Wilkie Collins writing career spanned some 30 years (1850-1880). During the last ten years his writing skills declined due to poor health and opium addiction; some of his later novels are really bad (semi-theatrical melodramas). Surprisingly 'The Haunted Hotel', one of the last works by Wilkie Collins, is a rather nice, compact ghost story. Fans of Wilkie Collins will be pleased.

The story is about, um.., a haunted hotel. Several characters, mostly squabbling aristocrats, return to the Venetian home (now hotel) of a deceased colleague (..a rather nasty fellow). The past comes to haunt these guests in rather metaphysical ways. It's all a bit silly, of course. But the decent prose and characterizations save 'The Haunted Hotel' from being some camp ghost story.

Bottom line: certainly not a classic but enjoyable nonetheless.

...This little volume contains enough suspense, fog, and familial twists-and-turns to satisfy any modern mystery fan (if one overlooks the inherent sexism that dates this book)...not to mention the delicious sense of voyeurism in peeking in on this group of gentle Englishfolk. Read it and remember when mystery writers could actually write.

If you are a Wilkie Collins fan, well then, add this title to your list. I have. A story filled with suspenses and mystery. It keeps you turning the pages until the end. Who killed the count or did anyone? What happened to the courier? Is the countess mad? Told partly by letters and differing characters' perspective it is typical of Collins' narrative style. He takes the readers to a most stupendous climax in Venice. It is a ghost story, a fun read, like watching an old black and white movie. Recommeded!

Self-serving, ridiculous, shallow, delusional. I especially like the section in which he suffers a moment of self-doubt about abandoning his children to spend some quality time grooving on the west coast, but then instantly recovers with a fulsome and congratulatory rationalization. Maybe he'll give them a call! What a twit. Where's the INS?

This is a great book. It contains moving stories and inspiring insights. The author gathers spiritual wisdom from regular people. He doesn't try to come across as an expert. He's not afraid to reveal his humanity and frailty. He has opinions, but he doesn't appear to be judgmental. The book expresses deep truths in a real way. Highly recommended.

I loved this book, and immediately ordered a dozen more for birthday gifts. Mr. Collins' storytelling is superb. I think I'd like to run into him in a coffee house some day!

A BOOK ABOUT OUTDOOR MUSEUMS THAT I PLANNED TO SHARE WITH MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND MY 86 YEAR-OLD MOTHER.
BUT A BOOK THAT INSTEAD WAS FULL OF AMATEURISH DRAWINGS OF GREAT OUTDOOR WORKS OF ART...

If you remember the first time you saw the "Spirit of Detroit" as a child, or walked past "Two Bears" at Quarton School, this book is for you. It is full of wonderful, whimsical illustrations that look at great art from a child's innocent perspective.

I believe the title "The Outdoor Museum : The Magic of Michigan's Marshall M. Fredericks" fits the book well, as it captures the magic of Marshall Fredericks's art, which is best appreciated out of doors, i.e. at Cross in the Woods in Indian River, MI, "Freedom of the Human Spirit" in Birmingham, MI, "Spirit of Detroit" downtown . . .

This is a delightful tour of sculpture in Michigan, with a guide both knowledgeable and able to capture the imagination of the reader. I can't imagine a better way to introduce your children to the beauty and meaning of art. Warmly illustrated, wonderfully written, highly recommended.

I have been a fan of Phil's since 1980 and have gone to many concerts. His talent is beyond belief, leaving me in awe after every show. I nearly fainted when he almost touched my hand at a Great Woods concert. From this book, I wanted to learn more about Phil Collins the incredibly talented and driven individual. The book spent too much time on the struggle and strife in his life and not enough on the triumphs of a man who saw his star in the sky and never stopped, even after surpassing it. I seek to find out more about my musical hero because this book did not satisfy me. Phil, can we hear "Both Sides" of the story?

