When I received this journal, I was disappointed. I was looking for something more structured. Flipping through the blank pages made me wonder if I would miss writing something important down... something that I would look back and regret not recording.

Over a year ago we ordered this book for our first child - and we have been thrilled with it. Right away I was pleased by the fact that it was not in the overly-seen pink for girls or blue for boys colors. I love the soft image of the slippers on the front and the somewhat antiqued appearance of the cover. I found the headings in the book were perfect for us. They covered neither too few occasions nor too many (I was afraid that if I got a book with too many headings I would leave many blank for lack of time to constantly update). The book has allowed us to chronical our child's monthly development, special occasions, and firsts in a very nice manner. I will certainly put this one at the top of my list for our second child.

I'm am so glad to find this darling little journal here at amazon.com. I purchased it for my first two babies (1996 & 1998) at local bookstores but have been unable to locate it since. With baby #3 due next month,I was about to give up hope on finding it again. The reason I like this book enough to want to use it three times in a row is that it has a really open format that allows you to create areas for baby momentos that are important to you. My biggest "peeve" with traditionally formatted baby books is all the blank lines to fill in! I am not that organized of a person to record every detail of baby life that the book thought to make a blank line for-- my children would have been destined to blank pages! This book has a lovely nuetral color scheme, classic photo backdrops on many pages and is spirally bound to accomodate a lot of momentos. I reccomend it for any new little baby!

The story of Robin Hood is not one of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. It is a story of too much taxes and Robin Hood returning the taxes to those that were bled dry. Not only does Collins rely on an incorrect myth of Robin Hood, but he latches on to myths about solutions for poverty. Studies have shown that minimum wage does not help the poor. In fact, one study (whose author would agree with Collin's premise) called minimum wage "perverse" in the fact that it took from one group of poor (those that became unemployed because of minimum wage) and gave to another group of poor (those that got a small raise because of minimum wage).

A better book on effective ways of helping the poor can be found in some of the chapters of "Healing Our World" by Dr. Mary J. Ruwart.

Good intentioned book on the importance of giving money for social change. But the book left me short by not addressing the authors' own observation that "uncertainty about the impact of your gifts" can cause the most philanthropic among us to balk at giving. Book would have been so much more helpful if the authors had spent more time on how a reader can intelligently evaluate the foundations they profile in the book. We get a glimpse of what the book could have been in appendix H where the authors tell us that nonprofits with budgets of more than $250,000 have to have annual audits that are made publicly available. That's the kind of information that's really helpful...and a few words or paragraphs or even a chapter on how to read these audit statements to make sense of the health and intentions of the organizations would have been terrific.

"Robin Hood Was Right" is an entertaining and intelligent guide to contributing to social change. Instead of replying to the nightly phone solicitations or the direct mail appeals, the reader can take control of the contribution process to focus on the values and outcomes desired.

I especially enjoyed the cartoons and sidebars. The text is thoughtful and each appendix offers an array of legitimate organizations. I recommend this book to anyone, who like me, wants to be sure that giving will make a difference. That the book is also a good read is just a free bonus.

Pluses: Color images and an easy read.
I did enjoy reading this book, and as a new user, running Pro-Tools LE on a MAC, it was useful. Takes you step by step through a project and a little mixing, but don't expect to buy this and hope to learn everything about Pro-Tools. A good book for someone new to the game, and maybe a few tricks and tips for experienced users.
Minuses: Doesn't fully cover all topics or ways to use features in Pro-Tools. Some things aren't addressed at all.

The full-color screenshots and clarity of this well-organized book give the necessary tools to get 'up to speed' on Pro Tools quickly and painlessly. "Pro Tools for Music Production" breaks down the learning curve into three basics, Recording, Editing, and Mixing, as author Mike Collins takes the reader step by step through sample sessions. Plenty of tips, shortcuts, hints and advice along the way.

The tips and highlights are worth the price of admission alone. This is a must-read for anyone involved with Pro Tools.

Pro Tools for Music Production is the best.

It has color illustrations to guide the reader smoothly through the process of using Pro Tools.

What I like most about it is that it clearly explains a topic and what typical situations you would use the function in.

Pro Tools for Music Production will show you how to apply the powerful tools available in Pro Tools for Recording, Editing and Mixing.

P.S. I have never written a review for any book before, but I felt compelled to write one for this one-Pro Tools for Music Production is the best.

DARK ANGEL by Cassandra Collins feels like a film noir movie, with rainy L.A. streets and threats from all-powerful corporate bosses. The heroine of the story is Scarlet Ray, who owns a diner right out of an Edward Hopper painting. She lives in L.A., but it's the kind of L.A. that you find in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL or those old detective movies. The book even sounds like an old movie from time to time: "Layers of brown hovered over Tinsel Town like a bad reputation," etc., etc.

