Entertainment Books

I have this story on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it so I decided to buy the book. It closely mirrors the DVD's, and had lots of pictures. Needless to say, I would highly recommend both. I've just started reading, "Long Way Down", and within a few pages have become as captivated as before. These adventures are the type of thing I would have loved to do 20 years ago, I can kinda get a feeling of what it must be like through Ewan and Charlie's travels. Thanks, Guys, for a really good time!!

The photos are great and compliment the journey and the text. A must have for any touring motorcyclist.

Long Way Round chronicles the around-the-world motorcycle adventure of Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor. It's unlikely I'll ever do anything like that in my life, but the book gave me an idea of what it's like. Both of them are entertaining writers and it was a really inspiring book. A great tale of taking an adventure and making it a dream come true; of friendship; and of overcoming obstacles. A great companion to the dvd set.

What an awesome book, recording an awesome experience. As a biker myself, I was attracted to the book just to read about a trip that is beyond my means and abilities, but the book ended up meaning much more than that to me. It showed me, yet again, that wherever you go in the world (And I've travelled a fair bit of it myself in my work as a seafarer !) people everywhere are just people like you and I, when you get past the religious, political and economic differences that can so often divide us. It also highlights the fact that people who make a living in the film industry are not necessarily unapproachable, self centred and addicted to adulation. They can be warm, human and prone to the same joys, fears and desires as the rest of us. In short, they are human beings who just happen to have a good job. This is not just a good read about a motor bike trip of a lifetime, it is a book that rekindles hope that the world, and its varied people, is a beautiful place after all, and not half as dangerous as some would have us believe. Whether you're a biker, an armchair traveller or just someone looking for an exciting and inspiring read, then this book is for you. I can't praise it highly enough.

I couldn't wait to get this book. It sounded like a great story of adventure across several continents. After the first chapter I deeply regreted my purchase. What had great potential turned out to be two guys boasting about their popularity and how it was going to be difficult being celebrities. Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't know them at all, despite their numerous references to the movies they've been in. I thought I was getting a book about the challenges of travel abroad and pictures of these places. What I got was a book with too many pictures of the authors, weak stories of the places they stayed in and the food they ate.

This is a beautiful and lovingly produced book of George Harrison's life in pictures with comprehensive articles and tributes written about George and heaps of great photographs and more. George's wife, Olivia Harrison wrote a moving personal Foreword that brings tears to the eye and touches chords of hearts. No George Harrison fans could miss this much sought-after item. However, whether or not you are a George Harrison or Beatles fan, this is a great book to read and a wonderful gift to give.

Geroge is consider one of the quiet one in the band "i think" but not on the music, his talent surpass any
other musician and is really sad not to have him anymore . In this book you'll find a great deal of pics since
the Beginning and from his solo career , a must have book to put in your collection

I must challege Candace Scott's remark in her review :

"But it's a stretch, to put it mildly, to place Harrison in the same league as Lennon & McCartney as a songwriter. Ouch! I love George as much as anyone, but still expect truthful history to be written"

I agree, George should not be placed in the same league as Lennon & McCartney because he was totally in his own league ! What is Candace making the comparison to here ? It was George, partially inspred by Pattie, his first wife, who led the other Beatles into the rich Vedic culture of spiritual India that inspired so many of their finest musical and lyrical masterpieces.

So in that context, the "truthful history to be written", is that George was even partially responsible for some of the finest compopsitions of Lennon and McCartney.George gave great emphasis to the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord, as in the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, as found in "My Sweet Lord", and "It Is He ( Sri Krishna )", which is the ultimate function of music, according to the ancient wise sages, gurus and spiritual masters . This Krishna mantra has helped millions of people to give up harmful drugs, animal killing, etc...How many song-writers are doing that with their music today ? George was the innovator, to turn scripture into pop songs. He was divinely empowered and had the integrity to do this, not caring if he was "fab" to the eyes of the masses, unlike anyone before him.

To minimize George's ability as a song writer in anyway only helps to disclose one's own superficiality, and lack of spiritual consciousness.

George's songs overflow with essential messages of the futility and temporality of things material, such as "All Things Must Pass", the dangers of becoming too materially attached "Beware of Darkness" , the concern for living in harmony with this planet "Save The World", etc...

