5 comments about New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing.

1. This is a wonderful book and method, along with small part on theory, for young people, young adults. Great exercises. Helped me a lot to get into art, to learn to drawn, to turn off the left side of the brain analytical chatter. I feel it is an excellent method and recommend it very much. Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator's Guidebook



2. Purchased the book as I can not draw. I did the first exercise and
   it looked like George Washington (self Portrait), the second drawing
   looked like me! The book keeps getting better. I am very impressed
   with just the workbook! However I did buy the book to go with it.



3. Betty Edwards' exercises are the bread and butter of a beginning drawing course. Don't neglect a single one! For most beginners I like to buy this workbook rather than the whole book; it's less daunting, and presents the exercises in a nice, easy to follow way.
   
   I have my doubts about the plastic picture plane thing; it's a handy tool, but I wonder if someone might get too dependent on using it. What it's best for is learning how to flatten an image in your mind, after which you can dispense with the tool except when you're using it to hone your skills.
   
   I recommend doing the exercises on separate paper. For one thing, the paper that the book is printed on is not of the best quality. For another, you may want to save your work for gifts or something; some of the drawings will turn out quite nice. And finally, you may want to go through the notebook many times. It pays to buy a nice Moleskine drawing notebook-I like A4 size, which gives some attractive white space around the viewfinder-rectangle. A few loose pages with more tooth to them would also be handy to have around for charcoal and conte crayon drawing.
   
   You will want at least one ink drawing pen which is not mentioned in the list of materials in the front.
   
   What this book will do for a beginner is teach them how to see, then how to record what they see without the analytical brain getting in the way. It will show them that an artist's skills are learned, not inborn, which is a huge component of developing confidence. In short, this is the necessary first step to learning how to draw.



4. This workbook plus the book I bought with it are very helpful. I surprised myself at how well I did by following the instructions in the book. Anyone that is not the greatest artist will benefit from this book and you have fun while learning.



5. I ordered this book new and it arrived in a larger than necessary box with a damaged cover. The pages themselves seem undamaged. The cover had scratches, indents, signs of crushing, and parts of the cover art flaking off. This is indeed a work book. There are detailed exercises and each exercise has pages for your practice so you can look book on your work and see how you progressed. In spite of the damaged cover, I am pleased overall. The book was order after noon on Saturday and arrived before 11AM on the following Wednesday with standard shipping. The exercises cover several mediums. I may not invest in the other mediums and simply use pencil for all of the exercises because the nearest art supply store to me is about 40 minutes away. Not worth the fuel.

5 comments about Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters (Bright Ideas for Learning).

1. A few of the projects in this book looked like they could potentially be fun, but overall the book is not very visually appealing. If each page had a famous art work in color that the kids could appreciate, and there were some sample kids' creations in color as well that kids and parents could look at, I think it would have made a world of difference. None of the projects really jumped out at me. There are lot of other books that do a much better job of what I expect the author of this book was trying to do. Instead check out the Art Explorers series by Joyce Raimondo or look at some of the Usborne art titles.



2. Its a complete source. The activities and info of artist its easy to do and understand. Great for teachers or parents.



3. I continually use this book and the ideas within it. I can make a lesson fit my preschool class or my art class of fifteen year olds. The ideas are fresh, fun and engaging.



4. I have to agree with the other people who posted about the pictures in the book. If they were in color, this book would be a masterpiece. But as it is, the black and white really takes away from the art. You cannot ask a child to look at a black and white picture and then try to recreate the work. It has good information on the artists and the methods used, but other than that I would NOT recommend this book to anyone.



5. I appreciate the way in which the material was presented. I found a number of great, new ideas to use with my troop. I learned a few things myself. A wonderful resource for any rainy day.

5 comments about Ish.

1. I ordered this book for my two year old on an Amazon recommendation. We read it three times today! What an amazing book! Firstly, it is beautiful. I love the illustrations. And secondly, the story is just, well, perfect-ish. I paint and draw with my daughter often, and I just love the message of ish. I don't often review on Amazon, but just had to give my two thumbs up.



2. Peter Reynolds never disappoints. This book is a must read for any child that can appreciate a little artistic encouragement.



3. I absolutely love the idea of this story and the execution! What a wonderful way to inspire children (and adults!) to simply indulge whatever creative outlet you want, no matter what it "looks" like. Does it feel right? Are you enjoying the creative process?
   
   I thought the illustrations fit the text perfectly, and that the text was simple but got across plenty of information and expression - the beauty is in the simplicity.
   
