Spiritual Care: Nursing Theory, Research, and Practice

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book review.......2007-09-28

This is an excellent resource for ANY healthcare provider or professional wanting to learn about Spiritual Care. I am using it in my Master's thesis.

I highly recommend it.

Beatrix Potter: The Artist and Her World 1866-1943

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Beatrix Potter: The Artist and Her World 1866-1943
Judy Taylor , Joyce Irene Whalley , Anne Stevenson Hobbs , and Elizabeth M. Battrick
Manufacturer: Warne
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0723235619

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Someone stop J. Randy Taraborrelli before he grunts and brings forth another "biography"
A superstar's saga
Can't even cut and paste accurately
Elizabeth Taylor
For anyone who doesn't know a lot about Elizabeth Taylor....

Elizabeth
J. Randy Taraborrelli
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0446532541
Release Date: 2006-08-29

Book Description

For more than six decades she has been part of our lives. An American icon, Elizabeth Taylor has been surrounded by fame and notoriety since childhood. Now acclaimed biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli looks past the tabloid version of Elizabeth's life to the person she really is -- and how she evolved from a child star to a woman in her own right. At the heart of this impeccably researched work is the first fully realized portrait of Elizabeth Taylor's family: her canny, controlling mother, who, from the moment she laid eyes on her baby, began plotting her success; and her father, often portrayed as distant, but whose connection with his daughter was far more complex than people knew. As Taraborrelli brings to life the people around Elizabeth and her rise in 1940s Hollywood, he reveals the qualities that made her a star, the associations that put her at the right place at the right time, and the ways in which she was singularly unprepared for life out on her own. While Elizabeth's eight marriages to seven men have been widely publicized, this author examines the psychological and emotional roots of each relationship, including her abusive marriage to Nicky Hilton, her attraction to swashbuckling Mike Todd, and the complex, incendiary Taylor-Burton love affair that continued for decades and never truly died. Finally, Taraborrelli chronicles Elizabeth's most bravura performance of all. Despite the highly public battles with substance abuse and chronic illness, she achieved new success and sustenance in family, friendships, and philanthropy. With never-before-published family photos by Taylor historian Tom Gates, as well as rare family photos, Elizabeth is the story of a woman you thought you knew -- and can now finally begin to understand.

Customer Reviews:

Someone stop J. Randy Taraborrelli before he grunts and brings forth another "biography".......2007-09-13

This item is the sort of rancid treacle produced by Modern Screen hacks circa 1955. How dare the publisher inflict this dimwitted rehash of a film star bio on the public. And at $17.81 for the Hardcover!

The only new information in this so-called book is Taraborrelli's claim that Liz had a nose job. Here he is on the subject. Note well how fishy and lame his claim is:

"Moreover, though she will never admit to it or confirm it, people who know her well insist that she would have had rhinoplasty surgery-when she was in her twenties. There was certainly nothing wrong with her nose, but the powers that be at MGM apparently thought it a little too thick at the bottom, so they took care of it. It's been said that the surgery was performed by the same doctor who did Natalie Wood's and Marilyn Monroe's noses and also gave Monroe a chin implant."

That's it. No further proof whatsoever, yet with blithe, blustering ignorance he slanders three noses, two of them dead, with apparent impunity. Hopefully, Liz will sue, win and give the money to charity.

Verdict: Awful, trashy waste of time. But if you must read this (whatever for?) get it at the library.

A superstar's saga.......2007-07-25

Frankly, I'm enjoying this bio of La Liz. After 60 years she is still considered a quintessential superstar. No matter how much you've read about her, there is still a tidbit or two for readers to enjoy. Elizabeth Taylor has continually fascinated the public with her multiple marriages, escapades, and addictions - and we never seem to get enough. And she has survived it all. Which is the stuff Hollywood legends are usually made of. A good read!

Can't even cut and paste accurately.......2007-03-02

The Washington Post got this book right: This is a shallow, gushy, cut-and-paste puff piece posing as biography.

Author J. Randy Taraborrelli seems unable, even with a team of researchers, to quote accurately from the books from which he cribs his material ("Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry," in particular, from which he lifts many anecdotes without attribution).

Taraborrelli's insight, if you can call it that, on Taylor is that she is not too introspective (no!) and that fame corrupts (how deep!).

He gives a superficial account of early Taylor's life. Her childhood and first four marriages whiz by like the unspooling of an outdated filmstrip. Given Taylor's assertion that her father "batted me around a bit," the book's omission of this aspect of her childhood is glaring. As Taylor's life progresses, Taraborrelli adds more detail as source material becomes easier to find. The reader then is treated to all kinds of meaningless vignettes about Taylor's last three marriages, and torturous detail about her recurring addictions and multiplying health problems (though details seem to conflict with other sources).

