iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual

Book Description

The latest versions of iMovie HD and iDVD 5 are, by far, the most robust moviemaking applications available to consumers today. But whether you're a professional or an amateur moviemaker eager to take advantage of the full capabilities of these applications, don't count on Apple documentation to make the cut. You need iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual, the objective authority on iMovie HD and iDVD 5. Even if you own a previous version of iMovie, the new feature-rich iMovie HD may well be impossible to resist. This video editing program now enables users to capture and edit widescreen High Definition Video (HDV) from the new generation of HDV camcorders, along with standard DV and the MPEG-4 video format. iMovie HD also includes "Magic iMovie" for making finished movies automatically. The feature does everything in one step--imports video into separate clips and adds titles, transitions, and music. The finished video is then ready for iDVD 5, which now includes 15 new themes with animated drop zones that can display video clips across DVD menus, just like the latest Hollywood DVDs. This witty and entertaining guide from celebrated author David Pogue not only details every step of iMovie HD video production--from choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto DVDs--but provides a firm grounding in basic film technique so that the quality of a video won't rely entirely on magic. iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual includes expert techniques and tricks for:

Capturing quality footage (including tips on composition, lighting, and even special-event filming)
Building your movie track, incorporating transitions and special effects, and adding narration, music, and sound
Working with picture files and QuickTime movies
Reaching your intended audience by exporting to tape, transferring iMovie to QuickTime, burning QuickTime-Movie CDs, and putting movies on the Web (and even on your cell phone!)
Using iDVD 5 to stylize and burn your DVD creation

iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual--it's your moviemaking-made-easy guide.

Customer Reviews:

Great reference for making those fancy DVDs.......2006-05-13

After several trips to car shows with my husband, I had lots of beautiful photos sitting in iPhoto ready to print. I thought a DVD would be more useful and enjoyable for him, and tried to make a DVD project - NOT! Having already used The Missing Manual books, I promptly went out and bought this one. Great choice, as it filled in the blanks and gave me lots of ideas also. I am a photographer, not a tech person, and am pretty clueless when it comes to creating projects on the computer.

This series suits me perfectly and the book is highly recommended - with the aid of the book I sat down and promptly made a beautiful DVD, with lots of lovely effects, great music, and best of all it was easy. My husband was very happy with his DVD and watches it often.

The manual is clear, concise, easy to read and enjoyable. Unlike so many texts, it is not dry or overly technical. Anyone can make a great DVD easily with this reference. Next project - a video. Ready.....

Definitive guide to working with video on the Mac.......2006-03-08

I had recently started using a Mac at work, and suddenly I was put in a position to work with video on the Mac. Mr. Pogue's other books had been very helpful to me as I began to learn my way around the Mac, so I thought I would pick up this one to help me with my video work. I was very glad that I did. You see, iMovie HD has tools that help your movie look professional, but the iMovie HD help files are very tedious to go through. There is a great deal of referencing, cross-referencing, and nothing is smoothly laid out. This book is another story, as it is very well laid out with clear instructions and illustrations. It is very long, but since these applications are powerful, it would be expected that any clear explanation of them is going to require some space.
What is particularly good about this book is that the author doesn't assume you are a professional video author, and he spends part one of the book helping you learn how to shoot videos and shares tricks that will make you good at it. Part 2 is dedicated to iMovie, and shares not just how to use the application, but the little extras that will make your video special - transitions, effects, titles, captions, and even how to work with sound in your movie. Part 3, on finding your audience, was another unexpected treat. There the author shows you how to move between iMovie and Quicktime, and how to post your movie to your phone and to the web. Part 4 of the book is on iDVD. I particularly liked the chapter on iDVD secrets, where the author shows how you can use AppleScript to customize iDVD itself.
It's hard to believe that a year ago I didn't even know how to use a Mac, and now I am quite the fan, especially when it comes to multimedia applications. I notice Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here:
Part 1: CAPTURING DV FOOTAGE
1. The DV Camcorder
2. Turning Home Video into Pro Video
3. Special Event Filming
Part 2: EDITING IN IMOVIE
4. Camcorder Meets Mac
5. Building the Movie
6. Transitions and Effects
7. Titles, Captions, and Credits
8. Narration, Music, and Sound
9. Still Pictures and QuickTime Movies
10. Professional Editing Techniques
Part 3: FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE
11. Back to the Camcorder
12. From iMovie to QuickTime
13. Movies on the Web - And on the Phone
14. QuickTime Player
Part 4: iDVD5
15. From iMovie to iDVD
16. iDVD Projects by Hand
17. Designing iDVD Themes
18. iDVD Secrets
Part 5: Appendixes
A. iMovie HD: Menu by Menu
B. Troubleshooting
C. Master Keyboard Shortcut List

