Form-3 Books

I don't even have to read this book to know it's fabulous. I've already read most of these stories for Dr. Menke, and she certainly knows how to pick a good yarn (I'm sure her fellow editors are equally capable). She always chooses stories that are absolutely real and emotionally stimulating. Everyone should buy this book and keep it on an honored shelf - you can bet that I will.

Dr. Menke, congratulations and best wishes! I'll be visiting Regis for graduation - look for me!! ;-)

I don't even have to read this book to know that it is fabulous. I've read most of these stories for Dr. Menke already, and she definitely knows how to pick a good yarn (I have no doubt that her fellow editors are equally capable). Dr. Menke never fails to choose stories that are absolutely real and emotionally stimulating. Everyone should buy this book and keep it on an honored shelf - you had better believe that I will.

Dr. Menke, best wishes! I'll be visiting Regis around graduation - look for me!

This is an elegant book. It is at once philosophical, poetic, and visually stunning. The text and images beautifully complement each other. After reading this book, I not only appreciated the richness of the Parvati tradition, but also of the Hindu artistic and philosophical tradition. Never again will I look at work of Indian art as merely beautiful at a sensory level. Hindu art exists harmoniously within a cultural, philosophical, and literary context, as does this wonderful book.

Of the many Indian art books I would rate this the best as it not only is visual but poetic and philosophical at the same time. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading about this Indian goddess.

I have been taking stacks of books out of the library for my daughter, but I usually take most of them back after a few days. It is so hard to find a book that really engages toddlers. This book is different. She asks for it every day, several times a day, so I decided that we had to buy it. But I was worried that it would be out of print. Thank goodness I found it. About the worries of the professional reviewers above--I disagree with their comments about the lack of a page-turning experience for toddlers. The individual stories and activites may be condensed onto a page or two, but my daughter enjoys leafing around to find her favorites. It is good for strengthening her memory, because she tries to remember where "Maizy Mouse" or "Oops-a-Daisy" is located in the book. Also, it is not too thick for a toddler to navigate. The reviewers also said that the pages are too busy. This is only true for a few stories, and parents can point to where the child is to look. Once children get used to a story's progression on the page, they can follow it themselves. Another plus is the variety of levels in the book. As my daughter grows, she keeps finding new things she can do and understand in it. It's very educational and fun. I feel lucky to have found it.

My 1-1/2 old granddaughter has many books - and she is often to be seen looking at books by herself, not to speak of the times she requests an adult to sit with her. This is the book that she most often wants and is the book we'll have to replace as it's the most worn. A great collection of "nursery" poetry and pictures have a lot of appeal for the young.

This book is a very practical addition to any drama educator's bookshelf.
It is set out in a way that makes it easy to read and apply in the classroom.
Each convention is explained and an example is given allowing teachers to choose exactly how they want their process drama to work.
An overall structure diagram is also provided to ensure coverage of all the issues.

Structuring Drama Work is both a deliciously practical and a tacitly theoretical handbook for teachers/leaders of drama. This is no small feat for a book that is only eighty-four pages in length. Neeland's book deftly examines the infinitely important notion of the structures and conventions used when teaching, facilitating and learning through theatre/drama; while it concurrently argues for the need for flexibility when designing for and working with students of theatre/drama. David Booth sums up the concept of theatre explored in this book when he describes the author's view of theatre as, "a meaning-making endeavour that interprets life and helps us to understand our world" (P.1). The strength of this book is that it does not get bogged down by such an ambiguous or esoteric definition; rather, it uses this definition to elucidate the potential power of drama in each of the lives of those who choose to suspend their disbeliefs (P.72) and participate in the collective endeavour of theatre. Most of the book is a compilation of current conventions applied in drama/theatre and used to enhance the educative process of expressing the world through symbolic form. Context-building, narrative, poetic and reflective conventions are explored in detail; they range from simple games to tableau to complex conventions like whole-group role-playing. Rather than focus on examples ad infinitum, Neeland focuses on the description, cultural connections and learning opportunities of each convention. This is where the power of the book is located; teachers, rather than just mimicking rote exercises, are given the reasons for the use of the convention and appropriate times to employ it. This fulfills an absolute requirement of teaching: the ability to answer the students' legitimate question of "Why are we doing this?!?". On page seventy-nine there is a diagram that clearly illustrates the purpose of the conventions described. My initial response was that I would give this diagram to my students; however, on page eighty-two Neeland writes, "To be too definite and clear about the intentions and focus of the work in advance is to deny the students the power and experience of being artists." Neeland is arguing here that the power of the Gestalt or "Aha!" component of learning should not be too quickly dismissed. My feeling now is that I would let the needs of the group I was working with dictate whether or not to reveal the purpose of the unit to them. I believe this is in line with Neeland's tacit theory, that the needs of the group supersedes the needs of the program or the teacher. The teachers who employs Neeland's methods, over time, will likely learn to wed teaching the conventional structures of drama to the spontaneous needs of the students. Neeland's adoption of the female form of the third person pronoun and his use of the term "teacher/leader" demonstrates, I believe, his implicit subversion of the current pedagogical patriarchal paradigm. Neeland appears to be undermining the role of the teacher as the repository of Truth. His examples are wonderfully open-ended and he appears to be encouraging teachers to employ both conventions and there own examples according to the needs of the students. His theoretical approach can be glimpsed through instructions like, "... whereas well-researched context-building action and the controlled pace of reflective action may produce challenges to assumptions and prejudices." (P.74). This is an invaluable book both as an easy to use reference of theatrical/dramatic conventions and as a reminder of the endless and fruitful possibilities of learning through theatre.

