Form-S-3 Books

I'm a huge fan of Patty Heaton! I loved her humor and am truly amazed at everything she experienced along the way to stardom and love. I enjoyed the funny and insightful look into her life experiences, but would also enjoy a deeper look into her true feelings about life, love, family, religion, etc. Would love to see her write another book!!! :)

I enoyed Patricia's book about her life and adventures on tv show,...Every Body Loves Raymond. I especially liked the parts about the show and the funny things that happened while making it. But I was very disappointed that there were no pictures. Maybe it's just me, but I like an autiobiography to have pictures other then the one on the cover. She is not the comic writer that Ray Romano is with his books, but I still enjoyed it.

First of all I would like to state that I am a huge fan of Heaton, but I was quite dissapointed with the book. I read the book in one night; it is an easy read. Heaton jumps around with random short stories, one minute you're reading about cleveland, the next minute it is raymond. I didn't really like the structure of the book. Don't get me wrong, there are some good chapters, and the book is funny at times, but she doesn't give much insight into her life. She doesn't tell you much about her family and keeps a lot to herself. (Partially because the book is so short) The only major insight about her life that I got from this book is that she was a waitress at countless places and drank a lot in her youth. She loves her family and that is about it.

Have you ever read a book and felt like you had become friends with the character of the book? I have read Motherhood and Hollywood over the last week and everyday after reading it I would discuss the book with my wife. My wife bought the book for me knowing how much I love Patricia Heaton and her character on Everybody Loves Raymond and the Movie: "The Engagement Ring." We even set aside a special time to watch the first episode of her new sitcom on Fox. One night after talking about the chapters I had read with my wife, she actually said: "Did you ask her...." She stopped when she realized that I did not know Patricia nor had I ever met her, but the book had given me so many details about her life and was so genuine, it was as if we were friends. It even gave me a tiny epiphony later that evening when watching Everybody Loves Raymond and realizing that the Chuck Heaton that was nominated with Ray for "Sportswriter of the Year" was really Patricia's Father from Cleveland. Her book had actually given me insight on what must have been a loving and private joke on the show, as well as a tribute. I would recommend this book to any mom who has had to deal with growing older and how to look presentable. Who has had to deal with Motherhood and all the wonders such as flu, floaties and epidurals. This book is a treasure and a very private look into a very wonderful persons life. Patricia has given more than entertainment, she has given us her friendship and that is a very special gift. God Bless You Patricia,

M E Rosson

I had heard that Ms. Heaton supports "conservative" causes (in quotes because todays conservatives hardly resemble fiscal discipline, limited government and individual rights advocates I recall having respect for). My take to date was that her political affiliation was largely a result of her anti-abortion beliefs, which I could accept, although I personally think that consistently credible sexual education is the answer to making abortions rare, not simply making abortions illegal and generating the tragedy that unwanted pregnancies wreak on women and their families).

There is great promise in stem cell research, including a possible method for cloning stem cells that does not include destroying the blastocyst. However, in supporting Mr. Talent and other republicans, she is supporting the currently morally corrupt cabal of Republican leadership in this country. Her spot is being touted as the anti-Michael J. Fox ad. Perhaps she really values those 4-celled, undeveloped blastocysts--if so, maybe she should take a leaf from Mr. Fox's activist' book and lobby for the preservation of the left-over fertilized embryos that are destroyed every year (400,000 or so and counting), rather than supporting a blanket ban on potentially life-saving stem cell research.

Frankly, Ms. Heaton, I have had to shake my head at your dogged political support of the GOP. The hypocrisy they espouse as the moral compass of this country while they accuse the poor of laziness (while the working poor do without decent health insurance for themselves and their families, which of course, include their children), cut social network programs for the most vulnerable of the population, cut education programs that would allow impoverished young people to rise above the lack of opportunity they experience solely on their unfortunate decision to be born to poor parents ...

Let me just say, Ms. Heaton, that I no longer have any desire to support your career. I'm sure there are plenty of hateful, ignorant ditto heads who will think you are simply great ("she is one of us"). Let them support you. I gave your product a neutral rating, simply because I have no desire to lower the ranking of your book simply because it was written by you. This review is solely meant to formally communicate to you, and others, that I cannot stand to see your work any longer--whether it be on television, in movies or in print. I used to be a fan.

