Checker Reviews

I just finished reading this book again, it's been a while. I forgot how good this book can make me feel. It reveals simple truths about life and human nature that should be obvious, but never are. Pain is as much a part of life as pleasure, and you must keep the two together. To quote the book, "You eat your pain. It is like cake, it is like butter. It is life as much as good times by river. You go to bed with your pain like woman. You laugh with your pain like old friend."

What other book ever taught me so much about noticing the beauty in the small, normal things; to recognize and be in awe of colors, sounds and sensations? I was hooked from the first few pages, when Shriver likens the band's music to a lava flow; a shock of recognition went through me. And what other book could so perfectly capture the necessary mixture of emotions that a group of 19 year olds feel, yet make it relate to anyone, of any age? This book makes me feel more alive every time I read it, it is my therapy. I notice that this book is out of print, it doesn't matter. SOMEONE has a copy, somewhere. FIND IT. READ IT.

I was given this book years ago, and now that I have a chance to review it, I feel I must. Wonderful story, detailed characters. I read this book at least once a month, and still can't get enough of it. I have found a new literary goddess. READ THIS BOOK!!

Shriver's CHECKERS was the best novel I have ever read. Filled with amazing dialogue, true-to-life characters, and a realistic plot, I must say that Shriver ranks up their with the best of 'em!

Furthermore, if you do not forsake the time to DEVOUR this book, then you don't know WHAT you are missing. Do you want to live to rest of your life in REGRET for not reading such brilliant prose? NO! Shriver is second only to GOD if she is not The Divine Being already!

PS - Second to God not counting Michael Jordan and Warren Buffett, that is.

READ THIS BOOK!

Sincerely,

Tim Turner

This is the best (if not only) resource to use for Hallmark collectibles. The color pictures are invaluable and the index makes it easy to find what you're looking for. I purchase a new book each year and reference my copy at least 3-4 times a week. The only 'negative' comment I can make is that the secondary market prices on many of the ornaments seem to be quite high - compared to what you can purchase them for on sites such as ebay. But many of them are 'right on' and it gives you a great idea of what is/isn't hot.

I have been collecting ornaments since 1991 and this is the best collectors guide I have ever owned. It lists all ornaments with color photos and current value. It even lists very rare expo and hard to find pieces. A must have for collectors!

Each year I get a new CheckerBee Value Guide. They are the best - very easy to use and full of good information. Great index in the back to find your ornament if you know the name. The book is divided by years so if you know the year of the ornament - you can look for it's picture. They also have the series all together so when I'm shopping on line - I know what the going amount is for each ornament. It also has a section in the back to list all your ornament by year. A real five star book!

This is a great reference book to Agatha Christie's stories. This has Agatha Christie's Biography, and checklist and explanation about all the stories of Miss Marple, Poirot, and of other stories that doesn't include Poirot and Miss Marple. It also explains the poetries written by Agatha Christie. It includes screen and stage guide which explains lots of interesting facts about Agatha Christie's movies and plays. This book has very interesting article about Agatha Christie's greatest characters: Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Tommy and Tuppence. It has a useful checklist of all the books created by Agatha Christie that is in Alphabetical order. You SHOULD buy and read this book!!

This is a cool little book that helps you keep track of which Agatha books you own and which you don't... I own over 200 copies of Agatha's books and have recently begun acquiring copies of the alternate titles (for example, Murder on the Calais Coach = Murder on the Orient Express). This book, while a tad incomplete, is perfect for carrying with you to used bookstores in search of Agatha books.

Although I have always read Agatha Christie novels, I recently acquired a collection of 50 novels and short story books by this great mystery author. I was trying to put them all in chronological order when I realized that many of the books were the same, they just had different titles. In my online search to clear up my confusion, I came across this reader's guide. At a bargain price of less than $5, I decided it couldn't hurt to check it out.

