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Book reviews for "Alailima,_Fay_C." sorted by average review score:

Food for Fifty
Published in Hardcover by John Wiley & Sons (November, 1979)
Authors: Bessie Brooks West, Maxine Fay Wilson, and Sina Faye Fowler
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Small variety and non-healty recipies make this book a pass
Unfortuately, this book has a limited number of fish and chicken recipies and the ones it does have, aren't very healthful. It does have more of a selection for meat recipies. I returned the book.

A vital MUST HAVE handbook for professionals!
Whether one is cooking in a restaurant or a school kitchen, this is the most valuable handbook. You'll want it at ready reference. I know, because never a week went by that I didn't consult it while running my bakery/deli in the Oregon Cascades.

I must confess that I didn't tell customers my recipe source. I preferred they think me a genius or as having come from a family steeped in cooking history. They knew I was no genius (hell, they knew I wasn't even very smart) but they did like the foods we provided. And, when I decided to produce a new, tasty meat pie, it was this book that I consulted to improve upon my concept.

Choose not to buy this book and you probably are never going to know what you don't know. Choose not to consult it while it sets on your shelf will probably endanger your relationship with your harshest critics.

A Must-Have!
I discovered this book several years ago while working as a hall director for a cooperative living residence hall. The college women who lived there cooked for their fifty housemates.

Molt's book was a godsend for us; the instructions were basic, easily understood, and useful.

The best aspect of Food for Fifty is the fact that, recipes aside, the book gives excellent tables and instructions for cooking times/weights/quantities beyond the recipes it lists. In other words, it is quite useful when adapting one's own recipes to meals for 50 or 100 people.

I have since used Food for Fifty in another food service job, where it was equally useful and well-received. I highly recommend it to anyone, whether you're doing institutional meals, church meals, or simply work with large food quantities on a regular basis. It's worth it!


Worst Fears
Published in Audio Cassette by Recorded Books (December, 1996)
Author: Fay Weldon
Amazon base price: $42.00
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A loss of innocence.
An actress, seemingly in a wonderful marriage, gradually learns the truth after her husband dies of a sudden heart attack. She emerges unbowed, if less innocent. The prose is Weldon at her best: simple, but sparkling with sharp edges. While the book reflects Weldon's sardonic view of human relationships, it is light, humorous, and even affirming at the same time. Worst Fears is the opposite of those books with unsatisfactory endings: not only does the plot eventually make sense, but the behavior of the characters, which at times seems contrived, also comes to make complete sense.

Excellent, but difficult to sympathize
I've read other of Weldon's work and this book is on par. Ireally enjoyed following the main character as she uncovers the events that lead to her husband's death.

The real problem I had with the book was that it is about people that make up a nest of vipers that surround the lead character. No one is good or even decent in any way. By the end, you realize that this is also true of the Alexandra herself. While it is fun to follow and the prose is excellent, keep in mind that everyone (and quite literally I mean everyone) in the book turns out to be vicious scum.

another little gem
fay weldon is the most honest person alive when it comes to describing human nature and the funniest i've ever read. she is like a dose of cold water over the sappy tv sitcom type of books that make the best seller lists. her tart tongue can skewer even the most complacent hypocrite, and the most sanctimounius new-ager. she runs the gamit. she is very funny as she reveals peoples true natures and when the heroine begins to explode in bewliderment and rage, well, who can blame her for stealing her husbands mistress's phone diary and calling up a plumber and instructing her to go to the mistresses house at 600am. trust me a more sancitmounous other woman never existed, and the ending, i wont spoil it for you but it is a satisfying ending. fay weldon, thank you for telling the truth,and in such a funny way!


The Ultimate Book of Martial Arts
Published in Hardcover by Lorenz Books (October, 1998)
Authors: Fay Goodman and Mike James
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Kind of informative
I found this book kind of informative. It has very little descriptions about each art. Definitly, it would be usefull for anyone who doesn't know which martial art to choose. Neverthelless, this book has nothing "Ultimate".

Perhaps not "Ultimate"
A very nice looking book with some great pictures and layout. Could definately be useful to the beginning martial artist looking to choose a style. At an affordable price too. I was, however, somewhat vexed not to see my styles (hapkido and kuk sool won) even mentioned in the book. Japanese and Chinese arts are given the most attention here. So I would not call it "ultimate", but still worth your while.

GREAT
It's great if you want to practice a martial art, but don't know which one. I am a 1st Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and I found this book very informative, althought the section on TKD wasn't as accurate as it could've been. I also considered taking another martial art, so I wanted this book. It's a must read if you're looking to take a martial art but don't know which one.