   I docked one star simply because the sibling relationships were, at times, a tad too typical for me. The younger sister's insights are priceless, but the initial interactions between the siblings were, I felt, a draw back (this said, I know I'm lucky that I have a fantastic relationship with my sister, so perhaps I'm simply spoiled, but, you know...)
   
   Anyway, for a story about creativity and freedom of expression this is tops! Highly recommended!!
   
   ETA: I thought I should highlight Mr. Reynolds comment to this review, since he explains the sibling relationship. Thanks, Mr. Reynolds, for caring about your work so much!!
   
   Peter H. Reynolds said: "Many thanks for your kind words about "Ish." I appreciate your comments about Ramon and Marisol's relationship. "Typical" I translate as "universal" - in the sense that we all can understand the possibility of a younger sister looking up to her brother - and the fact that a boy at that age may be going through issues - figuring out who he is - and be a bit of a blunder-head when dealing with the feelings of others. I grew up in a family of seven - and while we all loved each other, we had plenty of sparks flying.
   
   Your overall thumbs up on the "mission" of the story made me very happy. Thanks for helping share that mission with others!"



4. This is a wonderful book that is inspirational to readers young and old. The illustrations are beautiful, completed in water color. I bought this as an author study book - my students had read "The Dot" by the same author/illustrator. Both books are a treasure. I think we have all felt at some point that we are not good at something, and both books encourage children to think in a different way and view the world from another perspective.



5. This is now my new favorite book of all times! Every teacher needs to read this and have a copy!

5 comments about The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition].

1. A lot of people rave about this book. I don't really get it. It feels a little bit like the 12-step program, and the author's thoughts are a little bit disorganized. I feel there are better books today on the subject. For general information about creativity, I prefer "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink. And for a more practical how-to book on creativity: "The Creative Advantage Book" by Guillaume Wolf. The Creative Advantage Book: Unleash Your Creativity And Change The World!



2. Great service on shipping this item and it is definitely what I was looking for by way of both quality and quick service. The book is somewhat worn (having first been purchased by its original owner some time in 1997 which I know from a receipt tucked into the middle), but that is understandable due to age AND the book seller had already listed the product description accordingly. I love ordering books that intrigue me for a reasonable price!



3. The item when received was exactly as described, in perfect condition and it arrived quickly. I was very pleased with my experience.



4. Hello!
   I am not finished yet reading the book The Artist's Way, but I already found out that
   the recommendations and lines given in the workshop to de-block helped me a lot to
   start again with a new poem. However, it is not only the reading of that book that
   helps. Walking in nature and claming your inner voice is very important.
   Regards,
   Astrid Dewancker



5. The Artist's Way is a profound exploration into creative recovery. Never before have I found a book that is so aligned with my own person value system, and never before has book so immensely impacted my life in a positive way. In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron has developed a life-changing 12-week course in discovering the meaning of life.
   
   I've always known that my creativity is the life force that drives me, but I have never understood why I was so intensely blocked. From the first few pages of The Artist's Way, I knew I had stumbled into a course that was going to take me deeper into discovering things about myself that I had never previously understood. Fundamental to success in the course are two foundational elements: The Morning Pages and Artist Dates. The Morning Pages are three hand-written daily journal pages written first things in the morning, a stream-of-consciousness purging of problems, fears, concerns, hopes, dreams, and anything else that consumes the mind. The Artist Date is a weekly excursion to be taken alone with the intention of refilling the mind with new ideas and revitalization after a week of creative effort.
   
   Cameron's approach to creativity is rooted in spirituality, and her concepts are dependent upon acceptance of some higher power, who she refers to as The Great Creator. According to Cameron, everyone has access to the creative flow of the universe, and being creative is inherent in our nature. Understanding the root causes of blocked creativity (fear, upbringing, society, stereotypes, misperceptions) is the first step in becoming unblocked.
   
   Over the course of 12-weeks, Cameron forces her readers into some of their darkest places, uncovering and acknowledging demons that have molded them into the fearful and doubtful individuals they are today. Through a series of therapeutic writing exercises and other activities, these issues are dealt with head-on. Cameron explores the concept of the Censor, the inner voice that tells us we are not talented, original, or worthy of a creative life. The Artist's Way teaches its readers how to recognize and silence those debilitating thoughts.
   
   As I proceeded through the 12-weeks of the course, I found myself astonished at how accurately my own creative recovery reflected the stages in the book. From week to week, I was amazed at how Cameron's essays seemed to speak directly to the exact point at which I had arrived in my own creative recovery. Prior to this course, I felt that I had no time to accomplish anything. Having finished the course, I find myself rising early and writing every morning and ending each day by painting. I have learned to love and appreciate the process of creating without focusing on the end product of my work. Additionally, finding satisfaction in my own creativity has had a profound physical impact as well. I've lost weight, am exercising more, and enjoying life more than ever. This is the best book I have ever read.

