Carved in Sand: When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife

Book Description

Why can't you remember where you put your keys? Or the title of the movie you saw last week? Or the name of your favorite restaurant?

Acclaimed journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin takes readers on a lively journey to explain what happens to memory and attention in middle age. Along the way, she turns up fresh scientific findings, explores the dark regions of the human brain, and hears the intimate confessions of high-functioning midlife adults who—like you—want to understand exactly what's going on upstairs.

Anyone older than forty knows that forgetfulness can be unnerving, frustrating, and sometimes terrifying. With compassion and humor, Jakobson Ramin sets out to discover what midlife forgetfulness is all about—from the perspectives of physiology, psychology, and sociology. Relentless in her search for answers to questions about her own unreliable memory, she explores the factors that determine how well—or poorly—one's brain will age. She consults experts in the fields of sleep, stress, traumatic brain injury, hormones, genetics, and dementia, as well as specialists in nutrition, cognitive psychology, and the burgeoning field of drug-based cognitive enhancement. The landscape of the midlife brain is not what you might think, and to understand its strengths and weaknesses turns out to be the best way to cope.

Jakobson Ramin's reporting of the stories of a wide array of midlife men and women will resonate with readers. Her audience will glean spectacular insight into how to elicit the very best performance from a middle-aged brain. A groundbreaking work that represents the best of narrative nonfiction, this is a timely, highly readable, and much-needed book for anyone whose memory is not what it used to be.

Customer Reviews:

A Lifeline for the Hopelessly Forgetful.......2007-10-10

Author has substantially done her research. This book is extremely informative in an easy to read format. She approaches this subject with ease and humor and tackles it head on. Anyone who has reached a point in their life where they question their forgetfulness and memory will find comfort in the knowledge and insight shared by her. It is a subject not commonly addressed but is a concern to many, especially as the "boomer" generation has approached midlife, perhaps fearing dementia or Alzheimer's.

I found the answer to my health problems.......2007-09-19

I read "Carved in Sand" book looking for answers to my frequent "young-senior" moments. This book is easy to read and full of information about the different issues related to memory loss. It is so interesting that you want keep reading it until reach the end. Cathryn Jakobson Ramin did extensive research with many scientists, physicians and mental health professionals bringing to light the reasons why some people lose memory when they reach mid-life.

Thanks to this book I found the answer to my other health problems that I have suffered with since I was 39 years old and the solution to helping me feel better. It was a light bulb moment for me. I recommend this book to everybody.

Friends Lined Up.......2007-09-18

This book speaks to a fear many boomers silently suffer with--memory loss. We sort of expect the elderly to have memory problems, but its not supposed to bother the late middle-aged!!. As I told my friends about Ramin's exploration and her journey into the many experiences with and causes of faltering memory in middle age, my friends lined up for me to finish the book and loan it to them. This is a topic that is largely hidden and dealt with in silence. A welcome contribution to this field.

At least I'm not alone.......2007-09-14

Entertaining and informative. packed with medical details, yet written in an entertaining and understandable way. It answered a lot of questions and cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had about Alzheimers. I also requested for a prescrition change.

Highly recommended.......2007-09-07

The big question for all of us in the middle age bracket is this: When we draw a blank when searching for a word or a person's name--is this normal forgetfulness or are we suffering from something much scarier? In this well-researched book, Cathryn Jakobson Ramin does an excellent job of presenting possible reasons for memory lapses and ways to deal with them.

In addition to having her brain and body tested for what might be the cause of her own memory lapses, the author interviewed many people and performed extensive research on the topic. She found that how you treat your brain in middle age will make a difference later. Midlife is the time to act: to make good decisions on diet, stress management, sleeping habits, and exercise.

She writes that today's world is an especially difficult time to reach middle age as we are "smack in the middle of a technological revolution." We can be overwhelmed by the amount of information available and the endless stream of interruptions, multitasking, and over stimulation.

In very readable prose, she explains how our minds are affected by the foods we consume, our hormones, the drugs we take, the chemicals in the environment, our sleep patterns, blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and the amount of exercise that we get. Since we need to build up our cognitive reserve to keep mentally active, she gives tips on how to perform these "intellectual push-ups."

In spite of the seriousness of the subject, this book is a pleasure to read and even funny at times.

Average customer rating:

Bolitar is Awesome !
Love His Myron Bolitar Series
Four and a half stars...
You will not be able to dribble your way through this book.
FADE AWAY - VIVIDLY DONE!

Fade Away (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)
Harlan Coben
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440222680
Release Date: 1996-11-02

Book Description

The home was top-notch New Jersey suburban. The living room was Martha Stewart. The basement was Legos—and blood. For sports agent Myron Bolitar, the disappearance of a man he'd once competed against was bringing back memories—of the sport he and Greg Downing had both played and the woman they both loved. Now, among the stars, the wanna-bes, the gamblers and groupies, Myron is unraveling the strange, violent life of a sports hero gone wrong, and coming face-to-face with a past he can't relive, and a present he may not survive.

In novels that crackle with wit and suspense, Edgar Award winner Harlan Coben has created one of the most fascinating and complex heroes in suspense fiction—Myron Bolitar—a hotheaded, tenderhearted sports agent who grows more and more engaging and unpredictable with each page-turning appearance.

