Form-3 Books

Reading Alice Walker reviews here on Amazon is highly annoying. Either they praise her to the skies, scouring any who react with an analytical response, or they attack her for the racial simplicities that some see as marring her work (those who get annoyed by her "white folk have no rhythm" trope). Both extremes have not been very useful for promoting *my* greater understanding of her work--I see the talent seething, squirming in her--but through many books, there were twists in her choices that alienated her talent to me.

Simply put, this book that convinced me Alice is a Talent with a capital "T". She starts with a lovely preface, "In keeping faith with Poetry's honest help to me, I have not deleted or changed--beyond a word or two--anything I have written, though greatly tempted at times to do so. The young self, the naive promiscuous self, appear doubly vulnerable now, in light of my unexpected bonus of years, and the experience they have brought me. I embrace them all, as Poetry embraced me..." From there, she follows with some beautiful, beautiful poetry, speaking to the struggle to develop and improve as an artist.

There are mis-steps, irritations. "There are no tigers/in Africa!/You say./Frowning./Yes. I say./Smiling./But they are/very beautiful." doesn't do much for me. I prefer my evocations of Africa without this almost Disney-esque gloss of "all cool primitive things we'll embrace as African."

Cumulatively, however--the poems are terrific. It's not often that I read through an entire volume of poetry without putting it down. Read this book for all its warts and missteps--and glory in it for its terrific human achievement.

I love the structure of her poems. She writes for those who have forgotten how things used to be with African American life and struggles. My favorite section in the book is from "Revolutionary Petunias" and "Willie Lee." Walker has been an inspiration for me in writing poetry. I love her use of imagery in her free verse. It was commented that Walker relies too much on her relationships in her personal friendships in her writing. But I disagree. I propose that no one should read her poetry without reading her autobiography of her past. Most poets will create an illusion of situations, but Walker alludes to her past and speaks the truth to us all. I hope she sees this because I've always wanted to talk with her and ask her about the things I have written, but I am in the process of challenging myself to want the reader to feel something in a meter that they can feel but not see. Then THATS incredible. Nice work Ms. Walker

Startled to find so many poems that resonated in my own life, I copied many down and posted them around by room. Each provides a meditation on a different theme, from death to distraction, affairs of the heart to hunger and the nagging, geographic pull to home. When I give my speech at graduation next week, it will end with "The Nature Of This Flower Is To Bloom," thanks to Alice Walker.

If you enjoy reading HERMAN then this book is a must. We couldn't stop laughing so much. A lot are duplicates from other Jim Unger books BUT in color they are so much better.

I first discovered Jim Unger's "Herman" when I was a teenager. For the next several years I bought every Herman Treasury Collection as they became available. I was amazed that any comic could be so consistently (laugh-out-loud type) funny. I'm now 41 and I just rediscovered my Herman collection during a move. The humor of Herman is definitely ageless because I still laugh every time I pick up one of the collections.
I just purchased the Herman Classics Collections vol. 1, 2 and 3 (beautiful books, great print quality) and I hope that their are more on the way.
My recommendation to the publisher - publish a hardbound master collection at some point, something that would look nice on my bookshelves and something that I can pass along to my grandkids ("Gee, grandpa had a sense of humor!").

Unger's work continues to illicit laughs years after his first cartoons were published. A keen eye for the every day and every man humour around us, he strikes at the heart of what amuses us, the ordinary presented ridiculously, or the irritating presented with great style and understatement. And not a page is turned without a chuckle or a gut busting laugh. If you've been a fan, as I have been for many years, or are new to Unger, the Classics Volume 3 will delight, entertain, and leave you with more than a few tears of laughter rolling down your cheeks. If you're new to Unger pick up Classics Volume 3 and you'll find yourself returning for previous volumes. Every fan of the absurd and ridiculous should have a library of Unger to recharge your humour batteries when they're running low. Thanks Jim for the laughs.

