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Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road

Neil Peart

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road Neil Peart Amazon Price: $13.57
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 207 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Travels On The Boring Road 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Neil reveals a lot about himself which I don't think he intended to do in this book. He comes off as being an elitist in a lot of ways. He almost seems like he wants to be Hemingway, with his drinking, smoking and just doing his own crazy travels with little regards for anything else. I think his digs into America were very revealing too about himself. Yet, he doesn't seem to have a problem with his best friend being a drug dealer; or that he was never officially married to Jackie (common law wife of 22 years); then jumps into a relationship and marriage fairly quickly to Carrie; that he breaks speeding law constantly on his BMW bike and that he is only self consumed with himself and no one else outside his little small bubble of friends/family.

I love Rush and I think Neil is awesome at his craft, but I'm not jumping on board with everything he does or puts out. This book took me forever to read because it was really boring at times with his letters to Brutus and his ramblings of his travels which were very dry and repetitive. This is not a self help book for someone who has had a similar tragedy in their life. This book could have been cut down to a fourth of the pages written and accomplished the same thing and kept me interested.

The only thing I really got out of this book was that it probably takes longer for you to get on with your life when you have an unlimited bank account to be able to stop working. In Neil's case, it allowed him to travel all over North America on his BMW bike and spend the winter months walking on snow shoes around the lake at his house in Quebec. I believe all this free time allowed him to think more and more about things and feel sorry for himself. I think the average "fat" American, which he ran into on his travels, would probably have to go to work shortly after this type of tragedy and not be able to take two years off. Not that getting over this would be easy for anyone, but I think being forced into the work environment would eventually allow distractions in your life to stop you from thinking 24/7 about the tragedies. Neil didn't have this type of distraction and traveling alone only allowed him to dwell more and more on the tragedies in his.

I by no means am putting Neil down for what he had to deal with, but I am critical of the dribble he put into this book. I don't think if you are not a hardcore Rush fan or a friend/acquaintance of Neil's you would get much out of this book. I think a lot of the praise this book gets is because it's "Neil Peart" and the tragedy he had to deal with and not because this is a particularly good book.

Editorial Review:

In less than a year, Neil Peart lost both his 19-year-old daughter, Selena, and his wife, Jackie. Faced with overwhelming sadness and isolated from the world in his home on the lake, Peart was left without direction. This memoir tells of the sense of loss and directionlessness that led him on a 55,000-mile journey by motorcycle across much of North America, down through Mexico to Belize, and back again. He had needed to get away, but had not really needed a destination. His travel adventures chronicle his personal odyssey and include stories of reuniting with friends and family, grieving, thinking, and reminiscing as he rode until he encountered the miracle that allowed him to find peace.

Fred Astaire (Icons of America)

Joseph Epstein

Fred Astaire (Icons of America) Joseph Epstein Amazon Price: $14.96
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Joseph Epstein’s Fred Astaire investigates the great dancer’s magical talent, taking up the story of his life, his personality, his work habits, his modest pretensions, and above all his accomplishments. Written with the wit and grace the subject deserves, Fred Astaire provides a remarkable portrait of this extraordinary artist and how he came to embody for Americans a fantasy of easy elegance and, paradoxically, of democratic aristocracy.

 

Tracing Astaire’s life from his birth in Omaha to his death in his late eighties in Hollywood, the book discusses his early days with his talented and outspoken sister Adele, his gifts as a singer (Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern all delighted in composing for Astaire), and his many movie dance partners, among them Cyd Charisse, Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell, and Betty Hutton. A key chapter of the book is devoted to Astaire’s somewhat unwilling partnership with Ginger Rogers, the woman with whom he danced most dazzlingly. What emerges from these pages is a fascinating view of an American era, seen through the accomplishments of Fred Astaire, an unassuming but uncompromising performer who transformed entertainment into art and gave America a new yet enduring standard for style.