Customer Reviews:

Bolitar is Awesome !.......2007-08-27

Harlan Coben spins a dramatic series with Myron Bolitar that out does Evanovich's Plum. It's intelligent and yet funny, funny. I intend to read the entire awesome Bolitar series.

Love His Myron Bolitar Series.......2007-08-16

I really enjoyed this book because of all the history Mr. Coben gives you of the characters. I've read the first two books in the series and was excited about this book. It gives you some history about Myron's college years and how his basketball career injury happened. Jessica kinda takes a backseat in this one. I enjoyed again the dialogue between Win and Myron. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. The mystery in this one isn't as good as the previous two. I felt like it wandered around some. There's of course the Coban twist at the end where the character you least suspected is the bad guy. I highly recommend this book for the background and the continuation of the series.

Four and a half stars..........2007-05-01

I've read a few Harlan Coben books recently and I have thoroughly enjoyed his Myron Bolitar series. In Fade Away, he definitely raises the bar and moves from being not just an entertaining mystery writer, but also a well-written one.

Myron Bolitar is a 32 year old lawyer who runs his own sports agency. At one time, he was one of the top college players in the country. But after being drafted by the Celtics, he blows his knee out in a preseason scrimmage and his potential career is history. Now, the owner and general manager of the New Jersey Dragons want him to find one of their stars, Greg Downing, who has gone missing right before tournaments are to begin. In order not to raise suspicions, they place Bolitar on the team so that he can better investigate what has happened. Downing and Bolitar have been in competition since they were in high school, and it wasn't always about basketball. Bolitar finds many reasons for the possible disappearance of Downing that range from compulsive gambling to possible murder.

When I first started reading Coben, I thought the characters were a little too much like Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk. But I've come to appreciate them on a new level. As a person who has played and coached basketball, Coben is right on in his observations about the game and the players. In describing Bolitar's complicated relationship with Downing, he says "there is a special bond between competitors. Kinda like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. You become defined by one another. It was like that with Greg and me. It was unspoken, but we both knew the bond was there." TC, the other Dragon star tells Bolitar about the price of being a star. " The real price is you ain't a person anymore. You're just a thing, a shiny thing like one of these Benzes out there. The poor brothers think I'm a golden ladder with goodies at every step up. The rich white boys think I'm a fancy pet."

The plot in Fade Away is also much more intricate than usual, and the ending has a stunner of a surprise. I never saw it coming. The one thing that kept me from giving it five stars is that the plot line where Bolitar is recruited to play is a big stretch. Otherwise, this was a pretty awesome book.

You will not be able to dribble your way through this book........2007-04-14

Fade Away is the third book in the Myron Bolitar series, and it's key in finding out more than ever about Myron's past. Harlan Coben has a witty way of motivating his readers to keep going to the next page with a thrilling lay-up of events. You'll find yourself going into overtime, reading like a player on a fast break, to get to the end. Guard this book like the treasure that it is, and only pass it forward to the most deserving.

I'll soon be reading Back Spin on the rebound.

FADE AWAY - VIVIDLY DONE!.......2006-10-08

Am reading Harlan Coben's Bolitar series in order. So far, loving them all. They are witty, sardonic, sarcastic all the way! Myron is a honey. Win is wonderful!!!

Myron is rehired to his old basketball team, the N. J. Dragons, to go undercover and find their star player who is missing. He is also Myron's biggest rival from the old days, before another player injured Myron's knee in a run-in on the court. What a good book! I could hardly put it down. Guessing til the end. And the end was touching and poignant. It solved a mystery in Myron's life too. Had a tough time finding this book but I am glad I persisted.

On to the next, "One False Move". Mr. Coben never disappoints.

Average customer rating:

Perhaps the best book I've ever read....
I randomly selected this book...and I'm glad I did
Indeed, a LIFE Well-Lived
Inspirational Read
What a brilliant life...

Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived
Laurence Shames , and Peter Barton
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006073731X
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Book Description

Some people are born to lead and destined to teach by the example of living life to the fullest, and facing death with uncommon honesty and courage. Peter Barton was that kind of person.

Driven by the ideals that sparked a generation, he became an overachieving Everyman, a risk-taker who showed others what was possible. Then, in the prime of his life — hugely successful, happily married, and the father of three children — Peter faced the greatest of all challenges. Diagnosed with cancer, he began a journey that was not only frightening and appalling but also full of wonder and discovery.

With unflinching candor and even surprising humor, Not Fade Away finds meaning and solace in Peter's confrontation with mortality. Celebrating life as it dares to stare down death, Peter's story addresses universal hopes and fears, and redefines the quietly heroic tasks of seeking clarity in the midst of pain, of breaking through to personal faith, and of achieving peace after bold and sincere questioning.

Customer Reviews:

Perhaps the best book I've ever read...........2007-07-15

My father passed away in the fall of 2006, from cancer, at age 58. I found this book during the winter, it was out of place and I picked it up. Maybe I was looking for meaning, I don't know. But I have read it cover to cover twice, and pick it up often to browse. It is beautiful, poignent, raw with honesty. On the surface, my father was nothing like Peter Barton, but as I read the book I saw my father in every page. Much of what I witnessed in his final months were hard to articulate, yet Peter Barton and Laurence Shames gave me the words I could not find.

A beautiful book about death and dying, about life and love and lessons. Read this book. It's more joyous than sad, more beauty than darkness.

