Leaves a Bit to Be Desired...
929252
In the wake of DC's new reboot, they restarted one of their longest running series; Detective Comics. Back to number one, this new series has Batman facing off against foes new and old. Covering issues 1 through 7, this really nice looking hardcover book has all the textless covers, along with black and white prints, and a sketch gallery at the back of the book. However, the story contained within is just as important.

Batman is hot on the heels of the Joker after a murder and, after catching him, learns that a villain named the Dollmaker has given the Joker a "facelift" and then helped him escape without leaving a trace. Batman tracks down the Dollmaker and his twisted Texas Chainsaw-Massacre-like "family" but gets caught up in a scheme where the Dollmaker is holding Commissioner Gordon hostage and wants to sell the Batman to the highest bidder. Learning that the Penguin is behind the sale, he finds the waddling foe at his new Iceberg Casino along with Bruce's date Charlotte who is also a reporter trying to figure out what's going on in Gotham. Her twin sister Jill reveals a plot, with Snakeskin, to overthrow the Penguin and it's up to Batman to put an end to the bloodshed and stop both the Penguin and the Dollmaker before it's too late!

Well, the story jumps all over the place in these seven issues here! The first two issues are magnificent and reveal a story plot that just has you biting your nails the whole time. However, after that, it all goes downhill as Batman fails to capture the Dollmaker and then hunts down leads regarding the Penguin and just about forgets the Dollmaker altogether. Then, you have the ordeal with Olivia, the little girl who turns into a cop-killer and we get no reasoning as to why she did it or what she's up to and how the Dollmaker's involved. On top of that, the Penguin gets thrown into the mix and Batman runs off with his dying date instead of solving the loose ends with the Penguin. As a small peeve, we also get a reference to an I, Vampire crossover with no mention that the reader would need to read that volume to understand why in the world Alfred's talking about vampires and Batman's mentioning a train with lots of blood. The dialogue here is also something that has become cringe-worthy with lines like "Your new friends should now be your dead friends." And "I can only afford a one-time payment - made in lead." The extras at the end are nice as is the short Hugo Strange story involving Catwoman at the end of issue 5. But, it doesn't make up for the crazy story that goes nowhere. My biggest issue with this is, where the hell is the Joker? They made this big deal about him and made a very disturbing, eye-catching image at the end of issue one and then never came back to it. (However, I did notice a little bit of a mesh lining in the chin area of the "face" possibly suggesting it's a realistic fake) This would've driven the story closer to home and made it much better but instead it veered off into another direction.

Overall, they restarted a very long-running series only to restart it on the wrong foot. I liked the first couple issues but it's diving into ridiculousness quickly and I'm hoping volume 2 will save it somewhat. However, I'm not very hopeful at this point.
3413719
I wanted to like this more than I did. First, I should say the book seems well written and the fact that it is a collection of essays submitted by many writers/voices makes it a candidate for a very inclusive and multi-dimensional approach to (biblical) counseling. The operative word here, "seems." I still found the substance of the book very one-dimensional. I was hoping with a title that was so inclusive, Biblical Counseling and the Church, that the heart of the biblical approach would reflect many traditions and present the material with a far more ecumenical posture than what was presented. This is the primary reason I feel the book falls short of what it promotes.

While it is not specifically a negative, the approach toward biblical counseling in this model is primarily that of the evangelical fundamentalist-reformed traditions. Once again, not that this is specifically negative, but it removes a significant portion of the Christian-biblical tradition from the mix of authority that the book attempts to promote in its title.

I think the biggest problem that I have with the book is likely semantics. It blatantly describes itself as a book for counseling in the Church in its title, but fails to deliver that in its pages. It redefines what counseling is by (more or less) describing it as discipleship and enlisting the "priesthood of believers" to serve as the pastoral care providers within the church. It does, in fact, speak to the more clinical definitions of counseling, but that is a point that is largely missed in the book on the whole... or I missed it entirely.

I was expecting something more and was delivered something less. Perhaps this is my bad, but I feel I have been made victim of the classic bait and switch. I will state one last time, there are several good portions in the book and once I was able to get past my initial letdown, I was able to hang on to the good and see where I might be able to use it in my own ministry efforts. Still, the book falls far short of what it could be.
3748594
...I was expecting a lot more from this album. Some of my friends who, like me, are big fans of Pink Floyd (particularly the older stuff like Animals and Wish You Were Here) recommended this album to me on that basis. They indicated that anyone who really enjoyed the old Floyd, would get into this  right away. Not so in my case.

