5 comments about Paint By Number Kit: Everything You Need to Re-Create 8 Vintage Masterpieces.

1. This would be a great paint by number kit if one could see the outlines of the picture on each board. It is so light you can hardly see the picture and the numbers for painting the masterpieces are completely unreadable. If anyone else has run across this please let Amazon know so they can fix this problem as I love paint by number kits.
   I have run across this same problem with the Workman paint by number calendars also and quit buying them.
   I will have to send this kit back as it is unusable.



2. I didn't have a problem with the printing I thought that was fine but the paintings are only about 4"x6" while I was expecting about 12"x20".



3. Much to my chagrin, I had to return this item as I could not possibly see the numbers to know what colors to use. I was devasted.



4. I rather enjoyed this kit. I liked that I had so many projects and they didn't take too long to do. My only concern is that some of the colors did not mix up like they were supposed to so the finished product was shaded differently.



5. This is a very cute kit with a good variety of subjects from the Eiffel tower to a rocket in space. The guide included was great at showing what colors are needed for each portrait and what colors you will need to mix. I do think that the quality of the brush could be better and the portraits were a bit smaller than I would have liked. I had to squint quite a lot for some pictures to make sure the right paint got in the right spot but I really had fun with this kit and would buy it again.

5 comments about Twilight.

1. Called a `Southern Gothic' by critics and reviewers, I got interested in this dark tale by Stephen King. He has a column on the last page of Entertainment Weekly (someone gave me a gift subscription and admittedly I have enjoyed this guilty pleasure) He is in the there about once every 3rd week or so, and in this issue he had a year end `Best Of' list. TWILIGHT was his book of the year so I had to have it. Now after reading this excellent book, I respect Mr. King even more for his depth in reading. William Gay himself describes this story as a modern Hansel and Gretel...which it is, but no fairy tale, as horrifying as they could be, ever read like this. Gay has an eloquent writing style that wraps you in his world right off the bat. (I just ordered another book of his) This tale of good and evil turns into a lengthy cat and mouse chase thru the rural sticks of Tennessee in the 1950's, and we feel the adrenaline of one who is being chased for much of the book. The story deals with a brother and sister that find out some most disturbing facts about the local funeral director. They steal a briefcase from him and discover some incriminating photos which they try to blackmail him with. This backfires when he hires a monstrous ex-con to `take care' of his problem. No more from me. If you like an edge of your seat kind of read....then, by all means....scare yourself silly with this terrifying and beautifully written Southern Gothic.



2. An occasionally grisly Southern gothic novel, "Twilight" is intriguing throughout, but doesn't quite lead to the fireworks finale you'd expect.
   
   First thing's first: When I started to read "Twilight," one thing caught my eye above all others, and that was author William Gay's staggering command of vocabulary and the English language. Stylistically, he knows how to construct sentences and paragraphs that leave the reader feeling almost unworthy in his presence.
   
   Because of Gay's obvious literary talents, "Twilight" sort of feels like it is beneath him. The story proceeds down a typical genre path and, save for one particular scene involving necrophilia and another scene involving an old woman who isn't who she at first seems to be, there are few surprises throughout.
   
   As teenage lead Kenneth Tyler journeys further and further into rural Tennessee's decomposing backwoods, chased by hired killer Granville Sutter, who wants to retrieve pictures Tyler has that incriminate mortician Fenton Breece in abhorrently criminal after-hours behavior, the book's interest lies in Gay's textural, atmospheric depiction of the one-of-a-kind setting and in the question of whether Sutter is going to catch Tyler. The latter point, however, is predictable, and the final pages elicit little more than a shrug, especially considering that Granville Sutter and Fenton Breece are potentially brilliant villains, horrifically conceived but not used to their fullest abilities.
   
   "Twilight" is worth a read, indeed, but this is one case where the writing is superior to what is ultimately offered by the plot.



3. I'm a fan of "literary genre fiction" - if that doesn't sound too much like a contradiction - and picked up William Gay's 'Twilight' after reading about it in one of Stephen King's Entertainment Weekly columns. It was one of his Best Of '07 books, and he compared it to Cormac McCarthy's work, which I hold in very high esteem, so I decided to read it.
   