I randomly selected this book...and I'm glad I did.......2007-05-25

I happened upon an advance uncorrected proof of this book quite by accident. I read a few sentences and thought, "Why not give it a read?" Well, I have to say that the book - both the writing and the content - are absolutely wonderful. Laurence Shames gets all the emotion and humility and pride down flawlessly in the pages of this book. You can't help but wish you had known Peter Barton after reading this.

Indeed, a LIFE Well-Lived.......2007-03-03

Mr. Shames wrote a poignant and very real account of the disease that took his life at a very early age. I read this a couple years ago, and just re-read after hearing the story of a "younger" person stricken with cancer. This book will inspire, but will also force the reader to consider; "What would I do? Would I have that much grace and zest and enthusiasm?" The dirt-nap gets us all, this book demonstrates how one man dealt with his impending demise---and teaches valuable life-lessons that we could all use. Highly recommended.

Inspirational Read.......2006-06-04

For Peter Barton, a maverick businessman whose career has been characterized by creativity and billion-dollar partnerships, the psychology of cancer was difficult to digest. Unlike most business agreements he has brokered in the media industry, the deal between a terminal patient and his cancer appeared to be a zero-sum game, and the forty-something year old media mogul struggled to bridge the disconnect.

Hardly a person to let death dictate the terms of his legacy, Barton preserved his insights on the matter before he left the living. As such, Not Fade Away -- Barton's chronicle of the last days of his life -- is an attempt at coming to terms with one's finality. The chapters switch back and forth from Barton's first-person narrative and the observations of Barton by a professional writer assigned to shadow the terminal patient during the last stages of his life.

Despite the subject matter, Not Fade Away is an uplifting read because even as death closes in around Barton, we see that life reveals itself in all its sublime beauty. Such a paradox, namely that death is infused with life, leads Barton to embrace both the fact of his imminent death and the ever-present life that surrounds him. Barton reformulates his understanding of the linear aspect of the past, present, and the future, and realizes their convergence and singularity. Just as death is a part of living, we are not fixed to a single point in time; the past, present, and the future are manifest in the now.

Although such notions are not terribly original, Barton's honesty and courage in sharing his innermost fears and doubts during the last days of his life provide a refreshing look at life, death, and perhaps what it means to "not fade away" in a language that resonates with timeless relevance.

What a brilliant life..........2005-12-04

This is easily one of the most inspirational books I have read in a long time. Peter Barton was an extraordinary buisnessman, father, husband and friend...a man who knew how to make each day count and to challenge a terminal illness in a way that must have made his family so very proud of him. I highly recommmend this book to anyone and everyone!!!!

Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever: The Making of a Happy Woman

Average customer rating:

Great wisdom in this book!
Very Insightful
Can be very funny but much of the advice is predictable
She's good, I liked her "You're smarter than you look" best
Funny reading, even for (open-minded, smart) guys

Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever: The Making of a Happy Woman
Judy Sheindlin
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 006092991X

Book Description

Judge Judy has heard enough.As a family court judge in New York City and now in her successful TV courtroom show, she has listened to thousands of excuses, complaints, and tales of woe from women of every background, and she's ready to rule. Women, she states with her trademark frankness, need to wise up, stop subjugating who they are, and stop making stupid decisions in the name of love. They hide their talents and opinions so they won't offend. They tiptoe through life letting others take credit for their ideas because they would rather be liked than respected. They spend their lives trying to please everyone but them-selves, and then they wonder why they feel so frustrated and unfulfilled.

Beauty Fades, Dumb Is Forever presents Judge Judy's ten hard and true lessons for happiness:

Beauty fades, dumb is forever.
Don't crawl when you can fly.
What goes up must come down.
Denial is a river in Egypt.
Master the game--then play it.
You're the trunk of the tree.
You can't teach the bull to dance.
Failure doesn't build character.
Letting go is half the fun.
You can be the hero of your own story.

Customer Reviews:

Great wisdom in this book!.......2007-07-20

I recommend this book for gifts to women first starting out in their professions. It's quite empowering. Judge Judy has a extremely descriptive way of writing that is both enlightening and amusing. When people ask to borrow my book I give them a resounding NO! Get your own!

Very Insightful.......2007-05-12

Judge Judy has always been entertaining and continues to delight with this book of witty lessons for life. I really enjoyed her candor!

Can be very funny but much of the advice is predictable.......2007-03-28

Judge Judy is probably more fun to watch than to read. This book, which has the virtue of directness, doesn't go beneath the surface at all in dissecting male-female relationships. With all due allowance for exaggeration and broad humor, I find the image of American men as essentially insensitive, football-watching couch potatoes who leave the toilet seats up to be more of a cliche than anything else.

The author's personal stories about her marriages (and her remarriage to the same guy) are fascinating. She has insight into her own life, and she knows how to write. Many young women will probably benefit from reading this and learning the distilled lessons of life. But I can't give this book more than three stars because of the Judge's portrayal of the American man.

She's good, I liked her "You're smarter than you look" best.......2006-03-20

Good book for life advice for women. Not quite as funny and entertaining as her "You're smarter than you look" which takes you on a life journey and has some very good rules for any stage in your life. Still it is a good book and she tells you a lot about her own life and her own mistakes in it. Worthwhile, for her fans a must-have anyway.