Like a poorly written sitcom, Pollack has one joke: his exceptional being, together with hyperbole which supports his one joke. The writing is sophomoric at best, tedious at worst. I was appalled that a publisher would put out such drivel. I won't even give this away. This set has been placed--appropriately--in the proverbial circular file. Unless you enjoy his brand of humor (self-aggrandizement carried beyond the extreme), save your money.

Pollack proves that the only thing necessary to be an artist in this society is the audacity to call oneself such. I've slogged through a couple of his self-indulgent works now, and from what I can see, he's an author because he says so. Unfortunately he's not alone; the people with egos big enough to believe they are something are granted celebrity or at least book contracts just because they have the hutzpah to tell the world what every person's mama made him or her believe for a while: I'm special. Most people grow up and realize that everyone is special but nobody's really THAT special. Pollack seems to still believe that he is not one of the very folk he attempts so weakly to satirize, a pompous bag of air who should be penalized for every tree that dies in the service of his vanity. He's an average writer with average opinions and really should take a breath and realize he's OK without being "special." Then he should give the reading public a break and get a real job.

If you read enough books, especially enough books of a certain sort, and enough literary criticisum, again of a certain sort, you end up with a trove of amusing observations. If you put all of your observations together in a book, though, and your readers have read many of the same sources you have, their observations may be funnier than yours. So, after a while, your book becomes very, very tedious.

This is not post-grad humor, whatever that is (I'll tell you what it is, it's an oxymoron). This is not lacerating satire, nor a vicious attack on self-indulgent journalism, nor on Great White Authors (in whose company Neal Pollack rightly counts himself), nor--least of all is it this--is it a post-modern manifesto (post-modern??? think about how stupid you sound before you indulge your egotistical ear with literary jargon--you might start forgetting that words like "post" and "modern" have real meanings which, like nerds and prom queens, don't congeal when placed side by side)... nor is it anything else you people might come up with in the dark, lonely basements of your profound intellects!!!! Let the rest of the world (those lucky ignorant souls who've seen the sun within the past year) know the truth about Pollack: he's a pretty funny guy... at least he advocates onanism, which makes him totally legit in my eyes.

Neal can be funny. I laughed out loud the first couple of tracks. His humor relies mostly on name dropping and rattling off absurd fads we've indulged. He is fairly astute when satrizing coffeehouse pseudo-intellectuals and vacuous hipsters...but...the joke gets old.

I read a couple of reviews claiming you have to be a grad. student to appreciate his humor. You must be kidding.
The only jokes that lie outside the realm of the average TV sitcom, are references to world authors and poets.
Even then, you're not missing much.

The last CD, his LIVE poetry performance is a session of pain. I was tortured by 27 tracks of egregious poetry. Because, it was recorded live, you could feel the tension in his audience. The nervous silence, couples on the edge of their seats listening for something funny to laugh at, just to make Pollack feel better. You might be wondering why I kept listening, am I a masochist?

No. Well, except for that week I was stuck in a Motel 6 on an acid binge, with two Brazilian soccer players and a tazer. But, not usually. No, I kept listening because I bought the audio CD's purely from their glowing reviews and his affliation with Eggers and gang and all the other current literary intellgentsia. I would be a masochist.... if I listened to it again.

Life is meaningless. We are all slugs. We should kill ourselves. Or better yet, hire someone to kill you, but before he does, send a letter to the police, with a description of your killer, and his home address, and let him go to prison for the rest of his life. AHAHAHAHAH!!!
But semi-seriously, folks, this is a very funny book. It is a parody, a satire, a joke, a lark, a laugh, a sarcastic look at the things we should all keep in mind as we go through our daily routine.
It's funny because it's ridiculous. It's funny because life is NOT meaningless, we are NOT worthless, and suicide is a waste. Get this book and do not take it seriously, just laugh at it. Give it to some dooms- day, constantly depressed, miserable indivigual and maybe it will cheer him up
by making him see how silly he is. Get the point?

