1 comments about Simon and Schuster Crossword Puzzle Book #258: The Original Crossword Puzzle Publisher (Simon & Schuster Crossword Puzzle Books).

1. A great but difficult crossword collection with no annoying things such as spelling variations or obscure words. The spiral binding makes it handy to use.

1 comments about The New York Times Easy to Not-So-Easy Crossword Puzzle Omnibus Volume 1: 200 Monday--Saturday Crosswords from the Pages of The New York Times (New York Times Crossword Puzzles Omnibus).

1. The crosswords are seperated by days of the week. If you want something a little easier, start on Monday's pages. Looking for a challenging you can go straight to Friday and/or Saturday.

5 comments about Book of Exalted Deeds (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying Supplement).

1. But this book is lame. Especially compared to its companion piece, the Book of Vile Deeds. Vile Deeds was cool--it had crazy pictures, an interesting musing on the nature of good and evil [before whole heartedly abandoning that line of reasoning and presenting such morally ambiguous figures as the "Cancer Mage"], and some really evil stuff to throw at your PCs.
   
   This book... well... it has a great cover. No seriously, it's really neet to look at.
   
   The inside art isn't very attractive. Most of the add-ons are like "if your characters become extra special good, they are just so swell! Let's make everything holy or something like that!" The prestige classes aren't very inspiring either. And it's not really clear [although Vile Deeds wasn't either] about how a non-god figure is more powerful and important than a god figure? I guess it's one of those DnD continuity issues that you just have to grin and bear... or create your own setting!
   
   overall, not really worth your time.



2. Has good, balanced classes and pretige classes to add to the library of DnD. New items are useful and goes into plenty of detail about using an Exalted character. Excellent addition to any collection of DnD books.



3. I found this book to be more or less devoid of useful or interesting material, with two exceptions. I liked some of the feats presented in the book and I liked the section on creating immortals. The rest of the book was fluff, useless, a waste of space. The book tries to explain goodness to players, all of which know what it means to be good anyway. It presents a whole mess of groupings of deities which anyone could make up on their own, which is basically the way Wizards of the coast present everything divine. Instead of giving 7000 examples of divine beings, why not give us a book about how to build them, details of how divine beings interact, create, and how they fit into the cosmos? Anyone DM truly worth his salt makes all his own stuff up anyway rather than using the junk in books like this and the Manual of the Planes. Spend money on something else like Heroes of Battle, a much better book and more useable.



4. This book is an extremely in depth look at how to play good characters. The maturity warning is unwarrented, I believe, because the only thing it does that is mature is cover topics such as good vs evil and how to be a good PC. The content is not innapropriate mature, more like difficult to understand mature. It is the excellent guideline for being a goodguy, and I would almost require it as a rulebook for anyone who treads the Lawful Good path.



5. I bought the Evil book first and unfortunately, this book is not as wickely clever as that one. But it needs to be written, becuase this is the dawn to evil's night, both sides must be equal. It is a great supplement for an Evil campaign, which I ran for over a year. The "bad guys" were all the paladins and high Preists of good. But once we went back to the usual type of good/neutral campaign, this book came back out and some pc's willingly wanted to become exhalted. It is well worth your money. Great prestige classes and feats are included in this.

5 comments about Races of Destiny (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying).

1. Races of Destiny is the second book in the series, which started with Races of Stone, and which will be continued by Races of the Wild. This book presents humans, along with half-orcs and half-elves, and also a brand new race, the illumians.
   
   For most players and DMs the chapter on humans, half-elves and half-orcs will not have too much to offer (this is the weak point of the book). However, those who are new to the D&D game, and especially young gamers will find it interesting and useful.
   
   The next chapters offer more for players and DMs alike. The new race, the illumians are really interesting, and I just know that most players will create at least one illumian character to find out the unique versatility of the race.
   
   The chapter on other races is a matter of taste, if you like exotic races, you will like it, if you do not like them, you will find it unuseful.
   
   Prestige classes, new feats and spells are pretty good, and useful. Together with the chapter on illumians, these chapters will be the only ones that older gamers will use.
   
   The chapter on medieval fantasy urbane settings is mostly for new DMs, but it can give new ideas even for veteran DMs. One should never be too old to learn.
   
   Overall, this book is more useful for new gamers, but old gamers will also find interesting things among the pages. It is very difficult to write a fantasy handbook that addresses new and old gamers alike, and this book is a good example of a half-success.



