Banjo - Kazooie (Prima's Official Strategy Guide)

Amazon.com

Kicking things off with a hilarious foreword written by Mumbo Jumbo himself, Prima's guide to Banjo-Kazooie is as funny as it is helpful. The book's opening section quickly summarizes the basic elements of gameplay and the underlying plot. You'll learn a little about each of the main characters as well as each of Banjo and Kazooie's special moves and attacks. There's also a section full of basic strategies for the game in general and the nine different game worlds in particular. As you move into the level-by-level walk-throughs, you'll see some nicely illustrated world maps, each annotated with screen captures and descriptive captions. The book doesn't break down the game's cheat codes, but it does tell you how to track down a character who can: wherever Cheato the spellbook makes an appearance, this book will guide you to him. --Michael Ryan

Book Description

Complete walkthroughs of all worlds
Detailed strategies for all of Banjo and Kazooie's moves
Every Jiggy, Jinjo, and golden musical note unearthed
In-depth maps of all levels
Everything you need to rescue the kidnapped Tooty

Customer Reviews:

A mediocre guide for a great game........2001-08-19

The description at the beggining is very informative, but that's where everything goes down. They randomly place the location of Notes, Jiggys and Jinjos below pictures describing where is it. But they put it unorganized.

Next time, i'll test-read a guide before i buy it.

Review of Banjo-Kazooie........2001-06-28

Really liked the way this book was set-up. Has all of the info. you need to get through the game. Also, has info that you need to just "do it yourself".

Two thumbs, way down!.......2001-02-22

This is the worst strategy guide I have ever bought. What a totally waste of money. I should have bought a Redwall book instead.

fun and informative.......2000-08-08

The guide is in depth and informative.It has a good map sestem and is a big help if you are ever stuck.I was stuck serveral times were this book helped.I suggest you try the game without the book but you will probably need it.The game is somewhat simple but the puzzles are hard.All in all a very good book.

Great Strategy Guide For A Grandma!.......2000-03-28

This book covers all the important things you'll need to know to complete the game. Honestly, I don't know how anyone would do it without this guide! It shows the locations of all the things you'll collect and offers suggestions as to how to accomplish some of the more difficult tasks. Although the maps are confusing, the game would be much harder without them. After you understand the layout of the worlds everything makes more sense, and without the maps its practically impossible to do that.

Book Description

This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1887 edition by Wilhelm Koebner, Breslau.

Der Dimorphismus der Wahrheit: Universalismus und Relativismus in der Rechtsphilosophie

Average customer rating:

Der Dimorphismus der Wahrheit: Universalismus und Relativismus in der Rechtsphilosophie
Sibylle Tonnies
Manufacturer: Westdeutscher Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books

German | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Nonfiction | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 3531123378

Die Bedeutung der Philosophie für die Rechtswissenschaft: - dargestellt am Beispiel der Menschenrechtskonvention zur Biomedizin (Veröffentlichungen des ... der Universitäten Heidelberg und Mannheim)

Average customer rating:

Die Bedeutung der Philosophie für die Rechtswissenschaft: - dargestellt am Beispiel der Menschenrechtskonvention zur Biomedizin (Veröffentlichungen des ... der Universitäten Heidelberg und Mannheim)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Medical Law & Legislation | Family & Health Law | Law | Subjects | Books

German | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Nonfiction | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 3540421548

Book Description

Inwieweit können und sollen philosopische/ethische Überlegungen in rechtliche Formen gegossen werden? Wie kann man unterschiedlichen Moralvorstellungen bei der internationalen Normbildung gerecht werden? In welchem Verhältnis stehen überhaupt Recht und (Rechts-)Philosophie zueinander? Die in diesem Band abgedruckten Vorträge gehen diesen Fragen am Beispiel des Menschenrechtsübereinkommens zur Biomedizin des Europarates nach, das sich nicht zuletzt wegen seiner politischen Aktualität und wegen seines gerade in Deutschland umstrittenen Inhalts als Prüfstein bei der Beantwortung derartiger Fragen und derjenigen nach den ethischen und rechtlichen Grenzen der medizinischen Wissenschaft eignet.

