Customer Reviews:
Not Quite for Beginners.......2001-11-26
This book is intended for someone who has a bit of a background in design. Landa does explain some of the things you will want to think about in a design, say for a book jacket or advertisement, but unless you are already familiar with the terms, this may not help.
There are exercises for you to practice what you have learned, but there are no answers. These are intended for the reader to explore what they have learned rather than "parrot" back what the author wants.
In the end of the book are some words about design from some big-name designers in either interview or short-letter form. This will mean more to you if you are familiar with the names.
The examples are good pictures with some information (who did the work and whom it was for), and they have a brief paragraph explaining what the creator were thinking about the project. In some cases, it is very enlightening, but in others, it just seemed like reminiscing.
I recommend this book for people with designer training, but not for the beginner.
Eye Candy, Brain Vacuum.......2001-03-05
OK, you can certainly see lots of examples of cool designs, but if you are looking for actual HELP with learning to design, this is NOT the book for you. I kept waiting for the book to be useful. Finally, towards the end is a section of exercises that can help "unlock" your visual creativity. That was useful, but in the end, it didn't redeem the book.
If you are looking for a neat beginner's guide to design principles, see "The Non-Designer's Design Book," another gem by Robin Williams.
helped me.......2000-09-30
Landa is the absolute authority on creative visual thinking. This book helped me tremendously! Buy it.
A book FILLED with great examples of design..........2000-01-28
Actually, the book ITSELF is well designed/layed out too, which could lead you to establish somewhat of a biased faith in its content before you even read it thoroughly (the content IS good, by the way). I've lost count how many times I've referred to it for inspiration and come out on top. It's certainly been a good investment for me.
An outstanding book stuffed page to page with juicy ideas........1999-01-08
Tired of searching for inspiration to unlock the block that's been stifling your creative flow? Well, this book is dynamite! Lots of direction both in writing and pictures for expanding creative muscle. Clear and friendly writing style, excellent organization of material, easy to follow and cruise through. And, not so expensive given the good quality paper, hc, and all those photos! I thought the interviews with designers was a humanistic touch. Nice to know the faces behind great design.
Book Description
In this hysterical, piercing completely on-target collection of essays, Cynthia Heimel lets loose once again on all her favorite subjects. From "The New Coldness" (pretty people eating frozen radicchio mousse while starving children outside claw at the window) to "PMS and Outfits" (self-explanatory), each of these pieces offers a welcome antidote to modern culture (which, Heimel tells us, is too kind a word for what we live in). Here's Heimel on:
Women...I know what kind of man I must look for: a guy who will be my pal, who approves of me and supports me, and who is not afraid of his feelings. I know this is right, because I feel the same aversion that I feel about eating bean sprouts.
Men...The boy disease is when everything's just great and you're having a wonderful time and then he suddenly becomes very weird and disappears. It's epidemic nowadays.
Men and Women...If he's the wrong man, you can turn yourself inside out with smiles and perfume and French maid's outfits and nothing will work. If he's the right man, you can have greasy hair, spinach in your teeth, and your skirt on inside out, and he'll still be entranced and follow you to the ends of the earth.
Life, etc...Being a mother of a teenager is a strange and precarious exercise. You both know about sex, but nobody's talking. Better to talk about cannibalism.
Customer Reviews:
Okay.......2004-09-16
This book is funny in parts, but a bit dated since it's from the 80's. A typical, "Oh woe is me, I am single and have no boyfriend, however, if I meet someone and he likes me and treats me well, then I'm scared! I don't actually want a commitment, I want to be single!"
I wanted to like it, but..........2003-03-23
I really wanted to like this book. With a great title like that, I expected it to be a comic look at the relations between men and women, likely coming hard down on the side of women. Instead, it is a mismash of New York angst mixed with the fading regret of yet another runaway from the 60s. In short, choppy doses (each section was originally published as individual essays in Playboy, Cosmopolitan, or The Village Voice), Heimel raves against the world, but not of it ever is funny enough to make you laugh out loud or close enough for that frission of understanding to occur. Oh, you might be able to identify with her if you are a single mother of a teenage son who supports herself by writing in Manhattan, but I wouldn't take bets on it.