In "Isn't It A Pity", George gives the essence of spirituality, by prompting us to develop equal vision and gratitude toward all beings, including animals :

"Some things take so long

But how do I explain

When not too many people

Can see we're all the same

And because of all their tears

Their eyes can't hope to see

The beauty that surrounds them

Isn't it a pity

I was very disappointed by Candace Scott's inabiity to see that "beauty that surrounds her" and lack of gratitude towards the very substantial and deep contribution George made through his music in transforming the lives of millions of people. I went on to become a Hare Krishna monk over thirty years ago because of his music, and devoted the best years of my life to feeding free vegetarian meals to tens of thousands of people, helping others off drugs, and so many other volunteer activities.

George Harrison is my first guru, and awareness of his contribution to the upliftment of the world will only increase as time goes by. Please read this book for it's deeper purpose.
gaura_acbsp@yahoo.com

For the recent Birthday of Georgie Boy, I can review this item as the best way of remembering one of the best humans that have ever walked this earth.

Having been a "LLOG" (Lifetime Lover of George)I have read plenty about him. In general, his music is the best way to get to know George: it is unique, multi-textured, honest, witty, loving and spiritual. However, for reasons I certainly can't fathom, generally his post-Beatles work (with about two exceptions) got no respect!
Of course I loved the photos, but in my opinion the written tributes from his wife, Olivia, and his friends/fellow musicians are what sets this book apart. Paul Simon's is particularly descriptive: I felt as though I was visiting Friar Park (the Harrison's home in England) right along with him; walking through George's beloved gardens, sitting in front of the fire, listening to an impromptu ukelele concert, receiving a thoughtful surprise upon returning home to the U.S. "He wasn't particularly quiet, he just didn't DEMAND to be heard." Beautifully put. (Note to Paul Simon: you just might have a second career there; I would buy your first novel!)
This is also a great book for aspiring guitarists, as it gives mini-descriptions of particularly noteworthy ("Essential") Harrison performances, illustrating the subtleties and unusual but brilliant choices George made (at times even innovative or ground breaking) musically. People who previously believed that Lennon and McCartney were the ONLY geniuses in the Beatles will re-think that belief after reading this section particularly: they might even listen for certain passages in certain songs and think, "YEAH, WOW! That IS amazing!" They might give George's solo work (besides "All Things Must Pass") a listen and be pleasantly surprised. But we "LLOGs" have heard and appreciated the subtle brilliance of George Harrison all along.
This book is a must-have for any George Harrison or Beatles fan, or any guitar or rock history aficionado.

The New Tax Guide for Artists of Every Persuasion: Actors, Musicians, Singers and Other Showbiz Folk, Visual Artists and Writers, by Peter Jason Riley, CPA is an indespensible tool, that I'm glad and relieved to have found. This book isn't meant to be a substitute for the advice and skill of a professional accountant and it doesn't give you a step-by-step of how to fill out tax forms. You don't have to be a millionaire, it's okay if you still have a 9 to 5 job, and it's okay, if you're not on a national show or whatever, and it's okay if it's not a regular source of income... if you spend money while pursuing work in an arts-related field (whether it be headshots, guitars and picks, ballet shoes, paintbrushes, or faxes) and you can prove that you at least occasionally make or have the potential to make money from your art (sales of your work via CD, DVD, etc), pay from contracted jobs, etc), you owe it to yourself to explore the legitimate options which can relieve tax stress from your personal filings, or to help improve your efficiency if you're already claiming expenses for your art on your tax returns.

This book meant to give you a better idea of the nature of tax-related issues for working artists, to make it a little less daunting, to show you how to keep proper records in an efficient way, to reduce errors and penalties, reduce taxes on legitimate business expenses, and even to cut down the time and money you would spend with a tax advisor. Even if you can't afford to see a CPA for a current tax year, what you will learn from Mr. Riley's book will prove invaluable and eye-opening as to pointing out the considerations you should be aware of when doing your taxes yourself (but remember, it's probably always going to be better to have a pro look at it.).

Mr. Riley's book is essentially an update of the book "New Tax Guide for Performers, Writers, Directors, Designers, and Other Showbiz Folk", written by the late of R. Brenden Hanlon. Since Hanlon had been deceased for some time, it could not be updated with the information artists would need to stay current with tax laws. Mr. Riley contacted the publisher and worked with them to make a follow up to Mr. Hanlon's original, with the same goal - to help Entertainers and other artists to understand taxes better. As noted from Mr. Riley's longer title, the book strives and succeeds at being even more detailed, while accounting for the variety of artist types.

