Ford Reviews

I had high hopes for this novel, but it failed to spark my interest. Originally published as Do Try to Speak as We Do, The Diary of an American Au Pair comes across as a guide to British terminology. Thus the former title is better suited for this novel. The novel is centered on the culture shock Melissa experiences when she moves from San Francisco to work as an au pair for an aristocratic family in Scotland. From then on, Melissa chronicles her misadventures with the Haig-Ereildouns family - most of which is centered on the cultural differences between Americans and the British. There are some amusing moments, but not enough to make it interesting. I recommend The Nanny Diaries instead.

I usually give books a 50 page test. If I am bored after 50 pages, I put the book down and slowly back away. Sadly, this book was one of THOSE books. I just couldn't interest myself in the story. Now, I am one of those american's who devour just about anything british,(um... hence, the name...) but even that aspect of the book couldn't keep me reading. I was bored and couldn't have cared less about the characters. I hate to give a bad review, but if you are searching for something in the lighthearted, chick lit category, this is not what you are looking for.

This book seems to have suffered from bad marketing. No, it's not a light breezy chick-lit read as the cover art and blurb would lead you to believe, but in my opinion it was much better than the over-hyped Nanny Diaries. When it starts out I thought it was going to be another whiny narrator and a cartoonish evil boss, but I think it ended up to be much more than that. She makes the characters very full and human, and even the nasty mother is not over the top, and not far off from some of the English women I've known personally. This is how real people are--not saintly and not completely evil. I really grew to care about the people in this book and wanted everything to work out for them. As for some of the complaints here--I think the whole point of Melissa's problem was that she did have a fiancee back home that she didn't know very well, and it's very realistic that she could come to like some of the people who she initially didn't like. I think Melissa is just more open minded and forgiving than most. And at least she did eventually tell her employer off, not like the unsatisfying and ridiculously self-serving end of the Nanny Diaries. I am not a big lit fiction fan but I really enjoyed this book. I think it would have been served better by more honest marketing.

I generally enjoy reading Randy Wayne White novels, and regard him as a good writer. This, the fifth of the Doc Ford series, comes as quite a shock. It is not only boring, boring, it is utter drivel. Here White seems to have changed his style, his informative passages feel out of place and strained, as indeed is most of the book.

Doc Ford is changed, Tomlinson is changed. They come over far more believable and better when in Florida, not in Cuba where this novel is set for the most part.

Sanibel Flats is also a Doc Ford novel set out of Florida. I didn't enjoy that one either, but it's not drivel.

I think White, in North of Havana, has attempted to elevate his writing onto a higher plain and achieved the opposite.

I'm a big RWW fan and enjoyed this book as well, but as stated by an earlier reviewer, I thought "North of Havana" lost a little steam midway through. It may have been the fact that Tomlinson, whose eccentricities are normally a source of mild consternation for Doc Ford, are the cause of some major problems, both to Ford and to his female companion. That those character flaws lead indirectly to several deaths makes Tomlinson less quirky and more downright irritating.

Otherwise, an action-focused entry in a great series of novels.

If you liked MacDonald's McGee series, you'll like Randy Wayne White. And this is the best of them. Very readable, well plotted and fun.

Ok... I liked the book,but i am a BIG fan of mash, and he had this totally wrong. The Conels office was attached to the same building as the hospital, and the recovery ward.

This book is awesome! It isn't perfect, but who cares? What a blast from a carefree past. Personally, I think that the guy did an amazing job considering that the sets changed over the years and that he did many of the blueprints years ago...without the aid of a VCR. Realistic dimensions? Yeah, whatever. I wasn't planning on building these places from these diagrams. Also, who says that the sets had realistic dimensions?

I picked the book up on a clearance rack for [$], but, after viewing it, I think it's worth the full price. I can't tell you the memories this thing brought back. This is a killer present for your Baby Boomer friends who were TV addicts as tykes.

I think it is important to keep in mind the word FANTASY while enjoying this book. Mr. Bennett makes no claims to be a professional draftsman or architect. These are just his interpretations of interiors from TV shows; most of which never existed as complete structures, but rather as a group of sets on a soundstage. They were all done from simply watching the shows on TV. It's a fun and lighthearted book that will entertain anyone who spent numerous hours in front of the TV while growing up.

