Perfect for its intended audience -- not so much for others
593499
First of all, it's very important to note that there are at least two separate models of the wired "MicroCon" for the PS2.  If you look at the pictures available on this page both of the two I'm familiar with are shown separately.  The first one (the one shown in blue) wasn't as good for me and I use the second one (shown in black.)  The only problem I ever had with it is that the analog sticks have hard plastic tops that are concave rather than the usual convex shape with rubber.  I added a bit of hot glue to the tops and problem solved.  (Also, another modification that I do to all controllers is to open them up and remove the motors.  The force feedback really isn't all that great anyway, but this makes them considerably lighter and more comfortable to hold IMO.)

The smaller size and shape makes this much more comfortable to those who have smaller hands.  I find the buttons to be laid out just right and the rubber grips on the side definitely make it easier and more comfortable to actually hold.  Even the top buttons seemed to be placed just right to me.

In short, it's just right for hands that aren't huge (and by this I still mean some adults, not just children) but only buy one if you meet that criteria.
3019970
The content of this well written book has been covered in other reviews and I agree it is a solid, introductory text at a decent price. However, I find it a little too "coffee table" for my tastes with big type and lots of pretty photos, rather than a lot of breath or depth. If you haven't been introduced to bed gardening and creating a "living" fertile soil, it would be a nice intro, but easy to outgrow (no pun intended).

Notably lacking is content on more than a couple herbs, most salad and Asian greens, as well as some of the less common crops and pest/disease situations that you might encounter. Also, while a prescriptive "how-to" guide, it doesn't educate as to the "why" of things as well as other texts I have read, which let you transfer the techniques to your own specific situations.

I'd recommend picking up a good seed catalog that is at least partially aimed at commercial growers (e.g. Territorial and/or Johnny's) both for cultural and growing suggestions, as well as knowing what cultivars are available (since most of the books are 10-20 years out of date on that), and considering instead:

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Golden-Gate-Gardening-Year-Round-Food-Gardening-in-the-San-Francisco-Bay-Area-and-Coastal-California/dp/157061136X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Golden Gate Gardening: Year-Round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area and Coastal California</a>&nbsp;-- Although written for one geography, both the general information on gardening, as well as the extensive sections on vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers make it a "go to" for me.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Grow-Your-Own-Vegetables/dp/071121963X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Grow Your Own Vegetables</a>&nbsp;-- Great general information on gardening as well as tons of specific information on a very wide range of vegetables. A well-respected British author, so you have to get used to some difference in language, like "marrow" and "beetroot". Also be aware that "organic" is different in the UK, so some US practices, like insecticidal soaps, aren't covered.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Oriental-Vegetables-The-Complete-Guide-for-the-Gardening-Cook/dp/1568363702/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Gardening Cook</a>&nbsp;-- If you are interested in "salad greens" or "baby greens" then this covers well a lot of the "fancy" leaves you'll find in mixes or at the market. (I don't recommend Larkcom's "Organic Salad Garden" as it is not much more than an extract from "Grow Your Own Vegetables" on high-end paper with lots of glossy pictures.)

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/How-to-Grow-More-Vegetables-and-Fruits-And-Fruits-Nuts-Berries-Grains-and-Other-Crops-How-to-Grow-More-Vegetables-And-Fruits-Nuts-Berries-Grains/dp/1580087965/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) (How to Grow More Vegetables: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains,)</a>&nbsp;-- Covers "intensive" bed gardening and has a lot of good reference information on crop timing and yields. Sometimes a little "earthy" or "preachy" in style and content, and perhaps not as well researched and supported as the above (or&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-New-Organic-Grower-A-Master-s-Manual-of-Tools-and-Techniques-for-the-Home-and-Market-Gardener-A-Gardener-s-Supply-Book/dp/093003175X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book)</a>, for another "second" book) but worth adding to a collection (as I prefer the previous as broader, more balanced texts). Revised and reprinted regularly, so make sure this links to the most recent.
1566463
I chose four stars over five because this book is not right for everyone. It is an effective and brief introduction to the topic, but if you are interested in knowing more, you will need to find another book.
3900191
A very nice book, but I was not as impressed as some of the other reviewers (maybe I missed something?)
1502578
This book is well-written and very nicely designed. Beyond that, it's hard to see what the fuss is about.