2. The first section of this book, a discussion of human culture is an interesting and well thought out essay about humans in the fantastic culture of a D&D world. This part of the book shines in being useful to everyone and I was excited because humans are often overlooked for these sorts of manuals.
   
   The second section does the same for Half-elves and Half-orcs but without the excitement or engaging writing of the human section. I think (in my opinion) the trouble here is the brevity of this section and focusing on both races. As primary core rules races, this was disappointing.
   
   Consider the next section, which covers a new human variant race, the illumians. This is the largest section of the book focused on one topic and the work here is excellent, but since this is a variant, and a new addition that is not nearly as important as the core information, why spend the pages they did on all this information when they skimped on so many other things? This for me is the most disappointing aspect of this book. The new race is certainly interesting but it takes away from the books focus, which should be on the expanding of options to established parts of the game.
   
   The following section skims some other races and gives almost no more detail than the monster manual already has and really seemed uninspired.
   
   The feats are interesting and useful for players. The racial themes are expanded and aided by these choices.
   
   The prestige classes are all interesting but suffer from the problem of being too narrow for entry. Each one is so devoted to a specific class or race or place that they must undergo a lot of changes to be useful to most campaigns. I will be using several, but only with considerable adaptation.
   
   The spells generate some interesting ideas for city themed play, but barbaric humans are almost entirely overlooked here (as in the rest of the book).
   
   Finally, the section on cities. This added almost nothing to the worth of the book. I appreciate DM'ing advice but this information rehashed what tons of other books have already done (as well as a free web enhancement right on the Wizard's site).
   
   Overall, I feel the book is worth buying, and as usual, you can tell the authors really enjoy their work and care about what they are doing. I don't really agree with all the choices as being the best for their consumers, but the quality of what they do produce is excellent.



3. Were there some gems? Certainly. Were those gems worth what I paid? NO. (And, I bought it here with a significant discount). Far too much 'fluff", and hardly any crunch. Tons of fluff on humans and half-races; which is non-campaign specific, and thus nigh worthless to many.
   
   One new race which is complex, came out of nowhere, and is nigh incomrehensible. Why?
   
   I do love the human destiny feats. These were a long time due, IMHO. Some PrC's of interest, a couple spells, and another feat or two. Hmm, that's maybe a chapter.
   
   But, oh WotC, WotC- ye fooled me once now. No longer will I buy without a careful lookie-loo. You need to remember you have a core of loyal customers that will often pre-order and buy any core material you come out with. You can't abuse that trust. I think you did so with this book.
   
   Should you buy it? Well, the gems are there. If you have one guy in your group with deep pockets, and he takes advantage of the deep discount here- then sure, your group should have one to share. But it is hardly a "must buy".



4. WOTC offers more options for your PCs. The races books are a must have for Living Greyhawk writers and DMs but for everyone else its a nice to have if you play any of the races of destiny but if your more into dwarves and elves than you can skip this book for now.



5. Describing humans as a fantasy race faces certain hurdles. This book clears none of them except avoiding too many real world ethnic stereotypes. Humans are basically viewed through the biases of Western civilization and have little essence compared to the other races in the game. Illumians are a fairly interesting addition, humans whose lives revolve around knowledge and magical symbols. Little worthwhile is added about half-orcs and half-elves. Aasimar, tieflings and the like do not get expanded at all from their Monster Manual descriptions. Mongrelfolk get an unwanted, nonsensical rewrite. The book includes yet another version of the Half-Ogre, this one fairly balanced at LA +2.
   
   In the chapter Campaigns of Destiny, I would expect to find an exploration of the questions and opportunities raised by various sections of the book. It begins with a description of cities and cityfolk, cities being dominated, in the traditional D&D game, by humans. There are also some pre-made NPCs of various races and professions, such as a human blacksmith and an Illumian cabal guard. And that's it. I'm not sure what all belongs in a chapter titled Campaigns of Destiny, but I had hoped for more than a town to buy potions in and some encounter tables.
   
   I might have expected to see a section talking about the idea of human ascendency and the waning of other humanoids. Perhaps a description of societal fringes might have helped position half-elves, half-orcs, aasimar, and tieflings in the campaign. A few pages might have been devoted to the throughtful creation of human cultures and an exploration of national conflict among humans as a source of drama.
   
   This book is really only useful for running games in urban, cosmopolitan settings or adding Illumians. It actually adds very little to playing a human and offers little in the way of guidance as to what makes humans a race of destiny.

4 comments about Training Thoroughbred Horses.

