A Sense of the Morning: Nature Through New Eyes

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A Classic Poker Read

Would have been good in its time but is now dated

Mesmerizing time capsule of Vegas two decades ago

if you play poker, this is a must-read

Delicate and Hypnotic.

The Biggest Game in Town
A. Alvarez
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0747562997

Book Description

Called "the best book ever written on poker" by players and critics alike, The Biggest Game in Town is a sought-after classic thatâ€™s finally available in print again. Acclaimed author A. Alvarez delves into the seedy, obsessive world of high-stakes Vegas poker, where "the next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing." Uncovering an exotic underground rich in ambiance and eccentricity, The Biggest Game in Town is "a magnificent book " (San Francisco Chronicle), a real one of a kind.

Customer Reviews:

A Classic Poker Read.......2006-12-15

This book is a must have for the serious poker library. While many of the poker players that Alvarez writes about in the book have now become household names, they were virtual unknowns (outside of their peers) when he wrote this book. This book really was groundbreaking in many ways.

Reading this book will enable you to appreciate the mentality of the hi-limit players before poker became mainstream and commercialized. If you want to appreciate a little more about the history of the World Series of Poker, this is a good place to start. The event was not always the "circus" that it has become today.

Alvarez has a nice writing style that is entertaining and easy to read. This is a quick read that you can get through in a few hours. I recommend it.

Would have been good in its time but is now dated.......2006-06-20

"The Biggest Game in Town" is a book exploring the lead up to, the characters behind, and the culmination of, the 1981 World Series Of Poker. My main criticism of the book has little to do with the text itself. With poker becoming more mainstream, it was inevitable that the stakes would become higher, the stories would become crazier and this title and others like it would be left behind. As an example, the main prize in this book is several hundred thousand dollars. Compare this to the million dollar prize pools that are now being generated on an almost weekly basis and the reader can be forgiven for being dismissive about a first prize of "only" $375,000. The book recounts tales of businessmen being "stuck" for $50,000 but again compare that to the recent colossal struggle between Andy Beal and the Vegas professionals, where Beal initially gained the upper hand but eventually lost $10 million. Perhaps the one reason I would recommend the book is for its fleeting glance into the life of Stu Ungar, perhaps one of the greatest players to ever grace the felt. However, other than that I would say that there are many other poker titles I would recommend reading first, for example Nolan Dalla's "One of a Kind", a book that I suspect will stand the test of time.

Mesmerizing time capsule of Vegas two decades ago.......2005-09-02

This book is a time capsule of a very different Las Vegas. The Vegas of the late 70's and early 80's was centered around the downtown area, with none of the all-encompassing resorts on the Strip. This is the heyday of Binion's Horseshoe, when Benny Binion was holding court at the most over-the-top gambling paradise. Unlike other casinos, the Horseshoe had to limits on the bets it would accepts and played host to the most outrageous gamblers and bets of the time.

All the greats of poker legend appear here--Johnny Moss and Nick the Greek Dandalos in their 1949 many-weeks-long marathon multi-million dollar game, Doyle Brunson, wacky cowboy gambler Amarillo Slim Preston, and formidable strategist Jack Strauss, among others.

This is a must-read for any poker player. For a modern look inside the World Series of Poker, try James McManus's Positively Fifth Street.

if you play poker, this is a must-read.......2005-03-23

This book is a like a time-capsule that sheds light on the poker world before poker was on every channel and before Hold 'Em was the biggest game in town.
A great look at one journalist's foray into the World Series of Poker, this is just a terrific book.
He's a great writer, he captures the action clearly and with a 'you're in the game' point of view, and he makes it very exciting, yet still personal.
A must read for all players.

