
List price: $18.95 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $8.75
Buy one from zShops for: $12.51




Greenstein has converted the recipes to be made by hand, food processor or mixer. We have a small mixer and simply halved the quantities. I cannot stress enough the surprise at how effective the results were. There was huge "WOW" factor getting the bread out of the oven.
This book has a good range of recipes for breads and things made with yeast. There is an assortment of ethnic recipes and all the favourites from bagels, foccacia, croissants, to scones and muffins. I particularly enjoyed his annecdotes and favourite toppings. Greenstein has also included 12 programmes for "a morning of baking" which set out how to fit together making a variety of breads in a short time.
On the downside, a separate ingredients index would have been useful. For example, after buying rice flour I then had to look through the whole book to find the relevant recipe. The fact that it is so short on pictures is not really a problem as the results speak for themselves.
Please God, when I die let me be Jewish!

List price: $29.95 (that's 67% off!)



The illustrations add to this masterpiece. The interviews by people who knew George Harrison personally are what makes this book so effective in reaching its intended audience. Each individual's voice rings clear and pure; one gets a sense of each person and how they were touched and influenced by George Harrison.
To the editors' credit, this book does not languish during the Beatle years; instead, it picks up speed immediately and maintains an even keel throughout the late artist's life. I like the way the songs are discussed and the influences that guided and created them.
This book is a sterling work. I highly and heartily recommend it.

The book is finely illustrated with many rare pictures; I was delighted that it didn't gloss over George's neglected solo career. Another particular delight is the introduction penned by Mrs. Harrison. Like her husband, Mrs. Harrison is a very dignified, articulate person and I wish her the very best. Pictures of George's son (who looks just like him, by the way) are also included. Thank you for the music, George.

List price: $32.50 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $8.31
Buy one from zShops for: $8.26


I have ridden hunter seat equitation for 16 years, I have owned this book (2nd ed.) for 14 years, and I still learn something every time I open it.



Used price: $2.09
Buy one from zShops for: $2.36


with 'Sandkings' being one OF them. This in NO WAY dimishes how utterly original this story is, though. I'm telling you the last written line of 'Sandkings' is worth the price of the book alone...but please, please do NOT spoil the surprise by skipping ahead and doing so. The main character is flawed in that he loves to be sadistic with these tiny adaptable creatures that learn to revere him as deity. But what happens along the way is horrific...and amazing. Spend an hour or two and read this short story and get to know one of the best novelists of the past 20 years. George R.R. Martin is fast becoming one of THE prominant names in the fantasy field (just check out his 'Song of Ice & Fire' series beginning with 'A Game of Thrones') but he was first a sci-fi author...he's not just good at both, he's fantastic...


A few months later, I found the back issue of Omni magazine and rushed home to read it. After assimilating the last glorious line of "Sandkings," I decided right then and there that it was my favorite short story of all time.
Nearly twenty years later, it remains my favorite short story.
Admittedly, I'm more of a horror fan than sci fi or fantasy fan, so Sandkings is closer to my heart that his other works. However, if sci fi and fantasy is YOUR cup of tea, you'll also enjoy the other very well written stories in this collection (including "Way of Cross and Dragon" and "In the House of the Worm.")
But I can honestly say that "Sandkings" is worth the price of admission alone. It's a true modern masterpiece.

List price: $53.99 (that's 10% off!)
Used price: $2.22





List price: $21.00 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $6.23
Collectible price: $7.41
Buy one from zShops for: $14.29




This superb work by two noted historians tells the entire tale of the Revolution, interpersed with myriad first hand accounts from those who marched and fought the breadth of a continent and defeated the greatest military power in the world at the time, albeit 'with a little help from out friends.'
I have found this volume extremely helpful in doing my own historical research, and have recommended it many times to my students. It is clear and concise, informative, and is an excellent read. It is one of the best books in print on the American Revolution, and is easily also one of the most accurate representations of the period that has ever been written. Accurate, compelling, with a definite epic story to tell, it is invaluable for all students of the period and will stand the test of time, as it already has.





The premise of these novels is that the "Flashman Papers" were discovered in a Leicestershire attic in 1965. In them, the English soldier and adventurer, Harry Flashman, recounts his adventures throughout the British Empire during the latter half of the nineteenth century. They are helpfully "notated" by the "editor," George MacDonald Fraser, who occasionally comments upon the authenticity of Flashman's recollections. And what do you know! Flashman just happens to have been present at just about every single major military event in English history of these times! Lucky us!
In this one, Flashman recounts his experiences leading up to and at the famous Charge of the Light Brigade in the Russian Crimea in 1854. He is subsequently captured by the Russians, escapes, is captured again, escapes again, and with the help of Tajiks and Kazhaks, battles the Russians and makes his way to British-controlled India. Believe me, this is just as fun as it sounds, but what takes it to the highest, most delightful level is the sheer narrative force of Fraser's Flashman, unquestionably one of the most enjoyable narrators ever created.
As well as being reliable and honest--qualities a reader hopes at the very least to get in a first person narrative--he is also extremely intelligent, witty, funny, and very, very opinionated. Thus, in describing the Russian peasantry, we don't get a carefully-worded, afraid-to-offend, cautious assessment, we get this: ". . . this dull clown was just standing and letting himself be caned by a fellow half his size, hardly even wincing under the blows. There was a little crowd of serfs looking on, ugly, dirty-looking rascals in hairy blue smocks and rough trousers, with their women and a few ragged brats--and they were just watching, like cowed, stupid brutes." You may wince at his less than diplomatic commentary, but you may be sure you are getting the truth unvarnished, told as only the indefatigable Flashy can do.
These novels are also historically accurate, and meticulously researched even to the tiniest detail. From the lay of the land on a battlefield, to a description of the Russian steppes; from the uniforms worn by various regiments of various armies, to the weapons and ordnance available to each; from the subtle nuances inherent in the languages he encounters in central Asia, to the slang routinely used by Englishmen; it is clear that Mr. Fraser has a unique and thorough understanding of England and the British Empire in the nineteenth century. In fact, it is impossible to believe that there might be another living human being who knows more. The reader gets the sense that he is in the hands of a master; there is nothing here which strains credibility.
In fact, Mr. Fraser has us so firmly in his stead that the romantic elements strewn liberally throughout these novels barely raise an eyebrow. Thus, the scenes when Flashman is chased by wolves over the snowy steppe in a rickety sleigh, or thrown into a dungeon and threatened with the vilest torture, come across as believable and exciting, rather than foolish or cartoonish. And yes, yes, there are dalliances with beautiful women, but what kind of an adventure/romance would this be without them?
In short, the Flashman novels provide everything the lover historical fiction dreams of: exciting and historically accurate plots, careful attention to detail, a thorough knowledge of the subject matter, and, perhaps most importantly, a witty and delightful guide to show us the way. Bravo, Mr. Fraser. Bravo.

