I'm not just a DVD junkie, or a videogame freak - I worked for over 5 years at bookstores, so I have an appreciation for books - really!

I've grouped these two books together because they fall under the same Book Series entitled Popular Culture and Philosophy. So, where to begin? I have never been much into Philosophy. The age-old questions about life and Plato's Republic and Socrates and all that - never really cared. I personally think everyone has a valid opinion on what life is and that in turn becomes your philosophy. So to actually go and read about these Greeks from oh-so-long ago just doesn't appeal to me. Until I saw these books in the bookstore. It's perfect and appropriate, as even the old philosophers knew that to get the message to everyone, you needed to relate your philosophy through the use of stories. Well, I personally think that with these books, they have drawn from extremely deep wells, as both Buffy and the Lord of the Rings encompass so many levels of human existence. I have not finished reading both of these books, but it is fascinating to read the essays presented in these 300-page books and gain an appreciation for both philosophy and a deeper analysis of these two cultural phenomenons. It does help that I already love these two mythologies - which is why I picked these up. The others in the series include Seinfeld, Simpsons and the Matrix. To give you an idea of what to expect, here are some examples. In the Buffy volume, there's great discussion on the Buffy vs. Faith ideal. What do these two women represent in terms of choices, destiny, inevitability, female empowerment, violence, etc. It's a great read, and that's just some of the angles. In the Lord of the Rings volume, it gets to some of the more obvious ideas of what the Ring represents, if human nature is always corruptible, whether the book represents how technology is changing and possibly destroying the world, and way more. Honestly, through the use of these hugely amazing story worlds, I've gained an appreciation for philosophy that I never had before. It can do you good to actually think about things in a very abstract light. So pick these up when you get the chance, heck, pick up the other ones in the series if you want as well. These just definitely appealed to me because I love me the Buffy and I love me the Lord of the Rings.

Another craps book for those who want to improve and refine their game. This guy is a blast to read. He sounds like (and looks like - just see that picture) one of those swinging guys from the 70s, with phrases using doll, Dolly Parton's assets, etc. Once you get past that though, this guy has some great advice for you. First and foremost in my mind, he teaches you that you need to remember that a conservative win goal is a good thing and that what gets most people is the need to 'win Big'. They're so focused on being able to walk away a millionaire when they're only starting with a few hundred bucks that they don't realize that it is pretty much impossible to win that much. But if you walk away with a 20% win goal every time, hey, you're a winner every time! And not a loser, which he constantly likes to remind you is a bad thing. In this book, which is Very thick, he has strategies for every kind of betting, including right and wrong strategies. He devastated me when he pretty much said that betting the Come bets is one of the worst things to do. It made sense after he explained why, but I loved doing that bet. I'm trying to train myself to enjoy Place bets (which is his favorite method), and I actually see that it's a better way to play, but I'll always have a place in my heart to bet the Come line. <sigh> If you're interested in the current strategy I'm adopting, it's basically all about recession and playing 6 & 8, with 5 & 9 after a couple of wins. It's a little more involved than that obviously, but buy the book or give me a call and we'll talk.

A very good review by my friend Carolyn - be warned, there are plenty of spoilers below so if you don't want to know what happens, ignore this review!
How come you haven't put Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix on your page!?!? I've finished the book and I want to put my 2 cents out there....

All-in-all, GREAT BOOK!!! I was so impressed (yet again) by this woman's imagination. Harry was a little, how do I say this? Hostile in this book. Could he be reaching puberty and rebelling against both worlds? Muggle and Magic? He seemed to be losing his cool a lot and most of his friends were confused and walked on a lot of egg shells.

Dumbledore should not have been so standoffish to poor Harry. He was confused, he needed SOMEONE to talk to and no one was there for him.

Poor Sirius! What a shame that once again, Harry has to lose someone he loves. I think they could have elaborated on the actual climax portion (when all the kids are kicking the adult wizards asses!!) Those need to go on a little longer and we need to see the kids do some more damage.

But - the BEST part was when I read that Lucius Malfoy got ARRESTED!! Yes, that a$$hole got his... I was SO happy and then that little devil spawn, Draco, gets all upset and blames Harry for it. Duh, Draco!! Hello? You father has made it perfectly clear that he was a Death Eater since book one.... He deserved what he got and I hope the Dementors totally suck his brains out through his nose...

Now, the very end, when Dumbledore finally spoke up and confessed to Harry. I was enrapt with that! I could not put the book down (no matter how hard I tried - kids suffered, mommy didn't make any dinner, clean or do laundry until that book was finished). We obviously knew that there was a connection between Voldemort and Harry. I have this gut feeling that after 7 books, Harry will be victorious. AND, I have a new favorite - Neville Longbottom! He is the bomb! That whole book I saw that little boy from the 1st movie hanging off the tower.... kicking ass like an old pro! He is my hero and I wouldn't be surprised if he is a big part of the next 2 books and helping to kill the big V.