I have been savoring this book since I got it. Some years ago I saw Tom Killion's prints at a small gallery in Carson City, NV and they are well reproduced here. The text is quite interesting too and the prints and stories work together beautifully to capture the spirit of this most magnificent place.

hop up and down in your Teva sandals. Wade the great streams as they roar over round stones down from ancient peaks... dance the silver dance of the wild rainbow... but find a place in your ultralight backpack for this book. It deserves a place next to that bag of peanuts, your titanium cup; worth its weight in gold dust from the river, split pea soup from the pouch. Ancient shaman tales and woodcut journeys... yamabushi of the mind, and lots of white space for taking your own cryptic outerspace trailnotes...

This book is stunning the woodblock prints are so beautiful they almost make you cry. We spend a lot of time in the sierras and this book shows the beauty of these mountains better than any photographs. Get the book
look at the pictures then do your family a favor and go spend time in these incredible mountains.

Dave Barry is always funny, but in this book, he is mind-bogglingly hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing, and when I tried to read my favorite parts to friends, I couldn't get the words out for all the hilarity. If you've ever had to go through a move, you will appreciate Barry's insights and observations. This book is classic Dave Barry. I've had my copy for at 20 years, and I still laugh at the jokes. Money well spent for the decades of enjoyment.

Dave hits the nail on the head with this refreshing view of not only how to buy, but maintain, and eventually sell your home.

When I prepared to have a baby join our family, I turned to Dave Barry's "Baby's and other hazzards of sex" to help me make that adjustment.

Thank the maker that Dave was also there for me when we got ready to buy our first home!

If you are thinking about buying a home, YOU NEED THIS BOOK! It explains that it doesn't really matter who all those people are who show up at the closing...but that it's your responsibility to keep writing out the checks as long as someone is in line.

There are hillariously practical tips to searching for, buying, and maintaining your home. Dave presents hints and suggestions that will help you to appear knowledgeable while looking at houses, how to get into serious debt, and even about challenges you will face while redecorating.

He even has the audacity to suggest that it's possible to redecorate "for under $650,000." Come on Dave! Everyone knows that's impossible!

And when you are all done fixing up, being worn down, and you are ready to sell your home, he also presents hints on how to fool someone into buying your "black hole."

Great stuff through and through! 5 stars for humor and real life applicability!

One of the funniest books I've ever read or heard about. I laughed so hard that I couldn't continue reading !

This book was truly inspiring. It was wonderful to see how you can relate shoes and "soles" to the emotional experiences of individuals. It was a true test of the human spirit. This is book is a must have.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I love shoes just as much as the next girl, but I'm happy to say that it's so much more than a book with pretty pictures (although happily there are plenty of those). This is a book with wonderfully told stories and morals that we can all relate to with a smile, a laugh, and loads of understanding. One of my favorites was the fabulously dressed and maybe slightly superior woman crossing her legs with the Marshall's tag on the bottom of one of her shoes. I loved it and I highly recommend it. This book is a keeper.

Wonderful little book with awesome photos. The stories are sweet and the ideas in the back are great. I really love all the different perspectives! Makes a great gift for Mom, sister, Aunts... any woman in your life!

Kollwitz's lithographs captivate any feeling viewer. Until there's some way to render raw emotion on paper, especially the many different sorrows of war and poverty, her monochrome lithos approach that goal most closely. That makes it easy to forget her mastery of other media and other feelings, too. This book broadens a reader's view of this wonderful artist.

The cover image, "Female Nude with Green Shawl," starts to break the reader free from the easy stereotype of Kollwitz. It adds color to her commonly dark palette, and presents a simple celebration of womanly elegance. "Self-portrait laughing" and "Lovers" show that she could not only express joy, but depict different kinds of it. Woodcuts, etchings, charcoals, ink and wash, and wonderful pastels each display her drawing ability in different ways. "Tower of Mothers," "Mourning Parents," "Lovers," and other sculptures show her skill in bronze, granite, and plaster. Kollwitz's skills range far beyond what she's best known for, and this book helps us appreciate the breadth of that ability.

Given so many reproductions of her work, lovingly printed on bright, dense paper, a reader like me becomes easily distracted away from the helpful and informative text of the book. Three long essays, a catalog, timeline, and bibliography invite the reader to various kind of commentary, both in historical fact and in considered opinions. Her personal story as woman, mother, and artist as well as her work deserve attention; this gorgeous volume is a wonderful way to give her work and life some of the attention they deserve.

