I guess everybody's an expert, but I found the hair and make-up techniques recommended in this book silly and outdated. Models today wear no make-up (maybe moisturizer or lip balm)to castings unless they're coming directly from a booking. Ditto for hair-'do's. The book could have addressed skin care and healthy lifestyle for today's young people rather than touting superficial strategies from the 'experts'. Do you want to know how to become a model or how to get a date?

This book is quite useful for anyone who knows very little about the modeling industry, and wants to know exactly what to expect if they decide to persue modeling, as either a hobby or a career. This book is extremely thorough, answering any questions you may have about the modeling industry. It even gives names and addresses of popular modeling agencies around the world!!! The make-up tips were somewhat useful, as well. After reading this book, I had the confidence to send my portfolio to a local agency. I have been in 5 print advertising ads and 2 television commercials here in Detroit. I am so greatful I read this book!!!

My wife and I have been in the modeling business for over 15 years and have started thousdands of models and actors. Marie's book is one that we suggest to all our aspiring talent. It is a great overview of the industry!

I found this years book to be lacking some pictures. I buy the book to help me make choices of what I will purchase this year so that was a let down.

As a new collector of Boyds bears, I was very curious about the mysterious "CVG" I kept coming across in various auctions. I went out and got myself a copy of CheckerBee's Collector's Value Guide. And I am glad I did! It is chock full of info about almost all the Boyds Bears, etc. that have been "put up for adoption." I just wish that the pictures were a little bigger and complete. There a few too many blank spots giving neither a picture nor any info. Someone should send in photos of the ones missing so the author could include them in future editions. I do not recall seeing an address for such.

I also wish there were a quick way to reference "pairs", "trios" since everything is listed alphabetically by first letter within an animal it is not always obvious to the novice that a character may have a friend or relative. But having written all that, it is a wonderful guide with a nice look, quality glossy paper, interesting tidbits and places to write down notes, etc.

It is a VALUE guide not a pure reference but it seems to be the best one out there and the one which is referred to the most. I may not buy it every year, the Boyds catalogues are great!, but maybe every two or three just to keep relatively current.

I have been a collector of Boyds Bears and Figurines for the past 2 yrs, I found the book to be quite informative. Easy to follow, due to the layout and individual sections, Bottom of each page has it's own info area for you to fill out with each purchase. I see this book to be a companion for a long time to come. Would also recommend it to any person as a source of information about Boyds Bears. Looking forward to adding even more to my Boyds book collection.

I think this book, In a scale from 1-10 is a 5. There wasn't any major conflict in the story, and the worst thing the main character does is lose his stepfathers dog, and steel some cupcakes from a drugstore. The story is about a boy who's parents have just divorced, so he's having trouble in school. The main character, Joey, gets in fights with other school kids. His best friends are D. J.,(Not a good name on the authors part) and Denise. His only other troubles are his teacher Miss Hamlin, whom he hates. She is a new teacher and doesn't have a clue about teaching. In total I think this book STINKS!!!!!

I thought that Chevrolet Sarutdays was the greatest book ever. It talked about real life situations that some kids these days go through today. All the things that are explained in the book are situations that kids and step parents go through everyday, for example the step parent trying to dot hing with the child that the child doesn't want to do with them because they're are not their real parents. I recomend that you get your hands on this book fast, because it is flat out the best!!!!!

Chevrolet Saturdays is a wonderful novel! This is the first book I've read which discusses the themes of divorce and remarriage in the African-American home. As I read this book to my class, I began to realize how much divorce had become a part of the fabric of our society. By studying Joey and his coping mechanisms, I could then begin to understand some of my own classroom children who have experienced this same thing. I highly recommend this book.

I read this collection of eleven short stories (all previously published in various periodicals) in preparation for an interview I was to do with the author, who is also a screenwriter, for Creative Screenwriting,magazine otherwise, I would not have picked it up. As it was, I found little to hold my attention, and I skipped past many a story after reading half. Not my cuppa tea... Boyd's novels, on the other hand, are extremely good, especially The Blue Afternoon.

These dense, finely etched stories are my introduction to William Boyd. Such an ordinary name for such a fancy writer! The title story is set in a place I know well near LAX; indeed I can almost see the exact setting of most of the scenes, where a French director, a black auteur, as it were, is composing his film. The setting is purposely banal in the extreme: a cheap pizzeria next to a nondescript motel within litter distance of the airport, chosen instinctively to comment on the low culture of America, I suppose, when all of Hollywood and Bel Air, West L.A. and Brentwood, avec filmdom execs, etc., beckons just beyond. This is explained by understanding that "He's an artist, he don't look back," to re-gender a Bob Dylan lyric, as Boyd does on page 11.

