These are articles from various car mags. The articles are interesting in themselves, Burt is a good writer, but particularly interesting for fans of his "Last Open Road", "Montezuma's Ferrari" and "Fabulous Trashwagon" trilogy. The book is an autobiography of Burt's interests in cars and we see that many of the incidents in his trilogy were taken from his real life experiences. Car lovers will enjoy the book, I haven't tested this out on non-car lovers.

If you have read and liked or loved either or both of "The Last Open Road" or "Montezuma's Ferrari," well then you need to buy this book too. Expect much of the same fun reading, only it's all (to the best of B.S.'s ability, natch) non-fiction. Better yet, all or most of the writing is first-person accounts of Burt's racing and other car-related exploits. There's plenty of history and memories about club racing in the seventies and eighties, much of which is from a perspective that I imagine wouldn't be altogether different from mine. That is to say if something is scary and difficult in real life, that's how Burt describes it.

The book is mostly a collection of short stories and articles that have been previously published. They connect well here and, despite their nature, fit nicely together as a whole piece. Except for the poetry section that is. Sorry Burt. But it is only a few pages, which are easily skipped, and therefore won't result in the loss of a rating star.

If you are like me and have been waiting for the next published piece, get this and read it. Hopefully the next full Buddy Polumbo book isn't far behind.

There was a time when society was blessed with a special group of storytellers, the raconteurs who would spin yarns at great length from no more than a fleeting thought. The stories could be different as you and I, a mesmerizing tale of some near-forgotten misadventure, the humorous lesson of one of life's ironies, or a deeply insightful look at our human nature. We all loved those gifted people because their stories were our stories. They always laid bare a part of the raconteur's soul that we knew too well, but were never brave enough to show of our own.

I was reminded again of just how special those people were while reading Burt Levy's "A Potside Companion". Some of you will be embarrassed to realize that the title refers to a fixture in "the most important room in the house", not something you put on your stove. (Although the book does contain one recipe, for chicken, that I highly recommend you try. Fabulous!) Don't let that bit of whimsy on Burt's part dissuade you from reading the book, though.

"Potside" is an eclectic collection of stories with the automobile as the central theme. Burt tells his stories in a unique casual conversational style. You can imagine yourself standing across the bar from him as he regales you with stories of his life experiences, such as the time he had a Rolls-Royce stolen from him at gun-point, by the "customer", on a New Years Eve test drive. Or the ill-fated attempt to impress a young woman while on a winter Rally in his father's Triumph TR3. Or how he learned the nature of bravery. Each story captures your attention and envelops you until you feel like you are there, watching as the story unfolds. At times Burt meanders, but always in a way that is relevant and revealing. While some of the stories are purely anecdotal, others are poignant reminders of our human frailties. Occasionally Burt takes liberties with the English language, your twelve year-old might ask what some of the allusions to colorful language mean, but he never crosses the line into the depths of bad taste. If there is but one complaint it is that the book is not longer. At 284 pages it isn't short, but Burt's style is so engaging that it leaves you longing to hear more. A lighthearted, easily read book, "A Potside Companion" will be enjoyed by anyone who ever derived pleasure from his or her car.

Other books written by Burt Levy include "The Last Open Road" and "Montezuma's Ferrari".

© 2001 by John Summerfield

I don't know where this author has been hiding, but these stories deserve a wide audience. Maybe every one isn't perfect, but there are several that hit the bulls-eye with sharply drawn scenes and brutally honest insight. Men, that's the subject, men with women, men with fathers, men with souls. These men are damaged, and the thing is, you can imagine that you know them. I'm happy to read someone willing to plumb the depths.

I thought it was a terrific book. I really liked the story where the main character went hunting with his father. It really captured some very real emotions and brought back memories of my own childhood. I would strongly recommend this book.

This was an exellent book. Burton Shulman is an exellent author

This book has some great information on what appears to be some fabulous spas and resorts. It was nice to see not only great photos but real practical information like the types of packages offered, the prices, accommodations available, and even information on tourist attractions near the spas. It also gives you some explanations of the types of services offered which was helpful. It covers spas from all over the globe which makes it quite a nice comprehensive overview as well. I haven't actually tried one of them out yet - but it has been nice to dream.