Meanwhile, the hero is only slightly more modern; he's a 1950s, rebel-gone-wrong sort, an amalgamation of James Dean and Montgomery Clift sent by You-Know-Who to save Scarlet from an evil land developer who wants her diner.

This book could have been really good, but it fell flat for several reasons. For one thing, despite the fact that it's billed as a romance, the hero and heroine spend very little time together--after the first hundred pages, they'd probably spent less than ten in eachother's company. Furthermore, the story is hideously repetitive. Everytime Scarlet sees Jake (a.k.a. James Dean), she's like, "Oh my God! I'm seeing things! I'm going insane! Can anyone else see him?" And so on and so on. This gets a little tiresome after about the tenth time and he's already explained--more than once--that he's there to protect her. The threats on Scarlet's life are extremely repetitive, as well. Same guy. Same threat. Same outcome. Yada, yada, yada. As for the characters themselves, Jake is hardly ever around, and Scarlet is wuss. I know some may disagree with me on that statement, because she does stand up to the evil land developer, but she is essentially a weak, uninteresting character--she runs her dead mother's diner even though she hates it, her social life consists of watching incredibly old movies and mooning over Cary Grant, and she's a pushover to all her so-called friends. She has no anger or passion, and she is not the type of person who goes after what she wants, or who even allows herself to want anything. I, personally, do not want to read about a character like that.

As for the romance, as I mentioned before, the hero and heroine spend hardly any time at all together. The author simply tells us that Jake desires Scarlet after five seconds in her company and somehow that's supposed to convince us that these two are in love? That's just insulting. The relationship between Scarlet and the detective was more interesting. The relationship between Scarlet and her CAT was more interesting.

Basically, this novel has a lot of atmosphere, but not a lot of passion or heart. It's interesting to read, but don't expect a romance when you start it.

I found Dark Angel to be a well-written, suspenseful, and wonderfully romantic book. I do not usually read romance novels, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I thought the characters were well developed. In fact, I loved both Jake and Scarlet! I look forward to reading other books by this author.

I loved this book. I read romances, but I don't need romance on every single page to enjoy it. DARK ANGEL is refreshingly different for a romance novel--lots of suspense, heavy on twists and turns, and a fascinating concept with a dark angel as a hero, I was enthralled from page one to the end of the book. Thank you, Cassandra Collins, for a unique paranormal story!

THIS BOOK NEEDS UPDATING!!
Very disappointed; this book is NOT what it claims. Full of OLD INFORMATION and has not been updated. Prices are wrong, casinos not listed, attractions not listed, tours listed that are no longer available. Bought this book knowing nothing about Las Vegas; had a short time to spend, and wanted to make the most of the experience.

This book is huge, almost telephone-book size. It contains valuable demographic information. Its disadvantage is that it is now out-of-date. The two very newest and finest casino-hotels are only listed as pictures of "things to come". This guide is out-of-date in other areas also. The public transportation prices are incorrect (too low), and trips to outlying tourist attractions like Hoover Dam or Bryce Canyon, or the Grand Canyon have been changed considerably from those listed. We left our copy in the hotel room, rather than carry it home.

I am from Ohio and and frequent Las Vegas often. When I first picked up this book, I thought that It would be like all of the others. I also thought that I knew all there was to know about LV because I have gone so much. There is so much information in this book in terms of dining, night life and entertainment, hotels, etc. It is totally amazing to me that I missed so much in Las Vegas. This book really lets you "experience" Las Vegas for what it really is. Whether you are a first timer or a frequent visitor, Experience Las Vegas is an invaluable guide to use for every trip.

The style and plot were a tad simplistic. The historical accuracy was actually quite good. My biggest issue was with how "perfect" our protagonist is. He always knows everything, and gets away with completely unbelieveable dialog that makes the book a bit of a dog. If you are a fan of history and airships, this isn't a bad read. The author did their homework. Unfortunately, that is the apparent gimmick. Historical disaster, 2-D hero, and a cheesy plot seem to be all there is. It is amazing that an author can develop such a following with such a pat formula.

I debated whether or not to give this book an extra half star for the research that went it to it, but decided not to. Sure it's impressive to know that the characters in the story are based on the name of passengers in real life and that some of the tale is based on facts, however I couldn't come away with a ringing endorsement of this book but can say that it is an average book. I didn't find the story that riveting overall and I thought the depictions of the characters themselves were fairly simplistic. Now this may due to either the author's style or constraints that Collins placed on himself not to get too involved with creating insight into real life individuals. What does this mean? This book is not grueling or horrible by any means, it can be read without agony, but if you are looking for a great book you should take a pass on it unless the Hindenburg itself is what draws you to the book. Otherwise, I think there are better books that center around some historical basis or what if scenarios. (i.e. Follett's "Eye of the Needle" or Higgins "The Eagle has Landed".)