The second story, "Transfigured Night," set in Austria and Poland during the first world war, is somewhat Kafkaesque and not typical of this collection. The third story, "Hôtel des Voyageurs," begins in Paris and is rendered in a self-revelatory first person narrative that is the book's signature technique (although this is just a warm up to the near-perfection of "Alpes-Maritimes" and "The Persistence of Vision" in which Boyd's narrators give themselves away completely, much to the reader's amusement). One might call "Hôtel des Voyageurs," a one-night stand (actually afternoon) for sophisticates in which a euro trash girl plays a Comtesse that the narrator coyly, in the British manner, brags about bedding. This inadvertent self-revelation by the first person narrator is a technique that Boyd has worked to perfection.

The next story, "Never Saw Brazil" continues the cosmopolitan, polyglot exposition. Boyd seems to know several European languages and is not shy about sparkling his text with italicized dialogue in a number of tongues including Portuguese. He is also very big on food and presents a variable cookbook of dishes throughout. The story, "Lunch," is almost a toast to gastronomy.

"The Dream Lover" and the aforementioned "Alpes-Maritimes" are set in the south of France and concentrate on love and self-discovery among twenty-something expats expressed with irony, delicacy and a kind of ultra sophistication much envied, I understand, by assistant editors at Elle and The New Yorker. (Probably also at Granta, where four of these stories first appeared.)

In "Cork" Boyd presents a female narrator who has a love affair with a strange but touching man who was once in her employ in Portugal harvesting and selling cork. Here the narrator seems reliable and self-aware.

The final story, "Loose Continuity" begins in 1945 at the corner of Westwood and Wilshire near UCLA were I went to school while flashing back to Germany in the twenties as the female narrator, Gudrun, recalls a lost love as she watches the workmen finish her café design.

Boyd use of language is innovative and, at times, startling. Some examples:

The narrator in "The Dream Lover," as he ascends to the roof of an apartment building: "To my vague alarm there is a small swimming pool up here and a large glassed-in cabana....."

In "Alpes-Maritimes" Boyd's narrator (who wants the twin sisters for himself alone) reflects on the intrusion of Steve, now with them, "The trio becomes a banal foursome, or--even worse--two couples."

The dilettante artist in "The Persistence of Vision" reveals himself with this statement about his infant son: "I found it hard to paint in the house now that its routines revolved around Dominic's noisy needs rather than my own."

On the next page, after noticing somebody out of the corner of his eye, the narrator remarks, "...[Y]our instinctive apprehension is often more sure and certain than something studied and sought for: the glance is often more accurate than the stare."

In a bit of unconscious self-projection (and foreshadowed irony) on page 134, the narrator remarks on the man who will later, unbeknownst to him, abscond with his wife, "I felt sad for him, with his pointless wealth and the cheerless luxury of his life...."

Sometimes one is forced to turn to the dictionary to understand exactly what Boyd has in mind. In "Cork" Lily's lover has sent her an invitation for a rendezvous including these instructions: "...[P]lease do not depilate yourself--anywhere."

Boyd's style is precise, measured, polished, erudite, a trifle showy, and very sensitive. He has a sharp eye for fashionable detail and any sort of pretension. He stays off to the side himself, but maintains the sort of iron control over his characters, especially his leading narrators, that Nabokov insisted on. He delves into the human condition with tiny needles like an acupuncturist or a miniaturist with a magnifying glass. He is an extraordinary writer, original in technique, subtle in resolution with witty and ironic overtones. His control of voice and tone bespeaks a man who has mastered several languages and many of the nuances of human psychology. He is also a writer that other writers can learn from.

Can't say enough good about Wm. Boyd: he is hilarious, erudite, humane, urbane, witty, twisted, clever, poetic, "relatable"--everything you want in a novelist and storyteller. On a par with the great Kingsley Amis and V.S. Naipaul. Read him.

"Harnessing Peacocks" is a sometimes comic, sometimes slice-of-life novel about a prostitute who takes up gourmet cookery and earns money at both so she can send her child to a fancy boarding school. With great effort she keeps her personal and private lives separate. You know, of course, the dam has to break at some point or there wouldn't be a book.

Perhaps it's just my American impatience but I thought the book took too long to get off the ground. Characters' habits and daily activities were explored more than necessary and by the time the farcical elements got going, I felt relief more than enthusiasm. Still, the writing was excellent and the characters were well drawn. I can see why Wesley is a popular author in her native Great Britain.

A very heart warming story to give you hope on a cold and miserable day

"Harnessing Peacocks" is one of my all-time favorite books. In some ways, it's a typical British comedy-of-manners, but with terrific, quirky characters and a gentle, romantic plot.

Teenaged Hebe runs away from the home she shares with her grandparents when she overhears them and her bossy older sisters plotting to get her an unwanted abortion.

