Fauve Painting: The Making of Cultural Politics

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Jim Lee's classic art

Another excellent chapter in the annals of Marvel's Mutant Verse

X-Men: Muntant Genesis is a great graphic novel!

The beginning of the 90's era X-Men craze

Claremont and Lee together equal one fine X-Men story

X-Men Legends Volume 1: Mutant Genesis TPB
Chris Claremont
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
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X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda

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X-Men: Mutant Massacre

ASIN: B000LSBQN6

Customer Reviews:

Jim Lee's classic art.......2006-08-11

This recopilation shows the gold age of x-men (the 90's) beacuse thanks to Chis Claremont stories and Jim Lee's Strong art, the X-men are the most famous comic book in the world, you can read the first apperance of omega red, and Dr. Cornelius comeback, you must read this if you think you are a x-men fan.

Another excellent chapter in the annals of Marvel's Mutant Verse.......2006-06-30

This was a classic when it 1st hit the stands so many years ago so it's awesome to have it now collected in a nifty tpb. Longtime Mutant scribe Chris Claremont & fan favorite Jim Lee executed another great tale full of action, drama, romance, & mystery. These tales along with the *Uncanny X-men* & *X-Factor* series' layed the ground work for the successful film franchise. A+ all the way. Also, check out Wild C.A.T.S. from Jim Lee's Wildstorm imprint. It's just as creative & addicting.

X-Men: Muntant Genesis is a great graphic novel!.......2006-05-18

X-Men:Mutant Genesis is a great graphic novel! You have first seven issues of the acclaimed 2nd seris of X-Men! X-Men is written by Chris Claremont with artwork by superstar Jim Lee! Chris Claremont writes first three issues of X-Men and Jim Lee draws all seven issues! Also the birth for the acolytes and the X-Men's Blue team with a final showdown with Magneto on Asteriod M! The first apperance of Omega Red and Marverick is here in these issues! These issues are great and if you bought the orginal comics back in 1991, this will bring back the memories on how Jim Lee rose to fame starting a new X-Men Title with Marvel comics! Great! A+

The beginning of the 90's era X-Men craze.......2006-01-06

In 1991, Marvel made history by launching a new ongoing X-Men series (the first issue of which was available in many different covers) with legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont at the helm, and the talent of superstar in the making Jim Lee providing the pencils. Collecting the first seven issues of X-Men, Mutant Genesis finds Professor Xavier dividing the team up into two groups: the Blue team (which this X-title would feature) and the Gold team (which would be featured in Uncanny X-Men). During this, Magneto and his followers, the Acolytes, are planning to wreak havoc on mankind, and it appears that Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Rogue, Gambit, and Psylocke may be on his side whether they want to be or not. Later on, characters such as Maverick and Omega Red make their debuts as well. The story is typical X-Men/Claremont fare, but it works for what it's worth, whether the dialogue is dated or not. Jim Lee's art is still great fifteen years later, and his character models and costumes would set the standard of the X-Men's look until the end of the decade. All in all, Mutant Genesis isn't the best X-Men TPB you'll read, but you can certainly do far, far worse.

Claremont and Lee together equal one fine X-Men story.......2004-11-25

This TPB contains the first seven issues of the X-Men during Marvel shake up in the early '90s. These seven issues can easily be two of the best story arcs to bare the X in years. Together Claremont and Lee have won the covetous Eagle Award for outstanding work in comics not once but twice, and the first of the two story arcs contain within this TPB should have been their third. Although Claremont left the X-men and Marvel for reason we need not get into, he left the title on one of it's highest notes. Ladies and Gents please don't let this title past you by, this dream team put some of their finest work to print in this one.

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X-Men: Mutant Genesis TPB
*
Manufacturer: DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIB
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000K7MOBG

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Have my people call your people.