One chapter was completely missing from the copy that I purchased from Elliot's in Sacramento, CA. I felt that the book concentrated too much on RA, and not enough on OA. I suffer from OA, and the book did not offer me any hope at all. Please send another copy since quite a bit of mine was missing.

This was a great book about getting healthy. There is some "out there" concepts, but overall, will be easy to follow this diet. My hubby has RA and at age 34, we are both committed to healthy living and getting rid of RA symptoms.

This is the best book I have ever found for people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, which is why I rate it 5 stars. I know 3 women who have placed their rheumatoid arthritis in remission following the elimination diet methodology explained in this book. If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, you should consider following this diet under the guidance of a healthcare professional (preferably a Naturopathic Doctor) who understands its methodology, its potential benefits and the potential health complications of fasting.

On this new installment Mr. Ford serves us more of his now well-honed recipe to describe his gay life trials, but with less pages than the previous opus. Some are quite amusing such as his self-tests on how to decide whether one should become a drag queen or a leatherman (in a way both are drag I suppose). It is perfect reading for a beach stay, or waiting at your dentist office and having people look weirdly at you while you hold the book in front. But it still feels the same as the previous ones: well written, slightly biting, but not that novel anymore. Though this time there is a slight change: Mr. Ford has moved to LA and he seems to comply more with your average gay-cliches: he works out now and wears sunglasses. Perhaps his early steps in his middle age crisis? In other words, under his cleansing tone we seem to detect a more personal, and perhaps insecure, persona. I hope that this bodes well for his next installment since I think that Mr. Ford is uniquely qualified to describe the aging process of gay men by lightening it up with his irony.

This was one book I was unable to put down. Michael Thomas Ford's THE LITTLE BOOK OF NEUROSES: ONGOING TRIALS FROM MY QUEER LIFE was a good read overall. Although I didn't like the quizzes, even though they were meant to poke fun and not be taken seriously. I thought he hit the nail with the hammer on so many issues, so many things that are relevent to everyday life. I found his thoughts on queer life interesting, and the misconceptions that come with it. For the first few short stories he discusses his neurotic behavior and how he believes its the way to be, which was quite humorous. His humor is a bit off center which is a good thing. He is quite humorous, and the short stories were nice to read. An easy book to read, and well worth the effort.

Michael Thomas Ford's latest collection of quirky essays has a wide range of topics (my favorites are the ones on gay monogamy and queer bookstores and being neurotic). I was surprised by the more serious ones, but I do feel they are a great progression for his voice. What I didn't like were the plethora of cutesy quizzes. After the third one, I felt they lost the attraction Ford probably meant, and they became tedious. Overall though, the collection is still vivacious and brilliant, but it does seem to lack a bit of that spunky skewering that he's most known for.

The basic information which he outlines is good,but somewhat outdated.His "system" for winning flat out doesn't work. I tried it for two weeks. I tried it on different games, different casinos,no,the losses out numbered the wins.It isn't that difficult to learn so its not like I wasn't doing it right.This book is a little dated so maybe the casinos changed their programs since he published. I don't know,but bottom line you can not come out ahead using his system,believe I wish you could.

The concept behind this book is to visit as many internet casinos as you can collecting the sign-up promotional cash bonuses along the way. As the online casinos require that you bet some multiple of the bonus or your initial deposit in order to actually withdraw the bonus, the book recommends a conservative roulette or craps strategy. The problem lies in that most online casinos do not allow you to wager on craps or roulette in order to fulfill the terms of the bonus, thus requiring you play higher risk games. In conculsion, this is a pretty good ... book with some useful casino lists and gambling links, but I'm still not sure what makes this a ... book.

"Beat the Internet Casinos" is nothing less than a complete manual on how to win at Internet gambling. It is packed with interesting invaluable information for anyone who wants to develop a regular reliable source of income from his home computer. This manual -

1. Covers all risk issues and shows you exactly how you can safely play and win at online casinos.

2. Reveals the precise steps you will take to find the best casinos and then beat them!

3. Describes every aspect of playing against the I-casinos, including setting up your account, how to monitor it and how to get regular "pay checks" from online casinos.

