Book Description
David Lynch is an anomaly. A pioneer of the American 'indie' aesthetic, he also works in Hollywood and for network TV. He has created some of the most disturbing images in contemporary cinema, and produced startlingly innovative work in sound. If the consistency of his 'vision' suggests he might be approached as an auteur, defining that vision raises many questions. The essays in this collection push toward a fuller account of the cultural and technological contexts within which his works developed during the 1980s and 1990s, and of his intense engagement with the creative and working practices of the industry. They offer an up-to-date range of theoretically divergent readings that demonstrates not only the difficulty of locating stable interpretative positions for Lynch's work, but also the pleasure of finding new ways of thinking about it. Films discussed include Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, The Straight Story, and Mulholland Drive.
Customer Reviews:
Very good read on David Lynch.......2007-07-06
I'm reading this book a 2nd time now. I would say this book is im my top three Lynch books as well and it provides a very good outline, and possibly, a key, for the way Lynch thinks. If anything, it will help you come up with more of your own conclusions. From a devoted Lynch fan, this is a great read!
lynch debunk.......2005-10-14
I gotta agree with Critic-AL... too much ink is being spilled about Lynch that reads like retread po-mo theories. I'll go with Pervert in the Pulpit too, and I'm not alone. You don't have to be a film student or academic to appreciate Johnson's heady read ... still, I think the review of Pervert by David Lancaster in the latest issue of Film and History totally sums up my thinking: "There is a slightly malicious pleasure in seeing a modish reputation being debunked, especially when the reader was mystified by the fuss in the first place. Pervert in the Pulpit is not a crude hatchet job, however. Rather, it is clear-sighted and informed, and, in true Manichean fashion, on the side of the critical angels."
adulation or criticism?.......2005-03-26
By calling Nochimson's book "amazing," [...]the problem with a lot of Lynch criticism: the audience for his films is divided between fans and serious students of cinema. As Lynch's reputation as an innovator continues to wear thin - face, it, his uneven oeuvre is not aging well - die-hard loyalists continue to gush about his, in my opnion, limited success as a cutting-edge film director. This book may be timely, but it isn't as interesting as Jeff Johnson's iconoclastic "Pervert in the Pulpit: Morality in the Work of David Lynch," which I'd recommend before any of the other, more pandering texts Joe cites.
One of the Best Books on Lynch.......2004-09-23
Is it possible for a good book of film criticism to be dominated by lavish photos and the like? Not in my experience. The closest to that is the BFI series, and those are hardly the sort of thing "a reader" is talking about. Of all the books on Lynch out there, this is probably my #3, behind Martha Nomchinson's amazing "Wild at Heart in Hollywood" and the essential "Lynch on Lynch."
The simataneous release of the paperback and hardcover editions should have clued "a reader" into the HC edition being a library edition... Don't let this person's stupidty put you off, this is one of the best books analyzing Lynch one can find.
Book Description
From Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill) to Eli Roth (Hostel), the young guns of modern Hollywood just can't get enough of that exploitation film high. Between 1970 and 1985, American Exploitation movies went berserk. With censorship relaxed, excess, wide-open, horror - the Exploitation genre par excellence - offered a vibrant alternative to mainstream American cinema. Luridly titled wonders like The Headless Eyes, Scream Bloody Murder and Hitch Hike To Hell played at Texas drive-ins and NYC grindhouses, touting a combination of mind-bruising violence, weird sex and drug-soaked delirium. Massively popular around the world, these movies have remained persona non grata in most serious studies of American film, until now. • Explores the development of America's subterranean horror film industry • Spotlights the wildest films • Revealing the fascinating true stories behind classics and obscurities
Customer Reviews:
NIGHTMARE USA THE BIBLE OF HORROR AND EXPLOITATION.......2007-10-01
I'm gonna keep this short and sweet.Any fan of horror and exploitation,and also obscure material,should have this book! 528 pages of pure beauty I just can't say enough about this awesome book! So shell out the 60 bux or so for this gem! Trust me you will not disappointed!Splatterbeast is a happy beast thanks to nightmare usa!
More Than I Hoped For.......2007-09-29
I read about Nightmare, USA: The Untold Story of the Exploitation Independents by Stephen Thrower online on several discussion forums. I had not heard of the book before, but was intrigued by the subject. Though expensive it is worth every penny. With long interviews of filmmakers, restrospectives of their work, detailed reviews of the movies and extensive use of pictures, many unseen before, this is a great add to anyone's film library. The subjects chosen have rarely been profiled or even discussed before, though many of the films are cult classics.
At over 500 pages and weighing almost five pounds this is an excellent book that will fill many hours with great reading.
Excellent, astounding and fun........2007-09-29
Consistently thoughtful, funny, appreciative of the material but never solemn, Thrower's book gleefully mines the dross pile and finds gold on every page. There is no snootiness here, as in a great many other genre books, no sense of superiority to the material. But there's no blindness to substandard acting, low-ball production values or whacked-out results, either. Don't let the gigantic size of the tome put you off. Any given chapter is a self-contained, independent joy to read on its own, well-researched, insightful and amusing. Full disclosure: Stephen interviewed me at length for the chapter on director Irv Berwick (and quoted me accurately, too.) Highly reccommended to anyone interested in exploitation, horror, or film history in general.