Damn Funny Stuff

Mostly the latter

sharp biting fun

Quintessential Queenan

If You're Talking to Me, Your Career Must Be in Trouble: Movies, Mayhem, and Malice
Joe Queenan
Manufacturer: Hyperion Books (Adult Trd Pap)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler: Celluloid Tirades and Escapades

Red Lobster, White Trash, & the Blue Lagoon: JOE QUEENAN'S AMERICA

Queenan Country: A Reluctant Anglophile's Pilgrimage to the Mother Country

Balsamic Dreams: A Short But Self-Important History of the Baby Boomer Generation

My Goodness: A Cynic's Short-Lived Search for Sainthood

ASIN: 0786884606

Customer Reviews:

Have my people call your people........2003-03-02

Some of you may have seen my earlier review of his newer book, Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler. That was a very funny, vicious look at Hollywood and the movie business. This is an earlier book, collecting essays from the early 1990s written for Movieline, Rolling Stone, and one article for the Washington Post, and contains many of the same elements. However, while Heckler was chock full of hilarity, insults, wisecracks and the like, this one doesn't have as many of these. Instead, there are some very fine articles analyzing movies and the careers of certain stars (Jessica Lange, Sean Young, Keanu Reeves, for example). Thus, while I found Heckler much more entertaining than this book, I found this one much more interesting.

That's not to say there aren't hilarious articles dealing with the categorization of movies by various odds and ends included in them (such as the opening essay, which deals with older men falling love and having sexual relations with jailbait in the movies). Some of the funniest articles I've read from Queenan are in this book, such as his attempt to "be Mickey Rourke for a day." In this article, he details how he went four days without bathing, dressed up all in black, and determined to travel throughout New York acting like Mickey Rourke, doing and saying things that he has said in his movies or in interviews. This includes trying to find a prostitute who will fondle a blond woman like the prostitute Rourke makes do this to Kim Basinger in 9 ½ Weeks, smoking tons of cigarettes, and repeatedly telling complete strangers that "sometimes, you just gotta roll the potato." He also swears a lot.

The funniest article in the book has to be his list of 25 of the most senseless movies ever made. These are not movies that are just plain stupid, because usually even stupid movies are easy to follow. No, these are movies that make no sense whatsoever. Included in this list is Joe vs the Volcano, The Night Porter, The Two Jakes, and King David. He goes on to describe just why these movies have made the list. In this essay, he reaches the heights of vicious humour and commentary as he savages these films. Even if you disagree with him (as my wife does on a couple of them), you will still find this article worth reading and laughing at.

Other categorization essays include bad clerics in movies, musicians in movies (and why they usually are terrible), the first installment of "Don't Try This at Home" (where he tries various things that happen in movies and see if they are even remotely realistic), and a complete castigation of the use of bad accents in movies. These articles vary between wonderful and passable, with most being toward the former. "Don't Try This at Home" is the only one that is a letdown. Queenan's at his funniest when he lists movies by category and shows why it is a bad thing that they are in this category.

I was quite surprised, however, to find some truly introspective articles in this book as well. No, Queenan doesn't let his trademark wit leave him, but these articles are tempered by some true compliments and compassion. These articles were written before most of Hollywood started avoiding him, so there are some articles with actual interviews. Queenan uses these interviews as starting points to analyze the careers of the actor or actress in question, and he does a surprisingly fair job of it. The article on Sean Young is very fair to her, even though it does tend to emphasize the fact that she was taking high school algebra lessons right before the interview. Even so, he sounds quite impressed that she'd be willing to do this. Other interviews with Keanu Reeves and Jessica Lange, while perhaps showing them in not the best light, are extremely complimentary of their work, even in bad films. I found these articles very interesting and I'm glad I read them. They showed me a side of the stars that you normally don't see (and that is probably why nobody will talk to him anymore).

He is a bit less compassionate when he is analyzing a career without the input of the celebrity in question, such as when he questions Barbra Streisand's move away from light comedies to the pretentious and disastrous movies she's made since. He also has a brilliant analysis of Alfred Hitchcock movies (or at least brilliant-sounding, since I have never seen one of his movies) and how they represent some of Hitchcock's true feelings about things. It's very insightful, and will take the reader past the surface of his films and dig deep into how these movies reflected his own neuroses. I found it fascinating. Even in these articles, though, he finds some good things to say about the subjects, and that's what made them even more interesting.

The only real misses in this book are the shorter articles. I don't know if it's because Queenan needs time to really delve into his subject to make it interesting, or if he just needs time to get himself going, but the shorter articles inevitably fall flat. Thankfully, that shortness makes them easy to digest before moving on to the meatier, far better essays.

