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Much Ado About Nothing (New Swan Shakespeare. Advanced Series)

William Shakespeare

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 289 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Much Ado about...Nothing 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

It's as the title implies..nothing this film did nothing for me. None of the actors really seemed to sparkle or stand out (maybe that guy from House but barely). This movie also features Keanu Reeves in one of his worst acting roles since Bram Stoker's Dracula. It seems to me I get Shakespeare's dramas better than I get his comedies.The lines are supposedly witty and funny, funny to who an audience from ol' Willie's century? Maybe, or maybe the performance was too dumbed down to make it either but I digress.
There are some scenes I find totally pointless and dumb. The opening shot of the menfolk returning homes from a battle or something riding thier horses over the hill to some extremely corny triumph music "RIDING HORESES YAH! WOO look how cool we look riding slow-mo on our horses while making constipated faces. And another shot of the men and women getting ready to go greet each other by getting cleaned up, they show [...] shots of both sexes (though I think they linger disturbingly longer on the women) just for the sake of having [...] shots. And be warned the lighting for the mens shot has you seeing a little more than you want to.
Tell me when there's a good Shakespeare adaptation I can rave about Ciao!

Editorial Review:

Part of the "New Penguin Shakespeare" series, this book offers a complete edition of "Much Ado About Nothing". It has been prepared from the original texts and is accompanied by an introduction, a list of further reading, a full commentary, and a short account of the textual problems of the play.

How to Read a Book

Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 103 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

rip-off 1 out of 5 stars.
5 of 58 people found this review helpful.

i bought this book to learn how to read, but then i found out i couldn't read it. :(

Useful, but much longer than necessary 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This is a review of "How to read a book" by Adler (May 2008).

This book was recommended to me by several authors I liked so aftr reading the positive reviews I decided to buy it. I can see that some see this book as 'timeless' and I think that is true, but I have also some criticism.

Pros:
- I see the main value of the book in teaching you the ability to structure your reading process/effort so that you get maximum value out of reading any book. For experienced readers (age 35+) this may be already a kind of automatism, but for less experienced (either in terms of #years or in terms of type of topic) this is probably not the case.
- I liked in particular the fact that the author not only discusses how to read book with emphasis on analytic content (rational / scientific / factual type of books), but also other kinds of literature.

Cons:
- The book is way too long. The author takes many pages to make a point that can also be done in 30% of the space. Fortunately, the author provides summaries of his 'rules' and tips. Nevertheless, an author who writes about how to efficiently read a book, should be brief himself! Just as you may expect from a dedicated reader that he reads efficiently, you may expect from a good writer he thinks through how to make a point, and be brief in the end, not forcing a reader to read many superfluous pages. Adler failed here. This makes me downgrade my rating.

Bottom line: If possible get it from a library; I would not recommend buying this book if you are in the second half of your 'reading life'.

Editorial Review:

How to Read a Book, originally published in 1940, has become a rare phenomenon, a living classic. It is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. And now it has been completely rewritten and updated.

You are told about the various levels of reading and how to achieve them -- from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading, you learn how to pigeonhole a book, X-ray it, extract the author's message, criticize. You are taught the different reading techniques for reading practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science.

Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests whereby you can measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension and speed.

Buenas noches, luna

Margaret Wise Brown

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Does not lend itself to Spanish 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I was so excited to find Goodnight Moon in Spanish, as the English version was a favorite of my siblings 20 years ago, and my 15 month old son today. We have dozens of Spanish translations of English books, some of which work better than others. I had hoped this one would at least be okay, but for me, it seems very awkward and loses the charm of the original; and my son will not listen to even a page read in Spanish.

Others have commented that the book keeps the rhythm of the Spanish language, but I couldn't disagree more. I am hesitant to simply blame the translator--with such simple images, I think there is only so much a translator can do to preserve the feeling of the original, and perhaps this book just didn't lend itself. All the charming rhymes seem to be lost, without being replaced, and so the repetition that is so soothing, even to babies, just isn't there. In addition, the lines themselves feel so much longer in Spanish, as well, and my son, who adores the English, gets very impatient for the page to be turned.

Let me just provide a couple examples. From the first page to the second:
English: In the great green ROOM, there was a telephone, a red balLOON, and a picture of...the cow jumping over the MOON.
Okay, maybe "room" is a stretch there, but there is a rhythm to that rhyme.

Spanish: En la gran habitacion verde, hay un telefono, un globo rojo y un cuadro...de una vaquita que salta sobre la Luna.

Some other pages are slightly better:
English: 2 little kittens and a pair of mittens
Spanish: Dos gatitos juguetones, dos caletines y dos mitones

But followed by:
English: ...comb and a BRUSH and a bowl full of MUSH, and a quiet old lady who was whispering HUSH
Spanish: ...cepillo y un gran peine y papilla en un tazon, y una amable viejecita que teje muy calladita.