Die ethischen Grundlagen des Privatrechts (Rechtsethik)

Average customer rating:

Die ethischen Grundlagen des Privatrechts (Rechtsethik)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law Practice | Law | Subjects | Books

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

German | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Nonfiction | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 3211826068

Book Description

Reihentext!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Die Reihe "Rechtsethik" möchte im Anschluß an aktuelle rechtswissenschaftliche Entwicklungen dazu beitragen, daß der Rechtstheorie eine ethische Dimension wiedergewonnen und damit das bloß etatistisch-positivistische Denken überwunden wird. Insbesondere die Aufgaben und Erfahrungen der praktischen Jurisdprudenz, die den maßgebenden Orientierungsrahmen bilden sollten, deuten unverändert auf die Notwendigkeit eines Rechtsverständnisses jenseits der Alternative von einfacher Gesetzesanwendung und bloßer Eigenwertung oder Ermessensübung. Die Publikationen erfolgen in Zusammenarbeit mit der Abteilung für Rechtsethik am Internationalen Forschungszentrum für Grundfragen der Wissenschaften, Salzburg.

Die gesellschaftstheoretischen Pramissen der Hegelschen Rechtsphilosophie: Eine Untersuchung zur Konzeptualisierung von Gesellschaft und Staat bei G.W.F. Hegel (Soziologische Studien)

Average customer rating:

Die gesellschaftstheoretischen Pramissen der Hegelschen Rechtsphilosophie: Eine Untersuchung zur Konzeptualisierung von Gesellschaft und Staat bei G.W.F. Hegel (Soziologische Studien)
Lothar Stetz
Manufacturer: Centaurus-Verlagsgesellschaft
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Perfect Paperback

Nonfiction | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Die Herrschaft der Vernunft: Zur Staatsphilosophie Immanuel Kants (Studien zur Rechtsphilosophie und Rechtstheorie)

Average customer rating:

Die Herrschaft der Vernunft: Zur Staatsphilosophie Immanuel Kants (Studien zur Rechtsphilosophie und Rechtstheorie)
Peter Unruh
Manufacturer: Nomos
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Nonfiction | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Die kritische Rechtsphilosophie bei Fries und bei Stammler

Average customer rating:

Die kritische Rechtsphilosophie bei Fries und bei Stammler
Georg Fraenkel
Manufacturer: Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1912
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M75IA8

Book Description

India today faces the onslaught of multinational investment and globalization in every sector of its economy, more so in agriculture. Will the new economic policy relieve the hunger of or provide remunerative jobs to the millions living in rural India? In order to answer this question, author Vivek Pinto explores the basis for reconstructing a more harmonious, poverty-free, nonviolent, and self-reliant society based on the ethical and moral principles with which Mahatma Gandhi experimented. The analysis in Gandhi's Vision and Values is based primarily on a small polemic pamphlet, Hind Swaraj or "Indian Home Rule," which Gandhi wrote in 1909. The author addresses the context and text of Gandhi's religiously shaped views on agricultural development and the broad relation between his religious perspectives and agricultural issues. A Gandhian critique of how the planned system of agricultural development has failed to resolve the conditions of poverty is also presented. Finally, the author explores the possible relevance of some Gandhian experiments and current alternatives and provides concrete examples of ways in which social transformations on the path that Gandhi delineated can undeniably be successful. Filling an important gap in Gandhian studies, this book successfully explicates Gandhi's vision of a remarkable, constructive, and inward-looking program for reconstructing a truly independent, self-reliant, and spiritual nation.

GANDHI'S VISION AND VALUES: THE MORAL QUEST FOR CHANGE IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE.(Review) (book review): An article from: International Journal on World Peace

Average customer rating:

GANDHI'S VISION AND VALUES: THE MORAL QUEST FOR CHANGE IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE.(Review) (book review): An article from: International Journal on World Peace
Michael J. Nojeim
Manufacturer: Professors World Peace Academy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from International Journal on World Peace, published by Professors World Peace Academy on June 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1289 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: GANDHI'S VISION AND VALUES: THE MORAL QUEST FOR CHANGE IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE.(Review) (book review)
Author: Michael J. Nojeim
Publication: International Journal on World Peace (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 2000
Publisher: Professors World Peace Academy
Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Page: 76