I found this book just laying out in a parking lot so i picked it up and started reading this funny, so-true book. it's brilliant. At first i just laughed really hard at all the funny little comments but then i actually found that it helped me when i was feeling down. I don't know, it seems like it should just make you feel worse but in some odd way, it makes you feel better. I guess it kind of makes you feel like everyone else in this world is feeling the same and you don't feel weird about everything thats wrong in your life. I'm mad because i gave this book to my boss to read and he lost it so now I'm going to buy it again. I miss having this book around to make me laugh when I'm feeling like crap.

A good way to clean out the ol' system is by laughing really hard.

I am not kidding, this book is a wonderful, hilarious cheerer-upper. Plus, it makes you feel like it's ok to not have to be all "hey look at me I'm having the time of my life living happily after like in Pretty Woman or some other romantic comedy." My only criticism is that it does get repetitive after a while. Otherwise I would have given it 5 stars. Overall, a wonderful book!

I work in a bookstore and came across this book while shelving my humor section. It gave me a refreshing break from some of the books I deal with on a daily basis in my self improvement section. As another reviewer noted, it should make you feel worse if you feel bad, but it doesn't!! It helps you take yourself a little less seriously. Clearly you wouldn't give this book to a person who is clinically depressed. I'm giving it to my nephew for his college graduation. He has a healthy skepticism about the world and will enjoy this tongue-in-cheek look at life. One quote that struck a chord with me: "Your kids are nothing special. They're just like everyone else's kids." Made me laugh and I'll better handle the next person I come in contact with who goes on and on about their 4 year old reading Grapes Of Wrath .... I'll think of that line and smile. One caution: If you do not appreciate jibes taken at religion (ALL religions), don't read that section!

This book was boring and inane. I expected more from the guy who brought us such a politically sarcastic site. I was hoping to laugh, but all I did was fall asleep. I feel that I wasted my money, but did get a chuckle over some of the graphics. This book falls flat. Sorry!
Ken

I'm sure I'll like it, just haven't had time to go past the first few pages. If bashing the right-wing criminals in the White House is the bottom line, I'm gonna' love it.

How to read this book.

Step 1: Go to your local bookstore and find the book.
Step 2: Read "most" of the book while at the store (most jokes are repetitive)
Step 3: Leave the store without buying the book.

If you follow those steps you'll feel happy that you got to read it and the knowledge that you didn't waste your money on it.

Atleast that's what I did, after reading a few of the reviews on here.

I normal trust the reviews on Amazon more then I did for this book. Many of the reviews rate the book as middle of the road yet the web site is so funny, I was sure I would find the book as humorous. And for the first 30 or so pages I was dead on, it was a laugh riot. I just kept laughing out loud. The sly low key and in your face humor was equally side splitting. The authors were able, at least in the first section of the book, to take the attitude from the web site and use it in this White House employee manual parody. Unfortunately for me, and I would assume many readers, the fresh, sharp humor started to get stale. There is only so many times you can beat that horse and they did not stop. On and on about how the Bush team was out to get richer, destroy the environment and scrap any social program going.

At about page 100 I started to skip sections and hoped the end was near. The lack of originality and new material really started to sour me on the whole book and even a bit on the original web site its self. I am sure that is the exact opposite reaction the authors were looking for. I also started to get a bit turned off by the rather in your face sexism and not so hidden racism. I know it was all part of the parody, but is was a bit much. Lastly the whole pro life / pro choice comments were a bit too edgy for me. Overall my opinion is that this is a perfect book to pick up used and read a chapter every other month. The bits you forget will make the book less repetitive and stale.

Do you find yourself taking President Bush and his administration seriously? You never will again after reading this gem of satire. Informed by extensive research into the backgrounds of these Executive Mansion denizens, the writers of Whitehouse.org have created brilliant caricatures of them. They are careful where they draw the line of exaggeration on which humor depends. They go far enough to be hilarious without going so far as to be just plain silly. At the same time, I can't help but wonder whether the Bush folks really do have some of the opinions that are attributed to them. It's so hideously plausible.

True stories written with Hillerman's quiet humor -- the New Mexico that was before the Yuppies turned it into Starbuck's Central and a New Mexico that still exists in quiet corners of a wonderful state. The tales are best read one or two at a time and savored. A great gift for lovers of New Mexico, the genuine Old West or an Easterner interesting in learning about the land that lies beyond the traffic jams.