So is there some rhythm in the Spanish translation? Sure. But does it even approximate the English? No, I don't think so. Of course translations are not going to be perfect, but we own many Spanish texts [translated from English] that are virtually as good as (or even occasionally better than) the original. The awkwardness of this translation seems to present a bad example of the beauty and flow of Spanish, and unless reading the English version is not a possibility, I really don't recommend this book in Spanish--especially not with a baby or toddler. An older, school age child who wants to learn the Spanish vocabulary would, I think, be much more likely to enjoy this book (thus the 2 stars instead of 1).

Note for reference: Some board books we have enjoyed in Spanish include "Donde esta el ombliguito" by Karen Katz, and all the "Este no es mi..." books (Este no es mi dragon being a favorite among favorites, though, to be fair, some of the word choices are a bit odd, but that doesn't affect the overall flow of the book).

Editorial Review:

Margaret Wise Brown’s classic bedtime story is now packaged with an audio tape featuring a gentle reading in Spanish with simple musical underscoring. This soothing story makes the perfect bedtime companion and begs to be heard and read aloud again and again.

The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 685 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The sea giveth...and the sea taketh away 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

"The Old Man and the Sea" was Ernest Hemingway's last important work. Written in Cuba in 1951 and when published, it became one of his most recognize pieces. The work won him the Pulitzer prize in 1953 and the Nobel prize in literature in 1954.

*SPOILER*

This is the story of Santiago, a poor, humble Cuban fisherman who has been down on his luck for some time i.e. no catches lately. However on this day he ventures father out to sea than usual in his tiny skiff, and hooks the biggest Marlin he's ever seen. Thus the real story begins; a battle of epic proportions, drawn out over several days, between man and fish, man and the ocean, and man and himself.

What really impressed me about this short novel was Hemingway's ability to conjure a slowly increasing sense of foreboding and fear as his hero is dragged farther and farther off-shore by his immense 'prize'. With only himself to talk to and an ever dwindling supply of water and food there is something primordial about this situation that creeps into ones subconscious. In a great book the reader will usually identify in some way with the protagonist of a story, transferring some of the fears and anxieties of the hero into the reader, making for a more 'personal' and intense experience; this book is no exception.

Conclusion:
A short, spelling-binding tale that is beautifully written.
5 Stars.

Ray Nicholson

P.S.
I originally read this work some time ago because, of all things, a crossword puzzle...The clue was, 'What book with six words in the title and each word having 3 letters, won a Pulitzer prize.' From there it was a mere formality that I had to read this intriguing work.

Editorial Review:

The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed his power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes

Neil Gaiman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 129 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not quite what I expected 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

After reading some reviews and being told this was in the Pantheon of graphic novelizations, I figured I would give it a shot.

I think what I have learned is that I like the idea of graphic novels, but when push comes to shove, I prefer to actually read a good book instead.

This collection (Vol 1) is OK, but I just couldn't justify spending close to $100 to get all of the rest of these and read the whole thing.

Thus, this review is a warning to those in my shoes who aren't familiar with the concept. Don't buy all of them at once... Get one, then decide.

Editorial Review:

"Wake up, sir. We're here." It's a simple enough opening line--althoughnot many would have guessed back in 1991 thatthis would lead to one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comics of the second half of the century.In Preludes and Nocturnes, Neil Gaiman weaves the story of a man interested in capturing the physical manifestation of Death but who instead captures the King of Dreams. By Gaiman's own admission there's a lot in this first collection that is awkward and ungainly--which is not to say there are not frequent moments of greatness here. The chapter "24 Hours" is worth the price of the book alone; it stands as one of the most chilling examples of horror in comics. And let's not underestimate Gaiman's achievement of personifying Death as a perky, overly cheery, cute goth girl! All in all, I greatly prefer the roguish breaking of new ground in this book to the often dull precision of the concluding volumes of the Sandman series. --Jim Pascoe

The Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 112 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

I occupy myself with this mystery because I want to be a man 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Anyone interested in the central question facing mankind will find `The Brothers Karamazov' an essential guide. That question--on man's capacity for responsibility and the proper role of the state and religion--is posed throughout the story in dialogue and events, and is framed neatly in a 20-page section where Ivan presents a poem titled `The Grand Inquisitor' to his brother Alyosha. The chapter that bears that title (Book V, Chapter V) is a masterpiece in itself and should be studied for its narrative technique alone. But the ideas it presents are so immense, so mind-blowing and inspirational, that literary criticism is not sufficient.