Just Buy It!.......2005-12-23

Very informative AND entertaining! If you feel you are even the least bit interested in breaking into digital film making this book is fantastic. I have been using iMovie for several years now and have a camcorder. However, I thought this book might help me kick things up a notch. It certainly will. I have only gotten through the first fifty pages, but I've already learned enough justify this purchase.

When I first received this rather intimidating 450+ page book I thought I would use it mainly for reference. Well, that was before I started reading it. Now I find it hard put down. It is very well written and arranged by areas of interest.

This book is great for everyone, from beginner to expert. It will undoubtedly prove to be a very valuable reference book in the future, but for now it's a great read.

Definitive reference book.......2005-10-06

If you're a heavy user of iMovieHD and iDVD, this book is a must. Most questions that users have about both software can be found in this manual (though he doesn't read like a boring manual). Pogue not only provides all the how-tos for learning the software, he also helps you troubleshoot problems that will crop in movie and DVD productions. There's hardly no aspect of either software that I didn't find covered in this book.

IMovieHD&iDVD 5: The missing manual........2005-09-17

This is the book you really want if you use iMovie at all!

Average customer rating:

Great book!
Great price/book/content
THE LIFE OF ILIFE '05!!
Can't miss with anything in this series...
Essential information for iLife 05 users

iLife '05: The Missing Manual
David Pogue
Manufacturer: Pogue Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Digital Photography | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Macs | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

MP3 | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Audio & Video Editing | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iPods | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iTunes | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Video Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iLife | Apple | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0596100361

Book Description

The incomparable iLife '05 is the must-have multimedia suite for everyone who owns a Mac--and the envy of everyone who doesn't. iLife '05: The Missing Manual is the definitive iLife '05 book--and what should have come with the suite. There's no better guide to your iLife experience than the #1 bestselling Macintosh author and expert--and Missing Manual series creator--David Pogue. Totally objective and utterly in-the-know, Pogue highlights the newest features, changes, and improvements of iLife '05, covers the capabilities and limitations of each program within the suite, and delivers countless goodies that you won't find anywhere else: undocumented tips, tricks, and secrets for getting the best performance out of every iLife application. Pogue examines all five programs in iLife '05, including:

iTunes 4.7. The digital jukebox software for Mac (and Windows) rips songs from music CDs onto your hard drive, organizes and plays your music collection, lets you buy songs from the iTunes Music Store, and syncs all your music with your iPod.
iPhoto 5. With iPhoto 5, you can pull photos from digital cameras and then organize and present them as a slideshow, desktop picture, screen saver, email attachment, web page, DVD, printout, or hardbound photo book.
iMovie HD. Now you can easily import and edit video from the newest High Definition camcorders and even little flash media video cams in all the latest formats. You can turn those seemingly endless home movies into short, fun, tightly edited, top-quality highlight reels that friends and family actually beg to watch.
iDVD 5. Transform your iMovie productions and digital slideshows into Hollywood-style DVDs that play on everyday DVD players.
GarageBand 2. This critically acclaimed program turns a Mac into a digital music-recording studio.

With your authoritative, witty, full color, all-inclusive iLife '05: The Missing Manual at the ready, there's nothing standing between you and professional-caliber music, photos, movies, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2007-01-10

If it says 'Missing Manual' on the cover, then you'll want it! That's the bottom line!