The book is still sprinkled with vulgar language and some of the articles are on the sharp side, so if you don't like biting humour and quite a few f-words, this book probably isn't for you. But if you don't mind that stuff and you like movies, this book is definitely worth reading. You may not always agree with Joe Queenan, but you will definitely enjoy the ride.

Damn Funny Stuff.......2001-10-30

Just blew threw this is 2 days, one of those 'couldn't put it down' books. Rarely do I laugh, or even chuckle but Mr. Q provided 2 days worth of jollies. Interesting to see how some of these movie moguls have progressed (or degressed) in the few years since the books has been published. If you too feel insulted by what Hollywood offers us as 'entertainment' get this book. Enjoy!!

Mostly the latter.......2000-11-18

I picked this up at the library after reading Queenan's My Goodness (2000), a very funny book in which he pretends to seek redemption for his many journalistic sins.

Anyway, I was talking to Joe Queenan the other day and ventured the opinion that he is the undisputed king of snide remarks and deprecating asides. He responded, "I am the king," a line he stole from a mattress retailer out of L.A. He repeats that line to himself aloud every once in a while because he likes the way it sounds. "I am the king." There is a certain quick tempo to the "am" as though he is realizing as he says it that he is indeed the king.

Queenan is actually an entertainment biz critic who came up the hard way, a man who has mastered the fine art of the gratuitous put down and the non sequitur character assassination. He is a kind of like a low rent George Sanders from All About Eve (1950)--a film I know he saw as a kid because I can see his unconscious self still striving to emulate the Sanders character because, after all, the guy's girl of the evening was Marilyn Monroe in her cinematic debut. Ah, how the unrealized dreams of our youth do so guide our wayward path! Although he tries to keep hidden which babes he really likes in the movies, usually insulting one and all, especially the young and fetching ones (slyly kissing it up to his nonexistent female readership), it can be seen that he goes for those blond bombshells, but apparently doesn't want somebody, perhaps his wife, to know.

Our hero, for all that, does have a certain brassy felicity with words that commands attention, the same way a loud highschool band outside your bedroom window might. And the indefatigable choir boy from the mean streets of Philly really has seen more movies, especially bad ones, than I could ever sit through, and so has picked up a little bit of the art of cinema, enough anyway to qualify as a couch potato afficionado. Reading his rude lectures to semi-admired directors and his haranguing of actors he doesn't approve of (that appears to be ALL actors with the exception of David Bowie (yes!)and perhaps John Gielgud on a good day, and certainly NOT, e.g., Olivier, whom he refers to as "Lord Larry"), reminds me of a beer league basketballer critiquing the state college coach's substitution patterns. You have to sort carefully through all the snide remarks and deprecating asides to sift out a kernel of evidence that Queenan actually liked something he saw. My lord, what a life, to spend a significant part of your waking hours watching films you hate. But apparently somebody has to do it. Occasionally in a campy aside on a very bad film, Queenan will pretend to like something. He's like the tough kid who can't allow that he likes anything other than blood and guts for fear of losing face and looking like a wuss.

Anyway, this collection of his work ("essays" is what he calls them) from mostly Movieline Magazine and Rolling Stone in the early nineties will afford one a few chuckles and some real delight if he is lambasting one of your bêtes noires. Otherwise you might find that our boy grates rather annoyingly on the nerves. But, hey, that was the idea.

sharp biting fun.......2000-02-25

Queenan has an incredible knack to cut straight to the chase and give you wonderful fodder for thought and laughter. His scathing attack on Barbra Streisand ranks as one of the best and most merited public diatribes ever written. His Mickey Rourke piece also manages to blend pop culture, anger and the surreal in a brilliant manner. This book is truly a gem and I recommend it heartily to anyone with an interest in Hollywood and the idolisation of celebrities in general.

