3 comments about Epicurean Tarot Recipe Cards.

1. The perfect gift for any Kitchen Witch! This is a fully functioning tarot deck with recipes that somehow relate to the card being represented. The deck is oversized so the cards are rather large.

   I only rated this deck three stars for what one of the other reviewers touched on......the recipes. (Not the most creative or scrumptious dishes to come across your palate!) The size was also important to me....I tend to dislike oversized cards as I find them difficult to divine with, but they are the perfect size for recipes......I guess you can't have it all!

   Overall, still a great gift and I recommend it.




2. "Most cooks try to avoid reading reversed cards. With every card in an upright position, ingredients can be assembled in the order they will be used and instructions can be clearly understood." - Corrine Kenner
   
   The Epicurean Tarot Recipe Cards is an unusual offering by Corrine Kenner, author of Tall Dark Stranger and Tarot Journaling (1/06). These cards-designed to nourish your body, mind and spirit-come in a sturdy, attractive box that stands vertically on a base.
   
   Measuring approximately 6 ½ X 4 ½ inches, each glossy card features a Universal Waite Tarot card (approximately 2 ½ x 3 ½ inches), corresponding recipe, and amusing notation about the card as it relates to the recipe.
   
   The 35-paged booklet that accompanies the Epicurean Tarot Recipe Cards offers several ways to use the "deck", including:
   
   * Active meditation
   * Learning the Tarot
   * Preparing a magical meal
   * Hosting a Tarot pot luck dinner
   * Assessing lifestyle and spiritual nourishment
   * Brainstorming for creating additional recipes
   
   The companion booklet also provides traditional meanings for each of the 78 cards.
   
   For the Major Arcana, Ms. Kenner has selected recipes inspired by the card imagery-almost as if the characters had chosen favorite recipes to share with the world. The Minor Arcana recipes reflect the essence of the four suits: Wands recipes (Fire) are spicy and hot, Cups recipes (Water) call for seafood or fresh fruit, Pentacles (Earth) recipes feature homegrown vegetables and hearty meats, while Swords (Air) recipes call for chopping, cutting, slicing, dicing, and spearing.
   
   Some of the tempting recipes featured in the Epicurean Tarot include:
   
   * The Fool's Caramelized Nuts
   * 9 of Cups Beer-Cheese Soup
   * 4 of Cups Crab Cakes
   * Queen of Pentacles' Welsh Rabbit
   * The Charioteer's Jerky
   * The Tower's Banana Flambé
   * The Moon's Lobster Bisque
   * 7 of Swords Midnight Snack Dip
   * King of Wands' Jabanero Salsa
   * 10 of Pentacles Chicken and Dumplings
   * Ace of Swordfish Baked in Parchment
   
   Most of the recipes serve four-six people (depending on portion size), with readily available ingredients.
   
   Epicurean Tarot Recipe Cards would likely appeal to gourmands and Tarot enthusiasts alike. Many of the recipes don't appeal to me, but there's no accounting for taste. It's evident that Ms. Kenner has put a lot of effort and thought to the gustatory correlations of Tarot imagery, meaning, and elements.
   
   What would have made this offering even better is if it would have featured original, whimsical Tarot cards (think Housewives Tarot) rather than the Universal Tarot. For example, the cover of the box shows the Magician wielding a wooden spoon and a wire whisk; carrying this type of motif throughout the cards would have made for quite a unique experience! Still, the Epicurean Tarot reflects originality and enthusiasm-and there's nothing on the market (that I know of) that's like it.
   
   (Note: I found two mistakes in the companion booklet. The 2 of Swords was referred to as the 2 of Cups and the King of Cups was referred to as the King of Wands.)
   
   (To see 2 card images from the Epicurean Tarot, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)



3. When I saw this clever pack of Tarot recipe cards I had to own them and add to my collection of decks. The artwork colours are superb and vibrant, which relates to the Tarot itself as a tool for visually planning our future. Hmmmm, future meals perhaps? I've tried most of the recipes on family and friends, who have been delighted with comfort food made right. Many roads lead to the road of Tarot,the true Tree of Life; why not through the stomach of a seasoned or neophyte student? There is more than meets the eye with the Epicurean Tarot Recipe Cards, it is a unique approach of a fundamental learning tool. If you love Tarot, in all forms, keep your sense of humour and place this on your kitchen shelf as an alternative choice to gather intuitive insights to your day.

No comments about My Best Book of Card Tricks.

1 comments about Magic Card Tricks.

1. I've been doing magic for about 3 years now, and this is the most comprehensive book of card magic I've come across. Their are a wide range of tricks, from "Finale" to "Aces and Kings" which makes for a more enjoyable read. The diagrams aren't as good as some other books I've seen and that's where it lost its 5th star, however it makes up for it in all other areas. I really recommend it!

No comments about Close-Up Magic for the Night Club Magician.

4 comments about Card Tricks and Stunts: More Card Manipulations.

1. Teaches alsome tricks for any level of skill. A must for any learning wizard



2. If I could take lessons from one card magician living or dead, I'd probably pick Jean Hugard. Although he wrote decades ago, his ideas are so timelessly fresh that the serious student of card magic will rejoice when reading this book--it's equally as good as "Card Manipulations." Like its predecessor, it has sleights, tricks, and flourishes that cover the gamut from intermediate to truly advanced. I wouldn't, however, recommend the two Card Manipulation books as first choices--"Expert Card Technique" is a more comprehensive source for sleights and "Encyclopedia of Card Tricks" describes all manner of tricks. But if you want all of Hugard's major works--and you will--you'll spring for the reasonably priced "Card Manipulation" books. They are that good.



