Entertainment Books

I loved this book. It had so many true parts in it, yet had such a funny way of talking about them. If you need a good laugh you have to read this book. She has such a way with writing. I just love her books.

this is a great book. i have never laughed so much while reading a book. lots of real life everyday, big and small issues and she makes you laugh about them and you will nod your head in agreement to so much of it! i love it

Jenny is refreshingly honest, and blunt about life. The fun of it is even if we don't have the courage to talk of these issues, we know we have been through some or all of them.

This book is a laugh out loud kinda book. I think it can be enjoyed by anyone!

I finished this book in two days it was that funny. I even told my husband some of the stories from the book! I won't go into much , just read the book!

i was blown away by how interesting and inspiring a book about the life of guy on drugs could be. He was so detailed in his writing that you can tell that he has a gift as a writer and an amazing story to go along with it. It was a very hard book to put down and there was never any moments in the book that i just wanted to skip ahead because i was being bored with unnecessary details. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read!

Bored, tired of reading books with facts and statistics? Yes, so was I.

This book is a great, fun read. The main character Jim (the author James Salant) keeps you on the edge of your seat.

James doesnt waste your time trying to give you statistics on drugs, drug use or even how meth is produced.

This is his story of addiction, from beginning to end. Its not a pretty journey through the countryside, but rather a long walk down a dirty, dangerous back alley.

Meth use is a disgusting, but growing problem in the U.S. This book gives you one mans glimpse of what it was like being hooked on it!!!

Salant's book is by far the best memoir of drug addiction I've ever read.

It's precisely the relative absence of shock-for-shock's sake that made this book such a satisfying read. As described by Salant, a drug addict's world isn't exciting; it's just sordid (which Salant acknlowedges in recounting some of the gross and/or unsavory things he did while addicted. Those of us who like to read about unsavory things done by other people - and I'm one of them - do get their money's worth in this memoir). But it's his writing that struck me as singular.

Told by a less talented writer, this story could have been ho-hum. But Salant writes with great clarity and economy, and seems objective as he can be in a book about himself. He does talk about writing poetry in the book, though sometimes he lied about that so his parents would send him money, so I'm not sure how much poetry he actually wrote!

But as for his prose, Salant writes as if he's been writing forever - he's that good. He's an extremely talented young writer, and thanks to that, this book wasn't the cobbled-together addiction exploitation book it very easily could have been.

Another reviewer said he (or she) would have liked more about his recovery. I think that might have been too much; I think Salant was right in leaving off where he did. And for an addict or alcoholic, there is always the chance of relapse; it's risky talking about your "recovery" when you're still in your early 20s. That's just my view, of course.

But this one's absolutely well worth reading.

This was for sure one of the best memoirs I've read, and the best addiction books out there. It stays with you after. I've read A LOT of addiction books to try to understand a friend I had that was an addict. I can't believe how the author got out alive and how honest he is! The things he encounters are not pretty and shamfeful and embarrassing, yet he eloquently describes his experiences without holding back.

This book is well written, a page turner, and extremely graphic and real. He's so young to have gone through so much and I liked at the end how he told the readers how hard it was for his family and gf to read it. Very compelling and a vdifferent from the self pity addiction books like "Blackout Girl" that I've been reading lately.

this book is scary, it opens your eye to the love familys have even when your child is slowly killing himself with drugs. the author has a great talent, and is so very hot! the book does not let you put it down. again a great book.

I must say thank you to Sir Sidney (as we call him in the Bahamas)for looking back over his life and sharing all the wonderful memories. We can all learn from his advice along with his great - granddughter. He has lived a fantastic life which would have made Horatio Alger proud. I have had the good fortune to have met him and he is always gracious and charming.
You will enjoy this book from cover to cover and get to peak inside the life of this great man who is respected all over the world.

I love this book, it is so personal, I wish I was not so lazy and do the same for my grand/greatgrand children.

For months, I've wanted to share some of my experiences with my granddaughters specifically and my grandchildren in general . . . but where to start, how much to share, which topics are taboo, how to share without influencing or preaching, etc.??? THANK YOU Mr. Poitier! I've only finished half the book, but already I know that I want all of my grandchildren to read it! In fact, I want everyone to read it.
I was struck by Mr. P's loving, honest and forgiving thoughts about life. I was warmed because he has struggled with many of the same notions most dreamers ponder: GOD? Relationships, hardships, money, self-discipline, determination, respect . . .
I'm sure I'll have more to type after I've finished the entire book, but before life happens, I wanted to say thanks and advise everyone, this is the book to read and share!

As a grandmother, I wish I could write as such for my grandchildren.
Sincere, family history to be cherished by all of his children and grandchildren.