GREAT!.......2007-09-29
I bought this book without having seen it and having only heard reviews of it. WOW! I was NOT disappointed. If you are a fan of drive-in and grindhouse movies you owe it to yourself to pick up this book. As a graphic designer, I am equally impressed with the number of great "never before seen" photos included. I've heard rumors of a volume 2... If there is, I will buy that without hesitation as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Believe the hype- truly outstanding........2007-09-01
Good lord, what an amazing piece of work. Worth its (considerable) weight in gold, this is a steal at $80, and a shameful screwing of the publisher at the $50 Amazon is selling it for. One caveat, though: I got my copy from Amazon, and it arrived looking a bit dogeared.
Amazon.com
Anyone who loves the humorous but hair-raising horror in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series will devour British author Darren Shan's first novel with equal zeal. Some books are born with a surrounding buzz; this one even has Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's stamp of approval: "Fast-paced and compelling, full of satisfying macabre touches," she writes. Warner Brothers will be making it into a movie, and the rest of the series is already in the works. Given all that, you'd expect a tour de force! Really, though, Cirque Du Freak is a thrill ride that will keep even the most reluctant readers turning pages, but will never take its place in the literary canon.
Darren Shan, author and narrator, sets the book up as a true story, warning readers: "Real life's nasty. It's cruel.... Evil often wins." Indeed, evil begins to win when Darren and his buddies find a flier for "Cirque Du Freak," a traveling freak show promising performances by the snake-boy, the wolf-man, and Larten Crepsley and his giant spider, Madame Octa. Darren and his friend Steve wouldn't miss it for the world.
So, Saturday night they sneak out to the old theater, tall and dark, with broken windows. "Every act you see tonight is real," croaks Mr. Tall. "Each performer is unique. And none are harmless." That's for sure. (A werewolf bites off the hand of someone in the audience, for instance.) Things grow very serious for the two boys when Steve not only recognizes Mr. Crepsley as a famous vampire, but professes his true desire to join him! To make matters worse, the spider-obsessed Darren goes back to the old theater to steal Madame Octa so he can teach her tricks in his room. (He does, with mixed results.) The plot further coagulates as Darren is faced with some terrible decisions about what to do to save his bloodthirsty friend Steve.
Readers may be too enthralled to notice some clumsy editing (the aforementioned bitten-off hand is later referred to as an arm, Darren stops dead in his tracks when he's already stopped, etc.). They may also not notice that the boys constantly use adult-sounding expressions like "his breath stank to the high heavens," though the book is clearly set in the 21st century. If this book gets under your kids' skin (and it probably will), they're in luck--we haven't heard the last of the Saga of Darren Shan. (Ages 10 and older, not for the faint of heart) --Karin Snelson
Book Description
Darren Shan is just an ordinary schoolboy who enjoys hanging out with his three best friends. Then one day they stumble across as invitation to visit the Cirque du Freak, a mysterious freak show. Only two tickets are available, so they draw straws to see who will go. As if by destiny, Darren wins one, and what follows is his horrifying descent into the dark and bloody world of vampires. This is Darren's story.
Customer Reviews:
It bites, but in a good way........2007-09-30
I loved this book. If theres any book you're going to read, make it this one. I am on the nineth one now, and will soon be getting the tenth and eleventh and twelth.
Read it, you wont be disaponted.
Fun Freak Show.......2007-07-01
Darren has always loved spiders. So when a secret freak show comes to town that advertises a performing spider, he knows he just has to go. He and his best friend Steve manage to get tickets and in the middle of the night they head to the freak show. Right away things are very creepy, from the host who knows Darren's name without asking to the wolfman who bites off a woman's hand and the robed and hooded creatures who sew the hand back on.
Despite their terror at what is happening around them, Darren and Steve stay until the end of the show. Darren is fascinated by Madame Octa, the performing spider. The man controlling her says she is a practically unknown species and she has deadly poison in her fangs. He uses a flute to calm her and make her do what he wants. Steve is more fascinated by the man controlling her than he is by the spider.
After the show, Steve stays behind and sends Darren home. Instead of going home, Darren hides to watch what happens. Steve confronts the spider tamer, stating that he is a famous vampire. He threatens to tell people unless this man will make him a vampire as well. The man refuses, stating that Steve has evil in his blood.
Darren decides that he can use this information to get what he wants. He sneaks into the freak show early one morning and steals Madame Octa, leaving a note stating he knows who and what the spider tamer is. He is excited and delighted when the spider is really his. But can he control this deadly beast? Will the vampire let him get away with stealing his pet?
I really liked the basic idea of this story. I liked the idea of a freak show full of people with real supernatural powers. I also liked that things didn't all work out well for Darren in the end. His actions ended up having consequences, which was only fair.
The writing in this story bothered me at some points, though. The author used too many exclamation points and often stated things too simply. It felt sometimes like he was talking down to the reader.
Cirque Du Freak Best Book Ever.......2007-06-18
Cirque Du Freak is one of the best books I have ever read. The author did a fantastic job describng all the detail. This book is about a boy named Darren Shan who gets a ticket from one of his friends to go to a mysterious freak show with his best friend Steve Leopard. They snuck out of the house to go see the freak show. When they got to the freak show Steve noticed that there was a man that he knew- a man from a comic book- a vampire! Steve wants to be a vampire too, so after the show he goes to talk to the man. Little did Steve know that Darren was spying on him. Later in the book Steve gets bitten by a spider Darren stole from someone. There is only one way Darren can save his best friend from dying. This book is awesome-you will not stop reading it. Darren Shan will have you glued to your seat in suspense.
good book.......2007-06-16
This actually is a pretty good book. I haven't read any of the other books by this author, but I still enjoyed this book. The beginning of the book wasn't the best, i thought, but after a certain meeting to save a friend, it got interesting. I especially liked the later books in this series. It was worth reading a few boring chapters to get 11 1/2 books worth of action.