Maybe I don't understand the concept of the album but to me almost the *entire thing* is a collection of (barely lyrical) ramblings by Waters. Few of the songs have any real rhythm or melodies to them. They're just sort of aimless collections of what seems like drunken grumbling by Waters, with choruses of women singing the refrains. It's just very strange IMHO.

Maybe you have to be tripping a little to really get into this one, but for me it left a bad taste in my mouth after having such high expectations. *shrug* I'm sure I'll be in the minority but felt it worth noting that not all big-time Floyd fans will find this worthwhile as part of their collection.
3595561
I did enjoy it overall, but was disappointed by some sexual content that gets thrown in about midway through.  I'm sure it's there to boost sales, but it wasn't necessary, and is not in keeping with the tone of the rest of the book.
1521101
Kudos for the good advertising on Myspace, where I found their page and heard some of their better songs.  Unfortunately, I thought all the songs would be good... some of the songs are butchered with what I would guess is a cheesy, accordion-like addition to some of the classics. I bought this for my son because I was tired of replaying the regular Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky. It's a hit and miss with kids, but overall is a decent collection of remixed songs I play in the car when my son is there, but I find myself skipping tracks to the 2-3 on each CD that I happen to like more (there are 2 CDs that come with this).
635146
Functions as hoped, but the odd shape seems very unnecessary. It's unsightliness requires hiding. But sometimes you need to manually switch inputs, so not too hidden.
I got a second, slightly more expensive version that has ALL the connections on the backside and can visibly left out for good access.
623736
Perfectly adequate, but somehow I'm still disappointed
2198201
I purchased this because I often connect large power supplies that interfere with each other, and this separation seemed like a good idea.  And it is.  It effectively separates the power supplies from each other.

On the con side:  It's a bit difficult to hide because of its rather short extension line. I'd like them to make the extension 6 feet instead of the 2-3 ft it has now. Further, I am unable to get the plugs firmly seated. There's at least a cm of plug that is not inserted and that bothers me.

Also, the packaging, while emphasizing the products "cuteness" is more than a PITA! I had to get out my heavy-duty scissors to cut through the top to open it.  Then I realized that wasn't enough. I had to cut through the very heavy and theft-resistant plastic, to free the "arms" and the "legs" and get it out of its protective armor!  It was cumbersome, tedious and, may I say tiring! Suddenly I feel old because opening a gadget just shouldn't be this difficult.
3372507
This blade does what it is designed and purported to do, but there is still a thin line of whatever you are mixing above the rotating blade that doesn't get touched.  Given the time it takes to adequately mix most things and the foodstuff gets pulled/scraped into the mix anyway, I'm not sure this "convenience" is worth the extra money, especially if you normally don't have to scrape around the bowl more than once or twice anyway during the mixing of whatever you are making.  Not a bad item, by any means - just not even close to a necessity in many cases.
1800039
Works but leaves a lot to be desired. There is only one way to install this item in a smartphone for it to work. That said, even laying the phone directly onto the charging pad results in regular disconnect followed by reconnecting again for charging. I have a very thin Otterbox case that should not interfere with this antenna located so close to a charging source where other devices charge without issue or incur loss of signal.
920293
I do like the convenience of this, sweeping right into it without bending over.  But a couple of aspects about it make much less useful that it might be.  You cant see the level of dirt inside without opening it, which is quite messy.  And the filter does not fit absolutely tight, so even though it claims to have a hepa filter, it throws quite a bit of dust into the air.  My husband hates the noise, the dust, and the space that it takes up.
4188577
This book, like all of the others in this series, is well-written and very engaging.  But...  You knew there would be a but.  But this one doesn't seem to go anywhere.  Not on it's own.  Rather than being a major addition to the series, this book seems like more of a transition.  Or a breather between major chapters in the series as a whole.  The entire book seems to be the characters taking stock of their situations, some back story for the reader, and some shading for what is going to be coming in future installments.  The major plot point that everything is supposedly building up to is resolved in a matter of pages at the end of the book.  Without much fanfare, just the possible loss of a minor character in the process.  Throwing herself nobley on the grenade, so to speak.  Or rather, snake, as the case may be.  But that is it.  You get a lot of cryptic remarks made by all kinds of people.  But no outright statements, that would fill the reader in as to what was happeneing, and to who.  Think of it along the lines of an old Saturday matinee serial.  That is what the whole book is like.  One giant teaser for things to come, with the plot tossed in like an afterthought.  And of course it ends with yet another cliff-hanger.  Or series of cliff-hangers in all of the sub-plots.  While I am sure that it makes for good sales, it is really annoying for us readers.  This one was good for exposition, but lacked the meat found in the other books.  Personally I think it would have been better to release this as part of a larger book.  It was too short and too lacking for a stand-alone novel.  I gave it a 4 out of 5 because while it may not be at the same level as the other books in this series, his wrting is still well worth the time.
2574076
I replace my keyboard covers pretty regularly, so I've tried out a lot of them over the years, and I must say this is one of my least favorite. It's not terrible, but it doesn't fit quite as well as some othersthere's always a slight bubble somewhere, depending on how it's adjustedand it leaves a very distinct rubber outline on my screen. If you wipe your screen every day, it comes off pretty easily, but it can be really difficult to remove if you let it go for awhile. I would recommend both iMacket and Case Star over this brand, but it's probably about on par with Kuzy, which also has fit issues.
933269
For my full review, check out my blog: [...]