Quintessential Queenan.......2000-01-14

The skewering of Barbra Streisand in "Sacred Cow" would be worth the price of the book alone; however, Joe Queenan's other Hollywood targets (his observation of Melanie Griffith having "the most inexplicable career in the history of motion pictures"is one of his kinder moments) hardly fare much better. I never laughed so hard at other's people's expense in my life - amazing when once considers that Queenan never goes into depth regarding the alleged acting abilities of Sly Stallone. But his musings on John Goodman ("the American Gerard Depardieu"), Keanu Reeves ("His name 'Keanu' comes from his grandfather, and supposedly it's Hawaiian for 'cool breeze over the mountains', although since Keanu's the one supplying the information, it might actually be the Hawaiian word for 'Keanu'"), and Laurence Olivier ("Who can forget Olivier's odd squawking in 'The Betsey', in which his attempts to capture the inflection of an American auto tycoon end up sounding like a cross between Jed Clampett and Scrooge McDuck?") all draw blood. And I haven't even gotten to gems like "Mickey Rourke for a Day" and "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World", a look at Oliver Stone's work where Queenan confesses not to believe the conspiracy theory presented in 'JFK' because of Joe Pesci's wig.

Read and laugh.

Book Description

Linda Williams examines the theoretical and poetic writings of the Surrealists during the period from 1910 to 1930 and traces the emergence of a poetics of the cinematic image based upon the fluid associations of dreams and the unconscious. Incorporating both Lacanian psychoanalytic theory and Metz's methodology on film and dream rhetoric, she analyzes the structure of unconscious desire in four key Surrealist films by Luis Buñuel: Un chien andalou and l'Âge d'or (both co-scripted by Salvador Dali) and Phantom of Liberty and That Obscure Object of Desire.

Figures of desire : a theory and analysis of surrealist film.

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Figures of desire : a theory and analysis of surrealist film.
Williams Linda.
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQBZO0

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Figures of Desire: A Theory and analysis of Surrealist Film
Linda Williams
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBKQUQ

Book Description

From the 1940s to the mid-1960s, on several evenings a week, thousands of Irish and Irish Americans flocked from miles around to the huge, bustling dance halls -- the Intercolonial, the Hibernian, Winslow Hall, the Dudley Street Opera House, the Rose Croix -- that dotted Boston's Dudley Square. For the city's Irish population, the Roxbury neighborhood, with its ballrooms and thriving shopping district, was a vital center of social and cultural life, as well as a bridge from the old world to the new.

See You at the Hall brings to life the rich history of the "American capitol of Galway" through the eyes of those who gathered and performed there. In this engaging look back at Boston's golden era of Irish traditional music, Susan J. Gedutis deftly weaves together engaging narrative with spirited personal reminiscences to trace the colorful dance hall period from its beginnings in 1940s Roxbury, when masses of young Irish flooded Boston following World War II, through its peak years in the 1950s, to its decline in the 1960s, when reduced immigration, urban social upheaval, and a shift in neighborhood demographics brought an end to the heyday of Irish dance hall music in Boston. After the last dance hall closed, Dudley Square musicians moved from the big ballrooms to pubs, social clubs, and private parties, preserving the music and passing it on to younger generations of Irish performers.

Today, Irish traditional music is experiencing a major revival, and Boston still boasts a lively Irish music scene. This vivid portrait of the enduring and vibrant heritage of the dance hall era will rekindle memories of the good times in Dudley Square, and it will fascinate the legion of fans around the globe interested in the roots of the Irish music they hear today in concert halls, pubs, and clubs. The book also recounts an important period, as yet unchronicled, in the history of Irish music in America, and of the Irish in the diaspora.

Customer Reviews:

History of Boston through the eyes of those who performed.......2004-08-07

From the1940s to the mid-1960s, several evenings a week, thousands of Irish and Irish Americans flocked to Boston's dance halls on Dudley Square to enjoy an unparalleled social scene of music, dance, and shopping. Musician and music book editor Susan Gedutis is also a performer of traditional Irish music in the New England area, and she's the logical author to add rich detail and social history to See You At The Hall, a probe of the history of Boston through the eyes of those who performed there. Narratives weave with social history to make for a compelling study in See You At The Hall.