Well, I am happy to say that this book has been extremely helpful. It is a colorful book that devotes a page to each novel, including a summary, published date, alternate titles, and film information. It also includes a section for your own personal review and comments at the bottom of each page. In addition to all this valuable information, the book includes a biography of the author, breakdown by detective (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot or general mystery), novels under the name Mary Westmacott, and an alphabetical AND chronological list of published novels. It even includes Christie's non-fiction books and her poetry. I was not aware that she was a poet.

This is a wonderful companion for both devout fans and casual readers of her work. I would definitely recommend it.

Wonderful paperback for Boyd Plush collectors. This book has great pictures, and identification details of all Boyd Plush. Best info for insurance purposes with original prices as well as current values. Super tool to update a database of your collection. Love it!

This is a wonderful guide for Boyd Plush collectors. This book has pictures of all plush. Also gives original prices as well as current values. There is a place to record the value of your collection for each of the pages towards the back of the guide.
Highly recommend!

This book contains full color pictures of all Boyds plush animals up until Spring of '99. Yet, the book also informs the reader of up and coming new releases and retirements. Of the 221 pages in the book, 46 pages give information about the Boyd's company and info on all the plush animals. 146 pages contain the full color pics of all the Boyds plush animals and each one's information such as height, color, year issued, year retired and current value. There are 4 pages to list your collection of Boyds animals and write in their market value. 14 pages list info about furniture and accessories for your Boyd's plush. Finally, there is an 11 page index for looking up all the Boyds mentioned in the book. With an alphebetical listing of all the names of the animals, and separate catagories such as Bears, Cats, and Hares, it takes just minutes to find exactly what plush you are looking for. This book also gives info on bearstones, folkstones ect., limited edition and exclusive pieces and the F.o.B club. This book definitely deserves its 5 star rating.

This handy reference book contains a lot of info for its size. Not just a list of words, it includes other sections such as "sound-spelling correspondences" and "words commonly misspelled" (spelling one of the most "misspelled" words correctly!). It throws in brief definitions when necessary, as in the distinction between "hare" and "hair." And if you want to know how George Bernard Shaw came up with spelling "fish" as "ghoti" it tells you that too. Grabbing this books is way easier than hauling out my beloved but heavy American Heritage when all I want to do is check the spelling of a word.

This book is a lifesaver. It contains word forms that can't be found in large dictionaries or online dictionaries. When no one else can document a word spelling in their big ol' clunky dictionary, I just grab my handy Webster's Spell Checker..., and voilà!

This dictionary is useful even in today's age of computer spell checkers. This paperback edition is portable and convenient to store and use. Not only does it contain the root word, but also the most used derivatives of that word. Also included is a section on accepted abbreviations. Highly recommended.

The thing I really like about this book is the system it uses to help you find the correct spelling of lots and lots of words. Arranged alphabetically are all the possible phonetic ways different words could be spelled with the correct spelling next to it. The incorrect spellings are in one font and the correct spellings are in another. There are also numerous explanations of the words, including sources, usages, and so on. These are very entertaining to read. I highly recommend this book.

When I was in high school, I and a few good friends made a pretty good hobby out of tormenting (in a good way, of course) one particular English teacher in our school.

One of my favorite tactics in this teacher's classroom was to blurt out, in mock consternation, "How do you spell ______?" whenever I couldn't spell a word. Why? Because a) I was young and immature and a legend in my own mind, and b) the teacher always fell right into my trap...

"Look it up in the dictionary!" he'd scream, without fail, pitching me a nice softball right over the plate ...

"But HOW," I whined, "am I supposed to look up a word when I can't spell it in the first place?!"

(GLARING SCOWL)

Problem was, I was only half-kidding with most of my questions (though I'd never admit as much to the teacher). Often it really WAS difficult (not to mention time-consuming) to look up the words I didn't know, especially if their spellings weren't very intuitive.