Hillerman describes the genesis of these nine interesting essays based on New Mexico daily life:

"The essays in The Great Taos Bank Robbery: And Other True Stories of the Southwest were my project to win a Master of Arts degree in English when I quit being a newspaper editor and went back to college. In a way they reflected the decision I had made (with my wife Marie's encouragement) to see if someone like myself -- who loves to write -- can reflect the life around him better if he escapes the narrow bonds of writing inside the columns of a newspaper. The deal I made with my Thesis Committee Chairman was that I would write for various sorts of general audiences -- aiming at magazine publication."

I agree with the other five star reviews here, especially Miz Ellen's moving tribute. The essays are short, readable, funny and touching, and unforgettable.

Robert C. Ross 2008

This was a fun read about the many different faces of New Mexico. Short stories that can be read in a single sitting. The stories cover the quirky people to the scientific discoveries that are mostly set in New Mexico.

Taos I really enjoyed this book. It's a small volume with a series of essays that Tony Hillerman submitted as part of Master's work in journalism. They read just as you'd expect from the premiere Southwest mystery writer of our time - slow, lazy, and full of humor. They're true tales woven to feel like fiction and the characters step right out of the terrain of New Mexico. Funny antics and folk wisdom are interspersed with character quirks.

The title story is the best, but all of the others held my interest and I read them in a single sitting.

As is my custom with anthologies, I'm including the table of contents in my review

The Great Taos Bank Robbery
The Very Heart of Our Country
We All Fall Down
The Conversion of Cletus Xywanda
The Hunt for the Lost American
Las Trampas
Othello in Union County
Quijote in Rio Arriba County
Mr. Luna's Lazarus Act

- CV Rick, February 2008

The Great Taos Bank Robbery would have occurred on November 11, 1957, except the bank was closed for Veterans Day. Thus it seems appropriate to write this review tonight in the hopes that it will post on November 12th, the actual date when the robbery did not occur. Tony Hillerman makes a convincing case for the bank robbery, noting the unique elements that one of the male malefactors was dressed as a woman, that the robbers waited in line with courtesy and patience, and that the getaway vehicle was borrowed from a local resident. Actual shots were fired at the minister, but this was after the robbers left the bank where the robbery did not occur. A three day manhunt ensued, during which time some of the residents bought the robbers groceries or otherwise fed them. Hillerman equates the Great Taos Bank Robbery of 1957 with the equally Great Taos Flood of 1935, noting that Taos does not have a river and receives very little rain. Hillerman's handling of this true crime narrative is masterly, but the reader is advised to proceed with caution as it is possible to hurt oneself laughing.

So begins an excellent little guidebook to the Four Corners region of America. Some of these little essays are somber "The Very Heart of Our Country" about the Navajos return to their homeland. Another one "We All Fall Down" is scary, detailing the propensity for the Black Death to stalk the region every few years.

Tony Hillerman died on Oct 26, 2008. This review is posted by a grateful fan. Because of his writings, I was inspired to make several visits to New Mexico and Arizona to see the landscapes he writes about. Thanks for the memories, Tony!

"Sylvia" is one of the most consistently witty cartoons around. It is funny, intelligent, preposterous, and frequently features cats (and occasionally dogs). Far from being mere loving pets, the cats in Hollander's comics have ulterior motives, excel at deception, and are capable of hypnotizing their owners.

Several themes are recurrent, mostly dealing with various feline food obsessions, though early morning apologies for broken things (and missing dogs) are also featured prominently.

These comics are subtle and sly; not everyone will grasp their nuance, but for those who appreciate subtle, sarcastic humor, or who just love cats, this is a great collection and I recommend it highly.

Nicole Hollander's grasp of cat-human relations (you'll note which comes first) is pure genius, and in this second collection she was again delivers some of the most side-splitting bits of prose I've ever come across. Of course, to be fair, I do suppose you have to be something of a cat lover (or at least, live with cats) to understand her wit and humor -- in other words, the concept of two cats holding their owner's 1040 hostage for food might be lost on the uninitiated.

The only negative thing I will say is that this particular volume, "My Cat's Not Fat, He's Just Big Boned", contains some of the same material as her earlier "Everything Here Is Mine", which is the only reason I gave it four stars and not five.

