I have never read a comic like this before. Most Vertigo books seem to have an Alan Moore feel to it, but this is completely different! Funny comics tend to be silly, surreal or corny, but this isn't! Its firmly grounded in the real world, despite its strange title, except for an unrealistic ending.
The story follows a New York columnist's quest to find herself and her relationship with her sister. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, you'll love it. Some parts of it actually had me laughing out lound, no easy feat.

I have liked his art for a long time, but this is my first exposure to Kyle Baker as a writer and I am impressed. There are no flashy fight scenes or splash pages or anything like that. Although the art is pleasant, the book is carried on the strength of the writing alone... no gimmicks whatsover.

This is a very impressive 'talk-comic' in the style of 'Strangers in Paradise' and "Box Office Poison', which I think is even better than the aforementioned titles. It's (mostly) about everyday life and all the views a society-critical person has on it, brought with subtle humor.

Main-character Anne is a columnist for some obscure magazine. While she makes her way through life she gets into all kinds of Seinfeld-esque situations, meaning she overanalyzes things we all come across so that everything gets to be a point of either insecurity or humor. Especially the do's and don'ts in relationships are points of discussion. Accompanied by Ricky, a guy who seems to have women all figured out and comes off as verbally unbeatable, she comes across things that are wrong with her (or at least she thinks so), men, and not being able to do anything without valid I.D. And as if her life isn't troubled enough her seemingly crazy sister comes to live with her, claiming she's the 'Queen of the Leather Astro-Girls of Saturn'...

One of the best things I've read in a while ... and I do read pretty variable. A smart, well-written continuation of dialogues with many moments that make you think 'been there'. The good-looking art is black-and-white with a tone of gray. It's best considered as a cross between Bachalo's art (Death: High Cost of Living) and Sale's (The Long Halloween). Also, the art is nowhere interrupted by text-balloons. All the dialoguing is written under each panel instead of in it. This book is not for those who're looking for an action-packed story with art blowing of the pages, but for those who're into witty dialogues and slightly sarcastic views on everyday life it's one of the best choices you can make.

I'm not going to tell you what I think of this book. Or rather I am, but not in the usual I-love- this-book sort of way. I first read this book when my ex-girlfriend made me read it as a "growth experience." Several years later I saw it at a comics convention and immediately purchased this fine pulp product. I then lent it to one of the local ultra-hip coffee house vixens, who promptly dropped off of the face of the earth, never to be seen agian. I'm sure these two events are completely unrealated. Needless to say,I've been searching for it (and her) ever since.

The Baker is a rich, complex yet simple story of family love and the complexities of inter-racial as well as cross-cultural relationships. There are so many elements and relationships to think about...the son and his search for a nurtuting mother, the black friend/employee's place in the Bakers and his own family....a look at family business....crime, father-son love....and much more. It's so refreshing to read about characters thought processes while grapling with so many plot intricacies....Wonderful and memorable, thanks Paul Hond... please write more!!

Who amongst us has not bitten into a fresh loaf of well-baked bread - just bread- and not known what bliss is? In a neighborhood of halfed baked, over stylized, designer designed commercial publishing "doughs", The Baker is a standout. Rising like a "well-needed" examination of urban life with all its racial implications scattered like kimmel (seeds)between the slices, The Baker is utterly satisfying and totally filling. Thank you Paul Hond for enriching all my senses, and especially my appetite for good books.-

Hond's book has a profundity seldom found in fiction today. Racial and class conflict are illuminated brilliantly and sympathetically. The descriptions of the inner city, of suburban middle America, of the old French bakery, are vivid and fascinating. The characters likewise attain a lifelike status: at times, the reader feels as though they are real people she/he might know. This is most true of the title role, Mickey Lerner, trapped between the past and the future, as well as his son Benjamin, caught between Gen-X-dom, cold capitalistic ambition, and the child needing to be loved. Nelson is a little more of a type, the boy-trying-to-escape-the-ghetto. Though there are points where the story seems to lag, the plotting is superb overall; subplot is used to good effect. Hond's prose flows like poetry!

Where was this book when I was a kid? If I had read this book and known the truths conveyed here, I would be like Warren Buffet,today. Seriously, this book is full of helpful wisdom that everyone, young and old should know and use.

I think this book should be mandatory reading before a child graduates from HS. It could be a text book for an economics class. It's too bad so few people know about it. Get this book for your HS graduate and you won't have to support them the rest of their life. They will learn good habits and avoid making serious mistakes.