First of all, and on the one hand, the book isn't the torrent of Machiavellian amorality you may have been led to believe. The author does go out of his way to make it _sound_ as though he's presenting you with sophisticated, in-the-know, just-between-us-hardheaded-realists amoral guidance. But as a matter of fact almost every bit of this advice _could_ have been presented without offense to the most traditional of morality.

(For example, the law about letting other people do the work while you take the credit is made to sound worse than it really is. Sure, it admits of a "low" interpretation. But it's also, read slightly differently, a pretty apt description of what any good manager does.)

Second, and on the other hand, the advice isn't _that_ good; it's merely well-presented. How it works will depend on who follows it; as the old Chinese proverb has it, when the wrong person does the right thing, it's the wrong thing.

And that's why I have to deduct some stars from the book. For it seems to be designed to appeal precisely to the "wrong people."

Despite some sound advice, this book is aimed not at those who (like Socrates) share the power of reason with the gods, but at those who (like Ulysses) share it with the foxes. It seeks not to make you reasonable but to make you canny and cunning. And as a result, even when it advises you to do things that really do work out best for all concerned, it promotes an unhealthy sense that your best interests are at odds with nearly everyone else's. (And that the only reason for being helpful to other people is that it will advance your own cloak-and-dagger "career.")

No matter how helpful some of the advice may be, it's hard to get around the book's rather pompous conceit that the reader is learning the perennial secrets of crafty courtiers everywhere. Even if only by its tone, this volume will tend to turn the reader into a lean and hungry Cassius rather than a confident and competent Caesar.

In general the book does have some useful things to say about power and how to acquire and wield it. Unfortunately its approach will probably render the advice useless to the people who need it most. Readers who come to it for guidance will come away from it pretentiously self-absorbed if not downright narcissistic; the readers who can see through its Machiavellian posturing and recognize it for what it is will be the very readers who didn't need it in the first place.

Recommended only to readers who _aren't_ unhealthily fascinated by Sun-Tzu, Balthasar Gracian, and Michael Korda.
4517137
Potential readers should start by considering what this book *isn't*. It's not an "erotic" book, intended to titillate. It's not a "how-to-make-your-hot-marriage-hotter" book or a "how-to-be-a-better-lover" book. Neither is it intended for couples whose marriages are extremely dysfunctional, erotically or otherwise. It also might not be helpful for people who don't have a regular sexual partner. With some modifications, it might be helpful for gay and lesbian couples.

It's possible that some of the negative reviews on Amazon have come from people who did not have realistic expectations of this book.

This is a self-help book for couples in committed loving relationships, who are having trouble getting normal enjoyment from sex. Couples having problems in bed with ordinary issues like modesty, female orgasm (that isn't usually a problem for men), difficulty becoming aroused, difficulty expressing tenderness and affection during sex, clumsiness and inexperience, and so on, will find they are guided toward easy and friendly solutions.

In most cases, the underlying problem for such couples is poor communication. Many couples find it difficult to *talk* productively about such intimate and potentially humiliating matters, even though they are *doing* it all the time! That's unfortunate and unnecessary, of course. The author provides a wide variety of ideas, techniques and structured experiences that will help couples overcome these barriers to enjoyment of sexual love.

Sex counselors and all-around marital counselors have been recommending this book for years, and still do. It's a classic. If you look at the list of other titles Amazon customers considered, you can see that this book is one of the best of its type.

The author previously wrote a self-help book for "orgasmically challenged" women. That does not mean she is biased in favor of women, or unable to understand the male point of view. She's a seasoned professional perfectly able to understand the sometimes-differing needs and feelings of men and women. She handles these topics even-handedly, with a compassionate light touch. Highly recommended.
2488832
Marie Kondo writes a cute and approachable method to home overhauling, but one that doesn't sell itself to the American audience as well as it should. Personifying objects and homesusa bit too "kawaii" and some other cultural specifics might make it hard for the standard American audience to fully appreciate the immensely important and impactful message: things should exist to help you and make you happy. Keep only that which "sparks joy"--which is different for everyone, but simple enough and meaningful enough to be revolutionary.
1249120
It seems like it would be the perfect book for one audience and a rather bland and slow book for others. So... if you've struggled with statistics, don't like it, aren't interested but need to learn it, get this and the comical examples and colloquial writing style will help get you to where you want to be. If you're impatient to learn statistics, and have any scientific or mathematical background, this is going to be a slow read with a lot of skimming/skipping.