Official Guide to Command and Conquer: Bradygames
Published in Paperback by Brady Games (October, 1995)
Authors: Mike Fay, Stuart T. Eastman, and Lee Buchanan
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Best you can get for Command and Conquer!
This is the best book you can get for command and conquer. The maps are the best part of the book. It dosen't go indepet on bace bilding thow.

This guide is what more strategy guides should be like!
The book is a solid buy, with in-depth charts for every unit. The mission guide for each mission states the breifing, the objectives, and a detailed walkthrough every step of the way. They don't summarize what you should do and leave you hanging. Having beaten both sides for the game, this book was an invaluable resource for me. It also includes short descriptions of the multiplayer maps and tells you short stratigies for them. With another section with general multiplayer stratigies, with this book you're well covered! In the back, there are interviews with the developers and their comments. It also has a troubleshooting guide, with a table of the units and statistics you never would never have known about! With this book you can blow the computer away on single player, or match wits with the best on multiplayer. A solid book, it is a must buy for beginners and experts alike!

Helpful in the game
this book has really helped me in the Command & Conquer game. It gives the best ways to beat the level (fastest too)


Rhode Island Blues
Published in Hardcover by Chivers (June, 1901)
Author: Fay Weldon
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An avid reader belonging to a book club
As I started reading this book, I felt the author was a very negative person. At the end I still had this feeling, but it was a compelling story none the less. Her writing style made me think, and I had to go back and read several passages again to get the full meaning of her words. The story was a depressing one for the characters, but their life's stories intertwining with each other were fascinating. I'm so glad she didn't let all her characters have the typical happy ending leaving you to feel that their lives would still be full of ups and downs.

Don't count your chickens
It would be all too easy to assume from the title of Weldon's latest novel that it is a depressing read. However, I doubt that Weldon could ever seriously be mournful, especially not when you have both nurses and desire inextricably linked, as you have here. There's just a brief mention of Blues hero Stephane Grapelli, but that's just about how far the relevance goes. However, if you do know who Grapelli is, then you may well be of Felicity's generation in this novel. The title's also an oblique reference to Rhode Island Reds, a particularly fancied breed of chicken at the moment. Apparently, these poultry are extremely easy to rear. It's just Felicity's luck however, that she marries an American GI who hasn't a clue about how to run his own farm. She's even more unfortunate in that she believed his tales of a plantation mansion. Fifty years later, the funeral of her son-in-law from this marriage leads to a quite unexpected flirtation with romance.

Admittedly, parts of Felicity's life story are quite grim. Sophia, her only living relative, works in London as a film editor, whilst Felicity herself abides in Connecticut. Felicity has had a minor stroke, and is coming to terms with the reality of her advancing years. Sophia loves her grandmother - it's just that she feels far more comfortable when the Atlantic Ocean is in between them. Her busy life as a film editor means that she cannot just drop everything and be by her grandmother's bedside in Connecticut. Weldon is very perceptive in relating how much guilt can taint love, and how uncomfortable the young can be beside the old.

Sophia, and Charlie the chauffeur, tend to view the world from the perspective of the movies. When Sophia visits an aged relative Weldon notes that this old lady tends to use references from the fairy books of her youth in her conversation. Maybe what Weldon is saying here is that the motion picture is now the dominant form of fiction. Unfortunately, it really grinds my teeth to come across yet another character in an English novel this year that works in the Soho media world. If future readers ever come back to these novels, like Toby Litt's 'Corpsing', and Amy Jenkins' dire 'Honeymoon', they might think that everyone in England was working in film. The only writer who has a credible excuse for writing about Soho is Christopher Fowler who actually works there. The impression I get is that most young English novelists would really much rather prefer writing for the movies, and I can't help but think that this is very sad.

Sophia mentions many films in her narrative, whilst neglecting to mention the most obvious one: 'Harvey'. Okay, so The Golden Bowl is an old peoples' home, but it does stand comparison with the mental institution in Jimmy Stewart's movie. Okay, so you don't get to see the invisible rabbit in 'Rhode Island Blues' either - it's the interaction between the characters and the structure that seems quite similar. You don't see the whole of this story from Sophia's viewpoint, since Weldon chooses to flit between the main characters at times. It's quite a jolt to suddenly see the world from Nurse Dawn's perspective, who seems to be such a minor character otherwise. But then 'Harvey' also strayed from Jimmy Stewart's suspect vision, into other smaller narratives, such as the nurse's romance with the doctor. Although, this being Weldon, the Doctor/Nurse relationship here is far more risqué.