This was such a great book and I know that any Phil Collins fan would enjoy reading it as much as I did. It shows Phil as a real person, even though we all look up to him in awe because of his great artistic talents. I know that after reading this book, I still feel the same way I did about Phil. That is, if someone asked me, Dalia, if you could meet anyone, I mean anyone and just spend the evening chatting, who would it be? My answer would still be Phil Collins,of course! I write poetry and would love to make them into songs and would love Phils' advice and maybe he could give me some pointers. The one thing that suprised me though, was what his mom said about his current wife, Orianne. "I hope she doesn't change, and if she does, I hope I'm not around to pick up the pieces." Phil is a big boy and his choices in his life, were his choices, some good, some bad and maybe he just grew apart from his first wife and his second wife lived too much for him and never developed any interest outside their marriage. But Orianne and Phil, I wish you the best and hope for you two, a long life together.

After being a fan of Phil Collins for many years I was pleased to discover the biography of this highly talented man. The book delved into his personal and public life in a very thorough manner and unveiled many personal and professional qualities of Phil, from his upbringing, through his times with Genesis, the birth of his controversional solo career through to the current day. I was enthralled by the very precise way in which all aspects of his life were covered especially that of his marriages, his relationships with his wives, children,& co-workers and his dedication to his art. This book gave me great insight into what has made Phil the astute performer and person that he is today. Not all of the aspects of the biography were in Phil's favour (for example,incidences where he revealed his fiery temperament) but I credit the author for this as it allows for the reader to gain his own insight and opinion on who the real Phil Collins is as a person. This biography enlightened me on the life and times of a wonderful person who is a credit to the music industry, a dedicated man who revealed his most personal life to his fans through his art. I believe that this is a must read for any Phil Collins fan. It is not one sided, nor does it intend to influence your opinion. Read it for yourself, allow yourself the oppurtunity to learn more on this remarkable man.

This book was great I havent finished it yet but I love it! I hope the authors decide to write another book. At first I wasnt sure if I wanted to get the book but as I flipped through it I thought it looked good so I got! I think I made a good decision and I think that all girls that are turning 12 or 13 or 14 or hoigher should get the book because we have alot of questions to embarrassing to say out loud and this book answered all of them! Guys wouldnt understand this book though but girls 12 and up would so I think you should get it!

My soon to be 13 year old daughter really enjoyed this book, particularly the quizzes and the sections on parents, friends, boys, etc... simply the whole book! The book has sparked many interesting and healthy discussions between us. It would have been great to have had a resource like this when I was her age.

In my opinion, any book that gets a teen talking to a parent is good news! I highly recommend it as a worthwhile addition to any home library.

Sometimes I don't feel like talking to my parents (yuk) what do they know! My friends don't have all the answers - they just talk a lot. This is a great book and it really helped me out. It had lots of good tips, advice and is kind of funny. I think I'll read it again because there is lots to learn. Every girl should read it - the guys just wouldn't understand.

Just didn't find it all that funny.
At the very least, the first chapter was balanced in terms of equal parts cloyingly sacchrine cuteness and actual humor.
The rest of the book attempts to be funny by heavy-handed dependence on the broadest and most outdated of gender generalizations. I felt lucky(and toward the end, amazed) if I came across one line per remaining chapter capable of even making me smile and there were definitely not any laugh out loud moments within the entire book. But the multiple positive reviews printed on the covers did make me laugh at least, since they were so far off the mark.
I have a friend who thrives on defining his world strictly by generalizations and so I will be passing it on to him for the final litmus test. He's also going thru a divorce and lives in the suburbs, so perhaps he is closer to the actual target audience.
More than anything, I found the book to be kind of sad because it reminded me that this is really how alot of people think. And just to provide more insight on me, I'm a 35 year old female who recently got out of a relationship with sticky communication issues.
I found the majority of the book to be obnoxious, overdone and obvious as opposed to subtle and clever. Who knows? Perhaps I'm just not mainstream enough to "get" this kind of humor.