Indeed, `The Brothers Karamazov' should not be classed merely as a novel--it is a book of philosophy, theology, and sociology as well that ranks with the greatest documents in those disciplines. There is a fictitious plot, of course, and the characters in the story are some of the most unique in all of literature, so it is rightly praised as a novel. But the modern reader looking for a plot of twists and romantic intrigues is bound to disappointment. Dostoevsky does not stir up drama through the placement of unexpected developments or improbable character traits. Instead, he relies on the inherent needs and wants of all men to make vivid his story.

The amount of dialogue may be shocking (tedious) to one accustomed to the modern show-don't-tell policy in storytelling. Today, novelists and screenwriters let a character's actions speak for them--it is quicker and provides a much more convincing impression. It also limits the kind of ideas that are posed in the story to simple, prosaic ones like `she likes him' or `he wants to defeat him.' By contrast, Dostoevsky allows the characters to speak for themselves, which creates a much longer and subtler exposition, but also frees the ideas to be vast and monumental.

What is the fundamental nature of socialism? What are the uses of the church in finding purpose? In finding salvation? Why is there suffering? What is the meaning of death? Read the brothers' dialogues and contemplate.

Dostoevsky's own philosophy is seen in the protagonist, Alyosha. This is so despite the fact that the author ably covers every perspective on every topic presented in the book, and one can hardly find a positive assertion throughout. If there is one, it rests in the overall effect of the words and actions, a concept Dostoevsky articulated in a personal correspondence--it is that "Man is a mystery; if you spend your entire life trying to puzzle it out, then do not say that you have wasted your time."

A word about the translations: The title of Book IV has been translated differently in every version I have seen (other chapter titles are also inconsistent, but Book IV is seemingly the most difficult to agree on). The original Russian is `Nadryvy,' which literally translates to `Ruptures,' though no translations I have seen use `Ruptures.' The word is used throughout the book to convey the motif of `pressures' or `strained conditions about to break.' The various options I have seen for this title are `Lacerations' (Garnett), `Strains' (Pevear & Volkhonsky), `Torment' (MacAndrew), `Crises' (Avsey), and `Crack-Ups' (McDuff). Given this is a central theme, the potential reader might look into which translation he prefers before buying. Apropos, the Princess Alexandra Kropotkin print version bears the Garnett translation, as does the Frederick Davidson audio recording.

Editorial Review:

The award-winning translation of Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel.

" American Psycho " Sonderausgabe

Brett Easton Ellis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1078 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Yawn 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

By now it should not startle me that readers and critics in America, if not worldwide, are bad. I mean, really, really bad- to the point of wretchedness. Just yesternight I saw a major network newscast decrying the fact that over 20% of college graduates in this country are functionally illiterate. Add in those people who are deliterate- i.e.- can read and understand grammar, but are clueless as to the deeper things inside a narrative, or even a sentence- and it's no wonder that Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 novel American Psycho is so abysmally misunderstood. No, it's not a great book, nor a bad one. It's a book that has moments and good points, and could have been a classic had someone with editing skills done their job. Those who condemn it for being violent miss the point- it's a fantasy. Those who praise it for being a satire miss the point- it's a fantasy. Its best predecessor is not Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes From The Underground, but Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, another symbolic work that explores what a protagonist who feels the world shuns him will act like. I should be angrier about this book's missing the boat editorially, but I guess the fact that so many people simply do not or cannot read is more fascinating to me than why the book ultimately fails. Ellis is not like his POMo brethren- David Foster Wallace, Dave Eggers, T.C. Boyle, nor Rick Moody, to name the most infamous of that band- because he actually has a bit of an idea about what goes into plot structure, as well some talent in humor and the structure of scenes. Again, were you to read most critics you would hear the idea that the book is plotless being bandied about almost as often as the claim that it's a satire, or existential. No, again, it's a fantasy in the most obvious, non-Tolkienesque sense possible, but a fantasy it is.

You wouldn't know it from the mainstream reviews of the day, which obsessed over the supposed misogyny of the book (because women's deaths are more brutal and described longer), even though only about a dozen `murders' occur within the fantasy- far less than the typical Stallone or Schwarzenegger film that was coeval with it, and the first hundred or so pages are attacks on 1980s American culture, sans any violence. Interestingly, it was the violence against women that drew howls, not the violence the fantasies of Bateman hurled in other venues- cannibalism, racism, animal torture, necrophilia, to a point far beyond even worst known serial killers' deeds (another clue to the fantastical nature of the book).... It's far too obvious as to what's going on in American Psycho to forgive the lack of acumen by readers and critics, especially when there are so many obvious faults to the book. That all said, Ellis is clearly a cut above his published contemporaries. Yet, given the low state of modern literature, that leaves Ellis as, at best a mediocrity. Unfortunately for him and his readers, that's no fantasy.