Whichever audience you fall into, the examples are accurate and relate to the topics being discussed. The first example revolves around big foot and camera selection and the statistics concepts covered are blocking, replication, random samples and random sampling. Again, the example is related well to statistics topics at hand, but the page space dedicated to big foot is likely a distraction for one group, and a hook for another.

It is engaging and of the right technical depth that you will learn the concepts, without getting too bogged down in the details (proofs and equations). That's not to say that you do not get equations, but it does mean that the primary focus is on concepts and application as opposed to solving equations by hand.

The main downside regardless of audience is the text book like price, so grab it for Kindle, get it used.
4495250
I suppose I should have known that the book's target audience was under 12 since the main characters are 11, but I was hoping this book would be one of those that transcends age and manages to entertain parents as well. Unfortunately I was wrong.

Having picked this book up because of the fascinating sketch-like artwork on the inside cover, I found it was originally published in Italian and was translated to English. Because of this I was willing to overlook some of the awkward or bluntly short sentences. I was not, however, able to ignore the cheesiness of the plot, the number of times characters did exactly the right thing at the right time because the "felt" it would somehow turn out, etc. I was also puzzled at how Julia is introduced as only liking credit cards and expensive things but she never really acts that way at all (I think there was one thought that passed through her head).

In the end this is essentially a slightly older version of the Magic Treehouse books, and it entertained me about as much. Fortunately, though, I got it from a library and it only took a couple of hours to read. It isn't a bad book, but I certainly wouldn't encourage my kids to read it.
4560143
It's difficult to know exactly what audience Prof. Overmyer had in mind when writing Religions of China: The World as a Living System. While much of the book appears to be aimed at the lower-division college student needing a broad, quick overview, at times his prose suggests a much younger audience. For instance, take this passage: "Our world is full of special people to whom we turn for inspiration or guidance.... Younger people sometimes model their dress and actions on such heroes and stand in line all night just for the chance to see and hear a rock music star.... In addition, in the movies, there are beings like Superman, Jedi knights, and space voyagers from other planets" (66-67). The tone and reference of such passages (which occur every ten pages or so) are grating in their self-consciously "young person's" orientation. The bland writing style of the book as a whole doesn't help matters.

Perhaps, though, that's just a matter of taste, so what else can be said about the book? In its brief length, it does manage to provide a satisfactory overview of the basics of the Chinese worldview. It does sketch with remarkable economy the history of China and the impact of that history on religious practice. There are some facile comparisons made with Western thought and practice--between Chinese and Christian exorcism, for example (see p. 76), even though these rest on very different understandings of supernatural power and how it is manipulated.

In sum, Overmyer's Religions of China probably will do its basic job of acquainting the absolute newcomer with the broad outlines of Chinese religious thought and practice, and at a much lower cost than other introductory works which carry textbook pricing--but one of these latter will probably be preferable to the college-level or higher reader.
2170157
I'm giving this book four stars because I personally enjoyed it, for the most part. However, I think many readers will find the book off-putting, and I would therefore not recommend it to the average reader (if there is such a thing). Two reasons for this: First, the subject matter, which mostly involves Roubaud's education and career as a mathematician. Unless you have some knowledge of modern mathematics (formalism, the Bourbaki movement, etc.) a good part of the narrative will likely be difficult to take in. Second, Roubaud's elliptical style of writing (frequently nested parentheses, interpolations and bifurcations, along with two different type-font sizes) will present a discordant and jarring reading experience for those expecting to read a novel, which this most assuredly is not (despite its subtitle). For someone with some acquaintance with modern mathematics and a willingness to wade through some very "creative" (if not downright chaotic) writing, this book will be overall an enjoyable experience as it was for me.