Funny reading, even for (open-minded, smart) guys.......2005-09-16

I would bet this is probably Judge Judy's funniest book (c'mon, the title!). I'm on my second read of it and am enjoying it even more than the first time. Although the book is squarely targeted at women, the principles Judge Judy discusses could apply to men of low self-esteem also (hey, women have been reading and internally switching the pronouns in male-centric books for years; why not turn the tables?). Besides, her dialogue, much like that of her hit TV series, is abrasive, colorful, and blunt. Her revealing asides of household interactions between her and her husband Jerry (also in the legal profession) are HILARIOUS, well worth the price of the book. I am so hoping Judith Sheidlin will continue to write; I can't wait for her next book, whenever it emerges! Hysterical!

Average customer rating:

Great!!
The Second Horseman
Exciting Book!
The Burglar Who Stole Warheads
Reads Like A Screenplay

The Second Horseman (Fade)
Kyle Mills
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 031233575X
Release Date: 2006-08-08

Book Description

Brandon Vale is a career thief -- the best there is. Or at least he was before he was thrown in prison for a jewel heist gone bad. And even more embarrassing, he had nothing to do with it. His time inside is going fairly quietly until the night hes broken out against his will by Richard Scanlon, the now-retired FBI agent who framed him in the first place. Scanlon, who still has ties to the United States intelligence community, has discovered that a Ukrainian crime organization is auctioning twelve nuclear warheads to the highest bidder, but he can't convince the government that the sale isn't a hoax. The only way he can get his hands on the $200 million necessary to take the warheads off the market is to do something that goes against everything he stands for: steal it. The choice Brandon is given is simple: help Scanlon and hope to live through it, or turn himself in and face the repercussions of his "escape." Suddenly, Brandon finds himself with only weeks to plan a Las Vegas heist that that hes been dreaming about for years, but has always thought was probably impossible. And to make matters worse, Scanlon insists on choosing his team personally. Led by the relentlessly intelligent and undeniably beautiful Catherine Juarez, not a single one of the former government operatives he picks has so much as shoplifted a pack of gum in their lives. As the day of the heist approaches, Brandons carefully constructed plans begin to break down and he suspects that the elaborate double-cross hes devised to save himself could cost millions of lives. He finally has to ask himself just how far hes willing to be dragged into a game that he can only lose.

Customer Reviews:

Great!!.......2007-09-03

I read this right after I read FADE, which may have been a mistake because FADE was so good. But I still enjoyed it very much and may read it again when I haven't just read a huge powerhouse of a book right before.

The Second Horseman.......2007-08-31

If you love thrillers, you will truly enjoy this tale by talented author Kyle Mills. A real change of pace and a breath of fresh air in the genre.

Imagine yourself behind bars, prepared to serve a sentence for a crime you didn't commit, when you are suddenly expelled from the prison into a rainy night and no explanation is given. That is what happens to Brandon Vale. Caught between a rock and a hard place as the cliche says, he is forced to flee.

He has no plan, he has no resources, yet he arrives at a destination predetermined for him by the man who sent him to prison. Given no choice, Brandon is forced to do a job and expects his final reward will be a bullet in the back of the head. The job is to steal 200 million dollars to buy some bombs.

A cleverly plotted story, a hero who seems anything but as he works his way through this challenge to his inherent genuis for crime will hold your interest and you won't want to put the book down.

Loads of action with unexpected results, settings that take you into the story and an original look at the commission of a crime. I'm pleased to recommend this tale to any thriller or mystery buff who likes action and high drama in their reading. Enjoy. I did.

Exciting Book!.......2007-08-12

In thie Kyle Mills thriller the hero is a 33 year old burglar. His name is Brandon Vale. He is incarcarated in prison. he was put there by Richard
Scanlon when he was an FBI agent. Scanlon has discovered a sinister plot
that could shake up the stability of thw world. Scanlon is recruited by Presidential advisoe Edwin Hamdi to stop this plot. There is a Ukranian
crime organization that is trying to auction nuclear warheads. It becomes
Scanlon's job to take the warheads off of the market. He comes up with a master plan but in order to be sucessful he has to break Brandon Vale out of prison. Vale makes a sucessful jailbreak. He is put into the safekeeping of Scanlon employee Catherine Juarez. Vale pulls off a stunning robbery of Las Vegas cash at the San Francisco federal reserve
bank. He is able to steal $200 million dollars. Scanlon uses these funds to purchase the 12 nuclear warheads. Vale is selected as the front man with the Ukranian crime organization. He finally obtains the warheads but
quickly discovers that he has beem doublecrossed. Edwin Hamdi has plans of
his own for the warheads. It becomes a race against time to discover the
plans for the warheads and stop their detonation. This is definitely a
pageturner. Once again Kyle Mills has writtem an outstanding book.

The Burglar Who Stole Warheads.......2007-07-29

In Kyle Mills's last novel, Fade, he presented a title character who was a top-notch ex-government assassin, a real tough guy up against even tougher foes. In The Second Horseman, Mills gives us a hero who is almost an anti-Fade: the amiable and violence-loathing genius burglar Brandon Vale. The character may be a complete contrast, but Mills himself is the same as ever, delivering another good story.

As The Second Horseman opens, Vale is languishing in prison, framed for a diamond heist by his ex-boss Richard Scanlon. Scanlon, a former-FBI-agent-turned-private-security-consultant, now finds he needs someone of Vale's skills to stop terrorists from getting a hold of some nuclear warheads. Without Vale's consent, Scanlon breaks the burglar out of prison; suddenly Vale goes from a minor crook with a year left in his sentence to a fugitive facing serious time. Scanlon, however, has an offer: a new identity in another country with a nice bit of cash.