Great price/book/content.......2006-06-21

All around, yet another hit from the Missing Manual series!

I'm well versed in most things computer, so computer books often either are way under my interest level or are very technical in nature. This is a great mix of advanced techniques taught in a quick and understandable way.

I'm actually using iLife '06, but haven't hit any major roadbumps between the content in the book and the '06 apps.

Great stuff - now I'm drooling over the iPhoto specific book - I want to dig even deeper into that app now that I understand the basics!

THE LIFE OF ILIFE '05!!.......2006-05-08

Do you need to harness cutting-edge technology for your own creative expression and entertainment? If you do, you're in luck! Author David Pogue, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that doesn't require you to be a professional working for a media conglomerate to read it.

Pogue, begins by discussing how to use iTunes 4 for managing, playing, buying and sharing digital music. Then, he discusses how to use the iPhoto 5 program for downloading photos from your digital camera, and organizing, sharing, and printing them. The author continues by describing how to use the iMoves HD program for editing footage from a digital camcorder, adding effects, sound, and credits, and then presenting the result. Next, he details how to use GarageBand 2 for composing and recording terrific-sounding songs of your own. Then, the author provides an overview of how to use the iDVD 5 program for burning DVDs containing the movies, music, and photos from iTunes, iPhotos, iMoves, and GarageBand. Finally, he explains how to troubleshoot the preceding programs.

This most excellent book packages iDVD 5, iTunes, iPhotos, iMoves, and GarageBand come in a single package called iLife '05. In other words, if you've mastered all of the preceding information, you have all of the technical background you need to enjoy iLife '05: The Missing Manual.

Can't miss with anything in this series..........2006-03-22

iLife '05 is the fifth Missing Manual I've purchased. I find them helpful, informative, and fun to read. The chapter layout is logical and fluid, the index is thorough, and the entire manual is chock full of color (!) illustrations.

The first few chapters will walk the beginner through iTunes and the iTunes Music store. There is even a chapter on managing your iPod.

Next is iPhoto, Apple's image browser-librarian-editor. Like Apple's software, there is more than first meets the eye in these pages.

Section three covers iMovie, from working with your camcorder through producing something worth burning to DVD...leading seamlessly to

Section four, exploring iDVD. Both general concepts and insider-like tips abound.

Section five covers GarageBand. All the above sections are much more accessable and thorough than Apple's Help system. This Missing Manual closes with more than 50 pages of troubleshooting tips for the 5 software titles, and an excellent index.

The whole book is a pleasure to read, browse, or just to hold in the hand (though it's heavy--nothing skimpy about it). I find myself reading some sections completely and diving in for a just a few pages in others. A must have if you own iLife '05--whhich can be had for a song now that iLife '06 is out.

Essential information for iLife 05 users.......2006-03-18

This is a good book for understanding all of the applications included in iLife 05. Note, however, that iLife 06 has been released with a host of new features, and thus depending on whether or not you intend to upgrade, this book may have a limited lifespan of usefulness at this point in time. As of iLife '06, iLife consists of six components: iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb. However, if you intend to stick with iLife 05 for awhile, you couldn't ask for a better guide. Basically, what the author has done is condense his Mac missing manual series of books- iMovie&DVD, iPhoto, iTunes&iPod, and GarageBand - into one volume. I have some of the missing manuals for the individual applications, and I compared the individual books with the applicable sections in this book, and they seem to be equitable in quality. The only thing you are really missing is some of Pogue's insight into using the applications - for example, some pointers on film-making in the case of the iMovie&iDVD book versus this book. There also seem to be more advanced user and customization information in the individual "Missing Manual" books versus this book, so perhaps power-users would be better off buying the individual missing manuals on the applications. I notice that Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here for the purpose of completeness:
PART 1: iTunes
1. Getting Music into iTunes
2. Getting Music out of iTunes
3. Managing Your Music
4. The iTunes Music Store
5. The iPod Connection
PART 2: iPhoto
6. Camera Meets Mac
7. The Digital Shoebox
8. Editing Your Shots
9. The iPhoto Slideshow
10. Prints and Books
11. Photos Online - and Your Network
12. iPhoto File Management
PART 3: iMovie
13. Camcorder Meets Mac
14. Building the Movie
15. Transitions and Effects
16. Titles, Captions, and Credits
17. Narration, Music, and Sound
18. Still Pictures and Quicktime Movies
19. Finding Your Audience
PART 4: iDVD
20. From iMovie to iDVD
21. iDVD Projects By Hand
22. Advanced iDVD
PART 5: GarageBand
23. Setting Up the Garage
24. Loops
25. Regions
26. Software Instruments (MIDI)
27. Recording and Editing Live Audio
28. Effects, Guitar Amps, and Instrument Models
29. Mixing and Publishing
PART 6: Troubleshooting
30. Troubleshooting iTunes
31. Troubleshooting iPhoto
32. Troubleshooting iMovie
33. Troubleshooting iDVD
34. Troubleshooting GarageBand