Taraborrelli gushes over Taylor's beauty, the (questionable) talents of her many spouses, and how miraculously well-adjusted and normal her children are. Some of these descriptions are obsequious enough to induce a cringe. Other descriptions make one wonder just how much research he did for this book. For instance, he never explored references to one of Taylor's sons having joined a cult in his youth, and descriptions elsewhere of her children being dirty and neglected while she drank and partied.

The book makes clear that Taraborrelli or his staff did interview people, probably a lot of people. But the quality of the interviews and the insight they offer is lacking. Taraborrelli quotes a flip and brittle Eddie Fisher offering nothing of substance. Taraborrelli even asks rhetorically why Taylor still bears a grudge against Fisher, not realizing the irony that this is the kind of question he should theoretically be trying to answer. He also interviews a bevy of people ancillary to the action, such as the son of a film director describing one of what must have been one of many Burton-Taylor makeout sessions on the set of "Cleopatra."

This isn't the first Taraborrelli celebrity bio in which he buries the reader in an avalanche of meaningless gossip-mag minutiae, easily culled from readily available books and magazines, but fails to do any enterprising research of his own. For instance, in the 576 pages of excruciating detail in "Call Her Miss Ross," Taraborrelli neglected to mention that Diana Ross and Berry Gordy had a child together (beyond coyly stating that her oldest child didn't resemble her then-husband).

I'm sure this book will make money hand over fist, which is all that matters to Taraborrelli (that and maybe getting to brown-nose the celebrity in person). But if you want to respect yourself later, flip to the photos, then put this book back where you found it.

Elizabeth Taylor.......2007-01-20

My mother-in-law is a huge fan of Elizabeth Taylor. I bought this book for her for Christmas. She could not put it down!!!

For anyone who doesn't know a lot about Elizabeth Taylor...........2007-01-15

.....this is a wonderful book to begin. I picked up this book not knowing much at all Elizabeth Taylor. After I finished, I felt I knew not about what was written about her in the tabloids but about the real woman that she was/is. The book is written from an objective standpoint and tells the "good and the bad" about a woman who's career spans 5 decades plus. Whether the reader likes her initially or not (based on previous thoughts/believes, I recommend this reading to anyone who has any interest in her at all or who just wants to read about a good book about a woman who's seeminly made an inpact on pop culture from decades past to present.

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (Virago Modern Classics)

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Mrs. Palfrey, Rich character study
"Welcome to the Claremont. I hope you have a strong stomach."
The dusk of their days
Love among the ruins
"Odd behaviour always fascinates me."

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont (Virago Modern Classics)
Elizabeth Taylor
Manufacturer: Virago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1844083217

Book Description

On a rainy Sunday in January, the recently widowed Mrs. Palfrey arrives at the Claremont Hotel where she will spend her remaining days. Her fellow residents are magnificently eccentric and endlessly curious, living off crumbs of affection and snippets of gossip. Together, upper lips stiffened, they fight off their twin enemies—boredom and the Grim Reaper. Then one day Mrs. Palfrey strikes up an unexpected friendship with Ludo, a handsome young writer, and learns that even the old can fall in love.

Customer Reviews:

Mrs. Palfrey, Rich character study.......2007-05-28

Rich, full characters flesh out this dismal tale. Definitely not the standard American story, no happy ending this.

"Welcome to the Claremont. I hope you have a strong stomach.".......2006-06-11

When Mrs. Palfrey, a genteel, elderly widow, arrives with her possessions at the formerly elegant Claremont Hotel in London, she expects "something quite different." Planning to stay at least a month, possibly permanently, she prefers her independence in this aging London hotel to living in Scotland near her daughter, who prefers to ignore her. A variety of elderly eccentrics call the Claremont home--an aging "actress," a ditzy busybody, a haughty observer of the social niceties, a woman who fancies herself an ingénue, and one lone male, an expert on all subjects. The residents put up a good front, but their loneliness and boredom are obvious--no one visits them, they rarely leave the hotel, and nothing in their lives changes very much.

When she falls while walking one day, Mrs. Palfrey is rescued by Ludovic Meyer, a struggling young writer. Because of his kindness and her pleasure in his attention, she invites him to dinner, where the residents assume he is her grandson Desmond. Ludo/Desmond is everything that the other residents of the hotel long for--he genuinely cares for Mrs. Palfrey, he listens to her, and he recognizes her value. Having never known a normal family life, Ludo needs Mrs. Palfrey as much as she needs him, and she happily becomes his much-appreciated "grandmother."