All Vale has to do is pull off an elaborate robbery of a truckload of Vegas cash which will be used to covertly buy the warheads before they get into the wrong hands. But things are not quite that simple: in particular, Scanlon's boss, Edwin Hamdi (a Presidential advisor) has an agenda of his own that is not as benevolent as Scanlon believes. And Vale tries to stay one step ahead of his unwanted boss (and Scanlon's beautiful assistant, Catherine Juarez), figuring on a bullet in the head as soon as he actually does his job.

This may not be Mills's best novel, but it is still a solid four-star effort, a nice blend of a caper story and a spy thriller. This is a good read for new and old Mills fans alike.

Reads Like A Screenplay.......2007-07-07

Interesting plot, likeable characters, and some tense political intrigue can all be found in this thriller. Why only three stars? The story reads more like a screenplay than the type of all-absorbing book in which a reader can immerse. Who knows, writing a story to end up on the big screen may have been the plan all along. It's just not the approach that creates a great book. Certainly worth a read, because it is entertaining. Just don't expect too much.

Average customer rating:

Amateurish
Superb!!
The Danger of Power
Best book I read in 2006
Great characters

Fade
Kyle Mills
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0312934181
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Amazon.com

The government turned its back on Salem Al Fayad after the first Gulf War, but now that Homeland Security needs "Fade's" particular skills, they attempt to recruit him again. He's not only not interested, but he's nursing a very big grudge, and the ham-fisted tactics they use to reel him back in don't help defuse his anger. There's a bullet lodged in Fade's spine that could have been removed years ago, but the feds wouldn't pay for it then and it's too late now, so Fade's got nothing to lose but his life, and that's not worth very much to him now. His old friend and teammate Matt Egan tried to help him then, but now he's charged with bringing Fade in, dead or alive. Both Fade and Egan are appealing characters--if there's a villain here, it's Egan's new boss, and Matt is torn between his loyalty to Fade, his duty to a superior officer he despises, and his fears for his own family's safety. Mills expertly ratchets up the tension page by page and chapter by chapter in a better than average thriller marked by fine charicaterizations, superior pacing, and a strong narrative in which the bonds of friendship are brilliantly delineated and the two men at the center of the action linger in the reader's mind after the expectable but still compelling denouement. Mills gets better and better, and Fade is timely enough to break him out of the midlist and win him a new legion of fans. --Jane Adams

Book Description

A former Navy SEAL who speaks perfect Arabic, Salam al-Fayed (a.k.a. "Fade") had been one of the deadliest weapons in America's arsenal-until a mission gone wrong put a bullet in his back, requiring risky surgery the government refused to pay for. Embittered by a wound that could one day immobilize him, Fade isn't exactly cooperative when Homeland Security insists on putting him back on the payroll. But they're not taking "no" for an answer-and what is meant to be a foolproof deception turns into an explosive bloodbath.It falls to an estranged friend of Fade's named Matt Egan to clean up the mess made by his superiors. But it isn't going to be easy-because Fade is gunning for the men who set him up. And Matt is at the top of the list....

Customer Reviews:

Amateurish.......2007-10-08

I read some 25 spy-thrillers a year and this is the worst book I have read in several years. Dead last.
Characters are not believable. Motivations are not believable. Author's writing style is for dummies.
Brings into question Mills reputation

Superb!!.......2007-09-03

I've read a number of Kyle Mills' books and I'd say this one is my favorite. Tight and quick-reading plot with wonderful characters and a dash of mystery and suspense. I was thoroughly pleased.

The Danger of Power.......2007-04-21

"Fade" has restored my faith in Mr. Mills. With none of the gratuitous sex and violence that marred his last couple works, he has managed to tell a compelling action story about an operative trained to deal with morally-ambiguous circumstances who is shamefully abandoned by his government. Do not misunderstand--I do not issue a blanket condemnation of sex and violence, we are all impacted by such and such themes have a place in literature. However, a fine writer can leave much to the imagination that a lesser writer will force his reader to wade through. I applaud Mr. Mills for having sufficient faith in his plot and prose to avoid unnecessarily explicit writing.

Even though the protagonist is a wonderfully-drawn complex character, I greatly enjoyed the skewering of a governmental weenie-type. The kind of fellow who masters office politics and rises far beyond his ability, Hillel Strand is the type of person who avoids ethical dilemmas by construing all situations in terms of self-interest.

Sure, Fade is an action story and there is plenty of fighting and high-end carrying on--but it is much more than that. The novel has a depth that was missing in earlier works precisely because it treats issues of deep moral import and resolves them with a measure of respectful ambiguity thereby leaving the reader to think about the story rather than merely turn the pages. It is about who issues orders, whether they should be followed and how such orders change the world.

I was gratified to find that Mr. Mills has, at least in this offering, abandoned much of the coarseness that pervades action thrillers. In so doing, he elevated both his prose and the power of his story. In a world where the sympathies of combatants in the battle of good vs. evil are no longer easily identifiable, it pays to think about the consequences of power and exercises thereof.

Best book I read in 2006.......2006-12-29

Average number of books read per week = 3

Having said that. Fade was the best book I read in 2006. Once read, I passed it to my boyfriend. This Christmas season we bought copies for his grown children. Action packed page turner. Read it in one sitting (yes it is that good!).

