Frank Fox, the talented author of "Funky Butt Blues" and "Bizarre New Orleans" has done it again with this high-energy romp through New Orleans as seen through the eyes of two, er, "twin" brothers from a small country community.

Although this slim volume isn't packaged as a mystery, it's hard to write about it without it seeming mysterious, as much of the action is propelled by questions waiting to be answered: "Who are these fellows?", "Why do they behave so oddly?", "If they're brothers, why are they so very different?" There are answers and they are mysterious, but that's not all this book is about.

What is it about, you ask? Well, it's about identity. It's about the little vortex of oddness that goes by the name "New Orleans". It's about tourism, gentrification, petty theft and Mardi Gras. It's about accepting who you are, even if who you are isn't what you expected.

The book is described here as being in the spirit of "A Confederacy of Dunces", an assessment with which I agree, as both are fun and tragic comedic tales of fish out of water, trying to survive in a world that makes no sense.

"19 1/2 Revelations" opens with Moto arriving in New Orleans and applying for a job at the public library (all the while ruminating on sloths), pursued by his brother Abe. Both are in the city looking for the truth about "the clipping", a newspaper article concerning UFOs and a discarded baby. Hijinx ensue and the two are soon joined by Roberto, a local businessman who drives them around town.

Fox's writing is light and breezy, making this an easy read and suiting the tale beautifully. It's obvious he's a resident by the locations he chooses and by the fact that, as in "Funky Butt Blues", he uses his fiction to grouse about local eyesores, such as the casino and the SuperDome. The only thing I didn't like was the character Roberto, who seemed a little too "Deus ex Machina" for my tastes, always arriving just in time to feed the brothers, drive them around, fix their car, etc. But it's a small complaint and a forgivable one.

Frank Fox's New Orleans novel ranks with the best of the young Louisiana writers. To anyone who has suffered through the attempts at movies and TV shows to depict the Crescent City, Fox offers welcome comprehension of the complexity and nuances of this most unusual town. To be sure, the work is not much on plot and not much on characterization, but that is what New Orleans is about and Fox does convey the strange somnambulism that characterizes much of life in New Orleans. Highly recommended to anyone interested in New Orleans fiction.

Moto arrives in New Orleans seeking his twin brother Abe, who had been born in a dumpster. Abe had come to New Orleans to apply for a job at the library. Unfortunately, they do not want to hire someone who likes to read, which is the problem they had with the last clerk. Moto finds his brother in children's section, about to be arrested due to a misunderstanding.

Once they are escorted from the building, they try to find Moto's car, but he had parked it on a carnaval route and it has been towed. They eventually track the car to where it has been towed, but it has been vandalized and is no longer drivable. The next several days proceed with such discordant incidents, including beed chasing, Moto being jailed after saving a girl's life, an underwear ball at a department store.

19 1/2 REVELATIONS mimics its carnvalistic background with a kalidoscope of odd incidents, happenstance, and revelations. As people continuously comment that these twin brothers look absolutely nothing alike, the reader becomes aware of their odd yet profound relationship. They seem to spend a lot of time losing each other, finding each other, and bailing one another out of trouble. Ultimately they become as finely defined as the detail within in the kalidoscope just before it shifts to form a new image. An unusual, yet compelling read, 19 1/2 REVELATIONS comes recommended.

THis is a remarkable inquiry into the history of one family, from the rise of one member 900 years ago - a confucian scholar noticed his fine caligraphy in an exhibition and took him on - to martyrdom in Mao's CHina and the career of the writer as a journalist.

It takes this kind of story sometimes to bring the lessons of history out, in particular the impact of the confucian tradition on a civilisation. The book is peopled with exremely vivid characters, almost all striving to honor their family in the records that survive. To Westerners, the view into an alien and vanished worled is as fascinating as it is surprising. THere are sons who were honored as having true "filial piety" because every day for years they licked the pus out of their mother's wounded knee; the difficult father who ruined the family with gambling and sloth - a typical selfish "Asian man" - only to spur his son to greater effort; the local official who spent a huge part of the family fortune to build a splendid garden for the emperor to see as he passed their home once.

Nonetheless, this history gets a bit lugubrious with detail, particularly personal. SOme of it could only be of interest to members of the immediate family, in my view.