5 comments about Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series).

1. It's easy to do one lab a day, and see the improvement. It's fun, and it's thorough. Out of all the drawing books I'd recommend for mixed media artists, this one would come first.



2. This book is chalk FULL of ideas. I, too, am an artist that gets freaked out about serious drawings and, hence, SELDOM if EVER sketch. Then I bought this delightful book, brought it on vacation and I cannot STOP doodling and drawing. I see these new lines appearing in my large scale paintings. I am enjoying my style of lines (where before I was just embarrassed that I could not make a nose look like a "nose") and organically my style of noses is emerging. Carla has revolutionized sketching, expanding possibilities and creating a multitude of inviting, intriguing and always playful entry points that call out the inner artist in everybody! Thanks Carla!



3. Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists is a must for any artist. It's fun and inspirational. So if you feel like you've hit a creative block or wall, this book is for you. It has great ideas, photos, and artists which will make you want to pick up your pens and brushes and create something!



4. I bought this book on a whim and took it on vacation to the mountains where I proceeded to be COMPLETELY enthralled! I am a graphic designer and over the past 7 or 8 years I have lost touch with my pencil and have been feeling its absence so I decided to purchase this book. Occasionally I doodle or draw with my children, but rarely am able to find enough time to sit down and enjoy a project the way I used to in art school or before. This book made it possible for me! I sat by the creek with this book and was able to do some of the simple, but useful (and FUN!) exercises with nothing but my sketch pad and a set of Micron Sakura pens. It was HEAVENLY. And did I say fun? Even though the exercises seemed simple, I came out with some really beautiful and meaningful pieces of work (some silly ones, too- I drew a monster for maybe the first time ever). For example, I did some blind drawings (you draw without looking at your paper so they come out loose and wonderfully weird) of my family members, which I love and capture a surprising likeness even though it took me less than a minute to draw them. This book takes me back to the part of art school I loved and offers a fun, inspiring environment to draw and create. This book also gave me some ideas I can do with my 8 year old daughter who loves to draw which are refreshingly different from your average craft projects and really focus on drawing (she especially enjoyed the blind drawings- lots of giggling). The exercises are simple and encourage you not to be intimidated by the empty paper- THEY GIVE YOU A PLACE TO START with room for interpretation. It was also great realizing I didn't need lots of art supplies to make something important or fulfilling to me - however, I look forward to exploring some of the more in-depth suggestions, such as collage work. I LOVE this book and plan to buy it for my artist friends. Perfect for a wide range of ages, abilities, and time constraints.



5. Carla Sonheim is an artist and creativity workshop instructor known for her fun and innovative projects and techniques designed to help adult students recover a more spontaneous, playful approach to creating. Her innovative ideas are now collected and elaborated on in this unique volume.
   
   Carla offers a year's worth of assignments, projects, ideas, and techniques that will introduce more creativity and nonsense into your art and life. Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists offers readers a fun way to learn and gain expertise in drawing through experimentation and play. There is no right or wrong result, yet, the readers gain new skills and confidence, allowing them to take their work to a new level.
   
   Review: This book is by far one of my most favorite inspirational books ever! I will be telling every librarian and teacher I know about this awesome collection of super fun and creative lessons. I love the fact that most of these labs can be done by a wide variety of ages and that there is really no right or wrong way to do it.
   
   A few of my favorite lessons include:
   
   Picasso Dogs...very easy to follow instructions that will result in each participant ending up with there own version of a Picasso Dog...AWESOME!
   
   Sidewalk Crack Drawing...can you look at a crack in a sidewalk and imagine all the different shapes of animals you see? This fun lab will show you all the steps to create fun imaginative creatures that will end up good enough to frame!
   
   Ugh, those are only two of many, many! Through out the book the author also has pages where she features various artists and their own unique styles...my favorite? Gustavo Aimar...
   
   *Fresh and imaginative ideas
   *Clear instructions with room for your twist
   * Lots of pictures and inspiration
   *plus a whole lot more!!!
   
   I can't recommend this book enough for people who love to be creative, who want to be creative or anyone who is looking for creative inspiration!
   
   Ummmm can you tell I like it??? YES!

5 comments about The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists.