Best horror book EVER.......2007-05-31
The name of the book I read was Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare written by: Darren Shan. This book is about two kids, Darren and Steve, who go to a freak show late at night that change their lives forever. Darren Shan and Steve Leonard are ordinary kids. Another friend brings a flier advertising Cirque du Freak, a freak show. Steve sneaks out to buy tickets for him and 3 friends but the ticket salesman only sells 2 tickets per flier. Only 2 can go, and 2 will be left behind. This book takes place in several cities in present-day.
This book was for entertainment. This is a great book. I would recommend you to read this book and the whole Cirque du Freak series. The reason this is a good book is it has great characters and it leaves you wondering what's going to happen in the next chapter so you keep reading. That is why I would recommend this book.
Average customer rating:
- Wait To Read This Until You Can Read It All
- A HAUNTING TALE. THIS ONE WILL STICK WITH YOU.
- GOSSAMER
- Beautiful
- Another Masterpiece
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Gossamer
Lois Lowry
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Bedtime & Dreaming | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Lowry, Lois | ( L ) | Authors & Illustrators, A-Z | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Heat
ASIN: 0618685502 |
Book Description
Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare. In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two peoplea lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boyface their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
Customer Reviews:
Wait To Read This Until You Can Read It All.......2007-09-21
...because you won't want to put it down. Lowry grabs your attention immediately with one of the most precious story characters of all time, Littlest. This tiny one is a dream-giver in training who has the most gentle of touches when she gathers memory information from the objects of the one whom she will bestow a dream upon. Littlest and her faithful trainer, Thin Elderly, become especially concerned about an elderly woman and her new foster son who has faced terrible abuse. The dialogue from this wounded boy is so poignant and heart-wrenching. He has only a few good memory objects to choose from and the sinisteeds (nightmare givers) are descending upon him in hordes. His mother, too, is attended to by dream-givers as she seeks to retake control of her life in a positive way in order to get her son back.
Gossamer would definitely have the potential of causing a nightmare or two in a younger child. The dialogues of abuse are very straight-forward for the naive. Personally, I think every child would benefit from reading this compassionate glimpse into the struggle of a single-mom, the inward pain of a foster child, and the lonliness of the elderly.
Captivating!
A HAUNTING TALE. THIS ONE WILL STICK WITH YOU........2007-09-15
I know that this is classified as children's literature, or at least literature for young folks, and sort of feel that this a shame as the story is more that suitable for adults. Where do dreams come from? Why do we have bad dreams and why do we have good. This is the hook the author hangs her story upon. This is a touching story of a young, troubled boy, two ladies and a dog with some very strange little creatures thrown in. Lois Lowry is a natural story teller and her style, while at first glance is simple, is indeed, rather complex. Her story here is told with sensitivity, is touching and is just loaded with imagination. As one reviewer has pointed out, there is an aspect of violence to the story but this has been well done and is far from gratuitous, something you too often see now days. This aspect of the story is necessary. I have read this one to several classes of 4th and 5th graders and they have universally loved it (well, almost I suppose). When I first started reading this one, I must admit to having taken it home and finished it on my own the first evening as I simply could not put it down. This is one of those books you might want to think about adding to your library as it is one you will most likely want to give a reread. Recommend this work highly.
GOSSAMER.......2007-08-20
Like gossamer (or a spider web), this book is lightweight, particularly in comparison to Lowry's other works. It is a quick read, not too deep, and probably not going to be a kids' classic, unlike Lowry's THE GIVER or NUMBER THE STARS.
However, like gossamer, it also shows enormous strength and craftsmanship. Though not her best work, Lowry clearly knows how to tell a story and lace it with some beautiful prose. The creativity is apparent, but that still takes a backseat to the most note-worthy aspect of this book: GOSSAMER is an excellent tool for teachers to use for classroom lessons in writing. When Littlest learns of the importance and develops the quality of her delicate touch of objects, Lowry give language arts teachers an incredibly valuable lessons in writing for the senses and the poetic nature of language overall. If for no other reason than that, teachers should introduce this book to their students. I will.
Beautiful.......2007-07-17
I am in the midst of reading the books I would like to read to my 4th grade class next year. I was absolutely enthralled by the sweetness of this story. Littlest is an absolute sweet and intriguing little character. I love the old woman and John the boy. He has troubles but trusts and grows from where he came. I am usually NOT a fan of fantasy but the mystical dream givers are so kind and good. They are a great way to explain why we dream and why sometimes our dreams are a bit scary. There is a superb match between fantasy and reality. Great story fast read! Loved this!!
Another Masterpiece.......2007-03-15
This is another well-written book by Lois Lowry. Her book reads like a kid is telling it, with a child's innocence. Although well-written, I do not think that it was particularly interesting for many people who are fourteen or older. Considering that books should be graded as a whole and not just by my age, I still give this book five stars. For anyone, though, this book is interesting and thought-provoking.