Feliticty's mental health comes into question when she starts seeing a gambling toy boy, and when the staff at The Golden Bowl discover what we've known all along - namely that her Utrillo painting is not a print. With insurance being such a premium in the litigatory States, moves are made to ensure the safe removal of the Utrillo from the Golden Bowl's walls (James Stewart's mental state in 'Harvey' was also brought into question due to a suspect portrait). Unfortunately, Felicity has also let slip to Sophia that she may have more family in England. Sophia, all alone apart from a temporary fling with a film director of Kubrick's stature, can't help but investigate her roots. She finds a couple of quite dull cousins who eventually let her enter their lives. Felicity impulsively decides to remarry at the tender age of 83. Sophia's cousins just as impulsively decide to check out their newly found grandmother, and petulantly join Sophia on her trip to the States. The question on everyone's minds seems to be this: is such an old woman capable of looking after a valuable Utrillo?

Ironically, Utrillo spent much of his own life in and out of institutions, with painting his only therapy. From this point of view, it's very fitting that his work should end up on the walls of an institution like The Golden Bowl. Sophia recognises the name of the old peoples' home as deriving from a passage in Ecclesiastes. No doubt it is also a reference to the novel of the same name - that also featured a suspected gold digger. What this novel seems to be about broadly, is the clash between the new and the old: the disparities between British and American culture, the contrast between the generations, and old and new forms of fiction. Several novels this year have discussed a problem which currently troubles Western culture: what to do with an ever aging population, from Will Self's vulgar 'How the Dead Live', to Barbara Kingsolver's life-affirming 'Prodigal Summer'. Weldon comes somewhere in between the two extremes. There is something quite merciless about some of her observations, mostly concerning the immigrant Charlie and his ever-increasing family. But most chilling and timely of all is Sophia's disquieting journey on Concorde. However, Weldon provides us with a mixed dish here; not all of her prognosis is quite as gloomy as this. The blues are there, but playing quietly in the background with the reds.

Fay Weldon is marvelous!
I don't want to say anything particular about the book, only that it was virtually perfect. Fay Weldon understands human emotions and faults. She expresses all of the thoughts and feelings people carry around all bottled up inside, and she does so with great conviction and humor. Just read the book.


Letters to Alice : on first reading Jane Austen
Published in Hardcover by Michael Joseph/Rainbird (1984)
Author: Fay Weldon
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as much about literature as Austen, and a great read
Written in the form of witty letters to a niece taking an undergraduate English Lit course, this book attempts to bring insight to the work of Jane Austen in particular and to answer those who question the relevance of literature in general. First published in 1984, there is no mention of deconstruction's effect on academic departments, but otherwise the author seems to address most issues pertinent to the reading and writing of fiction, beginning with a wonderful chapter on the lovely metaphoric City of Invention. Elsewhere, Weldon discusses non-literature, Latin, a writer's relatives and friends, feminism, literary truth, critics and invention. Austen is here as well,and the author enlightens with her discussions of Austen's life, times, works, style and death. There are many wonderful passages, and I especially admired the analyses of Austen's work, but I would have liked more of this, and in more detail. At one point the author writes: "[Jane Austen] knows how to end a scene, an episode, a chapter, before beginning the next: when to allow the audience to rest, when to and how to underline a statement, when to mark time with idle paragraphs, allowing what went before to settle, before requiring it to inform what comes next. It is a very modern technique. It requires ... consciousness of audience, and audience reaction." It should be evident from that passage that Weldon is an elegant, insightful and articulate writer, and I would have *loved* to have seen extended examples and analysis of specific Austen passages to illustrate the points made in the preceding excerpt.

Ultimately, I didn't think the niece's subplot worked. Weldon first advises her not to attempt to write a novel, and then advises her to write it, and then advises her about dealing with the publisher when the novel is not only published but very successful. What's Weldon's greater meaning? Why would this undergrad's novel be published and who is reading it? Is it a condemnation or just a device to drive the conceit?

