Form-3 Books

I've owned this book for many months, but had to wait my turn as various males in my house read it. It was worth the wait. I read a chapter or two--really a column or two--at a time. Sometimes one can see what is coming in Kirkland's writing, but then again sometimes one is surprised. Regardless, he is clearly an admirable man; someone to be desired as a neighbor if not, as Lynn Johnston jibes, a spouse. I recommend this book whole-heartedly to anyone who finds life challenging. We are not alone.

Gordon Kirkland saved my life with his latest book. I threw it in the car and on our long trip read the chapters out loud to my husband and two kids. The traffic jams melted away as we literally laughed until we cried. I had to stop several times mid-sentence to catch my breath and read the rest with tears in my eyes. No kidding! It is a hilarious look at everyday life that anyone can relate to. I intend to leave it on the coffee table. The cover is attention grabbing and anyone can pick it up and read a chapter and get a smile. I liked the first chapter the best! A great read and one worth owning!!!!!

This collection of short poems is an ode to the person whose age is sixty or better. Some are light, describing the pleasures of age and how your perspective changes. When that hurdle is jumped, many of the things that were so critical before now become superficial. This is summed up in the last two lines of the last poem in the book.

But now that I'm sixty I've got to confess
That more often than not, I couldn't care less.

Some of the others are less light hearted, describing the downside of aging. Financial fears, forgetting simple things, having to face young criminals and ways to try to recapture some of the exuberance of youth are all mentioned. However, even these topics are dealt with in a light-hearted manner, so there is never a point where the tone turns depressing.
Whatever your perspective is on turning sixty, this book will make you smile at some of the consequences of reaching that mark. Matthew is a very good poet and his prose will lighten your feelings, no matter how dark they are.

my son gave me this book on my 60th birthday. I grew up with the milne books and read them to my boys. In fact, our oldest, Christopher, is named after Christopher Robin. Get out your old book of Now We Are Six, and keep it next to you while you read this book. So charming. So clever. Makes me feel like a kid again and it makes me smile....alot.

An admirable work that clears up the conceptual confusions and logical slips that inform and are entrenched in the works of even the most well-intentioned art historians, philosophers and theoreticians- Gomrbich and Goodman in particular. Besides being a work that reveals the author's own judicious skill and knowledge in using appropriate instances of art to make his argument (this is a point that is often taken for granted), the book, at least for me, is a refreshing exercise in aesthetic philosophy.

At last we have a thorough going critique of the subjectivist position. This book is equally suited to those approaching the subject from the philosophical viewpoint and those who are active workers in the fields of visual representation.

From Front Jacket:

'On a Scale that Compete With the World' offers the first comprehensive view of a major oeuvre that spans the past three decades. Much of the art produced by Edward Kienholz and, later, by Keinholz and Nancy Reddin Kienholz has been exhibited and collected in Europe. It has received less critical attention than it deserves in the United States, largely because its 'literary' qualities ran counter to the predominant Minimalist aesthetic of 1960s American art. With this book, Robert Pincus clarifies the importance of the Kienholzes' work in American art history and interprets its deeply thoughtful critique of American society and culture.

Placing the Kienholzes' art in a broad cultural context, the author suggests that we view it against the backdrop of the soaring American optimism of the 19th century. The genre paintings of George Caleb Bingham and William Sidney Mount and the writings of Walt Whitman are vivid expressions of that spirit. In sharp contrast, the art of Kienholz and others of his generation radiates anger. But the outrage evident in Kiehnolz's early works -- 'The Illegal Operation,' 'The Wait,' and 'The State Hospital' are among the best known - is strongly social rather than political, Pincus maintains, with parallels in the writings of contemporaries such as William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer. Their anger springs from the perception that grand American ideals have been betrayed.

The art historical context of the Kienholzes' work is no less incisively portrayed in its regional, national and international dimensions. Pincus discusses their art in relation to other major assemblages, Minimalist objects, Pop Art, the related sculptures of George Segal, and Conceptual Art. He also provides extended discussions of pivotal works by Edward and Nancy Reddin Kienholz, from the early pieces through their work in the 1980s, which continues to explore such themes as the plight of the poor and the marginal, and the exploitation of women."

The most intelligent book on the artists. A groundbreaking study that is also highly readable.

What a wonderful book! 'One-Hundred & One Read-Aloud Jewish Stories' is such a pleasure to read and so enjoyable - for both children and adults. It is the perfect book for a family to read over and over. This book encompasses a wide variety of stories from the Torah, Talmud & Midrash to contemporary Jewish writers, stories of Israel and the Diaspora. The stories are written in such a simple, understandable and most importantly, enjoyable way. This is a treasure you'll keep for many years to come in your book collection - you can't go wrong.