4. Tells you in no-nonsense language which casinos to avoid and why.

5. Reveals exactly why you can beat certain casinos while you must avoid playing in others. He even furnishes a list of "beatable" casinos so that you can start playing and winning right away.

6. Gives you the complete winning strategies for roulette, craps and baccarat. These strategies alone are worth the price of the book and they can be used in land-based as well as online casinos.

7. Has complete examples you can follow including games the author played. This manual is the closest thing to having a personal tutor to show you exactly how to play and win.

8. Shows a very powerful "hit and run" strategy you can use to earn $5,000 a week for 10 hours work.

9. This manual publishes the most complete list of Internet casinos I have ever seen. Once you have this information, you can start playing and winning almost immediately.

10. The "Play for Blood" chapter is my favorite. The author pulls the complete strategy together and demonstrates with real life examples how he and other players win from $150 to over $700 an hour off the Internet.

I have been using these techniques for over two months. I have been winning very consistently and I have had little problems getting paid. I am at the $2,500 a week plateau and rapidly closing in on making $5,000 a week.

If you want a proven way to make money with your computer, this strategy will beat all others hands down. Just try it. When you finish this book you will have complete knowledge to how to win on the Internet and the exact strategies to do it!

I genuinely wanted to like this book, and was sorely disappointed. ... A case in point: Fr. Mychal spent a number of years at St. Joseph's parish in East Rutherford, NJ. The author's treatment of this critical, mid- career period in Judge's life (and the context in which this reviewer first came to know Mike Judge) is given short shrift. Ford relies entirely on an article in the Bergen (NJ) Record from the mid 70's and on some annecdotes from Fr. Michael Duffy ofm in his funeral homily for Judge. There is no indication that Ford spoke with any of the other Friars who shared ministry with Judge, or with any parishoners. Rather, Ford seems to be in a great rush to tell stories of Mike Judge, recovering alcoholic and (celibate)... man.
Much of the book is riddled with cliches and trite bromides. The end result is a book, which while informative at times, fails to capture and communicate the story of a flawed, yet truly holy man. Mike Judge deserves a better crafted biography.

I met Father Judge once and it was a very moving experience. Everything said about him in Ford's book as far as I'm concerned it just the way he was. He made a fantastic figure in his flowing robe but he was never pretentious. He loved people and his every action showed it. He is a man that will not be easily forgotten and the book will help towards that end.

Some people might be put-off because this book deals honestly with a priest who struggled with his sexuality and with church teachings AND lived a life in service to God and neighbor. However, this book looks honestly and authentically at the life of Fr. Mychal Judge. Clearly the love of God shone through this man, and clearly the teachings of the Catholic hierarchy are not always the teachings of the Church, the People of God. I thought perhaps this book might be a little hokey (the subtitle makes Fr. Judge sound like a Marvel Comic superhero), but the book was truly authentic (albeit a tiny bit hokey at some very few points). Michael Ford's book will give you some honest insight into the complex yet simple life of Fr. Mychal Judge. I found it inspiring.

I consider myself a collector of Tiger I books and I have read a lot on this awesome tank over the years. This title by Roger Ford is somewhat disappointing. The content is shallow and the illustrations are sub-standard. I have seen cutaways of tanks from many books but the one in this book is just a joke. I guess this book is aimed at those who have no previous knowledge of this tank. Even another book from the same publisher MBI on T-34 deserves 3 stars.

If you are a serious Tiger I historian or enthusiast, don't bother to buy this book. You may look for the new book from Jean Restayn "Tiger I on the Eastern Front", which is a much better presentation of Tiger I.

This book is well written and researched with plenty of b/w photographs and detailed information on the history and development of the German Tiger tank of WWII. Less impressive are the discussions on the role and tactics of the Tiger tank in combat. One plus is the many rare and unusual photographs in the book, some of which I have not seen anywhere else.