   In all honesty, it is very similar to McCarthy's works. Thematically, of course. The dark crevasses of humanity are well-lighted. Violence, bloodshed, necrophilia, and extortion abound in the first act of the book. It seems almost like a mixture of 'Child of God' and 'No Country for Old Men', if you ask me. I hate to compare the two authors so much as to draw confusion between them, but they have similar styles and thematic concerns. All apologies.
   
   Oh, and is it oh so well-written. Gay's colloquial way of writing conversational prose is excellent, but he'll often drop beautifully rendered phrases and passages on you to show that he's the real deal when it comes to language.
   
   The only problem is that I think the second act drags more than it should. For a short book, I shouldn't have to notice that, 'Oh man, they've been chasing each other for a long time.' And that's sort of what happens. Like the title of the review suggests, you almost think it's like a Mark Twain adventure in the woods of Tennessee.
   
   The colorful secondary characters that pop up stave off the tedium of reading that second act, so it's not that bad. Overall. I think 'Twilight' is a book best suited for those who really like the Southern Gothic aesthetic and are looking for an author not afraid to break right through taboos.



4. William Gay continues to uphold the tradition of Faulkner and O'Connor with this new story of cruel violence and perversion. There are moments where the reading invokes an experience of complete immersion in the events of the scene that has happened only rarely to me. The ending does seem a bit tacked on and predictable, but doesn't completely upend the effectiveness of the work.



5. This is an interesting read to say the least. William Gay's "Twilight" tells the story of a necrophiliac undertaker named Fenton Breece is using his position to take advantage of the town's dead. When two teenagers discover proof of Breece's perversion, he hires a local psychotic, Granville Sutter, to retrieve the proof from the teens. The two teens, Corrie and Kenneth Tyler, refuse to meet Sutter's demand which eventually ends up in tragedy and a chase along one of the most bizarre landscapes in recent literary history. I don't want to go into too much detail because that would spoil the fun.
   
   Gay's novel may not be for every reader considering the main character has a fetish for the dead. However, those who aren't so squeamish might find this a fun, if not creepy read.
   
   Now I have to admit I did consider the final act kind of a cheap shot. Sutter disguises himself as an elderly woman to trap Kenneth. The dialogue and the style of this scene reminded me of something out of an old Looney Tunes cartoon. Think Pete Puma dressed as the old lady trying to capture the little bunny rabbit.
   
   Due to the subject matter this novel will likely never been made into a movie which is just as well. But were it to happen I would love to see Paul Giamatti as Fenton Breece. Despite the silly ending, this is a good read.

2 comments about Jeweled Garden: A Colorful History of Gems, Jewelry, and Nature.

1. A "Must-have" for jewelry collectors, designers ..... Excellent pictures!!!! Great details!!! With lots of great masterpieces! 100% +++++ satisfaction in owning it!!!



2. A superb book! A visual ravishment!
   
   The book is well researched and wide ranging in its study of flora based jewellery!
   
   Focusing not only on the great jewellery houses but also on historical pieces, it makes for interesting reading for anyone who appreciate fine workmanship but also the history of jewels!

5 comments about Strange Piece of Paradise.

1. In 1977, Yale undergrad Terri Jentz and a school friend began bicycling across America, starting from the Oregon coast. Seven days into the trip, over the Cascades and into the desert, an axeman ran over their tent and nearly killed them both. How both women survived, in very different ways, is the core of "Strange Piece of Paradise", an epic-length personal journey and exploration of the criminal underside of a small Western town.
   
   Jentz spends the first 200 pages of the paperback edition on her life story and the next 500 on her return to Oregon as she belatedly uncovers the would-be killer's identity. She spent most of the 1990s interviewing witnesses, law enforcement, private citizens, and finally, the alleged attacker's inner circle -- a parade of victimized women. Although she never directly confronts her attacker, he's memorably described (although his pseudonym in the book is not quite as evocative as his real name).
   
   There's much political activism, too. Jentz presents herself as both liberal and tough on crime. I think it would be hard for anyone to disagree with her conclusions. She's particularly hard on the overloaded misdemeanor branch of American criminal justice. As this is where I began my legal career just after law school, I'm impressed by her points -- she figured this out a lot faster than I did!
   
   Jentz's personal journey is just as moving. Even before the attack, her feelings about her traveling companion are well preserved on page. The women drift apart quickly after the attack; Jentz' quiet devestation is stunningly portrayed.
   
