3 comments about You Me and Apollo: Hope Beyond Bipolar Disorder.

1. J.D. Stottlemire takes us into the surreal world of a mind with Bipolar Disorder. Woven into one man's journey through life is a fascinating comparison to the Apollo 13 mission. Readers of this book will gather insights into the inner sanctum of a brilliant mind, a mind with "a hidden flaw."
   
   This is an eloquently written account of a very personal struggle with Bipolar. Stottlemire humbles himself with grace and style and leaves the reader with real hope that they too can understand and get through the challenges. For all those whose lives have been shattered and broken by Bipolar, I urge you to read this book.



2. I never write book review becuase (well...frankly, I'm too lazy)but after reading Apollo I had to get off my duff and tell everyone what a great book this is. Informative, witty, an easy, quick read. If you don't personally know someone who would benefit from this book buy a copy to donate to your local hospital, mental health center, jail or library!!!!
   This is the kind of book that could save a life.



3. I just finished my third reading of this honest and hope-filled true story by J.D. Stottlemire. With each reading, I have felt a deepening of my awareness about Bipolar Disorder, as well as what it is to be human. The message of hope is for all of us, whether we have experienced Bipolar Disorder ourselves, or know someone that has, or if we just go through depression sometimes...(and who hasn't?) Mr. Stottlemire speaks from his heart, combining humor and seriousness in a very real-life way, that is so easy to relate to, and so easy to read. His story changes lives, by offering that we are not alone, and as he says, "Today there is a great deal of hope."

5 comments about Chasing Rubi: The Truth About Porfirio Rubirosa the Last Playboy.

1. I have always had a fascination about Porfirio Rubirosa and this book makes me realize that he really was the Latin James Bond and an inspiration for the subsequent books and movies.
   The book contains truely interesting no where else to be found facts and is written in such an easy to read way. I think that anybody that has ever enjoyed a James Bond movie or book should read this book. I am sure that one day this book will be turned into a move.



2. A friend recommended this book to me. I knew nothing about Rubirosa. What a fascinating character and enjoyable read.



3. I really don't understand all of the five star ratings for this book - it isn't that well written. The strength of the book is the subject matter, the life of pleasure and hedonism of Rubi.
   
   Specially, the book fails to bring Rubi to life. Like a B-grade high-schooler's report, the story is mechanical, overly relies upon big quotes from Rubi's memoirs and FBI documents, and is pedantic. The story lacks any magic; instead, it's just a rote string of descriptions of one biographical event onto the next. The story doesn't get the reader into the head or personality of Rubi; it just tells what he did from one happening to the next. The story fails to deliver any rich anecdotes of his high-life that would inject zest into the story line.
   
   The gnawing question the book only makes a meager attempt to answer is, "How?" Surely with Rubi's fascinating life, of cavorting with Hollywood's leading ladies, pursuing the world's richest eligible bachelorettes, and his associations to the mob, the rat pack, and to President Kennedy, how did the man come about to make this happen? The book provides a few pithy but poor quotes from some celebs who knew him, but they fail to capture the essence, instead only presenting simple quips. Unfortunately, the book doesn't provide its own analysis, of who Rubi was and what made him special.
   
   Rubi is a whirlwind of a story. Too bad this book doesn't bring it out.



4. I love how this book details one of the most amazing people in our history, yet many may not have heard of him, which only adds to his mystique. His accomplishments and exploits outweigh those of 10 men combined. The authors did a great job of showcasing Rubi. If you want to find out what life could be like if you were to mix James Bond and Hugh Hefner along with the adventures of Richard Branson all in one person -- you have Rubirosa. Entertaining and historical. A great read.



5. Once I started reading "Chasing Rubi," I couldn't put it down. The authors have done an extraordinary amount of research and produced a captivating portrait of a man who led a truly unbelievable life. It's a crazy, pedal-to-the-metal journey with glamorous highs, heartbreaking lows, intriguing plot twists and more close calls than you can imagine! Just when you think Rubirosa's story can't get any more amazing, it does. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

4 comments about The Amazing Tom Mix: The Most Famous Cowboy of the Movies.

1. I loved this book and agree with these two reviews that were on the back cover:
   
   "Here is Tom Mix as he really was ... captivating ... enchanting ... a splendid book."
   - Richard S. Wheeler, five-time Spur Award winning author of "Trouble In Tombstone."
   