One thing that makes this work endearing is the personality of its author: Roubaud is so lighthearted and likeable, you want him as your friend. Here is a fascinating, multi-talented senior French intellectual of wide-ranging interests who takes life as an adventure, never complains, and never stops growing. Half-way through the book I fell in love with him, and that is what primarily kept me going. The book is a part of a multi-volume memoir called "the great fire of london", which is a reminiscence of the author's life, centering around a Project (a mathematical work together with a novel) which he had planned to complete, entitled The Great Fire of London. This multi-volume memoir is thus a journey through memory coupled with imagination, as Roubaud tries to come to terms with his failure to realize this great Project of his, and retraces the course of his life. Reviews of the book call it Proustian, mainly because of Roubaud's frequent reflections on the role of the imagination in memory, and how memory-images frequently bear no relation to what really happened because the imagination colors and distort so much of our past experience. These reflections occur frequently throughout the book, which is written entirely in the first-person singular.

I have several pieces of advice to potential readers: First, if you do decide to tackle this book, you may want to first read Amir Aczel's book, "The Artist and The Mathematician", since it will give you the mathematical background you will need to enjoy Roubaud's book. Secondly, scattered throughout the texts are "redirections" (right-pointing arrows, with section numbers afterwards). I have read various reviews saying you're "supposed" to read the book by following these redirections. For the interpolations, that is fine (they are basically like footnotes, gathered at the end of each chapter (they are generally more imaginative than the chapters themselves)) (But beware that there are a few interpolations nested within interpolations!). Then there are two chapter-sized bifurcations as well. Following the bifurcations in this way will lead you into some rather deep, swampy grasslands since a redirection to bifurcation B is nested within bifurcation A. There are also scattered about the text redirections to different "branches" (or volumes) of the memoir/project. In my opinion, you are far better off just reading the book in the traditional linear way, not jumping around.
901856
The punch line of the book is very appealing: read what you want, not what others tell you to, and read at whim, don't care for rules. When the argument is developed throughout the book, we see that the approach of "reading at Whim" does involve some method, some rules, and that sometimes you should read what you don't want.

The complete advice goes like this: when you read for pleasure you should read slowly, with full attention, in silence and solitude, so that you can feel "raptness", maximizing the appreciation of the experience. Besides, you should use auto-knowledge to choose what to read, but you should not be satisfied with a too narrow taste: at times you should insist on reading a book  that you don't like at the moment, but that your "detached self" think is good, so that you can achieve "auto-conquest" and widen your taste.

I think this advice is really good. At some points I would have liked the author to develop a little more: e.g., on how to *learn* to suspend disbelief to improve imaginative experiences, or on what "put yourself in the way of events beyond your control" (which enables unpredictable tokens of auto-conquest) would mean for reading books.

I don't agree much with the case against the Adler-Van Doren model. The reasons the author gives for dismissing this model are very subjective and focus on the fact that they provide a list of recommended readings. I think recommendations are valuable, assuming that the reader will not blindly take them as assignments, but as mere suggestions. The recommendation list of Adler-Van Doren is only an Appendix of their book, and I quote them: "The list is not something to be gotten through in any amount of time. It is not a challenge that you can meet only by finishing every item on it".