   About the only complaint I can muster about the book is the same I had with Aron Ralston's Between a Rock and a Hard Place. For a book that tells such an important, personal story, it really could stand some editing. Jentz's repeated epiphanies and similes and metaphors pull away from the narrative and wear down the reader. Witness this typical aside, late in the game on page 613:
   
   "Along with flying TV pictures and radio waves, something else that connected us was vibrating in the air, as though our minds had reached out in a field beyond ourselves, pulling us with invisible rubber bands toward those who shared our preoccupations."
   
   Huh?
   
   That said, "Strange Piece of Paradise" is exhaustive but not exhausting, full of wit and outrage, and will stay with you for a long, long time.



2. The random 1977 crime horrified all who heard about it, although the girls survived. I even read about it when I lived in Chicago. Yet after days, months & decades though the Cline Falls community knew who'd done it, authorities never prosecuted anyone. Why? In this extraordinarily eloquent & riveting memoir of the author's life & times before & after that innocent bicycle trip that ended a hair's breadth shy of murder, she records her emotional reality & her 20 year search for the man who devastated her young self. I thought it quite unsentimental & engagingly intense. Sit back & immerse yourself in this writer's record of her quest for the rest of her soul, of her return to Oregon & the leads to who knew & helped her back then, who investigated the crime & why it was closed. With her you'll meet all sorts of people who could connect the dots of the perpetrator's violent life before & after he attacked her &, incidentally, you'll be at her side when he is at last brought to some semblance of justice, although not for his crime against her. A haunting & satisfying read by someone who knows how to write well & has an astonishing tale to tell. Very well done.



3. Imagine being 20 years old, on the first real adventure of your young life, sleeping soundly after a strenuous bike journey...only to be awakened and find yourself under a truck, staring at the well-dressed torso of a cowboy yielding an ax. That is what Terri Jentz, the author of this amazing book, asks us to envision.
   
   She and her friend, renamed Shayna, process the aftermath in two different ways. Shayna has selective amnesia based on her injuries, and is unable -- and unwilling -- to confront what has occurred. Terri, on the other hand, after several years of ennui and fear, decides to courageously confront the episode and to try to make some sense of it in order to fully heal.
   
   This journey is what comprises this book. Interestingly, the individuals she meets again -- ranging from the teenage couple who helped save them to the nurses who were there when they reached the hospital -- were all permanently affected by this senseless act. Together again, they all help heal each other. The would-be murderer himself is larger than life and also so much smaller than life. One of the tragedies is that most of the town knew who did it, and yet, thanks to the bungling of three overlapping law enforcement agencies and overprotective parents, his act would never have been totally revealed were it not for Terri's perseverance.
   
   This is a courageous book from a tenacious individual, and it spans 700 pages. I truly understand why Terri Jentz needed to write this book in its entirety, but I believe she needed a better editor. It lags in the middle pages, as Terri meets up with one after another lead (some true, some false); the momentum of the story begins to drag as a result. There is also very little reflection on her personal life -- the key focus is outward, not inward. We know that Terri is gay and she had an unrequited crush on Shayna. There is certain anger that Shayna is unwilling to be the "perfect listener" and to explore the ramifications of that June 22 night. I also wonder how Terri's sexual orientation played out in a conservative, cowboy town, when young women were blamed for their own independence. But these are minor points: all in all, I greatly admire Terri Jentz's courage and her larger observations on our society's passion for violence. She has important things to say.



4. A lot of reviewers stated that this was too redundant, that the author tended to go on and on over the same territory, and that the story could have been completed in a lot fewer words. After reading this story, I have found that I was "hooked" and that this story lingers on long after the final page is turned. It is a haunting story made all the more engrossing by the fact that it is a totally truthful accounting of one woman's attempt to identify her attacker - to identify the person who hacked her and her friend up with a hatchet and left them both for dead. I understand completely her need to do so, as well as I understand completely her friend's need not to do so. This was a catharsis for the author, and a much needed one. I can identify with this. I believe had I been the one this happened to, I would also want to know the who and the why of this terrible crime. My hat is off to this very brave lady, and I feel that this book is well worth the read! You cannot truly be a critic of this manuscript unless you yourself have experienced the same as this author.