   "...the most complete biography of Mix's life of trials, tribulations and victories."
   - John Duncklee, author of "Bull By The Tale."



2. One of the better books on Tom Mix.I really enjoyed this one,it
   tells the Mix story warts & all.Apart from spelling errors & some incorrect facts Mix fans will go for this one.A good proof
   reader would have helped!!!
   John,"B" Western fan.



3. This is one of the most thoroughly researched film biographies I have ever seen. This book relates the life story of Tom Mix, the silent movie star who dominated Hollywood in its early years. Jensen has provided extensive documentation of all the information contained in this work, including material from original sources stored in the back rooms of libraries and museums. Due to the research and reliance on original documents (personal letters, court records, etc.), there is a considerable amount of material contained in this book that has never been published before now. This book is a true tribute to Tom Mix, and will serve as the definitive biography of his life and career for many years to come.



4. "The Amazing Tom Mix" reads like a novel but it's a biography, which to me made it all the more enjoyable. I only knew a little about Tom Mix but my parents remembered him, so I read it and then gave it to them to read. All of us agreed that the book was fascinating. There is so much detail in the book, but you don't get bogged down in it. It's just a great book.

5 comments about The Day John Died.

1. Christopher Andersen has written a book that is symbolic of taking a walk down memory lane. The title is misleading, as this writing is a recount highlighting the Kennedy family history.

   Andersen paints a believable story of John, and one that sees him in a much more human light than in most writings. It is refreshing to note that as a child, John did get into his fair share of mischievous adventures. As a young man, these adventures became more daring and life threatening. Andersen writes of accounts of John experimenting with drugs, and makes it clear that John did not have a drug problem. However, Andersen sketches Jack as one that became hungry for speed. Strangely, John is described here as scatterbrained, and unstudious, yet rather smart. John seemed to have the knack of keeping friends and family happy, and also maintaining happiness for him at the same time. For Jackie, John's escapades had to be unnerving and her power over her son wavered. Andersen's writing of Jackie, depicts a much stronger woman than the media portrayed in the 60's. Jackie protected John from the worst Kennedy family influences; squashed John's ideas of an acting career and was most powerful in decisions John had in the romance arena. Jackie and Caroline were opposed to relationships he had with several women, and John seemed to abide by his mother's and sister's wishes, to end less-than-suitable relationships. Even though John may have broken the hearts of many young women, his classy reputation stands untarnished, as all of his ex's still maintained friendships with America's son.

   John's marriage to Carolyn Bessette , and their happiness will always remain a mystery for us. We can speculate, but John tried to keep his personal life out of the spotlight, as he demonstrated with their secret wedding.

   Uncanny as it may seem, Jackie had premonitions of John's plane-crash death. She begged her son not to pursue his love of flying. But this time, John only postponed his lessons for a short while, then continued the lessons without Jackie's stamp of approval.
   
   At the end of this book, John is viewed as less of a celebrity figure and more of a friend, who touched the hearts of so many. He will be sorely missed.




2. Maybe I am not in enough awe of the son of a dead president, but then I don't understand where the glamor of being hired by the American people makes a person glamorous or even smart.

   JFK, Jr. died, and killed 2 women with him.

   It's worth maybe an hour's reading, since it's mostly invented dialogue and gossip, this is literally a page turner.




3. This book is not a detailed account of the plane crash that took JFK JR's life, the book is an attempt at a biography of his life. If you have looked at the book then you know that this is a bio that is going to fall more in the Kitty Kelly area then a deep historical work. I was looking for more of an account of the forces within his life pushing into politics and his thoughts that lead him away from politics. We did get a little of these types of details, but the main focus of the book was to get the more tabloid type facts to the front of the chapters - sell more books. The author does give us some of the highlights of the Kennedy family history, but he does not connect how the events may have affected JFK JR's thoughts on a public life.

   I was interested in some of the insight on Jackie relationship with him. It did seem like she held a bit of power over his life, but that could have been the author tying to sell more books. There are also lots of details about how many incidents he got into growing up that could have been physically dangerous. As I said we do get a broad overview of the Kennedy family over the past 100 years but it almost came off as filler, like there may not have been enough on JFK JR. for the full book.