Life Beyond Measure is a series of letters to Poitier's great-granddaughter, to be read as she matures from infancy to young womanhood. As such, it is not a straight biographical narrative, rather a compendium of grandfatherly advice intermixed with real life examples from Poitier's marvelous and challenging life.

It seems some of the events are skimmed over - he mentions finding the love of his life in his second wife, but fails to detail the divorce from his first wife and the suffering involved in that. He treats everyone very resepctfully, obviously retaining a good relationship with the first wife, but I think a few lessons detailing that type of event would have been beneficial to his intended audience.

The writing style is fluent and easy to read - it moves best when Poitier is relating tales from his youth on Cat Island or Nassau, or his individual struggles against unemployment or racism. It bogs down some near the end when he begins to wax philospohically on the great mysteries of the universe, and I am not certain all the background information he throws in on society and science was that useful, but still he manages to convey his basic point that mankind needs to be a good steward of this planet and of each other.

All in all, an enjoyable read with a lot of valuable advice couched in warm and accessible prose.

I really like these puzzles. Once I start I can't put them down. I could do them for hours and not get bored. If you like challenges these are very cool.

Three favorite editions in one slipcased gift collection! From the popular "LIFE" Picture Puzzle series comes a three-volume set of "LIFE Picture Puzzle, LIFE Original Picture Puzzle," and "LIFE Amazing Picture Puzzle."

These picture puzzles are great. They are very challenging and fun. It would have been nice if they told you that there were 3 books in the set and listed the names of the books that were included since I already had a few of the Time Life Picture Puzzle books. Overall I was very pleased with my purchase.

When I purchased this item, it came at the time that it was said to come. When I gave it to my friend, he was like AWESOME. He loved the diffrent levels from novie to genius levels and the timing feature on this made it fun for himself as well as others that competed with him and that was just the first book out of 3 that were included. A good deal for the price. He also loved looking at all the different pictures. They were from all over the world and some of them very funny to look at. Another friend saw it and said, Wow, that's a really nice gift.

I purchased the box set for someone who enjoys these puzzles in magazines and they were thrilled with it. Enough to keep all age levels busy for a long time!

My daughter has been thrilled with the Suzuki violin book and cd. Her playing skills and confidence have improved tremendously.
Thank you,
Michelle

This is a good product. I just didn't realize it was a revised edition until I received it, but it still works!

I bought this to help me learn to play the violin (I am in my 30's). I played the cello as a kid so I was already familiar with stringed instruments and note reading. This a progressive program that builds on itself. The book comes with a CD to help you hear how the songs should be played and that you can play along to.

I'd also recommend the "I Can Read Music" book for Violin.

I collect a lot of art books, and this is easily one of the best I've picked up. Tons of designs, notes on the artists' process, finished pieces, it's really got everything. The art style for the game is so interesting and unique, and this art book so thorough and well-done, that you really can't go wrong with it.

A truly stunning book. With 288 huge full-color pages and shiny gold FOIL on the cover, this book is most certainly worth $40, even $50.
I love reading all the artists' and game creators' notes. They're so fun... and funny. Big full-page spreads of the brush gods, characters, divine instruments, bosses, etc. Not only are they big, they're super high quality! I'm also very glad that Udon kept the original Japanese right-to-left alignment. There would be lots of flipped images and confusing things if they had flopped it.
There are actually quite a few disappointing things about the book, but they didn't dishearten me enough to drop a star in my rating. For one thing, there are a few poorly translated things, and I was a bit sad that some of the translations that are supposed to use in-game text are simply translated and not written in accordance to the English version of the game. Also, 'Takamagahara' appears in the book three times... and is spelled differently each time. These inconsistencies were a bit saddening, but not too sad... mistakes happen, I guess.
Also, the binding isn't terribly great... I don't mind at all that the spine creases. In fact, that adds to the book's old beat-up look. However, just a few flips through it caused a few segments of pages to come loose of the binding glue. Thankfully it's all kept together by tough string, and about half the pages are still attached. Not to mention there are thick pages glued together at the beginning and end of the book, so nothing will be falling out any time soon. Life is good. :)

This book is full of the most amazing artwork - it's both inspiring and humbling. Every page is chock-full of gorgeous imagery and for the price it's incredible.

Not much to say on this one, but it's really interesting to see what kind of decisions they had to make when they were designing characters. A few times, I actually liked what they made before they went with something else.

I only have two disappointments with this book. 1) If you've played the game and beaten it, a lot of the artwork in the book is actually in the game. So having the game & the book is kinda silly, and 2) the book is big! Normally this wouldn't be problem, but the glue holding the spine of the pages in got lose on one end, so you have to be careful with this.

This art book is AMAZING!! each of its pages are a true treasure, the images, sketchs and models are really good detailed, its a collection piece, dont waste the time and BUY IT NOW !!!

