1 comments about A Spanish Repertoire for Black.

1. I've got a lot of opening books, but none like this.
   
   Marin's Beating the Open Games, and A Spanish Opening Repertoire for black combine the best features of an informant encyclopedia style layout, and English descriptions of the concepts.
   
   Each variation is summarized at the end of every chapter in an Informant Encyclopedia type layout. The notes on the moves are in English and offer far more explanation than someone would get from an Informant Encyclopedia. In addition, the main concepts are shown using games and verbal explanations prior to the Encyclopedic layout at the end of the chapter.
   
   Amazingly, no one else has ever organized an opening book this way. It's always been one or the other. Games with notes, or Informant like dumps with symbols.
   
   Both books are essentially repertoire books for Black, but players on the White side will get some benefit as well. I'm sure a lot of these lines will start showing up in tournaments in the future.
   
   For the main line of the Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening), Marin offers two systems for Black, The Rubenstein system or the Petrosion system, so don't expect to learn the Marshall attack. Even if you have no desire to play the main-lines that Marin offers, this book has the best analysis available for a lot of sidelines White can throw at you.
   
   I actually switched my repertoire from the Sicilian (1.e4 c5) to 1.e4 e5 temporarily because of Marin's two books. They offered a simple and effective way for me to initially study that line of play without having to refer to a lot of other sources. I wasn't completely happy with using his Rubenstein recommendations however. I'll probably try the Petrosian system next, or perhaps find something that covers the Marshall attack to complement Marin's analysis.
   
   I believe these books are probably effective for anyone rated from 1400 on up to even Grandmaster. The concise Informant like tables that document the lines at the end of each chapter will appeal to stronger players and the early chapter explanations with sample games are good for anyone learning the opening.
   
   
   

No comments about 52 Mother and Daughter Activities (52 Series).

1 comments about Los Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzles, Volume 23 (LA Times).

1. This puzzle book is very challenging, but definitely workable. You would enjoy the way the authors make you explore every part of your brain. I ended up buying 4 of their books.

4 comments about Magic Quizdom: Disneylandia Minutiae Semper Absurda.

1. Kevin Yee (of the best Disney website on the Internet: Miceage.com) and Jason Schultz have put together a terrific treasure trove of little known facts and trivia about Disneyland. While Gordon and Mumford's Disneyland: The Nickle Tour is STILL the best book ever produced about the theme park, this surprisingly dense effort offers in words a perfect companion to what they provide in photographs. Together, they provide a wonderful two volume reference set about the Happiest Place on Earth. My one and only complaint is that it's, well, organized as a multiple choice trivia book, albeit with paragraph long answers that go far beyond the question asked. I feel that more could have been accomplished had it just been written as a book, and thus I found myself skipping the question sections altogether and just reading the "answer" sections because that's where the true magic of this book is. All in all, it's great. This is one of the first books about Disneyland without pictures that I absolutely couldn't put down! Purchase this at Miceage and support Kevin!



2. As someone who frequents Disneyland about 40 times a year thanks to an annual pass, I thought I knew everything about Disneyland. This book gives valuable insight to little known facts. Sure, maybe they can be looked up on the internet or are common knowledge to some, but it's nice to have it all in a nice, inexpensive little book. In fact, my wife and I have taken this book to Disneyland to verify some of the information. If you want a different slant on history, background and secrets of Disneyland, this is a good place to start.



3. This book gives you some great little unknown facts in a fun format. A must if you are a true Disney nut!



4. Magic Quizdom is a must-have for any Disneyland fan. With three levels of difficulty, every Disneyland aficionado will be able to join in the fun.
   The Magic Quizdom is a fantastic book to bring when going to Disneyland. It's especially useful when waiting in long lines, like the one for Nemo's Submarine Voyage. You can quiz your friends or make new friends and quiz others around you. It's a blast for everyone.

5 comments about Splinter Cell: Double Agent (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. Just like the last Splinter Cell Game Guide, this book does good in providing you a walk-through to get through the game, but it lacks depth of knowledge that those who have played SC DA before would need to improve their game. There are many ways to get to places and handle situations that the book doesn't cover. The biggest disappointments were that it did not cover the X-Box version, which is much different than the X-Box 360 version and it didn't have any maps of the Versus mode of play. Also if you are using an X-Box 360 or PC, you have to refer back to the PS2 section for details and explanations - very inconvenient. For a beginner who gets stuck, it is worth while to help you get through the game. For anyone else, the few tidbits you get from the book isn't worth it.



2. If you want a guide that covers it all, then this is it. You'll find a great walk through and lots of intel for your trip into this Double agents adventures. I dont think you'll find anything else out there that comes close to this Guides helpful hints and strategies.