   This is a light, gossipy book that touches the surface of his and his family's life. If that is what you are looking for then this book is a good one. The writing is good; easy to read and fast paced. Overall, I felt that this book was just too light.




4. Christopher Andersen, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "The Day Diana Died" tells the story of American's son, John F. Kennedy, Jr. It's the bittersweet tale of the American Icon and sadly the unfulfilled fate of his tragic death.
   

   
   If anyone would hear the name of John Kennedy, Jr. knew he was destined for greatness. He once quoted of himself saying: "People keep telling me I can be a great man. I'd rather be a good one." On the day John died that July 16, 1999 it seemed known only to God of his father's assassination and the death of Princess Diana was the most distinct moment to affect our lives. The world would never be the same. On the day President John Kennedy died, I was a little girl of 5 years. On the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, I walked into the living room. My mom sat on the couch motionless in front of the TV in tears. I asked her what was the matter. She said, "They assassinated President Kennedy." From that day, thirty some years later since little John, Jr. saluted his father's casket in that famous snapshot to the present time in 1999. It is something that we all live with for the rest of our lives. Where were you on July 16, 1999? When a nation's grief would be buried in the ocean along with John, Jr., his wife, Carolyn Bessette and her sister Lauren where they died and where they are at rest.
   

   
   Andersen writes in detailed form the beginnings of the Kennedy legacy and the legend that John, Jr. would live with. It was a time not far in the past that two lives paralleled between Britain's Princess Di and America's John Kennedy, Jr.. Both of their persona of power and elegance inspired the dreams of their generation. Whatever these two did in their lives whether it was weaknesses and failures they were more loved by the public. The public follows John's life as he failed his bar exam twice, his romances with Christina Haag, Madonna and long time love Daryl Hannah, dodging the paparazzi, the famous fight in the park with his future wife, his struggle to find his own career path in the shadow of his legendary parents and the unveiling of his magazine, GEORGE.
   

   
   In the coming few years up to the time of his fated future. John enjoyed time flying. It was the only chance he could get away from the demands of his busy life and the paparazzi. It was such a shame that on the day of his tragic end. It had to go so quickly. As one would put it 'Gone Too Soon.' The lives John, Jr. touched while he was here with his remarkable legacy of a family that endured both triumph and heartbreaking tragedy. His sister Caroline stands alone. The only sole survivor of America's American family. Everyone took solace along with her in her sorrow. In this life that John Kennedy, Jr. lived he never follow in the footsteps of his father's career. Never did he write a book, do any great heroics or discover anything. Just because simply he existed. Everyone knew him. He belonged to all of us. From that beginning John Kennedy, Jr. was America's son. You'll have to read the book to know what I mean.
   

   
   NOTE: The book includes photographs that chronographs his life from his youth to his death with sources, chapter notes and selected bibliography.




5. John Jr. was known as the "Master of Disaster" to his friends because of his willingness to accept physical challenges and daredevil nature.

   Chapter 1 focuses on the day John died giving his, his wife's and her sister's itineraries then proceeds to takeoff followed by a fictionalized account of what probably went wrong during their flight. Andersen interviewed other pilots who'd flown that day and some who knew John's abilities in order to put that part together. The scene is so gripping that I felt was flying with them!

   Chapters 2 opens in 1960 chronicling Jackie's first pregnancy, which ended in a miscarriage and goes through John's early life. Chapter 3 begins in 1963 with the assassination and gives a lot of background at what was happening to the children at this time. It's a very poignant chapter guaranteed to move the reader to tears. Chapter 4 deals with RFK's assassination and Jackie's fear for his children's safety. She always believed that they were primary targets.

   Chapter 5 discusses Jackie's marriage to Aristotle Onasis and the world's reaction to the destruction of the Camelot mystique. It seemed that people believed that the love between Jack and Jackie was perfect and they felt Jackie should remain America's dowager queen. Jackie was a compulsive shopper, which irritated Ari to the point where he cut her allowance. After his only son Alexander died in a plane crash, Ari made it clear he wanted nothing to do with the Kennedys. He referred to her as "The Widow"and his friends and family referred to her as "The Black Widow" blaming the Kennedy Curse for all Ari's misfortunes. When Onasis died, Jackie had to battle his daughter Christina to get her inheritance.