 

How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale

Jenna Jameson, Neil Strauss, Neil Strauss

How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale Jenna Jameson, Neil Strauss, Neil Strauss Amazon Price: $21.45
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Total reviews: 240 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When the stewardess brought me off the plane in a wheelchair, I lowered my head. I was too scared to even look at my father. I didn't want to see the disappointment and horror on his face. All that hate I had accumulated for him over the years, all the resentment against him for not understanding what I was going through, just released with the tears.

"So, where are your parents?" the stewardess asked me after a few minutes. "I can't wait here with you much longer."

I looked up and wiped my eyes. My father was standing ten feet away. He didn't even recognize me.

In the underbelly of Las Vegas, a cesspool of warring biker gangs and seedy strip clubs transformed the gawky, brace-faced Jenna Massoli into the bombshell Jenna Jameson. Today, Jenna Jameson is the biggest star in the history of adult movies, consistently ranked as one of the most beautiful women alive. But behind the glamour and the meteoric rise to fame was a path paved with tragedy and heartbreak. As a teenager drawn into a chaotic world ruled by rape, abuse, and murder, Jenna plunged into a downward spiral of addiction, even as she became one of the most photographed women in adult magazines.

Determined to overcome this past, Jenna rebounded in the adult-film business, where she encountered sadistic directors, experienced lovers of both sexes, amorous celebrities (from Howard Stern to Marilyn Manson to Tommy Lee), bitter rival starlets, and finally, glory, as she went on to become the biggest porn star the world has ever seen. But her struggle for happiness did not end when the accolades began. For years she wrestled with her resentment at her estranged father, the loneliness of growing up from the age of two without a mother, and her enduring childhood desire to find a man who could give her the security and love she never had.

Her unforgettable memoir is many things at once: a shocking sexual history, an insider's guide to the secret workings of the billion-dollar adult-film industry, and a gripping thriller that probes deep into Jenna's dark past. An unparalleled exploration of sexual freedom, How to Make Love Like a Porn Star ventures far beyond the flesh, into the heart-shredding tragedies and adrenaline-pumping triumphs of a woman who has already lived a hundred lifetimes. Always witty and humorous even as she faces the demons of her past, Jenna offers hilarious anecdotes about one of the most controversial businesses in history, and shares outrageous advice, including her ten commandments of dating and sex, how to become a "suitcase pimp," and how to make it in the business as a female (or a male).

Add to this never-before-seen photographs from Jenna's private collection and others taken exclusively for this book, and the result is certain to be one of the most talked-about books of the year.

Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories

Chuck Palahniuk

Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories Chuck Palahniuk Amazon Price: $11.16
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Some stories are slow, but overall worth it. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Many other reviewers have noted that some of the stories in this book are slow and dry. The drawn out descriptions of the castle builders immediately comes to mind, as does the personal story of Juliette Lewis. But overall this is a worthwhile look into the mind and life of one of the best authors of our time. I feel like I know Chuck Palahniuk on a more personal level now, and that's what I was hoping for. I find him a fascinating man, someone I would love to sit down for coffee with. With that desire in mind, I am very happy I waded through this book.

Editorial Review:

Chuck Palahniuk’s world has always been, well, different from yours and mine. In his first collection of nonfiction, Chuck Palahniuk brings us into this world, and gives us a glimpse of what inspires his fiction.

At the Rock Creek Lodge Testicle Festival in Missoula, Montana, average people perform public sex acts on an outdoor stage. In a mansion once occupied by The Rolling Stones, Marilyn Manson reads his own Tarot cards and talks sweetly to his beautiful actress girlfriend. Across the country, men build their own full-size castles and rocketships that will send them into space. Palahniuk himself experiments with steroids, works on an assembly line by day and as a hospice volunteer by night, and experiences the brutal murder of his father by a white supremacist. With this new direction, Chuck Palahniuk has proven he can do anything.

Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream

Watts, Steven

Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream Watts, Steven Amazon Price: $30.36
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Interesting and surprisingly substantial. 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I work for the publisher and got a copy of this book from the editor. I was expecting a fun read, and it is, but it also makes a strong case for Hefner as a major force affecting American culture. There's a lot of good storytelling along the way (and quite a few pictures).

