The first volume of Norwich's three volume set on Byzantium begins with the Roman emperor Constantine the Great, around the fourth century A.D., and ends with the rise of Charles the Great (Charlemagne) in the ninth century. Some memorable events covered include:
- The reign of Constantine I
- The sacking of Rome by Alaric the Goth, and the related story of Stilicho the Vandal.
- Atilla the Hun
- The fall of the Western Empire
- Justinian's reconquest of the Empire, and the exploits of the brilliant hero Belasarius.
- The tragic hero Heraclius, who fends off invasion on two fronts only to see all he worked for undone and to die sick in mind and body, a shadow of his former self.
- The unfortunate reign of the depraved Irene, the Empire's first reigning Empress.

Norwich isn't an expert historian, but this set was written with great grace and humor and was a pleasure to read. It calls attention to a part of history that has been notoriously neglected. Byzantium is a watershed in the history of Christianity, and we of course shouldn't forget that the Byzantines were responsible, in part, for the Westernization of Christianity and that the preservation of Western culture rested solely on her shoulders at least for a short, crucial period.

This first volume witnesses the fall of the Roman empire in the West and the struggle for the surviving East to come to its own identity. I tend to agree with Gibbon about the frustrating nature of the history, though: a lot of the it, and subsequently this book, deals with the petty little questions of Christianity (the nature of the Holy Trinity, the place of icons). Norwich does a good job of trying to make it appear not-so ridiculous, but it is a necessary interference in an otherwise good read.

Mr. Norwich is of the school of Historians that are more interested in the stories of History rather than serving detailed studies of what really did go on in those times. Of course this has a clear objective: make today's short attention span reader care a little bit about ancient times by serving them a novel like book. On this basis he must be judged for this trilogy on the Byzantine Empire. And he succeeds quite well, in particular in the first book of the saga where semi mythical emperors and empresses come to live. The main fault is that perhaps Mr. Norwich is a little bit too casual, and, as many a British school historian, a little bit too much interested in some prurient aspects of the story. Yet the narrative flows, our interest is maintained and we come to care for these people who although almost totally alien to our way of thinking still show us that human nature is human nature. I am not sure if this type of narration is to everybody's taste since Mr. Norwich is keen in showing the folly of his characters, regardless of their faith, role in national myths etc... I suppose that if you are a man of deep faith, or a Greek nationalist you might not like some of the zingers that pepper the text of these books. It would be a pity to reject the work on such points. What is at stake here is to bring back to us the story of a millennial Empire that for better or for worse we owe so much to.

A sumptuous historical bon-bon from an unreconstructed Orientalist, "A History of Byzantium" is armchair travel, history, and royal chicanery at its finest. A prevoius reader likens the book's breakneck pace to the Blitkrieg, but I'm not sure this--or the lack of an overview of "everyday life in Byzantine"--is a detriment to Norwich's smitten non-specialist's approach. Instead, we encounter a dizying number of palace intruigues, administrations, wars, battles, regicides and mutilations, all undertaken by deftly sketched charcters. Norwich has a veddy veddy British style--upper crust without being stuffy, grand yet humorous. Churchillian perhaps. He's great company, and a wonderful tourist guide. Reading Norwich is not unlike visiting with a long lost but friendly relative from the landed gentry. Based on the other books readers of this book have bought, he seems to be habit-forming.

Certainly Norwich is susceptible to criticism: he's not an expert and is more rewardingly read for his narrative and style than his insight, but these are reproaches about the book that this isn't rather than than the book it is--a richly entertaining, fast-paced, overview of the trials and tribulations of the Byzantine emporers told by a tremendously engaging, enthusiastic companion.

If you are a beginner, I would certainly get a hold of this book, if for no other reason than to make yourself familiar with what is and is not contained within, just for knowledge’s sake. This slight booklet consists of a small number of brief poems, recipes, tips, and articles from witches around the world, all concerning historical and practical points of interest relating to the craft. While I, personally, find some of this information interesting, on the whole, I would not consider this work a stimulating read, nor an excessively useful reference. Though the three to four page explanation of the lunar cycles is quite useful to the beginner, this is something that is contained every year, so, for this, it need not be purchased annually. I have found the horoscope to be moderately accurate every year, however. I guess what I’m saying is that, by the time you buy this book, and possibly pay shipping for it, if you may not find more than four or five pages of particular use and interest, it may not be worth it. On the other hand, it is not excessively expensive, and some people with different interests than I might find this work fascinating. Decide for yourselves. Pick up this year’s! Please note, that if you are looking for an actual “daily almanac”, you are much better going for Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac, which actually provides day to day report of moon cycle, planetary alignment, suggested incenses, colors, etc.

