"The Best of Pif Magazine Off-Line" offers a refreshing assortment of new stories and new voices. A standout among them is Mimi Carmen's "Love Birds". Ms. Carmen's tale of an aging mother and conflicted daughter resonates with idiosyncratic vision and gritty passion. The bird imagery is breathtaking. I also very much enjoyed "23 Johnson Avenue, 1985" by Diann Blakely. If writers were race horses, and I had money, I'd bet my wad on these two.

A wonderful collection - refreshingly different, but solid. My favorite is "Love Birds" by Mimi Carmen. I'd like to read more of her work.

I am bored with many print magazines nowadays. The same things, the same things. Ho-hum. I've been following this zine for a while now, open it every month with relish. They've definitely picked a lot of their best, and Camille Renshaw's intro says a lot about WHY I don't like other magazines. Here is something worth a read, something that will make you want to get everything the magazine has put out since the beginning. There's even a rationale for professional wrestling, something that wants me to buy a tape of the event with the Undertaker/Mankind Hell in the Cell match, and I NEVER watch that stuff! You should definitely have this on your shelf--impress your friends with how in the know you are.

This is an outstanding retelling of the legend of Merlin, but it is not for everyone. It is quirky, kinky, and in places may offend people of faith. Stylistically, it is very imaginative; chapters vary wildly in length, and it may contribute to your store of stock phrases.

Fop Flop In the most elegant apparel Nothing but worm silks In the finest golden thread And superior king red velvet sashes

You'd think I would have known better? I couldn't blame them who wouldn't? cut air with scissors while sewing their needles into invisible cloth for the very low price of..... silk a loom golden thread a full bag of coins Oh those Villain Scoundrels! Now, I know not to buy such vestments with rather large investments Oh what a bratty gnatty I was For I thought I was cool but truly a fool Why emperor you look rather bare, that's quite rare! I was in such a pursuit For only a birthday suit I must admit now Me, My very own self yes indeed, your emperor himself have become a stupid and incompetent dandy All for the Imaginary Image! and now I live happily ever after, no more garb well, that is until the next apparel discovery (Now if you'll excuse me there's a clothier waiting at my door who says he's created the latest design in Pajama attire)

Generally, I do not care for audio books; many of the readers speak in a dull voice that rapidly drives me either away from the story or to sleep. However, there are a few exceptions; this is one.

Understand, that this is not the normal audio book; this edtion has a large cast of actors who collaborated to produce this item as a fund raiser for Starbright.

The result is an ensemble piece that is witty and charming. Part of the fun for me, was guessing who was reading before looking at the cast list included in the box.

Other folks feel that this isn't for children; I don't know as I don't have children, but I found that my "inner child" was highly entertained for 40 minutes with this tape.

If you are a fan of one or more of the actors in this edition or like puns (there are many here!), then you will probably like the Starbright edtion of the Emporer's New Clothes.

I had been given 2 of these books from a friend and I decided to see if there were anymore. My son loves this book. He's now working on reading the adult side. It's a great idea to have a page each, 1 for the adult and 1 for the child. We have several of these books now and I see my son sitting down and reading them on his own.

Written out of a desire to explain what realists such as Morgenthau and Waltz can't explain, longtime collaborators Keohane and Nye produce an interesting theory of how international relations is developing: Towards a system where the primacy of the nation-state is not as secure, the role of international regimes is greater, and force is not as effective a means of resolving conflict. While I found their theories sound and the examples of the international monetary system and the oceans regime to be supportive, their comparisons of the interdependent bilateral relationships between the US and Canada and the US and Australia to be less convincing.

Interdependence does indeed fill in gaps in the realist/neo-realist theory. I believe the best way to use this book is as a tool to analyze events that don't fit neatly into the realist model. After all, you can't use genetics to explain why s=v0t + (1/2) at (squared), right?