5. The story of what happened to Jentz is horrible and makes for great drama. The aftermath -- her search for her still-unknown attacker, which is the main subject of the book -- could have made a decent story as well. Unfortunately the drama of it is oversold, and the story is wildly overwritten, both in length and in tone. Jentz's discovery of a prime suspect is unfortunately larded over with melodramatic writing -- those of you who've waded through the book know the title of this review is a reference to the dozens and dozens of "In Search of"-like rhetorical questions -- and a level of self-obsessiveness that, while understandable in a person's diary, should not have made it into the final version. Perhaps the editor wanted to provide an open window into how messed up Jentz became as a result of the attack; perhaps only the actual publication of far too much detail could provide her with the catharsis that she absolutely deserves. Anyone with a heart would wish Jentz peace after what she went through. But her story lost much of its power in the telling.

No comments about Pistol Packin' Madams: True Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West.

3 comments about 100 Greatest American Stamps.

1. Stamp collecting's biggest names collaborated to create one remarkable book! With entertaining stamp stories and large, crisp illustrations, 100 Greatest American Stamps is perfect for stamp collectors and history buffs alike.
   
   The 100 Greatest American Stamps were selected by a group of philately's leading experts, dealers and collectors. The finalists range from the greatest U.S. stamp rarities to controversial issues and common commemoratives that are perennial favorites. Janet Klug (immediate past-President of the American Philatelic Foundation and a Linn's contributor) and Donald Sundman (President, Mystic Stamp Company) tell the in-depth story behind the stamps.
   
   Extra-large, crystal-clear images showcase each of these legendary stamps. The detail is impressive - I saw new details on stamps I only thought I was familiar with. Leafing through the pages was like peeking into the world's most exclusive collections. Readers will see the love letter carried in the Alexandria Postmaster Provisional (Blue Boy) cover, examine the famous Ice House Cover, and marvel over other unique items! Related collectibles, including banknotes, medals, and war bond posters, add historic perspective. Issue quantity and historic market values are included, making it fun to trace the market trends. Additional treats include the history of collecting, honorable mention, and a philatelic timeline that shows the important role of U.S. stamps in American history.
   
   Collectors will find the introduction fascinating. Bill Gross, who became the only person to assemble a complete 19th century U.S. stamp collection with his acquisition of the 1¢ Z Grill, tells us what inspires him. Klug and Sundman share their stories - what motivates them and why they've devoted their lives to the hobby. It's interesting to look into the minds of three of philately's titans and discover that they have equally legitimate - yet wonderfully unique - reasons for collecting.
   
   If you only purchase one book this year, make sure it's 100 Greatest American Stamps.



2. beautifully printed, reads well, gets you interested in these stamps even if you didn't mean to. suddenly ... you're a philatelist!



3. Any library strong in stamp collecting, whether it be a specialty collection or a general-interest lending library, will find the oversized presentation of 100 GREATEST AMERICAN STAMPS to be a gorgeous presentation which packs in illustrations and history to survey American stamp history from pre-Revolutionary to modern times. An eye-catching coffee table presentation packs in over a hundred pages of colorful stamps and stories and makes for a reference which will appeal to history buffs and collectors alike, with its market values, information on print quantities, and catalog references.

5 comments about Red Rabbit.

1. This has to be the most turgid, dull, repetitive pile of absolute tosh I have read in years. Nothing more than a 600 page propaganda leaflet for the Republican Party, the US military industrial complex, privatised medicine, the Catholic church and whatever else Tom Clancy supports, it's a painful read that seems to never end.
   
   Your mind will bend as you read Clancy's utterly lame attempts at mundane and repetitive dialog between people eating breakfast, drinking coffee and riding on trains and in taxis.
   
   Your eyes will roll at each stab at the British healthcare system, which is "socialized medicine" for those of you reading in the United States. You might think Clancy hates the concept as much as he clearly hates Communists.
   
   Everything else about Britain and the "Brits", meanwhile, he seems to love in an offensively patronising and condescending manner that will make you gag. Those "Brits" seem all to be ripped from central casting in their accents, actions, and universal love of liquid lunches. All appear to be ex-British military and most have one syllable names, in a reassuringly working class, honest guvna' fashion.
   