3. I reccomend this book for anybody who even has a "sleight" interest in card tricks. It's clever tricks and invisible sleights will allow you to amaze anybody, including other magicians. This excellent book brought me from a cub scout magician to a serious and amazing amateur. Please don't buy it so that magicians like me can still amaze guys like you.



4. This is another great book by Jean Hugard densely packed with card tricks and other sleights - over 120 in all. Some things to consider: (1) these are not simple tricks, and will require significant practice to master (i.e., they are not self-working card tricks); (2) the text is sometimes difficult to follow and may require multiple readings. Otherwise, this is a very valuable resource for the serious card manipulator.

4 comments about Clown Magic.

1. Incredibly highly recommended! Although a comedy magician (not a clown - there is a difference!), David Ginn clearly understands the difference, and has adapted many of his magic skits to a clown's world. Among his other credentials, he's taught at the UW-La Crosse Clown Camp.



2. David Ginn's CLOWN MAGIC is well written and beautifully illustrated, giving the reader a wealth of information. He covers a wide variety of "magic" skills from the presentation to the actual production of the illusion. This is a must for those in the clowning/magic entertainment field.



3. This is a very good book. It teaches you a lot on clowning not just funny magic tricks but also how to behave as a clown. This book was very helpful to me and I'm shure it will be helpful to you to. If you are thinking of buying a clowning book, this one should be at the top of your list.



4. David Ginn is one of the premier school performers in the United States. He teaches and lectures about magic and school show creation all over the United States. This book tells, in a simple, easy-to-read style, how to do a number of easy magical tricks that don't require a lot of skill or manipulation to perform. But it is not enough to be able to do the tricks. One must also be entertaining while doing them. This book helps performers to be entertaining and funny while performing magic. And that is a pretty amazing stunt all by itself!

5 comments about The Amateur Magicians Handbook.

1. If you are interested at all in magic then this is the book to get. It lets you in on the secrets of a whole realm of different magic tricks (coins, cards, stage, close, etc....). Whats great about this book is that if you are new to the "hobby" then you can sample a little of alot and find what really interests you, then you can delve into another more specific book with deeper content.



2. Henry Hay (pen name for June Barrows Mussey, who was a journalist and translator as well as magician) was probably the best magical writer that ever lived. Several professional magicians have learned from his clear prose, including Johnny Ace Palmer, Gary Oulette (producer of the WORLD'S GREATEST MAGIC specials), and David Copperfield. If it was good enough for those guys, it's good enough for anybody. It was certainly good enough for me. I still refer back to it at times, and I've been into magic since I was twelve. I'm twenty-one now. Buy this book and learn all that it has to teach. Count yourself very lucky if you can find a good copy.



3. This one book will open the doors of magic for you. The first two chapters are essential for the reader to understand how to create magic in the minds of the spectators. Mr. Hay is an excellent teacher and motivator. Although his passion was coin magic (T. Nelson Downs was his boyhood hero), he teaches classic sleights for cards, coins, thimbles, balls, silks, etc. He gives wise counsel on buying apparatus, how to stage a magic show, performing for children, how to practice, and more. Although the AMH was originally written in 1950, the books listed in his bibliography are still recommended reading today. I had the rare opportunity to meet Mr. Hay in Germany and he was cordial and still proficient in his hobby. Do you want to learn magic? Buy this book.



4. I've had a copy of this book since 1975 and passed it on to my youngest son. This book as been part of our family since I was a teenager and will continue to be as long as it's avaible.



5. If you are serious about magic, then this book is just as important as Tarbell. Buy it.

No comments about Fell's Super Power Memory.

4 comments about Pojos Unofficial Total Magic: The Gathering.

1. For starters, anyone with any experience might as well avoid this book; there's nothing here for you.

   This is a decent book for beginners. It covers the basics well. It mentions a few deck types and frequently seen cards, so that beginners start off with some knowledge. It is also a nice feature to have a short article for parents whose kid have just discovered Magic.

   However, this book does have problems. First, it is written in an April 2003 mindset, but it has not seen wide release until August 2003. Much has changed. Beginners should be immersing themselves with 8th Edition, not retrograding themselves back to 7th. Also, it chooses some strange things to cover. For example, beginners don't need much coverage of Type I or Rochester, and they should not even be told about Solomon drafts. Why the heck mention Solomon drafts? In nine years of playing Magic I have only seen one done, and it was unsanctioned and over six years ago. The space dedicated to these topics would have been better served preparing beginners for local tourneys and for trading, giving them advice about how to tell a good trade from a bad trade. This book does a fine job of illustrating why Magic advice has been concentrated on the internet, and not in an hard form like magazines or books.

   Those just starting will do OK with this book ...




2. If you are truly a beginner, then this book is pretty good.

   It does a decent job of explaining all the different formats (Type 1, Extended, Type II, Sealed Deck, Booster Drafting ... etc.). If you have no clue what that stuff is, then you should pick this book up.

   There's a nice walk-thru of a complete game with preconstructed decks which was pretty cool. And there is also a nice introduction to Magic The Gathering Online, which can be intimidating to newbies as well.

   Overall, I give it 5 stars for newbies. If you ain't a newbie, then this book isn't targetted for you, but it still can be fun to read on the can. ;-)




3. One of the best books I've seen on Magic written for the casual and just starting out player. Gives some great hints and tips on what to look for in a deck, and how to plan and build winning decks and strategies. Goes over main concepts and the ideas behind each color, the best cards to look for and how to build to beat your opponents. Also gives insight into tournaments of all types and what's required. I really liked it and would recommend it highly.



4. This is not actually a book per se but a collection of poorly written articles. It displays a few of the standard decks, but gives no strategy about deck building. It also does not explain or elaborate on the basic mechanics of the game. So if it is aimed at introducing the game, it fails. For the experienced player it is nothing new or interesting.

No comments about Ventriloquism for the Total Dummy.