1. Quiet your internal debate about whether or not it's moral to seduce innocent women with geek engineered routines and dime store psychology. Cast aside your objection that this book is not a money-back-guaranteed do-it-yourself guide to making yourself irresistible to every woman that happens to glance in your direction. And don't spend your time trying to figure out whether all of the tales are true or what slice of the pie is exaggerated. None of that matters!
   
   What Neil Strauss has penned is quite simply one of the most engaging and entertaining books I have read in a long time. Conjuring up some of the imagery of Chuck Palinick's pop-culture juggernaught Fight Club (a character who calls himself Tyler Durden, an attempt of like-minded individuals to join together named Project Hollywood, and even a female foil - Katya instead of Marla) and mixed with a little bit of the Matrix (people living in an alternate reality, the difference between knowing the path and walking the pat), Strauss' writing is succienct, slick, and expressive. You quickly get the feeling that he uses just enough words to express his idea and not a single word more. The rhythm of his writing is hypnotic yet uptempo and there was hardly a chapter's end that didn't propel me headlong into the next.
   
   Beyond Strauss' writing acumen, you have a cast of characters that start off as sub-normal misfits and by the end are transformed into surreal, self-styled demagogues, bowing at alters to themselves. However, the transformation is gradual. Strauss does an amazing job of drawing you into his hyper-sexual Wonderland, creating real, dynamic multi-dimensional characters from people that you might otherwise not like and making them likable. As the protagonist, you have an anti-hero who transforms himself into a hero, but for the wrong reasons; his mentor, a tall, skinny, talented wannabe magician with serious intimacy issues and suicidal tendencies; the antagonist, a squirrelly former friend who is a master manipulator; and the love interest, the only woman whom our protagonist cannot charm with his superpowers. And of course, Courtney Love shows up!
   
   If you set aside your assumptions of what this book is supposed to be about, you will find a gem of a story; a story of transformation, a story of love, a story of friendship and a story of overcoming. It's not in the wrapper that you might expect to find it, but it's there... and I enjoyed every page of it.
   
   Can't wait for the movie!



2. There's a good chance I wouldn't have believed some of the extreme claims made in this book if I hadn't seen VH1's reality show, The Pickup Artist, first. Whether you believe it or not, Neil Strauss' The Game is a fun and hilarious book that will suck you in and keep you reading until you hit the back cover.
   
   The gist of the book is as follows: Neil Strauss is asked by an editor to investigate the underground PUA (pick-up artist) community. Like most people, Strauss doubted that he would find anything legitimate, but decided to look into the assignment, partly out of self-interest. After learning some PUA techniques from Mystery, creator of the Mystery Method of seduction and perhaps the greatest PUA, and finding some success, Strauss takes on the alias "Style" and totally immerses himself in the lifestyle. Style uses the skills honed by years of writing and journalism to study the many schools of seduction and eventually emerges as one of the world's greatest pick-up artists, rivaling and perhaps even surpassing Mystery.
   
   Strauss packs in plenty of hilarious details about the encounters of various PUA's in many different situations, various episodes concerning Mystery and his emotional and mental disturbances, and the events leading up to the collapse of Mystery's ambitious Project Hollywood. Most importantly, Strauss provides his own insightful commentary on all the things the PUA community has completely wrong, namely the misogynistic tendencies of many PUA's, the lack of originality and individual thought amongst PUA's and the complete absence of any "techniques" for staying in healthy, long-term relationships.
   
   Despite Mystery's self-defeating personality, the lawlessness of Project Hollywood and having a large number of PUA's turn against him, Style manages to keep his head on straight and even lands himself the girl of his dreams-without using any seduction techniques (they have quite the opposite effect, actually)!
   
   Even if you don't believe in the powers of the pick-up artist, this book is worth checking out if only for Strauss' wonderful story of developing confidence in himself and finding happiness. And if you do think there is something to this seduction thing, then this book is a good starting point for learning some things and how to not let yourself get carried away.
   
   [Disclosure: This review also appears on [...], a site for review and discussion of creative works.]



3. If you're not familiar with The-Easy-Way books, they are an educational series that turns any body of knowledge into a story for edutainment purposes. That's what this is. It's not a manual. If you pick it up as a manual, you are wasting your time. It is an entertaining experience with many scattered tidbits of advice that changes your perspective enough to make a difference in the Pickup world.
   
   Without revealing the plot or turning this into an essay, you can expect a very deep encounter with human nature from both collective and female perspectives. The narrative ease is dazzling, shuffling from first person to dialog to stories. Without a doubt there is no substitute for a talented writer who has transformed himself by visiting the outer limits of human psychology to undisputably dominate the battlefield.