As the two develop a close relationship, Mrs. Palfrey reminisces about her married life, teaching Ludo about the many kinds of love and all its pleasures, and he, having failed in past relationships, begins to understand what love means, blossoming under her attention. As Mrs. Palfrey shares her past with him, he takes notes for a story he plans to write about her life and her experiences at the Claremont, where the informal motto is "We Aren't Allowed to Die Here." As time passes and life becomes more complicated for both of them, their relationship is tested.

Filled with hilariously eccentric characters who respond to aging in different ways, this 1975 novel shows a feisty Mrs. Palfrey challenging convention by reveling in her relationship with Ludo. With an unerring eye for the telling detail and the perfectly revealing comment, the author brings universal themes to vibrant life--the passage of time, the aging process, the compromises we make, and our continuing need to be accepted. The author never resorts to caricature as she makes her wry observations, respecting her characters even when presenting them in sometimes hilarious scenes. In this sweetly romantic comic masterpiece, old age is shown as a stage in life, one in which rewards and happiness are more important than the inevitable conclusion. n Mary Whipple

The dusk of their days.......2006-01-30

This is the story of the eponymous heroine living out the dusk of her days in the Claremont Hotel on Cromwell Road in postcolonial London. Her fellow long-term residents are other old people who have fallen on hard times, but remain just about affluent enough to avoid a care home. The novel centres on the interactions between them, trying to keep up appearances and maintaining a stiff upper lip until the end. The loneliness and boundless monotony of their lives forms the backdrop to Mrs. Palfrey's astute and witty observations and we share her thrill in a secret kept from fellow guests: the man she addresses as her grandson is in fact a young writer she met in a chance encounter.
Ludo, unlike her real grandson, is a delightful, attentive and interesting young man. He is preparing a novel -"We aren't allowed to die here"- and first draws on their encounters as a form of research, but their friendship grows on the basis of mutual respect and beautiful conversations.
I would not have picked this up if it had not been for a personal recommendation and I was delighted by it.

Love among the ruins.......2005-06-05

In terms of sheer craftsmanship alone this little novel is a masterpiece--there hardly seems to be a word out of place. But what really distinguishes it is its sophisticated and yet almost oblique take on the many varieties of love. Elizabeth Taylor's setting is a small hotel in London which caters not only to visiting tourists but also to a small group of retired middle-class widows and widowers, who are forced to accept the dark back rooms and have little to do as they wait for death but knit and wait for the change of the evening's menu in the dining room. To this sad last stop before the grave comes Laura Palfrey, who (rare for a Taylor novel) is a genuine heroine in her kindness, sensitivity, and refreshing lack of the silliness or malice endemic among so many of the Claremont's other permanent denizens. Neglected by her only relative in the city, a grandson working at the British Museum, Mrs. Palfrey asks a young penniless writer who helps her after a fall one day to pretend to be the grandson in order for her to save face among her hotelmates--and as she learns to love him for his attentions and goodness to her he also begins to revel in her generosity and maternal care. Despite the repeated praise lavished on this book by other writers I held off reading it for a long while because I feared it would be unbearably sad; but while Taylor does not stint on the emptiness and pathos of her retiree characters' lives, she brings humor and an expansive vision of redemption to the book.

"Odd behaviour always fascinates me.".......2004-03-29

In Elizabeth Taylor's marvelous novel, "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" Mrs. Palfrey is an elderly widow with one daughter who lives in Scotland. Mrs. Palfrey has led a very interesting life--largely overseas with her husband. She has little in common with her only daughter or her only grandson, Desmond. Circumstances force Mrs. Palfrey to move into a third rate hotel in London, the Claremont, and she joins all the other elderly residents there. Just as Mrs. Palfrey has seen better days, so has the Claremont hotel. Its chief attraction seems to be that it has reasonable rates. The residents are a motley crew of lonely people. Mrs. Palfrey settles into the established routine of the hotel and learns that a common pastime is to watch the world go by through the hotel's revolving doors. Mrs. Palfrey comes to the conclusion that "the disaster of being old was in not feeling safe to venture anywhere, of seeing freedom put out of reach." The residents seldom venture out, and they rely on their disinterested relatives to visit or pick them up for a rare and precious outing.

Residents mill around the vestibule where menus are posted an hour before meals. The daily menus rotate through standard offerings, but the residents find this is a high point of their day--"Menus offered a little choosing and satisfactions and disappointments, as once life had."