Also, the centerfold cracked me up.

Hef's Not Only Living the Dream, He Created It 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I've been waiting a long time for the definitive biography of Hugh Hefner, a guy I've always had a certain fascination and admiration for - and here it is. Not just a shallow pop bio, this is a highly readable, insightful, and entertaining look into the life and times of one of pop culture's most recognizable, controversial, and ultimately beloved icons.

Mr. Playboy digs past the popular assumptions about Hef and even his own self-created image to lay bare the truth about the man who was the tip of the spear of the sexual revolution, and who literally invented the lifestyle of the modern playboy. The author does a great job of situating the Playboy phenomenon and its creator in the larger social, political, and cultural setting. The book even includes material on the successful The Girls Next Door reality TV show, so it's as up-to-date as it could possibly be.

Lots of good photos, including - naturally - a centerfold. It's a wild ride. If you have any interest or curiosity at all in the man and the magazine, you won't be disappointed by this book.

Editorial Review:

Hugh Hefners life behind the public persona, from awkward schoolboy to cultural iconwritten with his full cooperation.

Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles

Geoff Emerick, Howard Massey

Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles Geoff Emerick, Howard Massey Amazon Price: $10.20
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 165 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Geoff Emerick became an assistant engineer at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 1962 at age fifteen, and was present as a new band called the Beatles recorded their first songs. He later worked with the Beatles as they recorded their singles "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand," the songs that would propel them to international superstardom. In 1964 he would witness the transformation of this young and playful group from Liverpool into professional, polished musicians as they put to tape classic songs such as "Eight Days A Week" and "I Feel Fine."

Then, in 1966, at age nineteen, Geoff Emerick became the Beatles’ chief engineer, the man responsible for their distinctive sound as they recorded the classic album Revolver, in which they pioneered innovative recording techniques that changed the course of rock history. Emerick would also engineer the monumental Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road albums, considered by many the greatest rock recordings of all time. In Here, There and Everywhere he reveals the creative process of the band in the studio, and describes how he achieved the sounds on their most famous songs. Emerick also brings to light the personal dynamics of the band, from the relentless (and increasingly mean-spirited) competition between Lennon and McCartney to the infighting and frustration that eventually brought a bitter end to the greatest rock band the world has ever known.

Walden

Henry David Thoreau

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 94 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Hobo Philosopher 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

My first copy of this book was indubitably from some other publisher. So I'm not commenting on this particular volume but the content of the work itself.
I have always loved this book but it wasn't until recent years that I realized what a controversial book this was. Thoreau published this book at his own expense and he sold very few copies. Later on he stored most of his unsold copies in an attic. He once claimed to have the largest collection of book published by Henry David Thoreau than anyone alive - and I'm sure he did.
But why didn't people buy this book? Well, for one thing it was critical of "the neighborhood". For another thing it was critical of "the values of his neighbors". For another thing it was critical of the values of his countrymen; it was critical of Capitalism; it was critical of modern life; it was critical of the "consumer mentality"; it was critical of the work ethic; it was critical of buying things; it was critical of "getting ahead" and "accumulating; it was critical of working for a living; it was critical of achieving; it was a critique on the civilization of the day - and it was not positive.
So why did it make me feel good to read it then and why does it have the same effect on me today?
I don't know but whenever I get lonely to go have a talk with an old friend I go to the book shelf and pick up Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

Editorial Review:

In 1845 Thoreau leased some land owned by his friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson on Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts, and lived in a cabin on it for two years, two months, and two days. The experience gave Thoreau the chance to make keen observations on the world around him. The result became an American classic: Walden explores not only the soul of the searching Thoreau, but defines what it means to be a truly free person, and distills the essence of our relationship of Nature.