But I have to mention that the accompanying illustrations are few and rather poorly done. I would have liked more and better illustrations since the b/w photographs don't really show the different paint schemes and markings well. Also, the description of the Tiger's armament is too brief - there are no detailed pictures of the 88mm gun or the different ammuntion types.

Overall it would be a good buy as a first book but if you already have books on the topic, there probably won't be anything new here except perhaps the excellently done history and development of the Tiger.

The Tiger is surely the most famous tank ever produced to this date, and Roger Ford has done a yeoman's job of outlining all the attributes that made the Tiger such a fearsome weapon while also hitting the behemoth's weak points. Ford's book features many excellent b/w photographs of generally high quality, showing the tiger in production, battle, and in several instances, destruction. There are several schematics and even a couple pages devoted entirely to the Tiger's camoflauge schemes, and Ford goes over the tank's technical data in considerable detail, giving the reader a good idea of what the Tiger's designers went through. The book's major weakness is an almost total lack of tactical history, as Ford chooses to focus instead on the Tiger's overall strategic role in the grand scheme of WW2. More detailed accounts of tank-vs.-tank encounters or even interviews with surviving participants would have made this a complete text. As it is, "The Tiger Tank" is still a quality book, and one I definitely recommend to any armored warfare enthusiast.

If you are expecting to learn anything new about German secret weapons then forget this book. Everything in it has been covered before countless times in other books dating back 40 years. Anyone with a moderate knowledge of the subject could have written this over a slow afternoon. Save your money and put it towards any of the other similar boos available at Amazon.com.

I was hoping for some interesting analysis and insight into the German weapons program, but alas, what I got instead was a fairly superficial chronology delivered in a just-the-facts-ma'am style. This book is pretty dry and unengaging as a result. There is so much more that could have been said about the legacy that German technology left to the world, particularly to the scientific and military communities. The potential of these WWII technologies often wasn't fully realized until years later. High-performance jet aircraft, the Soviet and American space programs and precision machining were all benefactors of the German research and development that took place during WWII. It would have been nice to get a deeper perspective on this aspect of the weapons effort, but this book doesn't deliver it. Too bad. If it weren't for the pictures, I'd have rated this book even lower.

Complete treatment of the many german secret weapons.Not so deep description, but I believe complete, including canons, rockets,air and earth based projects. Outstanding illustration.

I bought Inspired 3D Character Setup hoping to find a smarter workflow for my own character rigs. As a veteran animator, I am always looking for new and more efficient techniques.

I found this book full of great tips and knowledge on character setup, but unfortunately it was also full of errors and missing steps. I managed to find my way around the mistakes and eventually get the desired setup (I think), but it wasn't an easy task. I was pulling my hair out on more than one occasion and I've been doing this for seven years.

Overall, I would not recommend this book to a beginner if you plan to learn from the tutorials. The authors should have taken more time to proofread and test their workflows or at least included a supplementary guide on the website that corrects the obvious errors.

I have been using Maya extensively now for two years and bought this book to try to take myself into the intermediate level of character rigging.
The first problem I encountered with this book is that I opened it and the spine broke! Not exactly what you would expect from a [$$$] book.
I think it went downhill from there. Yes the pictures are beautiful and the it really showcases what you can do with Maya(or what others have done), but the editing in this book is terrible. Examples include naming of nodes that on the same page have two different names. The downloads don't match the book. e.g. ch13 has the low-res geo download that doesnt include the sphereCTRL or the cubeCTRL but sure has the proxyGEO. Anyone think i'm messed up? send me the right one please..
Otherwise, you are better off with the Art of Maya, or Secrets of the Pros. I think this is one not quite worth the money.

Hard for me to rate this book, while the presentation is very good with real world application and opinions on the CG industry, the material jumps around too often with no apparent cohesive to follow for one example to another. It does present very good information on rigging characters, but as I mentioned it really needed organization of the material in a clear and structure manner instead of being all over the place. I MUST mention that this book will go very nicely if you are a MAYA user, but will be problematic for non-MAYA users as all the examples require Maya to follow along, and are of course very MAYA specific.