Writing Books - Page 4

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Tom Wolfe

List Price: $22.50 By: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $139.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 135 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Interesting and well-written 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Tom Wolfe takes us through part of the acid-movement of the 60's with Ken Kesey (author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest") and company as they embark on their journey across America to popularize acid. Wolfe writes in a way that sort of makes you feel that you are on acid too. His writing style in this book is very unique and he has an incredible way of describing things which is one thing I really enjoyed. Now I can finally understand what many of those baby-boomers went through!

Fascinating to contemplate 4 out of 5 stars.
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"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" is the second totally drug inspired documentary I have read. The first was Hunter Thompson's autobiographical "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." That book, to me, was the scariest ever. Wolfe's, however, fascinated me. The difference I think is clear. Thompson was totally under the influence and control of drugs while covering a law-enforcement convention in Sin City. Wolfe is just an observer, not a user, as he follows Ken Kesey (respected author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Sometimes a Great Notion," and other books) and his band of Merry Pranksters on their cross-country drug-soaked bus journey, to their settlement in the hills of California, their deep association with the Hell's Angel's and Jerry Garcia's Grateful Dead, and concluding with their Electric Kool Aid Acid tests before Kesey's escape to Mexico and eventual return to the states and imprisonment. Where as Albert and Leary were interested in the scientific aspects of LSD, Kesey and his bunch were more involved with the fun of it. It's a long book covering over three years of the mid-1960s and is filled with repeated drug episodes. Yet, Wolfe's almost poetic style keeps the book from being repetitious and moving along with the speed of speed. Almost as fascinating as the story he tells is the style in which he tells it. It is filled with hundreds of various adjectives, most of which I had never seen or heard before, but the sounds of the words alone make their meanings clear. On top of language, Wolfe piles unusual punctuation and capitalization to add to the color and sense of his descriptions. And he thankfully adds an Epilogue at the end of his book to tell how he was able to get into the heads of the Pranksters to give a true accounting of what happened. The epilogue turns what could be construed as fiction into non-fiction. I'm glad I read the book. I'm glad I wasn't along on the trips.

Editorial Review:

"An American classic" (Newsweek) that defined a generation. “An astonishing book” (The New York Times Book Review) and an unflinching portrait of Ken Kesey, his Merry Pranksters, and the 1960s.

Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Mignon Fogarty

Amazon Price: $11.20 List Price: $14.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Holt Paperbacks Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $7.76

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Online sensation Grammar Girl makes grammar fun and easy in her print debut

Are you stumped by split infinitives? Terrified of using “who” when a “whom” is called for? Do you avoid the words “lay” and “lie” altogether?

Grammar Girl is here to help!

Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, is determined to wipe out bad grammar—but she’s also determined to make the process as painless as possible. One year ago, she created a weekly podcast to tackle some of the most common mistakes people make while communicating. The podcasts have now been downloaded more than seven million times, and Mignon has dispensed grammar tips on Oprah and appeared on the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.

Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. From “between vs. among” and “although vs. while” to comma splices and misplaced modifiers, Mignon offers memory tricks and clear explanations that will help readers recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules. Chock-full of tips on style, business writing, and effective e-mailing, Grammar Girl’s print debut deserves a spot on every communicator’s desk.

Much Ado About Nothing (Cliffs Notes)

Richard O. Peterson

Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Cliffs Notes Amazon Marketplace: 70 new & used starting at $0.02

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Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> World Literature -> British -> Shakespeare

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:

One of Shakespeare's romantic comedies, this play is set in the seaport town of Messina, in Sicily. The drama concerns "the battle of the sexes" and focuses on the barbed wits and intrigues that two sets of lovers and their friends and family create. Brimming with wit and antagonism, the play has amused and provoked audiences for centuries.

Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction (4th Edition) (Words Their Way Series)

Donald R. Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Shane R. Templeton, Francine Johnston

Amazon Price: $37.19 List Price: $41.33 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Prentice Hall Amazon Marketplace: 50 new & used starting at $32.89

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Spelling and Reading 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

It's been shown that spelling provides a window to one's reading. This book explains the developmental stages children go through K- adult. The database software on one of the CDs that allows one to analyze the spelling inventories and sort the results is very easy to use. Classroom teachers appreciate the data I have been able to give them on their students. The word games and short videos on the 2nd CD are very helpful. The analytical phonics approach is very kid-friendly right up through high school. This is a very thorough resource that every ELA, SpEd, and Title I teacher should use.

Editorial Review:

With more than 15 years of extensive observations and experiences in real classrooms, the authors bring keen insight to this activity-based book. They advocate basing student learning on the appropriate developmental level. This philosophy is supported with more than 250 ready-to-use word study, spelling, vocabulary, and phonics activities presented in developmental sequence, from the Emergent through the Derivational Relation stage. For educators and school administrators.