Author Elizabeth Taylor creates at once a moving--and yet surprisingly unsentimental novel, full of grace, charm, and poignant humour. The characters in the hotel largely create the humour--inevitable spats and petty resentments between residents and management erupt from time to time, and residents resent and envy each other's guests. There's Mrs. de Salis--the youngster of the group at age 60. She annoys some of the residents because she never stops talking. Mrs. de Salis even has her own bookie, and Mrs. Palfrey finds this resident somewhat "actressy." There's Mr. Osmond "beset on all sides" with the female residents. He's obsessed with writing letters to the newspapers on various subjects including--"decimalization, fluoridation, artificial insemination, the migration of birds, racial integration, drugs and thuggery." The paper made the gross error of publishing a letter once, and this encouraged Mr. Osmond to write on an almost daily basis. Mr. Osmond likes to bend the ears of the long-suffering staff while he regales them with ribald stories. Mrs. Burton is the resident lush, and her drinking habits both fascinate and scandalize, and there's Mrs. Arbuthnot--she suffers from the pain of arthritis, and her suffering doesn't help her personality. One of the most hilariously funny scenes occurs one evening when the residents compete for attention with stories of their operations.

Mrs. Palfrey accidentally meets a young, unemployed writer named Ludo who's struggling with his first novel. This chance meeting is the beginning of an odd friendship that means a great deal to both of them. Mrs. Palfrey is considered a nuisance and a bother by her family, and Ludo's relationship with his mother--a "woman of loose morals and worse than that untidy thinking" --leaves a lot to be desired. Ludo becomes a substitute for Mrs. Palfrey's absent grandson, and Mrs. Palfrey assumes a substantial role in Ludo's life. "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" is simply one of the best books I've read in ages. I loved its coziness, and admired its lack of sentimentality. Unfortunately most of this author's books are out-of-print for some insane reason, but this will not be the last Elizabeth Taylor book I read--displacedhuman

Average customer rating:

Worth Every Dollar

Shallow, but still worth a look...

Go For The Gold!

WoW

It's what it's

Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry
Elizabeth Taylor
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Famous Jewelry Collectors

Elizabeth

Liz an Intimate Collection:: Photographs of Elizabeth Taylor

The Master Jewelers

Jewels of the Tsars: The Romanovs and Imperial Russia

ASIN: 0743254384

Book Description

"Here, in my own words and as I remember them, are my cherished stories about a lifetime of fun and love and laughter...I've never thought of my jewelry as trophies. I'm here to take care of it and to love it, for we are only temporary custodians of beauty."

--Elizabeth Taylor

She has mesmerized movie audiences since her debut in National Velvet at the age of twelve, dazzled both men and women with her luminous beauty and iconic presence, displayed shrewd business acumen by creating a line of fragrances with unparalleled success, and her AIDS activism has been a call to arms for people around the world. She is Hollywood's greatest living star and a living legendElizabeth Taylor.

One of her greatest passions is jewelry, and over the years she has amassed one of the world's foremost collections. By the time she was in her thirties, Elizabeth Taylor already owned an outstanding set of Burmese rubies and diamonds from Cartier, a fantastic emerald and diamond suite from Bulgari, and the 33.19-carat Krupp diamond, a gift from Richard Burton. That ring was later eclipsed by a subsequent gift from Burton, when he bought a staggering 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond. Newly named the Taylor-Burton Diamond, it catapulted Elizabeth Taylor into that rarefied pantheon of great jewelry collectors.

In this revealing book, Elizabeth Taylor offers a personal guided tour of her collection. She takes us into her confidence, sharing personal anecdotes, witty asides, and intimate reminiscences about her life, her loves, and her collection. Whether talking about the famous La Peregrina pearl, which was briefly abducted by a household pet, or chatting about a childhood gift to her mother, Elizabeth Taylor shows herself to be the most seductive of storytellers: direct, irreverent, and charming.

Complementing the stories are 125 stunning new photographs of her most remarkable pieces, specially commissioned for this book, and more than 150 rarely seen images (many from Elizabeth Taylor's personal collection) of the star wearing her jewelry over the course of almost sixty years. We see her as a young ingenue of fifteen wearing what would be the first of many charm bracelets, and again, equally dazzling, as a mature woman, wearing the famous Duchess of Windsor diamond brooch, which she purchased to benefit AIDS research.

Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry marks the first time this beautiful jewelry will be seen together as a collection. Lavishly produced and illustrated, the book has an introduction by the world-renowned authority on jewelry, François Curiel, of Christie's. It is for those who are enchanted by this most incandescent and enduring star, for those who cherish and dream of jewelry, and most importantly, for those who believe in the true meaning of love. This book is a fabulous display of unbelievable glamour, assembled over a lifetime, by one of the most extraordinary women in the world.

