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Book reviews for "Lyle-Smythe,_Alan" sorted by average review score:

The Modern Man's Guide to Life
Published in Hardcover by HarperCollins (1987)
Authors: Denis Boyles, Alan Rose, and Alan Wellikoff
Amazon base price: $27.50
Average review score:

Where 'Worst Case Scenarios' Got All Their Best Stuff!
What to Do If the Pilot Dies, How to Hop a Freight, all that and more is in this great classic. I bought a copy of this book when it first came out, and I've bought at least one copy (one way or another) every year since because my friends keep stealing mine. The tech stuff is dated, but the rest is golden. I'm ordering another copy now, probably the 20th one. Maybe someday this book will be the basis for some new Guy religion. I'm already a believer!

I hope this goes to print soon with additions!
Like some readers here I too got this book for high school graduation 9 years ago. The book is written in a straight-forward manner and easy to read. I enjoy reading and re-reading certain passages. In fact I use it as a reference to most anything. The only downside I can think of is it's datedness with some of the more technical aspects particularly with respect to surviving in the outdoors. Either way I hope it goes back to print.

A must have for male, high school graduates.
I received this book for my high school graduation and read it cover to cover. It has practical knowledge that is easy to read. "The Guide" talks about things my parents never had the never to discuss with me. I hope they go into print soon because many men could use what its got.


Pluto, the Evolutionary Journey of the Soul
Published in Paperback by Llewellyn Publications (1986)
Authors: Jeff Green and Alan Oken
Amazon base price: $10.50
List price: $15.00 (that's 30% off!)
Average review score:

Keeps me coming back....again.....and again.....and again...
I had some time in the last year to peruse astrology's past and present. It wasn't until I chanced across Jeff Green's work that I knew astrology had a future!!!

Not an easy breezy book...
read this book if you want to delve into spiritual/psychological translation of these powerful chart symbols as related to your soul's direction and potential growth. As an ametuer astrologer this book stretched my understanding of Pluto's influence on the soul and answered questions as to why a soul chooses the learning experiences it does. This books presents tools for understanding the .....why this, why me, why now questions that I know I want astrology to answer. It has not only given me insight to "me" but has helped me to better understand the people that are close to me.

surprised!
I was surprised by the information in this book. No astrology book has ever explained so clearly why some events have some difinate negative patterns in my life. Not only that, this book can tell you how you can overcome those difficulties. I could never imagine the planet "pluto" and Moon Nodes are so important in understaing one's life. If you're ready to face also the negative side in your life, then this book is the answer.


The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake
Published in Paperback by Back Bay Books (2002)
Authors: Breece D'J Pancake, James Alan McPherson, John Casey, and Andre Dubus III
Amazon base price: $11.16
List price: $13.95 (that's 20% off!)
Average review score:

Twelve Outstanding Stories of West Virginia
Breece Pancake killed himself with a shotgun in Charlottesville, Virginia on Palm Sunday in 1979. He was 26 years old at the time and had just completed a graduate writing program at the University of Virginia. Four years later "The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake" was published, a collection of twelve stories that posthumously established his literary reputation as one of the finest short story writers in twentieth century American literature.

Pancake grew up in the hollows of West Virginia and each of the carefully wrought stories in this collection deals with the seemingly desperate lives of the working poor in that part of the country. They are remarkably crafted stories, written with a deep sense for the locale and the people from which they are drawn. They are also models of precision, the kind of stories that deserve to be read over and over, studied for the way in which they use foregrounding and the mundane details of everyday life--albeit everyday life that quietly screams with the desperation of poverty, deadening work, drinking, promiscuity, and brutality-to draw complex portraits of people who endure, even when endurance is no more than a substitute for hope. As he writes in "A Room Forever," the story of a tugboat mate spending New Year's Eve in an eight-dollar-a-night hotel room where he drinks cheap whiskey out of the bottle and eventually ends up with a teen-aged prostitute: "I stop in front of a bus station, look in on the waiting people, and think about all the places they are going. But I know they can't run away from it or drink their way out of it or die to get rid of it. It's always there."

The best of these stories are "Trilobites," "The Honored Dead," "Fox Hunters," and "In the Dry." But there really isn't a weak story in the bunch. Every story is captivating, every one an exemplar of what good short story writing should be. At the end, the only thing that disappoints, that leaves the reader discomforted, is the thought that Pancake died so young, that these are the only stories we have by a truly remarkable writer.

A Voice Crying to be Heard...
In this volume, the writer's surviving voice really hits home and stays there. Like that perfect song that stays in your head and carries you through the day, Breece Pancake's words and wisdom echoe through the reader's mind forever after reading them. In this life, there is always something around to remind of a Breece Pancake story. From the time weathered fossils in the creek beds to the rare West Virginia 120 m.p.h. strait stretches, after reading this volume I see Pancake everywhere, no matter where I am in the world. Like the trilobite preserved beneath the earth that hides it, these stories are a tangible (and for some reason widely unknown), history of a time and generation that, like the tragedy of Pancake's suicide, is destined to be repeated if ignored.