La dieta del Gordo

Raul De Molina

La dieta del Gordo Raul De Molina Amazon Price: $12.89
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Raúl de Molina siempre había sido gordo y esto no le molestaba ni lo acomplejaba; al contrario, era un gordo feliz. Sin enbargo, tras librar una batalla contra el cáncer, tomó conciencia de que debía bajar de peso y que esto sólo podría lograrlo cambiando radicalmente su alimentación.

Con mucho esfuerzo y fuerza de voluntad, y ante el asombro y orgullo de sus familiares y de los adeptos a su programa El Gordo y la Flaca, ha bajado 70 libras en ocho meses sin la necesidad de medicamentos ni operaciones; lo ha logrado con ejercicio y modificando sus hábitos alimentícios.

Por primera vez, el afamado presentador de televisión comparte en forma abierta e íntima una mezcla de circunstancias familiares y de trabajo que siempre convirtieron la comida en uno de sus más grandes placeres, sin saber el efecto que esto tendría en su salud. Sin perder su sentido de humor, “El Gordo”, como lo siguen llamando cariñosamente, guía al lector sobre los factores básicos para lograr este objectivo: “¿Qué debes comer?”, “¿Cuántas veces al día puedes comer?” y “¿En qué cantidades?”

Ademá, el libro incluye un menú tipo, una rutina de ejercicios básica, un listado de alimentos que no deben faltar en tu dispensa, así como consejos prácticos y útiles para mantenerse en forma y evitar el tan temido “rebote”.

Possible Side Effects

Augusten Burroughs

Possible Side Effects Augusten Burroughs Amazon Price: $12.72
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 100 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the million-copy bestselling author of Running with Scissors comes Augusten Burroughs’s most provocative collection yet.
This book is approved for consumption by those seeking pleasure, escape, amusement, enlightenment, or general distraction. This book is not approved to treat disorders such as eBay addiction or incessant blind dating.
 
In studies, some people reported inappropriate, convulsive laughter, a tingling sensation in the limbs, and sudden gasping. Fewer than 1 percent reported narcolepsy.
 
Doll collectors may experience special sensitivity, as may discourteous drivers, candy-company brand managers, and nicotine-gum users.
 
This book has been shown to be especially helpful to those with parents, grandparents, life partners, and incontinent dogs. People with dry, cracked skin have responded well to this book, as have people with certain heart conditions.
 
Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this book, until you know what effects it may have on you.
 
This text is contraindicated in those suffering from certain psychiatric disorders, including---but not limited to---readers afflicted with anhedonia, which is the inability to experience pleasure.
 
Ask your doctor about Possible Side Effects.

Rickles' Book: A Memoir

Don Rickles

Rickles' Book: A Memoir Don Rickles Amazon Price: $17.52
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 80 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good read; sounds like him. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I didn't scream with laughter the way I do when he's talking, but I could hear his voice in the book. Too short I think, but it's not some detailed biography--it's a quick presentation, like his typical stories. I reckon if you hadn't heard him talk, it wouldn't read as funny as it does for me. But Mr. Rickles has class and heart and that comes through loud and clear; and that counts for a lot.

Editorial Review:

Why you need to buy RICKLES' Book immediately:

RICKLES' BOOK will help you win friends and influence people.

RICKLES' BOOK will introduce you to all of his famous friends, from Frank Sinatra to Johnny Carson.

RICKLES' BOOK will help you lose weight.

RICKLES' BOOK will help you gain weight.

RICKLES' BOOK will improve your love life.

RICKLES' BOOK will make you cry. (If your love life doesn't improve.)

RICKLES' BOOK will make you laugh. (If your love life does improve.)

RICKLES' BOOK will make you love one of the great Americans of our time, Don Rickles.

RICKLES' BOOK will give you something to talk about at parties. (If you're ever invited to parties.)

RICKLES' BOOK, along with the Bible and War and Peace, will grace your bookshelf and upgrade your literary status.

RICKLES' BOOK will keep you up at night.

RICKLES' BOOK will put you to sleep at night.

RICKLES' BOOK will make you rich. (If you treasure great humor.)


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