Each year I find myself purchasing the Witches' Almanac. I am not wiccan and have no intentions of being so, but I am drawn to it like a moth to the flame. Maybe it's just my Uranus wanting to shock the hell out of people who see me reading it on my lunch break!
I always find the most interesting news articles and briefs in these publications that you never see on the local news. The poetry is always well worth the read and the calendar isn't half bad.
Over all, don't expect any depth or real educational, but a nice little splurge and certainly not overpriced.

I really found this book helpful as a fairly new Witch. I find that you still have to do more research to find out what the moon phases mean and but the basic helpful information is clearly laid out for you. You can use the information how you want to. There is alot of other information in the book including horoscope, recipies, folklore and AMERICAN (not Canadian) weather predictions. - I found it well worth the price. I have not read "Llewellyn's Magical Almanac" but plan to compare the 2 books.

It's understandable that a small handful of would-be or wanna be investigative writers would want to throw rocks at this book, SEVERED; because it's a great book that gets you where you live, or as the upfront boys say, grabs you where it hurts! Because John Gilmore has written an emotionally and psychologically troubling book; the most mysterious and bizarre account I have ever read concerning an 'unsolved' murder in Los Angeles. This book must be considered the definitive history on the famous Black Dahlia murder case of 1947. The murder case is still in the news, still in the mainstream press. It also appears that this case is woven into the experience of the author, a major plus for the readers! Born in Los Angeles, Gilmore's father was a policeman with the Los Angeles police department (a wonderful photo of his father is at the front of the book, dressed in the 40's LAPD uniform and standing beside the old black-and-white squad car, like the ones we see in the film noir movies). Author Gilmore is no newcomer to the crime field; I have read his other books, one on Charles Schmid, the killer in Arizona, recently published as COLD-BLOODED, and his book on Charles Manson, THE GARBAGE PEOPLE.

But it appears that this book, SEVERED, is his major work in the true crime field. This book is written with the same sureness that a Zen marksman uses in hitting a target. The reader will most assuredly have nightmares about Elizabeth Short, the young woman this tale concerns itself with as she wages a losing battle with survival. Almost too painful at moments to read, but it keeps getting deeper, and deeper into this girl. Her beauty, it seems, is a curse; she is too young to get ahead in the hard, hard town of Hollywood, and she literally dies trying.

Apart from this amazing portrait of a young woman caught in the L.A. web (thugs, crooks, gangsters), what I found most fascinating was the author's personal link to the case, to the murder (via his father, a cop doing legwork on the case in the late 1940's), his family (the name Short crops up, which brings about an encounter with the actual victim when the author was 11 years of age). These things seem at the root of Gilmore's interest or obsession with the case, the victim, and certainly his years of efforts at closing in on a plausible suspect. He tracks the participants, no doubt followed some to their death beds, hounded police and newsmen alike, and spent decades on an otherwise 'officially' futile investigation. Again and again he returns to the same subject, the strange and haunting personality of the Black Dahlia herself, would-be actress, L.A. fringe girl and drifter during the War and that lost, merry-go-round of post-war Hollywood.

This book is a real life thriller and one you will stick with to the end, despite a few spots that could raise a few nit-picking questions. It is a must read for anyone interested in true crime, police, hard-boiled, dark writing or seeking a real experience: being plunged back into L.A's. past, those swing-shift war yeras of the west coast. But this story seems to hit all coasts, east, west and inbetween as we follow the black Dahlia on her torturous journey.

The photos are shocking, but this is a frightening tale, and told by a strong writer, a new voice echoing some of the old hard-boiled school of pretty gals and gunshoe cops. But reader beware: this tale sneaks up on you, and will shake you up before you know it.