My hat off to the author for his insight and wisdom.

Well I have had a very rude awakening! I am nowhere near ready to retire...how sad for me. However, I have learned so great tools to get back on the path. I should be able to follow these simple principles, but only time will tell how effective they really are. Judging from Guy's experience he seems to know a heck of a lot more then I do about managing finances.

EXCELLENT! It should be mandatory reading for all school kids.

When it comes to Tibetan Buddhist art, size matters... especially when there are many "things" as what you would find in mandalas.

This book is big and heavy. The paper quality is good and almost all pictures are full-page size, which makes them suitable for framing.

If you love Tibetan Buddhist art, you will love this book and find that it is worth the price.

Someone suggested I purchase this book, so I ordered it through Amazon.com but had never anticipated its magnificence! For one thing, it is HUGE and a work of art! I have had this for a year now and I still treasure it. One afternoon, I had a Buddhist monk as guest and remembered to show this intricately jeweled book to him. We had a wonderful hour together going over the illumined detail on these pages of mandalas. Who is this wonderful artist Romio Shrestha, we thought? The text especially written by Deepak Chopra for this large book throughoutits chapters in large print make for a nice tapestry of inspired thought-sharing and insight into the Wheel of Life and Man's dual nature. This is a real museum piece and well worth the price tag!

The size of this book makes it awkward at first to use and behold. However, once you open it and stare at the beautiful full-page paintings on high-quality glossy paper, you begin to admire it and rever it. The quantity of paintings included also outweigh the cost of the book.

Anyone interested in buddhist thangkas and paintings will treasure this hardcover book for the rest of their lives.

Susan Keane Baker has so much knowledge in this important area of health care and she shares with us her many insights and suggestions in an interesting, easy-to-read manner. This is definitely a book for all health care professionals and executives to keep on a nearby shelf as a ready reference over the years. Susan covers so many topics that are essential for patient retention, such as anticipating patient needs and preferences and making sure that patient complaints are dealt with in a timely and caring manner. As a longtime consultant in patient communication myself, I can testify that my colleague Susan has done a superb job with this book. Its all there - which makes this 5 stars for sure. It's easy to see why this book is a top seller!

There is so much valuable, pragmatic and helpful information in this book! The woefully underestimated value of listening, the best way to handle a patient complaint, creating a "patient -friendly" environment. It's all here...presented in an engaging, well organized and insightful manner. Satisfying patients goes far beyond taking surveys. I recommend this book to all my clients!

I bought this book after Press Ganey recommended it in their October 1999 client advisory newsletter. It's full of practical ideas that anyone working in a health care setting can use. Excellent!

This is a great book, but then I wouldn't expect anything less from Stephanie. Her books on previous versions of Photo Impact have been great as well, but this one is the best so far in my opinion.

The book takes you "by the hand" so to speak and walks you through how to use most of the frequently used functions in Photo Impact. But the best part of it is that YOU get to apply what you've read about in the exercises at the end of each section.

Photo Impact isn't a difficult program to learn to use in the first place, but this book brings a lot of things together far more quickly that you could probably pick them up on your own unless you've had prior experience with photo Impact programs or photo imaging software in general. I guess what I'm saying here is that even someone fairly new to didgital imaging and Photo Impact could get through this book without becoming totally lost.

My only complaint is that all the pictures, examples, etc. are in black and white. I'm a firm believer that books relating to didgital imaging have at least some to most if not all the pictures, examples, etc. in color.

Other than that, this is a good buy and a good read.

A couple of weeks ago, I received my copy of PhotoImpact 6.0 Wizardry and having purchased Stephanie Baker-Thomas's other books on PhotoImpact, I knew I was in for a treat. Little did I realize just how much of a treat.

This book is just awesome in terms of content and an absolute must for any owner of this wonderful graphics software. Not only does it contain all the technical information you're ever likely to need, Stephanie has generously provided "Active Learning Exercises", which elevate this book from "manual" status to a wonderful learning tool and a darned good read...something you don't normally find in books of this genre.

I have been using PhotoImpact for about five years now and pretty much know how to make it sing but with "Wizardry" now on my desk, the whole choir has come to town!!!

It is without doubt, her best book to date and the only PI reference book you'll ever need.

Whether you are a newbie or not this is a must have book. Stephanie explains how to use tools very effectively. Even if you think you know all there is to know about PI, you might change your mind once you get this book. This book is full of great tutorial that demonstrate just how each tool is used. You won't be disappointed!!

