5 comments about Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair: The True-Life Misadventures of a 30-Something Who Learned to Knit After He Split.

1. I loved this book! I appreciate the author's witty writing style and explanations. I think every woman could relate to this book whether they are a knitter or not.



2. Saw myself in the first two to three years after my husband suddenly died. (Ernie's my pooch.) Made me appreciate the pain that divorce causes - grief is grief.



3. there are some books that just are a great comfort. this is one of those books. thank god charlie left!



4. I'm neither drunk nor divorced, but I'm a knitter covered in cat hair. I devoured this book in two days.
   
   This book is not about how to knit. Instead, it's about what the author discovers about herself by knitting her way through difficult life circumstances. As I read, I laughed and cried and cringed.
   
   The book was a bit depressing in places but the author tempers it with raw honesty, wry humor and her wonderful way with words. I love the way she can turn a phrase. It keeps the overall tone of the book from being whiny.
   
   And, finally, I adore the Devil Blanket pattern.



5. Laurie Perry's novel is as wacky as her title suggests. She writes with honesty and hilarity, making her story easy and fun to read.
   If you love to knit and laugh, this book is for you. There are patterns for knitting in the back of the book that have funny comments and simple instructions.
   As a fan of Crazy Aunt Purl's blog, this was a must-read. Every blog entry produces a chuckle and makes me glad I don't live in LA. It also amazes me how many people love cute cat photos.

5 comments about This Is Gonna Hurt: The Life of a Mixed Martial Arts Champion.

1. At long last, Ortiz was able to outdo Chuck Liddell at something. That something was writing a better book.
   
   Ortiz's life has been full of ups and downs, and he is straightforward about his struggles with women, drugs, and fame. A lot of times when people write their story, they tend to paint themselves in a better, more agreeable light. But Ortiz doesn't try to do this. He is revealing and honest.
   
   Interesting, informative, and insightful, this book delivers a KO to all the other MMA biographies that have been coming out in this past year. Far from being perfect, and far from being a role model, Ortiz reminds us that no matter how badly things are stacked against us, we can always just step into the ring called "life" and fight.



2. Don't waste your money on this book. Written at a 3 Grade reading level, you can sit at a Borders and tear through this in 1-2 hours. Numerous references about his t-shirt company and his obsession with money. Rips into Dana White while touching on his up bring and relationship with Jenna Jameson. Clearly a book to make money since there are countless "filler" quotes by his mother, ex-wife, and Jenna. Save your money!!!



3. This is an interesting story, especially if you're a fan of Tito, like I am. It's simple and an easy read.



4. Eh, it wasn't really much other than a superficial look at him. Maybe he is just superficial, so that was all that could be expected. I felt like he should have had a ghost writer b/c it was just too elementarily written to be gripping enough. I would wait for this to come out in paperback or check it out from the library. Not worth spending much money on.



5. I shouldn't have expected much of a book written by a guy who's best known for smashing heads. Tito Ortiz was, for quite awhile, the light-heavyweight champion and poster boy for the UFC. I'm a big Tito Ortiz fan. He's brash, cocky, and hasn't been at the top of the heap for several years now, but I think he's a good guy at heart and he's done a lot of good things for the sport.
   
   Unfortunately, I can't say many good things about this autobiography. Tito talks mostly about his troubled youth and how he got into the fight game. He details his early drug use, his romances (and his many infidelities), his feuds with other fighters and UFC president Dana White, and his charitable activities. I wish he'd given as much attention to his fights--the strategies, or breaking down how the fight went. Instead, he recaps most of his fights in a paragraph or two, giving the name and date of the event , a few sentences about how the fight unfolded, an excuse if he lost (nearly always an injury that kept him from training to his fullest potential), and what was on his t-shirt (he considers his t-shirts to be one of his trademarks--I never paid much attention to them myself). I wasn't expecting a book on fighting strategy, necessarily, but it would have been more interesting. What we get instead is a celebrity bio, with some entertaining takes on some other fighters and celebrities.
   