Average customer rating:
- My two year old's fave book
- Beware if you don't already have nighttime fears
- My daughter loves this book
- Kids Love This Book
- Fantastic book for eager beginning readers
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There's a Nightmare in My Closet (Pied Piper Book)
Mercer Mayer
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0140547126 |
Book Description
Childhood fear of the dark and the resulting exercise in imaginative exaggeration are given that special Mercer Mayer treatment in this dryly humorous fantasy. -School Library Journal
Customer Reviews:
My two year old's fave book.......2007-08-23
This book is great. It is the first book my two year old "read" himself...and my four year old loves it as well. Classic read - we like it so much we just bought it for our new niece, confident she will grow to love it as much as her cousins do! I'd give it six stars if I could!
Beware if you don't already have nighttime fears.......2007-07-12
Without much forethought, I pulled this book out of the closet to read to my nearly 4-year-old. Despite the child's unfortunate use of a weapon, a toy gun, to scare the monster/nightmare, this might have been an amusing way to talk about talk about 'things that bump in the night'. Unfortunately, in our house, it created worries about 'nightmares'. My child has no clue what a nightmare is, just that it's something she should be afraid of, causing an anxiety about falling asleep. After several discussions about the fact that a nightmare is a bad dream (like my childhood nightmare of losing my blankie), and how to handle them, my daughter continues to ask, "Mama, what color your nightmare?" English is my daughter's second language, making abstract concepts a bit more difficult to grasp. I wish I'd considered that before reading the book. Please don't read this to your child unless you're sure she/he can understand the message.
My daughter loves this book.......2007-03-26
My almost three year old daughter thinks this book is great. It is wonderful how the feared is befriended. The pictures are wonderful and very evocative. Enjoy it!
Kids Love This Book.......2007-01-12
When my daughter was two she quickly memorized this book and created and repeatedly used a play on words that tickled her pink. I've read it a zillion times to her and others and am prompted with the word, "again" when I am done. The pictures are very detailed and tell a story all their own.
I recently bought this book for another 2 year old who would choose this book over all the others on the shelf. My daughter is now 21. This book is timeless.
Fantastic book for eager beginning readers.......2006-11-11
My grandson loved this book! He's beginning to read and was ready for books with a bit more of a plot and more than a single line on a page. He loved this book. It appealed to his imagination and had him in giggles looking forward to what he'd find on the next page. I recommend it highly for those children reading at the first - second grade level.
Average customer rating:
- AMAZING Book!!!!!
- Frank Peretti's Creepiest Book Yet (IMO)
- A Real Page-turner !!!
- Spies For God
- The Nightmare Academy
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Nightmare Academy (The Veritas Project)
Frank Peretti
Manufacturer: Thomas Nelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Oath [Bargain Price] [Paperback] by Peretti, Frank E.
ASIN: 1400303400 |
Book Description
With more than 9 million novels in print, Frank Peretti has been called "America's hottest Christian novelist." Peretti's
The Veritas Project has become one of the biggest selling fiction series ever written for teens. Finally, the hugely popular
Nightmare Academy is being released in a brand-new paperback edition. As a follow-up to
Hangman's Curse (now a major motion picture),
Nightmare Academy is a frightening thrill-ride that takes a realistic look at right and wrong, as Elijah and Elisha seek to find the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of two runaways. The Springfield twins go undercover and end-up in a strange academy where Truth is continually challenged, a gang-like war develops, and Elijah is taken to an ominous mansion from which no one has ever returned. This book has been the #1 bestseller on the CBA bestseller list for six months running, with over 350,000 copies of the
Veritas series sold to date.
Customer Reviews:
AMAZING Book!!!!!.......2006-07-23
This book was definitely one of the best I've ever read!! I just couldn't put it down. Nightmare Academy was much different from the first book in the series, Hangman's Curse, in that this time, the Springfield twins had no backdoor. No way to escape if things got rough. They also had no clue where they were. But, as always, the kids used their talents and devotion to God to prevail. I loved how the twins stood up for each other countless times in this book, and also how they wouldn't let anything shake their faith. I would recommend this book to anyone!! It was FANTASTIC!
Frank Peretti's Creepiest Book Yet (IMO).......2006-03-17
This book was a difficult one for me to read. Usually, I can sail through a Frank Peretti novel in one sitting, but this one I had to take in small doses because it had my adrenaline going so much. I think the reason it creeped me out so badly is because, unlike most of his other novels, which have somewhat of a science fiction element to them, this one is so much more in the realm of not only plausibility, but probability. (I have not read Hangman's Curse, so I can't compare it to that.) It would not surprise me one bit to find out that places like the Knight-Moore Academy actually exist, and I find that very scary. It is chilling for me to know that there are many people who really do believe the way the faculty at the Knight-Moore Academy does, and that is the reason we are seeing the current breakdown in our society. I believe this book is an eye-opener and a must-read for everyone.
A Real Page-turner !!!.......2005-09-29
This book is an awesome book. I don't want to give away the whole story but here is a little bit of it. This book is about two Christian kids and their parents struggle to discover the truth to the mysterious actions of a once was lost but now and found boy named Alvin Rogers. This is the second mission of the Vertias Project team. The first project was "Hangman's Curse". They track Alvin to a shelter that disappears and then end up at a place called Knight Moore Academy or as Alvin calls it "Nightmare Academy". They soon discover that the "mission" is going to be harder than they thought when the whole academy believes that there is no truth.
I thought this was an awesome book because I love mystery books. I also thought it was awesome because it really keeps you at the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. This book also describes of what life would some what be like if no one believes that there was such a thing as truth. Frank Peretti is descriptive with the way he writes so you know what exactly what happens and when it happens. If you like mysteries you should read this book.
Spies For God.......2005-09-16
An entertaining adventure based on the tenets of Christianity and beliefs in good vs.evil. Can give younger people guides for leading an upright life.