I learned a lot about Jane Austen and about writing, and got some help for the next time someone tells me it's a waste of time to read a novel. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

A "must read" for sceptics of the value of literature
There's a national debate going on in my country concerning the value and relevance of literature in modern society. Students are liberally encouraged by their schools to drop literature from their curriculum in favour of more examination friendly subjects to increase their chances of achieving the maximum aggregate score for their "O" and "A" levels. So, it is not without some irony that I should be reading Fay Weldon's "Letters to Alice On First Reading Jane Austen" as my introduction to this author's works. Well, I was completely blown away by its first chapter/letter entitled "The City of Invention" which alone is worth the price of the book and....says it all. The imagery she uses in distinguishing the different genres in writing as well as the intrinsic or superficial merits of each form of writing is absolutely breathtaking. In it, she hints at why Shakespeare in the "city of invention" is that castle that marks the skyline and a compulsory stop for every tour group making the rounds of the "city". Weldon is eloquent, witty and wickedly funny with her pen. While she never quite hits the high of that first chapter again, she offers some rare and valuable insight into why Austen is read even today. Great literature has the power when read (whether quietly or aloud) to touch the masses by revealing the universality of some home truths or values they espouse. Although Austen fans will be delighted to see their favourite characters come to live in Weldon's world, you don't have to like Jane Austen to enjoy this book. To fellow Singaporeans sceptical about the value of literature in schools, my advice is "read this and you will see how absurd the question really is". No matter if you disagree after reading the book, b'cos you would have had a jolly good time. Great stuff. Truly.

Read This Book
I loved this book when it first came out years ago, and it still makes me laugh, as Jane Austin still makes me laugh. Fay Weldon is one of the few writers I know of who has the wit and the irony that we Austin-lovers look for. Letters to Alice is wise and insightful; read it!


Farmall Letter Series Tractors (Originality Guides)
Published in Hardcover by Motorbooks International (November, 1998)
Authors: Guy Fay and Andy Kraushaar
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Farmall Letter Series Tractors
I am restoring a 1951 Farmall M, and purchased this book mainly because the description states that it contains, among other things, factory original decal placement. To my disappointment, however, when I turned to the decal section, there was no info. available for the Farmall M. Thinking I would simply try the Farmall H decal placement section, I found it also to be void of the needed information. Understanding that this particular info. was not available to the author, but perhaps book description could be revised. Otherwise, a pretty informative and entertainig read.

Best survey I've seen of classic IH and Farmall tractors.
The author has done a great job of collecting and sorting out all sorts of interesting details about Cubs, the As through Ms, the 4, 6, and 9-series tractors, and the Super versions. He's also found and reproduced IH's blueprints showing where to place decals on all those tractors, and a whole bunch of terrific color and b/w archival photographs. Those are complemented by very good and useful new color photos with detailed captions, so the book is great fun to look at as well as read--definitely a keeper.

Letter series buffs NEED this book!!
If you have or are interested in any of the letter series (A, B, C, H, M) or the standard tread versions of them (W-4, W-6, W-9) you need this book! Excellent details on almost every aspect of the tractors, charts to show where the decals go, great pictures of restored examples, and details of the variations of each model. I read this book from cover to cover the day I got it and have been rereading it ever since! Great book on Farmalls!


Gardens Maine Style
Published in Hardcover by Down East Books (June, 2001)
Authors: Rebecca Sawyer-Fay, Lynn Karlin, and Rebecca R. Sawyer
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Nice book but with it's share of flaws.
This is a fairly good and helpful book on gardening in Maine. Being a citizen of Maine myself I know a thing or two about gardening up here, for instance there is a very short season here. If you have trouble gardening, no matter what type, being herb, vegetable, spices, fruits, or even trees this book will most likely give you some long awaited answers. This book even shows you how to garden indoors for those times you don't feel like getting eaten by bugs. So if you love gardening then this is a fairly good choice, but look into some other books first.

Practical Beauty
This is a model garden book. The superb photographs provide the backbone of the book. The text is short, not filled out with unecessary words copied from other garden books as is often the case. The photos show what is working in other peoples' gardens and are replete with good ideas.

So you can grow a beautiful garden in Maine!
This book is very inspiring, brilliant and incredibly colorful. It showcases some of the great variety of gardens, and also points out the challenges that face the gardener in this northern most New England state. It is well designed, with many large photos, and the reading is very easy, but informative. The photos have been choosen to inspire and delight, and the captions are hardworking-explaining tasks and identifying the plants. A very beautiful piece of work!


Golf As It Is Meant to Be Played: A Celebration of Donald Ross's Vision of the Game
Published in Hardcover by Universe Books (June, 2000)
Authors: Michael J. Fay, Paul Rocheleau, and Peggy Kirk Bell
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A Donald Ross book, not quite as it was meant to be written
The book starts with an excellent history of golf course architecture, albeit written with a distinct slant towards the Ross era, as one might expect. Aside from this opening history, the book must be considered basically a book of excellent photographs of Ross holes.