1. If you are just starting out in this business, you should read this book. Preston Burch gives you a simple, direct and enlightening understanding of thoroughbred horses. This book may have been published almost 50 years ago but in every advancement man has made we constantly find ourselves going back to old knowledge and wisdom.



2. If every owner had a trainer like Preston Burch, there would be a lot more owners.

   This is a cornerstone book for a racing library. There is a large amount of fundamental training information in this simply written little book.

   The sections on conditioning schedules are invaluable. The degree of conditioning Burch afforded his horses is probably unmatched today.

   Read this book, and then end it to your trainer (if he can read).




3. Impossible that present day horses would beat any horse trained by Preston Burch. Just read the exercise prescriptions in this book and be blown away. I certainly was. Here is carefully controlled training by a trainer understanding that his horses are participating in an athletic event. This is a book about conditioning equine athletes and also contains every other aspect of training and caring for thoroughbred race horses in a well written book by an individual who apparently understood the great care required. I held off reading this fearing it was dated, but what a pleasant surprise to find the extreme if succinct comprehensiveness here, every aspect is covered by a fellow who tried to do everything correctly. This is Ivers before Ivers, and one does wonder whatever happened to trainers like Max Hirsch and Preston Burch.



4. The author writes from legendary experience as a thoroughbred trainer. Of course with any knowledge presented it can not possibly include every little detail regarding the subject but certain it can only enhance the experience one can acquire as a trainer.
   
   Be that as it may, my motive behind purchasing this material was not that of becoming a trainer, but rather to become an outstanding horseplayer. To me, the more a horseplayer can learn about the horses including important details about how thoroughbreds are trained, the better.
   
   This book offers exactly the information desired about training. I truly recommend others reviewing this material and also let me know what you think about the information, perhaps we can dialogue about the sport of training thoroughbreds. All the best! --- Stanley Pall

5 comments about Learn Bridge in One Hour: Learn in Ten Easy Steps.

1. Hooray! I have searched for a book like this for a long time! I have examined quite a large number of books that purport to teach Bridge, but I have always found them confusing and obtuse in their delivery. 'Learn Bridge in One Hour' is entirely different. It not only delivers the goods, but does so in a light and engaging style.
   
   I think it's greatest strength is that it breaks the game down into essentials and delivers them in bite-sized pieces so that the ideas are easily digested. The book is aptly named, as a new player really can truly begin to play the basic game in only an hour. This allows the learner to feel successful and so creates a pleasurable experience in learning and playing the game right from the start. As common sense would suggest, if you like something, you will want to do it again.
   
   Thank you Mr Riad. I love your book. You have created a wonderful way to 'step' into the fun of the game with easy, clear steps. My search is over!



2. Bridge can be a daunting game. This book helped to take that fear away and get me started. OK - maybe you won't be playing like a pro in one hour - but the most important thing is to get started and then practice. This book takes you by the hand with step by step instructions and photos to make it easy. Bridge is a challenging, complicated, and intellectual game and it was intimidating for me. Not anymore - thanks to this author!!!



3. Gives a novice a good start to learning bridge. Is easy to understand.



4. I joined an already active playing group and felt out of sorts because I did not understand the logic. I quit because the group had no time to start all over to walk me through it--they were busy enjoying playing. This books starts at the beginning and leads you through step by easy step.
   Now I am ready to call in a few people who also want to learn to play.--and I will soon be able to go back to the first group I played with---with a lot more confidence.



5. Very good basic bridge book. Lets one learn the basics without a lot of distracting verbiage. I will also use it as a reference book.

4 comments about Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Strategy Guides).

1. 4.5 out of 5. Only one item missing from this book. An extensive synthesis chart/outline. I have found that the popular monsters show what combos make them but as for the more complex, it is just not there.



2. whether your a true dragon questor or just a joker you will all find something great to help you out in this comprehensive guide with full detailed maps on every inch of the game complete baddies lists and a great breeding guide so you can make those "s" class monsters for yourself this guide has it all and most would be lost without it, the guide has helped me through many aspects of the game and helped me finnaly get that elusive monster ive been trying to get.. it will also give you great in depth guides on who you will meet on your travels (other scouters) and what type of monsters they have with them
   
   guide tells you everything about items aswel and a whole section devoted to where to find the seeds to give yourself a good little boosti really do reccomend such a product and couldnt be happier with it guaranteed great buy



3. Dragon Quest Monsters is a gift for my son and he enjoys it a lot.



4. While there is some great information in this strategy guide, for the most part it just seems rushed. It's like Brady Games got notice that the guide had to be written and they had one week to write it.
   