In recent years the effects of the "internet age" to foster "globalism" has been described by Thomas Friedman of the New York Times, among others. In the current circumstances, it seems as if old notions of power politics by nation-states is just an inaccurate way of looking at international relations. What other ways are there? Keohane and Nye, writing originally in the mid-1980s, describe a "theoretical" framework for what they refer to "interdependence." They illustrate their theory with examples of international monetary negotiations relating to the IMF, in negotiations relating to the Law of the Sea, and US-Canada relations. They state that increasingly major corporations or working government bureaucracies, working apart from the institions of the State Department in the US (for example), reach out to their counterparts across national boundaries. Speaking as someone who has had mid-level military assignments in other nations, it seems to me gratifying that these kinds of situations are presented and discussed. However, I agree with the Afterword in the 1989 edition of the book written by the authors themselves, that states that their treatment in this book is focused on areas where realism was not intended to apply in the first place. Also, they acknowledge (on page 159) that in the kinds of circumstances that "interdependence" applies, domestic politics makes foreign policy decisions subordinate to private interests. I think Hans Morgenthau would say that the role of those making decisions for nations in national security areas need to be leaders in determining national interests and applying policy based on (realist) analysis, and not followers on domestic politics. From my own point of view, lack of focus on "national interests" has caused US foreign policy to be disjointed and opportunistic in recent years.

A character-driven portrayal of Sir Walter Ralegh, largely told in flashback, but also involving some fairly fast realtime action.

Nye writes well on a sentence level. Generally, I found his historical portrayal believable, and his characters multifaceted, although I don't quite buy that Ralegh would be such a political innocent that he wouldn't realize why Elizabeth could by no means risk becoming pregnant. The plot is exciting; it bogged down a bit for me about 3/4 of the way through, but Ralegh's attempts to escape execution are fast-moving and gripping.

The different portrayals of Elizabeth in historical fiction are interesting. She's always larger than life, even when, as here, she has aspects of the grotesque. And generally, as here, she's shown quite negatively. I like the darkness of the way she torments her favorites in the book, though I rather doubt it's what really happened.

I disliked the homophobia with which James I and his lover Villiers were portrayed -- it's fine that James is a negative character, but the prejudice here seemed to go beyond Ralegh's normal Renaissance-era reaction.

In the final analysis, there's something self-indulgent about this book, about Ralegh and his endless self-recriminations and maundering. Still, readers of Elizabethan historical fiction will probably want to have a look at it.

With famed courtier Sir Walter Ralegh as his speaker/writer, author Robert Nye creates a fictional journal which includes all the elements of high drama the reader would expect of this vicarious peek into Ralegh's very private and intriguing world--his climb from obscurity to the highest levels of court life, the nature of his tumultuous relationship with Queen Elizabeth, his career as a soldier, his secret courtship and marriage, his loathing of the venal King James, his thirteen years in the Tower of London on false charges, and his eventual release by King James to search for gold in the New World.

The journal, which begins in 1618, moves back and forth in time, alternating vivid tales of Ralegh's tenuous existence aboard the Destiny, a ship off the coast of Guiana, with his colorful reminiscences of life in Elizabeth's court, when, as a young man he was living the heady life of a courtier. The ebb and flow of the journal creates its own narrative movement and conveys both the vibrant excitement of Ralegh's days as a young man and the melancholy self-reflection which dominates his old age. Sensuous descriptions and self-deprecating wit characterize his revelations about his younger days, while the privation and trauma he experiences at the end of his life elicit both sympathy and admiration as he tries to redeem his pride and reputation while walking a tightrope between his mutinous crew, his duplicitous king, and his Spanish enemies.

Though very exciting and full of fascinating period detail, Nye's novel is more than a biography, however. Ralegh tells us that his journal is ultimately a log of three voyages: first, the voyage of the ship Destiny--his present, day to day life; second, the voyage of his history--his past and his fortunes; and, third, the Voyage of Destiny, not his life or his ship but something more than the present, the past, or both together. This third journey is an internal one, and we observe Ralegh making an effort to achieve deeper understanding, not only of himself, but of the real values which give meaning to man's existence, not the values imposed by society. He is accompanied, on both his real and his symbolic journey, by an Indian named Guayacunda, a mysterious man whose tribe was wiped out a hundred years earlier, and whose ancestral heritage, language, culture, and even real name have vanished completely, leaving him without the ancestral values he thinks would give meaning to his existence. As they share their dreams, they search for an understanding of truth which will give value to their separate realities.