4. I don't like this book; it's too strange. If you are looking for a "how to" book, "Secrets of the A Game: How to Meet and Attract Women Anywhere, Anyplace, Anytime" is much better.



5. This book was well worth the money. It is beautifully written that keeps you interested and slightly giddy. It's an amazing book that can help you become the thing every afc has ever wanted to be a pua.

5 comments about A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

1. Here we have the life of Stephen Dedalus before we meet him in the Telemachus episode of Ulysses. The most riveting section of the book is Stephen's decision to speak up to the rector about being wrongly accused about the breaking of his glasses. Stephen seems so powerless, facing the unyielding bulk of the Irish Catholic church. I cringe along with him as he makes his way slowly along the passage-way towards the rector's office to seek a reprieve and justice.
   
   Joyce is a master of the intensely subjective point of view, allowing the reader into the head of a charactor but also just enough outside to gain the perspective necessary to understand the character's environment. In his effects, Joyce is unyielding and yet the immediacy is so great that I become intensely absorbed in the moment before being thrown outside and lost, required to then work harder at understanding than I thought was necessary.
   
   While there is greatness here, after reading Ulysses it feels like a warm-up, without the imaginative leaps and greatness of scope of that novel. Yet "Portrait" also introduces the reader to the author of Ulysses - his preoccupations, his prejudices against the church and ambivalence towards much of Irish culture.



2. No worries. It's not Ulysses. No footnotes needed. Read it the way Nature (assuming Nature were a profane Irish genius with lousy eyesight) intended.



3. In PAAYM we have the artist-hero,given a mythical name,Dedalus.There is really only one character,Stephen himself, and we see the world through his consciousness, other characters only impinge upon his mind. The girl,E.C., whom Stephen watches on the beach provides him with the epiphany that determines him to be an artist..There is an arrogance to the title,the mythicisation,the ambition:"to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race".But this is accepted by the reader who has been taken through the developing stages of his consciousness.Stephen becomes Daedalus,the master-craftsman who in his daring and ambition partook of the Promethean.
   
   Joyce gives a precise portrait of the artist as a young man,with the tension between his ambition and what,in the novel,he has actually achieved:the novel as dramatic poem.Like the `God of creation',Joyce is quite outside this and`remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible,refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his finger-nails.'There is a struggle against forces-family,Church and state-that threaten to stifle his development.Concomitant with the movement outward from Ireland,is the movement downward into myth.On a superficial level Stephen is dissociating himself;on a deeper level he is becoming a creature of myth.This decision-systemization-led onto Ulysses.Stephen Daly became Stephen Dedalus.Joyce was determined to emerge from the groove of previous literature.
   
   He gives the picture of infant consciousness,with tastes,touches and smells all distinct if not yet understood.The narrative is not sequential but a hodgepodge of memories due to Stephen's fever,early schooldays,holidays at home, rendered discontinuously and with intensity.The great injustice inflicted by Father Dolan makes Stephen a victim, who becomes heroic,whose protest against unjust pandying at a Jesuit school is a prelude to larger protests against Church and State.Joyce makes his (and modernism's) 1st employment of interior monologue,the stream-of-consciousness technique,moving through a range of more complex styles,which chronicle the development of his consciousness and culminates in meditations on the aesthetics of Aristotle and Aquinas and a commitment to an art based on`silence,exile and cunning'.The novel becomes a manifesto for the task of Ulysses.
   
   The novel brings out well that his rebellion against Irish life and R/C religion did not stop their deep influence,substituting art for religion;and turning ideas of mass and substantiation into the `epiphany' of literature,everyday life into art:'the spiritual eye seeks to adjust its vision to an exact focus'.Passionate intellectual argumentation has remarkable emotional force.He renders the'luminous silent stasis of aesthetic pleasure..the supreme quality of beauty,the clear radiance of the aesthetic image..arrested by its wholeness..fascinated by its harmony..the enchantment of the heart'.That Joyce lived out the conclusion of the novel's `non serviam' vow increases his achievement of the non-juring exile of extreme self sufficiency in his encounter with `the reality of experience'.Because he is dealing with the prurient Victorian world of his adolescence the preoccupation with guilt and fear and growing sexuality play a major part:a sermon on hell,a visit to a prostitute,masturbation.
   
   Joyce's poems are like songs,he had an auditory imagination,he was a singer:Joyce lived in a world of words,words as sounds,divorced that is from meaning,using verbal association.There is the hypnotic use of repetition,chains of association are built up,words of sensory significance deliberately used to work on our subconscious minds.The relationship develops between author and object rather than author and reader.This equates the prose with the experience or replaces the experience with the prose.This makes the work self-conscious,deliberate,stylistically akin to Flaubert.He captures subjective experience through language rather than the actual experience through prose narrative(Cf.Stephen Hero).I prefer this and Dubliners to Ulysses.