Are You My Mother

P. D. Eastman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 100 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An Absolute Favorite!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This was one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books when I was little. I am 24 now and I still have my book (and yes its falling apart). I am keeping it to read to my kids someday. Cute story about a baby bird who goes looking for his mother who went out to get some food. He meets all sorts of things along the way and asks them all "Are you my mother?". I saw another review about this book saying that it was "Scarry" and I can't help but roll my eyes. I never once thought the book was scarry when I was little nor did my brother. I am sure your kids will love it as much as so many other generations have. Hey it's Dr. Seuss, you just can't go wrong! :)

Editorial Review:

When Baby Bird hatches from his egg, his mother is off looking for food. What’s a bird to do? Go find his mother, of course! So begins Baby Bird’s hilarious, and at times very touching, hunt for his mother.

Children will love this deluxe cloth edition of P. D. Eastman’s all-time favorite. Soft and snuggly pages, complete with an adorable plush baby bird, let children interact with each wonderful character our little hero meets as he asks again and again, “Are you my mother?”

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting

Robert McKee

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 175 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beware of the Snake Oil Salesman 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 20 people found this review helpful.

I'm sorry but I find it almost insulting that someone would stand up on an orange box and preach about a subject that he knows NOTHING about. To me that's the definition of a scam artist.

I have dozens upon dozens of screenwriting books and most of them are mediocre at best. The problem: Most are also written by people who haven't sold anything! How do these publishing companies keep allowing these non-screenwriters to publish books about screenwriting?

Ask yourself this: If you are trying to put together a model airplane, would you read the instructions by someone who has never done it before? If you were trying to rebuild a carburetor, would you read the book by the dude who knows nothing about cars or carburetors?

No, you wouldn't! (I hope.)

After wasting so much money on these wannabe snakeoil salesmen who are selling books about writing and yet have never sold anything, I've learned to stick with ONLY those who have been successful. After all, many of us who are aspiring to make it as writers don't want to read about other wannabe's 'theories' on how to make it as a writer, do we?

I've found two successful screenwriters who are worth reading: Blake Snyder and Cynthia Whitcomb. Their books are exceptional and worth reading several times over.

My advice: Instead of wasting your time reading books by people who TEACH and DON'T DO, find books only by people who have actually done it and are successful. Why read anything else? Doesn't make sense, does it?

Regarding Robert McKee, the guy hasn't 'done it' so why bother with him to begin with? If his 'theories' are so fabulous then why hasn't he been successful? Theories sound nice on paper but unless they are workable and something you can actually be successful with, they're worthless.

I just feel sorry for all the people who have been duped by McKee and who think the guy knows what he's talking about. Being that blinded could easily set your career back a decade or more. Beware of the snakeoil salesman. He can make you believe you are on the right track when really you are wasting a ton of time.

Editorial Review:

Robert McKee's screenwriting workshops have earned him an international reputation for inspiring novices, refining works in progress and putting major screenwriting careers back on track. Quincy Jones, Diane Keaton, Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, John Cleese and David Bowie are just a few of his celebrity alumni. Writers, producers, development executives and agents all flock to his lecture series, praising it as a mesmerizing and intense learning experience.

In Story, McKee expands on the concepts he teaches in his $450 seminars (considered a must by industry insiders), providing readers with the most comprehensive, integrated explanation of the craft of writing for the screen. No one better understands how all the elements of a screenplay fit together, and no one is better qualified to explain the "magic" of story construction and the relationship between structure and character than Robert McKee.

The Greatest Salesman in the World

Og Mandino

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 164 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Each generation produces its "literature of power". This type of writing literally has the power to change the reader's life. In this tradition, 'The Greatest Salesman in the World' is destined to influence countless lives. Here is the legend of Hafid, a camel boy of two thousand years ago, and his burning desire to improve his lowly position in life. To prove his potential ability, he is dispatched from Bethlehem by his master the great caravan merchant, Pathros, to sell only one robe. He fails and instead, in a moment of pity, gives the robe to warm a new-born baby in a cave near the inn. Hafid returns to the caravan in shame but is accompanied by a bright star shining above his head. This phenomenon is interpreted by Pathros to be a sign from the gods, and he gives Hafid ten ancient scrolls which contain the wisdom necessary for the boy to achieve all his ambitions. This haunting story also presents the complete writings from the original scrolls. Hafid applied the scrolls of success to become the greatest salesman in the world...and what they accomplished for him they can also achieve for you...for we all are 'Salesman"...and the success we attain in life depends greatly on how we "sell" ourselves to others. You will long remember the book's final chapter...as old, wealthy, and successful Hafid, The Greatest Salesman in the World, ultimately passes on the ten scrolls to a very special person.