Nicole Hollander's Sylvia comic strip is one of the most overlooked (and most hilarious) strips out there. She has many colections out there ("My weight is always perfect for my height--which varies" "You can't take it with you so eat it now" "That woman must be on drugs" etc). She is the Anti-Cathy. She is sarcastic and wacky...dry and droll...and literate and witty. Best of all she has many cat themed collections which are a hoot. THIS one is probably the best. So if you are on the look out for a laugh or if you are a cat person who wonders what is going on inside the walnut-sized brain of your favorite fur-person, the Sylvia collections (especially this one) are just the ticket!

Anyone who enjoys Nicole Hollander's sly and amusing view of the world will like this book; anyone with a particular fondness for cats probably will, too. If you have ever tried to imagine your cat's motives for doing the things they do, you will enjoy Sylvia's cats, whose motives are hilarious. Many of the jokes are probably above the heads of children, but even they will enjoy the antics the cats get up to.

I bought this book from Amazon.com about two months ago and, as an admitted cat lover, am still loving this book dedicated to cats (and a small section to dogs). It's on my desk to my right and whenever I need a laugh, I just open up to any one of the pages. Thanks, Nicole!

I read this book in one sitting, and I laughed out loud maybe twice. Granted, I'd just broken up with my girlfriend. However, I was hoping for something with a little more - how shall we say? - Cajones. This book is about as Destructive as writing "CRAP" on the dry-erase marker board in your office's conference room. A few years ago a college buddy of mine had a copy of a similar book with a similar title, and unlike the book under review, it was funny as hell! I've tried to find it everywhere, but it seems to be out of print. I think it had a black cover. If you want real soul-crushing, side-splitting Destruction, seek out the other book. But good luck doing that! You'll need it.

YEAH THE BOOKS GREAT. I JUST HAD TO SEE IF YOU CAN REALLY RATE NO STARS. BUT REALLY THIS BOOK DESERVES 5! VERY FUNNY. STRICTLY A PARODY; NEEDS TO BE LONGER, BUT THE ORIGINAL IS SAME LENGTH. IF YOU GOT A STICK IN THE MUD FRIEND WHO LOVES LIFE'S LIL IN STUCTION BOOK; GIVE THEM THIS FOR XMAS. IT'S ALL PART OF THE PLAN... WHO KNOWS A GOOD LAUGH REALLY IS THE BEST GIFT! DANG TEST FAILED; THIS REVIEW demands A RATING. THERE IS NO WAY TO RATE ZERO.. SO DONT EVEN TRY!!!

This book is the bomb

I bought this book in 1994 when it first came out. It is so hilarious! If you want some good tips on how to be obnoxious or if you really want to get on somebody's nerves, then use this book as a guide. Read all the way through, from beginning to end for maximum-laughter-effect.

This book is great for those who are contra Eliot and as well as his fans. Part of the author's thesis is that Eliot was actually able to employ his anti-Semitism towards the construction and development of his art and that even though Eliot's attitude towards Jews was bigoted he managed to create some of the most significant verse of the early 20th century. The book is accompanied with some close readings and analyses of Eliot's most important early works including "Sweeney among the Nightingales" and "Gerontion" which provide the reader with enormous insight regardless of the author's specific ideas and theories.

I studied the work of Elliot in graduate school. I knew the Anti- Semitic passages, and thus held myself distant from the cult of Elliot worship. Nonetheless reading Julius' deeper probing into Eliot's Anti-Semitism I am angry at myself for not being more outraged. It turns out that Eliot did not want Jewish readers. He scorned us.
The lines of 'Burbank with a Baedaker, Bleisten with a cigar' and other lines from 'Gerontion' would fit in well with Nazi propaganda.
Apparently Eliot was as Julius points out a 'literary anti- Semite' whose hate and scorn were for the 'free -thinking sceptical Jews' he believed the enemies of Christian civilization. On a personal level he apparently was able to bear Jewish company, here and there.
Julius shows how the Anti- Semitism is not a passing theme of youth but also pervades his later prose work.
I believe that after reading this work it is impossible to read Eliot again without feeling moral repulsion.