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Decades of field and microscope studies, and more recent quantitative geochemical analyses have resulted in a vast, and sometimes overwhelming, array of nomenclature and terminology associated with igneous rocks. This book presents a complete classification of igneous rocks based on all the recommendations of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Subcommission on the Systematics of Igneous Rocks. The glossary of igneous terms has been fully updated since the first edition and now includes 1637 entries, of which 316 are recommended by the Subcommission. Incorporating a comprehensive bibliography of source references for all the terms included in the glossary, this book is an indispensable reference guide for all geologists studying igneous rocks, either in the field or the laboratory. It presents a standardised and widely accepted naming scheme that will allow geologists to interpret terminology in the primary literature and provide formal names for rock samples based on petrographic analyses. It is also supported by a website with downloadable code for chemical classifications.

Download Description

Book Description

Introduction to Semiconductor Device Physics is a popular and established text that offers a thorough introduction to the underlying physics of semiconductor devices. It begins with a review of basic solid state physics, then goes on to describe the properties of semiconductors including energy bands, the concept of effective mass, carrier concentration, and conduction in more detail. Thereafter the book is concerned with the principles of operation of specific devices, beginning with the Gunn Diode and the p-n junction. The remaining chapters cover the on specific devices, including the LED, the bipolar transistor, the field-effect transistor, and the semiconductor laser. The book concludes with a chapter providing a brief introduction to quantum theory. Not overtly mathematical, Introduction to Semiconductor Device Physics introduces only those physical concepts required for an understanding of the semiconductor devices being considered. The author's intuitive style, coupled with an extensive set of worked problems, make this the ideal introductory text for those concerned with understanding electrical and electronic engineering, applied physics, and related subjects.

Average customer rating:

Only has standard information

To Anonymous - where were you in math class?

Who edited this book?

A Good Place to Begin

I guess I'm at that stage in life

It's Never Too Soon to Discipline: A Low-Stress Program That Shows Parents How to Teach Good Behavior that will Last a Lifetime
Ruth Peters
Manufacturer: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Discipline | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Education | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Don't Be Afraid To Discipline: The Commonsense Program for Low-Stress Parenting That *Improves Kids' Behavior in a Matter of Days *Stops Naggling and Hassling ... Relationship *Creates Lasting Results

Laying Down the Law: The 25 Laws of Parenting to Keep Your Kids on Track, Out of Trouble, and (Pretty Much) Under Control

The 7 Worst Things Parents Do

Overcoming Underachieving: A Simple Plan to Boost Your Kids' Grades and End the Homework Hassles

The 10 Most Common Mistakes Good Parents Make: And How to Avoid Them

Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

Braun IRT 4020 ThermoScan Ear Thermometer

ASIN: 1582380341

Amazon.com

Discipline has been given a bad rap, according to author and clinical psychologist Dr. Ruth Peters. In the purest sense, discipline means "teaching," using a combination of explanation, reasoning, and action to help children understand acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, explains Peters in It's Never Too Soon to Discipline. Too many parents equate discipline with harsh reprimands, spankings, and criticism. As a result, parents who are striving to create an intimate and child-sensitive household often shy away from disciplining children. We've all seen the upshot--resentful, out-of-control children and frustrated, overwhelmed parents.

The straightforward, "low-stress" program outlined here teaches parents how the fundamentals of discipline can be applied to every stage of development, starting with defiant 1-year-olds. For babies and toddlers, Peters recommends, the most realistic tactics are to ignore the behavior, distract the child, and change the scenery. Six-year-olds respond well to negotiation, bargaining, and clear consequences. Other chapters include "Challenging Kids" (with an excellent discussion on "How Parents Lose Control"), "Outmanipulating the Manipulator," "The Smiley Face System for Ages Three Through Six," and "Single Parents and Stepfamilies." Peters's writing style is anecdote-driven and advice-laden, which can sometimes seem formulaic. Parents who are looking for deeper conversations about guiding children's behavior may also want to read Robert Coles's The Moral Intelligence of Children: How to Raise a Moral Child. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