After a brief introduction, Riley provides two chapters that every reader is advised to dig into. These chapters cover what you need to know about Income - the different types, the basic forms involved, how self-employment taxes are calculated, estimating advance tax payments, and then all the different types of deductions you can make (from a percentage of your home expenses, if you work from home, to travel, equipment, start-up costs and more). Mr. Riley gives crucial tips such as what, how much, and when to write off certain items.

The next set of chapters are presented almost in a "Choose Your Own Adventure" manner. If you're a musician... read the musician chapter. If you're an writer... read the writer chapter. And so on. Each of those chapters address the specific considerations, rules and benefits as they apply to your specific profession, followed by links to Internet resources and a handy Expense checklist, as it applies to your work and which you can copy and use during the year. As the different deduction types are listed, with descriptions, Mr. Riley was also kind enough to note beside each one, what types of recordkeeping you should be prepared to have on hand to verify the amounts, should you be audited later.


After you've read the chapter of your profession, there are closing chapters for all readers. These cover how to set up your business properly (from a legal standpoint), how the audit process works, how to keep great records to verify your claims in the event of an audit, and your rights as a taxpayer. It also covers how to choose a tax advisor, and how to plan the timing of deductions, as well as your retirement.
It's capped off with an Appendix filled with more expense report spreadsheets you can use for your recordkeeping, and even a handy mileage reference sheet, for those of you who tour or otherwise commute to different cities by automotive transportation. I first learned of Peter Jason Riley from his awesome Website, which is also listed in the book. Like the book, Riley's Website has different sections addressed to different entertainer types... but you can actually download the spreadsheets in Excel format, already preformatted so that you can just enter in the numbers from your receipts, W-2s, 1099s, etc, and the calculations will already be done for you... you then just print that out, and take that and your receipts to your tax preparer... and you should be good to go.

The only thing the book is truly missing from being even more valuable is an index page. There is a table of contents, which is helpful, but in cases where you might want to reference something specific, such as the specific forms/schedules that you would be making the deductions on, or a certain term, you may have to painstakingly re-read a chapter to find the info that you need. Not to be nit-picky... as it certainly would be a lot of work (and extra pages) for a book on a complex topic, but the problem is just that in most sections of the book, there are no paragraph breaks, making it more difficult to spot some passages that you might be looking to reference.

The version I have reviewed is the First Limelight Edition, published in January 2002. I needed the book in a hurry, and the newer edition wasn't in stock at the time I ordered, so I went with the older one. But I did find this book to be so helpful and am still learning a good deal from it about a month and a half after purchase, that I do still plan on buying the updated version.

All in all, I think this book would make a great companion to any books that do address how to actually approach filling out forms, or even to help you along if you're using a service or software like TurboTax or something similar.

The New Tax Guide For Artists Of Every Persuasion: Actors, Directors, Musicians, Singers, And Other Show Biz Folk, Visual Arts And Writers is an essential, core reference for anyone who makes their living in any aspect or field of the performing arts, the visual arts, or the literary arts. Succinct, accessible, superbly presented information is enhanced with a listing of useful IRS publications, descriptions of the most relevant IRS forms, and blank spread sheets for recording earned income and keeping a monthly travel expense diary. If any part of your taxable income is derived from the arts, then The New Tax Guide For Artists Of Every Persuasion is an invaluable reference for you -- even if you have already engaged the services of public accountants and financial managers to assist you.

Though the author is clearly well informed about tax strategies, this book doesn't sufficiently address the needs of fine artists. The book seems to make the assumption that careers in the fine arts are straightforward. The book includes sections for specific disciplines, but those are not very in-depth. I did not get much more information from this book than I got from a general tax guide.