We see her again as her son, Silas, is growing old enough to question his background. His mother has raised him on her own, cooking for wealthy elderly clients and "tarting" (as she calls it) for several selected men, to be able to provide him with the same upbringing she had. She is smart, fiercely independent, and vulnerable (although she doesn't realize it).

One of my favorite things about this book is Wesley's wonderfully quirky and complex characters.

If you enjoy other authors such as Barbara Pym, Laurie Colwin and Jane Austen, I think you will enjoy this book.

As a dedicated Girl Scout volunteer, I bought several of these books thinking I would donate them to local schools. I was very disappointed when I discovered that the story starts with Juliette at about age 5 defending the Confederacy, with family slaves packing for her trip north to escape the war. As an adult I respect the Southern heritage which I share myself. But this is such a contoversial topic I find it difficult to understand why a book for children would start here. I gave the books to my adult friends but would not recommend it for children. Of all the things that Juliette Low did, said and accomplished, I'm confused why a children's author would put such emphasis on this part of her life when she was only 5 years old.

The bodacious Juliette "Daisy" Gordon never hesitated to prove that girls and can do anything boys can do. During the first five years of her life Daisy knew the deprivations of the south during the waning years of the Civil War. She also knew the pleasures of playing in the woods with friends. After General Sherman captured Savannah, Daisy and her family traveled north to Chicago to seek refuge with her mother's family. When the war ended and her northern neighbors celebrated, one small voice cheered the south and sang Dixie. Such bold defense of the south characterized Daisy's strength and loyalty.

Years later Daisy learned to give up climbing trees and to enjoy parties and dancing. Eventually she married, traveling to Scotland to live in a castle with her husband. But after he died, Daisy's life felt empty, until she heard about the Boy Scouts. Recalling her own childhood love of roaming the Georgia woods, frolicking in streams and playing with friends, Daisy vows to give girls the same opportunity as boys, founding the first Girl Scout troop in Savannah, Georgia in 1912.

Author Helen Boyd Higgins captures the powerful spirit that founded the Girl Scouts in JULIETTE LOW: GIRL SCOUT FOUNDER. Daisy's impetuous spirit and love of nature come alive in this tale for young readers. Details like the lack of sugar for cake during the Civil War will surprise readers who have never known such deprivation. This southern girl's first experience with snow, and the power of loyalty to friends and country, provide a powerful reading experience, bringing this historical personage uniquely alive. A fascinating read, JULIETTE LOW comes very highly recommended.

Written by Helen Boyd Higgins and enhanced with occasional black and white illustrations by Cathy Morrison, Juliette Low: Girl Scout Founder is the latest in the Patria Press "Young Patriot" series, a set of historical biographies that introduce young readers to great figures from history. Juliette Low introduces the reader to the young woman who believed "There's not one thing I can't do that boys can", and who eventually founded the Girl Scouts organization to cement her words. Very highly recommended for school and community library collections for young readers, Juliette Low is inspirational biography presenting a superb role model for young girls.

This story is about two companions Maupassant's "A Corsican Bandit" who wander through nature. Forests, fields, valleys and landscapes. Pine trees, untangled Yet one another short story by this great trunks, umbrella pines, misshapen author. And the way he describes this one is trees, granite. even more gruesome than the last. They walk past a little wooden "A Corsican Bandit" is nearly a horror story cross and one of the men asks the describing very dramtic events... other to tell him about its The story takes place in a petrified valley origin. with beautiful surroundings. So the other man starts telling a story about a bandit named Sainte "Up on the two narrow peaks which dominate Lucie. this pass, a few old misshapen trees seemed Sainte Lucie was apparently a weak to have made their way with difficulty, like and spineless boy, with very little scouts sent on ahead of the huge dense mass strength of character. of trees behind them. We turned round and One day his father had been killed Saw the whole forest stretched out beneath by a young man in the vecinity. us, like an enormous green bowl with edges Sainte Lucie knew he was supposed made of sheer rock that seemed to touch the sky." to avenge his father, but couldn't find the courage to do so, until one day, the When it comes to Sainte Lucie, we same man provocatively, newly married, have a bit more information. drove past his house. Because of the fact that one of the Overwhelmed by a unfamiliar feeling, companions told a story about him. Sainte Lucie set out to kill him.... and did. From then on he continued his avenge, and killed and terrorised a large number of people who had been connected to his fathers murder.

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It's a straight narrative story. Starts off harmless, descriptive, nature-scene, Ends

I think the message is that the most innocent people can turn out to be what you least expect. That shows in the book when Sainte Lucie threatens one of the wedding guests that he'll shoot his leg, if he takes another step. Knowing Sainte Lucie to be weak and cowardly he says "You woudn't dare!" and sets off, and gets shot. Basically, theres more to people than you think.