This is one of the best books I have read. It is tough, hard-boiled, does not pull any punches. I ordered the video, CASE REOPENED, and the re-enactment of author John Gilmore interviewing the suspected killer of the Black Dahlia is so intriguing I ordered the book, SEVERED, immediately. I have read it four times and each time there is new themes to discover. I cannot recommend this book more highly for buffs of crime and "L.A." aficionados, also those fascinated with grim, noir literature. This is the best of the lot, the first documentary book on the sensational 1940's Black Dahlia murder case of Hollywood. A few pathetic imitatations have ridden in on Gilmore's success (one ridiculous, vanity press offering accuses the late, great actor/director Orson Wells of the murder!). Gilmore's book stands alone and is (and will not doubt remain) far ahead of the pack. Personally, most intriguing about Gilmore's SEVERED is Elizabeth Short's unfulfilled desire to be loved and the unusual handicap that stays her from returning the love she is craving. It appears this strange complication is at the root of her violent death. Certainly this is as sad as any Greek Tragedy, and Gilmore presents a 20th Century tragedy in his dark, dark tale. This is an extraordinary book and will surely live forever.

The Black Dahlia murder hits post-War L.A. like a red hot bombshell. A beautiful, young, aspiring actress's battered body is found drained of blood and cut in half. The grisly remains of this soon-to-be famous corpse is laid out in an almost bizarre, comic book manner. The cops are stumped and pull every trick in the book to conceal their failure at catching the killer (who has killed another girl before!). The press have a field day! They butcher the poor girl again in the headlines. Tramp--whore--drunk--etc., to the final humilitation of trying to convince the world that "Beth Short got what she deserved"!

But the REAL FACTS of the matter are something else altogether, and author John Gilmore brings home the bacon with this one! It is impossible to come away from this book without being deeply affected, even disturbed. And by far the majority vote is a Thumbs Up 5 Star Cheer for Gilmore's book. Yes, yes, there are exceptions to everything; a few disgruntled, no doubt highly envious "professionals" who will throw out their feebly nasty comments about this fine book and it's author's endeavors. One has brought up supposed "mistakes" on Gilmore's part. However, sincere and intelligent readers of true-crime and certainly the wide following this author has, will no doubt recheck the text but fail to find the errors. So we simply have to overlook the little green-eyed would-be competitors, because SEVERED is a book of immaculate continuity, almost approaching literary perfection. BUY it! READ it! If you love Noir L.A.crime/mystery/true cases, your cup will runneth over with this one!

"His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John" is well written and aptly titled. It is exactly what I had hoped it would be: a biography focusing on Elton's MUSIC. To be sure, it compellingly tells the full story of Elton's life, from his personal life to his philanthropy (or as full a story as any book can tell)-- but it focuses squarely on the music and lyrics that have made Sir Elton John so treasured and irreplaceable.

I was hoping to find this sort of treatment of Elton's career in Phil Norman's bio of Elton, but I was greatly disappointed. Norman kept the focus on everything BUT his music. It was more like a bio of Elton the celebrity persona, not Elton the musician/singer/songwriter/composer/performer.

Elizabeth Rosenthal has corrected this with her lovingly-crafted work, written clearly from the perspective of someone who appreciates Elton's talent - and wants to keep the focus where it should be, on the music and lyrics and the forces that influenced them.

This book is a must for fans. It contains detailed, song-by-song insight into all of Elton's studio albums and many highlights of his live performances -- all from the beginning of his musical career in the 1960s almost through the present day. I can't say enough good things about this book. Read, enjoy, and hope that one day it is reprinted with future updates as Elton's career continues to unfold. Bravo, Elizabeth Rosenthal!

Elizabeth Rosenthal's His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John is a beautiful writing, incredibly detailed account of the music of one rock & roll's biggest icons. The book is a hefty tome that examines all of Sir Elton's songs in illuminating detail as well as other aspects of his career. The book is reverently but not fanatically so and Ms. Rosenthal heaps praise and dishes criticism where necessary and in general has written the best book on Elton John's career. If you are a fan of Elton John, then this book is an absolute must read. Even if you are not a big fan, this book is well written and worth examining.