I recently started using this product in my free time and during piano lessons i take and have found the product very satisfactory if you'd like the piano part with the vocal line in it. the songs sound like the actual songs but are not ,however, written in the same way that they appear in the actual songs. this was a problem i encountered but many people may not be bothered by this fact. if you are not bothered by this detail the product is very good and i encourage you to buy it

When selecting piano music I always feel more assured when the songwriter is a pianist. Since Isaac Slade is a pianist the music we get to play is truer to the music we hear on their CD; another great example of this it Five For Fighting's "100 Years" by John Ondrasik. Most of the songs in The Fray's book are awesome to play and not terribly difficult. The rhythms are a bit tricky at times, but mastered with some devoted practice. Most of the songs in the book are in the key of Bb, Ab, and Cmin. I love the intro to "Hundred," classical stuff; listening to Isaac play it, and then myself, sounds spot on. Love it!

This product consists of excellent arrangements of music by the Fray. The arrangements are geared toward pianists with medium level skills but are useful also for other skill levels. Definitely worth the price...a wonderful addition to my music library.

I think this is a great piano book. The songs on piano sound very true to the originals. I get really annoyed when I buy piano arrangements that have a separate voice line, and the piano part sounds completely different and is just accompaniment to that, so unless you sing along it doesn't sound like the song. But on this one what you play sounds like The Fray.

I didn't notice a problem of songs being transposed. My favourite tracks are Look After You and Vienna, and I had no problem trying to play along with those. In fact, I just tried all the songs out and the ones that have been transposed are: All at Once, Fall Away, Heaven Forbid, Dead Wrong, Little House. These are all transposed by a semitone, for instance from B major to B-flat major. I guess they thought 5 sharps would be too tricky. The good news is that at least for some of them it's not too hard to transpose back to the original key on the fly- it's usually just a matter of adding a sharp to all the notes.

I still recommend it!

Bought this mainly because of two songs: How to Save a Life and Cable Car (Over My Head). I wasn't disappointed with those two. The arrangements are great and in the right keys. So I was really looking forward to the book as a whole.

Problem, there are very few mentions of this on the first pages of the different songs, but quite a few of them have been transposed, which isn't so fun when you were planning on playing along. So a bit misleading, especially if they plan on catching people offguard in a bookstore where they can't test the keys, but still a good buy.

I really enjoyed this in depth look into the life of my favourite bass player.

I've learned so much more about a guy I thought I had a pretty decent knowledge of anyway! The author, Bill Milkowski, really knows his stuff. He had a personal relationship with Jaco and writes in a way I found intriguing, I really could not put this book down.

To any musician - not just bass players - this book is a must. giving a detailed account of Jaco's genius in writing, composition, arrangement and whole approach to music which at the time really made the man stand out from the crowd.

Filled with interviews taken at the time and more up to date accounts of Jaco's antics the book makes you laugh out loud and at times shed a tear at what this remarkable man could have achieved had his life not been so tragically cut short.

The chronological approach of the author made it very easy to follow Jaco's life from his birth, through childhood, his rights of passage on the music scene to the point where he truly sat on top as the world's greatest bass player, all the way to his sad demise, fall from grace and that fateful night and what truly happened.

First off, the title is great. There is no doubt that Jaco is one of the most (if not the most) gifted bass players of all time. The book documents his life as a young boy who picked up the bass (after he could not play drums any longer because he broke his arm), his career and his later years when he suffered from mental illness and died at 33. I bring up the question of accuracy as it has been raised by others as well.

One criticism about the book has been that it sensationalizes Jaco's destructive behaviour and takes away from his legacy. This is a point made by Metheny (who was a friend and a fellow musician) in the liner notes of Jaco's debut album. Also I have asked the opinion of (via a short e-mail) Jaco's second wife. Her website that details some minor inaccuracies that exist in the first edition.

That being said the book is well written and gives insight into Jaco's life. Milkowski (who is a music journalist) portrays Jaco as an extremely gifted, hard working and narcisisstic man who self destructs at the end due to bipolar disease. The clues to Jaco's illness are evident from his early years. He plays tirelessly and at times seldom sleeps. At the end of his life he self destructs due to a number of reasons including refusal comply with treatment for his illness,drugs and drinking.
One has to wonder what it says about our society that no one helped Jaco when he was clearly suffering towards the end. I posted the same question to Jaco's wife and her answer was that one has to be willing to accept help.

Mental illness is still misunderstood my most of the world. People who suffer from it can be hard to deal with and be around. I hope that if the same scenario plays out today, with better understanding of mental illness, the outcome would be different. But I am not an optimist.