-- wiredweird

I am slowly but surely collecting books on Kollwitz. One of my art professors compared what I was doing to her work and I have since become a nicely obsessed student of everything she did and I read everything I can get my hands on.

This book is one of the best. First of all, I didn't have to get out my German lexicon and second, the narratives that go along with the many pictures are full of detail that you don't get in the smaller books. One of the major improvements that you will see is in her work, "Woman with Dead Infant." In many books it appears that the woman's face is melting in to the child, but in Prelinger's narrative, you see much more detail of the nude, vulnerable woman and her child with little covering up his bones.

She has many works-- mostly lithographs-- in colour, which is a delight after havimg only seen her work in other books as black and white.

One of her works, "Man Kneeling before a Female Nude" shocked me by it's erotic overtones, just as "Self Portrait en face, Laughing" shocked me with it's joy.

Kollwitz was very much a versatile artist and this book shows that. Any fan of Kollwitz will appreciate the narratives that go with the pictures, and for anyone who isn't a fan-- this book will make them fans!

This is one of the most beautiful books to look at I have even owned - it is highly recommended. The line drawings are accompanied by text rich in information about this woman's life and inspiration. Plates are excellent.

Very useful book for those responsible for keeping young children interested and involved with handicaft projects. Supplies are readily alvailable and at nominal cost. Instructons are clear and uncomplicated.

Kids Create! is an excellent collection that uses various mediums and can apply to children with varied artistic ability. I am a 6th grade art teacher, and I purchased the book after borrowing it from the library. There are too many wonderful ideas to let it slip away! My students especially love Carlson's collection of sculpting projects.

The craft instructions in this book are indeed easy, fun, cheap to do (etc) for kids. But the best part was the discussion in the back of the book on appropriate levels of creative projects for kids of different ages. It clearly outlined what attention span and dexterity level you should expect from kids of different ages. And it had useful advice for adults on how to make the project fun for kids; not just push the child to produce an "aesthetically ideal" finished project. That unanticipated inclusion in the book made it really stand out for me.

This book is not only good for kids, but a good book for adults who are just getting started with polymer clay. I've been using polymer clay for years and got some great ideas for my own art from this book. My kids love the variety of projects and are excited about working with PC.

This is a wonderful book. It is GREAT! And not only for kids. It has inspired me even though I'm WAY past the kid stage :o) I've done countless craft programs with various ages of children in the past 10 years, so I know what it takes to work with children. This book is wonderful for kids to use on their own or for adults to follow. The directions are clear & everything is easy to understand. I LOVE the kids in the book. Lark did a great job with the photos. They look like they are having fun :o) My favorites ideas are the"Makin' Faces Face Plates" (what a riot!), "Pushpinzzzzzzzz", "Fine Feathered Friends", and "Spirit Dolls". I'm planning to give a copy of the book to a friend's 9 year-old daughter for Christmas.

I was so happy to participate in making some of the projects in this book and with Irene Dean writing it, I knew the book was naturally going to be good.

But, when I received it, I was totally floored at the quality - hardcover, great paper, clear pictures, well-written instructions. It was so much better than I'd even anticipated.

This book was written for someone much younger than I am, but I found it completely entertaining, throughout. Very thorough "basics" section, including a look at making simple canes, then on to the projects. Lively and colorful from cover to cover.

Jazzy, upbeat writing, hip kids in artful demonstration, wonderful photography, lots of humor and cool fonts surround each of the thirty projects. There are beginner items to advanced - critters, jewelry, things to make for gifts, from simple to sophisticated - kids are going to absolutely love this book! And just in time to give to a young person before the appearance of "summer doldrums," too. :)

But, I don't think its appeal is limited to the 8-14 years-old age bracket because IMO, most adults would find it fun, too. I'd recommend this one to beginning clayers of any age.