I guess that's why I'm enjoying my copy of "1,001 Commonly Misspelled Words." With this handy book, you don't need to know how to spell a word already before looking it up. You need only know how to pronounce it -- because you can then look it up phonetically. Why didn't someone think of this before?! Once you get to the word's phonetic spelling, you can then see the correct (though often counterintuitive!) spelling. Plus, you might get a little story about the word or, better yet, some sort of nemonic -- er, I mean mnemonic -- device so that you can remember how to spell it in the future.

I only wish the book included more words. But in any case, it's a nice tool -- especially for a writer type like me. I would think it might also make a good gift for new college students and others who will be tearing their spelling hair out from time to time in the years to come.

Highly recommended!

Vladimir Kaplan has been my trainer since I started to play checkers professionally July 1980. I have used every book he has written since his move to New York in 1977 I have won three National Championships using his books. American Pool Checker Association (APCA) Blue Ribbon Champ 1987, Gold Bar Champ 1988, and Junior Master Champ 1994. Fred D Shurn FredDShurn@compuserve.com

With his latest publication American Checkers, The Middle of the Game, Book 2, Vladimir Kaplan has climaxed a series of publications that have established an artistic monument that may never be surpassed. From his entry on the American scene in 1977 a new day was born in American checkers. Any player who explores and utilizes his theories will become a first class player.

This is a great text book for players at an early stage of their checker careers.At this stage players often will have worked hard to get an advantage in the game but are unable to take this advantage to the natural winning ending. This book will go far in correcting that deficiency. All chapters in this book are valuable to the serious student but I highly recommend you do your initial heavy concentration on chapter #2 (the endings), chapter #4 (positional alphabet) and chapter #6 (middle game) then round out your studies with the rest of the book.

The author did a great job in illustrating the basic priniciples and theories of pool checkers

This was a fine guide at the time of purchase in 2000.
It is now 2002 and most of the values are very much out of date. If you are buying or selling be very careful...consult a current edition of Die Cast Digest. Hope CheckerBee Publishing puts out a current edition.

This book is great for a Dale Earnhardt fan or a race car fan. The book is mostly about him and his career, but it also features Steve Park, Dale Jr.,Michael Waltrip, the 3rd base coach of the Atlanta Braves Ned Yost, and many other former and active drivers, like Richard Petty or Bill Elliot.There is also a track guide for all the race tracks.It also talks about the crash at Daytona.There is much more. #3 is still the best!

This is a book is a book I will never forget. In fact, it is still something I think about everynight. How Marsden puts this young girls feelings and thoughts and all that good stuff into a book I would never be able to do. I have read it at least 3 times and I still can't put it down, even though I know every little thing that happens. The haunting ending to the story broke my heart. So anyone interested in this book, get it. I highly suggest it.

Told in first-person flashbacks and set in the mental hospital where the nameless protagonist recovers from a nervous breakdown, this story's message is: "The higher you climb, the harder you fall." Wealth and privilege cannot save your family from scandal, our protagonist learns, especially when your father is involved in dishonest business practices a la Enron.

The only honest relationship the girl has is with her mongrel dog, Checkers. She seeks comfort in his company as the media circles like vultures around her house, looking for a way to connect the girl's father to the stock market scandal that's brewing. She would never have thought that the connection they were looking for was sleeping on the rug in front of her fire.

I really liked this novel, and would have loved it if it wasn't about the fortieth book I've read that's set in a mental hospital. Mental hospitals have become way too clichéd in young adult literature. Other than that, though, it was a terrific story.

Chekers tells the story of a wealthy Australian teenage girl. Although her personality and story and well-defined, her name is never given. Told through memories and flashbacks, the story illustrates the girl's plummet from the utmost joy, like getting a puppy checkers and living in a lush home, to her arrival in the phsyc ward that she is currently living in. Told as any true aussie teen would, the story is in fact realistic and chilling. John Marsden carefully reveals that even a wealthy business family can be torn apart by corruption.