Settle In, and I'll Tell You a Story.......2004-06-23

Would you like a cup of tea? How about a slice of soda bread? This book is as warm, lively, and fun as an Irish family gathering. Though the author is a music scholar, this book is refreshingly free of the weighty tone of most academic works--the writing is smooth, informed, and accessible, the tone affectionate. Ms. Gedutis has interviewed many performers and fans about this era, and their recollections are amusing, poignant, and nothing if not sincere. Not only do they recall strong images of a lost city, but they place the music in historical context: as the author points out, when the Irish first came to America, music halls--like social clubs, pubs, and church groups--were just one of the "meeting places" where new immigrants could relax among their own as they tackled the routine problems of life. The Irish well know the power of story and song-- in relating our history, in affirming our personal and collective identity, and in establishing a foundation of shared experience and hope in building a community.

Ms. Gedutis refuses to paint the tale with a broad brush, however. She addresses the social and cultural forces that less informed authors might miss. One example is the tension between some Irish and Irish-American musicians. The former apparently felt that the latter, not born of the Sod, weren't "real" Irish musicians. This view was heartily countered by Irish Americans, who pointed out that many of the "real" musicians couldn't read music. On the argument went, while people danced in the background.

In recalling this era, this book can't help but make one wonder if, in a world where Play Station and cable tv isolate us from one another, perhaps more of us (of all ethnic backgrounds), need to "go to the hall," to reconnect with our neighbors and friends for a dance, a drink, and a bit of chat. (Of course, the photo of Cardinal Cushing doing the Highland Fling is itself worth the price of the book.)

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The Boston scene.(See You At The Hall! Boston's Golden Era of Irish Music and Dance)(Book review): An article from: Irish Literary Supplement
Ann Morrison Spinney
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B000JBXS6S
Release Date: 2006-10-04

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Irish Literary Supplement, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2006. The length of the article is 1926 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Boston scene.(See You At The Hall! Boston's Golden Era of Irish Music and Dance)(Book review)
Author: Ann Morrison Spinney
Publication: Irish Literary Supplement (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 26 Issue: 1 Page: 1(2)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

A worthy, original sequel to the original.......2000-05-02

The legacy of the most infamous super-dungeon of all time continues in this unspeakably huge and darkly fun boxed set. The first set was just the beginning - now, submit your heroes to the Deep Levels! You get: 2 entire books of monsters, adventures, adversaries and treasures, 16 pages of new monsters, 4 giant poster maps highlighting the most dangerous levels in the dungeon, and a pile of cardsheets to help you whip up diabolical traps in an instant. Highest recommendation!

Ruins of UnderMountain (AD&D 2nd Ed. Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms)

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The best AD&D Module available. period.
The ultimate Forgotten Realms dungeon crawl
If you find it, BUY IT! It's worth it, and rare!

Ruins of UnderMountain (AD&D 2nd Ed. Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms)
Ed Greenwood
Manufacturer: TSR Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1560760613

Customer Reviews:

The best AD&D Module available. period........2000-07-02

dungeon crawl, puzzles, mystery, intrigue, politics, saga, love, hate, murder,.. everything is here. this was the first box i ever bought for AD&D and the group was so swept up into it that we would play for hours and love every minute of it we couldnt wait for the next session, most of the time we would decide to play the very next day

The ultimate Forgotten Realms dungeon crawl.......2000-05-02

In Ed Greenwood's finest adventure, the most famous super-dungeon of the Forgotten Realms comes to vivid life in this grim, inspiring masterpiece of dark dungeon delving. The format is totally open-ended - the upper-works are exhaustively and ingeniously described over 160 pages, and the new monsters, cunning traps, and 4 colossal poster maps will tempt you to create your own endless evil schemes to fill out the rest! A dungeon so deep that even Elminster has no idea what lies below... a true classic, and highly recommended.

If you find it, BUY IT! It's worth it, and rare!.......1999-01-05

This is a great campaign for the beginning player for Forgotten Realms. A great buy, and a must have for any self-respecting DM or player. A perfect addition to anyone's collection.

Ruins of Undermountain (AD&D/Forgotten Realms) [Miniature Box Set]

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Ruins of Undermountain (AD&D/Forgotten Realms) [Miniature Box Set]

Manufacturer: Twenty First Century Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000EDKSA0

Product Description

For a brief time, a company in Italy called Twenty First Century Games produced licensed miniature reproductions of classic AD&D box sets. Each has been exactingly reduced to a size that will fit in the palm of your hand. Yet, each is usable & readable, though a magnifying glass may be handy! ~~ A complete mini Ruins of Undermountain box has all the items as the original: Campaign Guide to Undermountain; Undermountain Adventures; 8 DM cards; 8 Monstrous Compendium sheets; 4 poster maps.

