I really enjoyed this book by Donald Spoto. He went extremely in-depth regarding the life of Elizabeth Taylor. He tells about her childhood to her many marriages and movies. If you would like to get a good look into the life of Elizabeth Taylor, this biography is a excellent choice.

Being very good at what he does, Donald Spoto, manages to provide readers with an accurate, in depth, and yet entertaining look at the life of Elizabeth Taylor, both on and off screen. Naturally, he starts with the early childhood, because at the age of nine Taylor was already bona fide child-actor. Then, as a heroine, i.e. Talyor, grows up, the discussion focuses mainly on men in her life, her first love (Monty Cliff) and her first marriage...and then, another marriage... and then another marriage, and another... It is hard to keep track at times! However, Spoto also shows Taylor's ability to stay true to her friends, inspite of many-many traumas and ugly gossips that have always surrounded her public persona. The only downside of this book is that narration stops somehere in a "Taylor/Jackson" period. Since Spoto already opened up a candid discussion of Taylor's health and other life problems, I think readers would like to know more about the on-going life battles, that their favorite female star presently has to fight. Also, it would be nice, if he mentioned Taylor's contribution to the fight with AIDS more extensively. In other words, Spoto should be planning on another revised edition of this otherwise lovely book.

This text chronicles the depth of the Hallmark Cards photography collection through a carefully developed and well written scholarly history. Curator and author Keith F. Davis addresses the fundamental value of photographic imagery as demonstrated by many of the most significant makers in the past one hundred years. Using as a basis a single country's development (America) in the medium's history, Davis sets out his argument that many if not all successful photographs are inherently about the truthfulness of the images produced. He does not over interpret the documented images to establish a point of view but rather allows the flow of the photographs to reveal a rich tapestry of imagery beginning with the snapshot aesthetic of the late 19th century and ending with the mass media influences upon contemporary photographs. Many of the images have not been reproduced before -- always a plus! His thorough research is supported fully by extensive endnotes and an excellent bibliography. Best of all, the overall quality of image reproduction suggests to the reader the individual tonalities of the photographs. This second edition is a successful follow-up to the earlier catalogue of the same name (1995)and records the remarkable growth of this important collection of photographs.

I found this book an enjoyable and informative read, though at times presented romantically and subjectively. The author does a fine job presenting Dietrich from many angles, truly fleshing her out (Spoto is irritatingly fond of the word "plump" to describe Dietrich's early adulthood)... Spoto seems to approach his subject with celestial reverence, as though trying to conceal his own crush behind a web of historical voyeurism (the discussion of debauched 1920s Berlin is particularly gratifying and grounding). Sometimes he speculates too much on possible motivations instead of simply offering the facts, but he also makes good use of others' reminiscences of Dietrich to back up some of his insightful conjectures. In short, a charming book, though not riveting.

This text provides a quick, concise review of the pimary topics covered on emergency medicine exams. I found it to be a good way to prepare for inservice exams and the written boards.

I wrote a book on bootstrap methods at the same time that Peter Hall was writing his. He kindly sent me an advance copy of the manuscript. This enabled me to incorporate some very useful information in my book. The material is advanced and rigorous. However the asymptotic results for Edgeworth and Cornish-Fisher expansions provide important insight into the advantages of bootstrap and the special modifications such as bootstrap iteration and various other bootstrap variants for confidence intervals including Efron's BCa method. It is well written but requires a good mathematical background and knowledge of advanced probability would be helpful. It is not easy reading even for Ph.D students and postdoctoral researchers but is certainly worth the effort.

A well-rounded collection of Robinson's most sincere poetry. His views on people as individuals is apparent, and his mysticism remains romantic. You'll find a little bit of every type of person in his myriad of characters.

This book is a valuable tool for researching the mammals of North America. Unfortunately, it is dated and lacks the current genetic taxonomy practices. Many of the subspecies in this volume have probably been removed, synonymized, or hybridized by now. I would love to own a copy of this book. I think it should be considered a model of how to compose a key to the mammals of North America utilizing current practices and standards of taxonomy.