I wasn't expecting all the wonderful how-to directions so I can create my own Japanese Stone Garden plus all the great photographs. It's going to be a fun winter project and feel like I will succeed with the great tips in this book.

Benz does an incredible job of presenting suiseki in a lovely format with loads of pictures of beautiful suiseki. He also provides the aesthetic and practical levels of the ancient art; right down to the tools need and the frame of mind needed to explore this art. Whether you are a beginner or long time collector, you will find this book a worthy addition to your library. I read the book today and I'm on my way out to the mountains to find a new stone tomorrow.

I have the Copyright Murakami book and Summon Monsters. Summon Monsters is a definite must-have for Murakami fans. It's filled with color artwork and also shows some behind-the-scenes of artworks in progress. It's hard to come by, but a great addition to any Murakami collection.

This text (and it is predominantly text) is an engaging look at the inner workings of Murakami's Kaikai Kiki (formerly the Hiropon Factory). With the establishment of his factory and artist collective, Murakami refernces the workshop tradition of artmaking that goes back thousands of years (specifically to pre-Renaissance Italy). In this book one can see and read about the kind of excruciating labor put into the creation of his paintings and sculptures. A truly impressive collection.

I picked up a translation of this series while living in Japan. The entire series is fantastic. I could relate very well from my past experiences working as a temp and as an administrative assistant. Things aren't so different in the US from how women are treated in business environments in Japan. There are sharp jokes about the way that women are under valued and how the OL's adapt to deal with it. The girls are also hung over in every third strip. Very VERY funny!

This series of comic strips is a light-hearted look at life as a 20-something "office lady" in Japan.

While the girls are pre-occupied with enjoying life, their parents are worried about obtaining the best possible husband-provider, their bosses are worried about them falling asleep on the job after playing too many computer games the night before, and their easily-dumped boyfriends are all-too often confused and manipulated. It's like a less ... focused comic version of "Sex And The City".

The 5-volume bilingual collection has the original Japanese to help those wishing to learn, but it's a fun read in any event.

Too bad Kodansha don't plan on continuing the series after the 5th volume.

Like most of the other stuff from the master, if you have a yen for humor with brains, please, please buy this book. A columnist for the New Yorker, screenplay writer for the Marx Brothers, humorist par excellence - do you need more reasons? How about the fact that he makes most other humorists look like college boys indulging in frat-house antics...

Buy and enjoy! And then, buy the rest of his oeuvre!!

Hilarious account of the year legendary humorist S. J. Perelman took his family (wife and two mid-sized children) on a trip around the world. A follow-up to the equally delightful "Westward, Ha!", his similar trip with illustrator Al Hirschfeld. They travel the South Seas and Asia, the Middle East and all over Europe, accumulating ever larger piles of impedimentia.

Every sentence sparkles with Perelman's unique and exquisite brand of "airy persiflage" (reassuring a threatening official of a tyranical oil company: "No muckraker I, I nervously assured him, but a vapid little tomtit writing elegiacs about temple bells and lepidoptera"). Not only funny, but a very interesting look at a the state of the world still readjusting itself from WWII. Heartily recommended.

Peter Steinberg's new biography charts Sylvia Plath's tumultous career in moving prose. His narrative demonstrates precision and is informed by the recent landmarks in Plath scholarship. His own passion for Plath's writing and travels to Plath sites lend a significant dimension to his descriptions of the places and events that inspired some of Plath's most famous poems. I think this book will be a welcome addition to high school reading lists and will inspire students to explore Plath's poetry.

I am the author of this book, for which Linda Wagner-Marting graciouslessly wrote the Foreword. This new biography of Plath, the first to appear since the early 1990s, presents Plath the poet and Plath the person as inseparable. It's about her writing life.

The mini-review Amazon has is for the Harold Bloom collection of essays published in the late 1980s. I certainly hope that they fix this in order to prevent confusion and/or slower sales.

Cheers!

If you are a lover of the short story, even perhaps, a storyteller or writer yourself -- AND -- you are nuts about the game of tennis, then this book is probably the equal of such pleasures as sex, good scotch, and cigars combined.

After becoming happily tired from the work of the day, I allow my mind to sink into the literary construction of these fine stories, and identify with the familiar sentiments of the character players it contains. In addition, the second half of the book is comprised of some nifty tennis poetry. A solid buy.

I found this book, as an active tennis player, to be very insightfull and enightening. This book would be good for anyone tennis player or not. Lifes secrets are uncovered by using the maetaphor of tennis. All and all a very worth while book to read.