4. First of all, this is not really a stream of consciousness novel. Ulysses is. This is a semi-autobiographical novel detailing the rather uninteresting youth of a turn of the century Irish boy. Perhaps if I had lived at that time this book would be more meaningful, but in 2010 there is nothing controversial about doubting the infallibility of the Catholic church or the existence of God. This question is one of the main themes of the book, as well as a sort of semi-existentialist quest for the boy to define himself as an artist or whatever. Well, the existentialist debate has been better offered by superior authors from Dostoevsky to Camus, and Joyce falls flat here. The other main subject which Joyce attempts to invoke is some of the political divisions in Ireland. He uses a few characters to try and personify the rivaling political factions of the nation at that time. However, this attempt is short-lived, and it also falls flat.
   The one gimmick Joyce used which I found mildly interesting was the use of different language as the boy grows older. So the book starts off with some laughable dribble about a "moocow" and a "nicens little boy named baby tuckoo," and ends with Joyce trying to parody the "Hail Mary" (again, the played-out religious themes).
   Did I mention how boring this book is? Nothing of interest happens. Terrible book. Avoid at all costs. Read Nabokov instead.



5. Joyce's prose is the closest thing to a hybrid of narration and poetry that I've experienced. I read this when I was in my twenties and have never fully recovered. Bliss.

5 comments about Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade.

1. Spring,an exceptional biographer, has taken a look at a relatively unknown life, and through its exploration has revealed not only a life ardently lived, but one which illuminates the lives of so many others. I look forward to Spring's next work.



2. Who knew? Thanks to Justin Spring we have a whole new real-life character from the 20th century. This is an excellent book.



3. This is a wonderful and important biographical work. Because of the historically risqué subject matter - fluid and often violent gay male sexuality, tattoo subculture, pornography - many such lives have been willfully forgotten or forcibly closeted by historians. However, with perseverance and a bit of luck, Justin Spring discovered and had unprecedented access to Samuel Stewart's personal archives. As a result we have this amazingly documented and fascinating life story. I only wish it had gone on for another 500 pages. Well done.



4. I knew I was going to enjoy this biography from its first page. Spring writes, "I first came across Steward's name in the gay pulp fiction archive and database at the John Hay Special Collections Library at Brown University..." The gay pulp fiction archive?! Immediately readers know they're in for a ride.
   
   Samuel Steward (aka Donald Bishop, Thomas Cave, John McAndrews, Phil Sparrow, Ward Stames, Phil Andros) was a poet, novelist, Catholic English professor, tattoo artist, gay pornographer, friend of Gertrude Stein and Alice Tolkas, and a key contributor to Alfred Kinsey's sex research. Justin Spring has rescued this astonishing character from oblivion, giving him the break he never got in what Steward described as "my happily wasted life."
   
   This biography is definitely not for the gentle reader. Steward's prodigious sexual escapades from the 30s through the 80s made my few remaining hairs stand on end. Sailors, thugs, underage hustlers, Rudolph Valentino, Thorton Wilder, students, policemen, ex-cons, priests and one Hells Angel, scripted orgies, brutal S/M sessions: all were documented in his meticulous "Stud File." Almost despite himself, quiet little Steward was a defiant, transgressive artist to his core, surviving repression, literary rejection, AIDS, alcoholism and depression with a staggering sense of aplomb. One favorite example (that will only mean something to gay readers of a certain age): in his late 50s, Steward's favorite paid partner was "one very talented and extraordinarily good-looking hustler who later took the porn name of Johnny Hardin... Between late 1966 and 1970 Steward had sex with him 155 times." Now there is a fun fact to know and tell.



5. The great achievement of this book is that it's so meticulously researched but also a wonderful read. A truly engaging account of a fascinating, singular life.
   
   --Craig Seymour, author of All I Could Bare: My Life in the Strip Clubs of Gay Washington, D.C.

5 comments about The Kill Artist.

1. "The Kill Artists" tells the story of Gabriel Alon, a former Israeli agent who has retired to a life of an art restorer, his former cover which became his occupation. Alon is called back for duty one last time to stop an old enemy who is on a murderous spree before he leaves this world. The story takes place in Europe, US, Canada and Israel and has many twists and turns where no character is left unharmed.
   