Great characters.......2006-12-08

I have read each of Kyle Mills' books as it was published. I have enjoyed every one of them, but Fade is his best yet because of the depth of the characters, particularly the eponymous character Fade. Often even the most exciting thrillers suffer from a lack of well-rounded characters, but in Fade Mills has done an excellent job with both characterization and pacing.

Average customer rating:

An Introspective Shell Scott
Solid story and writing
A slow slug fest.
Phillips won't fade
Aiming low

Fade To Blonde (Hard Case Crime)
Max Phillips
Manufacturer: Hard Case Crime
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0843953500

Customer Reviews:

An Introspective Shell Scott.......2006-06-22

The book would have gotten a higher rating but I didn't like the ending. It didn't make sense to me. The author does skillfully recreates the private eye stories of the late 50's and early 60's. A little more risque than that era would have allowed, but not by much. I like the central figure and thought the secondary characters were interesting. Yes they're stereotypes but in this setting that works fine. I usually like detective stories set in the present but it was fun to read about the golden Los Angeles of the '50's. The author is able to write fluidly using the vocabulary and style of the era. The book presents a look at the fringes of the Hollywood scene which is always fun when well done. I would want the "hero" to be a little more like the Shell Scott character, a little lighter and more ironic but that wasn't the book the author was going for. I recomend the book. To my mind 3 stars means worth reading.

Solid story and writing.......2006-04-25

A nice read in the hard-boiled detective genre. One problem, which may not mean much to most readers, was with gun details. Corson tells us he carries a .44 caliber Colt Python. There is no such thing. I understand this is a fictional story, but when an author tries hard to recreate a period, by talking about locales, movie stars and automobiles in the story as if the characters were actually there, why not check that the gun described actually existed as well? Otherwise, I enjoyed it, would recommend it and would read another by Phillips.

A slow slug fest........2006-01-21

We have Ray Corson, ex-boxer, a collection of women and thugs, and reliable friends. After being hired to make someone `go away' preferably using a permanent solution, Ray plugs along learning more about the woman who hired him and the men who want to hurt him.

The built up-moving through the first 70 to 80 pages--is slow, but the writing is good. The chapters are short and clean. We learn more about Ray, but once or twice Phillips's protagonist is a `little' on the spontaneously, brutal side, not that that hurts the book, but the motivation is not fully explained. We don't see enough of his disgust, if not hate.

Ray is still likeable. I'd want him on my side. The writing is good and I'll read more by Phillips.

Phillips won't fade.......2005-05-12

Set in Hollywood in the early 1950's, the main character in Fade to Blonde is Ray Corson, a failed screenwriter doing roofing and other odd jobs to make ends meet. Enter blonde bombshell Rebecca LaFontaine, a failed actress turned hat check girl, waitress, etc.. who wants to pay Corson to protect her from a scorned boyfriend (porn film producer and minor mob character Lance Halliday). As Corson begins to dig into Halliday's background, he finds more than he bargained for, and the result is a wild ride through an LA of drugs, mobs, and violence. A twist at the end makes this Hard Case Crime offering a welcome addition to the genre.

Aiming low.......2005-02-08

This is an interesting read with lots of authentic Hollywood ambience, but ultimately the two lead characters are not credible. An ex-boxer, would-be-screenwriter who does menial labor to pay the bills? Maybe. A good-looking crazy girl who can't quite cut it in front of the cameras? There's always been a few of those. But the screenwriter with five drinks in him beating two armed thugs to a pulp? Then joining the mob and getting sent to their favorite tailor so he can intimidate two-bit coke dealers? And then going thru with the crazy girl's plot despite knowing it's a total setup, only, apparently, to teach her a lesson? Uh-uh. There must be a way to update the pulps for 2005, but Mr. Phillips hasn't found it.

He's a good writer, and lots of his secondary characters are quite good, but the main story is a knuckle sandwich.

Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries

Average customer rating:

Very helpful, but I'm still clueless
Entertaining but not outstanding
Eccentric choices, but still useful and interesting
Fade to Black
Fab compilation

Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries
Paul Donnelley
Manufacturer: Omnibus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1844494306
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Book Description

Fade to Black chronicles the lives and deaths of more than 1,200 movie personalities, Included are not just the big stars but a wealth of important characters from the history of film. Some achieved world fame or great power. Some were consigned to obscurity after one scandal too many. Other hid dark secrets that would only emerge after their deaths.

Customer Reviews:

Very helpful, but I'm still clueless.......2006-07-07

Yes, this book is a great help if you want to find out about your favorite stars, and the lesser stars, too. It even had Joan Marsh, I think. But if I recollect,no June Knight. I wanted to find out more about her, even if she didn't make a lot of movies. I've watched some of them: Take a Chance, Wake Up and Dream, Broadway Melody of 1936 (My favorite), Lilac Domino. But she wsn't in the book, I think. I wanted to find out more, so I was dissapointed. Still, the book helped me a whole lot, and some of the obituaries were fascinating. It's a great gude to classic stars, so go ahead and buy it. (P.S. Does anyone know what happened to Redheads on Parade with Dixie Lee and John Boles? I can't find it... is it lost? I can't find Ladies Must Love either... HEEEEEEELLLPPP MEEEEEEEEE!I heard that 'redheads' sucked anyway...)