REcommended for those who want a quirky perspective on Chinese history.

Frank Ching has done a remarkable job of tracing his family tree back over 900 years of Chinese history and uncovering the stories of the many notable figures that he found there. I was struck by the continuity of Chinese life over the years and the value placed on remembering and honoring those who have gone before. The individual biographies and the overall picture of Chinese history that emerges are very interesting.

Even though this book claims to be a history of one Chinese family, it is actually a thoughly engrossing history of the China from the viewpoint of the members of one Chinese family -- one that had many famous people thoughout the years. I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand China or Chinese people better.

This book has some wonderful time consuming gourment recipes that you're sure to use once every few years on special occasions. My southern hunter husband turned his nose up at most of the recipes in this book. It's ok for entertaining and special occasions, but not what I was looking for.

This is the best priced book! It is packed with information regarding how to cook game. You can substitute all game meat for the venison in these fabulous, easy-to-prepare recipes. Chef Wutsch did a top-notch job! Every hunter should have this right along their rifle or bow.

This Book "The Art of Cooking Venison" is well thought out, it prepares a cook that doesn't have to be a good cook, to do a wonderful creation. Step by Step, Chef. Wutsch takes you through the beginning to the end. Wonderful book,I'm so excited I want you all to know this guy is Great!!!! Anybody who wants to try venison , this is the Book, It taste like the top choice of meats. Melts in your mouth, and you know it's good for you. I like that. Order this book, It's one in a million.

The subtitle overstates the significance of this book (A Scientific Discovery That Revolutionizes the Way We View the Origin of Life, the Water We Drink, etc). The Big Splash is very technical and , for those of us without a Doctorate in Geophysics it is quite a dry read. The references to the Space Program and the human elements that show the competition and back-stabbing that goes on in the scientific community are more interesting and help to move you to the end of the story, but, this is little solice for the feeling of being let down at the conclusion (or lack thereof) at the end of the book. Unfortunately, this book is probably the best you can find on the topic, though. I guess you cannot expect every scientific story to be a great read. If you need the data and answers to questions you can find in this book (like I did), you probably won't find it anywhere else. Grab a cup of strong coffee.

Dr Frank develops a hypothesis that is very plausible, well supported and a suprisingly engrossing read. By the time I finished, my beliefs in the objectivity of the scientific community had been severly shaken.

He makes a rather complex subject easy to understand and enjoyable. If only I had been fortunate enough to have more teachers in college that could make a subject come alive.

Frank explains in wonderful detail the problems that a scientist has when he makes an important discovery outside of his accepted expertise. He is not the first to suffer from this prejudice, nor will he be the last. But, it is important for us to be reminded that science too, often wears blinders and because of this, important discoveries are ignored and it takes decades before we are able to move forward in our knowledge of how things work.

I have read many books on dreams, this is a good book, it even has a quick index to find things by subject, like if you dreamed of a cat, you look in the index under cat and it will tell you what's up. Excellent book.

I have read two or three other books that offer the interpretations of symbols in dreams. The bad thing about these types of books is that not all dreams are interpreted in it and that each the symbols in dreams mean different things to different people. Out of the four books or so that give out very basic interpretations of the symbols this is the best one.

I have been using The Complete Dream Book for approximately 30 years. As a guide for everyday events. You have to interpret according to your own personal problems,and apply to same. I have learned many other dream symbols that are not in the book, but are just personal to me. I am a happier person because I know when to worry and when not to.

This is the novelization of the TV episode of "Gun on Ice Planet Zero." It faithfully recreates the story of the daring raid by the Galactica crew to destroy the massive Ravishol Pulsar weapon that is about to destroy the Colonial fleet. Glen Larson and Robert Thurston do a good job in fleshing out the characters and adding in a few twists to the plot of this original 2-part tv episode. The character of Croft, the leader of the criminal demolitions team, really gets the treatment in this book. He comes across as an inidividual who has real depth and emotion. In fact, much of the book is told from his point of view. Of course, fans of the show will recognize what happens in the story except for a few little things that are changed, of course. The biggest thing is the ending, with Croft hanging from a wire attached to a stolen Cylon raider trying to rescue Boxey who is a stowaway in a remote-controlled Cylon ship!!! Unbelievable!!! But it still makes a good read for all of us who knew and loved this late '70's sci-fi show. If you like Battlestar Galactica, get all of these novels and relive the show like you never have before. Great fun.