The captions to the photographs and the accompanying text leave much to be desired. Both seem to be written with the goal of being dapper or cute. For example, from the text describing the 3rd hole at Wannamoisett Country Club: "Playing out of this area requires familiarity with some of the famous chip shots of golf: the 'chili-dip,' the 'T.C. Chen,' and the ever popular 'skull.'" What does that have to do with Donald Ross's Vision of the Game? I would have preferred more focus on how the holes implement the architectual features which make each hole a "Ross signature."

Despite the sometimes distracting text, all Donald Ross fans certainly will want a copy of this book for their collection.

Outstanding Tribute to and Summary of Donald Ross's Courses
Many people do not know the name, Donald Ross, but almost every golfer knows at least some of the courses he designed. Perhaps his best known is Pinehurst Number 2, which was designed to be an ultimate championship challenge which it has provided now for about 100 years. You may also recognize Inverness, Essex, Salem, Wampanoag, and Brae Burn. Enormous numbers of USGA championships have been played on his courses.

Ross was born in Dornoch, Scotland, and was for a time the professional and groundskeeper there. He trained for this role under Old Tom Morris at St. Andrews.

Having heard about the boom in golf in the United States, Ross left to become the pro and groundskeeper at Oakley in Watertown, Massachusetts. He redesigned Oakley, and that began a remarkable career as a golf course architect. Between 1900 and 1948, when he died, his firm completed over 400 courses in the United States and Canada. At the peak, he had 30 building crews and 2500 workers.

This wonderful book was written by a cofounder of the Donald Ross Society, and shows a deep love and appreciation of Donald Ross and his work.

Donald Ross courses were all designed in the days before bulldozers, so the courses were designed to match the land. Donald Ross's philosophy was to create a course that was strict but offered a fair balance between risk and reward. Designed to be played without irrigation, the holes often play differently today. He was a modest user of water for hazards and did not use it as a central hole element, but didn't actually ban it either.

Signature elements include elevated tees and greens, extremely undulating tricky greens, fairways with almost no flat lies, and tees that aim you where you don't want to go. In today's parlance, it's a shotmaker's course. He loved the iron shot to the green, and provided lots of challenges of that sort.

This book starts with a wonderful essay about Ross. Then it goes on to pick 18 of his holes, as he might have laid them out as a single course. You get beautiful color pictures, views from tee and green, a close look at nasty hazards, and a schematic of the hole.

Naturally, I was delighted to find that the fourth hole of my home course (Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Massachusetts) was one of the featured holes. This is a 400+ yard par 4 that features a slight dogleg right, with out of bounds on the right for the length of the hole. About 200 yards out, there's a tree to block your route on the right (or potentially knock you out of bounds). On the left are sand traps every few yards to catch errant drives. Further down on the the left is a thick copse of trees. Your approach shot to the green is invariably over a bunker or two. Hit it too long, and you're probably out-of-bounds or in deep forest. The green itself is extremely hard to putt. In some locations, a three putt is well done. Whew! I'm glad I have finished reliving that hole. By the way, the book notes that a recent survey rated Brae Burn's greens the fourth toughest in the U.S. after Augusta National and others.

Whether you are a Ross fan or not, any golfer will love this book. If you are a Ross fan, this is a must have. It would also make a great gift for anyone who loves Ross.

Use this book to change your misconception that only a Pete Dye course can truly challenge shotmakers!

Hit 'em all straight, and you'll have no problems.

Golf, As It Is Meant to Be Played : A Celebration of Donald
A superb and elegant rendition of the masterwork of Donald Ross. I have played a few Ross courses in the US and have glimpsed some of the wonderful work this landmark architect created. However, my own appreciation of Ross' genius pales compared to the care, thought, and detail that have been pored into this short opus. A book for any golfer who wants to gain a better understanding of the design aspect of the game we strive to conquer every time we play.


The American Journal of Anthropomorphics (Book 3)
Published in Paperback by Vision Books (January, 1997)
Authors: Darrell Benvenuto, Kenneth Sample, Eric Schwartz, JOSEF RICKETTS, JOSEPH, D NY, RONALD VAN BOKHOVEN, JOSHUA KENNEDY, GENESIS, EVE COOK, TARAL WAYNE, and TIMOTHY FAY
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Good stuff....
A nice collection of artists, with some great examples of what they can do. But....
Paper stock is poor and some prints are a bit blurry.

Look at it Regularly!
This is a great artbook, featuring many famous furry artists. I love the art, and look at it regularly. If you're a fan of Michele Light, I recommend it.

The best book in the world.
This book started my physical collection of furry publishings, and still remains the best singal pice I have. Not only is it perfectaly published, but contains excellent examples of anthropomorphic artwork. Its my personal bible.


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