Check, Please...

Customer Reviews:

Funniest ever!.......2000-03-27

They're all back again, the true American family! I couldn't stop laughing while reading this book. If you like Baby Blues, you HAVE to get this book. I swear, it the best one yet!

Please Save My Earth, Volume 21 (Please Save My Earth)

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Best ending you could ask for

Please Save My Earth, Volume 21 (Please Save My Earth)
Saki Hiwatari
Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1421508370

Book Description

Eight-year-old Rin is still tormented by his past life. As Shion, an engineer stationed on Earth's moon, he spent nine years alone after his home planet was annihilated and a deadly virus took the lives of his fellow scientists. Now, in the conclusion to the Please Save My Earth series, his plot to destroy the moon base--and all traces of his past life--reaches its dénouement. Alice begs Rin not to let his past life as Shion rule his future--and even threatens to jump off Tokyo Tower if he chooses to pursue his plot of eventually controlling the world...

Customer Reviews:

Best ending you could ask for.......2007-03-31

I think that this book sums up the series very well. It ends it quite nicely with a 'Four years later' recap of what every one is up to. There's nothing else to say about it exept: THIS BOOK ROCKS!!!!!!! I wonderful ending for a wonderful series.

Please Save My Earth, Volume 5 (Please Save My Earth)

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One of my old-time favorites

Please Save My Earth, Volume 5 (Please Save My Earth)

Manufacturer: VIZ Media LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1591162688

Book Description

Part science fiction, part fantasy, and completely engrossing, this provocative manga stars sensitive high school student Alice Sakaguchi, who has a recurring dream that she's part of a team of alien scientists on the moon. She doesn't really believe it, until new evidence arrives. Now even her eight-year-old neighbor is acting strange.

Customer Reviews:

One of my old-time favorites.......2003-12-02

I saw the six episode OAV for Please Save My Earth long ago, fan subs and all. The series immediately captured my heart, and has been one of my all-time favorites for years. It's truly masterful storytelling, and the first volume is too hilarious for words ^^

Since I find the synopsis provided by the site unstatysfying, I'll help you out. Alice is a really shy, passive girl that just moved to Tokyo from far-off Hokkaido. She has an odd gift for communicating with plants and animals, so the urban setting doesn't thrill her much. To top things off, she's not fitting in at school, and her bratty (and cruel!) seven year old neighbor, Kobayashi Rin, torments her constantly. She ends up overhearing an (coughcough) *odd* conversation between classmate Ogura Jinpachi and his (coughcough) *friend* Nishikiori Issei. Alice, embarrassed to no end, runs off, but not before she steps on a leaf, notifying them of her presence. Later, Alice takes Rin to the zoo, where she runs into these two again. In an effort to clear up the misunderstanding, Jinpachi takes Alice and co. to a nearby coffee shop and begins to explain their situation. Turns out, he and his buddy Issei have been having dreams in a common setting since middle school, involving the same people and times. In this dream life, they are alien scentists living on a moon base, studying the Earth they adore from afar. Alice, fascinated by their story, is swept up in the magic of it all. But when an accident occurs, and feelings are running amok (as should happen in the shoujo manga world), Alice finds herself wrapped up in this "story" far more than she could have ever guessed...

Saki Hiwatari is truly a master of crafting a story and it's characters. Issei is my favorite because I'm in a situation so similar to his, I can truly relate to it. Her characters are so real, and the story is so magical and compelling. It takes some practice remembering all the names (Shion Mokuren Gyokuran Enju Shushuran Hiiragi Shukaido, say THAT 5 times fast!), but it's really easy to get into once you get the hang of it. PLEASE don't let the old school art deter you (PSME is from the 80's, after all...), it's really charming in it's own way, and it improves as Hiwatari-san gets closer to her characters.

Book Description

On Earth, Haruhiko tries to convince Alice that Rin needs and loves her. But Alice finds herself in deep trouble, and her disturbing dreams continue, showing her the end of Mokuren's life on the KK moon base¿

Book Description

“You said that time doesn’t exist,” she says, “so I took the liberty of coming to see you.”

“You did the right thing,” he replies without taking his eyes off her.

She is a student with some questions about physics. And he is Albert Einstein, the man who redefined the true nature of reality in the twentieth century. More than sixty years after his death, she finds him in an office building in an indeterminate central European city, ready and eager to give a private lesson. And so begins an unusual, wide-ranging conversation. They discuss relativity, light, and space-time. But Einstein also talks about the difficulty of fame and power and how his dreams of worldwide peace were shattered. He points to a stack of photographs, books about him, newspapers. “ ‘It still goes on,’ she says. ‘I thought about putting on an Einstein T-shirt but in the end, I didn’t dare . . . ’ ‘You must be joking,’ he says, ‘I’ve even worn one myself.’”