Entertaining but not outstanding.......2006-01-08

Sort of an encyclopedic text on movie obits and mini-bios, with a typical Brit left-leaning approach (read the write up on Ronald Reagan and that becomes obvious.) Many (US) actors you would expect to see are, rather curiously, not listed - and there are many (mostly Brit and European) you've never heard of. Some of the material doesn't agree with more extensive (and presumably, extensively researched) biographies on some of the subjects. The author also seems to devote as much text to sexual preferences and affairs (rather a bit heavy on the gay emphasis) as to the movies the actors appeared in. Then again, what else would you write about in a book of obituaries? Lots of tidbits that make good party conversation. A decent casual read (or scan). In other words, a library loaner. (This is the 3rd edition - 2005)

Eccentric choices, but still useful and interesting.......2006-01-04

Although the film industry is primarily Hollywood-based, this book is useful in that it contains a healthy number of obits for British actors and actresses from the 1930s-60s (Felix Aylmer, Bernard Bresslaw) that most Americans have never heard of. The book's subtitle is "A Book of Movie Obituaries", and, yes, all the big names are in here: Monroe, Brando (a particularly lengthy article that could have been trimmed a bit: the adventures of his pet raccoon are as long on the entry on Roy Rogers), etc. But it's not just actors. Directors and producers are included. Pauline Kael, the film critic, gets an entry, as does Keiko the whale from FREE WILLIE (Lassie does not, but Rin Tin Tin does). Ronald Reagan is here, though if he had not been president, one wonders if he would have qualified. Murder, suicide, and scandal appear quite a lot, and sometimes it seems as if any connection to film will do if it will provide a "sexy" entry. Does John Lennon really qualify as a movie star? And Larry Linville (from M*A*S*H) seems to have been included just so that his various personal scandals could be detailed. Still, the author takes pains to clear Fatty Arbuckle's reputation. Mel Blanc, who provided the voice for Bugs Bunny and a host of cartoon characters, and in doing so changed the way cartoons were recorded (among other things) gets 13 lines, while Tex Avery, who directed many cartoons, gets a page and a half (most of which merely list the cartoon's names and dates).

Fade to Black.......2005-06-12

I picked this book up in my local library and was hooked from the get go. It took a year or two for me actually buy it, but Im so glad that now I can pick it up, pick a page at random and still find something that could be sad, shocking,or even heart warming. It contains a wealth of imformation about all aspects of hollywood: the actors, producers, directors. If you are interested in this sort of thing, I highly recommend that you get this. This is a book that no film buff should ever be without.

Fab compilation.......2004-09-07

A great film book....buy it, read it, treasure it and you will keep referring to it every time an old film appears on telly!

Fade: My Journeys in Multiracial America

Average customer rating:

Excellent Overview
Fade, My Journies in multiracial america
Must-read for anyone interested in race in America
fresh, topical, entertaining

Fade: My Journeys in Multiracial America
Elliott Lewis
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 078671882X

Book Description

Television journalist Elliott Lewis weaves his memoirs as a black-and-white biracial American with the voices of dozens of multiracial people who are challenging how we think and speak about race today.
"What are you?" This seemingly ordinary but politically charged question has become a touchstone for debate around race and ethnicity. Now, more than ever, mixed race Americans are calling themselves biracial and multiracial rather than feeling forced to choose only one race. Nearly seven million people checked more than one racial category in the 2000 US census, the first time in history Americans had the option to mark more than one box.
With Fade, Lewis offers a comprehensive look at the multiracial state of the union. Here he speaks with dozens of individuals, tackling hot button issues such as the often complicated lives of multiracial people in communities of color, interracial dating, transracial adoption, and the birth of the multiracial movement. The author also shares his own moving — and often humorous — firsthand experiences with race, along with intimate stories from those at the forefront of nationwide efforts to formally recognize the multiracial population.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Overview.......2006-09-19

This book covers the shared experiences, both historical and psychological, of multiracial individuals.

This book is about what every multiracial person knows. This book is also teaches the reader the things every teacher, parent and partner of a multiracial person needs to know.

Fade, My Journies in multiracial america.......2006-02-25

This was a wonderful and lively work touching on a very timely topic in the ever shifting demographic make up of our country. Elliott provides fresh views in a personable way that helped me with discussions with my own children in accepting those that may come from bi-racial families. Wonderfully eye opening and very touching. It's a great read!

Must-read for anyone interested in race in America.......2006-01-24

I found this to be a very illuminating read. Elliott Lewis looks at multiple facets of the lives of mixed-race persons in America, and the book will be an eye-opener especially for readers who have little exposure to the subject. This is no dry sociology text: the style is lively and loaded with anecdotes and interviews that bring the topic to life. Lewis' observations on the formation of racial identities in children - and the unique challenges for multiracial kids who find themselves forced to "choose" - are of particular interest. This is a timely subject and Lewis is an engaging writer - definitely give this one a try!