I remember Jaco Pastorius through several great concerts with Weather Report and a sizzling show with Word of Mouth at the Cleveland Agora.

For those who had the chance to appreciate his music live or for so many that are grooving to Jaco many years after his death, the updated biography - with a CD that includes additional material - by Bill Milkowski is the best way to piece together the complicated rise and fall of the brilliant musician.

Milkowski has exhaustive interviews with musicians, family members, media, friends and lovers that are split in chapters to coincide with his years as a musician with a dream, the height of musical achievement and then leaving Weather Report, and the controversial years after leaving the group that found Jaco spiralling out of control personally and musically.

That Jaco was a musical genius cannot be denied. The book will leave you wondering why Jaco - as with too many artists - took his gift and tossed it into the abyss of "what could have been."

This book is a well done biography worth reading. Unfortunately it focuses mostly on the sensationalism of Jaco's life. Looking back what you remember is story after story of his out of control behavior, and attempts to explain it by blaming the negative people in his life. I would have liked to have heard more of his successes. It is an excellent book for musicians, but even better for anyone in the field of mental health.

This extrodinary man had serious mental health problems. It seems the only time he had a chance was when he was arrested and put in Bellevue psychiatric hospital. Unfortunately he always convinced friends to get him out. Even the author admits to this mistake.

This without a doubt one of the saddest books I have ever read especially since I know and love his music and talent. But also because had he lasted another 10 years, new drugs may have helped.

However there were too many hangers on and bad influences. It reminds me of the old Rodney Dangerfield joke in which he states,"I appeal to people who can do me absolutely no good."

In this book there is plenty of blame to go around.

This book reads at times like a hagiography of Jaco. Yeah, Jaco's flaws are enumerated, but there is an obvious worship of Jaco by the author. Having said that, it is still a good book. It is a very thorough biography. It is a little different, in that it helps to have a knowledge of the intricacies of music, e.g., specific chord changes are mentioned. Yo, I took piano, so I don't know a D chord from a G chord on a guitar. Still, I enjoyed the book and learned a lot.

The 40 minute CD that comes with the book, is a real nice bonus by the author. Thanks.

Informative, entertaining and insightful. A very original presentation of the most original comedy team ever. Readers are given new insight into each Stooge and a sense of where their genius originated. Especially interesting are the well written accounts of their personal idiosyncrasies as well as their relationships with each other. Time flies when reading this.

This book is a Stooge fan's dream come true. I saw a reviewer say this book is cluttered and unuseable. Bull. Then again, he stated the Marx Brothers Encyclopedia is easier to use. I own that book and its more cluttered then this book. This book has everything in a nice, neat order. I own two copies of the book, after one fell apart. I emailed the author a back when I first bought the book and he is a very kind man. We had many discussions about our love for the Stooges. I highly recommend this book to Stooge fans. No Stooge book will probably ever compare to this one.

Not sure what the sign of someone's door said in MONKEY BUSINESSMEN? You'll find it in THE THREE STOOGES ENCYCLOPEDIA. This has some of the Stooges most famous quotes, songs, signs and so much more. You should buy this. This is the perfect addition to your Three Stooges collection.

I completely agree with other reviewers: that all one had to do is watch the Stooges shorts and write down the funny lines and names and voila you have Three Stooges Encyclopedia.

I give it two stars just because the section on supporting actors is interesting. Otherwise the rest is just a rehash of lines and names. The bios are even disappointing, it has stuff like, "We all want to be Curly."

I would advise to look elsewhere if you want a book on THE THREE STOOGES.

This book has everything you need to know about The Stooges.
It is well organized and easy to navigate. The detail of the classic episodes is worth the price alone. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this book. In fact I couldn't put it down, I finished in one day and it left me wanting more. This man was a true comedian and the world will be a little sadder now that he is gone.

Although we lost Bernie so suddenly...I bought the book to just hear his voice again. And, I tell you, you got to read this one. If you were love comedy like me, reading this book is like having Bernie right in your living room...entertainingly funny...perfect timing, and his great, great story telling abilities. Reading this book also gave me a better perspective as to who the man was and how he was born to make us laugh. And, "I ain't scared of you" will have you laughing. One more note. I staring reading this book on my way home from Tucson, AZ to Charlotte, NC. And, I would just bust out laughing...right there in the Airport! OMG. I will always remember him as one of the funniest men that ever lived.