The essays are grouped into sections labled "The Times," "Women," "Men," "Women and Men," and "The Writer's Life." The best stuff is in "The Times" such as "Notes on Black" about how all the trendy people who were the originators of the black look are conspiring to forgo it for another color until all the sheep quit wearing it, then they'll go back. The worst stuff is in "The Writer's Life," which should instead have been entitled "Cynthia Heimel's Life" because I saw nothing there that resembled any other writer I know.
I guess I looked in the wrong place. I had noticed that I had a lot of comic stuff by men on my shelf, but nothing by a woman, so I browsed the shelves and came up with this. I'm not necessarily a fan of the comic essay (Dave Barry probably being the prime example of it today, and whom I can read but I never feel like purchasing a whole volume of his stuff). In essays, I tend to like humorous political commentary (say Molly Ivins or P.J. O'Rourke) better than Andy Rooney style essays on the little things of life. Instead I should have picked up comic fiction by a woman, I guess--except I'm not aware of any. Zora Neale Huston? Anyway, with due apologies to Heimel, I can live without her.
A slightly uneven book of feminist humor.......2002-06-05
Heimel is brilliant. I do love her work. Her essay on "Clothes and PMS", included in this book, stands as one of the funniest things I have ever read ("I am a symphony of reds!" she sings, before she is saved from herself). Her slightly embittered, I-don't-even-want-to-know approach to life rings true.
The only place the book sags is when it tries to be too serious. Heimel should stick to comedy. Some people just can't be trusted with biting social commentary. About a third of the book seems to fall within this category. I skipped most of that. But the rest is pure genius, with insight and wit.
The Greatest Title Ever.......2001-11-10
Cynthia Heimel's "If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" is a collection of her columns from the Village Voice, Playboy, and Cosmo. The book is half painful wisdom, half male-oriented feminist anger, and half fall-on-the-floor-laugh-out-loud comedy. If you think that doesn't add up right, you haven't taken into account that anger can be funny, and sometimes even wise. The columns date from the 1980's and are totally New York oriented, so if you don't think the Big Apple is the center of the universe you may find yourself annoyed, and the discussion of drug use will profoundly disturb some. But Heimel's not out to offend--she's just an urban divorced mother trying to live a worthwhile life. She's caught in the crossfire of mindless masculinity and rabid feminism, looking for a safe place for a love life, a job, and a family. Her most moving columns are about her son, and "Childhood is Powerful" should be required reading for prospective parents. In it, she talks about guilt, and how honesty with your child is more important than parental authority; and how limits must not be placed on your child in order to create that authority. "As much as love, empathy cures all evils." And "For Rent: Empty Nest" is a tear-and-smile inducing bit of writing that will resonate with every mother. "If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" isn't a perfect book, but it's bite-sized slices of life are well worth the price of admission, especially if your date is paying!
Funny, but now a bit outdated.......2001-08-10
I read this book just recently and laughed at many of the sections. It's very funny for the young and modern woman. Beats down some stereotypes, which is always good.
Book Description
Millions of people dream of chucking the city routine and leading the simple country life. Jim Mullen was not one of those people. Even a short weekend in the Hamptons was enough to give him the shakes. He just didn't understand the whole culture of weekend houses. "Why don't they take the money they're going to spend on a second house and buy a better first one? One they don't have to get away from every weekend."
He loved his perk-filled life as a Manhattan columnist: the parties, the openings, the movie screenings, the free junk that public relations people sent him in the mail. He could walk to hundreds of different restaurants from his Greenwich Village home, waste entire afternoons at the Film Forum, people-watch from his window on Christopher Street. Then, calamity.
His wife quit smoking. To keep her mind off cigarettes, she bought a weekend house in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. Three hours in the opposite direction from the glitzy Hamptons, the tiny town of Walleye is a parallel universe where things are the exact opposite of New York City. Shopkeepers take checks without ID, strangers wave at you when you drive by, the bank teller knows your name, reservations at restaurants are unnecessary, and parking is free.