Average customer rating:

Revealed Secrets of David Pogue's iMovie 4 & iDVD
Video editing techniques for use on the Macintosh
Goes beyond iMovie and iDVD
An Absolute Necessity
Much more than just a missing manual

iMovie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual
David Pogue
Manufacturer: Pogue Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Web Publishing | Apple | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

iMovie + iDVD | Apple | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Audio & Video Editing | Digital Music | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Video Production | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

DVD Authoring | Digital Photography & Video | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0596006934

Amazon.com

You may not have paused (a pun!) to think about it, but we're living in the golden age of home movies. Forget dad's old Super-8 films and the stinky celluloid in grandma's basement: A reasonably priced digital video camera and a Macintosh computer give you the ability to not only record moving images, but modify and assemble them in order to tell stories more effectively than ever. David Pogue, Mac maven, shows you how to make movies using iMovie and iDVD, the video editing and burning software that ship with all modern iMacs. iMovie and iDVD: The Missing Manual documents its two eponymous programs fully, but without straying from the tone of lighthearted competence that characterizes Pogue's best work.

This book includes plenty of nods to total Mac novices--the author explains such terms as resolution and pixel--but appeals as well to competent Mac users who just happen not to be cinamatographers. Obvious stuff that authors often neglect--such as the approximate disk-space requirements of movies of various lengths--appears in this book. Plus, Pogue makes extensive use of a question-and-answer format (particularly in sidebars) that's simultaneously easy to read and extraordinarily fact-dense. This is the book you need if you're planning to do any video work with an iMac. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to use Apple iMovie and iDVD to record, edit, and publish digital video. It's a soup-to-nuts treatment, covering selection of a camera, filming (including lighting and composition), assembling clips into a meaningful narrative, adding special effects and titles, and burning the product to DVD for distribution.

Book Description

At first glance, iMovie 4 looks identical to iMovie3. But under the hood, dozens of annoyances have been eliminated and dozens of polished touches have been added. The program tweaks include: editing enhancements, better navigation, and audio improvements. iDVD 4 has undergone a more thorough overhall that makes DVDs look even more like a commercial Hollywood DVD. iDVD removes many of the limits in the previous versions. Improvements here include: increasing the number of buttons on a menu page from 6 to 12, extending the background music on the menu screen to 15 minutes, allowing up to 99 chapter markers, and extending the amount of burnable video to two hours. iMovie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual has been updated to reflect all of these changes in detail and with scrupulous objectivity. This witty and entertaining guide from celebrated author David Pogue covers every step of iMovie video production, from choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto DVDs. The book also provides a firm grounding in basic film technique.

Customer Reviews:

Revealed Secrets of David Pogue's iMovie 4 & iDVD.......2005-02-01

I was fortunate to attend Macworld in July 2004 in Boston and attend the Mac User conference. Dave Pogue was the seminar leader for the iMovie 4 module.

I previously reviewed Pogue's iMovie 2: The Missing Manual. Now, I had the opportunity to see David Pogue in action and to further learn his Missing Manual secrets in Movie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual.