This book had lots of potential and there are areas where I feel like it's interesting and well-done. However, as a whole, I just wasn't feeling it. Perhaps because this is supposed to be the beginning of a series, the author felt the need to shoehorn in some things and leave out others that I felt needed more explanation. In the end, I found it a bit lacking. I don't regret reading it, and it was a surprisingly fast read, so I'll say this: check it out from the library or get a cheaper e-book version. I don't think this is a full-price read.
4628000
Well, I am well and truly caught up with the story arc so far, and that is satisfying. There is much and more to like here. But on the little and less side, I have some quibbles. I have been willing to put up with the lists of names, shield devices, and sigils I will never remember and the detailing of even the smallest of small clothes in the service of "being there." But I can't help but be disappointed in the failure to give previously detailed characters the smallest of progression, relegating them to the chronic cliche of their theme song (I'm looking at you, Princess Shireen and Patches, oh, oh, oh). People with interesting back story and condition who should have had at least one further part to play to justify their existence. And one newish character with whom we spend a lot of time and learn to care about to some extent, only to have that time seem pointless in the end. But oh, yeah, if I am still above the grass when volume 6 comes out, I'll be right there in line.

Kudos on the other reviews that point out other unsatisfying aspects.
1880375
Has a few useful features, however, it feels most of the time in designing this program was spent padding it with bells and whistles, instead of mastering the fundamentals. It takes time to figure out how to fade in and out, however I can inset a glowing ball tinkly transition no problem. Guys, we don't need that crap 99.999% of the time. Please master things like stability, bugs, exporting, importing and the fundamental features before bulking up to the point of overwhelm. Kind of reminds me Microsoft Outlook, which to me in an ultimate fail in what should have been the most basic and useful of programs, instead of being mostly a headache.
4631258
Like many reviewers, I'm finding less and less to like with each novel.  This book has about 2 pages of really fantastic material, and 30 pages of good material.  Unfortunately, it's 352 pages long....

Still, there's a glimmer of hope here.  The story finally has some potential to turn the corner here, and I think we'll see one of two things happening here.  The first possibility is that the series will become a zombie itself, unsure that it's really dead while it plogs on along churning uninspired book after book...something that many readers might point out has already happened.  However, the series could find that spark that made it so well loved and unique, and return to life with some great stories out there in the Blake universe that still haven't been told.  There were a few tantalizing hints that showed potential for that to happen, although there have been moments in the last several books that could have shown that as well.  Here's hoping that life will return, and not because the zombie has been raised.

All in all, not the worst of the series, but ranks pretty darn low.  Still, the last few chapters really made for a pretty nice story--interesting that it happened to coincide with all the sex being over....

The actual close of the story seemed a bit abrupt, and seemed to lack any consequences to the events of the book--hopefully that may change if there is another book in the series, and attention is given back to things like plot and characters instead of sex scenes.....