   You will also squirm every time you read the word "pshrink", or "cutter", or "driver". You will wonder why you never hear people in real life with such limited vocabularies as the characters in his books. How bored you will be as you read again and again about those "eye cutters" from "Hopkins" who worked on Suslov's eyes under the direction of token Jewish man, Bernie Katz.
   
   You will also shudder each time you are clumsily reminded that the Soviets have unwittingly given the code "666" to a plot to kill the Pope.
   
   You will want to be sick every time Jack Ryan's tastes in coffee are mentioned, and when you are reminded how unbelievably smart he is to recognize that an up and coming company called Starbucks will be a huge success. You will also wonder where Ryan's Starbucks obsession was when he was chasing the Red October around the Atlantic and doing battle with drug cartels in Central America.
   
   You will also find yourself wishing Jack Ryan hadn't survived that damn helicopter crash because you are so fed up of reading about it and how much he hates flying, a characteristic he apparently shares with B.A. Baracus. You almost start to hope someone would feed Ryan a hamburger in a brown paper bag and a carton of milk before he gets on a plane so he's not conscious to whine about it.
   
   In using the fear-of-flying device, Clancy clearly wants us to believe that Ryan, a multi-millionaire who has killed IRA terrorists, invested in Starbucks in the early 80s, arrested a Bulgarian assasin, helped capture a Soviet ballistic missile submarine, and become President of the United States has at least one weakness that makes him at least somewhat the everyman among us.
   
   Apart from the atrocious errors in history already mentioned (Clancy must have thought himself oh-so-clever to keep mentioning that young short stop Cal Ripken and hoped we would think him clever for it), you will wonder how an assasination attempt in 1981 happened after the 1982 Falklands War.
   
   Finally, you will wonder what the heck ever happened to Tom Clancy, when exactly the point in time was that his ego overtook his limited writing skills and why exactly he thinks smart people will part with good money to read bad books with his name on them.



2. The Ryan saga goes back in time. Clancy as usual gets long winded and seems to gt tired of the story by delivering a sub par ending. Overall a bit disappointing.



3. Jack Ryan's evolution has followed that of the author. In the earlier books Jack Ryan was a well intentioned, if reluctant, hero who had a simple rubric for determining right from wrong. As Tom Clancy has "evolved" from a fiction writer to a "personality" we have seen Jack Ryan go from a simple CIA analyst to President of the free world. Along the way he became a foul mouthed, boorish individual who bases his decisions on Catholic doctrine and conservative dogma. I guess this is what happens when the author thinks people actually care what he thinks. This reader doesn't.
   
   The saddest thing about this book is the depiction of Cathy Ryan. She once was depicted as a classy lady. Now she is a nasty individual who would easy (and fairly) characterized by the use of the "b" or "c" word. The only good thing about the book is her character disappeared half way through. It was one half too many.
   
   My days of feeding Clancy's ego are over. He can get rich off other people who think what he says is important. He should take some lessons from John Grisham and build baseball fields in needy communities. And most importantly, keep his opinions to himself.



4. It is a shame no stars is not an option for rating. It would appear Clancy was attempting to write the screenplay of another Jack Ryan movie with this work.
   
   With the high tension that was rampant between NATO and the Warsaw Pact during this time period, there was plenty of background to place many of the characters from his other books. And I had to laugh at Clancy's buildup of Ed Foley and the New York Times reporter, yet there was no further mention of this later in Foley's career. The NYT would have never lived down a sleeper CIA agent on their reporter staff.
   
   Instead, we get a plodding story that is lacking virtually everything Clancy had become well known for.
   
   ...and it only gets worse with the TEETH OF THE TIGER.



5. This is one of the earlier books in the Jack Ryan enterprise. It starts off pretty slow and does not really take off like many of the others. Jack and Cathy Ryan have just moved to London with Sally and Jack Jr. The Foleys, Ed, Pat and Little Ed, have just started in Moscow. The Russians are crazy as ever and want to kill the Pope. A Russian communications expert gets a case of morals and wants to try and save the Pope. I should not say much more, or I will ruin the best part. I have read many Clancy's and this would not be in my top 5 but it does put a few things together so I am glad that I read it. I guess I would give it a C+.

5 comments about 59 Authentic Turn-of-the-Century Fashion Patterns.