As a mystery writer with my debut novel in current release, I am greatly impressed by Max Allan Collins and his HINDENBURG MURDERS. His choice of Leslie Charteris, once an actual passenger on the Hindenburg, as a sleuth was a masterstroke of brilliance. The novel's use of a historical situation and actual people's names was deftly handled. Collins has built a crisp mystery in a realistic-feeling setting. THE HINDENBURG MURDERS is most deserving of its recent Shamus Award nomination.

The introduction to this book is an informative piece about various pin-up artists of the WWII era; however, most of the book was a scrapbook style work that left much to be desired. The main fault with the display of images was that there was no way to tell which artists created which images. Another drawback was how "racy" some of the images were. This significantly limits the appropraite audience for this book.

I decided to add this to my "Pin- Up Book" collection when the price fell below $$$!

Although I really had no idea what to expect, imagine my surprise (and astonishment!), when I discovered that this book is not only a great "Pin-Up" resource, but also a fantastic "Nose Art" book (in it's own right!).

Not only does it cover the B-24 Liberator (in abundance), but also includes the B-17, B-25, B-26 and B-29 (bombers), and features fighter aircraft as well! Tons of color photos, never before published.

As an added bonus, I didn't realize this was a huge "Coffee Table" book! (13.35 x 10.32 in.) with 144 pages of visual delight!

For The Boys blends an art history book with a focus on film and military images, considering the story and influence of the pin-up girl during World War II. For The Boys profiles calendars, postcards, mathbooks and other memorabilia featuring the girls and uses many original source images by Vargas, Elvgren and others to accompany photo-packed pages and information. A colorful, revealing collection.

As an artist and long-time admirer of Gillette Elvgren's illustrations and pinups, I was thrilled to discover this book because until recently, there has been so little published about him. It's interesting to see the photographs he worked from alongside the paintings he executed from them. It's very annoying, however, that so many of the reference photos are "flopped" (turned in the opposite direction from the painting). Why they did this makes no sense, because you can't compare them. Also, the captions are centered rather than justified. The book gives the impression that amateurs put it together. It doesn't do justice to the great illustrations that Elvgren produced.

Gillette Elvgren was the best pinup artist, so any opportunity to see his work is welcomed. However, this book is disappointing: it looks like it was designed by amateurs trying too hard to make an artsy coffee table book. From the cover to the flopped photographs to the inane captions, it is irritating to browse through. His work deserves better.

This fabulous volume is surely the most comprehensive collection of Gil Elvgren's work ever assembled in book form. It should go far to establish Elvgren, along with Petty and Vargas, as a master of the American pin-up.

The biographical information is complete and well written including Elvgren's personal, commercial and artistic endeavors. The information on his associations with other pin-up artists of the time is especially interesting.

The importance of Elvgren's models is emphasized, although he painted from photos rather than the live model. In many cases the model's photo and finished painting are side by side showing Elvgren's ability to capture form and expression.

The book includes about 200 of Elvgren's paintings in vibrant full color and covers his advertising work for Coca-Cola and others as well as his famous calendar pin-ups. It is a great source for the pin-up fan, or art historian.

Setting a murder mystery in Pearl Harbor, just prior to the Japanese attack makes this an interesting read. The bits of history are fascinating and compensate for the rather pedestrian plot. Combining fictional and historical figures works well as they seamlessly combine, but the basic problem is the mystery is no mystery. The plot moves along at a good clip; but it leads to a foregone conclusion. Using Edgar Rice Burroughs as the detective fits in with the actual events, but it seems almost an afterthought, and is merely another hook to get readers interested. Not a bad little page turner, but nothing else.

Most of the time when I read a mystery I don't really care about the mystery part. I mean, how many ways can you solve a crime, when literally thousands of mysteries have been written in recorded history. This one is no different. We get a murder, and someone is found standing over the body with blood on his hands. As this happens fairly early in the book, we can now eliminate ol' bloody hands as the suspect.
So what I look for is what kind of story is woven around what is usually the same old thing. In the case of a historical novel, I want to get a feeling for what people are thinking at the time. The fact that this one takes place a day or two before the Pearl Harbor invasion seems like a great situation. I liked it a bit, but still have a lot of problems with it.
First, as mentioned above, the story is very ordinary. Yes, you know when somebody has blood on their hands early in the story, he's probably not the murderer. But there were also predictable things that deal with what I was interested in, which was the historical events surrounding the story. First, we have both German and Japanese characters. As we are at war with them, or about to be, what a surprise that virtually all of them are unpleasant characters. Also, we get to see the time-worn tactic of having those in authority insist nothing bad is going to happen, just so we the reader can smirk and wait for them to be told "I told you so". I'm sure these situations occurred, but it trivializes an important event.
The part I dislike the most however, is why we need to have a celebrity enter the story as an amateur detective. I love Larry McMurtry novels, but hate it when he puts real-life characters in fictional settings. And I don't like it here. I don't care that the author had the writer of Tarzan as one of his boyhood heroes, and find this device only makes it more unbelievable.
So why three stars? Well, we DO get a decent glimpse into life in Hawaii around World War II. Those younger people that believe they invented sex can see that libidos ran very high in those days (and any other time, for that matter). And with the definate threat that the hunky guys might be blown to pieces at any time in war, the ladies were no doubt a lot more accomodating than you might think in that time. Think about that the next time you see your grandmother, or even your mother.
And the author does a good job of describing the actual attack. This, to me, is the meat of the story. The fact that it came when people were least prepared for it (early Sunday morning). The fact the people at first assumed it was a military exercise. And the quick sobering up that all of a sudden made America a little more grown up. This just about overcomes the "main" plot that is little more, if not less, than a TV detective story.