Customer Reviews:

Worth Every Dollar.......2007-09-04

I paid $175.00 for this book before I discovered amazon.com and the wonderful prices. Even so it is worth every dollar I paid and it is a book to treasure. Elizabeth Taylor has a truely stunning collection of jewels and such a vast amount but she knows each piece and the story behind it. The book is filled with stunning photos and is interesting to read. I was not a great fan of Elizabeth Taylor before reading this book but since then I have read more about her. You will not be dissappointed.

Shallow, but still worth a look..........2007-05-08

This book has many expensive pieces of jewelry in it, and the stories behind the pieces. Most of it was bought by Mike Todd and Richard Burton, the "two loves of my life", as Elizabeth puts it. Notice how her two greatest loves were the ones who bought her the most jewelry. And they say love can't be bought. I admit, I was touched by the stories of what Richard Burton was like as a husband. I think those two were the greatest together...

I also think most of this jewelry is big and gaudy, and I often wonder what it was about Elizabeth Taylor that made men want to buy her so much jewelry. Beautiful? Certainly. A passionate woman? Perhaps. But is anyone really worth that kind of outrageous spending? Make your own judgments.

Go For The Gold!.......2007-03-23

This book surpasses any written bios of Ms. Taylor. She has masterfully catalogued her acquisitions with quality photographs and a synopsis of who gave her each of the gems and when. I have never appreciated the art and beauty of jewelry until I've seen this book (I never could afford to!).
Elizabeth Taylor and her life has always intrigued me but this book is mesmerizing: Imagine, a man will tell a woman he loves her with extravagant jewelry. And, let's face it, don't we all fantasize that?
By the way, she also catalogues the Cartier-Burton Diamond of which she no longer possess.

WoW.......2006-07-03

Miss Taylor's jewelry is art. The only difference is hers is not on the walls of some home. She shows it off beautifully and probably owns some of the major jewels of the world. Since we don't have the Crown Jewels hers are the next best thing.

Anybody who criticizes her know nothing of jewels. The book is beautifully illustrated and the antidotes amusing.

It's what it's.......2006-06-17

No one should expect this book to be deep or not vulgar in any way. It's a book about a beautiful woman and her jewels. What exactly do you expect? She's wealthy and adored by men and she is talking about jewelry. OF course there are going to be silly comments!

I loved this book for what it is. Pure eye candy and funny anecdotes and beautiful pictures of Liz. Don't pick this book up and expect anything else.

The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them

Average customer rating:

Realistic Insight for Any Would-Be Book Author
Backstage Pass
This is a book you'll want to read again and again.
Title is Bestseller, Little Else
Aspiring Authors, Get the Inside Scoop About the Publishing Business

The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them
Brian Hill , and Dee Power
Manufacturer: Kaplan Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0793193087
Release Date: 2005-03-01

Book Description

According to Bowker, there are over 150,000 books published in the U.S. every year. Less than 1 percent of the books published make the bestseller list.

People are fascinated by bestselling authors who have become every bit as much celebrities as rock musicians or film stars. Through some mysterious process, these individuals take blank pages and turn them into gold. And many authors do this over and over again. For authors, earning a spot on the bestseller list is the grand, often elusive prize at the end of many years of work. But what makes a bestseller happen?

Brian Hill and Dee Power interviewed over 50 successful authors, publishers, editors, agents, book reviewers, and other experts to find the answer. The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories from Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them presents a comprehensive look at the publishing process from start to finish.

Authors and would-be authors, individuals in the publishing industry, and passionate readers will learn:

* How bestselling authors approach the craft of writing and marketing their books.

* The many different paths authors take to the top of the list.

* The impact a first bestseller makes on an author's life.

* The workings of the selection process, from the query letter to the decision to publish.

* How publishers know a book has bestseller potential.

* The agent's role in helping create a bestseller.

* Factors and events that influence whether a book makes the bestseller list, including TV ""reading book clubs,"" the review process, publicity, marketing programs, and timing.

* How Hollywood impacts the reading public.

To provide a broad spectrum of experience, interviews are included with authors of nonfiction and fiction, as well as first-time novelists to serial bestsellers. In addition, avid readers will find fascinating stories behind some of their favorite authors' works.

Customer Reviews:

Realistic Insight for Any Would-Be Book Author.......2006-09-19

Dee Power and Brian Hill have put together a fascinating look at bestselling authors and what it takes. They interview a number of bestselling authors, booksellers and editors about what made the difference for a book to become a bestseller. Here's a few quotes from the book:

"Now we know: The "secret bestseller sauce" is made up of this key ingredient--a great book." p. 88 Then on the next page: "in our survey, agents on average said they accept 2 out of 1,000 submissions. A senior editor with a top publishing house told us she accepts 1 out of 100 submissions that she receives from agents. If we combine the two, it means that there is a 1 out of 50,000 chance of a new book by an unknown author making it from the author's word processor to successfully attracting an agent, and then on to the contract stage with a publisher."