The book is always better than the movie or the episode

Well very intertaining. I couldn't keep my nose out of it, I found it in the thrift shop, a rare find indeed. Starbuck and Apollo at their best, and of course the normal action of the series. When my Dad saw me reading this book, he said that sometimes he'd watch it on the T.V, and he didn't turn it off. Which means the series were good, because it doesn't take alot for my dad to turn the switch. The plot was entertaining, and the humor was good. Read it, you wont regret it.

If you've read any of Herbert's works (Dune, etc.), you might realize that his endless but intriguing theme is what how people, economies, belief systems, ecosystems, etc. respond to potential extinction. His answer in each of his books with this theme reminds me of that line from Jurassic Park: "Life always finds a way." Having said that, *Under Pressure* is perhaps the smallest level at which he plays this game -- a small submarine whose mission it is to steal oil from an enemy country in a cold war several levels above what the U.S. experienced during the 1950s and 1960s. This might sound like a recycled sub movie plot, but don't be fooled by the premise. *Under Pressure* is more about how men bond...well, under pressure, and become something greater than they could singly. I read it first when I was in junior high, and I read it again earlier this year. It's amazing how quickly the book ends. The only thing that keeps it from earning five stars is what I've always considered Herbert's weakness -- characterization. He takes a whole book (sometimes more than a single book) to flesh characters out fully. Still, I heartily recommend this book because it deals with large themes and is better plotted than some of his more famous works.

C'est un ouvrage très riche en apports sur le plan psychologie des personnages, au-delà de l'intérêt du sujet-même, je le recommande à tous rien que pour cette dimension.

This is a fairly simple and short novel. Unlike some of Frank's other work, this isnt really a sci-fi book, more of a psychological study of the paranoia that overtakes 5 men on a submarine mission to destroy an enemy installation. Its a very good read though, and id definitely reccomend it. Like the best of Franks work, it disorients the reader and fiddles with your perceptions.

I could call this book a "Family Biography" rather than only a bio on Frank Herbert. This is no surprise coming from the pen of his son, Brian Herbert and souldn't had implied something negative, nonetheless I feel that the result was not overall satisfactory, and an important opportunity missed by Brian Herbert.

On the good side, we get to know the intimate family life of Frank Herbert and specially his relationship with his wife Beverly and his sons.In this way we discover the man but we are far from discovering much of the writer. We hardly get any insights into many of his writings (the exception is of course Dune). I was eager to know about the origins of the Pandora Cycle, the Dune Sequels or many of the great short stories, but non of that is propoerly developed and sometimes it is only barely mentioned. We even get more details about Brian Herbert's own writings!, which seems to me a lack of sensibility on the author's part.

While not the best I would expect, "Dreamer of Dune" is certainly valuable for the most familiar aspects of Herbert which would have been unavailable otherwise. Nevertheless, we won't get the full picture of one of science fiction's grandest creators and I recommend to complement this title with other valuable sources to fully understand Herbert's achievement. Some recommendations are Frank Herbert by Timothy O'Reilly (found on the web at Tim O'Reilly's Web Page), The Maker of Dune, a collection of articles by Herbert himself on various topics and the academic works by William Touponce and Daniel Levack.

When you know inside information about the life of a man who's influenced the literary community, you can't help but let that seep into your writing. Especially if you're writing a biography about this man. Add to that the fact that you're his son, and you've got a triple-whammy!

Brian Herbert (a successful author in his own right) shows us the powerful life of his legendary father, Frank Herbert, in Dreamer of Dune, the biography of Frank Herbert's life.

The story surrounds Frank Herbert from his humble beginnings in small town Washington, to his rise to the head of science fiction's most coveted awards (the Nebula and Hugo awards).

Brian Herbert takes us on an emotional rollercoaster ride as Frank and his family go from starving in Mexico, to eating caviar in Hawaii. Then we get let down again as Bev, Frank's love of his life, passes away.

Throughout the biography, Brian expertly weaves the life that would lead Frank Herbert to write his magnum opus: Dune. His newspaper days, working for senatorial candidates, ecological research and travels all helped shape the world of Dune that would emerge onto the literary world and shape the science fiction community for decades to come.

