Video to the present day. Aronson show's everything, from film to video, the way you should treat your camera, what you should be
prepared with; lighting, greenscreen, Hardware, white balance, DVD
authoring,
aspect ratios, you name it, including some basic tutorials on doing
edits.
He even gives you an internet address to look and confirm what he is showing
you.

If you are an advanced editor, this book is for you. This book is for to
read,
learn and keep it forever just in case you forget a detail, so you can
review it again and again. I was amazed with the things I have learned from
Mr.
Aronson. Thank you and I'll hope to read another book from him.

Jorge Raphael Valenzuela Hernández
Graphic Artist / Videographer

DV Filmmaking From Start To Finish by Ian David Aronson's will reach both amateur and professional digital video users with a basic primer on differences between digital and print mediums. Familiarity with Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects, the two programs used here, will aid in understanding DV applications in either PC or Mac formats, while the author's background as a teacher of digital media lends a logical progression to his tips and practical applied examples.