Delicate and Hypnotic........2004-10-07

Quite simply, this is one of the best books I have ever read. My only regret is that it was way too short. Alvarez, simply put, is a great writer. You will not be surprised by his background as a poet after opening it because he writes masterfully. He has a poet's sense for distilled language no words are wasted and the quotations are carefully selected and sometimes astounding (like Binion's equating gambling with all that is American). The organization and flow of the work is tremendous and his 188 pages turned like 40. There's no way you'll put The Biggest Game in Town once you start it.

No work better describes the "alligator blood" of the world's top notch professional poker players. His portraits of Doyle Brunson, Johnny Moss, and Jack Strauss will be with you forever.

The sheer aggression of Hold 'Em becomes quite obvious as does the way in which our sexual drives, and just about everything else, become sublimated in those who are addicted to gambling. However, the allure of "action" is quite apparent and will make readers want to fly out to the World Series of Poker to experience the pagaentry for themselves. This is a rare and valuable offering.

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THE BIGGEST GAME IN TOWN
A. Alvarez
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQBVTO

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The Biggest Game In Town
A. Alvarez
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0233975217

The corporate casino: How managers win and lose at the biggest game in town

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The corporate casino: How managers win and lose at the biggest game in town
Dean B Peskin
Manufacturer: AMACOM
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Biggest Game In Town: The Journey of a Professional Poker Player

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The Biggest Game In Town: The Journey of a Professional Poker Player
A. Alvarez
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UE13Q6

Amazon.com

Wherein we discover that many of the "rules" for good writing and good sex are the same: Keep your hand moving, lose control, and don't think. Goldberg brings a touch of both Zen and well... *eroticism* to her writing practice, the latter in exercises and anecdotes designed to ease you into your body, your whole spirit, while you create, the former in being where you are, working with what you have, and writing from the moment.

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

Natalie Goldberg's love of writing stems from her desire to connect with herself. In this audio version of her bestselling Writing Down the Bones, this is a potentially self-absorbed wish, especially considering that the author reads from her own work and interjects morsels of wisdom gleaned from a long writing career, which includes books on writing (Wild Mind, Long Quiet Highway), creativity (The Well of Creativity), and art (Living Color). However, Goldberg's relaxed narration and Everywoman sensibility help her avoid this danger. The classroom-like reading gives listeners a growing acquaintance with Goldberg and a friendly assurance of her methods as she quips: "you can hear my New York Jewish voice nagging you." The recording also includes an interview with Goldberg, focusing on her use of Zen meditation in writing and offering additional insight into her own rule-free writing habits. (Running time: 9 hours, 6 cassettes) --Bryony Angell

Book Description

For more than twenty years Natalie Goldberg has been challenging and cheering on writers with her books and workshops. In her groundbreaking first book, she brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice—"it is backed by two thousand years of studying the mind." This edition includes a new preface and an interview with the author.

Customer Reviews:

My Favorite Writing Guide!.......2007-06-01

My dad gave me this book many years ago. He always had such faith in my writing ability, and he would mail me articles, books, reviews and such all the time.

Thanks to him, I have many writing books -- inspirational, how-to, and so on. This is the only one that is dog-eared and has food and coffee stains on many pages.

I noted that one reviewer thought it was really only a book for those who write poetry. I couldn't disagree more -- I have never written poetry, don't plan on it, and actually don't particularly like it. I mostly write non-fiction articles, and I LOVE the author's philosophy!

I do my research and interviews, read-read-read about whatever subject it is I want to write about, and then when it's time to sit down and write -- I just let it flow. I don't stop to think about it -- I just GO with it. My writing has improved so much this way! I used to try to outline and plan -- and my writing was disastrous. I did not listen to my instincts, which told me that my very best writing was always, without exception, the kind that happened with no planning at all.

If you aren't afraid to write without a "plan", get this book. Even if you DO think you need a plan, get this book. Try a different way of writing, and you just might be surprised at the REAL writer within you, dying to get out and express herself (or himself)!