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A Must read for any mom!

Only so...so

Life changing book

Kick-started my frugal lifestyle

Very Misleading - Focuses too much on Groceries

Miserly Moms,: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy
Jonni McCoy
Manufacturer: Bethany House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Miserly Meals: Healthy, Tasty Recipes Under 75¢ per Serving

The Complete Tightwad Gazette

You Can Afford to Stay Home With Your Kids: A Step-By-Step Guide for Converting Your Family from Two Incomes to One (You Can Afford to Stay Home With Your Kids)

Dining on a Dime Cook Book: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips

Frugal Families: Making the Most of Your Hard-Earned Money

ASIN: 0764226126
Release Date: 2001-10-01

Book Description

Jonni McCoy and her family are proof that you live on one income. The McCoys made a successful transition from two incomes to one while living in one of the most expensive parts of America: the San Francisco Bay Area. Her Miserly Guidelines will help you save thousands of dollars a year on everything from groceries to electricity to insurance and household cleaners-as well as reveal the hidden costs of holding a job and common money wasters. Her practical, proven cost-saving techniques, strategies, tips, and recipes will help you live frugally without feeling deprived.

Customer Reviews:

A Must read for any mom!.......2007-04-04

I read this book for clues on how to become a stay at home mom. I purchased quite a few books and found this one to be most helpful. She not only tells you how to do it, she gives great examples of what she did that worked and what didn't work!

Only so...so.......2007-02-22

I don't really think this book gives much depth on the art of living on less. I would recommend The Tightwad Gazette if you want to learn to live on one income and look for this one at the library, there is really very little advice that isn't obvious.

Life changing book.......2006-12-12

This book is a must have for any woman transitioning from "work outside the home" to "stay at home". It is chock full of wisdom and great ideas! This is no "wash & reuse your plastic baggies" kind of book. It has fantastic practical helps on everything from helping your grocery budget to making your own play-dough and non-toxic cleaning products. I have read and re-read this book many times.

Kick-started my frugal lifestyle.......2006-11-03

I found this book used at the bookstore and traded some unwanted books to get it, and that was the best "purchase" I have made in a long time. Other reviewers who say that she does focus heavily on food are correct, but for me that was great, because I do spend a lot on food and it seemed like a good place to start.

She shares general tips as well about places that commonly eat up our money, so it is a good book to get started with because it is focused in one direction and also has a lot of springboards for other areas of your life where you can save. Her tips never seemed like they went too far or would make me feel deprived, in fact a lot of her tips are based around developing more awareness of where your money is going, and she has a lot of ideas that I found very helpful.

So this is a great book to get started with, especially a used copy (I have an older edition and am finding it helpful even though some of the prices are outdated), and then when you have squeezed the usefulness out of this book, go for the Tightwad Gazette next. The Tightwad Gazette is a bit overwhelming for beginners, so I do recommend this book first. I have gotten a lot out of it.

Very Misleading - Focuses too much on Groceries.......2006-09-12

I applaud Ms. McCoy's obvious success and recognize that she has helped many families. However, I think this book is very misleading. It basically outlines how to find the extra money to stay home by changing the way you grocery shop. There are numerous other ways to save enough money when you lose or give up an income. I assumed the book would focus on all aspects of possible savings. If I had realized the book was so heavily focused on shopping and cooking, I would not have purchased it. I recognize that the author touches on other areas and suggests applying her cost-savings suggestions with groceries to all other aspects of your life. But, a book about how to grocery shop frugally is not what I thought I was buying. I think it's an excellent resource for people who want that, it should just be titled and marketed as what it is.

I must also note that the book includes an entire, very long, chapter of recipes. I did not think that was appropriate since the book is not presented as focusing on meals. And, most of the chapters are way too brief (many have less than five pages of information). I also worry that planning meals by only focusing on store sales has a much greater health cost from poor nutrition down the road.

I am glad that Ms. McCoy's choices seem to work well for her and I hope they help others who are interested in a similar approach. I just wanted to share what the book really focuses on for people who prefer a different approach to finding a way to afford being at home.

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