The way words were meant to hold together
There are times when things come together in such a way that you know it's perfect. It can be a phrase of music, a blending of colors and sounds in film, or, in this case, the words of a story. This book tells stories that fall together in a timeless way, but are still firmly rooted in a specific place and time.

Having grown up in West Virginia, there were parts of these stories that spoke to me from a sort of "native" perspective. But more to it was the emotion that was the core, the skin and the stitching of each of these stories.

It's a good book to own. To read from when you feel like being taken to another place for a while. And to carry a piece of that place with you once you put the book down.


Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars
Published in Paperback by Bantam Books (1983)
Author: Daniel M. Pinkwater
Amazon base price: $2.25
Average review score:

THE BEST BOOK EVER
I read this book and, was doomed to a wonderful life of reading Daniel Pinkwater Books. This book was and is my favorite book and I am sure it always will be. Alan mendehlson is a book that could only be written by the mind of a genius, tried and true. Daniel has changed my life and will continue to change our outlook on life for generations to come. I like to call myself a Pinkwater addict and I am proud of it. All you intellegent kids out there, get it while it's hot!!!!!

best yet
this might be one of pink waters older ones but it is on of the best

basically what happens is two boys go to a used and weird book store spend some cash and get a mind nd state enchancing book. then they finally get to sate 26 then they go back to the book shop. the book shop owner mr kulklash tells them that they can go into state 26. then they get a book that mentions in waka waka lore that they will save them. they have a few more things happen and then they save the waka wakaians and allen mealstorm gos back to mars and invites the narrater to stay with him for the summer

The most important novel in the history of mankind.
I checked this book out of my public library at the age of 10, and renewed it every week thereafter for another reading. All told, I probably read it over 200 times; it has had more of an influence on my life than my parents, television, Bill Gates, and God combined. It's what kept me out of all the really good schools.


For the Love of Hatred
Published in Paperback by iUniverse.com (2000)
Author: Gregory Alan
Amazon base price: $5.98
List price: $11.95 (that's 50% off!)
Average review score:

A rollercoaster ride through emotions
I couldn't put it down. I just had to keep turning pages to find out what happened next. I wanted to wrap my arms around those in pain and make it all go away. It is unfathomable the discrimination and hate that goes on in this world. The author truly brought out in the characters the many facets of human life. Extraordinary!!

Entertaining page-turner!
I read this whole book in one sitting and I am a very slow reader. I also recommend the CD-ROM version because it has author commentary. It's like a DVD with the director commentary.

Best I've read!!
I could not put this book down, reading 3/4 of it the first day and finishing it the second day. The book kept me intrigued, interested and on edge throughout. The book "For the Love of Hatred" is realistic. It allowed me to feel as if I was within the story. It is a heartfelt, tragic, yet sensitive book. I look forward to reading more books by this author.


It's the Thought That Counts: Over 500 Thought-Provoking Lessons to Inspire a Richer Life
Published in Hardcover by Executive Excellence (1901)
Authors: Frank K. Sonnenberg and Alan D. Hembrough
Amazon base price: $12.95
Average review score:

Inspirational collection of thoughts
Read IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS by Frank Sonnenberg and Alan D. Hembrough, a collection of over 500 thought-provoking lessons to inspire a richer life . . . none of them are particularly original; i.e., you've probably seen them before either in their present form or something relatively close.

Yet I found myself liking this book very much . . . and revisiting if often . . . in addition, I liked the accompanying black-and-white photos . . . they were all of the variety that cried out to me, "SLOW DOWN!" . . . for example, one that I'm looking at now while I type shows a guy lying on the ground with a newspaper on his face . . . the lesson, or "thought" if you will, is that we should, "Learn to take a five-minute vacation."

You'll be inspired as you read this book . . . also, if you're looking for a great gift idea at [price] to give to somebody else (including your kids), this is it!

There were many memorable thoughts . . .

Amazing book
This was a wonderful book, and really taught me some important life lessons. It really makes you think.

Poor Man's Guru
If you know you need some advice, but you're not sure what the problem is, It's the Thought That Counts is the place to start. I use it as my personal Guru, always ready to give me a new piece of cosmic (or down to earth) advice. Thanks guys, you did good!


365 Quick Tips
Published in Paperback by Boston Common Press (01 August, 2000)
Authors: Cook's Illustrated Magazine, John Burgoyne, Alan Witschonke, Jack Bishop, John / Witschonke, Alan Burgoyne, and Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Amazon base price: $10.47
List price: $14.95 (that's 30% off!)
Average review score:

Handy book
I received this book as a Christmas present and have really enjoyed it. It is a neat addition to any kitchen, as it offers some wonderful tips. I don't know how often I use this book, but if I remember to consult it, I generally find something that helps out while I'm cooking.