At this time in history, this volume is a valuable addition to any library. Children and adults can gain a greater appreciation for the Jewish heritage, Jewish religion and Jewish people. This generous collection includes stories and poetry from over 30 different notable books by well-known authors of the Jewish community that have been published in the last sixty-four years.

If you do not know about the holidays: Yom Ha-Zikaron and Yom Ha-Atzmaut, you will want to read this book. You will gain a much deeper appreciation for Israel, and the situation of today's state of affairs...

This anthology of one-act plays has a wide variety of styles and formats. From comedy to drama. Women and men. It is very helpful when trying to research a new character for an audition because the character have a wide range of ages and backgrounds.

I am always searching for scenes or short plays for student actors and this gives a great variety of characters and situations with which to work. Some are even good enough to produce in a festival setting. All are very short, which works well in a classroom setting.

Authors such as David Bischoff, Robert J. Sawyer, Stephen Dedman and C. Dean Anderson. Stories about the first vampires, one story from the Bible, stories about the offspring of Dracula, stories of Dracula vs the Clans, one story set at a Blake 7 convention - oh the horror - and even one about Santa Claus. Horror, humor and history all mixed into one book.
A must for any vampire fan.

One word can sum up this novel. originallity. All of the stories in this book are totally original and it shows. for instance, have you ever wanted to know what it's like to see into Vlad the Impaler's personal life? Well that's just one of the stories and I guarentee that if you read through the first couple of pages you won't be able to put it down! definitly a MUST BUY! I've read it twice!

The public Darwin debate doesn't really match the progress of biological research. And experts in the field seem reticent to point to the limits of the standard theories. Here we are told plainly, Darwinism has no theory of the generative. And the breakthroughs in developmental genetics fail to explicate the sources of organismic form. The text acknowledges that concern with the gene has overshadowed all other aspects of the discussion.
This highly interesting, not too technical, work explores the work being done on evolutionary innovation. A theory of evolution should explicate both innovation and diversification.But natural selection can only explain how what already exists is maintained or transformed in the process of ecological survival. The standard explanations of variation and natural selection do not really explain this '
source of form' aspect of evolution, and we are presented with ambiguous statements about an evolutionary toolkit, in the developmental version, whose origins could not spring from the processes described in the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis. It seems an advance that a technical work by experts in the field would point this out. This is a very useful glimpse of the real work needed in biology, and should prove a useful refuge from the confusing public discourse on evolution that is generally less than helpful.

Origination of Organismal Form: Beyond The Gene In Developmental And Evolutionary Biology is a collection of excellent essays by scientists who assume Darwinian evolution, but whose work reveals various major evidential and conceptual problems with the theory. They are part of a growing number of scientists who find major problems with Darwinism but are not any type of creationist. The problems with Darwinism are usually buried deep in technical publications but they are there if one looks. Anyone with the training and inclination to read this book could benefit greatly from it. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in evolutionary biology. We can no longer ignore these problems. They are too great and must be dealt with. This book is an excellent introduction to these problems. A must read book!!!

Easily my favorite of the Over the Hedge collections, the insight of sub-urban wildlife and their acceptance of the weird things we do as humans just gets better every year. In this installment, the indifferent/optimistic duo of RJ and Verne explore the national educational system, religious issues, and just why middle-aged humans procreate. They also share their insight with the new little bundle o' joy. When all is said and done, this collection of the strip is well worth whatever you spend on it (although I still cannot figure out why it goes for so much more than the rest).

This author look on life is great. Showing us (humans) with all our warts and problems. If you like the movie, you will certainly like this collection. Thank you so much for a great collection.

This is a fine anthology of literary selections on various aspects of marriage. It is primarily positive about marriage but is not shy about presenting a whole host of complaints about it. Two of the interesting selections in the beginning are Darwin's and Kafka's in which they make a list of pros and cons in regard to it. There are wise words about various aspects of married life, including those which distinguish between youthful passionate marriages and the often more gentle companionships of old age. The selection of writers is wide, with a great emphasis on the British though there are generous citations from the master writer on the subject( who did less well in real life) Tolstoy. Quarreling and disagreement in marriage gets a chapter, as does divorce. The chapter on children and their effect on a Marriage has many insights, but is perhaps shorter than it should be. One element I found missing in the Anthology relates to the sanctity of marriage, of how Marriage ideally brings people to a higher spiritual level. There are few citations from religious sources, though one beautiful one from the Song of Songs. In the Jewish Tradition Marriage is considered an essential life- step, and there is a sense that the person has not fully lived without being married.
This is a truly enjoyable anthology which I reread with great pleasure.

Anyone who enjoyes contemplating the joys and absurdities of married life would enjoy this book. It also makes an ideal wedding present for any couple that is somewhat intellectually inclined. It is a well-organized compilation of excerpts from literature through the ages, ancient to modern, all relating to the topic of marriage - from the comical to the sublime. Highly recommended.