   The book if an easy read, fast and a page turner even though somewhat predictable, yet it does have its surprises. The author does try to present several sides of the mid-East issues but doesn't delve into any issues of take sides (almost a bullet point presentation summed up in a few paragraphs). There are no "good" or "bad" guys in this book, which is one reason I liked it, the Israelis fight with the same immoral conviction as their Palestinian counterparts - and both believe they are right an stand on a higher moral ground than their opponent.
   
   The characters in the book are somewhat cliché, a supermodel spy who is used to entice enemies, a tortured reluctant hero, an enemy who feels justified, SOB directors and more.
   
   It is a well written spy novel, filled with details in all the right places as well as several characters from Silva's previous novels and wonderful political popcorn for those of us that care. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.



2. This starts off the series of Gabriel Allon and sets a lot of the background, but leaves you hungering to find out more about his past. A real cliff hanger in the end.



3. I was looking for a new series to fall in love with when I read the reviews for The Kill Artist. I purchased this book, hoping I wouldn't be disappointed, and I wasn't!!! I absolutely fell in love with the main character, Gabriel Allon, and I couldn't put the book down! Before I even finished the first book, I went and purchased the second and third so they would be ready for me to start as soon as I was done with the first. I am now reading the fourth book in the series, A Death in Vienna, and I still can't put the series down! I have recommended it to several of my friends and they too have fallen in love with the Allon series!
   
   The books are written in a way that keeps you wanting more and keeps you hooked. I love the flashbacks that connect the pieces of Gabriel's past to the current, little by little his past is revealed and gives you an understanding of why he is the way he is. The character is continually developed throughout the books, allowing the reader to continually grow closer to him. I think this is why I fell in love with the character. Yes, he's mysterious and doesn't let people in easily, but you can't help but love him when the author reveals him the way he does.
   
   The writing is superb! I was hooked after two chapters! The details he describes, the research that goes into each book is tremendous. You always have the feeling that the author is educated on the subject he is writing about. Gabriel is an art restorer, and the descriptions of the paintings, their locations, and the knowledge behind WWII and the involvement of the Swiss in hiding art masterpieces that were taken from the Jews during the war (which comes into play in the 2nd book, The English Assassin), and the knowledge of the structure of the Vatican (the 3rd book, The Confessor) are all perfect in the design and description in the books and I expect the same in the last books in the series. The spy tactics, procedures, and terrorist organizations are all elements that had to be researched and developed. Daniel Silva does an amazing job detailing each event and idea correctly, leading the reader to be more engaged because they know what the background of the story is. Daniel explains each detail so the reader doesn't get lost, making it a more enjoyable read.
   
   I absolutely love this book and love this series! I would recommend it to everyone! I do recommend reading the books in order, as old characters reappear and you will get lost if you don't know the back story. I plan on finishing the series soon and will likely re-read the books in the next year because I enjoyed them so much!
   
   The order of the Series:
   
   1. The Kill Artist
   2. The English Assassin
   3. The Confessor
   4. A Death in Vienna
   5. Prince of Fire
   6. The Messenger
   7. The Secret Servant
   8. Moscow Rules
   9. The Defector



4. "The Kill Artist" tells the story of Gabriel Alon, a former Israeli agent who has retired to a life of an art restorer, his former cover which became his occupation. Alon is called back for duty one last time to stop an old enemy who is on a murderous spree before he leaves this world. The story takes place in Europe, US, Canada and Israel and has many twists and turns where no character is left unharmed.
   
   The book if an easy read, fast and a page turner even though somewhat predictable, yet it does have its surprises. The author does try to present several sides of the mid-East issues but doesn't delve into any issues of take sides (almost a bullet point presentation summed up in a few paragraphs). There are no "good" or "bad" guys in this book, which is one reason I liked it, the Israelis fight with the same immoral conviction as their Palestinian counterparts - and both believe they are right an stand on a higher moral ground than their opponent.
   
   The characters in the book are somewhat cliché, a supermodel spy who is used to entice enemies, a tortured reluctant hero, an enemy who feels justified, SOB directors and more.
   
   It is a well written spy novel, filled with details in all the right places as well as several characters from Silva's previous novels and wonderful political popcorn for those of us that care. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.



5. I'm not really a fan of the spy genre, regardless of medium (the rebooted Bond series is OK in my book, and I've read a little bit of le Carre, but that's about as deep as my well of experience runs), but The Kill Artist knocked me on my ass with a mixture of surprising, subtle complexity, believable ethical ambiguity in some of its characters, and a surprising lack of political bias. My one complaint might be that this novel is almost unbiased to a fault (almost was the operative word there, I had to go looking for an issue with this book to find one) and may leave people with little knowledge of the historical background involved with the impression that one side of the conflict it explores has more of a point than reality might otherwise suggest-it sort of goes without saying that opinions about that will differ, and thankfully the book's relative objectivity will ensure that political bias on the reader's part only needs to be an issue if the reader is desperate to make it one.