List price: $13.00 (that's 20% off!)
Used price: $6.00
Collectible price: $12.00
Buy one from zShops for: $9.04





List price: $15.95 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $8.99


Pollock's narrative of Lucas's life begins with George's childhood, then proceeds into his rebellious teen years--which was the inspiration for American Graffiti--then straight onto Lucas' student filmmaker years and finally to his highly successful movie career. The latter of which is when Star Wars and its sequels were produced and established Lucas as one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of the medium.
The book offers a balanced, journalistic account of Lucas' life, with very little opinion injected into the book. Some places Pollock seems to praise Lucas too much, but it's nothing too extreme.
The only real problem is that the book was written during the production of Return of the Jedi, when Skywalker Ranch wasn't finished, George was still married to first wife Marcia, and before the flops Willow and Howard the Duck. I read the revised edition which has an intro mentioning these things, but the book's main narrative is about what's happened to Lucas up to 1983.
I'd recommend this book to any fan of Star Wars, and anyone else curious about Lucas himself.


The book is peppered with many quotes from Lucas himself as well as Spielberg, Coppola, Milius and others which lends it a feeling of legitimacy which I believe is probably lacking from other, less sympathetic biographies. Lucas himself is quite forthcoming about his feelings on his own work and what he sees as his limitations as a director. His comments on Hollywood were amusing if understandably bitter, especially for someone who has worked there in the past.
If one omits his earliest film shorts such as the student version of THX 1138 and the documentary Filmmaker, Lucas has only directed three films in his career, THX 1138, American Grafitti and Star Wars. His function since that last mega-smash has primarily been as producer and head of the state-of-the-art Skywalker Ranch production facilities up in scenic Northern California. He has also helped finance a number of less "mainstream" works such as Kurosawa's Kagemusha. It's unfortunately probably true that Lucas has never been taken seriously by many critics ever since Star Wars because that film was so consciously intended as a "kids movie". Despite the fact that it was embraced by popular culture around the world due to its quality and mythic resonance it does tend to overwhelm his early, more adult-oriented films. Lucas himself is quite skeptical of some of the intellectual critical analysis that has been produced on what was intended to be an innocent hommage to 30's style action movie serials and not a "think piece". It's also surprising that so many people continue to consider the Star Wars films science-fiction when they really fall much more into the fantasy genre despite all the high-tech trappings.
Of course this book includes reams of trivia on the films, from the origin of all of the characters names in Star Wars to the details behind preview screenings and loads of very funny anecdotes that could only have been provided by an industry as crazy and high-stakes as Hollywood. Mostly however this is the story of a man from modest origins who managed to beat Hollywood at it's own game and achieve financial independence from "the system" through a combination of very savvy business choices, luck and a personal vision that happened to coincide with what a large number of the paying public wanted to see on screen.
This review refers to the original 1983 hardcover release of this book.

Used price: $2.05
Collectible price: $15.95




The stories work on so many levels, and Tuf is such a singular character, the stories remain in my mind almost daily even ten years after I've read them. The fact that these stories live in the 'ghetto' of science fiction shouldn't scare away those who don't typically read it. Martin's grasp of humor, horror and the human condition is unmatched. I've often compared him to Mark Twain, in that his writing is so simple and universally appealing, yet contains so much more moving beneath the surface.
It's a wonder to me that with Martin's forays into screenwriting that he's never decided to pitch "Plague Star". It works almost perfectly as a feature film, with just the right length, rhythm and imagery. Perhaps the one thing holding him back is the lack of the standard 'human' element in all these stories - Tuf is profoundly asexual, and indeed, seems to have almost no typical heartwarming hooks that Hollywood demands be in virtually every film it rolls out. There are no love interests, no (traditional) paternal emotions. There's no boy meets girl here, just boy meets destiny. Yet I think that it could appeal to a wide variety of viewers nonetheless. The book after "Plague Star" has a fairly strong 'population control' message that might not appeal to the religious right, but I have a feeling the message would go right over their heads - history has shown us that people aren't to quick to pick up these subtleties.
Accessible and rewarding. If you can find this gem, don't let it slip through your grasp.