This Missing Manual is divided into five parts:

Part 1, Capturing DV Footage
Part 2, Editing in iMovie
Part 3, Finding Your Audience
Part 4, iDVD 4: The Missing Manual by Erica Sadun
Part 5, Appendixes: A- iMovie 4, Menu by Menu and B- Troubleshooting

My Favorite Page Turners

Page 16 - Figure 1-1: The evolution of the modern camcorder. The photo shows the full-sized VHS camcorder, the 8 mini/Hi-8 camcorder and the modern DV camcorder. This is the type of camcorder you need to work with iMovie.

Page 17 - Figure 1-2: The various sizes of tapes. The miniDV tapes required by most DV camcorder.

Page 20 - Three camcorders not to buy. You should select only Firewire connectors for miniDV camcorders.

Page 23 - Using the FireWire connector. You must have the FireWire connector to use iMovie and other DV software. Figure 1-3: Analog imputes and S-video connector for connecting to a VCR, old 8 mm camcorder.

Page 25 - Use the camcorder's eyepiece viewfinder instead of LCD panel. This is very useful on bright sunny days and saves your camcorder battery's shooting power.

Page 32 - Special Effects. Avoid using your camcorder's built-in camcorder effects-instead use your iMovie's Special Effects when you do your computer editing.

Page 33- Apple's "Supported camcorders." Review the list on the www.apple.com website for supported camcorders.

Working with Pogue's Missing Manual

I like the Keyboard shortcuts that Pogue mentions in the manual. Using the Command-E, you can switch between the timeline and clip views in iMovie 4.

You have the choice of adding color to black clips (created by dragging a clip rightward in Timeline view). This greatly expands your options for title backgrounds. Also, you can use them for fading to any color other than black or white. When your project requires a gradient fill for the clip, you can create them in Apple Works, Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Pro Reaction

The section of 22 Shots for Wedding Video is worth the price of the book. Pogue showed me how to use the rewind and fast forward that are the missing buttons in the iMovie program. Page 104- Phantom "Save as" Command show you how to create various versions of your saved digital iMovie files.

You need the new parts of the manual before starting your iDVD projects. Pogue lists 17 changes in iMovie4 and ten in iDVD4, making the updated book worth your time and money.

Con Reaction

Page 7 should have been titled: 'Quick Table of Contents' in the book. The manual's white print on gray backgrounds is hard to read and underline. Page 93, figure 4-4, does not have an important sub -headline telling you that are in the edit mode in iMovie.

Final Notes

Movie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual is well written and illustrated for you, the Mac Video editor. With the manual you learn the secrets and tips for using iMovie and iDVD. Also, you can use the powerful Quicktime Pro for adding special effects and for your quick editing of your small movies.

Video editing techniques for use on the Macintosh.......2004-11-12

iMovie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual is a solid primer and resource especially focusing on step-by-step video editing techniques for use on the Macintosh. Chapters address forming seamless transitions and effects, the ins and outs of QuickTime Pro, iDVD secreets, and much more. An absolute "must-have" for getting the most out of iMovie 4 and iDVD software, highly recommended for amateur and professional moviemakers and movie editors working on the Macintosh.

Goes beyond iMovie and iDVD.......2004-09-05

I've been a fan of iMovie from the first release on Mac OS 9. It made taking home movies fun. The great thing about this book is it goes beyond just a how-to or tips and tricks. A lot of the book is devoted to the dos and don'ts of creating home movies in general. Just as with still photography, the hard work is when your taking the shot, not afterward. The better your movie is at filming, the less work you'll have to do when you get it into iMovie.

The book is packed with a 450+ pages of information. Some examples: how to get your old VHS movies into iMovie, sending movies to your cell phone, creating better looking "title cards", and modifying iDVD itself. If you liked David Pogue's iPhoto 4 Missing Manual and/or GarageBand Missing Manual (both of which I have), this book is a must have.

An Absolute Necessity.......2004-09-04

Anyone who has a Mac should know David Pogue. He's been writing for the Mac community for years. His latest book, iMovie 4 & iDVD, displays all his hallmarks. It is exceedingly well written; it is completely useful and thorough; it is fun to read and funny.