   Jackie overshadowed John controlling much of his life and tried to force him into politics to carry on his father's legacy. Consequently, John held a series of different positions before starting George Magazine. In an interview with Fidel Castro, Fidel disclosed that he admired John's father and apologized for not giving Lee Harvey Oswald an entry visa in October 1963.

   John's relationship with Carolyn was stormy but it would seem that there was true passion behind it. John was not forced to marry Carolyn, as his father had been to marry his mother purely for political expediency so he had the option to get a divorce but never sought one out. A lot of their troubles were caused by the constant intrusion into their private life by the media and the public. Carolyn simply was not used to this; but John took it in stride since he'd grown up with it.

   The text takes John's life from Chapter 2 onward right up to Chapter 9, which covers the search and recovery effort for his plane.

   A great companion book to this is by All Too Human The Love Story of Jack and Jackie by Edward Klein, which focuses on Jack and Jackie's relationship. I simply could not put either book down!

2 comments about The Boldness of Boys: Famous Men Talk About Growing Up.

1. This is a fun and inspirational read! I love to use this book as a way to talk about role models and how ordinary people find their talents and run with them!



2. Great for those tough kids. I can't wait to use it in my classroom. Found one cuss word in the front of the book in a poem, may ruffle some feathers, but it is just one cuss word, one that I hate, but not the worst. "full of piss and vinegar"

No comments about Bacharach: Maestro! The Life of a Pop Genius.

5 comments about Lord of the Dance.

1. I love this dvd and have watched it several times. As a former dancer, I think this is one of the best staged dance-plays ever done. The leads are wonderful, but so are the supporting players. I love Riverdance too, but this is more like a dance musical that tells a continuous story, as opposed to a variety show with a constant theme. The tension is wonderful, the flute music is beautiful, and chemistry amongst the dancers really adds to the quality of this performance. Even my kids love watching this, and they actually cheer out loud when the star of the show, the hero, defends the young girl and mends her broken flute. The costuming and lighting of the performance is also very dramatic and beautiful. This is a fantastic and entertaining dvd.
   
   As an aside, I recently saw Michael Flatley's performance on Dancing With the Stars, and I don't think he has lost any of his talent or presence.



2. I am a recent Michael Flatley fan [within the last five years] and I was so pleased to read about his life. I had pictured him as a flawless, untouchable/unreachable star person, born to be great, and not at all like a real person. This is a real human being who has lived a real life, and who has an amazing story to tell. This reminded me of My Left Foot. I love real human-interest stories that tell of both struggles and triumphs. I don't think this is a book just for dancers or fans of dance. I think many people would enjoy reading about a life like this. Highly recommended!!



3. My opinion of Michael Flatley is now less than zero. The vast majority of this book is just very descriptive accounts of Michael's extreme promiscuity and sexual addiction. It made me sick. He adds some emotion to it for effect, but I don't buy it. Most of the book is spent bragging about himself. I can't tell you how disappointed I was and I really wish I had quit reading the book when I realized it was all about his escapades with women-- many of whom were in his shows. Yes, he'd wake up some mornings with several of them in his bed!
   
   There is a little worth reading though. I got his side of what happened to Riverdance. But mostly, I felt sick to my stomach at his pervertedness and felt extreme sorrow for how he treated his first beautiful wife.
   
   This may be an updated version to what I've read, but he is married to a different girl than the one he was with and was engaged to in the book I read, and he now has a son. Poor kid.
   
   I wouldn't trust this man with MY daughter!



4. You can't beat his talent...when the whole Riverdance fever took the world over a decade ago I tired of his stardom. However watching him in Lord if the Dance reminded me of his superb talent. It truly is an amazing show to watch and well worth every penny



5. This film will have you getting out of your chair and dancing along. It is truly a remarkable film with the great dancers like Michael Flatley and Gillian Norris and all the other dancers who were truly remarkabe. You have to purchase this film, you and your family will watch this film over and over. I have had the film for about 9 years and I still watch it like I just purchased the film. It is worth the money.

2 comments about Little Caesar: A Biography of Edward G. Robinson.