In the end, the author of this book agrees to a large extent with Adler-Van Doren, not only on what he explicitly acknowledges. E.g., both insist that it is better to read well than to read widely, and they share most of the techniques for improving attention and understanding. The approaches are complementary: while one focus on reading for pleasure and the other focus on reading for understanding, there are large overlaps, with major agreements and only minor conflicts.
2534897
Obviously, the reaction to this book and the mega-marketing that has accompanied it has met with a mixed reaction.  The book is written in a style that is very comfortable to evangelicals, it offers a few easy steps to a deeper spirituality and a closer walk with Thee.  The availability of such methods clearly give some people insight and assist them.  This doesn't make those people shallow, ignorant, less Chrsitian...whatever.  If the book is useful for some--great, if not, pass it over for, maybe Henri Nouwen or Richard Foster.  But, do get this right.  The author is NOT C.S. Lewis, or Richard Foster, or Henri Nouwen.  The is not the modern equal of The Imitation of Christ.  It's not a bad book, but it's not classic spiritual literature either.  The person who prefers Frederick Buechner will not enjoy this book.  If Walter Wangerin turns your crank, this is not the book for you.  If you like James Dobson, if Charles Colson is your sort of guy and you enjoy the Left Behind Series.  You'll like this book.  True, some of us will never understand your preference--but isn't that the holy mystery of it all, YOU do not have to be like Me and we can both love and be loved by God.
3636022
While this book gives a lot of good examples and complete settings used, it's really specific just to the author's camera, and doesn't do a whole lot to account for other types of cameras, lenses, etc.  I thought this would delve much more into the theory and why the author chose the settings, alternatives considered, etc.  So, while it's not a bad book, I just think that it hits a narrow audience.  It assumes you know what the settings are used for and that you'll understand why they were chosen.  It doesn't give a whole lot of instruction, so it's kind of just like browsing a photo gallery of pictures with the full exif data exposed.
1728596
At the risk of pissing off a lot of Scott's fans out there, I felt compelled to write a review of this book, based on the fact that there are a surprising amount of five-star reviews, and I just can't figure out why. Now, please understand I think it's great his book found an audience, and I actually just ordered his "Making Comics" book. However, here are some of my thoughts on this book:

*If anyone has read comics any significant amount, a huge portion of this book will be completely redundant and unnecessary.

*His approach seems to be "the only reason people don't like comics is because they simply don't understand them." Well, it's not rocket science. If people don't like comics, it's probably because they simply don't care for the medium. I can't imagine how explaining things in EXCRUCIATING detail is going to suddenly change their mind. His other approach is to justify the medium itself as a valid and important art form. I agree that it is both those things, but to create a whole book on that premise is again (I feel) barking up the wrong tree. If people don't like comics, why would they read a whole book on the subject?

*There certainly is some nice information in this book, particularly the historical info on comics. But, as a whole, it feels padded and bloated with things that most people would already know, or just not care about.

All that being said, it is obvious that he has indeed found an audience, and I can't (and wouldn't want to) change that. My only concern is that some people might think this book is something that it's not (for instance would-be comic creators, like me) and may read it and be disappointed. That's what happened to me, so I have ordered one of his other books. I think it would help if amazon allowed people to look at the table of contents before ordering, but at present there is no option to do that.
186540
The title should be "How to communicate: getting attention and holding interest"--but that would violate the message of the book. It wouldn't be unexpected and it wouldn't itself be interesting. This is an easy read, filled with eye-opening research and concrete examples that show how you can expose a gap in your listener's knowledge and then help them fill it with your message. As another reviewer mentioned, the book illustrates its own principles--you won't forget the essential message and techniques any time soon. On the other hand, it can be a bit glib and glossy at times--after all, the authors don't know what you're actually trying to do with their techniques--so the book's message grows too abstract in spots. It belongs on your shelf alongside other high-concept books like "How to Win Friends and Influence People." I'm certainly glad to be one of the first to own what will certainly be "accepted wisdom" by summer.
4903222
Unlike some of the negative reviews, I am not slamming this book because of the small size (which Amazon clearly describes), nor its intended purpose (again, also advertised: "To Be Read in Utero"), nor even because it is essentially a laundry list of Seussian keywords inserted into the classic&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Oh-the-Places-You-ll-Go/dp/0679805273/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Oh, the Places You'll Go!</a>, itself a great book for children and young adults alike.

But not growing up with Dr. Seuss myself, I tend to have a critical eye when I read them now as an adult. The rhymes are all-time classics and the artwork is both fanciful and bizarre, however some of the messages are questionable (i.e., peer pressure in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Green-Eggs-and-Ham/dp/B000T63WF0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Green Eggs and Ham</a>), and some of the stories themselves are quite violent (i.e.,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Thidwick-the-Big-Hearted-Moose/dp/B001IB648M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Thidwick the Big Hearted Moose</a>).

Oh, Baby is therefore best for those parents who: A) enjoyed and fondly remember Dr. Seuss stories themselves; and B) plan to read many if not all of the full-length versions to their child in the future.