There is no weekend crush in Walleye. There is no frenzy for lemongrass or tomatillos at the farmer's market; there are no homes by Frank Gehry or Robert Venturi; no one owns a Land Rover or a BMW. There is no Williams-Sonoma, no Ben & Jerry's, no theme restaurant owned by a celebrity, no microbrewery, no Sharper Image. There isn't a tuna carpaccio with tapénade on a bed of hand-torn frisée within three hours of the place. His mostly dairy-farming neighbors never read The New York Times, don't know who Ralph Lauren is, have never heard of Moomba, and have difficulty pronouncing Joe Pesci, yet they manage to live full, productive, and happy lives. How is this possible? It starts to shake Mullen's faith in Manhattanism.
Though the one local radio station goes off at sunset and oregano is on the "exotic food" shelf at the supermarket, Mullen warms to the place. Slowly but surely, the man who once boasted "Life is just a cab away" no longer feels at home on the sidewalks of New York.
It Takes a Village Idiot is a deliciously entertaining, eye-opening look at how hard it is to live The Simple Life. A must read if you've ever used the words "flyover country" -- or even if you haven't. "Imagine A Year in Provence written by Dennis Miller," said one New York writer, "and you'll have some idea of the fun of It Takes a Village Idiot."
Customer Reviews:
City folk turned mutant country killers .......2007-05-13
I was enjoying It Takes a Village Idiot up until page 183 when suddenly, outta no where, Jim & Sue turn into cruel vicious killers.
"Patrolling the perimeter (of their garden) one day" Sue spotted a woodchuck down by the barn and yelled for me to come help. I grabbed the first thing I could find--my five-iron-and ran down there.
We had him cornered and I started clubbing it. It was like something out of Goodfellas. Each smack made a sickening thump, but the thing wouldn't stop twitching. I didn't want it to suffer (yeah right. can you believe that?), but I couldn't seem to finish it off.
Finally I came down with a mighty stroke right on its head. Woodchuck blood splattered all over me, my shirt, my pants, my face. But it stopped moving."
I don't know about you but that makes me ill. How cold blooded can you be? To physically beat something to death. Woodchucks = Marmots = Groundhogs
All they had to do was lower that fence they put up around the garden (to keep deer out), a foot or two below ground. Where's their brains. That's what I did. It was plain common sense. When you see something digging under your fence--lower it!
Heck! with the money they had they could of poured a two foot concrete wall below their fencing. I used rocks and junked bricks.
Then on page 206 there's this
"On the way to the store, we passed a fly-covered deer carcass on the shoulder of the road. Sue looks at it unsympathetically and says, One down, three hundred thousand to go." " Ouuwee where'd she get all this hate from? What an ugly person she turned out to be.
Then they turned into arrogant rich country snobs, belittling everyone who does not live/think as they now do. What an about face. In the beginning Jim and Sue Mullen seemed like OK people but in the end you see that they really aren't.
Hilarious and So True.......2007-04-06
Jim Mullen has written an hysterically funny, insightful book that is a must read for those wavering between living in the City or living in the country. Mullin is a rare writer who can get humor out of real life -- side-splitting humor at that. This is a great book for anyone interested in big laughs and great insights.
Frank Scoblete: author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution! and Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution!
I live In Delaware County........2007-02-09
Like some of the other reviewers said this was a quick read. Not just because it is light. It is also a likeable book. There are some exagerations though (you don't have to drive to Endicott for a the New York Times though who knows maybe you did in 87). It has a cute ending in that he winds up liking Delaware County very much.
Light, fun read for the most part. Inconsistent, I thought........2006-11-23
OK, so, you know before you open the book that city dweller finds peace and happiness in the heartland after many poignant and sweet things happen to him to sway him. So he starts out being the unwilling partner in this move outside of NYC, and gradually he comes to love it in the countryside.
But throughout the book, I felt like every time he was gradually starting to sway toward the country life, he'd then turn around and say something to the effect of how he's only doing this for his wife and that if he had his druthers, he'd live in their Manhattan apt instead. And it wasn't in a sweet sort of way, as though he were battling his own feelings. It was more like the chapters were not in chronological order. That was my beef #1.