See what I mean about realism into the pages of this book?

Yet the tone is not discouraging but informative and helpful to stimulate would-be authors to excellence in their writing, in their pitches to editors and in their promotion efforts. I learned a great deal from this book and recommend it.

Backstage Pass.......2006-05-24

Brian and Dee's book is like having a one-on-one conversation with today's top fiction and non-fiction writers.

What questions would you want to ask them?
...How do you stay focused?
...What quality is present in all "good writing"?
...What is the life of an author truly like?
...How did you get into writing?
...Where do you get your ideas?

Chances are good that whatever your question Brian and Dee asked it.

The Making of a Bestseller is a book that you can pick-up, read for a few minutes, and get something out of it. If you want a book that delivers a step-by-step marketing strategy this is not the book for you. However if you want to get a glimpse into the mindset of today's top authors buy this book.

This is a book you'll want to read again and again. .......2005-10-21

You'll feel like you just had a scintillating dinner conversation with some of the top players in the publishing industry. This book is firmly grounded in reality and offers so much more than a pseudo-"sure-fire formula" for hitting bestseller lists-- it offers real insight into the ways success flourishes. This is a book you'll want to read again and again to glean new pieces of wisdom each time.

[...]

Title is Bestseller, Little Else.......2005-10-02

This book may sell because of it's title, and little else. Writing style is so-so, no real nuts and bolts info. Of course, being on a major bestseller list is fantastic and the authors within the book say so. But, and it's a big but, if you want to know how to become a bestselling author, this isn't your guide. As the book buyer for a publishing association, I won't recommend it--better books to help create marketing plans/strategies to move books would be John Kremer's 1001 Ways to Market Your Books and Brian Jud's Beyond the Bookstore.

Aspiring Authors, Get the Inside Scoop About the Publishing Business.......2005-08-20

Brian Hill and Dee Power have written this inside look into the business of writing with a natural and approachable style. The light handed touches of humor and the down to earth language made this a very enjoyable read. I have never written an Amazon Review until now but was compelled to add my voice to the others. Count me as a very satisfied consumer.

Liz an Intimate Collection:: Photographs of Elizabeth Taylor

Average customer rating:

Great book...
Stunning!
UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL

Liz an Intimate Collection:: Photographs of Elizabeth Taylor
Bob Willoughby
Manufacturer: Merrell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1858942705

Book Description

A unique collection of photographs of one of the greatest and most beautiful Hollywood legends. A private album of photographs, taken during Elizabeth Taylor's classic years by a trusted friend. Candid shots of Elizabeth Taylor's personal life and images of the star on the sets of such films as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Raintree County.

Customer Reviews:

Great book..........2007-05-08

I love this book. It has so many beautiful photos of Elizabeth in it. I would've preferred a lot less of the "Virginia Woolf" production photos, though, and more of other movies with Taylor/Burton in them. I guess the photographer didn't get the chance to shoot more than what's in this book. I like the family photos a lot, the young Elizabeth photos (before Richard Burton), and the last few colored shots of them at the end. The look between the two of them in the last colored photo speaks volumes about the love they had for each other. I definitely recommend adding this book to your collection.

Stunning!.......2007-01-12

This book is everything I hoped it would be I love the cover and the dustjacket I especially the love the pictures from the movie Raintree County Elizabeth looked especially beautiful in this movie. The gorgeous costumes are great fun also. The movie Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf is not one of my favorite because it is not aesthetic I think Elizabeth was too young for this part although it stretched her acting abilities. I would have preferred to see her play herself/her own age at that time in her life It is difficult for us (her fans) to see her in an unglamourous role. But the book is fantastic.

UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL.......2004-10-31

Surely Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most beautiful women to ever walk on planet Earth. Actors, models, celebs often worry about having their "good side" photographed. Don't believe La Taylor has a bad side. Not convinced, want proof? Browse through "Liz An Intimate Collection," a coffee table volume devoted to the face that sent most men "over the moon."

Photographer Bob Willoughby first shot Taylor in 1950 at a baby shower she was co-hosting for her then sister-in-law Marilyn Hilton.(sister of husband No. 1). Willoughby's comment about that moment: "I felt like I was flying." Friendship between star and cameraman was to grow over the years as Taylor allowed him to shoot photos of her more private moments with family as well as on the sets of her many films.

Recipient of the 2004 Lucie Award for Achievement in Still Photography in Motion Pictures, Willoughby has photographed many of filmdom's greats. Yet, it's safe to guess that he approached none of his subjects with as much enthusiasm as he did Taylor.