   If there's any insight given in this book it comes early in some advice Tito got from fellow fighter Tank Abbott: "You talk the smack to make people either love you or hate you. Once they love you or hate you, then they'll talk about you. If they stop talking about you, then you've got problems." Above all else, Tito knows how to market himself.
   
   Unfortunately, the rest of the book is fairly insufferable. The writing, even though Shapiro is credited, seems like it's straight dictate from Tito. We're treated to such gems as this recounting of a childhood fight: "There was this kid who was trying to bully me. I stood up and punched him real hard. He fell down, started crying, and ran away. He never bullied me again." There are strange, interview-style quotes from friends and family scattered throughout, all completely redundant with what comes before or after. The laughably sappy section about Tito falling for ex-pornstar Jenna Jameson is wisely at the end of the book. Otherwise, I may not have been able to finish. I give Tito props for overcoming a tough upbringing and rising to the top of his game, as well as for all he's done for the sport of mixed martial arts. But he should stick to fighting. Indeed, this is gonna hurt.

5 comments about Bob Dylan: The Drawn Blank Series.

1. Like most Dylan fans, I was drawn (no pun intended)into this book right away. Bob has always fascinated as an artist. His best songs are stories that unfold over the course of the song, and his recent bio, Chronicles, was a continuation of his story-telling prowess.
   
   This book, taken from the Drawn Blank exhibition, gives yet another insight into this artist that has captivated us for the past 40 some odd years. We knew he was an artist. His artwork has graced several album covers and insides and various publications over the years. To see all of this material collected in one publication will delight Dylan fans everywhere.
   
   One of Bob's songs is called "When I Paint My Masterpiece." In this book, fans will discover several of them.



2. I was lucky enough to be in Germany during this exhibit and see it live. I also purchased the book there and have reviewed it several times. It includes the 170 works displayed at the Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz from October 2007 to March 2008 and three thoughtful essays that examine the works from several perspectives.
   
   Ninety-two of the works were based on drawings published in 1994 as Drawn Blank. The museum director, Ingrid Mossinger, saw some of his drawings in the fall of 2006 at New York's Morgan Library (Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966) and was so captivated that she sought out a copy of the out-of-print book. In the book, Dylan said that one day he wanted to turn these into larger color paintings. So, she made contact and asked if he'd like to exhibit them.
   
   Somehow Dylan managed to have the drawings transferred to deckle-edged paper and paint them using watercolor and goaches. The result was 322 paintings produced in just eight months - eight months during which he also was touring! From these, 170 were selected for the exhibit.
   The works include interiors (dressing rooms, hotel rooms, etc.), cityscapes, landscapes, still lifes, and portraits - all captured in drawings he made between 1989 and 1992 as he toured the world performing. For many of the drawings, there are multiple versions using different colors that give you varied impressions of the scene. Much like Dylan's reinterpretations of his songs, these alternative versions reflect different ways of viewing the work.
   
   The essays also provoke different ways of thinking about the works. Frank Zollner, focusing on the cityscapes as seen through a window or door, suggests that these works indicate a "certain restlessness, as the simulated gaze is that of a seeker." He draws on Chronicles to illustrate how Dylan thinks of art and how his words often create word pictures. In his view the pictures reflect an internal restlessness and a calm outside world.
   
   Diane Widmaier Picasso (granddaughter of Pablo Picasso) traces the influence of Norman Raeben, one of Dylan's art teachers, as well as the Cubists and German Expressionists known as The Bridge. She notes that, "Just as the meaning of certain Dylan songs is sometimes obscure, since his texts seek not to have a fixed sense but rather to describe sentiments, to develop impressions beyond words (acquiring, like an abstract painting, meanings which vary with the mood of the recipient, yet still preserving a strong identity), so too his drawings can be similarly understood as they also reflect work which purposely refuses to be 'honed'."
   