Beef #2 was the story about the author's completely gruesome and totally gratuitous, hateful torture of a woodchuck that was a pest in their garden. This, after he went on and on about how he and his wife went to pains to use only cruelty-free traps in their garden. It was just so gross and nasty and it made me feel so sad and dark.
Otherwise, I would say it was a good, very quick read. There were funny parts and it was decent (if a bit snarky) writing. And I love any book that has chucking it all as its main theme.
" REALLY GUARANTEED TO SMILE ".......2006-07-18
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT . I PICKED THIS BOOK UP AT A SWAP AND IT WAS THE BEST MONEY I NEVER SPENT . THIS BOOK IS SO TONGUE-IN-CHEEK AND AT TIMES LAUGH OUT LOUD IT DESERVES 5 STARS . I WON'T SPOIL IT BY GOING ON & ON AS SOME REVIEWERS. HOWEVER, JUST KNOW, IT'S KIND OF A " FISH OUT OF WATER " REAL LIFE STORY OF CITY DWELLERS MOVE TO THE COUNTRY ! STORIES WHICH ARE ALWAYS FUNNY . SO IF YOU CAN'T BUY IT, THEN AT LEAST GO TO YOUR LIBRARY AND TRY TO GET IT . SO WORTH YOUR WHILE . NOT AS TWISTED AND LAUGH OUT LOUD AS THE DAVID SEDARIS BOOK OF " ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY " , BUT, THIS BOOK IS FUNNY WITHOUT BEING OFFENSIVE . VERY ENTERTAINING. IT WILL FIND A PERMANENT PLACE ON MY SHELVES TO LOAN TO FRIENDS .
Book Description
From the maker of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, the long-awaited movie from Universal Pictures (May 2004) starring Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing, the legendary monster hunter born in the pages of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Stephen Sommers, the visionary filmmaker who revived Universal's classic Mummy character in the massive blockbusters The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, breathes new life into the most time-honored pantheon of classic Universal monsters: Dracula, The Frankenstein Monster and The Wolf Man. In Van Helsing, Sommers infuses these screen legends with dimension, characterization and technological wonder in a way that honors their legacy and propels them into the next generation of cinema.
Set in the late 19th century, the film finds fabled monster hunter Van Helsing summoned to a distant European land on a quest to vanquish evil. Starring Hugh Jackman (X2) as Van Helsing and Kate Beckinsale (Underworld, Pearl Harbor) as valiant Anna Valerious, and with awe-inspiring digital effects from Industrial Light & Magic, Van Helsing will thrill moviegoers as they are introduced to worlds never before imagined.
In addition to the complete screenplay, this spectacular Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook features over 150 full-color illustrations, including movie stills, creature and costume sketches, set designs, and special visual effects stills. Sidebars include interviews with the film's cast and crew, and details on the sweeping locations used to create Van Helsing's visionary supernatural world, spanning from 19th century London, Rome, and Paris to Transylvania. 150 color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
A Splendid Companion to "Van Helsing".......2004-08-31
There are a number of things that one could single out for complaint regarding Stephen Sommers' summer tribute to the classic Universal monster films, but one of its strengths is its rich art direction. For fans of this film the art direction, and how it came about, is well pictured and documented in "Van Helsing: The Making of the Thrilling Monster Movie." It is a fun compaion to the film and a tribute to Sommers' work in creating a visually stunning summer treat. Shortly, after the realease of the film, the "Salt Lake Tribune" complained that "Van Helsing" lacked "atmosphere." This was a bizarre comment given one of the most atmospheric treatments of this genre since the best of the Hammer films. Much of this is caught in "The Making of." The phenomenal sets and backdrops are well preserved here. The book also contains a full working screenplay which may not stand up to more literal scripts, but it works here and is again fun to have in print.