A well-written biography with some touching information on a man who may still remain and enigma to many fans. Enjoy.

I'm actually only part of the way into the book, so this review is provisional. However, only a few of chapters in and I am enjoying it thoroughly. This book I think will be greatly enjoyed by any big fan of Frank Herbert. His Dune, and other, novels and short stories have enchanted millions around the world. As popular as they are, it is amazing that Herbert, who died in '96, is so enigmatic. This substantial biography (it's fairly long) will wipe away the mystery, and really give a detailed view into what shaped his writing, his values, and his life.

Brian Herbert knows his audience, and jumps right in providing links between Frank's life and the Dune stories (and others) almost right off the bat. These little morsels are sprinkled throughout descriptions of Frank's growing up near Tacoma, WA and his later years. The complex layering of political, religious and scientific belief systems evident in the Dune chronicles is revealed as you spend time with Frank Herbert during some of his childhood adventures and experiences.

In places, you may feel like you are reading passages from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Frank Herbert had a truly amazing childhood, and the telling of it can make you wish for simpler times.

I am not generally a big fan of biographies. However, this one (so far) is well written, and discusses one of the most important and least understood icons in all of literature, let alone science fiction. Furthermore, having read other works from Brian Herbert, I would say that Brian Herbert's emotion and devotion to his father comes through clearly without being syrupy or pedantic. This is arguably one of his best written works, if not the best.

In this supposedly truth based tale of a woman becoming the subject of sexual attacks by a ghost, author Frank De Felitta tries to recreate the success of his best novel to date 'Audrey Rose'. This time the formula doesn't work. The Entity is excessively overlong and apart from one incident near the beginning of the book, scare free. The well defined characters appear to exist in a vacuum. The tone changes later as the author presents both sides of the argument as to whether the events are real or just in the mind of Carlotta, the woman to whom the attacks happen. But, as no questions are answered even this comes across as just a cop out. Very disappointing.

I really loved this book. I've seen the movie, before I read the book and I love the book a million times more than the movie. You really get into the life of Carlotta (Carla in the movie). You get flashbacks of her life from when she was a child, to her first and second marriage. And the ending IS different. This book scared me constantly while reading it, it kind of freaks me out to hear that it's based on a true story. All in all, if you find a copy of it, BUY IT... it's now out of print, and worth your time for reading..

Frank De Felitta tells this story wonderfully! If I am correct, I think it was based on a true story. The entity follows and horrifies one woman's life and family, even is....detected by proffesionals. It makes you wonder what is really out there and makes you scared to sleep. I give this book a great review, I still get scared just thinking about the whole story.

There is nothing wrong with this book. In fact, it is a good value for the price. The problem is that this book is a handgun blasted apart by a cannon. The cannon is the larger, heavier, more expensive (but well worth it) book on Fallingwater by Edgar Kaufman Jr. (Wright's pupil and son of the client).

For a less expensive gift - this is the book.

For yourself, a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, or a lover of Fallingwater; invest in the cannon - it will blow you away!

Carla Lind's small-format, 58-page book on 'Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater' is an excellent introduction both to this remarkable structure, but also to the interesting life of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The book is very short, and could almost qualify as a Cliff's Notes version of Wright's architectural style and principles, as well as being a remarkably thorough introduction to Fallingwater, which is perhaps the most famous modern home in America.

Built in the midst of the Great Depression, 'Fallingwater' was one of the projects that resurrected Frank Lloyd Wright's faltering career. His own famous Wisconsin home, 'Taliesin', burned twice and was ultimately seized during bankruptcy and divorce proceedings. For the ten years prior to getting the nod to design Fallingwater, only five commissions of Wright's were built. However, during this time, Wright was not unproductive. He wrote his autobiography (which was later revised in 1943), began planning for Taliesin West, and eventually earned a cover of 'Time' magazine as Fallingwater was being built.

Wright was reactionary against the International Style, which took hold after 1932. Wright had been partly responsible for the new aesthetic, and was in fact influenced by its developments, but he recoiled at the idea, and wanted his work to have more spirit, more poetry, than the austere and functional/mechanical designs in vogue seemed to hold.