3. A nice looking guide, covers Gamecube and PS2 versions on the first half of the book and the X360 and PC on the other. Very complete guide but is a shame when you are looking on page 256 for a mission and says "for more info on this item go to page 6" so you have to go all over back to check than item and then come back to the last pages again (this is if you're looking at the X360 and pc pages). Some 10 pages more with all the gadgets and items on the beginning of the x360 and pc part wouldn't hurt :)
   
   For the rest very good guide, nice maps, quality pictures, quality paper and very well explained, should have concentrate more on alternative routes but well, for people like me that get stuck in games like that it was enough help to get pass some missions.
   
   The only bad thing is the "Frag doll comments" on multiplayer games, I find most of them pretty lame as they really say nothing important about strategies for the game.
   
   Must have for SC fans.



4. It's a great guide unless you're the original XBox game. Other than that, I've gone through the PS2 version rather well. Oh well....can't win all the time. :)



5. This is a nice guide, it may not be as detailed as the other Splinter Cell guides, but it is still very nice.
   
   I had played this game without the guide a couple times. But when I really like a game, I like having the guide to look at and ponder other ways of playing the game. Also like having guides to refer to when I want to look up some aspect of the game.
   
   If you like the game, it might be worth it to add this guide to your collection.

1 comments about Bridge for Bright Beginners.

1. This little book uses a teaching strategy that one might think would be obvious: Explain what problems mean before showing readers how to solve them. The way it does so is to show how to play a hand before talking about bidding.

   I remember how frustrated I was when I first learned how to play bridge: I had a bunch of rules dumped on me about how to bid, and had no conception of whether or not a bid made sense beyond seeing whether it followed those seemingly arbitary rules. If I had read this book then, it would have let me avoid all that frustration.

   There is one point about which prospective readers of this book should be aware: It is based on British bidding style rather than American style. Nevertheless, I have absolutely no doubt that it deserves five stars, and should be much better known than it is.

1 comments about The 100 Best Solitaire Games.

1. This book is fantastic:
   It's well written, clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, and include detailed diagrams.
   Finally a modern book (2004)include the solitaire of PC windows freecell, solitaire (klondike).
   Another this best book include classic solitaire and rare variations/spin-off, as a bonus include solitaire games for two player. The chapter are: the most popular solitaire games, strategy games, travel solitaire, fun games, strategy g. 2 pack, solitaire for two. All book is well illustrated.
   All you need is a economical deck of cards!!! If you can buy the deck called "patience" or mini size are small for solitaire.

5 comments about Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders : A John Gierach Fly-Fishing Treasury.

1. John's writing is in one of those styles you look forward to crummy weather so you can justify sitting down and getting a kick out of his antics. To do otherwise, well heck, you'd feel like he'd wag a finger at you and ask, "Why the hell aren't you fishing you dolt!? See that hatch? See that rise? Drop my book and tie into those beautiful little torpedos!"

   The stories are marvelous. John's fishing and hunting partners are a hoot. And I can't help but think that there's some cryptic means of deciphering his secret fishing spots by selecting every third letter of every ninth word of every other paragraph... or something like that.

   The illustrations are GREAT! Hope I can find a garage sale edition of the book so I can demolish it for the pictures.

   John, great job and hope your St. Vrain is chugging along for you.

   GB in Tulsa




2. I always page to John Gierach's column first when the Fly Rod and Reel magazine shows up in the mail box. This was a wonderful read for a flyfisherman in Minnesota in the winter. The thoughts this book brought forth kept me going through the long (too cold to fish) winter.



3. John is one funny guy. And he knows the outdoors. His cast of characters make reading this series of short stories about fishing, camping, and life outdoors a real pleasure. I only hope his other books are as enjoyable as this one.



4. This is one of the best books I've ever read. John's insights into flyfishing and it's connection with day-to-day life are phenominal. I'm ready to buy a camper, quit work and spend the rest of my days cruising fron stream to stream.



5. Death, Taxes and Leaky Waders
   
   Time, little pieces of forever crumbling into tomorrow, so fleeting so fast, so damn close to April 15th and tax day. I received a letter from the IRS, and after a big breath, and popping a fresh load of buckshot into the old 12 gauge, I decided to read it. Appears the government is giving me $600 of my own money back in order to stimulate the economy. They could have saved a stamp and given me $600.41 cents back, or better yet, left it in my pocket. I would have tickled the economy by buying food, books, and of course, fishing gear. Yep, the first true sign of spring isn't robins or dandelions or even April showers, but that first tug at the end of a fishing line. The first day of trout season is always about more than the fish, and no one knows that better than outdoor writer John Gierach.
   