This book is one of a kind: a surprising and delightful journey through the life and thought of Albert Einstein.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for the non-physicist. interested in Einstein........2007-03-08

I'd describe the book as part whimsy and part instructional. In my opinion, the author has done a masterful job of integrating hard science and factual data with fun characterizations and insight. Sure, you can read texts heavy with scientific data written in sometimes incomprehensible language, but for the "average joe", this novel is an entertaining jaunt with explanations that are clarifying in an easy way. Nice job Mr. Carriere.

Intereresting Approach to Einstein's Work.......2007-02-16

This is a very entertaining book with a very unique approach to discussing Einstein's work. Even if you are familar with his theories you will still enjoy the ride. If you are not familar this is a good place to begin.

All pain, no gain.......2006-12-26

There is no information here about Einstein or relativity you haven't read a thousand times, except here it's done really poorly. After some cursory discussion about relativity and some lame examples, there is a long angst about Germans, Jews and the wars, very old news, replayed ad nauseum.
The girl who is supposed to be the other main character has no personality, a total nonentity, finds out zero she couldn't have found out at the local library or Google, has no epiphany, has nothing insightful to add. In sum, it's trite, bordering on silly, a waste of money, and despite it being relative, a waste of time; don't even read it at the speed of light. If less than one star was possible, I'd give it a -5.

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Amazing writing, funny yet touching and real.
great friggin book
Hidden Treasure
Fresh, witty and downright enjoyable!

Please: A Novel
Peter Darbyshire
Manufacturer: Raincoast Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1551925621

Book Description

Please chronicles the life of an emotionally numb man who drifts through a hallucinatory world of parties filled with celebrity wannabes, addictive relationships, and jobs that demand he become someone other than who he is. Both a dark satire of the contemporary obsession with the “mediascape” and a sophisticated critique of an increasingly uncaring society that offers fantasy in place of real experience, this first novel by a rising talent paints a compassionate picture of one man’s search for something real to embrace in life.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing writing, funny yet touching and real........2006-02-17

This book is phenomenal. Darbyshire debuts with strong writing and even stronger characters. Best books I have read so far this year.

great friggin book.......2004-08-08

I just re-read "Please" recently and even on the second read it's one of the best books I've read this year. It's a shame it seems to be so under-pressed, at least here in the States. To me it seems that "Please" has accomplished what so many movies and books of the past decade and a half have been trying to do in juggling quiet, dark, quirky and funny. Darbyshire's prose definitely has the ring of Raymond Carver to it, as I'm sure a lot of you will notice, but I think Darbyshire has the edge on Carver. Both have an enlaregened sense of the absurd, but you can hear Darbyshire laughing (not chuckling, mind you, LAUGHING) at it in the distance, where in between the lines of Carver's work we get. . . silence, wherein we can only guess that his brow is deeply furrowed--which isn't terribly reassuring (not that Carver was ever out to reassure us). For all it's terseness, "Please" seems barely able to keep its straight face, and at the same time also lingers utterly, GENUINELY haunting--in my mind at least. With all the tired, self-important garbage out there groping at the lostness and obscene meaninglessness of modern existence, I have yet to find a writer so cozy with the subject as Darbyshire--and, I speculate, I hope, bored enough with the subject to help us look for something better. I hope we hear a lot more from him, and may he get the attention he deserves. (Also, "Please" would make a beautiful movie.)

Hidden Treasure.......2004-05-25

Trying to get some Canadian content into my reading repertoire, I headed to the local library where I came across "Please". After reading the first chapter there in the library, I was hooked.

Darbyshire combines wit and satire to produce a hilarious offbeat and thoroughly enjoyable novel. Having a similar style to Joseph Heller, Darbyshire's "Please" reminded me of the timeless classic "Catch 22".

If you are looking for a quick, enjoyable and different read, pick up a copy of this novel. You'll be glad you did!

Fresh, witty and downright enjoyable!.......2003-11-14

This is one of the most refreshing, highly readable, laugh out loud novels I have read in a long time. The only fault I can find is it's too short. I found myself reading slowly in order to make it last. Each chapter in itself can stand alone as a short story and they brilliantly come together as a whole.

The main character is this down on his luck chronically unemployed twenty-something guy who pines over his wife who has divorced him. Through flashbacks to the past we learn about his wacky relationship with his ex-wife while in the present he spends time drinking in S&M bars frequented by models, peeping through apartment windows with a blind man, getting robbed by Mormons and going on car chases in pursuit of John Cusack but that's not even the half of it!