I almost didn't buy this book because of the title. I'm not too fond of parodies. I actually own the other "serious" version of this book & found it much harder to read than this humorous but no less true version. I'd love to see these SuC in person :)

This book helped me keep my kewl during the end of a nasty relationship, helped me laugh when I was tired of crying, and helped me see my part in a humorous, easy-to-swallow format. My relationship is still ending, but now I feel much better about it, having regianed my ability to laugh at humanity thanks to this book. I highly recommend it as a gift to newlyweds, singles & long-marrieds alike--in essence, to anyone who has ever been in a relationship with the opposite sex!

This book made me laugh when I wanted to cry and kept my perspective on the crazy world of relationships. Anna and Elliot are a riot and if you're looking for a book that offers great insights about the sexes in a sharp, humorous fashion--GET THIS BOOK! I highly recommend it! (It makes a fabulous affordable gift too!)

Given that Andy Griffith is a private person with seemingly little interest in talking about himself or his career, this book met my expectations. The author did what he could to gather information about Andy in spite of Andy's apparent unwillingness to participate in the creation of this biography. His absence is a handicap, certainly, as I'm sure he could lend some depth to the anecdotes and old interviews. I was pleased to see that the author made an effort to avoid making this book another Mayberry-themed puff piece, though, and was glad to be reading about Andy Griffith instead of Andy Taylor.

The reader should also be aware that The Andy Griffith Story was published prior to the end of Matlock, and before several other key events in Andy Griffith's life. Illustrations are rather disappointing hand-drawings because, I presume, photo rights could not be obtained. Though I did enjoy this book, I am still hoping for an authorized - or, at least, more authoritative - biography to complete the portrait of Andy.

I just finished reading the biography on Andy Griffith and as a fan of this man I was pleased to learn about how he got started in show biz and all the movies he was involved in post Andy Griffith Show. I was surprised to hear about his temper but pleased to hear he is a thoughtful and caring man. If you want a biography that covers Mr. Griffith's whole career I would recommend you buy this book.

The test of any good bio is learning something new about the subject. Information about Andy Griffith isn't easy to come by, but in this instance, the author has succeeded in collecting quotes, facts, and events from private sources and turning it into a readable narrative that illuminates the subject while respecting the privacy of the man. I bought two copies: one for my mom as a gift, and one for me. If you have ANY interest in the life and career of Andy, you'll want to add your own copy to your library too.

I just got this book, and really, I love it. Allright it only has 100 cocktails in it, but if you are planning on making more than a hundred different cocktails you can always buy another book, probably it wont be as nice to look in but hey, you wanted recepies right. Still I think it is a very nice book to have, because it's just nice to look in and it has the nececary instructions on makeing all those wonderfull cocktails yourself. And it also gives a nice picture of what the cocktail could look like, gets your tastebuds more ready than just plain text.

A very cool book with some exceptional photographs of different drinks. There's not much explanation on preparing the different drinks other than the obvious ingredients, plus there's only 100 drinks listed. What makes this book special are the photographs. If you're a bartender or just an enthusiast that wants to serve impressive looking cocktails, this book gives you a lot of ideas. As any good chef will tell you, "it's all in the presentation."

It's too bad the book is softcover, plus it would've been nice if the photos were a little larger (they're about 7" x 5"). It's nice to keep around for guests to see, though. Makes you thirsty. There's a few sample photographs here on this site. Check em out to see what I mean.

Hope my review helped!

If you think of the book as a photographic essay on exquisite glassware then you will be pleased with it. If you seek a book of recipes you may want to look elsewhere. Makes a great gift.

While this is a decent introduction to one of the most notoriously difficult (yet influential) philosophers of the 20th century, as the title says, it is lacking in some respects. The biggest thing I noticed is that the author discusses Descartes and Husserl... but NEVER mentions Immanuel Kant, whose ideas on the Noumenon and Phenomenon were hugely influential on both Husserl and Heidegger. (It has been said, with some justification, that Kant *was* Continental philosophy, and everything else was a footnote to Kant). This is such a glaring oversight that it makes me question the scholarship in the remainder of the book.