My problem is not with Natalie Goldberg's book..........2007-05-13

This edition is TINY. I would love to be reviewing Natalie Goldberg's book right now, but apparently Amazon saw fit not to include the warning "This book is only 3 by 4 1/2 inches in size (text inside occupies a 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch area on the page)."
The is not the sort of book I already have mostly memorized; but if I had, perhaps it would help to have this tiny reference around to jog my memory now and again. Indeed, I do not foresee ever reading it because it is too tiny to hold, or to see. Moreover, since it is a guide to writing, I would ideally like to be jotting notes in the margins. But the margins are about an eighth of an inch wide. So you see my problem.
Amazon, please carry normal sizes. There's a reason for it.

The book that made me a writer.......2007-03-19

This is probably one of the best books ever on the subject of writing. While Goldberg hardly covers anything technical with regards to writing specific genres (be it poetry, novels, magazine articles), she triumphs by enabling the reader to overcome their writer's block, and dare to write about the things that matter to them. Simply follow her technique, apply yourself to it for years, and you will be able to write fluidly and confidently about anything that you know. No more staring at blank pages, no more tearing out your hair to get the right wording. Subsequent to reading this book, I became a poet (see[...]), a songwriter, and a novelist (with one finished book and one draft). I also, over the last ten years, have filled a 7-foot stack of notebooks with my practice writing, and forged a number of friendships over journal writing sessions. Yes, read this book, but as you read, make sure you start writing, so that the inspiration will not just be a passing phase.

THANK YOU NATALIE.......2007-03-18

Dear Natalie (and how many reviews begin with that), thank you so much for writing this book. If it weren't for your guidance, this resistant writer would still be staring out the window of her Maine summer house wishing she could be published (or that she had anything to say for that matter). A great classic book that I recommend to all my sisters on the journey....Sincerely, Pamela D. Blair, Author, The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Midlife and Beyond

Opens your world........2007-03-17

I have used all her advice and boy does it help. This lady knows where she is coming from and thats from the heart of writing. You will hope to meet her in a cafe where you could talk endlessly with her, but this book does just that. Its your meeting with this one of a kind genius who takes you on a journey of storytelling, how its done and all its secrets.

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Writing Down the Bones, Wild Mind
Natalie Goldberg
Manufacturer: Quality Paperback Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IAPMRS

WRITING DOWN THE BONES-FREEING THE WRITER WITHIN

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WRITING DOWN THE BONES-FREEING THE WRITER WITHIN
Natalie Goldberg
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000GR9NR8

From the Bones Out. (Comment: down from the tower: poetry as confabulation).: An article from: Poetry

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From the Bones Out. (Comment: down from the tower: poetry as confabulation).: An article from: Poetry
Bill Christophersen
Manufacturer: Modern Poetry Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Poetry, published by Modern Poetry Association on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 3265 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: From the Bones Out. (Comment: down from the tower: poetry as confabulation).
Author: Bill Christophersen
Publication: Poetry (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: Modern Poetry Association
Volume: 179 Issue: 4 Page: 217(10)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Writing Down the Bones
Natalie Goldberg
Manufacturer: Quality Paper Back Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NLNV7K

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Writing Down the Bones

Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HNB680

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Writing Down the Bones
Natalie Goldberg
Manufacturer: AIRLIFT BOOK COMPANY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1QXKU

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Writing Down the Bones
Natalie Goldberg
Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HN9Q14

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Writing Down the Bones

Manufacturer: Shambhala
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HNDSVS

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Writing Down the Bones
Natalie Goldberg
Manufacturer: Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PCE2EI

Book Description

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

One woman's journey through madness, murder, and mistaken identity -- a classic work of Victorian sensationalism.