This book totally changed my approach to spas -- and life. It describes thoroughly yet readably the whole healthy spa philosophy and profiles the best of them, from India to Cyprus. The reviews are honest and reveal that the authors know their material and were not paid off as is so evident with so many other so-called guidebooks. Also great are insider tidbits such as one on the "Dietique Cocktails" at the Domaine du Royal Club Evian and another on the "spiritual side" of the Finnish sauna. All the details of the spas are featured as well, with photos, so who needs a travel agent or glossy celeb mag to tell one where to go anymore? I'd prefer to learn from the source: this book has helped me deflate the stress of existence. Vive la spa!

This is a very good book, it really goes behind the scenes of NASCAR. It tells the story like you are the owner of the car. It cleared up a lot of stuff for me.

A truly excellant book. It really helps you learn what NASCAR is and does off of the track. It stages you as a team owner, and takes you from race weekend to building an engine. I really suggest you getting this book.

Well, the title got me to buy the book, shame on me for falling for it. It's a good read, but the subject matter is serial killers, not vampires; not even so-called "historical vampires", and sometimes the serial killers don't even have a vampiric element to their crimes at all! The author attempts to imply that there's some sort of "dracula syndrome" but there's very little case for this. He doesn't even bother trying, I thought. I gave it 4 stars because even though it has little to do with the matter the title implies, it's still pretty interesting.

the author has written this book in a manner that while reading, it takes control of you, it casts a spell, its spine-chilling. wonderful!

I found this book very enjoyable and it moved well, its not slow on the get go, I also liked the ending, very different from his other books, which usually end with the guy getting the girl in the end, this time they.... enuf said (: And I liked the mention of a New Zealander, Cheers Bova...:

This was a book I just happened to look at because it had a cool cover and decent premise, so I decided to give it a shot. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining and how fast-paced it was - the kind of book you can read in one sitting. In addition, the book has a good, surprising ending - I don't want to spoil it for you. Peackeepers is the kind of book that should be made into a movie - although maybe they should wait a while because, on the surface, the plot seems similar to the movie The Peacemaker with George Clooney and Nicole Kidman (although the Peacekeepers is a much better story, trust me). Either way, even though this isn't Bova' most popular book, it's worth checking out.

i need more information and methods how to tain your horse race
and what is a new idea for tain your horse racining.

If you need a glitzy presentation to get you interested in spending time with your horse, DON'T get this book. If you are looking for a big, beautiful, and colorful book about horses to display on your coffee table, DON'T get this book. But if you are seriously ready to spend time with your horse(s) and are ready to tackle the subject of training far beyond any superficial level, THIS BOOK WILL NOT DISAPPOINT YOU! Though the print is small,the book is a jewel in which you will find the procedures (HOW to do everything) carefully explained and systematically laid out for you "simply for the taking!" The basic black and white photos are just that, very basic photos inserted into the text to clearly make a point. Phillips presents all the components of elementary dressage training. I have found most of the other books on horse training which have flooded the marketplace recently,to rely heavily on gorgeous photos, presumably to boost sales. Many of them seem to have holes and gaps in the information presented. Armed with Phillips' book, which is a 1982 reprint, you will need NO additional training books in your personal library...Yes, he says it ALL!

This book is very interesting. It is good for people who want to learn a lot in a short amount of time. This book has many pictures with fact boxes so you really don't even need to read the book, there are so many pictures you can learn a lot just by looking. Although, if you don't like bloody graphic pictures this book is not for you. There are many pictures of the Mafia's Murders.

I borrowed this as a kid and it was great. It has chapters on the Black Hand, the Tong wars, and of courst prohibition. Lotsa blood and gore!!

I just listened to Andrew Vachss' audiobook PROVING IT performed by Burt Reynolds with a bonus track "Placebo" performed by David Joe Wirth. WOW! What great material! 28 of Andrew Vachss' short stories filled with surprising and sometimes terrifying twists. Mr. Reynolds does a wonderful job. You can feel the love and pain behind the material. He also commendably varies his voice to give a suggestion of character, helping to illuminate the stories as well as entertain the listener. However, I do think the audiobook would be better if more actors were involved. Although Mr. Reynolds is excellent on some stories, he seems to run out of steam in places, and lapses into a delivery that unfortunately does not serve the material as well as it could. Due to the enormous volume and constantly changing nature of the stories, it might have been more effective if the stories were read by a number of actors, rather than just one. David Joe Wirth's "bonus" track reading of PLACEBO is a perfect example of a welcome change of voice and delivery style. PLACEBO is truly a bonus because, as it says on the inside cover, Mr. Wirth has been closely involved in Mr. Vachss' work for the past ten years, and it shows. The reading not only demonstrates a deep understanding of the material; it is clear, direct, and extremely well paced. Bravo to David Joe Wirth, I hope to get the opportunity to see him on stage or in films soon! Bravo to Burt Reynolds for doing this audiobook! Bravo to Publishing Mills for producing a tape of Andrew Vachss' short fiction!