The Nightmare Academy.......2005-09-07
Really enjoyed this book, even more than the first in the Veritas series. The emphasis on truth and morals - what happens in a society where absolutes are removed. Captivating and moved at a good pace. I hope there are more Veritas cases coming in the future. (My kids love the glow in the dark cover too - nice touch for the type of mystery thriller book).
Average customer rating:
- Suspenseful, thrilling, but the ending ruins the book.
- An Entertaining Nightmare to be Sure!
- Welcome to Camp Nightmare
- Welcome to Camp Nightmare
- camp?
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Welcome to Camp Nightmare (Goosebumps Series)
R.L. Stine
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0439568463 |
Customer Reviews:
Suspenseful, thrilling, but the ending ruins the book........2007-07-12
Welcome to Camp Nightmare is likely the scariest, most suspenseful Goosebumps book. The story is about a group of children who go to a summer camp, where mysterious things happen. Without ruining much, I'll say that I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book.
However, the book's ending is unexpected... in a bad way. You'd expect a such a suspenseful book to have an incredible twist at the end, as Stine usually ends his Goosebumps series, but the ending to Welcome ot Camp Nightmare oozes of unoriginallity, and is a giant cop out. R.L. Stine ruined what could have been his greatest book.
An Entertaining Nightmare to be Sure! .......2007-01-12
As Welcome to Camp Nightmare begins we join a lively group of youngsters headed to the sleep-away camp, Camp Nightmoon, called Camp Nightmare by the campers...and with good reason. In this volume we meet 12 year old Billy who is headed out for his first time at sleep-away camp, we join him on the bus ride with his fellow campers, including two girls who are headed to the girls camp of the same name, just across the river. Billy hits it off with one of the girls and hopes to see her as the summer goes on. They are let off abruptly and left alone at a station where they are nearly set upon by large wild dogs. They are whisked away to Camp Nightmoon where he is assigned to Bunk 4, just down the hill from the ominous "Forbidden Bunk" which they are told to stay away from at all costs or a wolf like monster called Sabre will kill them. They are also warned against bear attacks...all of this seems highly causal to both the reader and to Billy who wonders why his parents would send him off to a camp that is so dangerous.
Almost immediately things head down hill for Billy and his bunk mates; Larry (their camp counselor who isn't around much and is indifferent when he is), Roger, Jay, Collin and Mike. Snakes attack Mike whose hand swells up, Billy comes through with a plan to get the snakes out of the bunk, but it's too late for poor Mike's hand...even worse, there's not nurse at the camp and Neither Uncle Al (runs the camp) nor Larry seem to care in the slightest. From there, it's a downward spiral for Billy and his bunkmates as one after another mysteriously disappears and as fear mounts for Billy wondering why Larry and Uncle Al seem so oblivious and unconcerned about something that is very wrong at Camp Night Moon...will Billy escape the fate of his bunkmates? You'll have to read to find out.
Overall, Camp Nightmare is an over-the-top, no holds barred near-parody of the classic sleep-away camp horror/thriller story. We are given a camp where EVERYTHING is wrong and where our hopelessly frightened protagonist is faced with a monster, the "forbidden bunk," disappearing bunkmates, a cruel counselor, a possibly psychotic Uncle Al, and a steadily mounting feeling that Billy's days are numbered! Camp Nightmare manages to be both suspenseful and horrific in a tame sort of way...one that makes the reader want to stop all the action and shake the character while screaming NO WAY...stop and think about it...but he never does and in the end we are given a totally unique twist (that is equally as unrealistic as the rest of the book) when the book comes to a screeching halt, concluding very abruptly! All the loose ends are tied up and the story IS entertaining, though your brain will scream NO WAY for most of the book, I give it four stars (instead of three) because I totally didn't see the ending that Stine gave it, so despite the over exaggerated plot details, he "got" me in the end. This is the type of book you read for the sheer entertainment of it...you know it's not right, you know it's unrealistic...yet you are compelled to read it to the very last page and you walk away with a little giggle and rolling your eyes...but you have been entertained and that makes it worth reading.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare.......2006-12-06
This story by R.L. Stine is taking place at "Camp Nightmoon", but its nickname is "Camp Nightmare". A little boy named Billy had never gone camping before. He was scared because during the camp, campers were disappearing. The camp counselors were just saying that the campers never existed. Most of the campers went to the "Forbidden Bunk" and disappeared. The "Forbidden Bunk" is a bunk room where no one is allowed to go, and if they do, they disappear. The camp counselor, "Larry" told everyone about a red-eyed monster called "Sabre" who lives in the "Forbidden Bunk" and eats a camper every night.
In the end, it was not true, it was all a test for Billy. If he passed the test, he would go to another planet called "Earth", for a dangerous mission. The campers weren't really dissappearing, they were all in on the act. "Uncle Al", the camp director, told Billy that he passed the test. Then all the other campers and all their parents came out of the bushes and congratulated Billy.
I liked the book, but it wasn't great. I didn't like the ending because I thought they were already on earth when they were really on a different planet.
Welcome to Camp Nightmare.......2006-12-06
This story by R.L. Stine is taking place at "Camp Nightmoon", but its nickname is "Camp Nightmare". A little boy named Billy had never gone camping before. He was scared because during the camp, campers were disappearing. The camp counselors were just saying that the campers never existed. Most of the campers went to the "Forbidden Bunk" and disappeared. The "Forbidden Bunk" is a bunk room where no one is allowed to go, and if they do, they disappear. The camp counselor, "Larry" told everyone about a red-eyed monster called "Sabre" who lives in the "Forbidden Bunk" and eats a camper every night.