As a respected child psychologist and mom with more than twenty years' experience, Dr. Ruth Peters knows how quickly children-even those younger than two-can gain the upper hand in the parent-child relationship. Even in the earliest interactions with their children, parents can inadvertently encourage bad patterns of behavior and set the stage for future problems. Dr. Peters outlines a behavior management system with clear, consistent, and fair rules that are connected to solid consequences and meaningful rewards. The book features: * A smiley-face chart to help kids know what is expected of them * Tips for using the system to handle socially inappropriate behavior (such as aggression, bossiness, and tantrums) and developmental issues (such as sleep problems and toilet training) * A chapter on attention deficit disorder * Specific advice for single parents and stepfamilies. This parent-friendly, practical guide is the first step toward bringing order to every home.AUTHORBIO: Dr. Ruth Peters is a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating children and adolescents in her private practice in Clearwater, Florida. She is a consultant to Sylvan Learning Centers and has been featured frequently on Oprah, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today, and numerous other talk shows. She has been a contributing editor to Child magazine and has written a column for the St. Petersburg Times called "Middle Ground" that focuses on the problems of parenting adolescents. She is the author of Don't Be Afraid to Discipline and an audiotape parenting program, "The Successful Child." Dr. Peters lives in Clearwater, Florida, with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews:

Only has standard information.......2006-03-16

If you have read other books about discipline this one will bring nothing new to you. I ordered it because with a title like this I thought perhaps it would give some information that I could use for my baby so we can try to curtail things early on, but the advice it gave for the first year was to simply push their hand away from what they shouldn't do and distract them. Hmmm...my baby is a little advanced for that not to mention it was quite obvious. I quickly read over the rest of the book and set it aside. It has nothing new.

Here are some examples of what you will find:
Page 34: Cardinal Rules for Parenting
1. Be consistant.
2. Take a cool, calm, and almost nonchalant attitude when giving out consequenses.
Her negative consequenses include:
1. taking away
2. time-out
3. Setting (in which she actually discusses the time a child should be in time out)
4. keeping the child in time-out
5. use of the timer
I don't think that section was titled properly.
She deals with types of parenting styles, types of children, her view of behavior management, her smilely face system for ages 3-6, sleep problems, meal time wars, and potty training. Then gives advice for dealing with specific types of inappropriate behavior and children with ADD/AHDD (only 10 pages for that) and some ideas for single parents.

The only real definite plus was that I really enjoyed quizzes that she gives quite often to see if a particular topic applies to you. They were quite fun.

Really, she just runs throught major issues and, I think, states the obvious. If you haven't read about disciplining (teaching not just punishing) children this is a standard book. I didn't see anything objectionable in it. But if you've read and read and are looking for something insightful look elsewhere.

I give it three starts since it isn't bad advice, just nothing truly original.

I'd recommend "The Blessing of the Skinned Knee" or "To Kindle a Soul".

To Anonymous - where were you in math class?.......2004-12-06

I have not read this book, I was just looking through reviews. Anonymous seems not to understand the grammatical and mathematical terms first, second, third, etc. If s/he thinks that the fifth year means we are talking about a five-year-old, than what does s/he think about the first year? A one-year-old? Then how do you refer to a 0-12-month-old baby? The 0th year? Anonymous: the first year means from birth to 12 months, the second year means from 12-24 months (one-year-old), the third year means 24-36 months (two-year-old) and so on. Therefore the book phrased the age categories absolutely correctly. Thought you should know... Now I am interested in reading the book!

Who edited this book?.......2004-12-05

After reading the three reviews on this book, I purchased a copy. I noticed that in chapter 1, "Understanding the Stages of Development" there are some BIG errors with the layout. Under the heading "The Third Year" on page 14, it discusses 2 year old behavior. Under the heading "The Fourth Year" on page 16, it discusses the behavior of a 3 year old. This mismatched problem continues throughout the rest of the chapter and completely left out the behavior of 7 year olds, for which that heading, "The Sixth and Seventh Years" covers 5 and 6 year old behavior. I kept wondering if anyone who wrote the previous reviews actually read this book. If you can ignore the multiple errors and just read through the book, I think it's worth three stars.