This volume is a photographic record of the years between 1950 and 1965 (closing with the Richard Burton years). Among the 160 pages readers will find many photos that have never before been published, as well as shots on the working sets of Raintree County and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Even in this film her beauty is difficult to disguise).

"Liz" is sure to be enjoyed by both film buffs and Taylor fans - plus, just think what it'll do for your coffee table!

- Gail Cooke

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Calabria, the first Italy,
Gertrude Elizabeth (Taylor) Slaughter
Manufacturer: The University of Wisconsin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B00085KMKK

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A solid 3
AN APPEALING BOOK FOR A YOUNG READER
meandering and plotless
Best of Berg
Kelly S, Miller Place NY

Durable Goods
Elizabeth Berg
Manufacturer: Sound Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 079279902X

Book Description

In the sweltering heat of a Southwestern summer, on a small army base in rural Texas, Katie waits impatiently for her life to change. Though battered by the recent death of her mother, her spirit remains miraculously stong. She is filled with longings: for a boy to fall in love with her the way Dickie Mac has fallen for her sister; for her father to stop hitting her; for her life to become less uncertain. And she knows that day is coming soon.

Durable Goods is a poignant and enduring novel by Elizabeth Berg -- author of the New York Times bestseller Talk Before Sleep and Joy School -- a masterful work that gently captures the subtle nuances of childhood's end...and the pain, sorrow and stirring hope of inevitable transformation.

Customer Reviews:

A solid 3.......2007-05-29

Elizabeth Berg is a great writer, this one just didn't resonate with me.
In this book Katie struggles with an all to often distant and violent father. She spends most of her time with the neighbor girl, and trying to get closer to her older sister Diane.
Eventually the sisters runaway- only to have Katie return home to her father, right before they move away.
I love how Berg always knows her character so well. This one moved a little slow, but not too much.
The issue is that - for me- there is no real character growth, and the story is not very deep, or moving, or anything really.
Diane moves away and that is that, they move to Missouri. Her father is still the same person, and Katie is still an adolescent girl with a lot to learn that still walks on eggshells around her father, and still feels guilty when he becomes upset or angered. Katie's dad does finally tell her how she died, how it happened, or rather what finally caused it- but in no way was there suspense leading to this, or adequate drama to make you feel any pain for Katie.

While Katie is an interesting character, her story is nothing unique, and not spellbounding in any way. Instead, the read imagines Katie will go on to live much the same life, and in the sequel you find she does.

AN APPEALING BOOK FOR A YOUNG READER.......2006-08-14

Elizabeth Berg is one of my favourite authors, but this book was definitely not written with a mature reader in mind and I did not realize this until after I had purchased the book. For a mature reader, it is a quick easy read but beware, it has an elementary writing style.

Katie has an abusive father and your heart aches for her. Her older sister, Diane, runs away with her boyfriend to Mexico. Katie starts out on the journey with them but has a change of heart. Although the book is a work of fiction, pieces of the author's throught process left me wondering if some of the events were not taken from her own life as a child. If you are in your late teens, the book will likely appeal to you and is definitely worth reading. For anyone older, the writing style will appear to have a child-like quality. Mature readers will find some of Berg's other books, such as "Open House," "Talk Before Sleep" and "Say When" more appealing than this one. All Berg's books are well written but take note that some are written with different age levels in mind.

meandering and plotless.......2006-01-10

i was disappointed after this book was suggested to me. nothing ever happens. there are a lot of long winded descriptions and background and very little story.

Best of Berg.......2006-01-10

This is still my favorite of Berg's wonderful novels. The coming of age tale told by 12 year old narrator Katie is warm, heartbreaking and often funny.
Katie is on target as she observes her overbearing father dealing with the grief of losing his wife and having to raise two daughters. In some ways Katie is wiser than her older sister, who would rather make plans to leave home than to deal with the life she's been dealt.
Read this, then read the sequel, Joy School, which is also enchanting. Both books are perfect for mother/daughter book clubs.

Kelly S, Miller Place NY.......2005-11-10

I thought this book was very good. It comes from the point-of-view of 12 year old Katie, living in Texas with her father and her older sister. She is constantly moving around the country with her military father who is constantly being transfered to different places. She is never situated in one spot for a long time, so the kids at the schools are always calling her a military brat. After dealing with the passing of her mother, Katies life changed. She has no one there for her. Her sister, who is constantly with her boyfriend is to busy to listen to Katies pre-teen problems, and her abusive father doesn't want to listen to things that Katie is was talking about. Katie's one friend Cherylanne is really only a friend away from school. She doesn't want to be seen with Katie infront of her friends. But even if Cherylanne doesn't want to be seen with Katie outside of the privacy of their walls, she helps Katie with whatever she needs most of the time, from the simpilest things like make-up to her first kiss.