Multi-leveled and totally satisfying, The Voyage of the Destiny uses the fascinating life of Sir Walter Ralegh to illuminate the search of a thoughtful man for truth and meaning in life beyond what society and its values have imposed, not one truth at the expense of others, but truths which come from a life lived with respect and humility, not with pride or a need for recognition. In that way, Ralegh discovers, he may achieve true honor. Mary Whipple

I have nothing to do with psichology ( I am an MBA with strong business background, yes, some MBAs know squad about business). But after listening to this useless debate (behaviorists, freudians and the like)for so many times in my life I decided to study each one of them. This book has achieved its goal for me. To tell me what the heck Skinner was up to. I liked his ideas, ideals and theories, although some are quite strange and not quite possible to be real. If Skinner was a genious as ALL of his followers claim that's fine with me, but he wasn't perfect, and in many passages of the book readers will be able to pin point some madness.

Great book overall, just go easy with all you read in there.

This was a succinct overview of the way three psychologists interpret human personality and behavior. Freud, Skinner, and Rogers are all leaders and representatives of schools of thought in psychology, and this book took the mystery away.

I read this book in English, and it really was interesting in the beginning! The blood and gory stuff made me like it less, it was a bit too gross in a few parts. Unferth's character was evil, but really disgusting! Beowulf annoyed me he was so perfect, (even with bad eyesight and strange looks) but was overall an OK character. Near the end, the book got slightly boring, and seemed as though it was a report instead of a story!
The book is about the Danes, who are being tormented by an evil creature named 'Grendel.' He kills everything in his path! Beowulf, a Geat from Sweden, comes and helps the Danes. But, conquering Grendel takes up literally LESS than half the book. That fact got me a bit angry- that the entire 'theme' of the book (judging by the back cover)lasts not long at all...
Oh well, over all, this is an average book. If I had a choice, and didn't HAVE to read it for English, I probably would get bored halfway through and throw it in my closet (no offense) only to try it again a couple of years later and probably nod off again, but it depends on what you like!

Review by Tavia Weber

The book Beowuulf: A New Telling is a great book. I read it in my English class. I would recommend it to 6th graders and up. The book is a myth about a hero that doesn't think about himself as a great hero. He kills the retched monster, Grendel. Grendel kills people and eats them bones and everything. Beowulf hears about the horrid monster and goes and fights him. Beowulf doesn't use a sword. Beowulf grabs Grendel's arm and and doesn't let go. Grendel shakes and jerks his arm. Finaly Grendel's arm rips out of place. Grendels mother (whom is worse then Grendel) comes to avenge Grendels death. Beowulf speaks to her his ords so sharp they peirce her heart. Well I'm not going to spoil the story for any one who hasn't read it yet. Take it fome me it's a great book. In fact it's one of the best books I'v read in a long time.

My daughter was 11 years old when I bought this book. She was the most un-willing child to get into reading. My brother gave her this book and she has read it 3 times. I recommend this to anyone with a child who isn't interested in reading

Robert Nye's outrageous faux-biography of Shakespeare gives the spicy flavor of 17th-century England without the clotted syntax or excessive use of Elizabethan slang. Pickleherring, the narrator, feels free to embroider his account with rumors, fantasies, and lies. This is not a reverential treatment of the Bard. I imagine half of the Bardolators will be offended by the idea that Shakespeare's mother enjoyed fondling the adolescent Swan of Avon; and the other half will be enraged by the notion that the adult Shakespeare enjoyed fondling one of his boy-actors, Pickleherring. Lots of bawdy stuff: Shakespeare's father impregnating Queen Elizabeth, peeking (several times) through a peep-hole, the bizarre brothel of Lucy Negro, etc. I wasn't sure where Pickleherring was going with his obsessions (eros, death, cross-dressing), but the path leads to an amusing scene at Shakespeare's funeral feast, as the mature Pickleherring feels a compulsion to don again the feminine garments he once wore onstage. Other scenes are slighted, sketchy, or overdeveloped. If it doesn't quite add up to a satisfying novel, it's certainly an entertaining grab bag of saucy language and oddball erudition. [The paperback version includes a brief interview with the author and a list of questions with which you can annoy members of your book club.]