The main characters in this "so-called" horror short story are the two companions and of course, Sainte Lucie. This is very interesting, because we hardly know anything about the two friends. We don't know their backround, don't know their hobbies, don't know their selection of clothes, we don't even know their sex! All we know is that they are two companions walking through valleys and mountains, and one of them, according from the information that we have received, seems to be some sort of guide, or atleast a person knowing the forests very well and every story behind them. The other interested.

Once the reader browses through the descriptions of Mapassaunt's life and philosophies in the roman numbered pages begining this title, he or she knows that the following stories are going to be quite dark. They are and they are also, for the most part, vividly descriptive, intriguing, full of symbolism and extremely memorable. From the incendiary betrayals of "Monseiur Parent" and "the Dowry" to gruesome consequences of moral lapses seen in "At Sea" and "the Model" to outride incredible savagery of "A Vendetta" and the title story, this book proves that Maupassant is a master of all things dark, pessimistic and brutal.

I loved this book so, it was one of those times it was heartbreaking to come to the end. Each story was a nice short gem, perfect to enjoy in a sitting.

It's another one of Tara's self centered books. Female skating legend? Yea right she's been around for what a year? But there is a few good tips and helpful quotes.

Of course,Tara Lipinski is a legend! She broke Sonya Henies record, and was the first women to do a triple-ltriple loop combo.And the fact that she's been around for such a short time is a testament to her boundless talent. And if you think Olympic gold medalists,Peggy Fleming, and Dorthy Hamil are legends,(which no sane person will deny) then wheather you like her on not, Tara Lipinski name is right besides them, AS A LEGEND.

This book was really good. It tells about a "skating legand" and I am sorry but she is not bragging. If you like Tara Lipinski and love skating, read this book

I thought the book had a good storyline but the book did not build a good suspence.it was well written in detail but it didnt capture the reader.

Nice reviews, September 6th person. Hello, We'd like to hear a little bit about the plot here. When books were passed out in our school, I chose this one. I like historical fiction and the Vietnam War was something I didn't know that much about. I ended up reading in about a day and a half. It was not only really good as far as the war went it really had a believable story line. If and when you are studying Vietnam this book is NOT to be missed. Charlie is a great heroine as she struggles to find out secrets about her uptight and extremely strict father. Neither her Grandparents or family will tell her anything. Her father and uncle both fought and won't talk about it. Her report for school helps her understand what happened but not how it killed her father's dreams. Now my other friends are asking to have this book next. Way to go Candy Dawson Boyd!!!!

I will not waste time with a plot rehashing. This book was a nouveux piece of trash. I had the unfortunate experience of not only reading this book but being is Ms. Boyd's creative writing class at Connecticut College. I feel the author garnishes attention toward her writing by attempting to write outlandish plots...she conducted herclass the same way...anything for attention, Blanch. I am an avid reader of literature and this book hardly qualifies. Superficial it is. If you would like to read a good book revolving around the south, I recommend anyone of the following, YaYa Sisterhood, New Orleander, Crazy Ladies, or Dorothy Allison's work. Do not waste your precious time reading these pointless attempts at humor and life. I would have given this negative stars but I could not. Most people are not amused by the brash, senseless, and pathetic tone of this book. As I said before, it hardly qualifies as literature...maybe a 90's version of a Danielle Steel novel.

I saw Ms. Boyd on a panel in San Francisco talking to Norman Mailer (expecting all out war) but she was charming, funny and very interesting. You don't have to be a lesbian, a Southerner or even a woman to enjoy her work. This series of essays will have you feeling the roar of the Nascar race cars and she then takes a critical, perceptive, yet affectionate look at her Southern family, friends and culture. Well written too.

I was introduced to Blanche McCrary Boyd by my creative-writing professor, who only advised that she was a good essayist. If you knew him, you knew this meant she was not writing persuasive essays or stumping for a cause.

What I like best about this collection of essays is that they are neither feminist nor non-feminist, they are not about being a lesbian or even, necessarily, about being a woman. They are occasionally narrative, occasionally quite insightful, often funny. They're easy to read, enjoyable, and if you *want* to delve deeper (you don't have to in order to appreciate the book), the author is saying something about being human and being individual, or in Shakespearean coin, to thine own self true. Not as wild as her Revolution of Little Girls or Terminal Velocity, it is suitable for a wider sort of audience.

If you enjoy reading about other cultures (I'm a northerner) and other lifestyles (I'm a very traditional heterosexual girl), this book is a good place to start. Like reading Frederick Douglass's Classic Slave Narratives, it cannot truly teach us what it is like to truly live these people's lives, but it gives us a glimpse of their experiences and -- if only by analyzing our own reactions to their perspectives and opinions -- a deeper undertanding of our own experiences and subtle preconceptions.