The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging

The editors of the Huffington Post

Amazon Price: $10.20 List Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 11 to 14 days By: Simon & Schuster Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $10.20

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> General
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Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Editorial Review:

The editors of The Huffington Post -- the most linked-to blog on the web -- offer an A-Z guide to all things blog, with information for everyone from the tech-challenged newbie looking to get a handle on this new way of communicating to the experienced blogger looking to break through the clutter of the Internet. With an introduction by Arianna Huffington, the site's cofounder and editor in chief, this book is everything you want to know about blogging, but didn't know who to ask.

As entertaining as it is informative, The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging will show you what to do to get your blog started. You'll find tools to help you build your blog, strategies to create your community, tips on finding your voice, and entertaining anecdotes from HuffPost bloggers that will make you wonder what took you so long to blog in the first place.

The Guide also includes choice selections from HuffPost's wide-ranging mix of top-notch bloggers. Among those who have blogged on HuffPost are Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Larry David, Jane Smiley, Bill Maher, Nora Ephron, Jon Robin Baitz, Steve Martin, Lawrence O'Donnell, Ari Emanuel, Mia Farrow, Al Franken, Gary Hart, Barbara Ehrenreich, Edward Kennedy, Harry Shearer, Nancy Pelosi, Adam McKay, John Ridley, and Alec Baldwin.

Exercises to Accompany A Writer's Reference Large Format

Diana Hacker

Amazon Price: $8.77 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Bedford/St. Martin's Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $8.77

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 67 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good Experience 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

book was exacatly what my daughter needed for college course. It was the best price and was shipped right away. good internet shopping experience.

excellent!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This an amazing source for anyone who wants to find anything anything that has to do with grammar and formats for term papers and all that stuff ... :-) AMAZING!!!

review 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Needed this for class. The book was in great condition. There wasn't really anything unique or special about this book. Everything I needed out of it I was able to get out of other writing references.

A WRITER REFERENCE 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

THE PRODUCT IS VERY GOOD TO USE IN ENGLISH 101 IN LOS ANGELES PIERCE COLLEGE

helpful reference for high school and beginning college students 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Book is divided into sections that make answers easy to find. Provides rules for grammar and punctuation.

Editorial Review:

A proven success. The best-selling college textbook of any kind. Thoroughly class tested and enthusiastically endorsed by millions of students and their instructors at more than 1300 colleges and universities across the country. Updated with MLA's 1999 guidelines. Spiral.

Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution (Testimonies from our Imprisoned Sisters)

Wally Lamb

Amazon Price: $10.17 List Price: $14.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Harper Perennial Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $6.84

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In a stunning work of insight and hope, New York Times bestselling author Wally Lamb once again reveals his unmatched talent for finding humanity in the lost and lonely and celebrates the transforming power of the written word.

For several years, Lamb has taught writing to a group of women prisoners at York Correctional Institution in Connecticut. In this unforgettable collection, the women of York describe in their own words how they were imprisoned by abuse, rejection, and their own self-destructive impulses long before they entered the criminal justice system. Yet these are powerful stories of hope and healing, told by writers who have left victimhood behind.

In his moving introduction, Lamb describes the incredible journey of expression and self-awareness the women took through their writing and shares how they challenged him as a teacher and as a fellow author. Couldn't Keep It to Myself is a true testament to the process of finding oneself and working toward a better day.

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

Robert McKee

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperEntertainment Amazon Marketplace: 86 new & used starting at $18.65

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Movies -> Screenwriting
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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.

Clean, Well-Lighted Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Avoiding the Most Common Errors in Grammar and Punctuation

Janis Bell

Amazon Price: $13.17 List Price: $21.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: W. W. Norton Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $13.05

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Subjects -> Reference -> Writing -> Writing Skills

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Long overdue: a clear, good-humored discussion targeting only the most common errors in American sentences—nothing more.

This is a focused, respectful, entertaining guide to getting our sentences into good shape. After thirty-five years of teaching writing, Janis Bell knows which sentences those are and precisely what ails them. She describes grammar and usage problems in ways that make immediate sense. She explains precisely what our punctuation marks do and won't do. She also answers the very questions that readers are likely to have. Besides being extremely readable and relevant, each chapter offers a challenging quiz followed by answers that leave no doubt. This small, engaging book is for people who know what they want to write and who know English—all they need to hear is what Bell has to say about the gaffes that have crept into their sentences. Equally useful to a ninth-grader and a senior-level manager, Clean, Well-Lighted Sentences is a sweet and timely find.

Endurance (Voyages)

Alfred Lansing

List Price: $16.50 By: Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ) Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $0.01

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Subjects -> Reference -> Writing -> Travel

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 392 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

'One of the most remarkable tales of human courage and determination. The story is gripping and the book is a classic of its kind' Sir Ranulph Fiennes Endurance is the story of one of the most astonishing feats of exploration and human courage ever recorded. In 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 27 men set sail for the South Atlantic on board a ship called the Endurance. The object of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in ice. For five months Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways on one of the most savage regions of the world. This utterly gripping book, based on first-hand accounts of crew members and interviews with survivors, describes how the men survived, how they lived together in camps on the ice for 17 months until they reached land, how they were attacked by sea leopards, the diseases which they developed, and the indefatigability of the men and their lasting civility towards one another in the most adverse conditions conceivable.