   Jens Rosteck, focusing on Dylan as a "multi-talent," examines the stylistic turns Dylan has taken with his music and his artistic endeavors into literature, film, and painting. He describes him as a rare "universal artist" capable of synthesizing diverse art genres, comparing his approach to da Vinci, Goethe, and others.
   
   I was struck by a sense of detachment, even isolation or loneliness, as I viewed the exhibit. Dylan, the most sensitive and keen observer of life I know, once again in another medium, challenges me to think about how we live in this world.
   
   If the exhibit ever comes near you, I encourage you to see it. In the meantime, this book is a wonderful catalogue of the works of this great artist.



3. What an incredible artist he is...in so many ways. A poet, musician, philosopher, artist, humanitarian. I'm looking for a book of photography yet so I may also experience his vision in that medium. BTW....great seller. Shipped fast and packed well. 5 STAR*****



4. Bob Dylan has been painting for decades and his abstract post-modern folk art style does him well. He shows us a seemingly unsophisticated yet highly evocative presence in his images with the door wide open to interpretation, like much of his poetic lyric. These often haunting pieces speak to me as the will not to you and vice versa - as well they should. Understand however, like his music, Dylan's art is an acquired taste and definitely not for everyone. I paid half the price the museums are charging for this book and I am sure have gotten twice the value from it.



5. Enjoyed both the original drawings & the new colorized interpretations. Always interesting to share a glimpse inside the mind of a genius.

5 comments about Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature.

1. This is classic Andy at his finest. A must have for your coffee table, bookshelf or any tucked away corner or your home. Fantastic intro book to get anyone to know Andy and his work. A great gift. Pick up a few for yourself.



2. I plan to acquire more Andy Goldsworthy albums. His photo art calms the mind, eyes and soul...look at it while listening to your favorite calming music!



3. I was instantly attracted to the cover. I would have liked two things before I purchased. The date of publication and to have access to more pictures in the book. It was a gift and it is loved. I love you people...I love free shipping....it is now a HUGE factor in whether I purchase on line or get in my car and go to the book store.



4. AMAZING - INSPIRING - AWESOME. This book was purchased in tandum with the video "Rivers and Tides". I don't think I could just pick one or the other. What one begins, the other ends and the relationship is perfect. Be inspired - spend time, REAL TIME - looking at these images and reading about his work and his methods. You will look at the world a new way. I am a professional photographer and the photography is gorgous. You can't miss this one.



5. while i bought this book for another, i find it to be pretty good. some pictures aren't up to todays digital quality, but its still great to look at. you won't be disappointed.

5 comments about Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women.

1. I really love this book. It is filled with rooms of true "artists" of all kinds. I personally like that "I work in this space and am inspired in this space look." If you are a "clutter free" person, this is not the book for you. It is not a book filled with junky artists' areas, but "organized, feel-good clutter." Hope my review helps.



2. The pictures are a feast for the eyes and an inspiration to both organize and create. It's easy to understand how working in these spaces helps these women create their works of art. I can look at the pictures over and over again and see something new every time.



3. Delightful book, I especially enjoyed the "peek" into April Cornell, Kitty Bartholomew & Dee Gruenig's rooms!
   Even though all the rooms where set-up for the photo shoot, if you look closely you will get an idea of their personalities...
   Great photography and wonderful little Tips from the participants.



4. I bought this bought because I am designing my own studio and wanted some ideas. I found this book VERY inspiring and full of great ideas! I recommend it to anyone designing their own creative space!



5. This book was very inspiring. I definately got some good ideas that I'll try for my own studio (when I have one that is). And some nice ideas for around the home creation areas too. I love to create. This book is about others creation spaces. I can definately appreciate that!
   Create on!

5 comments about Fashion Artist (Fashion Design Series).

1. I bought this book for my 16 yr old daughter who is an aspiring fashion designer. To get into design school & possibly qualify for a scholarship, she must prepare a portfolio. She expressed concern that her sketching skills would look amateurish so she asked for a book to help her.
   
   This book shows in picture and text detail the supplies needed to do a project & an easy format to follow. She loved it and was so excited to have a guide to help her. This book not only helps in this regard, but has several sections that gives pointers on design elements and much more pertinent information.
   