Sensational Photo Book.......2004-08-21
Van Helsing: The Making of the Legend is a gorgeous book full of beautiful scenes with glamorous vampires and adventurous monster hunters. It's too bad Dracula's brides were killed because I wanted to ask them where they shop. The only person without magnificent tresses is Frankenstein's monster, and he's so sympathetic I couldn't help but love him despite his monstrosity.
I had to laugh at this understatement from the writer/director on page 8 of the book, "There are no monsters in this movie, there are only people with very bad problems."
Richard Roxborough's Dracula stole the show with his seductive portrayal of evil's attempt to defy God (with predictable consequences), so I would have liked to see more of him in the book. However, Van Helsing: The Making of the Legend thoroughly documents the creation of the characters and filming of the stunning scenery. If you loved the movie I would highly recommend this book.
A highly recommended accompaniment to the new film.......2004-07-16
Also available in a hardcover edition (1557046298, $29.95), Van Helsing: The Making Of The Legend is a highly recommended accompaniment to the new film Universal starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale, written and directed by Stephen Sommers, and produced by Stephen Sommers and Bob Ducsay. This marvelous work showcases more than 140 film stills, concept sketches, line drawings, set designs, monster make-up, and spectacular special effects. Of this original treatment of the character first made famous in Bram Stoker's 19th century novel Dracula, has been revised and revisited as a legendary monster hunter as a renegade outlaw confronted not only by Dracula and his three brides, but Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, and a legion of other icons drawn form the archive of classic Universal film studio monsters.
The art alone is worth it!.......2004-07-05
Despite the rather silly premise of the movie itself, I bought this book for the art alone. I am a fan of monster designs and I have to say that the creature designs on this book (the Hellbeast and Werewolf)are worth every penny of it. The costumes, sets, and creatures' transformation are magnificent. I have only one dislike about the look of the Frankenstein monster which seems to be lifted out of the Munsters. If you're into dark creatures and monsters, you'll like this book.
Loved the book, liked the movie.......2004-06-02
My husband and the nine-year-old boy in his heart really liked the movie. I like Hugh Jackman and I was mildly amused by the movie (never really scared thank goodness).
But this book is quite wonderful for people interested in films and how they come about. "Van Helsing" is a movie you have to respect for its production values, even if you aren't blown away by its monsterness. Tampering with the old images may just have made me a little unhappy.
The editor, Linda Sunshine, can be justly proud of making this material so very entertaining to a reader and a book person. And I shouldn't be surprised if the script gets a good work out at a lot of school plays for years to come.
Book Description
This collection of essays contains some of the most up-to-date Handel research from both sides of the Atlantic. Based on papers given at the festival in London to celebrate the tercenenary of Hanel's birth, it draws together workby some of the most eminent scholars of eighteenth-century music. Topics ocvered include the background and sources of Handel's music, the staging of his operas, and his chamber and intrumental music. Aspects of performing practice are discussed, as are questions of influence by Italian, English and German traditions.
Contributors: WINTON DEAN, DONALD BURROWS, BERND BASELT, GEORGE J. BUELOW, JOHN H. ROBERTS, LOWELL LINDGREN, CURTIS PRICE, ELIZABETH GIBSON, CAROLE TAYLOR, DUNCAN CHISHOLM,GRAYDON BEEKS, COLIN TIMMS, MALCOLM BOYD, HANS JOACHIM MARX, WILLIAM D. GUDGER, TERENCE BEST.
Book Description
Some have lived in the world for millennia. Some have conquered continents. Some have gained great fame in magic, sacrifice or heroism of ages past. Some have lived in obscurity throughout the ages. Some wait in hatred amongst dark caverns for their time to ravage and rule the lands. Some dwell in peace deep in hidden valleys and on forgotten plateaus. Some walk openly among the known people, and some walk hidden. They are races of myth and lore. They are tribes, civilizations, outcasts, and abberants. Their time is now.
FFG is proud to present the second core book in the Legends & Lairs line of d20 System material. Mythic Races provides payers with 30 new detailed cultures for character creation. Each race is beautifully illustrated and details their history, gods, special skills, feats, equipment, and new prestige classes. These races range from the familiar to the alien, and all can be easily introduced into any campaign, making use of level modifiers to maintain game balance.