The major portion of the book confirms our suspicions of the massive tax avoidance and evasion that is extant in the U.S. today. I found much of the material to be revealing of the methodology used by rich and poor to escape the responsibility of paying ones dues.
The authors lost me in their attack on VAT ( National Sales Tax ) which has worked successfully in tne United Kingdom and in Canada. These countries are way ahead of us in Social Services. Any tax plan will have its defects, but this is one way to avoid the off shore plans, and the refusal to even submit the 1040 form.
The final chapter devoted to the authors' solution to the problem is a joke. If you take one suggestion after another it is clear that our economy will not tolerate their badly constructed cure. I think that they were just in a hurry to close out the book and had really ill considered, ( or no ), advice from seasoned economists. These two chapters left me with a feeling of let down and disappointment. I had hoped to find some well constructed answers to a pernicious problem. But they offered none.

Before I read the book, I had the (mistaken) belief that all income tax evaders had an equal chance of an IRS Audit. I now see that the IRS is set-up to audit citizens that can't afford lawyers--the book has good evidence for that, the kind you can find for yourself.

Unfortunately, the book isn't totally solid. It rightly points out that the current tax system is unfair for the un-wealthy, and I think the authors provide fairly good evidence that this unfairness is largely due to a congress that has created a behemoth tax code while simultaneously stripping the IRS of its ability to enforce it. Unfortunately, though, there were times that some claims went un-referenced (e.g., past tax code), which left me wondering about what was "factual."

The book is biased towards blaming the wealthy for lobbying congress while dumping billions into tax shelters (this bias, nonetheless, seems well supported), but the book isn't about wealth bashing--it is about the notion that in our country, to some extent, we are all our neighbor's helper, and to cheat taxes is morally incomprehensible and consequential. They point to the ills of society fostering an environment for cheaters of all kinds...from tax evaders to cheating college freshman, as evidence for the cheater's mentality. In this regard, the book has a pessimistic view of a human nature that always reduces itself to the "lowest common denominator" (i.e., if the wealthy cheat on taxes, why shouldn't I?). The authors pose good arguments against flat taxes and sales taxes, while supporting a progressive tax such as our current tax structure. They argue that the current tax code is too complicated and should be simplified. This complication is largely do to the history of special interest groups successfully lobbying for tax loopholes. Overall, I know more about taxes (and tax evasion) than I had before the book.

Just read the last two chapters, "How Congress plans to increase your Taxes" and the final chapter on their solution. These authors show how Congress is crippling the enforcement of tax cheats by the rich, even granting them loopholes so they pay even less than they should. The flat tax and national sales tax are shown to be the shams they are, the rich will get very rich and the poor and middle class will take the burden of the lost taxes from the rich. Don't believe me, read the book. Why did Warren Buffett endorse Gore saying he (Buffett) pays less taxes than his secretary? Because this is all true, Congress has always made the tax laws favor the rich, hiding it in complex regulations that only the rich can afford the lawyers and accountants to figure out. They pay less taxes and now the Republicans want to make the income tax so difficult that the rest of the country can be sold a bill of goods that repealing the income tax and putting in a flat tax will help the middle class instead of the truth that it will devastate the middle class. Buy the book, get the book from the library, but read the book before you vote!

This book starts out superbly and ends most horribly. The ending feels increasingly rushed, which holds no satisfaction for the reader. Without spoiling the plot for those unfortunate enough to read it, this book is a great read... until you reach about 2/3 of the way through. The book falls apart. Mr. Bain starts using characters that were only slightly introduced earlier in the book and characters that he had invested quite a bit of time in, page-wise, suddenly leave. Reality takes a header out the window by the last few pages and the murderer(s) never get final justice... which is probably the most necessary component to a murder mystery, imho.