Durable Goods taks us through Katie's life, and her trying to fit in with the world.

In a Summer Season (Virago Modern Classics)

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The young and the restless
"Human nature is the novelist's raw material."

In a Summer Season (Virago Modern Classics)
Elizabeth Taylor
Manufacturer: Virago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1844083209

Book Description

Kate Heron, a wealthy, charming widow, has married a man ten years her junior, the attractive and feckless Dermot. Their special love arms them against the disapproval of conservative friends and neighbors—until the return of Kate's old friend Charles, intelligent, kind, and now widowed with a beautiful daughter. At first Kate watches happily as the two families are drawn together, only dimly aware of the subtle undercurrents beginning to disturb the calm surface of their friendship. Before long, however, even she cannot ignore the gathering storm.

Customer Reviews:

The young and the restless.......2006-10-08

Elizabeth Taylor was unquestionably one of the most intelligent and hard-to-describe British novelists of the mid 20th century. Each of hers novel is very unlike every other novel in terms of its plot, although you'd never mistake her witty way at getting at the springs and balances of genteel middle-class behavior for anyone else's. And yet her work shows strong affinities with her great friend Ivy Compton-Burnett's, as well as with Elizabeth Bowen's and even (at times) with Iris Murdoch's.

IN A SUMMER SEASON, one of Taylor's finest novels, is a striking blend of both comedy and tragedy, centering largely upon the ways in which the young and unsettled cling to that which is older because it seems safe, even when it is not the best thing for them (or for their elders). The middle-aged wealthy widowed Kate has married Dermot, over a decade her junior, mostly for his sexual allure, but he stays clinging to her because she makes it possible for him not to work or grow up; significantly, his own mother wants him to work in a shop selling Victorian antiques. Meanwhile Kate is watched in her marriage by her live-in aunt Ethel, a former suffragist; her son by her first marriage, Tom, who works for his condescending and nagging grandfather in hopes of rising in the family business; and Tom's sister Lou, who nurses a crush upon a middle-aged pastor with High Church tendencies that distress the other townsfolk. Even though the novel's women sport the latest and highest bouffant hairdos of the novel's era (it was published in 1961), the family's telescope in their Thames Valley home gives away their fixation on the ways and comforts of the past, in that it more often than not focused on Windsor Castle several miles away. The novel has some of Taylor's best comic moments in it (there is a very wittily composed section midway through the novel concerning a contentious dinner party featuring a roast turkey that has gone off), and also shows her usual gift for delaying violence until it becomes almost inevitable at the novel's conclusion. This is a novel that should be much better known in the United States, and shows Taylor at her most skilled and intelligent.

"Human nature is the novelist's raw material.".......2004-04-05

Elizabeth Taylor's novel "In a Summer Season" is the story of Kate--a well-to-do widow with two grown children, Tom and Louisa. She has remarried a much younger man--Dermot, and he remains embarrassingly unemployed. Rather than appear to live off Kate's money, Dermot embarks on a series of preposterous projects--including mushroom growing. All of these projects are destined for failure. Many people believe that Kate's marriage is destined for failure too.

"In a Summer Season" covers a brief period of Kate's life. She is aging, and combats this with frequent trips to her hairdresser to "rinse" any emerging grey or white hairs. Kate seems to be the very last person to realize she has marriage problems, and she's developed a breezy manner that covers her unanalyzed distress. Tom, Kate's son admires Dermot--the two men are practically contemporaries, but Lou, Kate's daughter, smells problems on the horizon. Tom and Lou are both embroiled in romantic difficulties of their own. Lou has a giant crush on Father Blizzard--whose high-church tendencies have made him unwelcome at the local church. Tom is madly in love with the elusive Araminta, the daughter of his mother's best friend. Kate's Aunt Ethel--a self-styled people-watcher chronicles events in the household through letters to her friend, and bird-watcher, Gertrude. Ethel's observations are conducted with curiosity rather than maliciousness as she waits for the marriage to crumble. Mrs. Meacock, the housekeeper and cook distracts herself with a book of amusing sayings she's collected during her varied employment. She, too, is aware that Kate's marriage is decaying.

"In a Summer Season" is the second Elizabeth Taylor novel I've read. Unfortunately, this novel does not match the perfection of "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont." While Taylor pays delightfully detailed attention to the secondary characters (the housekeeper, Aunt Ethel, Father Blizzard) the main characters, Kate and Dermot, remain somewhat neglected and are vague and flat as a result. This weakens the novel and resulted in my four-star rating. "In a Summer Season" reads rather like a Joanne Trollope novel. It's a well-written book--no argument there--but the main characters needed some added dimension--displacedhuman

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