'Fallingwater, Wright's polemic response to modernism, arises from ideas and imagery that flowed in such profusion from his pen and pencil in the years around 1900.'
- Joseph Connors, Wright on Nature and the Machine

Fallingwater would, in fact, not seem out of place in the Bauhaus school of design, though Wright would probably not have appreciated the connection.

'It was an extraordinary moment with the full force of Wright's concept became apparent. Father enjoyed bold ideas and challenges, and my mother found sources of graceful livability in an unusual setting.'
- Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., Fallingwater

Edgar and Lillian Kaufmann commissioned the project that was destined to reinvigorate Wright's career. A wealthy Pittsburgh couple, they were noted for interest in artistic and imaginative endeavours. The Kaufmanns' son was an apprentice at Taliesin in 1934 when they visited and became inspired to hire Wright to design their new home in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. It was a perfect site for Wright's imagination.

'If Fallingwater is viewed as a perfect marriage of building and site, the leading partner is nature. Wright's habitat is an extension of the Appalachian terrain in which it rests so respectfully. Deep in the rugged forest, where dogwood, rhododendron, oak, maple, birch, and hickory flourish, Bear Run hurries to meet the Youghiogheny River in the valley below. The Kaufmanns, committed to conservation of the site, regarded the largest of Bear Run's rocky waterfualls as the heart of their property, a place to picnic and lie in the sun.'

The house is anchored by four giant boulders built over the waterfall, and the sense of steps, ledges, drops, and waterfall shapes are thoroughly pervasive throughout the house and guesthouse. Exposed stone layers are primary design and aesthetic values; rectilinear shapes are dominant with circular and curved elements as secondary components. Windows are everywhere, as nature is never excluded even in the deepest part of the house. Many rooms have terraces, which go in different directions around the property.

The house became an immediate showplace, one that has remained an architectural marvel of world renown. In 1963, Edgar Kaufmann Jr. donated the house and its grounds (over 1500 acres) as a privately-held public memorial to his parents and to Wright's genius. The son of the original owners, Kaufmann Jr. was destined to remain at Taliesin for only a short time, but as the primary go-between on development and construction of Fallingwater, he secured a permanent place for himself in American architectural history. Eventually he went on to a distinguished career of teaching and writing in the architectural field, including the larger, definitive study of Fallingwater (review coming shortly!). He was also on the design staff of the Museum of Modern Art.

Fallingwater receives over 100,000 visitors per year.

This book is a proud tribute to the house - a small format that nonetheless captures a great spirit. Every page has beautiful, full-colour photographs that illustrate the design and decoration of the house in its natural environment. There are also a few construction photos that show development stages. The book also includes several handy time-lines and bullet-point pages, including one of Wright's pre-Fallingwater history, and one highlighting the major aspects of the design considerations.

Of course, the best place to purchase this book is where I purchased it, at Fallingwater itself. The house is open to the public on weekends throughout the year, and also on Tuesdays and Fridays from April to November. It is about an hour-and-a-half drive from Pittsburgh, through generally gorgeous countryside.

Carla Lind, the author of this text, is also the author of 'The Wright Style' and 'Lost Wright'. She has worked to preserve Wright buildings for several decades, and worked in various foundations and organisations dedicated to maintaining Wright's designs and structures.

"Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater," by Carla Lind, is one of a series of books that celebrate the work of this visionary architect. This volume in the series is devoted to Fallingwater, the amazing modern house designed by Wright in 1935 for Liliane and Edgar J. Kaufmann. This is a "mini-book," but despite its small size, it is an impressive tribute to a landmark of home architecture.

Carla Lind's concise but informative text is complemented by many glorious full-color photographs of Fallingwater. There are both exterior and interior shots that capture many of the home's memorable features: the rough stone walls, the cantilevered balconies, the bold use of glass, the remarkable asymmetrical fireplaces, and more. There are also some fascinating black-and-white historical photos.

Lind also includes a bibliography and a chronology. The text is further complemented by a series of sidebar quotes from Wright, Edgar Kaufmann Jr., and others.

I have visited Fallingwater. It is a stunning architectural achievement which, I think, no book could completely capture. But Carla Lind has done a good job of celebrating the spirit of this remarkable house.