There have only been a few books that have really looked into the Man, the Artist and the Legend that Elton John is. The earlier book by Philip Norman on Elton John was a fairly good book, but what he did in his updated version, which came out in 2000,was updated but in such a distasteful way with only 15 pages to cover to what was a very fruitful period for Elton from 1991-1999. But this new book by Elizabeth Rosenthal has over 100 pages on the same timeframe. The book is so current that she even has a complete track listing for Elton's most recent Album Songs From The West Coast released this month. But Rosenthal unlike Norman is a true Elton Fan who has seen him numerous times and has a huge collection of Elton stuff. The book is informative yet easy to read even to non die hard fans. She talks about practically every song from every album. The many tours that Elton has done over the years are mentioned with a lot of information like what songs were in that tours set list. And if the tour featured some bad moments she isn't afraid to divulge what happened no matter how negative. Elton has had an incredible amount of success on the billboard charts and HIS SONG does an incredible job of recording that with every single and album has its full charting info. It evens mentions how a few songs should have been hits. Elton has been in numerous television programs, done countless interviews, and has had many reviews of his recorded work and live appearances. Liz has gone through that vast body of stuff and that what makes that book so informative because due to that work it makes that part of Elton come out clear to the reader. Elton's lyrics have been very interesting over the years so Rosenthal points out excerpts to many songs to give a feel of the song. I also like how she uses a fitting song lyric of that part of the book to break up sections. But what makes the book so great is that even though I know a lot about Elton John she has done so much research that the book has some details that I just did not know or that the book gives me a new perspective on something that I thought. And to top it all it has a very detailed Discography US and UK with some releases that I wasn't familiar with before. So if you are looking for a book about Elton John the best choice without a doubt in my opinion is His Song- The Musical Journey of Elton John by Elizabeth J. Rosenthal

This book was ok, but I concentrated too much on Elizabeth likes Tom, Tom likes Elizabeth, Scott likes Elizabeth, and Dana likes Tom. Scott and Dana are big sleazes, and I still can't believe that Dana hid the letter from Tom to Elizabeth. But I think that Elizabeth and Tom are too obsessive when they're together, so they hopefully won't get back together. And they need to stop feeling so guilty about not being with eachother. If they hate each other, then why do they keep thinking of eachother? I think that this book was sorriest of all the SVU books.

THis book have you heard about Elizabeth is really fun to read. It helps you think about how to solve teenage promblems. THen you can alwas read over and over. This kind of books are also addicting to read. Once you read one you have to read the rest.
THis book that I am reading is now is called Sweet Valley university have you heard about Elizabeht? It is a bout Jessica and her sister ELizabeth. THey are having some trouble with realationships . Jessica has a boyfriend named Nick . He does not want her to be in Bobby Hornets contest. It is a Bathing suit contest and nick disagrees because she wants to go on a date with Bobby Hornet. Later nick get drunk and does not know what to do. That is the only thing that he could think of to do.
That's enough about Jessica . LEts talk about Elizabeth. SHE is going through a tuff time in her life because she caught her boyfriend TOm kissing Dana. She saw with her own eyes so she had to break up with him. Elizabeth knows inside that she loves tomm but she can't express it when she see's Dana she starts to cry. Rumor says that Elizabeth is leaving Sweet Valley to get rid of seeing tom, but Elizabeth says no. WIll tom express to Elizabeth that he still loves her? Will Elizabeth stay in Sweet Valley.

Although I enjoyed the book, the plot is getting repetitive. For the past three books, Elizabeth and Tom have been trying to get through to each other, but still haven't achieved this. If they were really in love (which I believe they are) wouldn't you think that they would have talked about this in an orderly fashion by now? Dana is looking more and more like a self-centered, airheaded musician. As soon as Denise got her credit card, it was obvious that she would over charge on it. Jessica is dramatic as usual, but this time she is acting more like Elizabeth in that she's fighting for respect for women. In conclusion, this book was funny and enjoyable, but after about three books of the Elizabeth and Tom thing happening, I'm getting tired of it. Either get back together or forget about each other!

I have been a reader of Sweet Valley for fourteen years now, so yes I am a little older than the average reader. I have them all, and I will keep getting them until they are no longer written. However, I wish the author was more consistent with the storylines. I realize more than one person has written the different Sweet Valley series, but each author should keep up with what the characters have and have not done. This book made it seem as if this was Elizabeth's first time in London. But she went to London in high school with Jessica for an internship with a newspaper. I realize these books are meant for younger readers, but the plot is just totally unrealistic. She hops on a plane and ends up in London running around with nothing all day and night until she comes to a house where they give her a job and it just happens to belong to a royal family? Somehow that just doesn't seem too realistic to me. I'm also disappointed that so many characters have just been written out of the books. Even before this Elizabeth series started, Winston, Alexandra (Enid), Tom, Dana, Denise, Todd, Bruce, and others were found few and far between in the last ten to twelve books. Having grown up reading about some of them for years, it is disappointing to see them discarded. I do have to say however, that I am loyal and even though I am disappointed I will keep buying and reading the Sweet Valley books.