In the end, it was not true, it was all a test for Billy. If he passed the test, he would go to another planet called "Earth", for a dangerous mission. The campers weren't really dissappearing, they were all in on the act. "Uncle Al", the camp director, told Billy that he passed the test. Then all the other campers and all their parents came out of the bushes and congratulated Billy.
I liked the book, but it wasn't great. I didn't like the ending because I thought they were already on earth when they were really on a different planet.
camp?.......2006-07-12
this is another great r.l. stine book from the goosebump series. billy is sent to summer camp, camp nightmoon. at first it's just like any other camp, bad food, strange counselors, and a demented director. but soon, strange things start to happen. campers disappear, his parents aren't replying to his letters, scarey noises outside. this camp is turning into a real nightmare. with no one to turn to, what's going to happen to billy?
Average customer rating:
- Excellent and Cheap
- Lianas review
- Both sets are top picks for gifts.
|
Blue is for Nightmares Collection
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0738709883 |
Book Description
Laurie Faria Stolarz's widely-popular novels-Blue is for Nightmares, White is for Magic, Silver is for Secrets, and Red is for Remembrance-are now available in a boxed set! Stolarz's pitch-perfect dialog and fast-paced storytelling have made these four supsense thrillers into huge hits for teens, with over 200,000 sold collectively. The engaging heroine of this remarkable series is Stacey Brown. A typical teenager, Stacey has the usual worries, like getting good grades and falling in love. But she is also a hereditary witch who is blessed-or cursed-with a gift for prophetic dreams. When danger strikes, Stacey depends on folk magic, good friends, and her wits to escape the peril foretold in her nightmares.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent and Cheap.......2007-06-27
I really wanted to buy all four books, having read them in the library. These books are amazing. The "Spell Book" that this collection comes with is also an interesting thing to look at. It contains all the spells that were used by Stacie; I thought it was cool. :) It is a thrilling series that takes turns that you would never expect. It's one of those books that gets you hooked right away and you fall in love with some characters and completely abhor others. Don't have to be a fanatic of witchcraft, because the plot of the story can be enjoyed without it.
I've gotta say that the last two books are my favorite. Unlike White is for Magic and Blue is for Nightmares, the last two go together. I love the love story in it and the way that Stolarz puts two different points of view. Keeps you up at night and has short chapters, which I'm a fan of.
Definetly a recommendation worth looking into. ;)
Lianas review .......2007-01-24
Being strange, different, and kind of out there, Stacey isn't normal. She's psychic. She can see the future when she dreams at night. In Laurie Faria Stolarz's book Blue is for Nightmares, Stacey is a teenage girl going to a boarding school. She has been having nightmares ever since she was little and now they are coming back. This time they tell her about her friend Drea who is going to get killed. Stacey doesn't know how to deal with her nightmares. She uses spells and objects to help but nothing is working.
Stacy isn't a regular ordinary girl you would see any day. She can almost see the future and for some people that is so cool but Stacey just wants it to stop. When Stacey has these nightmares she wets the bed and she never can get to sleep. She doesn't want to tell her friends about anything that's going on because she thinks that they will laugh at her and won't believe her. She decides to tell Drea about what is going on and together they try to stop it.
This book isn't all about the scary things. There are relationships and fights. Stacey likes Dreas boyfriend Chad and Drea knows it. Drea and Chad have been together for along time now and Stacey doesn't want to break them up because she is a nice friend.
Dramatic, heart-pounding, and suspenseful Blue is for Nightmares is an amazing book for both boys and girls. Scary parts, funny parts, and dramatic parts Blue is for Nightmares is a must read book.
Both sets are top picks for gifts........2007-01-04
Anna-Marie Ferguson's THE LLEWELLYN TAROT offers up something different in the way of Tarot card sets: a deck which is based on the medieval world of the Welsh and which offers insights into a mystic Celtic world as well as Tarot. A 78-card, full color deck accompanies the lovely 288-page book and golden beaded brocade tarot bag for the cards, making this a lovely gift set recommendation. Laurie Faria Stolarz's books are literally enchanting, so it's a treat to see them offered in a unified set in THE BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES COLLECTION. Here are her signature Wiccan guides RED IS FOR REMEMBRANCE, SILVER IS FOR SECRETS, WHITE IS FOR MAGIC, BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES packaged in a handsome boxed set for durability and easy consultation. Both sets are top picks for gifts.
Average customer rating:
- Superb
- Good if you like the Berenstain Bears
- Wonderful!
- Bad Dreams Begone...With Help from the Bear Family!
- Simple, Soft, Explanation of Nightmares for Young Children
|
The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Dream (First Time Books(R))
Stan Berenstain , and
Jan Berenstain
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0394873416
Release Date: 1988-05-12 |
Book Description
After watching a scary movie, both Brother and Sister Bear are troubled by nightmares until Mama and Papa explain what causes bad dreams.
Customer Reviews:
Superb.......2007-07-25
This book shows that bad dreams may be scary but there is a reason behind them.
