August 2006 Non-Fiction and Biography Book Reviews

Patricia Neal
by Stephen Michael Shearer

University of Kentucky
Book
ISBN# 0-8131-2391-7
Suggested Retail Price: $35.00 or as low as $24.10 from Amazon.com!

Did you see this excellent actress in that great film, “The Day The Earth Stood Still?” It is one of the all time great Science Fiction films that is still admired by today’s audience. She won a Tony Award for stage work and an Oscar for “Hud”. Fame and Tragedy haunted her life. She had an affair w3ith Gary Cooper. She lost her daughter and almost lost her son. In the midst of her fame she had a stroke She was 39. In 1983 her husband, the famous children’s author, Roald and she were divorced.

Souvenir of San Francisco
by Dorothy A. Yule and Susan Hunt Yule

Chronicle Books
Hardcover
ISBN# 0811847055
Suggested Retail Price: $6.95

When you see this tiny pop-up book it can be instant love. It was for me. Of course I am a native of San Francisco and I do love my city. The booklet here is just a souvenir and it is tucked into a little cardboard case. When you r4emove the book and open it up yo0u get popup pictures of the famous spots in this city. A Golden Gate Bridge pops up and Cable Car does also. There are more. The booklet is like an accordion and both side of the instrument holds pictures. Buy one and send one. Buy one and save it. It’s a handsome tiny memorial to the City By the Bay.

San Francisco, The City's Sights and Secrets
by Leah Garchik

Chronicle Books
Softcover
ISBN# 0-8118-5346-2
Suggested Retail Price: $16.95 or as low as $11.53 from Amazon.com!

The publishers of this grand paperback book are the San Francisco Chronicle people. They know their stuff when it comes to the city. The San Francisco Chronicle is the last survivor of a whole lot of local/regional daily newspapers that have died off from subscriber starvation. The book publishing arm of this company turn out some of the best all around and graphically handsome tomes available today. When it come to San Francisco this square shaped (10”X10”) is full of information and terrifi8c color pictures that will tour you all through the city. From Cable Cars to the bridges and the old and very good-looking Presidio area the pictures are delightful. It’s all here and my footsteps have been on all the pages in real life.

The Toughest Show on Earth: My Rise and Reign at the Metropolita
by Joseph Volpe

Knopf
Hardcover
ISBN# 0-3072-6285-5
Suggested Retail Price: $25.95 or as low as $13.87 from Amazon.com!

Rarely is a biography such a delight to read. Volpi takes us into the great opera house and we are treated to tales and stories that are filled with color and information that makes the reader feel like an insider. Volpi takes us through his fascinating life. He began as a carpenter at the opera house and rose to become it’s director. He gained these heights by sheer hard work. He is good at what he does a good at what he did to get noticed. We hear small stories abut the famous singers, the orchestra and the many behind the scenes workers. This bio is a great and pleasant read. I enjoyed every page and take great delight in recommending it to anyone who has ever wondered about the world of the opera.

The Woman I Am
by Helen Reddy

Tarcher
Book
ISBN# 1-58542-489-7
Suggested Retail Price: $26.95 or as low as $4.30 from Amazon.com!

I am a long-time fan of Helen Reddy. I hum “I am woman” frequently. I thank her for making this song popular by recording it so well. As for this book, well, I wish I could say it was interest. It was not. It is as dull as it gets and the outcome of reading it is to bring down this talented woman whom up to now we held in awe. Helen tells of growing up in Australia. Her parents were in show business and as soon as she could toddle on the stage she too performed. She says that she always wanted to migrate to the U.S. and all through the book she gives her belief to the Woman’s Movement and she tells about the discrimination she ran into. Yes, she was determined and she worked hard for her fame she just could not make it very int4resting in writing.

How to Sell Collectibles On eBay
by Jennifer A. Ericsson

Entrepreneur Press

ISBN# 1-599180-04-9
Suggested Retail Price: $12.95 or as low as $7.00 from Amazon.com!

Here is a much needed and reasonable clear little book that will encourage and educate you to how to sell things on eBay. You wi9ll learn how to use the internet to open your own Web Site and how to publicize it as well as using the number one auction houses on-line. There is a lot of needed information crammed into a small paperback book. If you are interested in selling something from you own collection of whatever this is the information you new. You can decide how to do it and how to maximize your customer areas. This book will teach you what you need to know to make money for very little of your money invested.

The Sun
by ARRAY(0x86da568)


Hardcover
ISBN# 0--8109-5522-9
Suggested Retail Price: $19.95 or as low as $11.94 from Amazon.com!