   John Gierach is a free-lance writer and author of several fly-fishing themed books with titles such as Still Life With Brook Trout; Sex, Death and Fly-Fishing; and the cult classic, Trout Bum. His work has appeared in Gray's Sporting Journal, Field & Stream and Fly, Rod and Reel. His writing is not purely instructional, though there's plenty of useful information, nor merely adventurous, though he travels from the Arctic to Scotland to the Rockies, and it's not the purist philosophy of an elite fly fisherman, though there's a witty thinker with a wry sense of humor wearing that patched-up pair of waders. What he does manage to do is explain the peculiarities of the fishing life in a way that will amuse novices and seasoned fly fishers alike.
   
   Death, Taxes and Leaky Waders collects forty of John Gierach's finest essays on fishing from six of his earlier books. Gierach is perhaps one of the most entertaining outdoor writers working today. Like all his writing, these essays are about more than fishing, but about nature, friendship, and observations of life. Gierach often begins with a keen observation that soon leads to something below the surface, which he coaxes out, and successfully lands. As Gierach says, "Writing is a lot like fishing."
   
   Writing is a lot like fishing. Both take patience, persistence, lots of time, an appreciation of the process, and both are harder than they appear. This anthology of Gierach's work is sure to comfort the angler who stands in a cold river for hours and brings home nothing to show for it. As any fisherman knows, there's more to fishing than the fish, and like any good writing, this collection of essays is about more the preparation of camp coffee or catching arctic graylings, but ultimately about life, death and of course, fly fishing...
   
   If you love this book, check out "Of A Predatory Heart" by Joe Parry and "Of Woods and Wild Things" by Don Knauss
   
   Fish or cut bait? Trout or Bass? Drop me an email at frommyshelf@epix.net Trolling for past columns? Cast your line at www.frommyshelf.blogspot.com Be sure to catch "Hobo Finds A Home" a children's book about a cat who wanted more out of life than to be a barn cat. This column approved by the committee to elect Hobo for President

5 comments about The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time Perfect Guide.

1. This Book has got to be the best guide book ever written for a game. It has detailed maps, but they are not so detailed that it gives you a headache or anything. It tells you how to do everything, including how to get Epona the horse. It also doesn't leave gaps like other guide books that tell you about one room, then just skip to the next one, without telling you how to get there. It also feels like the writer is talking to you, and makes it enjoyable to read.



2. This is the world's greatest strategy guide! It is so detailed and interesting that you could read it for pleasure (I did). With pictures and step by step instructions, any kid who can read could beat the Ocarina Of Time with it. I am almost thirteen and I've loved it since I was 9.



3. Many people say that this guide has too much language, it IS an E rated game but I say who gives a sh*t! HAHAHA! Also it doesn't tell about the best kept secret in the game the sinking fish lure. Go to the fishing pond in lake hylia as an adult ONLY, and search the perimeter of the pond, then go to the small stream in the back (that flows into the pond) and look in the rocks, if it's not there then go to then log in the middle of the pond, it'll be there and you'll know it when you get it. You can cetch the loach which is 36? pounds. The biggest i've caught is 20, with a regular hook the biggest was 19. Thank me later



4. I think it's the best srategy guide made for OoT. It tells you EVERYTHING you need to collect in the game (except for the sinking lure). And for those who admire OoT art and love the characters -- it has it all!



5. I'm not a kid, I just didn't want to reveal my account. Anyway, this is a very thorough guide and includes everything but the sinking lure, but the author uses the words d**n, cr*p, a**, and p*ssed throughout the book. This may not be a good choice for younger children.

5 comments about The Big Book of Pokemon: The Ultimate Player and Collector's Guide.

1. I have many books that have old cards and not current info. but this book as I all all the all the cards ,I say this is the best pokemon price book ever!



2. I think this is a very good book which gives you information about the trading card game and prices(the important things) the only thing which prevents it from getting 5 stars is that new sets are going to come out and this book won't be able to cover them all but it's the best book about the cards which are out there right now



3. This review is being typed on behalf of my 9 year old daughter! She says very informative and a great book for a Pokemon lover!



4. When this book was written, Pokemon was the biggest thing on the planet. The book serves primarily as a history book in my opinion. The book is definitely "big" as the cover says. 300 pages!

   There's full color images of the original 151 Pokemon with their stats. There images of the main characters and Bios. There's images of all the U.S. & Japanese Pokemon cards that existed back then. All the Burger King toys & cards are displayed. And there's Killer Decks for those that want to look back at the theory behind the Power decks.

   If you or your kids are just getting into Pokemon, this will keep them entertained for hours. If you've been into Pokemon since 1998 ... then you'll have fun looking back on the good times. ;-)

   Updated - "Make sure to pick up Pojo's Total Pokemon, as it picks up where this book left off, and was updated for 2004!"




5. Surely outdated by now. I'm slow on giving reviews. But the kids enjoyed it. My son just recently gave it away to someone on the secret santa list at school. He was ecstatic. Of course, my son also gave him over 1000 pokemon cards too. LOL