This book performs the admirable feat of allowing the reader to stand in the shoes of one of Shakespeare's actors (and in the case of the novel's main character--one of those players who who performed the female roles--to wear his petticoats). A tapastry of known facts and the speculations of critics and readers over the centuries since Shakespeare lived emmerse us in those ribald and interesting times when English and England were being funnelled through the mind and works of that great playwright. I get the feeling that somewhere in that forest of fact and fancy an understanding of Shakespeare and his times were to be had. I only wish the author's other novels, including Mrs. Shakespeare, were still in print. Even Amazon.com doesn't seem to list that novel about the bard's wife among the in print or out of print offerings.

Pickleherring takes one on a romp through Shakespeare's life, giving the modern reader a real feel for the life of the Bard and his times. Nye's use of the language is delightful, his timing perfect (except for what I saw as a few slow moments in the last third of tbe book), and his send-up of many of the controversies surrounding Shakespeare and his work is wonderful. I loved the use of scholarly footnotes smack in the middle of two of the most dramatic pages of the book. I laughed, I cried, and I fell in love with the narrator. A little Shakespeare knowledge is advised; it will send most of us eagerly to the reference books and to WS's works.

Why would anyone write, publish, or think anyone would enjoy this piece of nonsense?

This is supposed to be the memories of Mrs. Shakespeare penned 7 years after her husband's death as related by the Author Mr. Robert Nye. Chapter 13 was the most honest when the Author/Writer states, "This was not a good chapter, but then it was number thirteen". That comment explains the 13th chapter but what about the other 74? Seventy-five chapters diced amongst 216 pages account for whatever this is supposed to be. Another chapter of note is The Dunghill Chapter, and while evidently not deserving of a chapter there are more than enough references, comments, descriptions, and actions involving Seagull waste to merit its own section.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? No thanks! That bit of brilliant repartee between Mr. And Mrs. Shakespeare is what passes for humor in this collection of badly penned memories formatted in some retched tribute to poetry/sonnets/whatever, who cares!

There are probably more books written about Shakespeare than any other individual. Pick one, anyone but this. No amount of pompous claims that you must be a connoisseur or of the most elite of experts on this man's work justify this trash. This is not clever, insightful, or witty. It is nothing.

Hopefully the paper will be recycled into something useful.

This book is factually based and yet entertaining at the same time. Mrs. Shakespeare has a way of storytelling that the Bard himself would envy. Not only does she present facts about their life together, she presents them in a way that relates to all people. Who hasn't felt jealousy when their spouse puts work above them? Who isn't angry when they lose a child and have no one to talk to about it? This book is not so much a story of William Shakespeare, but a story of how his wife sees him. Robert Nye does an excellent job of letting us see the other side. We hear about Mr. Shakespeare from his wife, the woman who knows him best. The woman least likely to sugar coat it. We learn about his life in London, who the sonnets were really written for, and the mystery of the second best bed. This book is entertaining and intriguing. I recommend this book to people not only interested in Shakespeare's life, but also interested in thinking about their own life in a new way.

Mrs. Shakespeare has nothing good to say about her husband, the great playwright and poet. However, no one knows what this women endured during their marriage. She is entitled to have a voice in history as well as her husband William Shakespear. I have no less respect for the "Bard's" talent (he was a legend and is still). No one is perfect and most brilliant people have their faults. It was quite interesting reading what she had to say. It helped me tremendously in understanding that era of time and the Bard himself. It also gave her an opportunity to release this bitterness from her inner soul.