   The most remarkable thing about this guide is the sheer amount of non-information. DQM is a very in-depth game, but I had to go online to get answers to most of my questions.
   
   The monster list is good, as well as the skills guide, but the rest of it is more about pictures and less about information. I write publishable material for a living, and I was astounded to see some big editorial no-no's (such as no introductory text for some new topics).
   
   Brady Games can put some great strategy guides together - I have MANY of them. But DQM Joker is not one of them.

1 comments about Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?: The Play-at-Home Companion Book to the Hit TV Show!.

1. ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER? is a companion book to the hit television game show that allows readers to answer questions like those featured in the show. The book is divided into 75 different quizzes. Just like on the show there are ten categories ranging from earth science, chemistry, math, biology, U.S. history, English, human science, social studies, U.S. geography, world geography, world history, measurements, art, grammar, music, spelling, astronomy, physical education, animal science, physics, ancient history, and dance. The ten questions range from 1st grade to 5th grade level questions. Also each quiz also has a bonus question for the million dollar question.
   
   I love trivia books of every kind. I've seen the show several times and figured I'd pick the book up and see what it would be like. In all honesty, other than the format, the questions aren't that different than many other trivia books you will find around. However, the way the questions are arranged does allow you to play the game at home. The book is also very portable and good to bring on trips. It makes for a good way to pass the time with the family on long drives. Lastly, the book includes an introduction by Jeff Foxworthy. The introduction is rather short, but Foxworthy does share a few comments about the show and his initial impressions about being the host of a trivia game show.
   
   Recommended for fans of the tv show and trivia buffs.

5 comments about Aranzi Aronzo Fun Dolls (Let's Make Cute Stuff).

1. I love the variety of designs in this book; there are ideas for both boys and girls such as stuffed cars, cute bunnies, bears, and snakes. The directions are very easy to follow, although all of the measurements are given in metric (finding a metric ruler was the hardest part of the whole process!). The narrative that goes with the instructions give the projects personality.



2. This is the first Aranzi Aronzo book that I picked up. I chose this over the other books because I liked the wider variety of dolls (snakes, cars, turtles, bears) that they featured. So far though I've only managed to make the bears, dogs and bunnies so it looks like I'll probably be picking up the original "cute dolls" as it seems to have more of the... er... cute dolls. Instructions are incredibly easy to follow. Another reviewer mentioned that the measurements are metric but I honestly haven't even noticed as I haven't had a need to measure anything because of the great pictures/explanations. I like the consistent reminders throughout the book to try new fabrics, to have fun and, of course, to make things cute.



3. I love Aranzi Aronzo books for their super easy instructions and light-hearted tones. So far, this one's my favorite. I actually laughed out loud while flipping through the pages. I have a boy and a girl and there are tons of things in this book that both of them love. The patterns are so easy and there's no need to measure anything. A few of them suggest enlarging them slightly, but they look great as is! I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to make cute and easy kids' toys.



4. "Fun Dolls" can be thought of as "Cute Dolls" volume 2. "Cute Dolls" provided patterns for making 18 full-sized (8-12 inch) Aranzi Aronzo character dolls (if you aren't familiar with the Aranzi Aronzo characters, check out the Aronzo website, www.aranziaronzo.com - they're sort of like the Sanrio/Hello Kitty characters, only with more personality) and "Fun Dolls" provides more of the same (18 more patterns). However, because most of the more popular and well-known Aronzo characters were dealt with in "Cute Dolls", this time around, the patterns are for some of the lesser characters (and, in some cases, ones that I had never even seen before). That's not to say that they're not cute, they are, but if you're looking for a pattern for making Brown Bunny or Bad Guy, you should buy "Cute Dolls" instead.
   
   As was the case with the other Aronzo craft books, the patterns are easy to follow, the instructions are fully illustrated and there are colour photographs with hilarious captions throughout.
   
   This is the third book in the Aranzi Aronzo "Let's Make Cute Stuff" series. People who enjoy this book should also consider purchasing the other books in this series: "The Cute Book", "Cute Dolls" and "Cute Stuff".



5. I am very pleased with this book. It has a great selection of stuffed toys making it hard to choose the first pattern to start with. The size of the toys are just right. I also love the creative writing that accompanies the directions. All in all a great book!

No comments about Paper Punching (A Passion for Paper).