5 comments about Communicate! (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac ).

1. the book was in good condition, even though it took a month to get here. luckily it came the day my class started.



2. The book is good but was a requirement for speech class but I don't believe I would run out and buy the book unless I really needed it for class or other reasons. Then again speech is not a great topic for me. I do not like public speaking.



3. This book was brand new and I purchased for over half the cost that they wanted at my sons school. Fast shipment



4. The previous reviewer who has mentioned that this particular text is rather demeaning perhaps needs to re-examine his statement. He laments about the text being too simplistic and emphasizing too much on the basic values of communication. However this type of erroneous approach is the reason why these reviewers fail to communicate their ideas clearly- it is obvious that they themselves need to learn the art of communication better.
   
   The book is extremely detailed in explaining the necessity of communication and many basic concepts. This is extremely important because too often we forget about the reasons behind communication. The book provides a comprehensive sketch on every form of communication- examples are provided and sections are clearly dilineated. Is there anything wrong with explaining the basic functions of communication? The author provides six of them: to meet needs, to enhance and maintain our sense of self, to fulfil social obligations, to develop relationships, to exchange information, and to influence others. It is often important for many of us to be reminded of the reason behind why we communicate. It may sound boring and uninteresting, but such knowledge provides us with a solid foundation on the principles of communication and why we shouldn't take the art of communicating for granted.
   
   This is not a book for those who intend to take a crash course on how communicating can earn you more money in 30 days. Rather, it is the type of book that clearly explains all the various elements that are a part of communication in our day to day lives. This is a perfect text for both students who wish to improve their communication skills, and for teachers who plan to use it as a classroom text or reference on the subject.



5. I had to buy this book for a class I am taking. The accompanying CD-ROM and website are extremely helpful and make reviewing the information in the book more interesting. The crossword puzzles of the important terms are a fun twist on studying. The glossaries that can be printed out from the website to accompany the chapters make studying for a test a breeze.

5 comments about Legend: The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe.

1. I am Marilyn fan and I have read a few books this one was okay it was more focused on her movies but it was okay still my favorites, I recommend for Marilyn fans are the best one is from Barbara Leaming it was a gift from my sister very good book with GREAT pictures,then Marilyn Monroe Confidential by Lena Pepitone and William Stadiem and finally "My story" by Andrea Dworkin.



2. Here i am mother by nancy miracle is the only uncensored story of the human behind the image Mr. Guiles tells the same old story and never researched beyond the newspapers but he tried i suppose the only person who knows and is able to reveal the copyrighted story is her daughter nancy miracle a playwright and member of the dramatists guild



3. I seem to have read the Marilyn Monroe biograhpies backward, because so many of the ones I've already read (including Norman Mailer's, Gloria Steinem's, and Barbara Leaming's) used Guiles' _Legend_ (or his first Marilyn book, _Norma Jean_) as a reference and guide. This book is truly incredible for its in-depth look into a confusing, tragic life; especially since Marilyn often embellished her past.

   I especially enjoyed Guiles' treatment of her decline. He never judged; he was sympathetic and kind about her lateness, dependence on drugs, and occasional fits of bitchiness. Unlike other biographers, Guiles didn't place all that much emphasis on her barbituate addiction, which I felt was kind of refreshing. Her death was handled eloquently, steering the reader toward a suicide verdict, carefully negating other reports.

   I have only a couple of minor complaints; I think if I could I would give the book 4 1/2 stars. Twice near the beginning of his biography, Guiles points out that Marilyn was "not naturally pretty." He said it about Norma Jeane when she was starting to model, and again about Marilyn after some of her plastic surgery. How could he say that? It just seems like an odd statement to make about the greatest sex symbol of all time, especially because of her vulnerable, luminous quality. Also, regarding her marriage to Jim Dougherty, it seemed that Guiles took every word Jim said as gospel, when he would have as much reason as Marilyn to embellish that situation to his benefit (and no more proof than she had, and of course when Jim wrote his book, she was already dead).

   On the whole, this is the best book on Marilyn Monroe, comparable only with Donald Spoto's biography. I recommend it to all readers, not simply people who are already Marilyn fans.




4. Mr. Guiles again gives an in-depth and touching, personal, human side in his biography of Marilyn Monroe. I highly recommend this book, and all his Hollywood biographies to anyone who wants to learn about the story behind the famous and beautiful faces on the silver screen.



5. Awesome! I loved every page, I read with a desire! This book had so much information on Marilyn Monroe it was scary. It gives the 411 on all her stories and how she came to be-and die- one of the most glamourus women in Amercan Culture ever! The devine Ms. M's fairy tale started out by chance, and gives light on how Marilyn really was and how she came to be. I would recomend this book to everyone!

2 comments about What the FACH?! ~ The Definitive Guide for Opera Singers Auditioning and Working in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

1. 'What the Fach' is an excellent resource for any singer looking to find Fest work. I feel much better prepared for having read it! Good stuff!