This book is awesome!!! He is hilarious. It's great to hear him tell his own story. This is true comedy, he may be a bit vulgar at times. Overall this gets 5 stars. He speaks from the heart and I respect that.

I listened to this as a book on tape, read by the author. I liked Bernie and looked forward to listening to this. However, after the first few chapters I was bored out of my mind and after a few more, I was disgusted by his language and detailed references to sexual acts regarding his daughter. Of the four CD's, by number three, I threw the CD's in the garbage where they belong! I didn't laugh once - not even a chuckle. Spend your money on something more valuable - like dirt!

If you love to laugh you must get this tape! To hear Bernie read this audio tape is just downright hilarity. Bernie is the best comedian out there today. He tells it like it is. People dont like when people tell it like it is. I guess thats why this tape has not got a 5 star review all the way around.

Now,if you have the book thats cool. But you must get the audio tape or cd. Bernie is hilarious. He covers everything from growing up in the hood. Why he wont go back to the hood-or should I say remember were you came from. He comments on his family,funerals,sex,relstionships-I had tears running down my eyes with the THOR story and every time Bernie yells out "Down goes Frazier!" He also comments on other comedians-why he would kill Moe from the three stooges. Lending money,and on and on and on.
If you like to laugh,you have to have this tape. I will buy the book also,just to have around,but I will listen to this tape until it wears out then I will go get another one. Bernie is the funniest man on the market right now. He will be around for a long time.

This book is ok if you are not serious about game programming. My biggest issue is that you cannot run the programs from the book on another computer. If you want to do that, you have to log on to their web site and pay a lot of money for it. The fact is that I can get a semi-professional IDE from Microsoft's web page for free. This will compile and create EXEs that I can run on any computer. I can also program in C++ which is the language that almost all video games are programmed in. Microsoft's IDE also has an excellent debugger. If you are serious about game programming, or programming in general, I recommend learning and practicing on the real thing.

Perspective

Short: I am writing this review from the perspective of a high school student who started with Blitz, went on to a more advanced language, and is now revisiting Blitz again.

Long: When I first picked up the book, I was a high school student with no prior programming experience. I had written code before, but it was HTML so I didn't actually write programs.

I abandoned Blitz for a while when I finally got the chance to take a programming class(C++) in school and have recently returned and thus revisited the book to brush up. I took this oppertunity to write a review here.

C++ is a more advanced, powerful, and widely used language but I still use Blitz to make simple games because it's hard to get good graphics in a C++ compiler without costly graphics pacakges to go with it.

Opinion

Short: The book is very intuitive and well written. The author does a very good job at explaining things and the book is very well paced. When going to a more advanced language I was helped significantly by the concepts I learned when using Blitz. I would highly recommend this book.

Long: When I first got this book, I thought programming would be a daunting task. This book goes through it very well and has a nice pace that keeps you from getting overwhelmed. The author writes very clearly and is very good at explaining concepts. This is a great book to get started with programming.

When I dropped this because I started programming in C++, I found transfering languages easier than I had hoped. I learned a lot of basic concepts in Blitz and was able to take many of them over into C++.

For a short time, the only real changes that I experienced were different syntax between the two languages and some other basic priciples (such as library functions) not used in Blitz. By the time I got to a point where most of the material I was learning had no equivalent in BLitz, I had been using C++ long enough not have any problems.

Conclusion

Short: It's a great, well written introductory book for those looking to program for fun or those who want to go further but need a good starting point.

Long: When I got this book, my purpose was to get something to introduce me into programming in a simple, easy to understand manner. I am happy to say that it works very well for this purpose. The Blitz language will not carry you especially far but if you are in it for fun or are just looking for a starting point, this will work very well. I still program with it myself a bit even after learning a more advanced language.

Great book for beginner programmers who want to learn how to game progrom with blitz basic.

This is a great book for any beginner. Within one week, i had made my first arcade game! This is a great beginners book for anyone who wants to learn to make their own game. This book expects you to come on with ABSOLUTELY NO EXPERIENCE AT ALL!
This book presents you with a complete game within the first 10 pages, and shows you over the course of the book how everything works.
It shows you every function and every line of code step by step.