Pogue hits the nail right on the head in the introduction. IMovie 4 and iDVD are simple but not simplistic. Unlike some other Apple programs like AppleWorks or the new OS, you will need this book if you want to make the most of Apple's wonderful new video software. Pogue and his co-author Erica Sadun get you up and burning in no time. Moreover they have created a Missing Manual web site with all the shareware and freeware programs and documentation you'll ever need.

As with his other Missing Manual books, Pogue has done everyone a great favor. Now do yourself a favor and buy this book. You won't regret it.

Much more than just a missing manual.......2004-09-04

The Missing Manuals series has had it's hits and misses. This one is definitely a hit. The first section on of the iMovie portion of the book teaches practical movie making technique, including a 22 shot guide to shooting a wedding. This is what I love about the quality of O'Reilly books. The understand the audience. In this case, amateur movie makers looking to make good movies that won't get them laughed out of the living room. This book has practical insights to get you there.

The manual portions of the book are fine. They provide a step by step walkthrough with screenshots and a menu reference in the appendices.

There is certainly a lot more here for iMovie than iDVD. Of the roughly 500 pages almost 350 are on iMovie. The iDVD section also contains some questionable content, like how to develop on iDVD using the developer's toolkit, which I think is overkill for your overage user.

Small quirks aside, this is a great book. Well worth the money for anybody looking to get the most out of iMovie particularly, and iDVD secondarily.

Average customer rating:

Great Beach Read
boring and disappointing
Great premise - but a little lacking
Possibly the worst book ever
So-So

Burning The Map
Laura Caldwell
Manufacturer: Red Dress Ink
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0373250215

Book Description

The choices Casey Evers has made in her twenty-six years aren't exactly making her happy. In fact, her life is so on course -- college, law school, boyfriend, job offer -- that it's actually off. So, before she slides into fourteen-hour days at a Chicago law firm, she heads to Rome and Greece with her two best friends for one last hurrah. The thing is, her best friends haven't really been all that close to her since she started seeing John two years ago, she hasn't been all that close to John lately, and she's awfully partial to Mediterranean men . . .

I rest my head against his shoulder. The scooter starts to fly again, and Rome whizzes by -- a myriad of fountains, marble statues, larger-than-life doors with gigantic handles, streets that look like alleys . . .

The rigidity that has settled in my bones and head over the past year seems to thaw a bit. Yet with the thaw comes an army of questions from some unused corner of my brain. What about John? Will you tell him about this little excursion, this man you are hugging? What happens when you get back, when you have to start work, when you can no longer escape the world? I lift my head and let the wind snarl my hair around my face, trying to forget these questions, the ones with rifles in hand that are waiting to fire holes in my flimsy curtain of contentment.

Set against the backdrop of sparkling beaches and old-world villages, Burning the Map ignites the fire within us all, to shine in unexpected ways . . .

Customer Reviews:

Great Beach Read.......2007-03-27

Contrary to popular opinion, I thought this was a great book. I love 'armchair travel' books, and I enjoyed the fictional story this plot wrapped around as opposed to a nonfiction traveler's journal. I have backpacked around Europe and this book was reminiscent of my early twenties, where your whole life is ahead of you and you're not sure what direction you want to take. It hit home for me the way the main character imagines a life of her own in each place she visits with her friends. It spoke to my inner desire to leave it all, travel the world and start all over again. I give it four stars because I didn't like the ending - pretty much from the time her boyfriend shows up it went downhill for me.

boring and disappointing.......2006-10-24

BURNING THE MAP sounded like the perfect book for a day at the beach. Three girlfriends on a trip to Europe having fun on the Eurorail and staying in hostels - sounds great, or at least so I thought before I started to read this book.

The main character Casey has been neglecting her girlfriends for a while now because she spends most of her time with her boyfriend John. So the trip was a good idea to get the friendship rebound.

Well, Casey is displayed as a rather selfish kind of person who prefers to go on dates with guys she meets during their vacation in stead of hanging with the girlfriends. She finds someone in Rome and then she doesn't seem to mind hooking up with a guy in Greece that one of her girlfriend had a crush on first; not to mention that she has a boyfriend back home.