2. This book is absolutely fantastic - and a very entertaining read! I can't think of another book or resource anywhere that even comes close to providing such useful information. The others that I've read are outdated and just don't thouroughly cover the information like this book does. Everything I need for my next visit to Germany and Austria is in this book, and Shepard presents it all in a clever writing style that kept me interested from start to finish. I especially appreciated that he never watered down the information or skipped over important details. I am most definitely recommending this book to all of my friends.

3 comments about Tapworks: A Tap Dictionary and Reference Manual.

1. This is an excellent tap reference. It lists each step and then breaks down the combinations.



2. A must have for any tap enthusiast. Tapworks contains a brilliant history of some of the most popular steps such as the "shuffle off to buffalo" and various "time steps." It breaks down steps in an easy to decipher fashion. I learned so many new steps that were fun and easy to teach. Bev Fletcher is a master of tap. Us students need to learn all she has to offer to keep tap dance alive in the millennium.



3. this book has an amazing review of the 65 time steps...however, i just learned that there are 200 more (someone is hiding them)...so i was wondering how you submit these time steps to the official book, and if you're allowed to just make up new ones. thanks so much!!

1 comments about Actors on Acting: The Theories, Techniques, and Practices of the World's Great Actors, Told in Thir Own Words (Actors on Acting).

1. This book offers a wide variety of information on various acting styles and techniques. It provides the reader with a virtual history of acting. Though there is much information, much of it is not practical. Much of the information is in the form of exerpts from other books. There is no way to practically apply the information given in "Actors on Acting" without reading the entire book that the article being read comes from. This is more difficult because many of the actors quoted do not have books available. This book however is an excellent primer. A person begining to explore the craft of acting can find styles they would like to explore in greater depth without buying an entire book on that particular style. I recomend this book for anyone who is begining their study of the craft of acting.

2 comments about The Young and the Restless, Special Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition.

1. Ithink this book is pretty neat and I got it for Christmas and I started reading it right away. In the wedding album though, you forgot to mention Victor and Ashley's marriage and Jack and Nikki's marriage. Why was that?



2. An avid fan since the beginning, I have truly enjoyed going down memory lane and filling in the blanks of storylines long forgotten. This book covers every detail and depth of the characters and their development. Truly a must-have for anyone who has grown to love the people of Genoa City.

5 comments about Becket.

1. This book is not very good. The plot is undeveloped and there are many scenes in the play that have no meaning at all. I adivise against buying this book, it is a poor use of your money.



2. I love this play! It's one of my favourites and a wonderful complement to Eliot's "Murder in the Cathedral". The movie with Richard Burton as Becket is also outstanding. I always carry it along with me when I go in a journey along with Eliot's "Four Quartets". It shows the humane side of Becket, it is a great study on the human soul. I cannot reccomend it too much. This is the stuff heroes are made of....



3. A terrific read. I agree with most of the reviews here. The story is about two giants of their time, who turn on each other through folly and necessity. That mythological study alone makes this good. Add onto it the scope of a king and an archbishop, a man looking for advise and power and another looking for a purpose in life. Anouilh's stage directions also add an excellent imagery to the story, stark and minimal that evokes an emphasis on the relationships between Henry and Becket. This is a great companion to The Lion in Winter and A Man for All Seasons. From an actor's point of view both leads are attractive, one being furious and physical and the other an internal ball of conflict and spiritual discovery.



4. This is one of my favorite plays. While Anouilh made Becket a Saxon (historians say he was in fact, a Norman), and that a decade's time is compressed to make a two plus hour play or movie, the fact is that "Becket" is a fast moving, epic saga which dramatizes one of the most heartbreaking episodes in English history.

   Ignore the negative reviews here. I highly suggest you go see the play if you're lucky enough, or rent the movie with two superb performances from Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton.

   One last note. While plays tend to suffer when just being read and not performed, "Becket" is a glad exception. It's superbly written and it goes by briskly.




5. There was something about this book that I just didn't like. Even though its a true story, it seemed a little exaggerated, especially in regard to the king.

3 comments about Block Building for Children: Making Buildings of the World with the Ultimate Construction Toy.

1. Great book for all aspects of block building from the beginner to the advanced. My son is almost 4, wish I would have got it a couple years ago.



2. Genuine hardwood unit blocks are THE best toy for children. I have a fairly large set of them and my children, who range in age from 2-8, all sit down together (and separately) and play with them. The blocks become horse stables, airports, buildings, hotels, doll houses, highways, you name it!! And when other children come to our home, the blocks are invariably the first thing pulled out and played with.
   
   In general, I've held that open-ended toys like blocks should be open ended, that kids should be encouraged to make their own creations, not carefully recreate someone else's construction.
   
   I make an exception for Lester Walker's exceptional book. Some of his buildings are so realistic - his cathedral, roman temple, and skyscraper, for example. It is so interesting to see how he takes the basic block shapes to make such complex looking structures.
   