A Good Place to Begin.......2003-04-05

This book clearly outlines a plan of discipline that will surely make your "out of control children" sit up and take notice. Dr. Peters details many of the basic principles of good, effective discipline and that is extremely helpful though not terribly directive for parents who don't know HOW to discipline. However, continuing on into the book, you find a step by step approach to follow. I think the approach could be very effective on "out of control" children, but not so suitable for children who are generally well behaved but have a few select issues that need stronger discipline. I found no direction in tailoring the program to your specific child. I also found the use of charts and daily rewards a bit too cumbersome, and a parent would need to be very disciplined himself to follow the program perfectly... something I think many parents of undisciplined children struggle with in the first place. I question the use of daily rewards as incentive to behave. I want my children to "choose" proper behaviour because it is the right thing to do, not because they get a toy from the "grab bag". I would prefer to use a more balanced style that doesn't teach the children to expect rewards for proper behaviour. I did enjoy the book and the way Dr. Peters believes in parents taking charge of their children. It was a worthy read.

I guess I'm at that stage in life.......2002-03-22

I bought this book because my older brother and his wife had a baby a few years back, and I wanted to know how to treat him in a way that would benefit him. I would always just spoil him, and I noticed that he would throw temper tantrums when he couldn't get what he wanted. Of course, when other people were around, the parents usually gave in to the wants of the toddler. This book educated me in how to deal with my nephew during temper tantrums (and other times when he didn't listen to his parents), and I am very excited when I see my nephew and understand how to take care of him in a way that benefits him the best.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic!
Underwhelming
Bigmouth Strikes Again
enjoyable but very very flawed
How Soon Is Never?

How Soon Is Never?: A Novel
Marc Spitz
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0609810405
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Book Description

There is a light and it never goes out . . . or is there?

Welcome to the big Reagan ’80s, where ketchup is a vegetable and the Cold War looms large and chilly. If like Joe Green you were coming of age during this boom era, your main concerns include one or more of the following: a rainbow assortment of Polo shirts worn with the collar flipped up, K-Swiss tennis shoes, a new cable channel called MTV, and Top 40 radio. Stuck in the suburban haze of Long Island, New York, Joe Green knows there has got to be more to life.

However, salvation is on the way, in the form of a quiffed-up quartet from Manchester, England, who take over the airways of a local radio station. Hearing the Smiths for the first time jerks Joe awake: Morrissey’s wry and witty lyrics speak to him, and Johnny Marr’s driven guitar chords get under his skin. He destroys his Phil Collins cassettes, pomades his hair into New Wave submission, studies up on his Oscar Wilde, and falls in love. He even shows up for dinner on time. That is, until his favorite band breaks up and then breaks his heart.

Fast-forward some fifteen years. Joe Green is making a living as a rock journalist, still recovering from a wicked post-college smack addiction and slumming with youngsters who ironically “appreciate” the seminal ’80s music that once gave his life meaning. It’s too late to go home, or is it?

What if Joe Green can get the Smiths back together? What if reuniting the long-broken-up band can reverse the passage of time and bring back the magic of youth? What if it helps him win the heart of the woman he loves?

How Soon Is Never? is an acerbic, ingenious look at Reagan-era adolescence, the power of hearing a record that changes your life, and the dangers of nostalgia.

Be prepared to see a bit of yourself in Joe Green.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic!.......2007-09-20

I couldn't put it down. Marc Spitz captures the time and the essence of the surroundings perfectly. The attitude of the characters was perfect for the situations presented to them.

Underwhelming.......2007-05-18

I bought this book on a whim - I was hooked by the main idea, that The Smiths had saved him as a teenager, but on the whole, the book was pretty superficial and thus disappointing.
For instance, many themes came up in the book over and over again that were only half-resolved, in my opinion. What was the point to belabor how his "relationship" with Jennifer ended? Just that she chose this other guy over him? It was obviously such a formative experience in his life, but I was puzzled by the description - was it that he was really in love with Jennifer, and couldn't figure out how to connect? (or he just wanted to bang her...) - and then aspects of this relationship with Jennifer obviously are echoed with Miki later on, but what is the point???? He falls for unattainable girls? In the end, some of these storylines (this is just one example) had promise, but really didn't lead anywhere insightful.
Most importantly, when I finished the book, I thought, what a completely 2-dimensional, useless person this is, and he has really nothing to say (the final "ephiphany" is pretty trivial). I was drawn to the book because I too found crucial aspects of my own identity by obsessing over The Smiths and others around that time, but Joe Green seems to have literally nothing else in his life! I found myself glad, upon reflection, that my inner life as a teenager was quite a bit more complex than that. IMHO if you really want to read a rock critic's story, go with Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe is of a different generation (and being a Gen X'er, I was drawn to Spitz' book for that relevance to me), but there is so much more substance in his portrayal of one man's search for personal meaning in pop music. Likewise "High Fidelty" by Nick Hornsby. This book is a blip in comparison.