Anne Baker's book is a comprehensive and useful information source. It belongs on the reference shelf of every abortion provider and every person who counsels women considering abortion.

Anne Baker's, "Abortion and Options Counseling", turns out to be an absolutely marvelous encyclopedia of her interaction with women undergoing termination of pregnancy. Her manual can serve both as a guide for the implimemtation and initiation of abortion counseling services for the office or a physician addressing the initiation of abortion services. On the other hand, the detailed attention to "clients who pose a challenge" and to the Fetal Indications Termination of Pregnancy patients can be a resource for offices and physicians who handle these very uniquie and specialized sitations..

This book reflects expertise, caring, and understanding of these difficult circumstances that some women experience..

I have worked in an abortion clinic for over twenty years and Anne Baker's work is required reading for all new counselors on our staff. In addition her book is an excellent resource for the seasoned counselor. Her expertise and sensitivity in dealing with a host of patient issues relating to abortion becomes apparent in the first few pages of this manual. She also manages to provide useful guidelines to help clinic staff deal with the special stresses involved in working in an abortion clinic.

If you love Victorian Stiches then this is the book for you. Clearly illustrates dozens of embroidery stitches.

Great Book.

This is an excellent book. It provides you with many choices of stitched flowers both in silk ribbon and threads and yarns. FOr those who admire the intricate stitching and motifs that are original to crazy quilting this book will set you well on your way to adding many of interesting stitched florals to your blocks. It is a well done book, very good instructions , easy to understand and truly inspirational. I have read many cq books and find this the best one.
Not only does it give you the basics you need to get started adding wonderful embroidery to your quilting but it inspires you to adventure out and try your own designs.
This book is well suited to the beginner and the experienced stitcher who wants to add new techniques and ideas to your quilted pieces.

Every time I start a sewing project for clothing, for gifts or for something for the house I take this book and many ideas come to my mind of how to make it more beautiful,it's also easy to follow the instructions and I think it's a very complete book of reference.

Baker writes an engaging tale based on one of the most perplexing events in history, the Childrens' Crudade. This 12th Century debacle is the framework for a masterfully woven tale of redemption through suffering. No sooner does the gentle hand of the Divine lift the fortunes of the tiny band from certain doom than events take a turn for the worse. Starving and exhausted, the children are sustained by the wisdom, both worldly and spiritual, of an aged and disillusioned warrior priest.

A Journey of Souls stands alone in the genre of historical fiction as a book portraying life and the process of spiritual regeneration with the artistry of Monet's paintbrush.

It wasn't just a fascinating story, masterfully spun, but a reading experience that got me more in touch with myself, and will you too, I'd expect, if you've experienced, or are experiencing, emotional pain from living in this world. The worst part of reading the book, is that you immediately want a sequal. You don't want to leave.

This is a classic and must be read and part of your library. It is such a refreshing book to read. I was lead on an exhilarating journey through several areas of Europe by an amazing troupe of young souls. The author's talents are splashed throughout from the beginning to the very end. This book is liberating for the soul and would make for a wonderful movie for "Souls" of 2000.

This story is very interesting. It is about a man, named Sanji who travels all around the world. He ends up in Fratsia and decides to stay for a while. He buys a house and lives above a bakery. But he doesnt know what he is getting into........ The story then takes a big twist at the end, that is quite ironic. I enjoyed this book very much. My favorite characters were Sanji, because he was a good honest man, and also the baker because he can be very sneaky and he is also very funny. I think you should take the time to sit down and read this book becuase of the big twist. I think you would enjoy this book, hopefully, just as much as i did.

Lynsi

"Sanji and the Baker" is a story about a traveler named Sanji who comes to a town and gets a home above a baker's shop. Each day he smelled the smells coming from the shop because they were so delicious. The baker found out about what Sanji was doing and took Sanji to court, wanting Sanji to pay five silver coins for all the smells he smelled. In the end, the baker gets exactly what Sanji had gotten and Sanji gets back to his regular life.
I think this is a very good book. It teaches a good lesson about people who are gready and to discourage others from becoming like that. My favorite character is the judge because he seems to be wise beyond his years. He is able to see the evil in the baker and gives him exactly what he deserves.

My wife and I just had our first baby 3 weeks ago. We were given this book as a baby gift. It is a wonderfully written book with charming, detailed illustrations. The ending is clever and surprising and illustrates that some of the best things in life are free. I would also recommend it as a lesson in cultural diversity.