This book started the series off a little slow, but seemed reasonable, considering that all the necessary information was given prior to Elizabeth's adventure, so that everything would make sense. Although the book was a little repetitive at times, eventually it picked up and started to get really interesting.

Basically the book starts with Elizabeth sitting alone in a diner. She has just witnessed her twin sister, Jessica, and her boyfriend, Sam, making out together. As you can probably imagine, she's having this huge mix of feelings running through her. The reasoning behind Jessica's doings isn't revealed until a little later in the book (after all, we know that she won't intentionally do something like that, especially to her own twin sister). However, Liz seems to think so and ends up deciding to travel to London, where she was recently accepted to the University of London on a full scholarship. She decides to take the chance, with some advice from a new found friend, Daphne, who is also travelling to London to meet up with her boyfriend, after graduating from the University of Chicago. Liz heads to London, after a brief encounter with her parents (she seems to think that they've sided with Jessica) only to discover that her spot has been given to another student from UCLA because she forgot to send the acceptance letter by the deadline. After that, the book goes on to describe her adventures in London, after the Pennington House hires her as a scullery maid.

This book was a great take on the life in London, as well as a good lesson in the hardships of regular people. Laurie John is an excellent writer, who sets Liz in a brand new adventure thereby allowing Liz to shine a little on her own for once, without her twin sister by her side. The book is fairly easy to read and is a good length for anyone. It hooks the reader from the beginning of the story to the few pages at the end (and even includes a preview of the next book) and will leave you wanting more. Definitely the best start to a series of any of the Sweet Valley books. If you're a Sweet Valley fan too, I'm sure you'll appreciate this new take on Liz.

Liz CANNOT spend the rest of her life attached to the hip of Jessica and staying in the vicinity of Sweet Valley! Since I've always wanted to go to London, I really feel like doing what Elizabeth does-- just hop on a plane and go there. However I wouldn't want to be cut off from the university like she does.
However....
I think it's about time that Liz grew up. Even though we all know that this is Sweet Valley series and she's going to give up everything she's learned and gained from this last second trip to head back to Sweet Valley with Jessica, this is still a good thing. Something new that she's always wanted to do! And little girls don't stay on their parent's good side all the time. One of the things that made me sick in the SVH is the fact that Liz never fought with her parents....EVER! Now in this book she hangs up on them for the first time (oh my) and then tells them off at O'Hare when she boards her plane for London!! It's about bloody time, I'd say. I also think it's about time for Ned and Alice to stop depending on Liz to hold up the "responsible" end of the Jess/Liz twinship. The reason Jess is broke is because she's not (and never has been) responsible with her money. The reason she can't get help at the hospital is because she isn't responsible enough to carry her own insurance card. It's about time for Jessica to grow up and learn how to take care of herself and stop depending on Liz for everything. (Yes, I know she saved Liz from Sam. Chalk one up for Jess.) But Liz needs to get out of the country and stand on her own two feet for once. Live life. Do her own thing. Get some space of her own and find out who Elizabeth Wakefield really is, not just the other half of Jessica.

The book contains many different plots that all tie together, although some are definitely more interesting than others, that's for certain.

Let's start with Lady Sarah Pennington, since she's by far and away my least favorite aspect of this series. The basic plot here is that she has recently developed a crush on Bones, a member of a famous teen band who has just recently transferred to her school. She enlists her friend, Victoria's, help on figuring out ways to woo him. She finally does manage to corner him alone at a hotel, but what happens next is not quite what she had expected.

Victoria's still trying to dig up dirt on the Earl, all the while continuing to fight her growing attraction to James. When she finally does get the dirt she's been so hoping to find, she's at a loss at what to do with it. What would be the best way to destroy the Earl? Although Vanessa is always a delight to read, this plot doesn't kick off until very near the end, which is quite disappointing.