If you read this in a public place, you'll find yourself trying to suppress your laughter at some of the deadpan tongue-in-cheek humor. Dabryshire has a sharp wit and is an incredible talent. I can't wait to read more of him.

Book Description

You've seen the hit anime, and read the engrossing manga graphic novels, but even still, you don't know the full story behind 18-year old Kei and his affair with his homeroom teacher from another planet. What's missing? You can only find out in ComicsOne's full-length novel adaptation of Onegai Teacher!

Customer Reviews:

JUST AWFUL.......2005-02-05

This is defintaly the worst manga i've read. It's just gawd-awful. I barly got through the 1st book cuz it's so, so awful. I dind't bother reading the 2nd book. i dind't care what would happen to the characters. The story is basically some kid wants a girlfriend and a alien appears. wow. *throws the book away*

Good manga if your a fan of the anime!.......2005-01-01

Well I went a bought this mainly because the anime was so great and so is this book. But it is missing a few details. some of the sences from the anime arnt in the book that helped bring the anime up and more dramatic. But it starts off with a few good laughs. And its very dramtic. If you really liked the first one pick up the second one as well the story only gets better from where this one ends. This book is full of shocking twist and turns with lots of romance and comedy. So if you but this it will ot be a waste of money. But beware this book as some adult sence's that should not be viewd by kids under the age of 13.

Good story.......2004-11-02

I read this manga today. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like it because the 'texting' is slightly different than most manga I've read. After reading for a few pages though, I got used to it and by the end of the book, I was eager for more. This is a great romantic story with plenty of comedy that kind of sucks you in. Now I am impatient to get volume 2.

Onegai Teacher and then some..........2004-04-19

I recently became hooked on to the DVD series Onegai Teacher (Please Teacher in the US) that I had to see what else there was. When I came across this book I was skeptical and like another reviewer it was slow to start. Soon after the first chapter the stories and characters took on a new life as Go Zappa explored scenarios that took place between the TV episodes which I found this to be highly amusing and insightful. The stories do tend to take on more mature overtones and then become almost explicit in the final chapter, however this is something I was hoping for in an expansion to the TV series. I would love to see a second or third diary that is as explicit as this one becomes and perhaps develop an "after graduation" story where Kei and Mizuho can and are able to share their secret with friends and be public, this story alone could be several chapters.

Over all I loved the book but I must admit that I am saddened it was as short-lived. I found myself practically glued to the stories and wanting more that 200 pages quickly went by.

Please! [sic] Go Zappa and Yosuke Kuroda, create further readings for us and pursue more animated features along the lines of the first 12 episodes. Episode 13 was great and a comical change from the normal series, but I felt the descent into Manga-like animation was beneath the polish of the first 12 episodes.

The full length novel..........2004-02-24

...starts out kind of slow, with a long, flashback of much of what happened in the early parts of the anime/manga (depending on which one you have). But once beyond the recap we soon get into new territory. The chapters seem to be set between episodes of the anime (or other chapters of the manga) and help fill out the characters of the show, including the secondary ones.
The last few chapters deal with adult material, so I'm not sure that it is fit for even 15 year olds. On the other hand, I knew much of this stuff by the time I was 12.
The only problem I have is the book needed more proofreading. Not that there are spelling or grammar mistakes, as much as sentences in the wrong places and things like 'someo f' instead of 'some of'. A good computer or a couple of beta readers could of caught much of the typos.
But if you already have the fanbook, the anime and the manga, this is a must. For 15 and up.

As I Please 1943-1945 (The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell, Vol 3)

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ON BEING GEROGE ORWELL
Every piece he writes has sense and meaning
a moral book
I think Orwell does the world well
More of Orwell?s great writing in this excellent series

As I Please 1943-1945 (The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell, Vol 3)
George Orwell , Sonia Orwell , and Ian Angus
Manufacturer: Harvest/HBJ Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0156186225

Customer Reviews:

ON BEING GEROGE ORWELL .......2007-05-30

The last review that I did on George Orwell's work was Homage to Catalonia, his compelling story of his involvement in a Party of Marxist Unification (POUM) left-wing militia regiment in the Spanish Civil War. I noted there that this is the Orwell that today's militant leftists need to read. The current compilation of articles that he did during World War II and shortly thereafter are not in that same category although they are, as always with Orwell, well worth reading. No matter the subject matter of the articles they conform to the points that he made in Politics and the English Language about using precise, clear and rational political language. Unfortunately, at the time of the Tribune writings Orwell had already made his peace, even if critically, with British imperialism. This is obvious from the subject matter of some of the articles, particularly those in defense of holding on to the old empire or at least its prerogatives. The articles themselves vary from the topical and mundane under war time conditions to the speculative but as always written in a bit of a tongue and cheek manner. That said, although Orwell by this time was an anti-Stalinist socialist of some sort he preferred to outsource the fight against Stalinism to world imperialism. Apparently, as the recent furor over his naming names of British communists to British intelligence indicates, he had no such qualms about doing so. Certainly this was not his finest hour. He left that in Spain.