THIS ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

• A concise introduction that gives readers important background information

• A chronology of the author's life and work

• A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context

• An outline of the key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations

• Detailed explanatory notes

• Critical analysis including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work

• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. the scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

Customer Reviews:

Journey Into the Past.......2007-08-10

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is, of course, written differently than the novels today. But that is a part of its appeal. The author descriptively paints a portrait with his words and I gladly stepped into the story. We read the book in our book club and everyone loved it. Give it a try and see if you like it.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.......2007-07-26

I have read this for a book club. It took a few pages to get used to the 19th century writing, but when I did I have found it very enjoyable. The book is a trifle "wordy" however even that proves to be part of what makes it interesting. The plot is quite involved and not so realistic and yet I highly recommend it and I think it will be a great book club discussion.......

"Make 'em laugh, make 'em weep, make 'em wait, and make 'em come back.".......2007-03-11

This advice for writing serial romances, alternately attributed to Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and Charles Reade, is epitomized in this 1860 novel by Collins, a story of thwarted love, a marriage of obligation, claims on inheritance, the victimization of women, and, most of all, engaging mystery. Collins, often credited as the father of the mystery genre, creates a fast-paced story of Victorian England, revealing much about Victorian society and its values--the role of women, the laws governing marriage and inheritance, the social institutions of the day, the contrasting attitudes toward the aristocracy and the lower classes, and even the level of medical care and the treatment of psychological illness.

When drawing master Walter Hartright is on his way to teach Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie at Limmeridge House, in Cumberland, England, he meets a "woman in white," a young woman who knows Limmeridge House well because she was mentored by Mrs. Fairlie, Laura Fairlie's deceased mother. The "woman in white" is Anne Catherick, who looks just like Laura, but who is an escapee from a nearby mental asylum. Upon his arrival at Limmeridge House, Walter immediately falls in love with the beautiful Laura, but she has made a deathbed pledge to her father to marry to Sir Percival Glyde, someone Anne Catherick despises and blames for her own incarceration. Throughout the novel, Anne visits various characters to offer help in combating Sir Percival and his cohorts.

The story unfolds through documents held by a variety of characters, each of whom tells the story from his/her own point of view. The reader develops sympathy for the innocent and beautiful Laura, respect for her homely but bright half-sister, Marian Halcombe, sadness for Walter Hartright, and hatred for Sir Percival and his friend, the Italian count Fosco, with whom Sir Percival is in business. Sir Percival and the count need financing, and it is Laura's inheritance that is at stake. A series of consecutive disasters, along with arguments, revelations of abuse, the fear of exposure, and the contemplation of murder by Sir Percival and Count Fosco, draws the reader irrevocably into the action.

The characters are sympathetically drawn, with Collins showing an early awareness of the influence of psychology on behavior. The descriptions of nature, presented realistically and in minute detail, build suspense, as Collins creates parallels between nature and the details of plot. As is usually the case with romances, chance plays a huge role in the unfolding action, creating cliff-hanging suspense which contributes to the excitement--and pure fun--of this seductive novel. The conclusion, involving a subplot unrelated to the primary action, resolves issues conveniently. The almost-forgotten author of twenty-five novels, Collins was one of the most successful authors of Victorian mysteries, and he is gaining new attention as a result of reprints of this novel and The Moonstone. Mary Whipple

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Gothic Hospital
Gary Crew
Manufacturer: Lothian Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0734402325

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The Hotel-dieu at Beaune

Manufacturer: Somogy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Woman in White (Tor Classics)
Wilkie Collins
Manufacturer: Tor Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0765353954

Book Description

Who was the woman in white and what was her secret?Was she an escaped mad woman, a displaced heir, or even an unearthly apparition?This is the mystery that Marian Halcombe and Walter Hartright must solve if they have any hopes of saving their dear friend Laura Fairlie from the dark forces that wish to lay claim to her estate and her life.Masterfully filled with all of the elements of the classic Victorian thriller--seemingly unexplained apparitions, exotic dangers, a larger than life villain to rival Doyle's Moriarty, secret ancestries, and the looming threat of an asylum next door-The Woman in Whitenbsp;is a classic novel of sensation that is as much of a page-turner today as it was when it was first published close to a century and half ago.

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