The main theme of this book, is of course, Elizabeth and Max's growing relationship. After an unexpected kiss, Elizabeth hasn't seen Max for an entire month; has he given up on her? When they finally do see each other again, their relationship only continues to grow; sharing stolen kisses and long talks out in the garden. One thing remains certain for Max: he simply can't marry Lavinia now that he has fallen in love with Elizabeth, and he must call off the wedding as soon as possible.

Little does Max know that scheming Lavinia has ideas of her own.

This book is probably the weakest in the series, but is still quite entertaining nonetheless. The action does really tend to lag, especially around Vanessa's part, but it picks up near the end, with some surprising plot twists. With that said, the writers still haven't managed to sell me on Elizabeth and Max's relationship. It's just so boring ' so cookie-cutter and contrived ' and even though they say the words, I don't buy into their 'love' at all.

This book ended suddenly, on a major cliffhanger, and I am awaiting the next book anxiously...Elizabeth is continuing to work at the Estate, tortured by Lavinia, and hopelessly in love with Max. Max comes to a decision about Elizabeth, but will someone prevent his true desires from becoming reality? Vanessa finds the proof she needs to ruin the Earl & family--finally! But will someone else, with entirely different motives, beat her to it??!! Elizabeth & Max share a special day alone...and Max shares his decision with her...but he is in for a special surprise. Max's boycrazy sister has a crush on a rock star...will she be able to impress him, and get beyond the facade? The only reason this book got a 4--the author seems to be back to serious designer-name dropping again, please stop Pascal! We don't CARE what brand of underwear people wear!

I can't believe the way this book ended. It starts with Elizabeth working at the Pennington house (castle) for the 5th month. She is feeling down and realizes that it is almost Thanksgiving time. So one night, she goes to the library and emails Nina, who writes her back. Max decides he is falling in love with Elizabeth and doesn't want to marry Lavinia, who knows something about his father's past and threathens to hold it against him. Vanessa knows his secret too, and has finally found proof of this, she is just waiting for the right moment. Max tells Elizabeth he can't be with her and must protect his family from Lavinia's secret. Elizabeth decides all they have is this one night, and decides to make it one to remember....

This book was great, but I miss SWEET VALLEY so much. I hate it that Jessica betrayed Elizabeth, I miss it when they are together.

I liked this book, I really did. It was very interesting, fun, and kept you reading. It basically continues with Lavinia and Max's engagement, and more adventures for Vanessa, Sarah (with Nick), and Elizabeth at Pennington House. I'd recommend it to anyone that likes the SV series. But my question is: does anyone out there miss Sweet Valley? Please, please, please, if you do, just write me a little note at the end of one of your reviews to let me know that I am not the only one! I really want to know what happened to Isabella, Nick, Danny, and Denise after the entire Clay DiPalma tragedy. Plus, I just think that the books should focus on both twins, not just Liz. It isn't that I don't like Liz, it's just that I'd like the books to be well-rounded and discuss both twins' situations. Does anyone out there agree? Please, let me know!!

I love reading this book because no matter how many times I read it it is always new and fun. It containes humor, romance and many other rare qualities in just one book.

Ok... i didnt get this book. It totally changed the history. It said that after Liz and Todd broke up at the begininng of their college years (because she didnt want to lose her virginity), they stopped talking. HUH? Whatever happened to them going out again when Gin Yung was in London? I believe thats talking. They were friends after they broke up that time too. And whatever happened to Sam, Elizabeth, and Jessica? They're "incident." It didnt explain anything. Personally.. i thought this book was really dumb and confusing. And not to mention that i always thought Elizabeth and Tom should be together.

Well this book is very boring, and confusing. This book didn't deal with the issues that happened with Sam, Jessica and Elizabeth. I didn't like the Elizabeth and Todd storyline at all, it was too redundant. The author also kind of changes the history or attitudes of some of the characters such as Jessica, if you read this book you will see what I mean. Another thing that I'm sick of in this series is Elizabeth's rush to lose her virginity. Why is it with every guy that she dates, that she feels that she needs to lose her virginity? Frankly I'm sick of Elizabeth's rush to lose her virginity, why not have her take her time with the relationships, until she becomes more mature? That's what I would prefer to see happen, instead of the constant storylines about her worrying about what guy she should lose it too.