The author also spends a good deal of time dealing with Heidegger's brief flirtation with Nazism... but neglects to mention that Heidegger soon fell out of favor with the Nazis and spent most of the Nazi years under a cloud of suspicion. (Perhaps Heidegger never disclaimed Nazism as loudly or as clearly as some would like ... but it's also worth noting that one of his major influences, Edmund Husserl, was Jewish... and of course there is his longtime friendship/love affair with Hannah Arendt, the author of *Eichmann in Jerusalem* and a major thinker in her own right).

Still, this is about as good an introduction to Heidegger as you are likely to find. The author manages to make his concepts of "Dasein" as clear as one can make such an abtruse concept. This will make explorations of Heidegger on your own a bit easier ... but it certainly won't serve as a replacement for same. Unfortunately, there's no way around studying Heidegger in his full glory... much as you may want to avoid the verbiage which was tangled in German and next-to-impossible in translation.

(On the bright side: after slogging through a few pages of Heidegger, Sartre looks like easy reading)

INTRODUCING HEIDEGGER presents the reader with a lucid and thoughtfully rendered overview of Heidegger's overall corpus. However, this book does not represent a profound encounter with H's original texts by any stretch. Rather, it is a handy reference book, refresher, or study guide. The pictures are somewhat evocative and illuminating at times, but the book reminds me -- and this is NOT a slight-- of a well executed Cliff Notes edition. The main virtues of the book include reasonable clarification of terminology, consideration of H's predecessors and successors in philosophy and other fields, chronological presentation, very concise explication and the often helpful use of visual art. Still, the book is best for either "absolute beginners" or those who need a handy refresher/reference. It can also be used alongside original texts if existing commentaries seem too abstruse. In any case, it beats HEIDEGGER FOR BEGINNERS. But for those who want more depth and breadth from an introduction to Heidegger, I reccommend Macquarrie's HEIDEGGER AND CHRISTIANITY and, secondarilly, George Steiner's HEIDEGGER. These are both books (particularly Macquarrie's) of greater profundity than the INTRODUCTION, yet they are concise and accessible. In sum, INTRODUCING HEIDEGGER is a fairly reliable short study guide in which some of philosophy's most difficult terms and concepts are cleanly introduced, if not deeply explored.

When I first became interested with Heidegger, my first impulse was to tackle the big one- "Being and Time." However, after reading just a few pages of this tome, I realized the material was way over my head. I turned to guides concerning Heidegger's work, and "Introducing Heidegger" was extremely enlightening. Although it is in "comic book" format, the writing, although concise, is full of helpful observations and anecdotes. The pictorial aids also accentuate what the writing describes.
Heidegger's concepts are laid out in full here- from his "secular theology" to his concept of simultaneous disclosure. His observations on art are revealed, also.
This introduction to Heidegger was invaluable to me. I can now recognize strains of Heidegger's thought in the work of writers much easier to read such as Foucault, Sartre, and Jaspers.

This book is really great, with nice pictures. I especially enjoyed the history and background detailed on these wonderful dogs. Just looking at the pictures makes me want to go out and get another puppy. The plastic sleeve (Buckram-reinforced Library Binding) is really a nice touch.

...I had it sent to my mom who is a first time owner of a Shih Tzu. She called when it arrived and did nothing but "praise" the condition and it's content's. The book give's an overall coverage of the Shih Tzu breed. It cover's everything from the new puppy to grooming your adult Shih Tzu. This is a perfect book for anyone who own's the breed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was unable to put it down, from the minute it arrived, til finished. The detail was magnificent, answering all my questions and more. There are almost 200 colour photos, making the book a delight to read. Easy to find oneself ohhhhing and ahhhhing over the shih tzus photographed in this book!

Also many photos of recommended and available products, to help you in most situations of need. I found this book to be a valuable reference book of knowledge and a great aid to me, before and once my puppy arrived.

Great reading