I don't normally get audiobooks. I like reading more than listening. But I'm a longtime fan of Vachss's work, so I made an exception--and I'm glad I did. I don't know what other audiobooks are like, but what Burt Reynolds did here feels more like a performance to me than a reading. His range of voices is terrific, and he really taps into the themes in Vachss's writing. And the bonus track, "Placebo," is not to be missed. Never heard of the actor before, and I haven't found any other audiobooks by him, but I'll be looking.

Being a long-time fan of Vachss' work, even I was skeptical that Burt Reynolds could bring the right voice to his short fiction. But "Proving It" proves that the combination of Vachss' hard-hitting truth and Burt Reynolds' range makes this a winner. This isn't the Reynolds of his comic capers, think hard-boiled like "Sharky's Machine," reading some of the best written and honest short fiction around.

This 27 story collection includes a chilling portrait of a family gone horribly wrong ("Anytime I Want"), a loyal warrior sacrificing it all to honor the life he couldn't save and protect the ones he can ("Mission"), and the frightening result of an abused child who isn't heard ("Witch Hunt"). But my all time favorite has got to be the title track, "Proving It." Burt Reynolds brings a haunting and beautiful voice to a story of true love and loyalty that only Vachss could write.

And finally, don't miss the bonus track of David Joe Wirth reprising his stage role of "Placebo." The liner notes say he's been involved with Vachss for a long time and his performance here shows his knowledge and feeling for the material and the message. Mr. Wirth should certainly be a name we all know, hopefully this brilliant performance will make that happen for him.

There are so many more, too many to list in fact, but all winners. Everyone who hears this collection will find something that speaks to them.

A close look at it's title will reveal the kind of cultural synthesis "Shakespeare: the Movie" aims at: it is a book of essays about movie and TV adaptations of plays written by Shakespeare. I myself was much impressed, and before I even opened the book I mused for a moment on the implications of these layers of translation.After all, there is a constant cross-fertilization between movies and plays: Dustin Hoffman in "Death of a Salesman," or "The Lion King, Broadway Musical." (Although, as one essay claims in passing, "The Lion King does have a distinct flavor of Hamlet.) And Shakespeare drew many of his plots from old folk tales - so you can toss oral tradition into the pot. What would it mean to write a review of one of these hybrids? How much importance must you place on faithfulness to the original, and how much on a successful adaptation to the new form? The set of questions suggested by those three words might be the most concise moment in the book. Because unfortunately, when I turned the page, I was faced with the most sour stew of turgid prose that academia can produce. Favorite words include "narration," "discourse", "cultural," "explicitly," and "contextualization," for these words can usually be added to a phrase no matter it's subject, so the sentence can march down the margin until it's a third of a page long, while saying very little. Mobile phones and intercoms, writes Richard Burt, "formulate the mediating power of Los Angeles as the contemporary site where high/low distinctions are engaged in endlessly resignifying themselves." The word "gender" is frequently verbed. :) The Bard would wince. A couple of essays, like "Shakespeare Wallah," offered a genuinely new take (and fresh language), but on the whole the book was all over the place and lacked coherence. I was disappointed.

THIS IS A LANDMARK COLLECTION OF BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN ESSAYS ON A VARIETY OF FILMED ADAPTATIONS OF SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS, INCLUDING THE RECENT HENRY V AND RICHARD III. IT IS ALREADY A LANDMARK IN THE FIELD AND HAS BECOME THE MOST WIDELY CITED BOOK ON SHAKESPEARE AND FILM. I HAVE ASSIGNED FOR SEVERAL COLLEGE COURSES. STUDENTS HAVE FOUND IT AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. READERS OF THIS BOOK WILL ALSO WANT TO HAVE A LOOK AT BURT'S EXCELLENT BOOK, UNSPEAKABLE SHAXXXSPEARES.

This is a fantastic coleciton ranging across a wide variety of Shakespeare films. If you are dumb enough to think that "gender" is not a verb (as in "to gender") and a noun as well as think that "verb" is a verb and a noun (as in "to verb"), this book will probably disappoint you. But if you have a good sense of the grammar of the English language, you'll love this book.