Customer Reviews:
Just what I was looking for!.......2007-08-24
I've searched everywhere in bookstores throughout my city trying to find this book but no one had it! I got the best price around and the book was in excellent condition!
A nice addition to any campaign setting........2003-05-21
Let me start off by saying that this book was a pleasant surprise. I decided to purchase it based off of the previous review of the book, and I can say I was not disappointed. Here are the highlights:
Fairies: If you're looking for a good race of fae without all the hassle involved in using Savage Species, this is the one. +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -4 Str, -2 Con. Key racial abilities: Natural Invisibility, Faerie Fire, and Spell Abilities (8 total). ECL +3
This race also includes dark fairies: the unseelie!
Luminous: A race of Positive Energy emitting humanoids. These beings make awesome clerics and paladins. +2 Wis, -2 Cha. Key racial abilities: Poison Immunity, +4 saves v.s. Necromancy magic, produces own body light equal to a torch at will, and enhanced turning. No ECL modifier!
Mhuinntirs: Shapechanging humaniod jaguar people (think Aztecs). In jaguar form: +4 Str, +6 Dex, +4 Con and +1 AC bonus! Speed 40 feet, climb 20 feet. +2 bonus to Spot and Track checks, bite and claw attacks, plus new feats just for this race. ECL +2
Niomus: My personal favorite. Bat-winged human-like race. Wings fold down and can be covered by a cloak or robe to fool on-lookers! +2 Int, +2 Cha, -2 Str (due to hollow bones). Key racial abilities: fly 50 feet, cold resistance 5, +2 bonus on Jump, Search, and Spot checks. ECL +2
Quissen: think desert reptile men. Warrior race created by wizard with artifact. +2 Con, -2 Cha. Key racial abilities: Darkvision, +4 bonus on Hide in desert terrains, +2 on Climb checks (clawed hands and feet), and thick scale natural armor bonus +2. ECL +1
Uthuk Y'llan: 6 to 7 feet tall, 200 to 300 pd humanoids with tatoos, ritual scars, and bone spurs. Eyes glow when enraged! +2 Con, +2 Str, -2 Int. Key racial abilities: +2 on Intimidate checks, they have an herbal root that when chewed causes them to go berserk! I using this race for my next character, an all-out brawling streetfighter type.
Anyway, there are many other very good races to choose from: Risen Demons, Stonegrunts, Pevishan, Tremen, etc... My only complaint is that there are a few lame races that are just core race rip-offs, or just bad choices for adventurers, but these make up only a moderate portion of the book.
Overall, this book has some really good, refreshing choices that can add a lot to your enjoyment of the game.
Well Done Mystic Flight Games.......2003-02-09
A well put together book of races, with each race having at least one racial prestige class. I have found the book useful and informative.
Not as helpful as I hoped.......2002-12-04
This book does have lots of new races. But when you start to really take a look at them, they start to seem very similar to one another. I run a 3rd Edition D&D game and play in both d20 StarWars and D&D. I thought I would use this as a resource to create interesting new PCs and NPCs. But I have found that I barely open the book since I purchased it. Very disappointing.
Now for something COMPLETELY Different.......2001-10-05
I had a high level of expectation for this product after seeing their fine Blue Planet system. I was not disappointed.
Contained in this 170 (reasonably priced) hardcover is:
* 30 New Races
* 31 Race Specific Presitge Classes
* 13 New Feats (mostly Race Specific, but easily adaptable)
* New Spells
* A Wealth of Background information to make each race unique.
Some examples of the fine work found in Mythic Races:
* Animen - A race of Humanoids with Animal heads (and a hidden animal nature)
* Athathi - A race of (VERY) well designed Humanoid Felines.
* Eleti - For the Necromancer in the Party... a Race of Undead... with a twist.
* Faeries - Finally a well designed Faery race (for those of you who like your fantasy with wings).
* Luminous - A race of beings composed of pure energy... great alternative for Paladins.
* Mhuinntirs - A race of Shapeshifters. The focus here is felines, but could easily be adapted for other animal types.