Looks like a good book. I have not made it through the whole thing yet, but I can definitely recommend this vendor.

Unless you're a math genius or your name is Chris Ferguson, you need this book.

Top-to-bottom odds and probabilities for limit and no-limit hold'em.

Loaded with charts and explanations. I purchased this book after seeing the charts in the back of the book ... unlike any I've seen elsewhere. You can't go wrong with this book ... it's one of my top favorites.

I previewed this book before I bought it and it seemed like a good value and now that I have it, I still feel that way. The poor reviews from other customers must be from know it alls because unlike many poker titles, it delivers exactly what it says.

If you already know the odds then you dont need this, but I already knew how to calculate with the 2-4 method but it expands on that to add implied odds, and douts. Thats how far I am into this book so far, and I expect the rest of it to be worth the time to read it and the cost.

Do not be misled by the haters. If you are shopping for a book on the subject of texas holdem odds, I would say its worth it. Many poker books are convoluted and this one is perfectly readable. So the people who said it is too basic might be fans of the convoluted books that I dont fully understand, but I found this book useful to re-enforce what I already knew and to help me expand on that knowledge.

Last comment, the book wasnt the holy grail that I couldnt live without, but it definitely gave me a deeper understanding of the subject and I would certainly reccomend it.

If you had trouble with math in grade school, then this book may be just right for you. But I personally found it was too elementary. Come on--do you really need to explain how to add fractions and how to convert 1/3 to decimals? If you are THAT math-challenged, you probably can't count outs either! By spending so much time on remedial arithmetic, he doesn't cover a lot of ground.

If you've never heard of implied odds and don't have a clue how to size your bets, then by all means buy this book. For anyone who has read one or two poker books, this stuff is too basic--and nothing is new.

This book will boggle your mind in the beginning with terms and number crunching that probably will need a second or third reading to fully digest ... That is not necessarily a bad thing as long as you don't get frustrated trying to get the the 'meat' of the book. The book gets rolling with more 'advice' and good scenarios from the middle to the end ... although the author does favor certain types of hands. I would not recommend this as a first read for a novice player, but is a good addition to gain this author's prespective on the game.

Although this book was originally scheduled for publication on 8-22, I received mine today, 8-19, a testament to Amazon.com's speedy delivery service. It's difficult to categorize this volume, falling somewhere between a coffee table picture book and a personal photo album. Bernstein's brother apparently came up with the idea, this in his brother's 90th year. There are articles and remembrances from mostly his years with the NYP, written by Alan Rich, Paul Boyer and others with Burton Bernstein commenting on each. There is a good amount of new black and white photos strewn among the 207 pages with lots of newspaper reproductions, sidebars and fancy graphics that I found a bit distracting and, again, make me want to put it on a coffee table rather than store more formally on a book shelf. But for those of us who cannot get enough of Bernstein and continue to re-read Humphrey Burton's masterful biography, this is a nice adjunct. It makes us miss him all over again.

What I have to say has already been said in several two-star reviews: for all its impressive length and alleged research, Gabler never gets a proper handle on Disney as either a man or a creative artist. The new Mike Barrier book is better. The old Richard Schickel book is better. The short chapter in Leonard Maltin's "Of Mice and Magic" is better. Heck, there are websites devoted to Disney that are better!

Somehow - I guess because of its length and sanctioning by the Disney organization - this has been annointed as the "definitve" Disney biography. But it misses by a mile. It's boring, pretentious, and very unsatisfying. You'll get much more of out the shorter, better-written book by Mike Barrier - a lifelong animation scholar who understands Disney in ways that Gabler simply can't.

Please believe me (as somebody who's read nearly everything about Disney, and has been a major animation buff/collector for 40 years) when I say that this disappointing book has been insanely overpraised!

Neither a love letter nor a scathing attack, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination is an even-handed and thorough examination of one of the undisputed icons of 20th century popular culture. And written in Neal Gabler's clear, crisp narrative style, it's dense but enjoyable reading.

Gabler clearly has done his homework, and done it extensively (and, he notes in the afterword, he did all his own research rather than passing the legwork off on assistants). It makes for a cohesive look at how Disney decided animated characters needed to evoke emotional responses; created the first feature-length animated film; promoted both Technicolor and color TV in their infancies; became the first motion picture studio executive to work directly with nascent television networks; and, of course, redefined the concept of the amusement park.

At the same time, Gabler discloses Disney's involvement in the anti-Communist and blacklist hysteria; his reluctance to credit individual studio artists; and how, later in life, he became a tyrannical figure at Walt Disney Productions while simultaneously always pursuing innovative projects.