Awesome book!

When I read this book I learned a lot about game programming and I'm planning to buy more books on it. It teaches you a lot about the Blitz BASIC language. I was able to create my own game within three days after I had finished reading this book! If you're interested in the world of game programming, this is the book that'll get you started!

I didn't know a lot about Goldie Hawn when I bought this book. I love biographies and since I had always had a great impression of her, thought it would be interesting. The pretty cover also helped!
This is a wonderful book about a wonderful person! It was very interesting to learn about Goldie Hawn's childhood and career path. I was happy to know there is such a great person who struggled yet achieved so much, simply for trying to live a happy life.
Goldie Hawn is a great example and role model of a person who truly appreciates life for what it is!
This is an emotional, funny and inspirational book. Easy to read, I felt this is a true story written from the bottom of her heart. This book shows a humble, strong yet normal person just like a lot of non-famous people like a lot of us.
It is great to know there are extraordinary people in the world, such as Goldie Hawn!

Goldie Hawn is one of Hollywood's more interesting stars, since not only has she more or less had a hit or miss track record with movies, but she managed to last over 30 years in a business where it was more likely for her to be a flash in the pan. But still, she's a gifted woman, possessing the ability to make you forget your problems and just laugh, if only for an hour and a half.

That's why I was thrilled to read her memoir. Admittedly, she doesn't reveal much dirt about Hollywood life (though she does mention her personality clashes with Walter Matthau and Jonathan Demme), and at times it feels like she is holding back instead of being brutally honest. I strongly believe if you are going to tell your story, you have to do it all the way or not at all, but Goldie even admits she's going to hold back, for better or for worse, and does not apologize.

More a collection of stories than one cohesive story, they are all wonderful and uplifting. The best ones are the beginning ones, about the days before she was famous. Some of the highlights include "Integrity," a story about how Al Capp tried to seduce her, only for her to refuse and have him tell her she'd never make it in show business (famous last words), and for her to make it before his show made the air, and others, such as one where the power goes out, and a bunch of strangers and her comfort each other in the dark of her apartment, with candles burning.

Goldie Hawn fans may enjoy this more than others, and if you want a tell-all book dishing the dirt on Hollywood, this is not the book for you. If you want to read a collection of stories, with the theme of "what's less is more," you won't be disappointed.

Until I read this book, I knew Goldie Hawn as a funny and wonderful and lovable actress. After reading it, I realized she was much, much more. She is a wise, extraordinary woman.

This book flows seamlessly between Goldie's memorable life experiences and her reflections upon these. She teaches by example a way to look at life with a perspective I found compelling because it includes gratitude and generosity not only to those around us but also to ourselves and those who came before us. Goldie shares her life challenges, doubts, and confusions as well as her joys. I felt the turmoil and triumphs of her relationships with friends, family, and the arts, especially dance, as her words carried me along with her on her captivating journey.

This is not a "self help" book, but I found out more about myself as I learned more about Goldie's experiences. Her willingness to share fear, vulnerability, pain, as well as spirituality, love, and joy are so forthright that it was easy to make a personal connection with Goldie through the good times and the bad.

One resounding message comes through that I can't be reminded about enough. Being a compassionate parent, appreciative child, a great friend or lover, offer us opportunities to give and receive unconditional love - a profoundly nurturing source of strength, comfort, and self-generosity.

It was as if the more I read Goldie tell her stories, the more aware I became of my own. I now enjoy friends, family, and indeed each new day with a brighter smile - and I'm not surprised because Goldie's smile has kilowatts to spare.

Goldie's autobiography is a spiritual journey through her life - its touching and sincere accounts of life-changing events gives the reader a unique view into the life of a movie icon. What you realize is that Goldie is one of us - yes, an amazingly accomplished actress, but also a loyal friend, a loving mom, and a genuine, down-to-earth person.

Most noteworthy is the fact that Goldie did not find the need to disparage anyone from her past in order to accurately tell her story.

If possible, I'm more of a fan after reading her book.

This is undoubtedly one of the best books I have read and the best "biography" I've seen!

In a collection of "short stories," Goldie expresses to readers her joy for life and all that it has to offer! Through ups and downs in life, she tells those reading how to find the shiny side of any issue, though her own life journey!

DIVINE! A must read, especially for anyone down and out!