* Rhonians and the Rhoode - An Avian race and an Anphibian race that live in a strange symbiotic society
* Risen Demons - EASILY the best thing in the book, the opposite of Fallen Angels... two presitige classes are presented.
* Tremen - That's TREE-MEN... VERY COOL
And obviously there is a LOT more. All of the races are easily adaptable and a lot of the races I didn't mention are Warm and fuzzy in a halfing kind of way... but others are savage, brutish or horrible in some way... What thy ALL have in common is excellence of execution...
Bravo Fantasy Flight... Now I'm just waiting on the Sea-Farers guide...
Amazon.com
Smart, direct, precise. These are adjectives viewers of NBC's hit reality show, The Apprentice might use to describe Donald Trump's left-hand woman, Carolyn Kepcher. Kepcher is a tough judge who can make or break hopeful contestants vying to get hired by Trump. In Carolyn 101, readers find a respected business executive and familial leading lady. Kepcher's personal stories draw an entertaining and inspiring picture of a scrappy, former waitress and restaurant manager, with a no-holds-barred approach to getting hired and succeeding in a mostly male-dominated environment in New Jersey--and, eventually, in The Trump Organization.
In Carolyn 101, Kepcher describes how she successfully synthesized her learned-on-the-job business acumen and motherhood duties to become a respected leader in the Trump empire. Plus, readers will love the snippets Kepcher shows of her famous boss, including his empathy to her personal life and foresight in choosing Kepcher for a management role at the age of 25: "I was twenty-five, a woman, and had never run a golf club in my life. But since Donald Trump trusted that I could handle it, I trusted myself to handle it."
It's clear from Carolyn 101 that Kepcher is a renaissance woman through and through. She balances the demands of the show, her job, and home-life, making her success that much more impressive. Those joining the workforce or already in the trenches will appreciate the firm advice she offers through personal stories and short blurbs dotting the pages, like this gem: "When someone hands you an opportunity, don't be afraid to take it." Case in point: Carolyn Kepcher, EVP and COO, The Trump Organization. --E. Brooke Gilbert
Book Description
Known to the millions of viewers of the hit reality television show The Apprentice, Carolyn Kepcher attracted enormous media attention for her cool demeanor and her no-holds-barred assessments of the show's candidates in the boardroom each week. In Carolyn 101, the woman Donald Trump has described as a "killer" businesswoman reveals the secrets of her success.
Geared toward those just entering the workforce or seasoned employees looking to distinguish themselves, Kepcher's book provides readers with guidance for their professional lives. Illustrating her advice with examples taken from her own career, she shows them how to:
- ace an interview
- deal with a difficult boss
- maintain a healthy balance between work and home life
- spot potential business opportunities
- be a strong team member or team leader
Straightforward and inspirational, Carolyn 101 shows ambitious professionals what they need to do to get ahead and take their own careers even further than they had imagined.
Download Description
"Known to the millions of viewers of the hit reality television show The Apprentice, Carolyn Kepcher attracted enormous media attention for her cool demeanor and her no-holds-barred assessments of the show's candidates in the boardroom each week. In particular, she was not shy about speaking out about her disappointment with the professional conduct of the female candidates, whom she felt too often resorted to using their sex appeal to move ahead and gain the favor of Donald Trump. But if anyone knows what to do to impress Donald Trump, it's Carolyn, his longtime employee and trusted adviser. In Carolyn 101, she reveals the secrets of her own success and provides readers with guidance for their professional lives. By looking at the types of people most often encountered in the workplace, she illustrates her advice with examples from her career -- largely within The Trump Organization -- showing readers how to: . ace an interview . ask for a raise or promotion . maintain a healthy balance between work and home life . deal with a difficult boss . spot and seize potential business opportunities . dress for success . be a strong team member or team leader Inspirational to both recent college graduates entering the workforce for the first time as well as seasoned employees looking to distinguish themselves, Carolyn 101 will show ambitious professionals what they need to do to get ahead and take their careers even further than they had imagined. "
Customer Reviews:
Business Primer For Women.......2007-06-24
Despite her high profile, or because of it, this book should be required reading for every young woman going into the business world. Ms. Kepcher has succinctly covered the important topics found in most business offices in America today. While the world of business is commonly thought of as a man's world the author instills the reader with the belief that yes, there is room in that world for women. She gives praise where praise is due. Basically, she reiterates that common sense, ambition, hard work, and attention to details are the precepts of success.