Here we have a small fat book that is simply titled, “The Sun”. There are 234 pages of information and beautiful pictures of our most important ball-of-fire which is our nearest star. There have been recent discoveries about this gas ball that is the cent around which we on earth revolve. The images and accompany test explores the relationship between the Earth and the Sun examining the relationship in both mythical and scientic terms. Thre is information about the Sun and it’s place in historixc times. The main thing to see about this fine tale of thue Sun is the whole book that is filled with spectacular pictures and extroadinary information.

The Chinese Character: 20 Rubber Stamps
by Barbara Aria

Chronicle Books
book and rubber stamps
ISBN# 0-8118-2609-0
Suggested Retail Price: $19.95 or as low as $7.83 from Amazon.com!

I warned you about this publisher. They have a lot of different titles to enjoy. Maybe because San Francisco has a famous Chinatown that makes this book such a great souvenir. The rubber stamps come in a little wooden box with a nice little pamphlet that tells you all about the characters on these stamp. There are twenty rubber stamps to play with and also learn about this language. Tucked in the top of the box is a small pad of red ink for you to use. So you are all ready to go.

Hawaiian Scrapbooking Vol. 1: Floral Designs
by Rosie Ramiro and Kawohi Tuasivi

Bess Press
Hardcover
ISBN# 1-57306-187-5
Suggested Retail Price: $14.95 or as low as $8.75 from Amazon.com!

Scrapbooking is all the rage currently. You can find pieces and stickers all over the web. I love this stuff so when I found this book I was really interested. This first book in a series is all about floral designs. It would be easy to use this book all you have to do is cut out the patterns and you have a perfect Hawaiian flower to use in your scrapbook. The patterns are Good sized and include Ginger blossoms, orchids, plumeria, bamboo and many more of the lovely flowers you will want to use right away. The book is a paperback and spiral-bound which makes it easy to use and the suggestions for pages to make are enticing. In full color, you learn what you can do with family pictures and lovely blooms from the islands.

The Houseplant Encyclopedia
by Ingrid Jantra and Ursula Kruger

Firefly Books
Hardcover
ISBN# 1-55407-140-2
Suggested Retail Price: $29.95 or as low as $15.99 from Amazon.com!

It always amazes to me when I pick up one of the new and huge paperback. Some of the newest are filled with information and have enticing color pictures of the cover. This is one of them. So I took my brown fingers and opened this very large collection of information. Maybe this time I could grow something at home. All over the house in fact if I could only learn not to kill the plants I like. The illustrations are almost good enough to eat. Here is a perfect guide to how plant and care for the most beautiful planting and growing experiences. Maybe It is an encyclopedia so plants are listed alphabetically, the list includes just about every container plant you ever heard about. The instructions are put very clearly and you can learn about the care and feeding of the fanciest plant you could imagine. I think I will try again to raise some color at and in my home.

How to Get the Financing for Your New Small Business: Innovative
by Sharon Fullen

Atlantic Publishing Company
Paperback
ISBN# 091062755X
Suggested Retail Price: $39.95 or as low as $12.09 from Amazon.com!

This is just what you need if you are entertaining a small business fling. The book is a road map and a manual on how to go about beginning your own business. First it will tell you how to obtain the financing you will need, There are several methods of doing this and your choices are clearly laid out. You can learn how to set up your own prospectus and how to pursue some financial backing. You will learn all about debt and equity and how to handle and evaluate the worth of your new venture With this handbook you can take that plunge you have been thinking about.

Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up With Eileen Heckart
by Luke Yankee

Back Stage Books
Books
ISBN# 0-8230-7888-4
Suggested Retail Price: $24.95 or as low as $11.65 from Amazon.com!

The minute you see her picture on the cover of this biography you will recognize the great character actress, Eileen Heckart. In many ways it is a love story told by a loving son. It is also a very readable tale. Her childhood was not so great but her life was admirable. As a wife and mother she was loving and caring. As an actress she was hardworking and appeared on the stage and elsewhere with great. Luke spends only a little time talking about his mother’s youth but he barrels right into her move to New York, and her success there. Luke illuminates the great spirit and generosity of this famous star. Eileen won many awards and she played many parts that featured her working the great names of show business. I enjoy hearing her son talk about all the stories he heard growing up. Not just from his mother but from all her friends who gathered at her home. They repeated the showbiz tales so often that the little boy memorized most of them. You will emerse yourself in the tales from the Golden Age of Broadway. The book is filled with pictures of the actress all through her life and some of best friends. Some of the photos have never been seen before like the ones of Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball but that is not what is interesting about the book./ The interst is centered in the work and the life of this loveing mother, wife and famous actress.