I highly recommend Fletcher & Bain's first novel, Gin & Daggers, as an example of a very good Murder, She Wrote book.

Based on the television series "Murder, She Wrote" starring great actress Angela Lansbury, "Brandy and Bullets" is the third book published. The stories are centered on the famous mystery writer Jessica Fletcher who always manages somehow to get involved in a murder.

"Brandy and Bullets" takes place in Jessica Fletcher's hometown of Cabot Cove, Maine, where some very interesting events are taking place. The Worrell mansion is being turned into a retreat for a variety of musicians, artists, writers, and other artistic people. Cabot Cove does not know what to make of it, some against it, others, like Jessica, are all for it. But strange things begin to happen, like a mysterious suicide. Then another attempted suicide, then one of Jessica's dear friend disappears. What is going on? Jessica's interest is piqued and she is determined to find out, except she does not entirely realize that she is putting her own life at stake...

Since this is the first and only "Murder, She Wrote" book I've read, I cannot compare it with any of the other books in the series. But I must confess, I was a little disappointed. First of all, it wasn't really a murder mystery, nothing interesting really took place. And plus it wasn't as suspenseful and exciting like the TV series. But in its defense I must say that the conclusion was pretty surprising, but of course I won't say anymore to spoil it.

I still might try another one of the "Murder, She Wrote" books, "Blood of the Vine" probably because that sounds the most interesting. But if you are thinking of reading any of the books, I suggest you pass up "Brandy and Bullets" and read some other ones first.

The third adventure of Jessica in the literary version of "Murder, she wrote", takes place in her hometown of Cabot Cove. All starts when a well-known local aristocrat decides to sell the famous Worrell Mansion, a public landmark, to a group of developers with the condition that it be turn into a posh artists' retreat. Jessica, as a writer, is one of the few supporters of such an idea from the start. Most of the townsfolk dismiss it, though, as a curse: "Artists do drugs," says one, while other seems to think "they engage in orgies." Although Jessica is quick to object that this isn't so for EVERY artist, she quickly admits that things at Worrell go all but smoothly. A sudden suicide (or was it?), another attempted one and the dissappearance of a long time, dear friend, have Cabot Cove's finest - that is Sheriff Metzger, Dr. Hazlitt and Jessica herself - on frank alert.

This seemed to me an overtly simplistic novel, just as the previous one, "Rum & Razors", did. Jessica's line of thinking is too plain, at the point that she wouldn't even be needed for the the development of the plot. Since she is the main character, this is something to think about in reference to the novel's greatness. I did find, however, the setting wonderfully cozy. Jessica's Victorian house and the city she calls home are extremely inviting in winter, when the snow and the extreme cold make it impossible to go out and one must hybernate with a cup of hot cocoa, a few good books and some writing. The reader is also invited to a lecture Jessica gives on mystery writing as a guest of honor at the Worrell Institute. Would be writers and then some will be pleased to hear her reccomendations on what to read as well as on how to better present a story that will, eventually, capture the eye of a publisher.

Nevertheless, I do find that the book could have benefitted from more intricate twists and turns in the plot. Coziness is always welcome in a story of this type, but being a mystery, it must also present some difficult puzzles for the sleuth to solve.

I expected quite a bit from this book. Not only is it's title *Best* American Poetry, but the a quick glance at the contents shows these names: A.R. Ammons, Ashbery, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Bly, Creeley, Rita Dove, Thom Gunn, Donald Hall, Paul Hoover, Andrew Hudgins, Donald Justice, Koch, McDowell, Merrill, Pinsky, Charles Simic, Louis Simpson, Snodgrass, Gary Snyder and Richard Wilbur. It's an impressive line up of names. But this collection was a let down. Sure, there were some really good poems (such as the one by Elizabeth Bishop), and there were a lot of ok poems or other poems worth noting, but it isn't worthy of being called the best of any given year.