1. This book, except for the Epilogue, was written in 1983, ten years after Edward G. Robinson's death. The author, Alan Gansberg, therefore had the opportunity to interview a number of key friends and relatives to gain insight into the man, and we are richer for it. Emanuel Goldenberg, aka Edward G. Robinson, was defined by his strong Jewish upbringing and the words of his father, who taught his children to improve themselves and to "Always live beyond your means. It will make you work harder." Robinson took both pieces of advice to heart. He was a life-long learner, a tremendous workhorse, and made the best of every talent he had. In his early efforts to get into acting, he sold himself with the line that he was "not good on face value, but good on stage value." And he delivered, got noticed, and found himself, in 1915, in the play "Under Fire," a war melodrama where Robinson played three different parts. The play opened first in Boston, and Robinson received a glowing review in the "Boston Globe." Shortly thereafter, the play went to New York, and Robinson again got good notices in "Vanity Fair" and "The Theatre Magazine." This was the turning point for Robinson. At 22, he dropped out of CCNY, bought a new wardrobe, and turned his full attention to his new career. And this book takes you through every aspect of that brilliant career, including the awful times of the early 1950s, where Robinson was forced to appear (twice) before HUAC to clear his name against anonymous charges that he was a communist sympathizer and even a Russian spy. Heading up the right wing and enforcing graylisting and blacklisting was the head of the Screen Actors Guild at that time, none other than Ronald Reagan, who knew which way the wind was blowing and made certain his career was never in danger. This book puts Reagan in a bad light as a manipulative, self-serving, self-righteous fellow with little compassion. The consequences of Reagan's indifference to the suffering of his fellow actors are apparent in Robinson's and others' suffering, including that of John Garfield. Robinson, like millions of others, was nothing more than an FDR liberal all his life, and wasn't shy about it. For this he was punished, and, in the Epilogue, Gansberg draws parallels to today's repressive national climate.
   I have always enjoyed Edward G. Robinson and am grateful to Turner Classic Movies for broadcasting Robinson movies from his Warner Brother years. Robert Osborne, the host of TCM, mentioned this book at the recent screening of "Larceny, Inc.," a 1942 "flop" that actually is pretty entertaining today, if a bit tiresome.
   The book has an excellent Appendix listing all the stage, screen, television, and radio appearances of Robinson. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about the life and times of a great actor and a warm, engaged person. Robinson's biggest fault, which he himself admitted, was that he wasn't a great fathter to his troubled son, Manny. That comes across in the book too. "This was a man" is a line from the Antony soliloquy in "Julius Caesar," which Robinson used in his first audition, in 1912, for the Sargent School, later the Academy of Dramatic Arts. The soliloquy describes Robinson himself.



2. Edward G. Robinson seemed tough, but he had a sensitive side too that was most obviously expressed in his love of modern art; his collection of Renoirs alone was for many years the most impressive West of the Mississippi. He was said to have bought a masterpuece every time he made another film for Warner Brothers, to reward himself with some beauty for dipping himself in dreck. And yet Robinson's films still startle with their magnificent energy and passion. They too are works of art every bit as much as his Soutines and his Picassos.
   
   He was not a ladies man in the traditional sense of the term, but as Gansberg's fine biography shows, he was interested in all forms of beauty. And part of the reason he could so well play obsessed characters (such as his films with Joan Bennett in the noir cycle) is that he too was prone to obsession.
   
   The blacklist (or more strictly speaking, the graylist) affected his career badly. For some time offers of employment dried up, even though he was never a Communist or anywhere near it. The mere idea is laughable. Cecil B. De Mille of all people, the director and producer often thought of as a rightwing nut case, was the one who gave Robinson a solid job playing in his own remake of the TEN COMMANDMENTS. No other mogul in Hollywood would have had the balls to cast Robinson so promimently, not at that time when men walked scared of HUAC and its minions. It took a compassionate conservative to restore Robinson to the high echelon of film stardom to which he rightfully belonged.
   
   Robinson's own book, ALL MY YESTERDAYS, was famous for revealing so little about its subject. Author Gansburg gets right down to ground zero with Robinson's psyche, exploring his ups as well as his well chronicled downs. I wish I had been a fly on the wall when Gansburg interviewed some of his many Among his many films, TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN, THE VIOLENT MEN, SCARLET STREET, SOYLENT GREEN and NIGHTMARE have all undergone recent critical revision, while DOUBLE INDEMNITY< KEY LARGO, and THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW remain American masterpieces of the highest order.

5 comments about Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years.