Good if you like the Berenstain Bears.......2007-01-26
I was looking for a book about bad dreams, and since the kids like the BB, this seemed like a lock. And in general, it is good, but it takes FOREVER to get to the actual bad dream part! The majority of the book is setting up all the things the cubs did all day which then precipitated the bad dreams. Then only about 4 pages are spent dealing with the actual dream. So that was a bit disappointing, but it is still entertaining and you can certainly use it as a jumping-off point to discuss bad dreams. (It is based on a TV episode that we've seen since.)
Wonderful!.......2005-12-15
The world lost a real gem of a writer when Stan Berenstain passed on November 29. Together, Berenstain and his wife, Jan, and eventually their two sons, created books featuring lovable but flawed characters who tackle just about every real issue that faces families.
All kids will experience their first nightmare at some point, hopefully later than sooner. This book is a great way to open up a dialogue with a kid who has had a nightmare. Like all of the Berenstain Bears books, it's not intended to provide a child with coping skills, but rather to help open up a line of conversation wherein the parent can help the child directly. It's simply a fable, an outline, a conversation starter. And it's a wonderful one.
Bad Dreams Begone...With Help from the Bear Family!.......2005-10-05
I loved this book, because it is a wonderful "bad dream banisher" for children of any age. Brother and Sister Bear are so much like normal, you-and-me kids that any child will understand where they're coming from. This book has helped all of the children in my family deal with nightmares...Definately a must-have for any Bear Family fans!
Simple, Soft, Explanation of Nightmares for Young Children.......2003-10-24
Both "Brother" and "Sister" Bear have bad dreams after they play with some toy monsters, and "Brother" sees a movie about them. "Mama Bear" and "Papa Bear" comfort them when they each have bad dreams that night:
"But it was so real!" she said, calming down a bit.
"That's how it is with dreams," he [Papa] said. "It's as if they're really happening, but they're not-they're just in your mind."
After Sister explains the dream, Mama explains that the mind keeps thinking during sleep, but in a nonsensical way, and that a dream "takes all the things you were thinking or were nervous about during the day and puts them together all jumbled like a mixed-up jigsaw puzzle." Mama validates that the dream is scary but also points out how it was interesting.
This may or may not help a child experiencing his/her first nightmares. It's might be useful as an initial explanation, but it doesn't (nor does it intend to) offer much more insight or coping strategies than those mentioned above. As usual, the drawings are fairly bland and unimaginative, but will be familiar to the Berenstain Bear fan.
Book Description
A gripping and definitive portrait of the man who headed one of the most enigmatic and terrifying regimes of modern times
In the three and a half years of Pol Pot's rule, more than a million Cambodians, a fifth of the country's population, were executed or died from hunger. An idealistic and reclusive figure, Pol Pot sought to instill in his people values of moral purity and self-abnegation through a revolution of radical egalitarianism. In the process his country descended into madness, becoming a concentration camp of the mind, a slave state in which obedience was enforced on the killing fields.
How did a utopian dream of shared prosperity mutate into one of the worst nightmares humanity has ever known? To understand this almost inconceivable mystery, Philip Short explores Pol Pot's life from his early years to his death. Short spent four years traveling throughout Cambodia interviewing the surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge movement, many of whom have never spoken before, including Pol Pot's brother-in-law and the former Khmer Rouge head of state. He also sifted through the previously closed archives of China, Russia, Vietnam, and Cambodia itself to trace the fate of one man and the nation that he led into ruin.
This powerful biography reveals that Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were not a one-off aberration but instead grew out of a darkness of the soul common to all peoples. Cambodian history and culture combined with intervention from the United States and other nations to set the stage for a disaster whose horrors echo loudly in the troubling events of our world today.
Customer Reviews:
Yawn.......2007-02-03
I am sorry but this book was boring. I think it took a special kind of writer to make something as seemingly interesting/horrific as the Khmer Rouge so dull. This book is overloaded with details upon details that do not really give any real insights into what happened in Cambodia or upon Pol Pot.
This is not the first book someone should read to get a strong understanding of Pol Pot or the Khmer Rouge. Instead it should be read by people that are serious students of this subject otherwise you will just get bogged down with names and the little bureaucratic nuances of the Khmer Rouge step by painful step.
This book has taken me a long time to read through and I generally read pretty quickly. I would find myself cleaning my house or doing laundry to avoid finishing. I am one of those people that feels they need to finish a book once they started it and this one made me seriously reconsider.
Better History Than Biography.......2006-09-21
I read this book knowing virtually nothing of Pol Pot or the history of the Cambodian revolutionary movement. Having read the book I feel it works far better as a history of modern Cambodia and the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge than it does as a biography of Pol Pot, hence my rating. My expectations of Short's work are high having greatly enjoyed his biography of Mao which is overflowing with the kind of personal detail and insight that is absent from this work. I would speculate that this may have something to do with the availability of source material and perhaps with the cultural issues around the definition of truth in Cambodian culture which Short alludes to in the book.
Despite this I came away far more knowledgeable than I arrived and Short is an excellent writer with a knack for making his material easily digestible.
Good history, but only an average biography.
A sober look at one of the 20th century's deadliest regimes.......2006-05-16
Those looking for a biography of Saloth Sar (aka Pol Pot) may be surprised to find that this is not so much a chronicle of Pol's life, but rather a thorough account of Cambodian political history from the post-World War II era on. Nonetheless this is an invaluable book about the tradegy that the Khmer Rouge unleashed upon Cambodia.
The first part of the book, in which Short sets up his narrative by describing in detail the founding of the Cercle Marxiste and Pol's studies in Paris, was a bit slow-paced. At the same time, it was probably necessary in order to shed light on the roots of some of Pol's radical views.