Only good.......2007-05-16
Althogh some chapters are good remainders of what a good manager must do / must behave, it's quite boring sometimes to read so many praises for her boss (now former boss).
I'm happy I bougth it used (US$ 1).
Not worth your money.......2006-05-15
I was really disappointed with this book for two reasons: 1) Carolyn praised Donald Trump throughout the entire book (I understand that she is very grateful for working for Mr. Trump but she comes off more like a starry-eyed love sick puppy. 2) She really did not provide any real business tips beside those that are pretty much common sense.
This book was not worth the money if she writes another book I will make sure I check it out from the library first before spending anymore money.
Worth the Quick Read.......2006-04-17
I wish Carolyn had addressed her snarky tone with Apprentice candidates. From another manager, it's an abuse of power. I don't agree with Carolyn's advocacy of outsourced parenthood. What's the point? But I was pleasantly surprised by the content of her book. It was likely written by her, given the errors in grammar and content organization. But it is very open about office politics, a topic rarely discussed so openly and personally. And her advice on how individuals need to position themselves relative to employers to promote success is spot on.
Good workforce intro.......2006-01-29
The title to this book is very succinct in explaining its content. Carolyn Kepcher's account of her rise to the top includes very basic business tips for anyone who's embarking on their careers, climbing the corporate ladder, or new to their executive role. The beginning of Carolyn 101 was great; Carolyn gives insight into what it took for her to achieve her career goals as a young woman and carry on her executive duties after having two children. She discusses tips for how to ace an interview, ask for raises & promotions, becoming a good manager and the importance of a team enviornment. All of this was wonderful but the book starts its decline as Carolyn finishes the book by talking about experiences from the Apprentice & I believve the last few chapters used the Apprentice as a crutch to make the book longer. Overall though, it's a good read.
Books:
- Transitions: The Art of Todd Lockwood
- Unscientific Americans
- Up & Coming: An Inside Guide to the Emerging Art Scene in New York
- Vilhelm Hammershoi and Danish Art at the Turn of the Century. (book reviews): An article from: Scandinavian Studies
- Visualizing Boccaccio: Studies on Illustrations of the Decameron, from Giotto to Pasolini (Cambridge Studies in New Art History and Criticism)
- Vivien Leigh Paper Dolls in Full Color
- Watches International 2001: The Original Annual of the World's Finest Watches (Watches International)
- White on Black: Images of Africa and Blacks in Western Popular Culture
- Wings of Paradise: The Great Saturniid Moths
- A Private Passion: 19Th-Century Paintings and Drawings from the Grenville L. Winthop Collection, Harvard University
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Dancing With the Devil: Society and Cultural Poetics in Mexican-American South Texas
- Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells
- Darkness, Take My Hand
- Elusive Mrs. Pollifax
- Channels of Discourse, Reassembled: Television and Contemporary Criticism
- Chemical Applications of Group Theory, 3rd Edition
- Foley is Good: And the Real World is Faker Than Wrestling
- Cartoons II: From the Newspaper Series Memories of a Former Kid
- Body Time, Physiological Rhythms and Social Stress.
- Animales del Bosque: En Ingles y Espanol
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads, Second Edition
Creativity for Graphic Designers: A Real-World Guide to Idea Generation--From Defining Your Message to Selecting the Best Idea for Your Printed Piece
Idea Index: Graphic Effects and Typographic Treatments
Official Adobe Print Publishing Guide, Second Edition: The Essential Resource for Design, Production, and Prepress (2nd Edition) (Publishing Guide (AP))
Getting It Printed: How to Work With Printers and Graphic Imaging Services to Assure Quality, Stay on Schedule and Control Costs (Getting It Printed) 4th Edition