fresh, topical, entertaining.......2006-01-19

Elliott Lewis travels the country, but mostly the West Coast, and talks to biracial people about their experiences and activism. He gets the point across that mixed-race people are seen by different people differently in different settings. He also does a great job in showing how they want to be recognized in their wholeness.
Mr. Lewis has a unique positionality. Like Lisa Bonet's and Lenny Kravitz's daughter, he is mixed on both sides. His status as a second-generation biracial person is fascinating and fresh.
The late legal scholar Trina Grillo, who was also biracial and wrote on biracial persons, once stated, "It used to be that biracial issues never came up, now you can't turn on the TV without hearing about it." I was worried that this book would just rehash what other books have already stated. I was pleased to be proven incorrect. This had interesting topical chapters. I think both experts and novices can enjoy this book.
Near the end of the book, the author admits the text's most serious flaw: it almost entirely covers black-white mixed people like himself. He gives all this focus on black-white individuals, yet lists numbers that prove there are more white-Latino, white-Asian, and white-Native people than there are white-blacks. I think people from these groups will be gravely disappointed. This book shamelessly falls into "the black-white paradigm" that Latino and Asian-American scholars have lamented.
When he does mention others besides Eurafricans, he focuses on Eurasians. However, the most common interracial couple in the United States is made up of one Latino spouse and one white spouse. The children of couples like Ricky and Lucy make up the majority of mixed folks, yet they are virtually ignored. Lewis never mentions Bill Richardson, Christina Aguilera, Raquel Welch, Benjamin Bratt and numerous other Anglo-Latins. Latinos are now the most numerous group of color in the US, yet they get no attention here. Further, those mixed-race people who are fully of color, like Tiger Woods, get ignored just like they did in Rachel Moran's interracial text. The black and white colors on the front of the book signify the black-white focus here. "Fade" does not just refer to diminishing colors, but also a hairstyle popular among African-American men in the late 1980s.
While the author quotes many male biracial writers, most of his interviewees are female. My Spidey sense tells me that biracial issues may be more salient to women than men. This book seems to hint at that during its discussion on exoticization.
Mr. Lewis mentions that there are more biracials on the West Coast than in the East. Again, I think this can be explained by the heavy white-brown and white-yellow mixing over there compared to the rare black-white mixing east of the Mississippi River.
In a similar fashion that Spike Lee often creates characters in the arts like himself, Mr. Lewis paid especial attention to biracial people working in the media and from Washington State.
I think the author may have fudged a fact in the book. He says that the late NAACP head Walter White was only 1/64th Black. However, Wikipedia says Walter White had 5 great-grandparents and 17 white ones; that's about a quarter Black.
The author has a photo of himself on the back cover. This is similar to the photos in Maria Root's multiracial books. I guess visuality is important in this area. Whatever the cause, one gets to see that Mr. Lewis is incredibly cute.
This book would be good for people of all ages. It has good quotes for students writing papers in college or high school.

Flash ActionScript for Designers: Drag, Slide, Fade

Average customer rating:

Do Not Purchase if you want to follow with resource files. DOES NOT EXIST!
not for newbies
missed the mark
Great for learning common ActionScript tasks
Has Its Ups and Downs

Flash ActionScript for Designers: Drag, Slide, Fade
Brendan Dawes
Manufacturer: New Riders Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0735710473

Book Description

A visual approach to explaining and exploring the power of ActionScript for those who design with it. Organized according to differing creative areas, each basic type of project is deconstructed, with components broken down and ActionScript code explained; variations are then suggested. Four-color, with lots of visuals and annotated code.

Customer Reviews:

Do Not Purchase if you want to follow with resource files. DOES NOT EXIST!.......2006-09-28

Be warned. If you are intending to download the resource files and follow along with the excercises....or want to look at finished projects with finished code.... The web site and resources that the book refers to NO LONGER EXISTS. I emailed both the publisher New Riders, and the author Brendan Dawes and have still not heard from them after two weeks. May have some useful information for you but if you want to follow along as the book suggests.... BE WARNED. I would be extra careful with any titles by New Riders or Brendan Dawes. Do research about the resources BEFORE you purchase.

not for newbies.......2005-10-23

I was very disappoointed when I bought this book. I was learning flash and I wanted to get a good basic understanding of actionscript. When I started reading the book, I knew this wasn't it. There were errors and as I quickly discovered, this is definitely not a book for beginners. There are better books out there. Save your money!

missed the mark.......2004-02-05

This book claims to take the fear out of programming but it jumps right into writing raw code in "Advanced" mode as opposed to coding in "Normal" mode which I would assume to be the logical first step.

The author does a good job of introducing the ActionScript language by using metaphors but failed to get me to actually program anything.

This book is not for designers, maybe it is for programmers but, I would guess that programmers would require more depth than this book provides.

Great for learning common ActionScript tasks.......2003-05-10

This book is great for learning how some of the great Flash tricks are done. I'm not a designer or Flash programmer by trade, but after perusing this book I was able to employ my knowledge of similar ECMA languages to ActionScript and create sliding and fading effects as well as a few others.

Highly recommended for someone trying to expand their ActionScript toolset.

-Steve Parks
Macromedia Certified Instructor
Macromedia Certified Advanced Cold Fusion MX Developer
Cold Fusion Developer's Journal Contributing Author

Has Its Ups and Downs.......2003-03-09

As others have stated, this book has errors, and what's worse those errors are not even pointed out on the book's website. The least the author/publisher could do is keep the website up-to-date.

The good part is this book does contain some interesting effects with ActionScript, but this is not a book for ActionScript beginners. It is for people with either some background in ActionScript already, or with JavaScript. Otherwise, you will be frustrated very quickly. The quality of the physical publication is quite high with excellent paper stock, full color throughout and long book width. New Riders, to their credit, rarely produces cheap physical products.

In all, this book has some good meaty content, but poor technical editing to catch the errors mars its overall usefulness; hence the mixed review.

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