The narrative really picks up once the Khmer Rouge launch their coup and begin to implement their radical utopian dreams. I agree with the reviewer below that the evacuation of Phnom Penh was one of the most vivid and horrific events depicted in the book. The piercing analysis of Tuol Sleng, the Khmer Rouge's detention and torture center, was extremely powerful.
Short also does a superb job depicting Cambodia's relationship with its Asian neighbors, especially Vietnam, China and North Korea, and, to a lesser extent, Thailand and Laos. The reader will gain tremendous insight into how realpolitik and political relationships manifested themselves in the communist dictatorships of South-East Asia. At the same time, Short emphasizes that what unfolded in Democratic Kampuchea was of a uniquely Cambodian flavor, and it is important to distinguish between the genocides perpetrated by the Stalin and Maoist regimes.
That having been said, I think Short has some serious flaws as a writer; not stylistically, but in terms of moral clarity. He seems obssessed with discrediting the United States as an evil superpower that contributed to the genocide, and he has nothing but contempt for the American presidents from Nixon through Carter. At times his prose can seem downright acidic. Such judgments and interpretations are better left to the reader.
Nevertheless this is a superb account of the Khmer Rouge and the immense suffering inflicted upon the people of Cambodia, and should be read by anyone with an interest in understanding how and why this particular genocide developed.
Excellent.......2006-03-14
Pol Pot was the ruler of the Khmer Rouge and the Prime Minister of Cambodia from 1976 to 1979. He was the de facto leader since mid-1970s. During his time in power Pol Pot together with his cronoies created an aggressive regime of agricultural reform. A society rife with paranoia. A society designed to create a utopian Communist society which was known for repressing intellectuals.
Pol Pot espoused a radically revised variant of Maoism, adapted to Khmer nationalism. Envisaging a perfectly egalitarian agrarianism, the Khmer Rouge favored a completely agrarian society to the point that all modern technological contrivances were banned. Money was made illegal. Pol Pot was rabidly anti-Soviet and Red China considered him a balancing force against their archenemies, the Vietnamese Moscow-oriented regime. And during the detante, the Western powers took more or less the same line, offering diplomatic support to the Khmer Rouge after they were ousted from power by the Vietnamese in 1979. The killing fields were less important than the domino theory.
This was the first book I read about the major actors of the Vietnam conflict and my perspective on the conflict has changed. Clearly, the Viet Cong played a more aggressive and nefarious role in the emergence of the Khmer Rouges than they are willing to admit.
Pol Pot is an interesting person, to say the least. He clearly was an intellectual, a demagogue and an ideologue. He had excellent administration skills and must have been a person skilled in tactful negotiations with his friends who soon became his enemies. The really interesting person emerging from reading this book is not Pol Pot but king Sihanouk, a buddy of Mao and Kim Il Song. What king would be a buddy of two of worlds worst communist mass-murders? Sihanouk's continued efforts to lead his land go hand in hand with Pol Pot's efforts to create a perfect society. I am not saying that Sihanouk was guilty or contributed to the killing fields, but he definitely was a catalyst.
And as all perfect societies, they are bound to implode. The violent and inherently evil rule of the Khmer Rouge is a low point of world history. It is is shocking that Pol Pot eliminated a larger proportion of the population as known beasts as Stalin, Hitler, or Mao.
The book has an engaging style; it read as a good spy novel and not as a biography!
Read it and learn.
Mass Murder in a Slave State .......2005-12-29
It may be impossible to explain why Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge government caused the deaths of more than one million -- possibly two million --Cambodians during their 4 year rule (1975-1979) The author, Philip Short, made an effort to do so in this book. I didn't find his theory -- that the mass-murder was consistent with Khmer culture and history -- very persuasive, but I don't have a better one to offer in its place. Perhaps, insane outbreaks are hot-wired in the human psyche to occur now and then -- in the same way that lemmings commit mass suicide by running over cliffs. The Khmer Rouge was a movement that ran amok.
"Pol Pot" is a thorough, readable, and well-researched account of Cambodian politics from about 1950 until the death of Pol Pot in 1998. The writer avoids polemics and gave me a sense of confidence that he is presenting the ghastly story of Pol Pot and Cambodia as objectively as possible. Short's account may be too dispassionate for many people as he focuses on Khmer Rouge philosophies and programs, rather than recounting endless atrocity stories. Those stories are readily available elsewhere. In this book, I appreciated the author's search for the root causes of the Khmer Rouge's inhumanity.
The most interesting part of the book to me was the fall of Phnom Penh in April 1975 and the subsequent forced evacuation of that city and other Cambodian cities by the Khmer Rouge. Short has a detailed account of that event, the philosphy behind it and the human consequences.
Pol Pot himself seems an unremarkable person. It is fitting that after he died his body was burned on a funeral pyre comprised of old tires and broken furniture. Evil is banal.
Smallchief
Books:
- The Dark Heart of Italy
- The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness
- The Disappearance of the Universe: Straight Talk About Illusions, Past Lives, Religion, Sex, Politics, and the Miracles of Forgiveness
- The King's Daughter Workbook: Becoming a Woman of God
- The Klingon Dictionary (Star Trek (Trade/hardcover))
- The Last Brother: A Civil War Tale (Tale of Young Americans)
- The Lost King of France: How DNA Solved the Mystery of the Murdered Son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
- The Paper Bag Princess (Classic Munsch)
- The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II
- The Road Map to Nowhere: Israel/Palestine Since 2003
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