I'm of mixed minds about this whole trend of taking famous real-world people and turning them into murder-solving detectives. From a writer's standpoint, I can see why such an idea would be tempting -- not only do you get a "character" pre-invented, as it were, but you also, as author Max Allan Collins admits to doing in his acknowledgements, can write about people you particularly admire or are interested in. Much the same reasoning applies, I suppose, to readers of these kinds of stories. If you, too, are a fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs, seeing him and his son investigate a murder might be a very compelling read.

Myself, I'm more a student of the Pearl Harbor attack, and I read this mystery in part for the story itself, but mostly to see how the author wove the true-life events of late 1941 into his story. And the answer is, pretty well (of course, he's had some practice at this, having written several other disaster-based murder mysteries as well).

The crime-solving part of the story is a fairly standard follow-the-clues/unravel-the-secrets tale, and if it had been set in Dubuque in 1974, I don't think I would have given it more than three stars. But it's the way the tale is woven into the larger historical context of the Pearl Harbor attack (and it's not giving away any plot secrets to say that the attack ends up being part of the story) that's most interesting to me, and the author pulled it off quite well. True-life events, like the Mori "flowers in bloom" radiotelephone message (which may or may not have been in code), or a front-porch meeting between Colonel Kendall Fielder and General Walter Short on the evening of December 6, are drafted into service as part of this story. Author Collins credits his researcher, and lists in his acknowledgements many of the key titles in Pearl Harbor historiography, including the Prange trilogy. I second that commendation, because the factual scaffolding on which this story hangs seems pretty solid to me. Collins also does a nice job with the general "atmospherics" of late-1941 Honolulu.

On the whole, the setting and the real-world history involved elevate the workmanlike mystery quite a bit. And if you happen to be a Burroughs fan, so much the better.

I am disappointed in the quality of the art, as I was expecting something much more realistic, not so impressionistic. Other than that, there isn't much to say about a calendar.

John Howe is universally considered to be the foremost Tolkien illustrator (along with Alan Lee, though I prefer Howe's style), and this release is a glimpse into his working process, as well as a grateful advance look at the art design used in the upcoming film trilogy.

These images have been culled from the conceptual work Howe has done for Peter Jackson's films, currently undergoing principal photography in New Zealand. We should consider ourselves enormously fortunate to be allowed such an opportunity, for Howe is both a brilliant artist, but also has a deeper understanding of Tolkien's world and Jackson's intention in recreating it than virtually anyone else on the planet at present.

Certainly these works are rough and unfinished, since they are essentially visual "sketches" for set and character design on the film project. However, Howe's style is smooth and lush, his use of color and mood evocative, and they stand on their own as powerful imagery.

Howe's other Tolkien artwork is considerably more "finished" and refined in appearance, with greater detail, but here we get a different and unique vision of Tolkien's world, and an idea of what to expect when the film trilogy hits the big screen next year. Each month leading up to the film your wall can be graced with an image that has inspired and shaped it. I for one am more excited than ever now that I have seen this collection.

I was thoroughly impressed with this masterpiece of modern date-keeping. I mean, ALL the days are in order within the appropriate months! And even February FOLLOWS January! Not the other way around as one would get with "other" inferior calendars. I've seen calendars in my life (LOTS of calendars!) but none so gloriously laid out as this. Take March for example: you know how March generally has 31 days? Well, THEY'RE ALL HERE!! All 31 in a row! Mondays following Sundays . . .Thursdays after Wednesdays and so on and so forth. It's incredible how much time(ha!)went into the immaculate design of this baby. I'm recommending this caledar to everyone I know who is FED UP with the current hapless order of the days of the week. If you are sick and tired of lousy, poorly organized "we know what's good for you" calendars and you really want something stimulating and emotionally challenging for once, then BUY THIS CALENDAR!!! You will never regret it! And even if you do regret it, you will finally know in which day of the week your regret happens.
The artwork's pretty cool, too.