Bigmouth Strikes Again.......2006-07-12

Is historical pop fiction a recognized genre of literature yet? That's really the only way I can classify Spitz's book. Spitz is a writer for Spin magazine, which is readily apparent in the first few pages of this novel.

The story goes a little something like this: Joe Green is a thirty year old mess, which he's been off and on since his teen years. Joe was once saved by the music, and his hope is to be born again through the music. Sounds a little lame at first, and I admit to almost putting the book down during the first few chapters.

Get past the woe-is-me-my-life-is-a-mess-and-I'm-30 angst, and the real hero of the story emerges.

The Smiths.

Yup. The Smiths.

A gawky, spot-on, dysfunctional coming of age background story follows, where we learn of Joe's obsession with all things Smiths.

You remember The Smiths, and you know you listened to them. Maybe you didn't listen to them in high school. Maybe you started in your 20s, when they came into vogue again and made jukebox appearances in hipster bars in trendy neighborhoods.

And you remember those kids in high school who wandered the hallways like the ghosts of real kids. The kids who "...wore black on the outside because black [was] how [they felt] on the inside..." Joe was one of those ghosts, and he's spent his life up til 30 trying to figure out what that means.

Joe and a co-worker hatch a half-baked plan to get The Smiths back together again, whereby Joe also hopes to save his soul and clean up his messy life. A slightly harrowing tale ensues, largely fueled by cigarettes and booze.

I love this book for the nostalgia more than the plot. I fancied myself one of the misunderstood ghost kids during high school, and music was and remains a major part of my raison d'etre. Spitz's knowledge of the alternative sounds of the 80s and 90s is expansive and impressive. The overall effect of the read was like jumping in the way-back machine.

And really, how soon is now anyway?

(I admit to digging out my old Smiths cds and refilling my iPod after finishing this book. I can't believe I still know all the words.)

enjoyable but very very flawed.......2006-06-19

I have to admit this was an enjoyable read, though I'm not sure why. It can't be because of the protagonist, the author under a thin veil (I suspect this is more memoir than fiction). Joe Green is a solipsistic arse, plain and simple - if anything, I was rooting for this brat to *not* get the girl, or fulfill his mission. So maybe it was because of the band - I was never an obsessed fan, but their music did move me in the same way it moved Spitz. I thought he captured this well - that feeling that a band's music could be speaking directly to you, and only to you. That's why I give it 2 stars - he really understand music's power to move. The rest of this was nonsense - unlikeable character, horrendous pacing (the first 100 pages were growing up on Long Island, pre-Smiths - come on!), and a half-baked premise (the idea of getting the Smiths back together seemed like an afterthought, a background to his self-absorbed musings). To sum it up: I like the Smiths, I like the author's take on music, I dislike the character and the plot. One more thing: if you are not intimately familiar with the Smiths music, I can't see how this book would have any value to you whatsoever - the book teems with references, allusions, and bad puns.

How Soon Is Never?.......2006-04-19

I absolutely loved this book and was surprised to see the negative and ambivalent reviews on this site. I guess it's not for everyone, but it was perfect for me. I think the best books, like the best music, allow the reader to form an emotional connection with the protagonist and the subject matter. I connected with the book because I know what it's like to get into music for the first time and have a very favorite band, and then to get older and realize that I was a different person when I got into that band and that their music and shows will never be able to take me back to that time. Maybe not everyone can relate to a book about (as it says on the back cover) "the power of hearing a record that changes your life, and the dangers of nostalgia." I can. If you like fiction about music and coming of age novels, especially "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," I highly recommend that you read "How Soon is Never."

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books