What a great little book!
The day I got this book, my husband was making bread and wanted to know how to soften butter. I immediately grabbed this book, which answered our questions.

This book has tons of great information and creative ideas (Melt chocolate on your coffee burner! Use a condiment shaker filled with flour to lightly flour work surfaces! Wedge a wine cork below the handle of a lid so you can have something to grab onto without burning your hand!) Very useful and practical information.

Great resource for beginners
Lots of useful tips, with illustrations.


Advanced Animation and Rendering Techniques: Theory and Practice
Published in Hardcover by Addison-Wesley Pub Co (31 October, 1992)
Authors: Alan H. Watt and Mark Watt
Amazon base price: $54.99
Average review score:

Excellent survey on graphics but has a lot of errors
AART is all in all a good book. It covers many graphics related topics and is very interesting reading although some of the topics are not all that relevant for modern 3D hardware accelerated computers.

The book is divided into 3 parts:

The first part is an ultra compact summary of the computer graphics needed to understand the rest of the book. This part is virtually impossible to understand for people new to graphics - so I recommend reading Foley, et al: Computer Graphics - Principles and Practice first.

The second part covers rendering and is an introduction to shadows, mapping, ray tracing and radiosity.

The third part covers animation techniques such as bones and blending.

The book tries to cover as many things as possible and the consequence is, at times, that it does not use enough space on some things to make them comprehendable. I guess, this is probably only intended as a survey of alternative techniques and references to the original articles are given for interested readers.

Finally, the book contains a fair number of errors (one every couple of pages) many of which is in vital equations. There has been no corrections done to the book since its original release in 1992 and the official errata isn't good either.

For the sake of other readers I have therefore compiled an unofficial errata list for the book and I recommend that all readers take a look at it. Find it by searching for "watt errata" on Google.

Repeated material
A good book but a lot of it was repeated material from Watt's other books.

Defintely have to own it
Its a wonderful book which covers various topics and enhances your knowledge. I have used it during my masters program, for the games/ game engine i develop and defintely in the future.


Believing Cassandra : An Optimist Looks at a Pessimist's World
Published in Audio CD by Chelsea Green Pub Co (2000)
Author: Alan AtKisson
Amazon base price: $12.95
Average review score:

Hip Shooter with a Big Heart
Believing in Cassandra has terrific quotes; the story about how long it took to lick scurvy was fascinating and the central message is hard to argue with.

Here are a couple of editorial observations:

Shooting from the Hip
The book is sprinkled with loose analogies that weaken the author's credibility. For example, on page 141 AtKisson says people are in a "lemming-like stampede over the cliffs of history." This is a weak analogy because lemmings don't jump off cliffs. What's more, AtKisson missed an opportunity to dig into the possibility that population crashes are a part of nature. According to the Canadian Science Journal, Lemmings don't jump off cliffs and their population increases up to 500 times then crashes to almost nothing as part of a natural cycle. Dr. Charley Krebs figured this out and came up with something called the Krebs Effect or Fence Effect.

Economic Translation
AtKisson doesn't talk much about debt. The US consumer is more in debt than at any time since WWII. Most of the bad, unsustainable consumerism that he talks about is made possible by car loans, home equity loans, cheap mortgages and credit cards. Raising interest rates is very simple way to kill wasteful consumer spending, conserve natural resources -- and keep the world in an economic depression. The Fed could do it tomorrow.

Getting to the Point
AtKisson writes at length about the sustainable lifestyle, but waits until page 173 (Seven Principles of Sustainability) to describe what the lifestyle is.

Unnecessary Paraphrasing
Karl-Henrik Robert's 23rd draft of System Conditions was good enough to send to every household and school in Sweden but for some reason, AtKisson rephrased it for his readers. Surprisingly, when I looked up the actual wording in the footnotes, it turns out to be precise, agreeable and actionable.

Irony and Sarcasm
I don't know why AtKisson closes with a quote from Henry Ford.

I believe in AtKisson's central message. If the book were more tightly written I'd give it more stars.

Believe AtKisson
Don't stop, don't even slow down - hit the button right now to add this book to your shopping cart. You'll be glad you did. Once you have read it, be sure to pass it on. It combines a message of urgency with an outlook of hope. It made me cry, but it made me think. Alan AtKisson holds a mirror up to all of us, and makes us look at ourselves. He never indicts us, or judges us, and he shares the blame, the sorrow, and the hope right along with us. He brings a positive message into a gloom and doom movement.

Believing Cassandra
Excellent review of the global warming issue, including history and current aspects, and a good introduction for those new to this concern. Addresses the points raised by those who do not consider this a serious concern. While raising awareness, also points to possible actions individuals can take. Very positive approach to a very serious contemporary issue.


Franz Liszt: The Virtuoso Years, 1811-1847
Published in Hardcover by Knopf (1983)
Author: Alan Walker
Amazon base price: $39.95

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