You know as well as I do that Ron and "Hermy" are gonna hook up. They are so into each other, it's blatantly obvious. Fred and George rock! They will make lots of money for their parents and family and be great successes. Percy, well, he's an idiot, he needs to get his a$$ kicked by Harry and Ron and leave it at that. What a weasel...

Well, that's it in a nutshell, without getting too specific. I recommend this book with 2 thumbs up!!

See Ya!!

Carolyn

Another great book. Two good books in the span of a month. Go figure. This one is a tad more morbid than Wicked. It basically starts off with a 13-year-old girl's murder. The rest of the book is from the girl's point of view from heaven. No kidding. The way she agonizes over how her family is grieving, how they begin to move on without her, her realization that she'll never get to do all the things she would have liked to have done, but most intriguingly, she stalks her murderer. So you've got to admit, your interest has to be a tad piqued, right? Well, if not, whatever. But I'm sure that if you're in the mood for a good read, this book will provide it. I don't want to talk any more about the book. Just go read it.

An unbelievably good and involving story that will totally make you look at the movie 'The Wizard of Oz' in a whole new light. This book removes the Dorothy spin from the tale of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West and lets us see the Witch's side of the story, from her birth up to events of the movie. I have no knowledge of the literary Oz world, so I am not annoyed by alleged changes the author made. All I know is that I have really enoyed reading this book as the author does an outstanding job of humanizing the Witch and making you really see where she was coming from and how she ended up as the WWotW. It's great to read about Glinda and how self-absorbed she is and to read about the infamous WWotE and how she got like she did. But like I said, I have no idea how strict he adhered to the original books, but who cares? It's a great read and will make you reenjoy the movie all that much more. So what are you waiting for? Go read it - NOW!

I haven't put the tips learned into actual casino practice yet, but in the Hoyle simulation, it's been pretty incredible. If you enjoy the thrill of playing the game of craps, then you can understand that is important to have a good money management, betting, and playing strategy. Alas, I really didn't have too much of a good money management strategy and would allow myself to lose any winnings back to the casino (most of the time). This book tells you explicitly how to play, and not just only one way. There's methods for conservative betters, right betters, wrong betters, and more. I am now a fan of the Increasing Odds method, and simulation shows that it allows me to stay at a table much longer than I ever lasted before, especially on cold tables. For those of you who are afraid of the craps table or of just playing, the book introduces all aspects of the game and should gave anyone the confidence to at least try the most fun game at the casino (not to mention, probably the most profitable, if played right). See you at the tables!

This was a book I'd always wanted to read, but never got to. I picked it up at Barnes & Noble finally, just to see what the fuss was about. What a great read! Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who revolutionized physics with his theories on quantum physics, was also a very crazy (in a good way) and life-loving man. Inside this book are many of his adventures, including from his times at Los Alamos during the development of the atomic bomb (he became quite a good safe cracker there), his bongo-playing down in Brazil, teachings at Caltech, and a whole lot more. His humor and open approach to life come across extremely well through the page, and makes you wish you had known the man. I'm in the process of reading more of his books, including Six Easy Pieces, a revision of his physics lectures aimed at the general public.

Longitude was a book I wish I had read just a little bit earlier; before my London trip, especially. Why? Well, when I was in Greenwich, I saw the timekeepers that the subject of this book is about. I really had no idea how significant these devices were, nor what the man who developed them went through. He developed an accurate way to tell longitude while out on the ocean. It may not sound like much, but before this, sailors had no true way to determine where the hell they were! Many many vessel sinkings occurred because of a captain's assumption of his location. John Harrison, the 'hero' of the book, was a man who devoted almost his entire life to creating timekeepers that captains could use to accurately tell longitude. He spent 17 years creating just ONE of these timekeepers. He didn't have great support from the English and was frequently attacked and always attempted to be discredited. Nevertheless, he prevailed and changed the course of the navigation world. The book is pretty well written, although at times it seems like the author is just meandering when I wish she would just get to the point. Still, a great read, and one that I knew my dad would enjoy, so I sent my copy to him for Christmas.

Sue Grafton's books have always been a blast, and Harv got me an autographed copy. I think I now have all from 'L' autographed. A good mystery is always fun to read, as you want to know who did it, and how. This book doesn't disappoint, and in fact adds some real-life intrigue, as the book is based on a true story of a Jane Doe found in a quarry outside of Santa Barbara county. While that case remains unsolved, of course, Sue Grafton doesn't leave us wondering what happened in the fictionalized version. It is great how she writes though, as it is very vivid and always humorous. You always feel like you're riding along with Kinsey Millhone (the main character) and going through what she is. I guess that is what most writers aspire to do, but in bad books, that just doesn't happen. Q is for Quarry is a great read for those of you who enjoy mysteries.