Then in the end John shows up declaring his love and proposing, she said no to him and decided to stay on the Greek island becoming a bartender and quiting her lawyer job that was waiting for her back home.

What a major boring and disappointing story, what should I learn from that? How to loose my friends, break someones heart, quit my job and totally fail in life?

Great premise - but a little lacking.......2005-04-18

Despite a growing rift in their friendship, college pals (and now career gals) embark on a girl's only vacation in Europe. Casey is about to settle down in a new law firm and with her longtime beau, John; Kat is a bit of a ho, out to have a really good time (despite the living conditions and lack of privacy); and Lindsey wants to trio to spend time together.

Casey knows that the three have grown apart, and that things are not that great at home with her boyfriend, new job, or her family. Instead of spending time with her best buds in Rome, Casey spends the day with and Italian paramour. She realizes that she misses the romance of the beginning of a relationship, and that she and John are in a rut.

While in Greece, the gals clash as Lindsey chases after an Irish bloke who is interested in Casey, and they are caught in a compromising situation after Casey gets bad news from home. Rather than pursue the relationship further, Casey agrees to go to another island with her friends and manages to somehow find herself.

There is also a secondary story regarding Kat and her relationship with her stepfather, though it is not fully developed.

I liked the storyline - and I pride myself on guessing what is coming next. This is one of those times where I was not right, and it was kind of nice to be surprised. I did not like the ending at all. Far too ambiguous - not the epilogue most readers are hoping for to wrap things up.

Possibly the worst book ever.......2005-03-03

Normally, I am a big fan of Red Dress Ink chick-lit books. This was a huge disappointment.
The concept was cute (last-hurrah holiday prompts overworked law student to contemplate life - if only someone else had written it!) but the characters were never really developed, the progression of the story was predictable... which happens in a lot of chick lit, but this lacked any clever dialogue or anything to make up for it.
If you need a travel chick lit book, go for Backpack, Wanderlust, or Bridget Jones the Edge of Reason over this one.

So-So.......2004-12-23

Three friends - Casey, Lindsay (aka Sin), and Kat - take a month to tour through Rome and Greece before returning home to face their new jobs and `adult' lives. That is the basic premise of this book. The book is well written, and is enjoyable mainly because Rome and Greece are well described. The scenery is the best part of the book, and I felt like I was on a European whirlwind tour with a bunch of 18 year olds. The problem is that the characters are not 18 - they are upper 20s women who act 18 a majority of the time. Although the author tells us that the three are best friends, they spend the entire book belittling each other and ostracizing Casey. Also, Casey, the lead character, is terribly boring - I didn't believe for an instant that she was ever exciting and carefree (as we are told she was), and the end certainly didn't fit with the picture we had of her character. This book is marginal - high marks for setting and descriptions, but low marks for character strength and consistency.

The rise and fall of the Paris commune in 1871; with a full account of the bombardment, capture, and burning of the city. Illustrated with a map of Paris and portraits from original photographs.

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The rise and fall of the Paris commune in 1871; with a full account of the bombardment, capture, and burning of the city. Illustrated with a map of Paris and portraits from original photographs.
Michigan Historical Reprint Series
Manufacturer: Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

United States | History | Historical Reproductions | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1425562418
Release Date: 2005-12-22

Book Description

This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program.

The bridge not taken: Benedict Arnold outwitted

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The bridge not taken: Benedict Arnold outwitted
Damon Greenleaf Douglas
Manufacturer: Westport Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Burning of Bedford, July 1779
Janet Doe (technical editor) Dorothy Humpheys Hinitt and Frances Riker Duncombe
Manufacturer: Bedford Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QJOIQC

The Burning of Chambersburg Pennsylvania

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The Burning of Chambersburg Pennsylvania
B.S. (Rev) Schneck
Manufacturer: Lindsay & Blakistan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPW2M6

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BURNING THE MAP
Laura Caldwell
Manufacturer: Red Dress Ink
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OX6WUU

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