Every piece he writes has sense and meaning .......2005-09-25

It is a pleasure to read Orwell. I think that there are two major reasons for this. Stylistically he an exceptionally clear writer. His work has a quiet elegance. Secondly, he is a writer who says meaningful things. Whatever subject he writes about he writes about not only with knowledge but with real ' sense'.
In this third volume of his collected essays, jouralisms, and letters there are a number of outstanding longer pieces, including those on 'The English People' 'Notes on Nationalism' and 'Anti- Semitism'
He is an excellent letter writer and I especially enjoyed his insights into literature. His remarks on Conrad and Koestler and European as opposed to British Literature are sensible and insightful.
All through this work there are scattered gems of humane perception.

a moral book.......2004-10-17

I don't know if George Orwell is the best writer this century has produced, but he is among the most decent human beings who was also an extremely talented writer. And that decency, that honesty and sense of fair play come through loud and clear through this wonderful mix of editorial pieces and personal letters. It does not matter whether he is writing about the Socialist movement, the Monarchy, the manner in which Americans were treated in England during WWII, the English language, writing, colonialism, nationalism, anti-Semitism, or how to make a proper cup of tea, his honesty is ever-present. For he wrote these essays (I think) because although "emotional urges which are inescapable, and are perhaps even necessary to political action, [they] should be able to exist side-by-side with reality. But this requires a moral effort." If you are prepared to make such a moral effort-or simply want to spend a few nights with a truly wonderful human being and gifted writer, I highly recommend this book.

I think Orwell does the world well.......2004-01-10

While the recently published one-volume Essays is a worthy surrogate, nothing will beat this four volume collection. I like this volume because I enjoy the "As I Please" columns very much. Too bad that they no longer publish the book in a hardbound edition.

Since the purchaser of this volume is likely to be familiar with Orwell to some degree, I won't preach to the choir. I can't remember anything I disliked. A few details about the book, there is an index, you'll find a mix of Orwell's letters, essays on diverse topics, and As I Please weekly columns during the war years. An excerpt from that column illustrates Orwell's sobering humor (I hope the copyright people don't get me):

"When Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower of London, he occupied himself with writing a history of the world. He hand finished the first volume and was at work on the second when there was a scuffle between some workmen beneath the window of his cell, and one of the men was killed. In spite of diligent enquiries, and in spite of the fact that he had actually seen the thing happen, Sir Walter was never able to discover what the quarrel was about: whereupon, so it is said - and if the story is not true it certainly ought to be - he burned what he had written and abandoned his project." Now, Orwell shares this anecdote because he wants to make the point that "even as late as the last war (WWI) it was possible" to ascertain some degree of truth about what's going on in the world, for instance, casualty figures, because sources could be verified by cross-referencing. Orwell complains/observes, however, that in WWII "a Nazi and a non-Nazi version of the present war would have no resemblance to one another, and which of them finally gets into the history books will be decided not by evidential methods but on the battlefield."

You see the journalist and perennially honest (and somewhat bitter) truth-seeker here?

More of Orwell?s great writing in this excellent series.......2002-11-26

This is the third of four volumes of writings by George Orwell and edited in part by his widow Sonia Orwell. The bulk of this volume is made up of Orwell's "As I Please" column in the left wing Tribune where he was employed as editor for the later part of WWII. These are excellent insights into British life during the war era and into the political culture of the British left of which Orwell was a member.

His column's musings range from commentary on political pamphlets to the effects of the war on clothing and food. Orwell, ever the socialist, sees everything through the prism of class structure and to those who only know of his writings co-opted by the right such as "Animal Farm" and "1984" his definite left wing stance may come as a bit of a shock. He was by no means a dogmatic ideologue. The left gets the benefit of his often scathing criticisms as well as the right. Always willing to call things as he saw them, Orwell made enemies on both sides of the political spectrum.

Included in volume III as well are several letters to friends and acquaintances that are political and literary in nature rather than personal. Especially noteworthy is the first essay in the volume "The English People", a rather famous piece on culture, language and class.

I highly recommend this volume as well as the preceding volume II "My Country Left or Right". Orwell's essays are wonderful windows into the mind of one of the most important individuals of the twentieth century.

Please Pass the Guilt: A Nero Wolfe Novel

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Please Pass the Guilt: A Nero Wolfe Novel
Rex Stout
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

ASIN: 0553124587

Product Description

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

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