Anthony Julius has written the most objective and informative work to date on the anti-semitic aesthetics of Eliot's early poetry. Though the author is an admirer of Eliot, he is not the least bit apologetic about his attempts to come to the grips with the literary consequences of an anti-semitic aesthetic. Julius takes a cue from deconstruction when he notes that any attempts to remove or downplay anti-semitic elements in Eliot's poetry will only serve to destroy the thematic body of Eliot's vast literary corpus. Julius also takes aim at the prose works of Eliot, thereby showing that Eliot's anti-semitism was not a phase (as most critics and scholars have argued since the post WWII period); rather, it was an integral poetic topoi. Finally, the author documents T.S. Eliot's association with fellow Anti-semite Ezra Pound and the latter's role in suppressing and expunging the anti-semitic "Dirge" from the finished portion of "The Wasteland." In closing, please believe me when I tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and re-reading this book. I have yet to find anything questionable about the author's research or his methodology. To scholars and students who are interested in the life and writings of T.S. Eliot, I say to all of you: BUY AND READ THIS BOOK!

The dishonest approach used by Julius throughout this book is characterized by the quotation on page xiii that refers to a personal confrontation in South Africa between Eliot and a Mrs. Millen. The confrontation simply never happened. Julius refers to this item several times in the body of the text. He explains the fabrication in a footnote as "at best, a melodramatic and telescoped version of the truth." No, it is a lie. It refers to a meeting that never happened and the quote has not been removed or changed in the revised edition.
When one carefully checks each and every source note (and they are profuse) in analyzing the anti-semitic "quotes" attributed to Eliot by Julius it emerges that the actual sources are not Eliot but snippets from other anti-semitic tracts carefully juxtaposed by Julius to give the impression they are Eliot's. This casts a pall of mendacity of the entire enterprise. These sorts of tactics are unncessary and raise questions of integrity.
The book consists of the intricately wrought polemics of a clever barrister who seeks to give the appearance of a scholarly investigation accompanied by much hand-wringing about being "fair" to Eliot. It would take another dissertation the length of Julius's original to completely debunk many of his specious claims. Don't let the copious notes fool you. Each and every one needs to be checked.
This book, more than any other, has damaged Eliot's stature and reputation. Some young scholar should spend the time necessary to refute it.

This innovative book presents a feast of imagery from the exuberant print culture of the antebellum period. The author investigates the new penny press, the giant newsprint editions, gift books, the "lady's" books, and advice literature aimed primarily at youth. The new reading materials shared a festive and transgressive quality, a carnivalesque tone. It luxuriated in the first naturalistic mass illustrations of the human body, and Lehuu has selected a remarkable array of illustrations that are worth the price of the book by themselves. She rejects the argument that the popular prints created a consensus of national symbols and rites that tended to unify the American people, and argues that the prints instead reflected the class anxieties of an emergent working class and the elites who worried about what they did after work. Workers whose status was declining were most attracted to the cheapest new print media, and the country's cultural elite fretted that the publishers appealed only to the baser instincts of the common people.

In Carnival on the Page, Isabelle Lehuu argues that antebellum America was a 'liminal era' situated uneasily between the restrained republicanism of the early national period and the soulless commercialism of the late nineteenth century. Drawing on the theories of ritual anthropology, Lehuu contends that this 'betweenness' manifested itself in a vibrant, carnivalesque, and subversive print culture. Focussing on genres that pushed the definition of the book, Lehuu offers analyses of the sensational penny press, mammoth news sheets, gift books, and sentimental magazines. Her theory is that each form reflected the proliferating diversity of antebellum culture and refused to be constrained by traditional forms of authority. Although Lehuu's style can be ponderous at times and her contentions a little on the speculative side, this book will appeal to historians, literary critics, and cultural theorists for its subject matter and suggestive approach.

Ordered this book. It is a beautiful table top book that did not come with the cover. I thought this was pretty major. The inside of the book is extraordinary. All golfers in my home really loved it.

There are few things as comforting to the Northeast golfer, sitting at home in a comfortable chair with a strong fire, as a good (no, make that great) golf book.
Robert Sidorsky has fashioned together some of golf's best writing on its best subjects (the game's character, it's past and present history, it's greatest venues and it's finest moments). The illustrations and photos are wonderful eye candy that accompany excellent writing by the likes of Wind, Keeler, Updike, Nash. Jenkins, and Murray. This book is genuinely enjoyable to any golfer, regardless of the degree of their addiction.
I bought three, one for myself and two for gifts!