   If you or someone you know is an aspiring fashion designer, do not hesitate to get this book. It will be a valuable tool that will be put t good use.



2. I'm wanting to become a fashion designer and i bought this book and i was amazed. it really teaches you how to draw fashion models (and people in general) in all different poses. it shows you so many different poses both with an actual person modeling the pose and then a block figure showing you how to draw it. after the structure is learned, it teaches you in a really easy way how to flesh it out, and then how to draw the clothes and how the clothes are supposed to look at folds and creases. if you like this book, i recommend Draw Fashion Models! by Lee Hammond, a great book that goes in depth into more poses and how you should draw the clothes and how they look when the arms are raised, when you're leaning on one hip, etc.
   
   i really recommend buying this amazing book, it's straightforward and very helpful!



3. I haven't really had a chance to play a lot with this book since I got it a month ago, but so far, I like it. There are very colorful designs, croquis', and many illustrations. It seems like it gives a lot of information in a short amount of time.



4. This book is a great start for beginners who want to work in the fashion industry or for those who consider fashion designing a hobby and want to improve on their illustration skills, like myself. Burke starts with the basics, like learning how to draw the female figure in different poses and drawing some examples of clothes, but she also touches upon fabric rendering and ideas on how to make a presentation. There's even a section on designing for men, childeren, and costumes. Overall a very informative, clear and consise book to get started and to encourage and inspire amateurs to want to learn more.



5. I wore holes in piles of paper trying to work up to the basic points so magnificently outlined in this book! It's like having an art teacher with you (without the snide remarks) to bring your abilities to the top.
   
   If you are planning on studying fashion, or just doing it for fun, you need this book.
   
   Highly recommended!

5 comments about Sector 7 (Caldecott Honor Book).

1. Flotsam and Freefall were the first two books I explored by David Wiesner. Sector 7 is not to be missed either. Wiesner's style and creativity are wonderful explorations for all humans(and especially children). M.C. Escher has an honored presence in this book, as he does in Freefall. The theme of flying is present here, as in all of Wiesner's books, and the fanciful creative nature of Wiesner's story and illustrations (paintings?) are not to be missed. Second language learners will immediately have something to say (in their own language) about this book. So will everyone else who reads it. Anyone who has taken the time to sit back and enjoy the show clouds put on will appreciate the ideas within this book. Don't hesitate!



2. This item was exactly as described in the item description. It was in the original packaging and is in excellent condition. I am very satisfied and I highly recommend this seller and product to everyone. This is an excellent book by an excellent author!



3. If you like incredible artwork with an amazing story line than you will love Sector 7 by David Wiesner. Each of his books is absolutely incredible and this is no exception. I bought this(and others of his) for my daughter who is about to become an art teacher to use in her classes and she was thrilled! Enjoy!



4. There is really no reason for me to review this book with 30 other reviews already here. I will just state that I loved it. I "read" it to my 4 year old and he wanted to read it again right away. If you look at each picture carefully and discuss with a young child what is going on before you turn the page, they will love it. And if they are like my boy, they will then read it when they are alone. I went to see him that night up in his room and he wanted to read it to me. We sat there while he described each picture and the story in surprising detail. I really think this is a great book with fantastic illustrations and a wonderful story. The author is brilliant.



5. I don't own this book, but I just checked out from local library. He has got such a great imagination. Another great book he created. Awesome!

5 comments about Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders.