Especially important, Gabler shows how Disney consciously created (and even licensed to his own studio) a "Walt Disney" public persona while remaining intensely private -- and how he was never satisified with resting on his previous accomplishments and, in fact, seemed embarrassed that his legacy would be what he had already done.

While it takes a while to read, Neal Gabler has produced a biography that shows how Disney both directly and indirectly influenced how generations experienced entertainment -- and their expectations of it.

As with any major celebrity, there is fact and there is legend. With Walt Disney, the lines have become blurred as Walt the man has been supplanted by Walt the icon. Most people today have gotten to know the image of "Uncle Walt," the paternally avuncular picture of middle American success -- the man who went from animated cartoons, feature films, to television and Disneyland and its successors. Yet there was another side to Walt. He was by turns a workaholic, hard-driving taskmaster, visionary, storyteller, tinkerer and technical wizard -- a man who inspired and infuriated subordinates, colleagues, competitors. Ever the perfectionist, he sought to elevate entertainment above the simplistic to the artful.

Neal Gabler crafts a splendid examination of the life of this enigmatic man -- labeled by many as "An American Original." Going beyond the superficial press releases and stock images, he looks not only at Walt Disney the entertainer, but Walt Disney the man. He presents a well-researched, meticulous, balanced portrait of a unique individual -- a genius, who nevertheless possessed deep flaws and human weaknesses. We discover a man who, despite his upbringing (or perhaps because of it), rose to become a giant in the entertainment world. In the process, he became a symbol, alternately, of innovation, artistry, daring, conventionality, stodginess, and ultimately, an icon synonymous with happiness (albeit at an often hefty price).

The author explores his personal relationships with family and friends, including his brother Roy, his wife Lillian, and the animators and studio employees from whom he would later distance himself as he grew in ego and stature. Uncle Walt succeeded in reinventing himself in the image of the quintessential American of his own making.

Mr. Gabler chronicles not only Disney and the company that bears his name, but also an industry and an era long past, but whose roots still entwine the American imagination.

If you ever wanted to know virtually everything about Walt Disney and the Disney company, this is the book for you. The author has almost overwhelming detail of Walt's early upbringing and difficult life to his unfortunate early death while in the middle of planning out Disney World and Epcot. This book is not for the light reader on the subject, the biography is massive with over 600 pages not counting the notes and index. But you will come away from the book adoring the man that never stopped planning and making improvements from not just the way cartoons were drawn but by making them more artistic, utilizing new techniques and cameras with an analyzing eye for detail. Often on the brink of bankruptcy, Walt, with the huge contribution of brother Roy, continued to make improved products equiring outstanding loans throughout much of his career. Betrayed initially by a film distributor who not only stole, legally, Disney's Oswald character and stole many of his staff, Disney and his top artist Ub Iwerks, develop the life changing Mickey Mouse. But as Gabler tells the story, Disney's studio grows and so do the risks with perhaps the greatest risk at that time, Snow White, the first full length animation film. What almost seems like a pattern, Walt continues to make improvements, hire increased staff and take out loans as he produces more, works staff long hours to put out a higher quality package. The book also provides a sobering view of Disney as sometimes the pressure was too great for the great story teller and the advent of unions and the need for stock sales along with bankers starting to provide over sight leads to greater restrictions and frustration but then Disney thrives with less costly non-cartoon films such as Davey Crocket that become quite a rage along with the Mickey Mouse TV show and eventually his plan for Disneyland that was an attempt to fulfill his boyhood dreams of his small town life in Marceline, Missouri. Fascinating detail on such things as Ub Iwerks as the actual artist who drew the early Mickey, the need for Donald Duck as a charcter to offset the corporate wholesomeness now required of the mouse, Roy Disney who held the finances together to allow Walt to plunge on and and Disney's plan for developing not only Disney World with modern monorails but Epcot. The sad end of the book of course is Walt's death of cancer that is well hinted very early on by references to a hacking cough many years before. What is really unfortunate was Walt Disney's plan for Epcot that was never completely fullfilled that was to be more of a town with living areas for Disney employees creating a village concept that is actually being realized in many communities today (office parks with stores, landscapped lakes, and condos or apartments). Regretfully as Roy Disney said, the great plans for Epcot died with Walt. Primarily because Walt reached higher and higher, his ultimate plans with stringent notation to detail crerated a fascinating entertainment industry.

An absolute must-read for not just any Disney enthusiast, but anyone interested in the history of American pop culture in general. Gabler's effort to gather the most comprehensive research on the man behind the mouse is evident throughout, but even more important is his ability to weave that research into a page-turner of a tale which parallels the themes of the Disney features themselves, most importantly struggle against adversity, good versus evil, and the glory of success versus the misery of failure.

Enlightening, invigorating, and inspirational. A pleasure to read.