Congratulations to Irene and her terrific editor for a fabulous, fun book!

zig

In many cases, the best way to deal with difficult situations is by looking at it via a sideways glance through a humorous prism. That prism is provided by the stories in this book. The "Life in These United States" feature of Reader's Digest provides some true and often humorous appraisals of how life is lived in the United States. They cover everything from the unprecedented freedom in the country to situations that occur in everyday life. Some of them are classics, for example the standard joke of being asked about a mutual acquaintance, speaking negatively about that person and then being told that they or a relative is married to them.
Situations can make comedy and the wide differences in the citizenship of the United States create many different contexts for jokes. Many of those contexts are utilized in this book to make stories that illustrate some aspect of life in the U. S.

I won't try to outdo Caroline's excellent review ,but to echo that I enjoyed this little book. When I bought my copy it was one of a set of 3 little books in a slipcase. The others were"Word Power",see my review ,Jul.,14 ,2004 and "Quotable Quotes"
Sept.,11,2004.;both of which I rated 5*s
This little light set would be a great gift for someone who just wants a little bit of relaxed reading to fill a bit of time.I'll be passing mine along to a shut-in at the first opportunity.

A mailman who was delivering mail to a new resident of a surburban home took
off in a hurry upon hearing the "friendly" woman call out to him, "Come on in honey,
and take your pants off!" The woman mistakenly thought that the mailman was her five-
year-old son returning from school. She discovered the truth when she went outside
looking for her son and discovered the mail scattered about the front scoop!

This embarrassing but funny tale is a 1983 excerpt from Reader's Digest's most
popular department and new book, "Life In These United States®." The first collection
of Life In These United States® was published in Reader's Digest in March of 1943.
Over the years, the department has become almost synonymous with the magazine, being
one of the first sections that readers turn to first. Now, Reader's Digest has assembled
some of the department's best selections from the past fifty years into the book, "Life In
These United States®." Inside the book you'll find true stories from people all across
America; funny, heartwarming, inspiring tales that will make you smile and think about
how we look at ourselves and the world around us. Although the contributors of the tales
come from different backgrounds and cultures, the stories that they share are ones that
we've all experienced (or are glad that we haven't!).

Pick up a copy of "Life In These United States®," put your feet up, and get ready to
spend an enjoyable hour or two reading! I know that I'll now chuckle every time that I
see the mailman!

Caroline Kent
caro@earthlink.net

I've just finished Book I of Cellini's two book autobiography. I have Symonds' translation in a single volume published by the Book League of America in 1937. Having been to Florence, Rome and Milan recently, Cellini's stories about himself and his adventures become truly vivid. At first, I could not imagine anyone being so self-agrandizing and so unabashedly boastful about his intentions, his artistic abilities and his view of his world. The man becomes so endearing through his writing, however, that I was not put off; rather, I found myself chuckling at his gall and style. His relationships and adventures with Popes Clement VII and Paul III, the Medici families, other artists, cardinals, dukes and jailors make for hilarious reading. His genius comes through and lingers as the reader ponders the historic figures and politics of Renaissance Italy. I'm beginning Book 2 today with great anticipation. What an ego! Symonds translation in 1937 is fine. He offers footnotes that aid the reader's following of the chronology. Further, Symonds often gives the phrase as Cellini wrote it, should there be different nuances in translation.

One of the first and yet one of the greatest autobiographies of all time. Any celebrity or would be celebrity thinking of dashing off a quick "life" or apologia pro vita sua could do worse than start by reading or re-reading this fantastically intense and life-enhancing book

This piece is an excellent portrayal of life during the Italian Renaissance, but more importantly, the book is purely entertaining. Benvenuto Cellini tells the story of his life in a vivid tale of kings and prostitutes, artists and dukes, soldiers and necromancers, all the while proclaiming himself the absolute protagonist of his world. Cellini's autobiography is filled to capacity with egotism, but this only makes the story more interesting. In a good piece of literature of this type, a person wants to see a main character with absolute confidence in himself; a superhero if you will. Benvenuto may not be a superhero, but he tells his life story as if he was the greatest of all such legendary folk heroes. If children read this book or were read this book during their childhood, perhaps on the playground at recess, kindergartners would say: "Hey let's play superheroes, I get to be Superman, I get to be Benvenuto Cellini." With the master goldsmith's stories about fending off six armed men with a single dagger, without a thought of fear in his mind, who wouldn't be solidly entertained?