1. Author William Drennan, professor of English (and it shows), wastes little time and few words in summarizing the events leading up to a horrific crime: the murder of his lover, Mamah Borthwick Cheney, her two young children (visiting the estate), and (eventually) four workers, who were killed by an ax-wielding arsonist servant at the home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for life with his mistress, Ms. Cheney. Theories on the motive, never firmly established because the killer died before trial, include the perpetrator's mental instability or possibly revenge for verbal insults by one or more of the victims. Although the subtitle, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders, indicates murder as the central theme, at least half of the (pre-reference section) pages leading up to the chapter entitled "A Summer Day That Changed the World" Murder at Taliesin, are filled with background, primarily of Wright: his ancestry, (pre-marriage) family life, career, married life, relationship with Cheney, and negative treatment by the press and people of Oak Park, Illinois. Drennan shares his views in several places, notably: in modifying the accepted version of the murderous rampage to better fit the evidence and that Wright was skilled at structural design of buildings. His examples, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, which performed well during earthquakes in the 1920s, and Midway Gardens in Chicago, which because of its stout construction, was difficult to demolish, confirm the latter point, others, notably Fallingwater in Pennsylvania and the Freeman House in California, which have not fared as well structurally, do not. The issue of Wright's structural design skills and the sensationalist title and cover photo (ax prominently displayed) aside, Drennan has done an excellent job of putting together a short, reader friendly book about the circumstances surrounding the Taliesin murders. It would have been even better about fifty percent longer, with more information on some of Wright's many architectural masterpieces. Hands down better than Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.



2. Having been a Frank Lloyd Wright "fan" for many years, and having taught a short course on his architecture at the college where I was a professor, before retirement, I appreciated the in depth research on this "scandalous" period of FLW's life. A daughter lives in Oak Park and I toured many of FLW's Prairie houses there, as well as visiting "Falling Water" from a later period of his career. Book arrived in good time, in excellent condition. I will lead a discussion next month on this book for my book club. After all, I recommended this book for discussion.



3. While Drennan wrote about his amount of research done for this book, he came to incomplete conclusions; completely misinterpreted his research; or lost his references in (I am sure) his piles of notes. It's apparent to those who have studied Wright, or have an interest in him, that, while Drennan refers to books in the bibliography, he didn't study them, particularly in his misunderstanding of a proper floor plan for Taliesin I.
   
   There are things that he just gets plain wrong (page numbers refer to the hardcover version of the book).
   
   Page 6, he writes that Taliesin is on the "banks of the Wisconsin River." It's not. It's just down from the top of a hill (on the brow of the hill, leading to the name "Taliesin", "shining brow" in Welsh) and also separated from the river by a road.
   
   Page 16, he states that Wright spend "five summers" working on his family's farm. Wright spent summers there from the ages of 11-18.
   
   Page 19, He writes that Wright went to Chicago and spent 2 dollars on a concert. Wright wrote in his autobiography that he spent $1.
   
   Page 31, he states that Wright met CR Ashbee in 1896. They met in 1900, which Drennan would have known if he had read one of the books he cites in his bibliography, _Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Years, 1910-1922: A Study of Influence_, by Anthony Alofsin.
   
   Page 67, A statue shown in a photograph on this page is referred to as "an [Alfonso] Ianelli sprite" (from Wright's Midway Gardens project in Chicago, IL) when it's actually _Flower in the Crannied Wall_, designed by Richard Bock for Wright's Susan Lawrence Dana House in Springfield, IL (which he would have known had he read Narciso Menocal's article about the statue in _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, v. 1_, which Drennan cited in his bibliography).
   
   Page 161 he writes that, "When Miriam Noel learned of Olgivanna, she lay siege to the place and dragged out divorce proceedings for five turbulent years." Wright and Noel were married in 1923, and divorced in 1927.
   
   Page 168, he states that Wright had been buried "next to" Mamah. Their graves are about 20 feet apart. Drennan refers several times to the valley that the Lloyd Joneses lived in as "Bear Creek," but it's never been called that (Helena Valley is acceptable).
   
   He also writes that Wright's family had come across the United States directly to Spring Green, Wisconsin, when in truth they'd actually settled in Ixonia, Wisconsin (on the eastern side of the state) for about a decade before coming to Spring Green.
   