4 comments about Body Work.

1. It's a little difficult to describe Sara Paretsky's on-going V I Warshawski series to someone who's new to her work. Paretsky has been writing the Warshawski series for about 20 years or so, as well as at least one stand-alone book. Her writing, her characters, her settings, her crimes are unlike any other contemporary mystery writer I've read.
   
   Her latest, "Body Work", is not an easy book to read. I think it's the edgiest of all her novels; the center around whom the story revolves is a "body artist", working out of a Chicago night-club. The "body artist", called here "the Body Artist" is a murky figure who allows customers to paint on her naked body. The images are sent world-wide on a web-cam. The plot of "Body Work" has the standard murders, bad guys, the internet, the war in Iraq, a Blackwater-like company which provides mercenary services in Iraq, sexuality issues, and many more plot points. Paretsky does a good job in laying out the plot and then tidily cleaning it all up again. But in the background of the plot are the issues of V I Warshawski herself.
   
   Vic is a long-time private-eye in Chicago. She's gone through many cases, ably written up by Sara Paretsky, who brings her character along in personal development in each book. Many of the same characters show up in the books; Vic's family members, her neighbor-and-protector, Mr Contreras, various friends and lovers, and, of course, her two dogs, Mitch and Peppy. Paretsky has brought her character from a hard-scrabble childhood as the only child of a Polish Catholic policeman-father and an Italian Jewish opera singer-mother. Her first books were set in that odd Chicago area of the southeast side of Chicago, with the various ethnic groups jockeying for space. The power of Paretsky's writing, in those books, was the diversity Chicago is known for. The settings of the later books have moved to the northside of Chicago and the villains have subtly changed to large corporations - Blackwater, Wal-Mart - who are a blight on our society, in Paretsky's view. (She's not wrong). She regularly brings up societal issues not examined in other fiction.
   
   I felt this book was a little over-written. It could have been a little shorter and more concise. Of course, I'm comparing it to her back-list. It is a good book and an enjoyable one, particularly for long-time Paretsky fans.



2. At Chicago's in Club Gouge, private investigator V.I. Warshawski is watching her troublesome younger cousin Petra. On stage, trendy performance artist Karen "The Body Artist" Buckley encourages her audience to join her in order to use her naked body as a canvas to paint on. One participant draws an elaborate design on the back of Karen; however, Iraqi War veteran Chad Vishneski is outraged with the picture and lets everyone knows as he shouts profanities.
   
   Two nights later, the "Body Artist" whose body painting caused the outburst is shot dead near Club Gouge. The police name Chad a person of interest. His concerned estranged parents hire Warshawski to prove their troubled son did not kill the woman. Her inquiry drifts back and forth between the Chicago war zone and the Middle East theaters of operation, but each step the detective takes seems filled with IEDs.
   
   The latest Warshawski Hardball noir is a strong entry as the kick butt sleuth takes no prisoners while working the mean streets of Chicago's North Side. Action packed and tough on the case yet sensitive in her personal relationships, fans of the long running series will conclude V.I. Warshawski (and Sara Paretsky) still has it.
   
   Harriet Klausner



3. This is one of the better V. I. Warshawski novels that the author has produced. At least, in the recent past. V. I. is in a "seedy" nightclub where her cousin Petra is waiting tables. This particular nightclub has a star performer known as the Body Artist. The performer appears on stage nude (although she has on a thong) and the audience paints on her body. One of the painters Nadia has incited the anger of one of the observers Chad. In the near future Nadia is killed in the parking lot of the nightclub, V. I. is first at her side and later Chad is arrested for her murder. Chad has been found in his apartment bed suffering from a drug od and the murder weapon is found on the bed beside him. Chad's parents come to V. I. for help in proving that Chad is innocent. There is alot of information about the Iraq war and about civilian security forces in Iraq. A very interesting and fast paced book.



4. I've been reading the V.I. Warshawski series for years and while they've always been good reads, the last few have just been phenomenal. Last year's HARDBALL was one of my top reads of the year, and this one will be on my list this year. I know some people consider this series too "political", but that's what draws me to it. I like a book that makes me think and examine my opinions. No matter what your take on the Iraqi war is, I guarantee this book will make you think about it! Kudos, Ms. Paretsky!