I am a huge Liz/Todd fan, so I enjoyed this book. Elizabeth is my favorite character. Liz's cousin Diane is getting married to a guy named David. When Liz arrives, she sees Todd their. They rekindle their relationship and Liz, once again, worries about her virginity. She's had her worries the entire SVU series. Every guy she dates. Todd, Tom, Scott, Ryan, Finn, Mike, Duke, Ben, Sam. In this book she talks about Ben Herman too. But she worries about sex a lot. Jess lost her virginity to Michael McAllery, and has dated a lot of guys in the SVU series. She has Mike, James, Louis, Randy, Nick, Ryan, Peter, Ben, Tristian, Tyler, Tucker, Devon, and more in the SVU series. But since she gave it up awhile ago it's not as big a deal. I read every Sweet Valley series, and Sweet Valley University is my favorite. The sex issues are realistic. Anyway, this book was very enjoyable.

The first time I paged through this book, I was struck immediately by Sandin's obvious abilities as a portrait painter, but even more, I was enchanted with the bold crispness of his alla prima paintings and demonstrations. I so envy the confidence, technical skill, and freedom that such paintings radiate. I was also struck at once by the seeming contradictions through out the book. Could someone who looks like a doctor, paints in a tie and lab coat in a pristine, lavishly furnished studio really produce such dramatically rendered work? And then there are the 29 steps mentioned in the title. Twenty nine? Not thirty? Not twenty? And finally, the author's "Pro Mix" paint system seemed a little like a paint-by-number approach. But now, having read this beautiful book dozens of times and painted several portraits under its guidance, I can recommend it without hesitation.
Mr. Sandin has made me understand the importance of discipline in what I do as an artist. His insistance in following a routine (the 29 steps) and using predicable, tested color combinations (his pro mix system) are part of this lesson. Through out the book, he hammers on the concept, "...marshall all your concentration, alertness, and energy so that every stroke of the brush becomes part of the finished statement....concentrate all you effort upon getting it right the first time..." It took awhile and a number of readings before I begin to truely understand, but now my portraits are dramatically improved because of this approach.
As you have read in other reviews here, Mr. Sandin references his color mix system throughout the book. At first I found this inconvenient, since it was necessary to constantly turn back to the part of the book where the mixes are explained. However, this was easily solved by painting a color chart using the mixes, labelling them with his color mix names, and putting it next to my easel. He recommends this as an essential exercise, and I agree. Not only did I create a conversion chart of his mixes, but I learned a lot about cooling, warming and nuetralizing colors. I haven't bought the Pro Mix system, yet I have had great success with his color approach. Don't let this issue keep you from having this invaluable resource book.
I am painting more, and having greater success because of Mr. Sandin's emphasis on discipline in the painting process. It is a constant struggle -the urge to dabble and fuss is powerful - but I constantly remind myself of his direct and controlled process and my paintings are better and better.

Within the narrow scope of portraiture for the well-to-do, Sanden is the best, and he knows how to teach; the book is as methodical as he is. And his paintings look great- the epitome of a sort of smooth and buttery '50s illustrational style, like Haddon Sundblom, but tighter- very disciplined and technically acccomplished, yet lyrical. Any objections to Sanden's seeming promotion of his "Pro-Mix" brand of paints are unfounded (that's where you order a box of pre-mixed colors made by a company which has a deal with the author). He tells you exactly how to mix the colors yourself out of the usual tubes of paint you can buy in any art store, so you can either order them pre-mixed, or do it yourself, so where's the problem? The delight of this book is looking at the step by step demonstrations of all those juicy, painterly pictures of people with lots of personality. His two hour sketches are beauties (more "artistic" than his finished commissions). I got a lot out of the book, most of which is the wisdom of the ages anyway, but stated in a no-nonsense fashion (maybe a little dogmatic in a few instances, but the guy does a certain style and he has his game down pat, so just pick what you need). Sanden's work is aimed at the tastes of those who have become CEOs, Church leaders, and heads of State, and is frankly corny (unless, like me, you are so modern you get off on that) but his revealing demos really explain the dazzling virtuosity. If you're serious about painting heads, this belongs on your shelf. In and of itself, it won't teach you to paint, but what will?

I gave this five stars because it is a wonderful step by step book on portrait painting, directing you where to put the shaded/highlighted areas. The authors promotion of his paints do not bother me one bit. When you get into portrait painting, it is fun to make your own colors (which will be learned with time). In my opinion, this is the best "how to" on painting portraits I have found so far, and I have many.