   There are various statements he made that have no citation in the endnotes:
   Page 14, Wright's father's turn as a Unitarian minister is described on page 14 as "a 'sop,' it has been called" - no citation
   
   Page 15, he states that Wright's half-sister Lizzie charged that his mother was "spoiling Frank rotten..." - no citation
   
   Page 15, he states that Wright's father "pointedly" called Wright and his two sisters, "Anna's children" - no citation
   
   Page 137, he refers to "One online source" with no citation
   
   Et cetera.
   
   All the while, he writes that all of these other writers have gotten things wrong or misinterpreted things. He is the one who misinterpreted the area, misunderstood Taliesin, Wright's family, and Wright's background.
   
   If you want to know about Wright, read Meryle Secrest's biography. If you want to know about Taliesin I, get _Taliesin 1911-1914: Wright Studies, volume I_, ed. Narciso Menocal (this will also provide you with a Taliesin I floor plan). If you want to read about Wright's relationship with Mamah Borthwick, read Nancy Horan's book, _Loving Frank_. It's historical fiction that is better researched than _Death in a Prairie House_.



4. The book was in excellent condition and shipped in good time. I believe it arrived even before the forecasted delivery date.



5. This books gives an account of the tragic event and the circumstances surrounding it -- the murder of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, her two children and other members of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright's household at Taliesin, his sprawling hillside home near Spring Green, Wisconsin.
   
   The book is a work of non-fiction; it gives the reader as detailed a portrait of the tragedy as possible, now, nearly a century later.
   
   William Drennan's account of the events takes a closer and more scientific approach to the fire and murders than heretofore. Mrs. Cheney and her son and daughter, along with members of the Taliesin household, were having lunch when the disaster occurred. A servant set fire to the house, and as the frightened residents attempted to flee, he killed many and wounded others using an axe. Word reached both Mr. Wright and Mr. Cheney in Chicago, at about the same time; they took the same train up to Wisconsin, still unsure of who had lived, who had died, and what might have precipitated the disaster.
   
   In earlier biographies of Wright, none of the authors analyzed Taliesin's features--floor plans, doors, windows and courtyards--with an eye toward reconciling the sequence of events as witnessed by the survivors. Drennan remedies their oversight and in so doing, shows Wright scholars and aficionados, as well as the general reader, what probably occurred on that sad day. If you enjoy history, true-crime, or are simply a fan of Wright, you will not want to miss reading this book.

No comments about Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation.

5 comments about The Art of Looking Sideways.

1. The only book that I have ever bought that compares to the is Gary Larson's The Complete Far Side.
   
   They both have pride of place beside the toilet. Visitors can pick this book up, open it anywhere and be enlightened, amused or amazed.



2. All the scraps of thoughts, quotes, illustrations, art, and scientific insights all blend into a very nice amalgam of a book. I didn't read it from cover to cover, but rather opened up somewhere random and read different pieces. The randomness of all the inspirational thoughts allows for this type of reading - I think it actually makes the book even better. It almost works as the mind itself: getting bits and pieces of information to juggle with really gets your creative juices flowing.
   A must have, and must-random-read, for everyone in the creative industries and arts sector. Not sure about what other people should do with it.



3. This book is a tour de force of creativity and it is suitable for everyone, not just graphic designers. Each page is so thick and rich that you shouldn't browse through it. I highly recommend you limit yourself to 1 page a day so you can absorb and digest what it contains. It is a stunning whack of creativity that you need to take slowly. Over time this book will help you to see and to think in different ways and with significantly more "creativity".
   
   If you consider yourself to be a creative person you absolutely, positively, have to get this book. It will change you.



4. the book is big, heavy and has a confusing layout(page numbers refer to spreads, not individual pages) Some pages are printed with black type on darkblue or gray making them almost unreadable (including the index which also has numbers smaller than most eye charts.) There is no index and little way to get back to something you found before without post-its. Yet for all its drawbacks, it's a fascinating compendium of design ideas - ideas in general. Great price for this much imagery. And if one has even a bit of leisure to peruse books for what just might pop out, this would be a good one to have.



5. The product was shipped the next day and got to me quickly. The book is awesome and was in perfect condition when I got it. Thanks!