   Other projects in the book invite hours of play, such as his shopping mall, airport, and boat dock.
   
   I highly, highly recommend this book.



3. This is the best book on the topic of block building that I have ever seen. Black and white photographs of the beginnings and completions of interesting structures are shown, as well as carefully drawn plans for building each structure. While recommended for older children on this site, I highly recommend that it be included near every block corner in kindergarten classes. The children are able to visualize, then extend the ideas contained in the book, and have become much better block builders as a result. One very positive thing is that the book tends to attract girls to the block building area, where they carefully study the plans and cooperate to try to reproduce the structure. Since block building is known to nurture spatial sense, an important math skill, anything that encourages girls to participate in block building is highly recommended. (By the way, boys love it too!)

5 comments about The Big Lebowski: The Making of a Coen Brothers Film.

1. I am glad I got this book. It proves to me how much the Big Lewboski really rocks!



2. I've never felt so intellectually abused by a book as to resort to writing a scathing review like this on Amazon. This book is mind-bogglingly aweful! It reads like an 8th grade book report. It has no pretense of a plot and does amazingly little to actually delve into the making of the Big Lebowski. Don't buy it! Half of it is literally just the author monotonously describing what *happens* in the Big Lebowski. YES, repeating what you've watched in the movie!! Page upon page reads like "and then the dude goes into...and then...and then..." Much of the rest is an incredibly egotistical author bragging about how "in" he is with the Coens and prattling on about his interactions with them and how well he knows them. The author's grasp of english is profoundly poor and his "hip" slang falls utterly flat and non-sensical as he tries to invent numerous non-words. Even the pictures have nothing to do with their placement in the text. The ONLY redeeming characteristic of the book is that the author includes many long quotes from the Coens and the people who work closely with them.



3. Every once and while I look for books to re-inspire my need to make films. This is one of those useful books for people interested in the real filmmaking process. This book doesn't have useless interviews about how much fun the actors had working with a director but covers every thought and decision the crew had to make in the production. If you're a Coen Brother's fan, you'll also be interested to gain some insight into how they invent and produce their signiture films.



4. This book was co-written by William Preston Robertson who is someone, if you've studied the end credits of the Coens' early film, who has worked on their films in various capacities. He's often provided voiceovers where needed and even offered a place for them to crash when they developed writer's block while working on the screenplay for Miller's Crossing.

   So, he writes this book with an insider's perspective. At every opportunity he makes fun of them (as only a close friend can) and spends the first part of the book tracing their career up to The Big Lebowski. The rest of the book plays out as a quasi-Making Of that is quite an entertaining read. For example, he places their film in the grand tradition of bowling noir, a very rarified subgenre of the film noir. Robertson is quite funny as he pontificates about this subgenre at some length.

   If I had one complaint about the book is the amount of detail that is gone into about the storyboarding process which I could have done without. But this is a minor quibble at best.

   Robertson's style of writing is very casual and easy to read--it won't take you long to get through this book. If you are a hardcore fan of the Coens, then you will definitely enjoy this book and all the little, inside jokes. It will certainly deepen your appreciation for the film and acts as a great companion-piece.




5. The Big Lebowski is my all-time favorite movie; I bought this book hoping to read lengthy interviews with the cast, see behind-the-scenes photos and stills from the film, etc. Instead, this book deals with the technicalities of the Coen brothers' film making in general, with The Big Lebowski only serving as the most-often referenced case-in-point. So I'd say read this if you're interested in the Coens' film making technique, but if you're interested in The Big Lebowski specifically you won't really find much here.

1 comments about Christmas Belles.

1. It's Christmas-time in the small town of Fayro, Texas, and the Futrelle Sisters -- Frankie, Twink and Honey Raye -- are not exactly in a festive mood. A cranky Frankie is weeks overdue with her second set of twins. Twink, recently jilted and bitter about it, is in jail for inadvertently burning down half the town. And hot-flash-suffering Honey Raye is desperately trying to keep the Tabernacle of the Lamb's Christmas Program from spiraling into chaos. But things are not looking too promising: Miss Geneva, the ousted director of the previous twenty-seven productions, is ruthless in her attempts to take over the show. The celebrity guest Santa Claus -- played by Frankie's long-suffering husband, Dub -- is passing a kidney stone. One of the shepherds refuses to watch over his flock by night without pulling his little red wagon behind him. And the entire cast is dropping like flies due to food poisoning from the Band Boosters' Pancake Supper. And when Frankie lets slip a family secret that has been carefully guarded for decades, all hope for a successful Christmas pro-gram seems lost, even with an Elvis impersonator at the manger. But in true Futrelle fashion, the feuding sisters find a way to pull together in order to present a Christmas program the citizens of Fayro will never forget. Their hilarious holiday journey through a misadventure-filled Christmas Eve is guaranteed to bring joy to your world!