1. If I wanted to read a blow by blow of JFK's most notable presidential descisions, then I would read a book strictly about his presidency. The book is entitled "Mrs. Kennedy..." yet she takes the backburner. I also do not grasp how a book which was supposed to focus less on this particular era in Jackie's life ("America's Queen: The Life of Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis" by Sarah Bradford) gave the most important details. In short, the title of this book is false advertising at its worst and the author might have done well to spend less time trying to read minds. The most repeated themes of this book are contridictory and the writer's voice is projected too loudly.



2. Barbara Leaming is clearly a competent biographer. She quotes credible sources, has done extensive study of primary documents, and writes in an informed and objective way about her subjects.
   
   In "Mrs. Kennedy," these biography-writing skills sometimes result in fascinating reading. As an admirer of Jackie's persona, style, and intelligence, I loved learning little-known facts about her emotionally turbulent upbringing and the psychological reasons behind her univerally admired sense of style. The changing thoughts she had about politics, her masterful way of managing cultural and social elements of the White House, and the important diplomatic role she played in her husband's administration were also well-explored.
   
   But after that, there's little left to admire about "Mrs. Kennedy." First of all, Jackie is not the main character that she is advertised to be in the book's title. It almost seemed like the author recounted JFK's actions, failures, and relentless womanizing during the presidency and only then talked about how Jackie reacted to these things.
   
   This was very disappointing, especially to a reader like me who is primarily interested the Kennedy women and not the male side of the family. The intense focus on JFK's life during this period also resulted in horrifically boring sections of the biography that delved far too deeply into events like the Cuban Missile Crisis...events that hardly involved Jackie.
   
   Finally, although JFK's callous womanizing would have definitely affected Jackie's life profoundly, Leaming's habit of constantly mentioning each of the "other" women and describing their affairs became aggravatingly redundant. It made it appear like Leaming had nothing more compelling to say about Jackie herself.
   
   Unless you have a penchant for dull textbooks or want to read everything published about JFK, skip the deceptively titled "Mrs. Kennedy."



3. I am surprised to see so many customer reviews complaining about this book's supposed over emphasis on Mr., rather than Mrs Kennedy. The discussion of Jack's politics, personality, and philandering provide crucial insights into the Kennedy marriage and the choices Jackie made, form her public role as First Lady to her private activities with the children, etc. The research that went into this book is so exhaustive. Using various primary sources, Leaming recreates the Kennedy White House in a second-by-second timeline, bringing the history and the people involved to life in a way that no biography (at least none that I've ever read) has. Far from boring, this account is riveting! I was especially enthralled by the section on the birth and death of Patrick, the Kennedys' third child. The level of detail on these several days' events is amazing. I couldn't put this book down. If you are interested in placing Jackie in a larger historical context, while still getting plenty of details about her personal life, vices, sex appeal and fashion sense, then this bio is a must.



4. While Barbara Leaming turned out a decent, albeit tabloidesque, book on Jackie here, there is some halfway decent info. on the Secret Service contained herein, courtesy of an agent I spoke to, as did Seymour Hersh: Larry Newman. Good for the collection (and Newman's remarks).
   Vince Palamara
   Secret Service expert, History Channel, author of 2 books, in over 32 other author's books, etc.



5. I have read dozens of books on the Kennedys, and I found this one to be different from most. Aside from the many fascinating details about the day to day lives of the Kennedys in the White House, the author includes her own psychological insights on the marriage, and on Jack and Jackie individually. I found her insights to be extremely perceptive and she explained a lot of things that, before now, have gone unexplained. For example, by all accounts, Jackie was extremely intelligent. Why then does she appear so docile and almost little-girlish when being interviewed? Why did Jackie tolerate her husband's infidelities, and were they in fact in love, or were the Kennedy's just a public act for the benefit of JFK's political career? The answers and insights into these questions, and the details backing them up were fascinating to me, and I think anyone interested in the subject of Jackie Kennedy would enjoy this book.

1 comments about The Playboy Interviews: Larger Than Life (The Playboy Interviews).

1. I did not really get a chance to peek inside this book. It was ordered for a friend. Kind of a fun holiday gift if you have a bachelor you have to shop for. I gave this along with a nice bottle of wine. People seem to be intrigued by it a bit and hey, it looks good on your night-stand if you are a bachelor no??