1. I've been looking for a book with some illustrations of how women dressed in the 1800's. This book give its reader a number of illustrations and patterns where a crafty person, or a person with some seamstress knowledge, could create an outfit by enlarging the patterns and selecting materials that might have been used during those days. Takes a little doing, but can be done. Lots of puffy sleeved dresses and some beautiful coat patterns.



2. Great book. Thank you!



3. It only covers a few years of fashion, but if what you're looking for are patterns for women's and girl's fashions from 1890-1896, this may help you. But do note, it doesn't actually have any patterns later than 1896.



4. I liked this book because it showed many different styles of dress for women and children in the victorian age. I make victorian costumes and it now refer to it for ideas on how to make all my costumes a little different from each other. Also shows coats and many childrens clothes which are also helpful. Most of the dresses have leg of mutton sleeves but each is a variation.



5. As the book's name suggests, it has patterns from the "turn of the century". More specifically, from 1890 to 1896.
   
   The first three pages run over how to graph out a pattern, take your measurements, and adjust the pattern to fit. Basic knowledge of sewing, and a familiarity with patterns is a must. Or at the very least, you need to be a daring new sewer that isn't intimidated by challenges. The instructions are informative but brief.
   
   Each pattern has a fashion etching in black and white to illustrate the design it's based on. The etching shows trims and accessories. There is a diagram for each style that lays out all the pattern pieces needed to create it. All the measurements are listed in inches. They are clear and easy to read.
   
   There are 31 womens patterns : included are numerous sleeve layouts like two part coat, leg-o-mutton, 2 part leg-o-mutton, different fullnesses of sleeve. Several styles of skirt, one draped like the previous bustle decade, mostly three or five gore skirts, umbrella skirt. There are different collar styles, bodices cut in both princess and darted. A cape and coat pattern, etc. There is one nightgown pattern.
   
   There are 21 misses and girls costumes. They cover the same span of years. There are dresses appropriate to very small children up to teens. There is one evening dress pattern for a girl of about 5-9. There is also one pattern for drawers and one for a chemise.
   
   There are two patterns for boys. Mainly young boys. One is a pants suit, so i assume that would be for post diaper age. The other is a kilt costume.
   
   There are three mens patterns. One nightshirt, dressing gown and coat. There is no picture of the coat.
   
   My count brings me to 57 patterns, I must have missed a couple somewhere. But hopefully this will give you a good idea of the book contents. I have made some of the dresses from this book. The patterns work out well, however to create a truly period looking garment you need more information than what this book gives you. The construction techniques and trimming methods are quite different from how most basic sewing is done today. It would help the beginner to have some hands on exposure to actual period garments. Mostly to see how they are lined, interlined, stiffened, boned, etc. In my experience, it is the linings and foundations that give the finished product it's form. The outer image of the costume is merely floating on that foundation. This book does not cover foundations sewing techniques at all. But with some hands on antique garment experience, you could easily create an authentic looking dress from this book.

No comments about See More Readers: Killer Whales -Level 1.

2 comments about Scott 2007 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue: Countries of the World So-z (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 6 So-Z).

1. Any one who has ever thought of collecting stamps in the US, is familiar with the Scott stamp catalogs, the backbone of the collectors world. Yeah, they're a bit pricy, but then look at the work that has gone and continues to go into them! NEW for 2007.....COLOR!!!!! OMG!!!!! Most of the illustrations are now in COLOR!!!!!
   
   I am in the process of inventorying my Grandfather's massive stamp horde to try and sell it off. At ChicagoPex this year, I was drooling over the new catalogs, mumbling something about "color......". My sister wasn't overly impressed with the concept (she's since changed her mind!) and balked at spending that much money for a new set of catalogs. We've been working out of a 1999 set.
   
   Needless to say, I won! Hallelujah! Especially for the "not so informed" or anyone with not so good eyesight, the color makes a HUGE difference! It is SO much easier to find a stamp that you're looking for! I can not thank Scott enough for their huge effort in rescanning every single stamp in existence (that they could get their hands on).
   
   Bottom line......if you're thinking about it, but doing the "well, my catalogs aren't that old yet" or "boy, that's a lot of money to shell out", my advise is BUY THEM!



2. 
   I really like all of the color photographs of the stamps and how the series are grouped together. It makes it easy to find the stamps and country you are looking for.